CH 4 New Job
"Jack, have you made any decisions about getting a personal assistant? I thought you were going to have that Jones bloke give you some referrals."
"Actually Owen, I was hoping to get Ianto to be my new assistant." Jack had continued to think of the young Welshman all week when he had an epiphany. Ianto would make a perfect PA. He had all the skills and organizational abilities you could ask for. And besides that, Jack wanted him in his life and this would be the perfect vehicle.
"I didn't know he was interested in the position."
"Well, I haven't actually asked him yet, but you know how convincing I can be. I was going to call him and set up an interview for later this week. What day is good for you?"
"Jack, are you sure this is a good idea? He has a serious girlfriend and he already turned you down for a date. I'm not sure that you have thought this out."
"I like him Owen. We can just be friends. He's fantastic at his job and you know he would be good at this. As a matter of fact, you should be thanking me for finding someone so good."
"Yeah, alright. How about Thursday afternoon?"
"Sounds good. I will let you know what time after I talk to him. Give Tosh and baby Jack my love!"
"You wish Harkness! I already told you that no boy of mine is going to be named Jack." Owen let himself out.
Jack picked up his mobile and dialed Ianto.
"Ianto Jones."
"Hi Ianto. It's Jack Harkness."
"Hi Jack." Ianto felt the corners of his lip curling up into a smile and a warm feeling filling his chest.
"I was calling about the PA position I talked with you about. I was wondering if you could come over and meet with Owen and me on Thursday afternoon to talk about what I'm looking for."
"Ummm, let me check my calendar. Yeah, Thursday afternoon looks okay. What time?"
"Three o'clock?"
"Sure, sounds good. Where are we meeting?"
"Owen and I usually work out of the office at my house. Is that okay for you?"
"Yeah, no problem. I'll see you Thursday at three."
"I'm looking forward to it Ianto."
"Me too Jack." They said their goodbyes and Ianto blocked out Thursday afternoon on his calendar, smiling and realizing he was looking forward to seeing the handsome man again.
Jack was grinning from ear to ear. He was feeling pretty pleased with himself. He didn't think he had ever felt this way before. He was completely besotted with the young Welshman.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Thursday morning Jack bustled around his house, making sure everything was perfect. He moved a photograph from the mantle to a table and then back again at least three times, he rearranged the pillows on the sofa, he opened the drapes and closed them again and then opened them halfway, he placed a bowl of fruit on the table, he lit some candles and put them out. He went upstairs to get dressed and stood looking into the wardrobe for a half an hour. He must have tried on half of his wardrobe before deciding on a pair of jeans (just tight enough) and a dark purple polo shirt; something comfortable and casual.
Owen showed up at about two and they went over some other business while waiting for Ianto to arrive. Jack discussed what he planned on offering for salary and what he would expect him to do. They also discussed which of the things that Owen had been doing that could be taken over by an assistant. At ten of three the bell rang.
Jack jumped to his feet and made for the door. He pulled open the door to see the impeccably dressed Welshman standing before him in a dark navy colored suit with a light pink shirt and coordinating tie. Jack's face was lit with his ever present ear to ear smile.
"Hi Ianto, come in." He pulled the door wider and stepped back to allow the other man passage.
"Hi Jack." He looked around tentatively. "Nice place."
"Thanks. You want some coffee before we get started?"
"Sure, that sounds good." He followed Jack into the kitchen and Jack made small talk while he made the coffee. Jack gave a shout to Owen, inquiring his interest in a cup and received an affirmative. Once the coffee was done he led Ianto to his office.
"Owen, you remember Ianto? Ianto, Owen Harper." The two men stood and shook hands.
Jack started talking first. "So, the position would be to make sure I do what I'm supposed to do, get me where I'm supposed to be, stuff like that. Owen is my agent, he is responsible for getting the work, but he isn't really available to do the one-on-one things that I require. According to him, I'm not his only client." He kind of rolled his eyes towards Owen.
"Yeah, well I know you think you are the most important person in the universe, but there are others out there. Besides, you don't pay me enough to do all of the things I've been doing for you." Owen sniveled.
"Anyway, I need someone professional and someone that can deal with a wide range of situations."
Owen cut in. "You have to be organized and keep Jack organized. You will need to help Jack when he goes on the road with some of the more basic things like making sure he has the proper kit and the like. You will respond to e-mail and fan mail, things like that."
Ianto stopped Owen. "Umm, you keep saying 'you' but you are just saying that as a general term, right, you don't mean me, right?"
Owen looked at Jack like a father ready to scold his child. Through gritted teeth he hissed, "Jaaack!"
Sheepishly Jack responded. "Okay, okay. Ianto, I want you to be my assistant. And before you say anything, hear me out. You will have a lot more flexibility, I will pay you more than you have been getting at the Centre and you will have more time off, and there will be fewer people to answer to. Owen is pretty easy to work with and me, well, I do require a lot of attention." His last statement was dripping with innuendo.
Ianto deadpanned back. "That's obvious."
Owen snorted. "Ha! I like this guy Jack; he's got your number already."
"Really Ianto, I've seen you in action and I know you can handle this. You are the kind of person I need." 'In sooo many ways' he thought to himself.
Jack and Owen continued to go over some of the things that would be required of the position while Ianto tried to take it all in. He really hadn't been expecting this when he agreed to help Jack out.
"I need some time to think about it and discuss it with Lisa."
"Take all the time you need.."
Owen cut Jack off, "Well, not all the time you need, we do need to do something about this position fairly soon. I'm not going to be able to handle everything for too much longer."
"Yes, right. What do you think you would need Ianto, a week, two?"
"I think a week should be sufficient."
"Great! Let me know what you decide. You can call me any time if you have more questions or for any other reason."
Ianto stood and put his hand out to Owen. "Owen, it was nice seeing you again."
"I'll show you out." Jack placed his hand on Ianto's back and directed him to the door. Jack's touch sent a shiver down Ianto's spine.
At the door, he turned to Jack. "So was this your plan all along, to ask me to be your assistant?"
"Actually, no. I really was just putting it out there but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. I know you can handle everything I need, so why look anywhere else?"
"Okay Jack. I'll give you a call."
Jack watched as the younger man drove away. He had a good feeling about this. He went back inside to find Owen talking on his mobile. Owen finished his conversation and hung up.
"Okay Jack, this is the last time I'm going to say something. Do you really think this is a good idea?"
"Look Owen, I know you think I'm only interested in one thing, but that's not true. He is a really great guy and I think we could be great friends if nothing more. Besides, you have to admit he would make your job so much easier. He is really good at what he does and we wouldn't have anything to worry about in that area."
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see if he says yes."
"Oh, he'll say yes, I'm sure of that." Jack gave a somewhat devious grin.
"Harkness, I don't know about you sometimes."
"Face it Owen, you love me." Jack slapped Owen on the back as he walked him out.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Ianto moved around the kitchen in his flat, making dinner while waiting for Lisa to arrive home. He had been thinking about the job offer from Jack Harkness. Ianto being Ianto, he was analyzing all of the pros and cons of taking the job. He really enjoyed his current job and its challenges. It could, however, be very stressful as well. He thought specifically of the wedding he was dealing with the night he met Jack. Jack. His mind wondered from its task to the enigmatic man. He began to smile as he thought of the man, picturing that brilliant smile, amazing dimples, manly cleft chin, solid body. He walked over to look at the autographed picture hanging on the refrigerator. The man just pulled him in. Ianto had never met a man that he had this type of attraction towards. He knew that he seemed to be a nice, genuine guy, but it was more than that and he couldn't quite define it. As he stood staring at the picture, the flat door opened, followed by a greeting.
"Ianto?"
"In the kitchen." He pulled his thoughts back to the present as Lisa came into the kitchen.
She came over and gave him a peck on the lips. "Mmmmm. It smells delicious!"
"It will be ready in about twenty if you want to grab a shower." He watched as she left the room to do just that.
When she returned to the kitchen Ianto was setting the food onto the table. "This looks wonderful Ianto!"
The two sat down to eat and started the general "How was your day?" conversation. Ianto listened as Lisa chronicled her day. When she concluded, she asked him about his day.
"You knew I was going over to see Jack Harkness about finding him a personal assist. Well, turns out, he asked me."
"Really! That's wonderful Ianto. What did you tell him?"
"I told him that I would have to discuss it with you of course."
"So, tell me about it. What would you have to do?" She was bouncing in her seat.
Ianto went on to describe the duties as Jack and Owen had lain out. Lisa sat listening with an excited smile on her face. Ianto continued on with what he considered a con of the job, being away for extended periods at a time.
"So, other than having to be away for a few weeks at a time occasionally, is there anything else about it that concerns you?"
"No, I guess not." He said aloud, but was thinking about the things he couldn't tell her; that he was certain Jack was interested in him as more than just an employee (he had asked him out after all) and about the feelings he had towards Jack that he had yet to define.
"I think it sounds great Ianto! Of course I would miss you when you had to go away, but otherwise, it sounds like the perfect job for you. I know you like your job at the Centre, but it does stress you out sometimes. Jack obviously saw how good you are at what you do. You said that he was a nice, genuine guy and had a lot of nice people around him. You could make some new friends while doing something you are good at. I think it sounds like a great idea."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I'm with you 100% if you want to do this." She reached across the table and put her hand over his and squeezed. He smiled back at her.
"Okay, I guess I'll do it."
xoxoxoxoxoxo
It had been four days since Ianto and been at Jack's and Jack had offered him the job as his PA. Jack was pretty confident that he would take the job, but waiting to hear from Ianto was driving him crazy. He had been thinking of the man pretty much non-stop since their meeting. He had to have this man in his life; he hoped as more than just an employee, but knew he couldn't push. He was busying himself around the house when his mobile rang. He grabbed it, looking at the caller ID. His face split with a huge smile as he saw who it was.
"Jack Harkness."
"Hi Jack, it's Ianto Jones."
"Hi Ianto." Ianto could hear that dazzling smile in Jack's voice.
"I was calling about the personal assistant job."
"Oh? Have you made a decision?" Jack's stomach was flip-flopping in anticipation of Ianto's answer.
"Well, I'd like to take it if you still want me."
"Oh, I still want you." Jack paused to punctuate the innuendo. "That's fantastic news Ianto. When do you think you will be able to start?"
"I will need to give the Centre a couple of weeks notice and there are a few jobs that I would like to follow through with to make sure they are handled as they should be. In the mean time I can meet with Owen and you and start to get a feel for what you need, maybe a couple of hours a day if you would like. I would need some flexibility as far as when it was though."
"Yeah, that sounds great. Whatever time you need to finish off the other jobs. Job integrity; another one of your amazing qualities obviously."
Ianto felt himself flush from Jack's previous innuendo and compliments. "Okay then, I will call Owen and set some things up with him if that's okay."
"Sounds great. Thank you for doing this Ianto. I am really looking forward to working with you."
"Me too Jack. I'll talk to you in a couple of days."
Jack was over the moon! He was so looking forward to being able to spend time with this amazing man. He quickly called Owen and gave him an "I told you so" before letting him know that Ianto would be contacting him to set up some meeting times.