Theirs Series 1: Becoming Theirs

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Another late night at work. I’d sent Austen home hours ago, and Ezra had left not too long after she had.

“It’s about time you made it home,” Ezra said as I walked in the door.

“There were a lot of things I needed to get done.”

“We have an assistant now. Let her help. I’m tired of you spending more time at the office than you need to,” Ezra said.

“It’s still her first week. When she gets settled, I will.”

Not a lot of people know that Ezra and I are together. We met in college, and in between dating girls, I realized I wanted to be more than friends. I didn’t know I could be attracted to men until Ezra came along. One day, we decided to give this a try and have been together ever since.

“What did you think of her?” I asked, sitting on the couch beside Ezra.

“She seems nice, respectful, and attractive. On paper, she looks capable. She seems very determined to do a good job.”

“I like her. She’s got a bit of backbone.”

“Really?”

“I questioned if she thought she was fit for the role on her first day, and she said if I questioned her ability, maybe I should take it up with Legacy Investment since they hired her.”

“Most people are afraid to talk back to you,” Ezra laughed.

“I know. I enjoyed it.”

“Should I be worried about Ms. Maxwell?” Ezra teased.

“You have nothing to worry about,” I confirmed as I pecked his lips.

Ezra has always been a little self-conscious about our relationship, especially since I haven’t always been interested in men. He constantly thinks I’ll find someone better, but the truth is that he is the best out there.

“She’s different. I hope she stays. We’ve been through enough temps,” Ezra said. “Did you fill her in on the upcoming partner dinner?”

I let out a sigh.

“No. You know how I feel about those dinners. I don’t want to spend my whole night sucking up to a bunch of clients just to keep their business.”

“I know, but if she stays, she can go in your place next year and handle the clients.”

I pulled Ezra toward me and kissed him.

“Always thinking on the bright side. One of the many reasons I love you.”

Ezra smiled and kissed me back.

“Okay, enough with the flattery. Go upstairs and change. Dinner will be ready in five.”

***

I was surprised to see Austen already at her desk when I arrived at work the next morning. It wasn’t even seven, and she had coffee waiting for me on my desk.

“Ms. Maxwell, can you come here please?” I yelled through my door.

She didn’t waste any time and came straight to my office.

“I’m happy to see you here so early,” I said.

“Thank you, Mr. Everette. Mr. Weston said you like to get here early. I wasn’t sure how you took your coffee, so I got black with cream and sugar on the side. I hope that’s okay.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t call you in here to ask about the coffee. There are a few things we need to go over, so please take a seat.”

She sat down in the chair across from my desk, notepad and pen ready. I smiled as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Ezra was right. She was very attractive, and I really admired her work ethic.

“There’s a partner dinner coming up, and we need you to be there. You’ll have to memorize our list of clients before then. It’s a formal event, so if you don’t have something to wear, let me know. The company can rent you a dress for the night. Do you have any questions?”

“Should I arrange travel or hotel rooms?”

“Hotel, please. It’s nearby, but there’s usually wine at the events. When you book the rooms, please make sure Mr. Weston and I are in the same room. We tend to work after hours and it’s more convenient.”

“Is there a particular hotel chain you prefer?”

“The hotel the dinner is being held will be fine.”

She made a few notes, not even pausing to ask further about Ezra and I sharing a room.

“Is that all?”

“For now. Thank you, Ms. Maxwell.”

She nodded as she got up from the chair and started to leave my office.

“Are you settling in well?” I asked. I didn’t want her to leave so soon. I wanted to know more about her.

“I am, Mr. Everette. Thank you for asking.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you at the Klein Group meeting.”

She nodded again and left, closing the door behind her. I had trouble focusing back on work after she left.

***

Ezra and Austen were already settled in the conference room with the members from the Klein Group.

“Sorry I’m late. I was hung up on a call. This is Ms. Maxwell, our new administrative assistant. She will be taking notes. Ezra, please get us started.”

Ezra jumped right into his presentation about profits, retention, and opportunities where the Klein Group could make room in their budget.

I loved watching him in action. He was passionate about what he did, and he glowed when he presented. He would probably tell me I was being too sappy, but I couldn’t help it when it came to him.

“Are there any questions?” Ezra asked, bringing my focus back to the meeting.

“Where does your data come from?” Mr. Marrow asked.

I fought to keep my face calm. Joe Marrow was the chief financial officer at the Klein Group and an absolute asshole. I didn’t like working with him, and I really didn’t like the way he’d been watching Ms. Maxwell during the presentation.

“All the numbers were provided by the Klein Group based on recent earnings reports,” Ezra replied.

The Klein Group had been struggling since Mr. Marrow had taken charge of their financials, and he wasn’t happy about the situation they were in. He argued with every report that was put in front of him, but numbers didn’t lie. Something was off at Klein Group.

“For now, we’ll continue to keep an eye on the numbers. If they continue to drop, we’ll need to evaluate our options,” I added.

Mr. Marrow glared at me as his team left the conference room, closing the door behind them.

“I hate meeting with that asshole,” Ezra mumbled.

I walked over to him as he gathered his papers.

“Me too. They’ve struggled since he came on board. It’s only a matter of time before they let him go. Then we’ll have someone else to deal with,” I said, kissing him on the cheek.

I hadn’t forgotten Austen was in the room. I was curious to see what her reaction would be. We both looked at Austen. She was staring down at her tablet. I couldn’t help but smile when I noticed the tips of her ears were red.

“What are you doing?” Ezra whispered before looking back at me. “We agreed—”

“Not in front of people at work,” I said, cutting him off. “Ms. Maxwell will find out eventually.”

“Your private lives are none of my business,” she said quickly.

“Meet me in my office in five minutes, Ms. Maxwell,” Ezra growled.

Ezra’s tone was angry, and I held him back as she rushed from the conference room.

“Don’t take it out on her,” I said before letting him leave.