Authors Note: Thank you once again to everyone who leaves comments and feedback on my writing, it is much appreciated. I apologise for the longer than usual waiting time between chapters. Thank you very much to Aisielynn who continues to my second set of eyes, she is a great friend to help me out so much. Thank you also to Margret who also looked over this chapter for me. I hope you enjoy it. ~ellie
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Possessing Bella Ch. 20
During the week following Bella's return to the city, she had done little but work and sleep. While she had accomplished a great deal at the company, she had begun to feel isolated at home in her apartment. She had been understandably exhausted upon her return and though they were a constant presence, the men in her life made no demands on her time in the evenings after dinner. The coming weekend would be different though and in a small way she was grateful for the time she had been given to rest after returning from the ranch.
"Bella," Andrew interrupted her daydreaming, bringing her back to the matter at hand. "You haven't said a word." He indicated the resumes he had just summarised for her.
"Oh I'm sorry," she said, bringing herself back to the task. "Tell me the truth," she locked eyes with him. "Is there any deal with Rob or Kurt like there was when you interviewed?"
"Possibly, but if there is I don't know about it. HR sent me a list of applicants, and I have shortlisted those for you," he explained again. "I get to choose a girl from the temp pool, but you're a senior executive, you need an experienced personal assistant, not a secretary."
"Okay," she sighed, knowing that to put it off any longer just stopped Andrew from doing more important things. "Could you run through them one more time? Then we can start the interviews."
Several hours later, the final interview left her office, and she sat back looking at Andrew thoughtfully. If she was honest with herself, he had done most of the groundwork for the company over the last six months as she had taken a lot of leave to attend the training program. She chewed her lip as she considered what she wanted to say and how she wanted to phrase it.
"Say it, Bella. You don't have to be so careful with me. I am your associate now, we are officially a team," he grinned and leaned back in his chair.
"We were always a team," she returned his grin with one of her own. "We will still be working on the same project together, and I know I can't expect you to do all the menial work anymore. I am wondering if we need two extra people on our team. I mean couldn't we share an assistant or do you want... I mean...," she blushed, remembering her time as Mel's assistant and knew that almost all of the executives were involved in some way with their assistants. She floundered for the right words and hung her head, giving up.
"If I want to what? Fuck my assistant stupid on my new desk?" Andrew chuckled. "As I understand it, less of that sort of thing happens in this building than you think. It's the loyalty and trust most of the men enjoy with their assistants."
"We managed to build that sort of relationship, didn't we?" Bella looked up, her cheeks still rosy.
"We did, and you didn't fuck me once," he said with an exaggerated pout, making her blush brighter.
"What I was trying to say," she shook her head, willing the heat from her face. "We could open up space in front of our offices and have one large desk and just start with one assistant, and if the work gets too much for her or him, another can come from the temp pool."
"That could work, especially as the renovations on the suite next door are due to start next week, it wouldn't take much to add in the extra area. We'll still need someone as soon as possible so we can move on the plans we have made this week." He indicated the pile of resumes sitting in a neat pile at the side of her desk.
"We do," she agreed. "So let's discuss who WE would like to hire."
"It's a no-brainer for me," Andrew took a file from the pile and pushed it at her. Bella looked at it suspiciously. This had all gone so smoothly, no negotiating or worrying, Andrew just seemed to be able to take everything that she proposed and make it work for them both. She had to remind herself that he was a dominant outside of this office, and it shouldn't surprise her that he was perfectly willing to take control of any given situation that she allowed him to. Looking down at the file she was a little surprised and looked back at Andrew with a raised eyebrow.
"I am just as happy to get a blow job from a man as a woman," Andrew shrugged, restraining the smile that threatened the corners of his mouth at her surprise at his candid response to her unspoken question. She blinked at him and, unable to help herself, burst out laughing.
From the moment, she and Kurt had promoted Andrew from personal assistant to associate their relationship had begun to change. He now worked with her rather than strictly for her and was able to pursue other small projects with Rhys Muldoon, who had been mentoring Bella and her project. In her frequent absences, Andrew had been able to take full advantage of this facet of the business. The promotion had opened even more doors for Andrew both professionally and privately, and he was more than grateful to the woman sitting across the desk from him. He worried about the position she may be put in by hiring another unknown who could take advantage of her submissive nature. Choosing a gay man was a no brainer for him and, being bisexual himself, the words he had spoken to hide his protective tendencies were true.
"I suppose his background in security and technical had no bearing on your decision," she said after her giggle subsided. "I already have enough watchers to make me paranoid."
"Well that helps, but they all have some training that would be advantageous to your guardians. This one though has a great smile," he waggled his eyebrows.
"Stop that," Bella said with another giggle. She shuffled through the other four applicants that had been shortlisted and had to admit that what he had said was true.
"Ask yourself this," he said seriously, "If there was a rumour circulating and Dianne wasn't here, who would you ask?"
"Patrick," she said automatically. A moment later realisation dawned. "This guy doesn't seem to have Patrick's friendly personality." Bella was sceptical.
"Put it down to nerves, he is handsome and non-threatening to the men here. He could get into interesting places without even raising an eyebrow. I'm sure Patrick would be more than happy to take him under his wing and help him out like he did for me. More so probably, I imagine his attitude will be better than mine," again he flashed his wide grin.
"What's wrong with your attitude?" Bella was honestly confused by the statement.
"Bella you are so oblivious to your power at times. For me you have always been 'She who must be obeyed' while I worked for you," he paused to check her understanding and seeing the confusion lingering in her expression, continued. "I was not always so obliging with the other assistants," he admitted without any regret. "I don't deal well with excuses or bullshit lines and went over their heads more often than not if I needed something done. Having you for a boss trumps every assistant in this company, except Dianne. Though I do believe I could come up with an argument to debate that point."
"I see," Bella didn't like the revelation that he had been trading on her position and power here to force his personal agenda, if that was what was happening.. "And you believe this Jaxon can wield that much power responsibly?" Bella was shaking her head as she played along with what she now believed had to be a joke.
"I think three months' probation should be long enough to find out. If nothing else, the thought of getting his own assistant to boss around if the workload increases after the renovations are done would possibly be enough motivation to help him understand his worth and exactly where his loyalties need to lie."
"Loyalties?" Bella cocked her head. This whole conversation was bewildering to her, and she was glad she was seeing Dorothea tonight for dinner. She had become very uncomfortable about the amount of power she had allowed him to wield within the company with each new revelation.
"Of course," he said, and then explained further. "Rumours and gossip spread like wildfire in this place. We don't want anything getting out that we don't want to," he laughed loudly then. "When you were on that island with Hunter, and Kurt and Dianne left suddenly, I told everyone you had been taken by pirates that had raided the island."
"You what?" Bella clapped a hand to her mouth in stunned surprise.
"Yeah they learned not to pump me for information after that," he continued to chuckle. "Which is a shame, because I had a whole man from Snowy River wild mustang story to tell them during your last trip."
"You did not," Bella laughed uneasily. The change in their relationship since his promotion had been imperceptible until this conversation.
"Oh you have no idea," he said, suddenly becoming serious. "Look, Bella, I know you don't understand who you are without Mel or the power you could wield if you just decided one day to take control of everything Mel left to you," he paused as if deciding how much to say. "You are beautiful, wealthy and desirable on many levels. You need people around you who are loyal and have your best interests at heart. Kurt and Rob do well to ensure that, now I am here to help you too. Hire this guy. I have a good feeling that, like me, he will protect you from those that would seek to cash in or take advantage of your position here."
"Oh I was just thinking," she said, equally seriously. "It seems opportune that I am getting a new assistant as you seem to have lost the ability to read my mind," she joked awkwardly, looking down at the file he had given her.
"Well, what my mind is thinking is that you call this guy and let him know he needs to show up at work on Monday morning. Then he can call these others and gleefully inform them that they did not get the job," Andrew said happily.
