He gave me a confused look.

“My office is quiet, and I have an ice machine under my mini bar.”

“I’m not sure….”

“Come with me. I need some time away and it will give you a chance to recover after…” I waved a hand around. “All this.”

He looked down at my hand. “You do need ice.”

I nodded, happy to let him care for me.

“They’re keeping Mrs. Weeks’s dessert in the kitchen. I was going to get it for her when she was ready to go.”

I chuckled. “Knowing her, she won’t leave until they kick her out. She loves dancing.” I glanced inside and saw her twirling around with Robert. “Trust me. She’s fine.”

“Okay.”

“Let me call my PR director. This will only take a moment.” When I was done with the call, I held out the hand that wasn’t throbbing. He took it and the warmth of his skin made me smile. I led him to a different exit from the rooftop garden, one that wouldn’t require us to walk through the crowd of guests.

As we stepped inside, Ben hesitated, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

I grinned. “No, but I want to do it anyway. What about you?”

“Yeah, I do.” He looked away, but he tightened his grip on my hand.

I let go of his hand before we exited the elevator. He didn’t deserve to be caught up even further in my latest scandal. As long as we looked professional, it was perfectly normal to bring my assistant back to my office. It might not be normal to punch a man on his behalf, but I had a damn good reason, and my PR director would spin it for me. Gossip couldn’t really touch me. I’d become immune to it by the time I was out of college, but I would do anything necessary to keep it from hurting Ben.

When we reached my office, Ben headed for the bathroom. He grabbed a washcloth and filled it with ice from the bar. Once he’d handed it to me, I dutifully placed it against my aching knuckles.

“This office really is equipped with everything,” he said.

I grinned. “Only the best for me.”

“Right.”

“Like you.”

His eyes widened. “W-what do you mean?”

“You’re the best.”

“I told you I was good at my job.” He tried to act sassy as he said it, but I could see the unease in his eyes.

“You are very good at your job, and you’re also….”

“Mr. Montgomery?”

I moved closer to him. “Benjamin, I’m used to getting what I want.”

He nodded. “I’m sure you are.”

“I didn’t like seeing Medford talking to you and when he touched you, I would have killed him if there hadn’t been so many witnesses.”

He tilted his head to the side, clearly trying to decide how serious I was. “I…um…I appreciate you rescuing me.”

“I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“That’s not your job.”