An interesting job offer

Oliver sighed, he couldn't believe this was happening to him. He had just lost his job as a bodyguard to an important politician due to the client's wife falsely accusing him of sexual harassment. He should've known it would come to this when she kept making overt passes at him; finally when he refused to sleep with her, she made sure he would get fired. Apparently no one rejects Mrs. (Name). Luckily the (senator/congressman) decided not to make the affair public or press any charges, as there was no actual evidence. Oliver suspected that his boss, Slade Wilson, was behind the cover-up too, as the security firm could not afford any bad publicity right now. However despite his innocence in the matter, and his dedicated and consistent work etiquette, he was fired from his job.

Which brings him here, at the Diggles' doorstep for his weekly dinners with the family.

"Hey Oliver", Lyla greeted him when she opened the door. Oliver hugged her before following her into the living room, and was ambushed by his eager goddaughter. He played with little Sara until John came in, greeting Oliver with a clap on the shoulder and announcing that dinner was ready.

For the rest of dinner, Oliver enjoyed the Diggles' company, making small talk with John and Lyla, and entertaining Sara.

After dinner, Lyla took Sara for bath time, while John and Oliver got comfortable on the couch.

"So you wanna talk about what's bothering you yet?", John asked.

Oliver took a long sip of his beer before answering, "I was fired today."

John raised his eyebrow, unable to contain his surprise at the news. "Explain!"

"The client's wife wanted me to sleep with her. I refused. She did not appreciate that, so she told her husband that I sexually harassed her. Slade worked out things with the client so that nothing is released to the press and the company can save face, but I was fired as a consequence," Oliver elaborated.

John looked at him pityingly. "That's harsh, man."

Oliver nodded and took another sip of his beer, and John did the same, both of them sitting in silence until Lyla entered the room. "Why do you two look so depressed?"

"Oliver lost his job," John answered her.

Lyla looked at Oliver, contemplating, "Johnny, didn't you mention, yesterday, that your boss was looking for a new bodyguard? Oliver would be perfect for the job, maybe you could recommend him?"

"Hmm...That's what I thought too." John turned to Oliver, with a glint in his eye, "I'll talk to Miss Smoak tomorrow and call you sometime in the afternoon. Okay?"

Oliver nodded, "Thank you, Digg. I really appreciate the help."

X-X-X

"Joanna, we have to go," Felicity called through the house. She had her heels in her hand, searching for her six year old daughter.

"Coming, Mommy." Her daughter yelled back, streaking towards the door, a few moments later.

Felicity loaded her energetic daughter into the car, dropping her off for school. Ten minutes later she was in her office. She had founded her company, Smoak Technology, three years ago. At the time she started with only five employees, but now she had almost five hundred employees working for her. Smoak Tech, was her pride and joy (after Joanna, of course) and she had worked hard as the CEO to bring it to the forefront of cyber securities and technology. Eventually they started branching into more diverse applied science fields, leading to the company's rapid growth and success.

"Mr. Diggle would like to speak with you, when you have a few minutes." Gerry, her assistant, informed her over the intercom, once she was settled in behind her desk.

"Send him in, Gerry. Thanks."

The door opened and her head of security stepped in. "Hello, John. Sit down, please!" Felicity said, smiling at him.

"Good Morning Felicity. Thanks for seeing me so early", John replied, as he took a seat. "I have a candidate for Joanna's bodyguard. Oliver Queen; he's a good friend of mine, served with me, in fact, and is on the lookout for a new job. He is an excellent bodyguard; good training, professional, sharp and vigilant and can be very good with children. I think he'd be perfect for her security."

"Do you trust him?" She checked, as she considered John's pitch.

"I do, with my life and the lives of my family." He answered.

"I would feel more comfortable if I got to meet and interview him personally. Can you ask him to meet me at eleven tomorrow morning?" She offered.

"Will do!" John replied, as he took his leave.

Felicity opened a new search window on her computer, typing in 'Oliver Queen'. She trusted John without a doubt. If he said that this man was the best suited for the job, then he probably was, which is why she didn't feel the need to conduct an extensive background check. But this was for her baby girl's safety and she would feel much better if she knew more about the man. So she started a basic search and managed to stumble upon a lot of information.

"Oliver Queen, 30 years, born and raised in Starling City, eldest child of billionaire Robert Queen, CEO of Queen Consolidated, and Moira Queen. Known for his escapades with a revolving door of women, and drunken antics leading to brushes with the law, college drop-out. Enlisted for the military after the death of his best friend, Tommy Merlyn, honorably discharged after ten years of service, worked until very recently for Wilson Security." She read out to herself, skimming through the highlights of information and years old gossip articles. She also only found old pictures of him, but no recent ones, he clearly kept out of the public view these days. She hoped she wasn't about to hire a man who looked like a serial killer on drugs to guard her baby.

X-X-X

Oliver entered the Smoak Technology building at a quarter to eleven. He walked up to the front desk, "Hello, my name is Oliver Queen. I have an appointment with Miss Smoak at eleven."

The woman behind the table signaled him to wait a for moment, picking up the phone.

"There is an Oliver Queen for Miss Smoak." She waited while the person on the other end spoke.

"Okay, I'll tell him."

Oliver was tense, his fingers rubbing together in his usual nervous tic, as he waited on her.

"You need to wait here for a moment, Mr. Queen. Someone will pick you up soon," The receptionist informed him.

Oliver nodded and thanked her. He adjusted his tie, and recalled once more what he knew about Miss Smoak.

Felicity Smoak, 27, born and raised in Las Vegas, graduated high school at 16, graduated summa cum laude from MIT with a master's degree in Cyber Security and Computer Sciences, gave birth to her daughter Joanna Smoak the following year, whose father is unknown and founded Smoak Technology in 2013.

"Mr. Queen!" A male voice broke him out of his musings. A man with dark hair, stood before him, "My name is Gerry Conway. I'm Miss Smoak's executive assistant. If you would, just follow me please!"

Oliver flashed a tense smile at the man, following him along to the office of his (hopefully) new employer. Oliver surveyed the path they followed for all possible exit points and danger zones, paying similar attention to the new floor and office he stepped into. Mr. Conway closed the door behind him, while Oliver finished his thorough scan of the room. This was a habit developed from his time in the military, and one that was extremely essential as a bodyguard. After he had made sure that everything was in order, he looked over to the desk. Behind it sat a petite woman with blond hair and glasses, who stared at him with an open mouth.

"John didn't tell me how handsome you are." She mumbled. Immediately, she seemed to have realized what she had said and blushed brightly. "Did I say that out loud? Of course I said that out loud. Not that you are not good looking, even captivating. I already said that, but I didn't mean it like that… I'm not making a pass at you… Not that I wouldn't… I was just observing… Not appreciating... But that's not why you're here. You're here because of the bodyguard position and not to listen to me babble about your body. And I'm gonna stop talking in 3 ... 2 ... 1 " She bit her lower lip to suppress another flood of words.

Oliver could not hold back a smile. While her initial reaction had made him wary, her ensuing 'babble'(as she called it) was different and frankly a bit endearing. This woman was refreshing.

He held out his hand. "Oliver Queen, Miss Smoak."

She stared surprised at his hand, her eyes moving back to his face, then his hand again. "You still want to work for me even after being subjected to my word vomit?" She rechecked.

Oliver nodded. She stared at him perplexed, then shook her head and pressed a button on her intercom. "Gerry, please bring Mr. Queen's work contract." Then she turned back to him.

Oliver stared at her in surprise. "I have the job?"

She nodded. "John said you were the best for the job and I trust him." Felicity had just wanted to meet the man and assess her comfort levels at leaving her daughter with him. The way he had analyzed every part of the room, reassured her that he would be able to keep Joanna safe and hadn't got any negative vibes from him. Of course, the way he had reacted to and just side-stepped her embarrassing babble served to confirm her decision. Well, that along with the fact that he was not sporting the serial killer look anymore.

Mr. Conway brought in the paperwork. Oliver scanned the contract carefully, as a son of a successful businessman, knowing to pay attention to the details of a contract before signing it. He found no issues with the agreement, which was pretty standard- he would be working every weekday, and every second saturday, sundays were free, and would be living with the Smoaks. He signed it and handed the papers back to Miss Smoak.

As she rechecked and cross-signed the papers, Miss Smoak informed him, "So tomorrow is Saturday, you can start moving in. I'll ask to John to help you get settled in and show you around both the office and the house. Gerry will also take you to HR to finish some other formalities. I expect you at noon tomorrow for lunch, and make sure you have a few hours so you can get to know Joanna. I'll also explain Joanna's daily routine tomorrow. You'll start on Monday. Any questions?"

"Would you be outlining your daily routine as well, since I have to protect you?" Oliver verified with her.

She looked at him surprised. "Didn't John tell you? Your job will be to protect my daughter, not me."