Secretary With Benefits for the Billionaire

By Marie Kelly

“Because Tia, you need to look around you. This is not the place a woman like you should be living. Your life is in free-fall, and whether you admit it or not it is about to become a whole lot worse. I am offering you a job doing something you are GOOD at” Her derisive snort saw his voice harden. “Let us be clear about one thing Tia. I am paying for your secretarial expertise and nothing more. The personal requirements you find so disgusting are there because I am a realist. Two people alone on an island in constant contact with each other WILL end up in bed together, it is human nature”
“Please leave”, her voice was almost a whisper as he grew silent. Finally with every nerve in her body taut she looked over her shoulder, holding down the small groan as he stood so close, her sight filled with the expensive cloth of his suit. A gasp was ripped from her as his large hands gently grasped her shoulders and turned her to look at him, Tia finding her eyes rising before they met his. Once more a small shudder ripped through her as her whole body reacted to his closeness in an unfamiliar manner.
“Did you ever think that maybe you need to take back control of your life? And I mean in every way. Perhaps you need to cut loose and explore yourself Tia. I am offering you the chance to get your life back in order and explore what you yourself are capable of...to explore your own sexuality. Not with any of the constraints of romance or expectations of marriage...Just of raw attraction” Tia swallowed as his long fingers felt so warm through the thin material of her night clothes, her mouth suddenly so dry, as she croaked incoherently, “I...I”, her eyes wide, her insides flipping disconcertingly.
“I find you attractive Tia...so tell me...Knowing that I will never expect anything more from you, and in fact will insist that once the month contract is up, that we never see each other again...are you attracted enough to me to explore your own boundaries?”
Wide-eyed she could only stare up at him as he repeated more determinedly, his fingers digging slightly deeper pulling her from her reverie, “Do you find me attractive Tia?” She knew she should pull herself from him, tell him that she found him disgusting and to demand he leave, but there was something about his words, an honesty which she had never before experienced, her eyes closing softly, a moan leaving her mouth “Of course I find you attractive...What woman wouldn’t, but...I am just not comfortable with...”
Her eyes flew open once more as his small sensual laugh washed over her, “Then for once in your life Tia Trent...Do what will make you happy, not what others expect of you. Take back control of your life...Learn to be the woman you were meant to be”

With her life in free fall, Tia Trent finds herself hiding from the paparazzi after her husband, Darren, is arrested for bigamy and theft. With no money, no friends and nobody to turn to, Tia finds herself with very little money and even fewer options. Into the hell that has become her life walks Jarad King. The billionaire needs a secretary for his month-long working trip on his private island. His job offer however comes with one stipulation, that part of her expected duties will include looking after his needs outside of the office as well as inside. Can Tia really be his secretary with benefits?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marie Kelly
• Release date: Dec 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301583508

Marie Kelly

A hopeless romantic and weaver of words. While I live in Canada, Scotland will always be in my heart.

Book preview

Secretary With Benefits for the Billionaire

by

Marie Kelly

Special Smashwords Edition

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Secretary With Benefits for the Billionaire

Special Smashwords Edition

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Copyright © 2016 Marie Kelly. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

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Chapter One

Tia Trent sat stiffly in the large waiting room, eyes scanning the many women all sat with her. She gently tugged her skirt to ensure it covered her knees, the act of primness merely seeming to amuse many. Once more, Tia questioned why she was there. With her long hair scraped back into an efficient tidy knot, she believed herself the epitome of how a secretary should look. A frown puckered her normally smooth brow. Something seemed off.

She flicked another nervous glance around, holding back a groan seeing the array of beautiful women silently gathered in the ultramodern and chic waiting room. Again, Tia wondered if she was in the right place. The job advertised was for a Girl Friday – a personal assistant to an unknown ‘Head of a corporation’. The advertisement had been sent to her from her sister-in-law. A bitter smile briefly curled her lips - ex-sister-in-law, she corrected herself. It listed the detailed skills the right person would need. Tia once more snuck a look at the sliver of paper in her hand containing that list - speed typist, short-hand, organisational skills, and cooking. The last one was a surprise to her, but all skills she had in abundance. Her eyes swept around the room. Somehow, she doubted the women here were so skilled, especially given the length and colours of most of their long nails.

Tia savaged her lips, once more considering phoning Alisha and checking if she had the right address. This thought ended as an officious older woman entered the room. The woman fixed the seated assembly with a severe stare, her head slightly bent as she peered over bifocals, voice filling the room brooking no arguments. Would the following people please follow me. The rest we would like to thank you for coming today but we will not be requiring you any further at this time.

The assembled group sat upright, Tia like the rest waiting for the short-listed applicants to be called. Standing out so dramatically in the gathered group, she was sure she would be leaving. Somehow, she had ended at the wrong address, this definitely some kind of call for models, or perhaps an acting role. It certainly could not be for office work, the other women dressed to kill not file. Each was sexy, dressed in revealing outfits that would be out of place in any office. Compared to them, she stood out dramatically, sat primly in her grey business suit. As her name was called, she stood, aware of the surprised stares of the many others, their eyes showing that they too felt she should not be there.

With the other nine short-listed applicants, she followed the older woman down the hall to yet another waiting room, this one slightly smaller, with coffee and tea facilities. Smiling at the other women she stood. Would anybody else like some tea? Tia’s question surprised most. Some ignored her while others gave return smiles as they shook their heads. Tia helped herself to a drink, hoping this would help calm the nerves which tightened her stomach. Sitting back down she stared into the milky liquid, a small frown on her features.

Had it only been a month ago she thought herself to be the happiest woman in the world? She had it all. A beautiful house and a handsome, charming, and rich husband. Only one month ago that she thought she had the whole world at her feet, and the talk of having a child the icing on her perfect slice of life. She and Darren had married three years prior, after he swept her off her feet while she was still in university, training in Office Management and Business, he a Director of a well-known and established company. At 22 she had married him, so in love.

Lifting the cup, she felt the familiar warm sting of tears as she gulped the hot liquid, pushing the hurt down, determined to hold it together as memories of the last month flooded her. When the newspapers broke the story of her husband’s other wife and child she was devastated. Even more so with the discovery of his theft from the Company he worked to finance his dual lifestyle, this creating a scandal for the institution which the tabloids reveled in. He had begged her to forgive his bigamy, insisting that she meant more to him. But Tia had been unable to forget the look on his other wife, Alison’s, face, as she held their small child. She, like Tia had been destroyed by the revelations. Tia was even more stunned to discover that far from being an only child, whose parents were dead, his parents were wealthy and living in retirement. He also had a sister, a sister who initially blamed Tia for making her brother become involved with her. Tia hurt by the accusations.

Prior to the whole sordid mess coming to light, Darren had put all his assets into the names of his wives. When it transpired Alison was his actual wife, having married Tia a year later, she found herself with nothing. On charges of fraud and bigamy, Darren was still on bail awaiting his court case, but it was a forgone conclusion that he would be spending some time in prison. And so, less than a month after the devastating revelations, everything they had shared was repossessed, leaving Tia penniless. With no home, no money and no husband, her whole wonderful life was washed away like footsteps in the sand.

She carefully placed the cup down onto the table, her fingers trembling as the memories washed over her. Taking deep breathes she calmed, telling herself that self-pity was a waste of her energy. She had to move on, forget the past. Her heart broke once more. Doing so was never as easy as wishing it.

Tia Trent. Her head whipped up as her name was called. She rose, the sick sensation in the pit of her stomach made her want to turn and run. Having married right out of University, and never worked, other than for Darren, she felt nervous and unready for life in the workforce.

She followed the older woman down a bright picture-strewn corridor. Her mind tried to find calm as her body quivered with fear. You are a strong, independent, qualified applicant, she internally repeated over and over until calm once more took over and she was able to give the other woman a professional smile as she had been directed through a door.

The room was dark, Tia pausing for a second to allow her eyes to adjust to the dimness. Frowning, she finally stepped forward towards the long table placed in the centre of the room. Behind it four people sat, a chair strategically placed in the middle before them. Her eyes took in the pad and pencil beside the already filled glass of water and another desk close by on which a computer sat.

With a surprised frown she wondered why the curtains were pulled, obscuring what must have been a bank of floor to ceiling windows which covered one of the walls, her steps making a small clip-clop sound as she made her way to the assembled panel.

The group consisted of three men and one woman. Three of them were grouped together. The fourth, a man, was seated further down the long desk, his features partially hidden in the shadows. As she finally reached the desk, the main group of three stood, all taking her hand as they introduced themselves. The fourth remained silent and seated.

As she shook hands, each was introduced. Hello Miss Trent, I am Bill Pattison, this is Dr Robert Wilson and Jane Johnston. The kindly middleman pointed to each person in turn before gesturing to the chair. Please take a seat.

Tia allowed her look to flick nervously to the one silent person, the only one not introduced. A shiver ran through her as their eyes met. From the little she could see he made an impact. He was stunning. Not traditionally handsome - his features a little too sharp, but with eyes dark and mesmerising, unblinking. His aura exuded power and something else – something she was not familiar with – something which made her want to shiver. He was not somebody who could ever be missed in a crowd. His wide sensual mouth quirked as her look rested on him for a moment too long, Tia not sure why he impacted her so much. She hurriedly dropped her look to concentrate on the other three.

Bill, who had introduced the others, leaned forward. Tia guessed he was in his fifties as he looked gently at her, she relieved the group all seemed determined to make her feel at ease, their smiles warm while businesslike.

Now Miss Trent, the interview falls into three main sections. The first of which will be a test of your proficiency within an office. Tia nodded, smiling as she tried to ignore the man half-hidden in the shadows, not sure why her pulse raced knowing those dark eyes were fixed on her.

We will dictate a letter. Before you there is a pad for your use. When finished we ask that you use the computer to recreate the letter and after printing it place it in the envelope beside the machine and give it to us. Any questions?

Shaking her head, Tia acknowledged her understanding of what was required as she lifted the pencil and pad preparing herself for the dictation. Jotting down in shorthand the clearly spoken, if a little fast, words, she held back the smile at the strange contents. They were she knew, designed to ensure that it was harder to memorise the wording.

As Bill finished dictating, the woman, Jane, started a stopwatch, Tia moving quickly to the computer. The blank screen indicated the machine was switched off, Tia flicking a look at the panel, seeing the way they regarded her with impassive features. Logically it didn’t make sense they would expect her to waste time booting the machine, so she pressed the sleep button, rewarded as it jumped to life. Holding down a triumphant smile, she wondered how many of the other women had fallen for the booby-trap time waster.

Loading the word processing package she knew well, her fingers flew over the keys. Soon Tia was printing out the letter, ensuring she saved it after finishing. About to stand, the third man spoke, Oh – could you email it to the address on the last page of your notepad?

Flicking to the page, she opened her email, quickly sending the attachment to the given address, before collecting the letter and moving forward to the table. I... I would usually expect to have a signature. Would this be needed?

She caught the approving smiles of the three as Bill took the sheet and signed his name. Tia soon had the letter sitting in an envelope before them, the stopwatch halted as the group seemed impressed, their heads nodding in approval. Very good Miss Trent, a smiling Bill spoke as Jane took over.

I see that you took some culinary courses. Would you care to talk about these? Tia sat up straighter. In the three years of her marriage, she had taken great delight in preparing meals for her and Darren. He had loved the wonderful dishes she would present him each night. Taking the courses allowed her to be more creative and had been something she enjoyed. Tia happily talked about the different courses she attended, answering questions on what ingredients were to be found in some well-known dishes. Soon the woman sat back, her face beaming as she nodded at Bill, before looking at the last man as she indicated she was finished.

The final man introduced she remembered as Dr Wilson smiled reassuringly at her. Tia was surprised that a medical doctor would be on such a panel. Miss Trent, he smiled, Could you please remove your jacket and turn slowly around for us?

Looking at the three, still avoiding the fourth man, she sat forward slightly, surprise on her features. Could you repeat that? The doctor gave her a surprised return look.

This is the physical examination part of the interview Miss Trent. We need you to stand up and let us see you.

Tia was not sure what to do, closing her mouth as she stood. Removing the suit jacket she wore she draped it neatly over the chair before turning slowly, her mind in turmoil. Was this usual in interviews? What did he mean physical part of the interview? Was this an insurance thing? All these questions flew through her mind as she complied. She had never actually been on an interview before, not sure if this was normal behaviour or not.

The group stared intently at Tia. Her figure was clear even through the crisp white shirt she wore, her breasts and small waist hinting at the curvaceous body underneath. Thank you, Miss Trent. The doctor’s words signalled for her to once more take her seat, as he slid a piece of paper towards her.

Before we ask you to remove your clothing to your underwear, could you please fill in this form? Tia pulled the questionnaire towards herself, still feeling uncomfortable with the way she had been asked to model. Her mind struggled to make sense of what was said. Lifting the pencil once more she read the first question, her eyes opening wider as she cleared her throat.

A... Are you serious?, her voice full of disbelief as she read the first question aloud. How many lovers have you had in the past five years? Her eyes flew to the group before her. What does this have to do with a Personal Assistant’s job?

The three looked back at her, unblinking, the doctor speaking patiently. "The job specification is very clear Miss Trent, and I am