It was already ten in the morning when Natasha had finished freshening up and was seated on the living room couch bored to death. She wanted to go out but the guards at the door would not let her. "It is for your own sake Ms. Claire. Orders from the big boss." They all told her. She felt frustrated and took out his phone to call him. She then realized that she did not have his personal number. She could ask Maggie for it but that would be suspicious, so she called Watson. Watson was driving Brandon back to the office from a meeting downtown with one of the investors. Immediately he saw the call, he put it through and put it on loud speaker.
"Ms. Claire." He called out softly scanning the reaction of the man behind him. He stopped looking through his phone and looked out of the window. He smiled.
"Watson, I need your help." She went straight to the point.
"Yes Ms. Claire. How may I help you?"
"First, would you please stop calling me that. It sounds better when he calls it, but not you. If you cannot call me Natasha, don't call me at all." She said with a hint of anger in her voice. Brandon looked at Watson via the rear mirror and looked back outside, indifferent. 'Who else called her that? Did she have someone else?' He asked himself feeling a slight pinch on his heart. Watson noticed.
"Pardon me. When who calls it?" Watson asked trying to hold back his laughter.
"It does not matter. I need to get out of this house. I am bored out of my mind and Mr. Joseph has me locked up in here like a damsel in distress! Please help me, or better yet, give me his number I ask him. Please."
"Okay. Okay. I shall help you."
"Thank you so much Wats. I …."
"But under one condition." Watson interrupted then looked at the rear mirror to the man who was getting impatient. "You tell me who calls you 'Ms. Claire' better than me." He added smiling.
"That is not fair!" Natasha snapped, almost shouting.
"Then I am afraid I cannot help you Ms. Claire." He added while slowly steering the car round a roundabout. He heard her curse underneath her breathe on the phone.
"It's him." Natasha said, unsure of whether it was worth it. But she was bored.
"Who?" Watson insisted.
"The Big Boss!" She snapped and suddenly hang up the phone. She threw herself on the couch again. Her phone rang again. It was Watson. She picked it up. "Mr. Paul if you are calling back to make fun of me just know that no one calls my name better than him!"
"Ms. Claire." Brandon called her, softly, seductively and intentionally.
"Mr. Joseph!" Natasha called out in shock. 'Was the boss with you this whole time? I am going to kill you Watson!' She swore to herself.
"Get ready. My guards will take you out to wherever you will go. The only rule is that they will be with you through out." Brandon said and hung up before she could refuse his suggestion, because he knew she would. Watson was laughing as he was driving then stopped when he noticed his boss giving him a cautious eye. They soon arrived at the BESMA Group Building and as Brandon was settling into his office, his phone rang again. Immediately he saw the caller ID, he smiled. He was expecting it. Watson looked at his boss smile and knew it has something to do with the lady in his house. "Speak." He ordered.
"Sir. Ms. Claire says she is not interested in going out anymore." One of the bodyguards answered. The phone was loud enough so Watson heard what the bodyguard said and smiled while looking at the floor. Brandon hang up his phone and dialed a number.
"Hello." The woman on the end answered.
"Ms. Claire, if you do not prep yourself and be out and ready within the next ten minutes, I shall come over personally and carry you out." Brandon spoke, but sweetly that Watson found it romantic. He immediately hung up and sat down. Natasha was shocked at the threat. Another romantic threat! She immediately got ready and went to the guards before any of them could report back to Brandon. Watson looked at his boss who had started going through the files on his desk. 'How did he get her number? I certainly did not give it to him!' He thought to himself.
"No work?" Brandon asked looking at his file.
"No Boss." Watson replied absent-mindedly. Then wondering why Brandon had looked at him more strictly, he corrected his words, "I mean no sir. Yes, I have work." He turned around heading towards the door after placing his boss' briefcase on the office couch.
"William?" Brandon asked. Watson looked at him and answered: "Still held down in the club's basement." Brandon nodded. "Keep him locked up and healthy enough for his punishment."
"Ms. Claire, where do you want to go to first?" The bodyguard driving the car asked the young woman sulking at the back seat.
"My apartment. Relax Apartments." She answered. The driver immediately headed there. She was surprised that they knew where the building was but she did not think much of it. She got out of the car as soon as it was parked and asked the guards to remain behind but they refused so she had no option but to go up with them. When she got to her door, she asked them to remain behind and promised that she would let them know in case of anything. Luckily, they agreed. As soon as she got in, one of the guards called Brandon and updated him. "Good. Don't let her out of your sight." He ordered them.
The house was just as she had left it the previous day morning. It seemed that William did not come home as he always left the house in a mess whenever he was drunk. She looked around and everything was at its place, except her clothes. Even William's clothes were still in place. 'What happened to William?' She asked herself and then remembered what he almost did to her and sneered. "He does not deserve any type of emotions. Especially those of pity!' She thought to herself. She missed her house. She went to her room and laid herself on the bed, thinking of the recent events again. She dozed off. The guards walked in after a while and found her asleep. Again, they reported it back to the boss. "Let her sleep. Do not wake her." He ordered then hang up. 'It seems that she did not have enough rest last night.' He thought and smiled. A mischievous smile. After a few hours, Natasha woke up at three in the afternoon, hungry. She found the guards waiting patiently in the living room, watching TV. She felt embarrassed as she had made them wait for her.
"I apologize. I must have dozed off. And you must be hungry. Please, let us go for lunch. My treat." She sincerely apologized and yawned as she walked out of the door. The guards switched off the TV and followed her obediently. They went to the nearest hotel and bought them a full chicken to eat and they ate themselves full. It was already five when they finished their meal. She asked them to take to her friend's work place. Sasha was already done with her shift and had changed out of her uniform.
"Sasha!" Natasha called out to her as soon as she walked out of the hotel from the window of the white Mercedes.
"Tasha!" Sasha called back excitedly and ran towards her best friend. Natasha opened the door for her best friend wo got in and they immediately hugged each other. "How are you? How have you been? And who are they?" Sasha asked as she lowered her voice pointing at the two men in the front seats.
"Sash, these are my…friends. Their work is to…keep me company." Natasha said hoping that Sasha would understand. Sasha looked confused and looked at the gigantic men before him then back at her friend.
"Body…You have freaking bodyguards?!" Sasha shouted. Natasha held her friends mouth in embarrassment. She raised her eyebrows and Sasha nodded in assurance. She then let go of Sasha's mouth. The driver guard looked at Natasha as if awaiting command.
"Please take us to the ice cream house. Then we shall drop Ms. Ryan home later." She elegantly said to the guards and they nodded. The car then drove off. They stopped at the BB Ice Cream Den and the two girls walked in hand in hand catching up. After a few minutes, Natasha walked out with two large ice cream cups and handed them to the guards in the car.
"Thank you Ms. Claire." They happily thanked her as she walked back to the ice cream den.
Sasha had found a spot at the corner and had already started digging in to her ice cream. Immediately she saw Natasha come back, she smiled broadly. "Spill." She told her best friend. Natasha went ahead to tell that she was leaving in her boss's house and he could not let her go anywhere without security. She completely avoided mentioning the tension between them. She knew Sasha would bug her about it, so she kept quiet about her private moments in the bathroom or kitchen with Brandon.
"How is you mother fairing on?" Natasha asked carefully changing the topic.
"She is doing better now. Improving. Thanks to your very fine boss, she now has the required healthcare attention and he is doing better. How about you?"
"I am doing well too. I plan to be out of his house in no time." Natasha thought, thinking about her passing out in the bathroom. If Brandon had not been there…
"And William?" Sasha asked.
"I don't know where he is. He has not contacted me since." Natasha asked and ate her last ice cream scoop. She was feeling full. 'Where was William? Was he planning something? But if Brandon had saved her, then that means that William might be…
"I have to go!" She suddenly realized and got up. "I have to take…I have to take my medicine. I forgot." She lied, hoping her friend will not bother her much. Luckily, Sasha also said she had to go home and check on her mother. They got in to the car and dropped Sasha home before heading to The Palace.