Sweet on You

Chapter 2

Lydia signed off on all the paperwork, and yes, even the agreement with Kelly as well. By the time everything was done, she wanted nothing more than to go home, have a bubble bath, and eat an unhealthy amount of sushi. 

Zachary, now Lydia's assistant took the last of the paperwork and gestured for someone to come into the office. "Miss Hollis, now that you're the owner of the company, your mother wanted to ensure you'd be protected."

Lydia arched an eyebrow. "Protected?"

From behind her, she heard a man clear his throat. She turned around, her body being pinned to her place under the intimidating stare of this man. He was dressed in black dress pants, a matching V-Neck, and impressive leather shoes. She tore her gaze from the man and turned back to Zachary. "A security guard? Kelly has been here longer and is basically running the show until I can formally sign the company over to her, why doesn't she have a bodyguard?"

Zachary looked as though he were trying not to laugh at her reaction. "She, uh, has three guards, actually."

"Oh." Now Lydia couldn't tell if she was offended or not for only having one guard compared to Kelly having three, but she decided one was more than she wanted or needed. Turning to face the guard, she feigned a smile. "Well, you're going to be incredibly bored for the next year because the most exciting thing that happens in my life is when a celebrity decides to order a wedding cake from my shop. Really, a bodyguard isn't needed."

"It's just a precaution, Miss Hollis. Once word gets out that Mrs. Hollis' enterprise was left to her estranged daughter, it will make you and the company vulnerable to theft. Especially seeing as you have zero experience in this business." The guard replied, his voice free of any sort of emotion.

Although Lydia sensed he wasn't deliberately trying to be an ass by calling her inexperienced and estranged, which she supposed she was, but nevertheless, it struck Lydia in some way. Without responding to her guard, she turned back to Zachary. "Am I allowed to leave?"

"You're the boss, you can do anything you want," he said, trying to keep his voice light and positive. 

"All right, well I'm going to go. Tell Kelly that I'm completely open to whatever she may decide, hell, if she wants me to sign off on anything I will, I won't even question it!" At that, Lydia began to laugh, but once again, when she noticed nobody in the room found it particularly funny she stopped. "I was kidding!" She tried to reassure but neither Zachary or the guard looked convinced. "Okay, um, I guess I'll see you soon."

Without waiting for a response, Lydia dashed out of the room with her new guard quick on her heels.

###

After some convincing, Xander, Lydia's new bodyguard she finally learned the name of, let her drive her own car home. As she weaved through the streets, she hummed to herself, occasionally striking up a conversation in attempts to know more about him. She hated the idea of having this person so close to her, knowing everything about her but knowing nothing about him. "So, Xander, what's your favourite colour?"

"Black." He replied, not bothering to look at her, instead of staring intensely out the window.

"Okay…" she said slowly. Not letting his evident disinterest in the conversation get to her,

Lydia perked up. "Oh, I know. I'm a baker, tell me your favourite dessert!"

Xander looked at her pointedly, as if the idea of a bodyguard like him enjoying a dessert was ludicrous. "Sweets are bad for muscle growth."

Lydia tore her gaze from Xander and nodded her slightly. "Noted."

After that, Lydia gave up. She was tired. Tired from the meeting, from trying to remain positive even though she was feeling anything but, and tired of trying to get through to this bodyguard. Surely, her company couldn't be that bad.

As she drove, she felt Xander's burning gaze on her. She tried her best not to squirm under it, it was uncomfortable and this sort of attention, professional or not, was something she wasn't quite used to. She felt herself frown. Today certainly did not go like she thought it would. She had only gone to the meeting to say her condolences to Kelly. She and her mother were inseparable. That's why Lydia couldn't understand why her mother would leave Kelly everything but the company. Lydia didn't even think she would get anything from her mother when she passed, nor did she want anything. 

"Carrot cake," a voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Lydia flinched at the sudden sound of someone's voice. Flustered, she stuttered out, "W-What?"

Xander looked over at her, his face expressionless. "My favourite dessert is carrot cake. But nothing fancy with the walnuts and raisins. Just plain old carrot cake with tons of cream cheese frosting."

Lydia pulled into her driveway, not realizing she was already home.
She faced Xander, tilting her head to the side. "I thought sugar wasn't good for muscle growth?"

Xander offered a hint of a smile. "I suppose there are some exceptions."