Possessing Bella Ch. 20

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.

"I do believe you have an evil streak," Bella said, shaking her head.

"Only a little one," he smiled, believing she was still joking. "Now make that phone call, and we can call it a day," Andrew chuckled, knowing he was overstepping the mark but sure in the fact that Bella would follow his lead. "I'll start cleaning out my desk and get those drawings revised to include the opened foyer."

While she had been perfectly willing to admit that everything he said up until that point made sense, his last comment rankled her. It was as if their whole relationship had been turned on its head this week and she had only just realised. She watched him walk to the door of the office suite and ran back through the conversation in her head.

"Andrew," she called as he reached the door. "I might just run these past Dorothea tonight before making a final decision. Can you rank them regarding your preference for me?" She saw the brief look of chagrin on his face before he returned to her desk.

"That's a good idea, she helped you choose me after all," he said, quickly regaining his composure and swiftly ranked the files, leaving them in a pile before her. His smile seemed forced at that stage, and Bella smiled as she normally would. Inwardly though, she replayed his words about his attitude and acknowledged it could use some adjustment where she was concerned. He could call himself a loyal friend and protector as well as colleague, but she didn't like being used, even if only in name.

Waiting for him to level the room again, she wondered at the change in their relationship and if she had acted too swiftly when she had returned. He had been so good in all of her absences and been by her side when she had returned. She had given little thought to his training with Stephen and what that would mean for her, if anything at all.

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"You're exactly right," Dorothea reassured Bella. "This is exactly the right candidate, but just to drive your point home I would make Andrew oversee the training for at least a month and purposefully leave him out of strategic meetings for a while so that he realises you have a little bit of backbone. All the time he was warning you of others taking advantage, he has been doing that himself."

"I was absent as often as I was there," Bella admitted, "and I leaned on him a lot during that time. Maybe it's just that he is taking what is due to him."

"Pish you were already giving what was due to him, he is taking more," Dorothea said crossly. "Stupid newbie probably doesn't even realise what he has done. You have given him the keys to the kingdom just by hiring him six months ago. He has had access to the best mentors in the lifestyle and the company. He has been the golden child because you chose him." Dorothea seemed to consider her words. "We chose him!" She exclaimed in a eureka moment.

"Oh sweet girl as much as I should let you deal with this on your own, please let me," she gave a wicked smile and pressed her hands together as if in prayer. Bella burst into fits of giggles and nodded. Dorothea looked at her watch and picked up Bella's phone.

"Andrew? It's Dorothea," she paused for a moment and winked at Bella.

"Bella's been telling me about your conversation this afternoon, and it's so good of you to be protecting her from those that would take advantage of her." Again she paused. "I know that she agreed with your choice, but I think that Chelsea would be a much better option."

"Yes, I can see that Jaxon would be a much better option if it were only for you but it's not. Bella is willing to share her personal assistant with you but if you would rather have a girl from the temp pool..." Dorothea grinned at Bella as her voice steadily continued the conversation.

"I'm glad we see eye to eye on this. I would have hated to think I underestimated your commitment to Bella's business, or that you underestimated that sweet, trusting girl." Bella groaned inwardly as she listened to Dorothea press her point.

"Ah yes, I agree, she is very trusting of everybody, but she is wise enough to seek more than one opinion if she is not sure of a decision that she has to make." She paused for a moment as Andrew obviously spoke again.

"Oh I am feeling just fine, thank you. I thought I might come in to see everyone sometime next week. I am keen to see the plans for your new office," Dorothea said. "Thank you for asking. I'm sorry, I have to go, but I will catch up with you next week and see how the new assistant is settling in." She closed the phone and placed it on the table.

"That was fun, next let's call Stephen and tell him about his shoddy job of mentoring that one," Dorothea cackled and a moment later there was a knock on the door, startling them both and making them jump like children caught being naughty.

"Actually, I think Sir Stephen has done a perfect job. I think it's Rhys I need to speak to when it comes to work," Bella said quickly before opening the door.

"Hello little brat," Rob swept her up in his arms and held her close as he advanced into the apartment. "What are you two mischief makers up to then?"

"Creating mayhem and leaving chaos in our wake as usual, but have no fear there was only a little bit of bloodshed this time," Dorothea cackled and moved to embrace Rob as he placed Bella on her feet. "To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Delicious desserts, of course," he smiled widely. "Charles has called to invite you both to dine with him. He is a difficult man to say no to at the best of times, and he was quite adamant about it, so I accepted on your behalf."

"I see," Dorothea said and gave him a shrewd look, taking in the unspoken meaning in his words. "Then we best get ready." Seeing the disappointment in Bella's expressive face, Dorothea took her arm and led her to the bedroom. "We'll just be a few moments," she called over her shoulder to Rob.

"I was looking forward to tonight," Bella said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "There is so much I wanted to talk to you about."

"I know sweet girl but there will be other occasions, and I think this is something we must do. Charles doesn't rouse himself to come out this late, especially just for dessert if it isn't important. And it would seem Rob couldn't put him off," she turned to look at the empty doorway as if expecting to see Rob standing there. "Now let's find you something adorable to wear." Dorothea's explanation made sense to Bella, and she quickly changed while her mind worried at why he would need to see her tonight rather than waiting until tomorrow.

"Do you think you could stay tonight? The spare room is all made up, and I can drive you home in the morning after breakfast," Bella asked hopefully as she clipped a plain but obvious collar around her neck.

"I have learned that being your friend means being prepared for any eventuality," Dorothea grinned and linked her arm with Bella's, walking back out to where Rob waited for them.

"The beauty of experience and the sweetness of youth, I will be the envy of all walking into the club with both of you on my arm," Rob opened the door and led the way downstairs.

"Such a charming man," Dorothea patted his cheek and smiled. "That's the nicest way anyone has called me old in some time." She chortled and pressed the button to summon the elevator. Bella listened to Rob and Dorothea's banter about age and experience as they made their way down and into the club. They were led to a booth at the rear of the restaurant and, sitting beside Charles, she was surprised to find that Sara was not with him.

"Hello little one," Charles gave her a one armed hug and leaned down so she could kiss his cheek. "Jake is our chef tonight, so I have asked him to surprise us with something wonderful."

"That sounds fabulous," Bella grinned up at him, always feeling like a little girl around Charles.

"At the last stakeholders meeting, Rob and Stephen informed us that you were hoping to end the training with just the original five Masters that Mel had set out for you," Charles said abruptly, launching into his reason for summoning her here. "Not including Kurt and Dianne."

"That's true, Master Charles," Bella said softly. "It is what I wanted."

"Have you changed your mind on that matter?" he enquired.

"No, not exactly," she began to chew her lip, and she looked up at Rob. "I'm just a little confused about things, and I was going to talk a few things out with Dorothea tonight," she blushed slightly. "She has a way of making the scattered thoughts in my head come together and make sense without saying much of anything. She just lets me talk it all out of my head, then lets me pick up the better bits again."

Charles scratched at his stubbled cheek and looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "When you came to me many months ago and asked for my help in setting up the training agreement with the stakeholders, I put myself in a position akin to your guardians. A protective overseer of sorts," he said slowly. "I have kept a keen eye on your progress and have received reports from each Master after your stay with them. It was I who placed an embargo on you for two weeks following your return, so that you would not be besieged by offers to spend time with the same men again or others who have shown an interest in collaring you."

Bella looked surprised and swallowed loudly. Her mind worked over what he had said and, aside of Stephen, had not contemplated that anyone else may offer her a collar.

"Oh those big green eyes make my heart soar, were I a younger man I would want my collar around that pretty throat," he chuckled. "Now I must leave it to younger men who can offer you a more fulfilling life than I could, which brings me to the reason for this impromptu meeting. The stakeholders meeting is Monday, and I have had conversations with some of the members who would like you to give a definite answer as to whether you will continue with the training or end it."