Free Continental Beginnings by Ella Dominguez

Chapter 1
    If I have to sit through another one of these bullshit interviews, it’s going to get ugly in here. Who’s next? Bella Darcy, age 26. It’s 1:30 in the afternoon and I’m two interviews down. How many is that this week? Five? Six? I’ve lost track.  Or maybe I’ve just blocked them from my memory. Not one single person seems suitable for the position of my personal assistant. The candidates have been attractive enough and well-educated, but they’re just lacking something. I can’t put my finger on what it is they’re missing. Personality? Charisma? Allure? All of the above.
    “You’re next interviewee is here, Mr. Pettifor,” my temp calls out.
    Damn. Here we go again. I’m shuffling paperwork around on my desk and scanning the applicant’s qualifications, or lack thereof, when she walks in. I smell her before I see her. What is that scent? Inexpensive musk with an undertone of something sweet. I look up and, my God , those eyes – deep sapphire blue, large, and inquisitive – are gazing at me expectantly, waiting. But waiting for what?
    “May I sit?” she asks politely.
    Why the hell is she asking permission ? I nod my approval and she seats herself gracefully in the chair across from my desk, crossing her slender yet muscular legs. She tensely tugs her skirt down over her thighs and shifts uncomfortably and I can’t help but wonder what she’s wearing underneath her cheap, form-fitting, yet deliciously flattering pale blue tube dress. Her dark shoulder-length hair is slightly tousled and she’s wearing too much make-up for her natural beauty to show through. I could really clean this one up nicely . She coughs anxiously when she catches me gaping at her. Nice going, Xander. 
    Damn it to hell. She has no real experience as a personal assistant, or anything else for that matter, and the only thing she has going for her is the fact that she’s a new graduate of a technical college with a degree in Medical Office Administration. Why the hell did she apply here and how the fuck did she slip past the screening process? I’m scanning her resume hoping to find something positive or any reason I should hire her, but it contains only the basic crap that discloses absolutely nothing about the stunning individual seated across from me. She moves in her chair again and her fragrance wafts past me, breaking my concentration.
    Before I have a chance to say anything, the sweetest of sweet voices fills my ears.
    “I realize I have no experience, but I’m a fast learner and very eager to please…”
    My eyebrows go up to her remark. Eager to please, is she? She immediately tries to retract her statement, but the seed of desire has already been planted in me.
    “What I mean is… I’m a fast learner,” she sighs.
    I realize I haven’t spoken a word to her yet but words seem to have escaped me.
    “Bella, a perfect name for a beautiful creature,” I say quietly before I can stop myself.
    Mortified with myself for my lusty remark, I’m rewarded for my honesty with a genuinely shy smile, the likes of which I haven’t seen in my lifetime. I’ve dreamt of a smile like that, even read about it, but never actually seen one.
    “Thank you, Mr. Pettifor,” she replies melodically, her tongue caressing my name as if no other name was meant to be spoken from her unspoiled mouth.
    “Tell me more about yourself, Ms. Darcy,” I request, her name still lingering on my lips.
    “What would you like to know?” she asks, looking worried.
    “Anything. This resume divulges nothing.”
    “I’m a fast learner,” she repeats for the third time.
    “You’ve already told me that. What else?”
    “Um, I’m from Montana.”
    It’s painfully obvious that this woman has no interview skills whatsoever. Not that I give a shit. Her interview skills aren't the ones I'm particularly interested in. I'm keen on a whole other skill set that she might possess. I press my index finger to my lips and tilt my chair back and