Page 15 of Dearest Protector
“No, Ben,” she insisted. “You need someone a lot more experienced. You’re the CEO of the company for God’s sake. One of the largest corporations on the planet I might add. This is just crazy. I can’t work for you. My skills would suck in comparison to what you need as the CEO.”
She had no idea what I really needed, and I planned to keep it that way for now.
My main objective right now was to make sure that Ariel was safe and that she took the job I was offering.
“I have a technical personal assistant at Blackwood, Ariel, and an executive secretary,” I explained. “My assistant at Blackwood is dedicated office staff, and his responsibilities in the offices keep him very busy. This would be something of a more…personal nature.”
The hopeful look was back in her beautiful blue eyes, and it nearly gutted me as she queried, “You don’t have someone who already does personal things for you? You’re obviously a very busy guy.”
My older brother, Ian, was finally back at the helm of Blackwood Technologies physically with me after a very long recovery process from the same car accident that had killed my father, but I’d run the office at headquarters myself for years.
Yeah, Ian had been there mentally, pushing like hell to make Blackwood what it was today, but there had been only so much he could do from home.
I’d been the boots on the ground for every meeting, every problem, and every other task that had needed the attention of a CEO in person.
Ian hadn’t set foot in the executive offices for years.
He’d been much more obsessed with the robotics program.
As a result, my personal lifehadsuffered, and that side of my life was a little…disorganized.
Granted, I hadn’t planned on hiring a personal assistant to help me get caught up.
This was a position that I’d have to custom design for Ariel.
According to Katie, Ariel was an artist, and I was very interested in helping her achieve whatever life goals she had.
However, she needed a source of income right now, and this was the perfect solution for the time being.
We could work on her future goals after she got settled as my assistant.
If Ariel wasn’t even willing to accept financial help from her best friend, I knew I’d fail at convincing her to just let me give her whatever she needed.
Thishadto be legitimate work for her.
“You wouldn’t exactly be working for Blackwood,” I said carefully. “You’d be working exclusively for me. And there are…conditions.”
“What?” she asked, her attention laser focused on me.
I ran a frustrated hand through my hair, knowing I was making up all of this shit as I went along. “You’ll need to live closer to me in Fort Myers Beach. The position will come with a small condo not far from my place. It belongs to me, and it’s currently empty. You can call it home for as long as you need it.”
That much was true. I kept the place for visitors and employees who were relocating until they found a home of their own. It was a small space, but it was a hell of a lot better than the shithole she was living in right now. This area wasn’t exactly safe, and I’dneverget any sleep if she stayed here.
There were a few areas in Fort Myers where a single woman probably shouldn’t live alone.
Ariel lived in one of them.
And I planned on resolving that issue as quickly as possible.
Her brows lifted as she looked at me in astonishment. “Ben, the rent in Fort Myers Beach is—”
“Thatcondition is not negotiable. You offered to be a go-to assistant, and to do that, you need to be close to my home. Are you still interested or not?”
I could get her an entry position at the Blackwood headquarters if she was that opposed to working for me directly, but it wouldn’t pay as well, nor would it be as suited to my plans of helping Ariel get her life back.
Katie had told me that Ariel had invested her entire life into dancing, and now that she couldn’t dance anymore, she’d supposedly lost her whole identity.
Fuck that!If Ariel Prescott was lost, I’d help her find herself again.