Catching Sam: Book 2 of 5: The MacDonald Brothers

by Emily Matthews

  “Since Sam’s here, and we haven’t all been together in a while, let’s start by going around the table and giving an update on where you are on the project and, just for fun, maybe one awesome thing going on in your life right now. Bill, you want to start?”

  “Sure. I—” Bill began.

  “Oh, sorry, Bill,” Phil interrupted. “Just a sec. I forgot, I wanted to introduce the new graphic designer we brought up from the San Fran office. Annabelle, could you stand?”

  Annie summoned courage she didn’t have, stood, and introduced herself.

  “Hello. I’m Annabelle O’Neill. I’ve been with Samatrix for over six years and have been doing graphic design for almost ten. I’m good at what I do, and I work best alone,” she stated curtly, forcing a note of disdain in her voice. Smoothing her skirt, she sat primly and crossed her legs. She didn’t smile or look at anyone directly—especially not the angry man at the end of the table. She didn’t need to look at him to feel Sam’s eyes boring into her.

  “Well, all right. Everyone, Annabelle.” Phil waved a hand in her direction without giving her a second thought. She’d obviously done a good job at putting him off.

  A few mumbled hello or gave a half-hearted wave. Not exactly the red carpet, but that was okay. Keeping everyone at arm’s length was precisely what she wanted. If they didn’t talk to her, they couldn’t take advantage of her.

  “Go ahead, Bill.”

  “Well, you all know I’ve been waiting anxiously for my first grandbaby. She finally came last Tuesday. Weighed eight and a half pounds and is the cutest thing you’ll ever see.” Bill beamed with pride.

  Everyone broke into applause and expressed heartfelt congratulations to the new grandpa. The men sitting next to Bill slapped him on the back and asked about cigars. They were clearly a close-knit group and all seemed to get along nicely.

  During the commotion, Annie snuck a glance at Sam. He was staring directly at her, eyes narrowed. She looked away quickly and didn’t look back for the rest of the meeting.

  Everyone took their turn giving updates and some bit of exciting news. Annie mentioned her move to Bellevue and reiterated her excitement for getting started on the project. She used the word “excited,” but made sure her manner screamed “bored out of my mind.”

  Phil ran the meeting, deferring to Sam on only a few items. He was clearly Sam’s right-hand man and good at his job. He was light-hearted and funny but also kept everyone focused and on task.

  Sam jotted down a note here and there as everyone took turns speaking, but no doubt the secretary behind him, who was typing furiously, was doing the heavy lifting.

  Two hours later, everyone had given their updates and had their marching orders.

  “Okay, guys. We said we’d finish by three, and we respect your time, so let’s wrap it up. Sam, any parting words?” Phil looked to the head of the table.

  “You guys are doing a fantastic job. I appreciate all your hard work on this. You already know how important this is to Samatrix. When this launches, it’s going to be a game-changer for the company. I’ll keep you all in mind for the VP spots that will open up in the new division.” He winked, and everyone laughed.

  “I love hearing that you all have some fun things going on outside this place. The job is important, but not the only thing in life to focus on. Work hard, play hard, right? Have a great rest of your day, everybody.” He sat, and everyone started talking at once as they packed up to get back to work.

  Annie was quickly gathering her things, preparing to bolt when she felt him behind her. Shit.

  “Could you stay for a second?” His sexy, masculine voice sent a shiver down her spine.

  The question mark was courtesy only. It wasn’t like she could say no. Everyone had been remarkably quick at clearing out of the room, damn it. Only Phil remained.

  “You want me to stay?” he asked Sam.

  “No, I’ll just be a minute.”

  Phil grabbed his portfolio and waved a silent goodbye on his way out.

  “I really should get back to my office,” Annie said.

  “Sit,” Sam ordered.

  Sighing, she sat, resigned to having a conversation she was sure she could live without.

  “You lied to me.” Sam glared as he sat in the chair next to her. He swiveled to face her and rested his arm on the long, polished table. Damn, he looked good in that suit. “You knew who I was when we met and that you’d be working for my company.”

  “So I knew who you were? Who cares? Everyone knows who you are. You never asked if I knew you. You never asked where my new job was. I didn’t lie. I just didn’t fall all over you like everyone else does. Is that why you’re mad?” She figured the best defense was a good offense. “When you introduced yourself as just Sam, I figured you wanted a break from being the Sam MacDonald, so I gave it to you.”

  “That’s a lie of omission then,” he said a little less vehemently.

  She let out a long breath. “Look, if you would have asked me directly or mentioned who you were or what company you worked for—well, owned—I would have said something. When you left it all out, I followed your lead and did the same. It wasn’t malicious, I swear.”

  He paused, apparently contemplating what she’d said. Did he believe her?

  “Were you just following my lead when I pushed you up against the door of your cousin’s apartment?” She blushed at the memory.

  “Yeah, about that. I never should have let that happen. I know it’s not an excuse, but it all happened so fast, and after a minute, I wasn’t thinking straight.” You kissed the common sense right out of me went unsaid.

  “Are you saying it wasn’t consensual?” Sam sat up straight, eyes locked on hers, intense and serious, verging on panic.

  “No, no. I’m not saying that at all. Of course, it was. I basically jumped you. Geez, paranoid much?”

  He relaxed into his chair. “Actually, yes. I’m resisting the urge to get something in writing right now.”

  “Look, you can relax. I’m not that kind of person. I’m not going to tell anyone, and I’m not going to sue you or blackmail you. Can we just pretend it never happened?”

  Ignoring her question, he asked, “Why didn’t you call me back?”

  “You know that was not an option for me. That would have made everything all the more awkward today. If I’d have kept up the charade that I didn’t know you, you would have been even more pissed. And if I’d have come clean, you’d have transferred me back to San Fran before I even showed up.”

  “I’m not used to being ignored,” he said.

  If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was pouting. The thought made her chuckle. “Oh, I’m sure you’re not. Sorry to be the first woman to not fall at your feet.”

  He looked up, clearly surprised at her bluntness, and tried not to smile.

  “What’s with the bitch routine?” he asked. She sobered immediately and tried to return to her alter ego.

  “I was trying to be professional,” she said defensively, holding her head high.

  “Well, you came across as arrogant and bored,” Sam countered. “There’s a lot riding on this project, and we handpicked the best for it. Group dynamic is essential to us and to this project especially. Project Denali will be a team effort, and if no one wants to talk to you, that will affect everyone. We brought you in because they said you were easy-going and friendly.”

  “By that, they meant a pushover and everyone’s lapdog.”

  He sat up again. “Did they treat you poorly in San Francisco?” He seemed genuinely concerned, which caused her eyes to burn.

  “No, they were fine,” she said, resigned. She didn’t want anyone getting in trouble for something that ultimately, she was responsible for. “It was my fault for letting people walk all over me. In the beginning, I just tried to be helpful, but after a while, I started catching all the shit jobs nobody wanted. People automatically assumed I would help them out of a jam, usually by doing all the work f
or them. I never spoke up or said no, so that’s on me.”

  “Still, that’s unacceptable,” he said.

  “I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. To be honest, it kept me busy and kept my mind off my other problems. If I’d really wanted to start saying no, Dan—he was my life coach—would have made me. It’s done, and I just want to move on.”

  She took a breath and looked up. Sam was staring at her with a look she couldn’t read. When he didn’t say anything, she forged on.

  “That’s why I have to put my foot down here right away. People have to know I won’t be taken advantage of. I’m sorry if I came across as bitchy. I was going for professional, perhaps a little aloof. Approachable, but not overly so.”

  “Your act needs work,” he said dryly.

  ***

  This woman fascinated him. Different from most women in his life, she was so normal, so unfiltered. She was pretty in a nonconventional way. Not the fake, overly made-up women he’d become accustomed to, but a real, natural beauty.

  A strand of long, blond hair had come out of her tightly made bun, and she struggled to fix it. The bun looked uncomfortable but was no doubt part of her professional, prim persona. He liked it better down. A flashback of her pushed up against the door, his hand buried in that silky, smooth hair, his dick buried somewhere else, caught him off guard.

  He shook his head. Now that he knew she was his employee, that couldn’t happen again. Damn it. He had seriously thought of pursuing her, something he hadn’t wanted to do for a long time.

  She’d given up on fixing her hair, the wayward strand tucked behind her ear, and was now doodling nervously on her notepad, sneaking glances at the door.

  She had a lot going on in that pretty head of hers, and he found himself longing for the opportunity to see what else she had knocking around in there.

  Get a grip, Sam. Not going to happen. Accept it and move on.

  “People need to be able to come to you, tell you honestly what they think of your ideas, and rely on you to do the same. We foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and friendship here. Are you going to be able to fit in or not?”

  “Yes, sir.” She saluted smartly. “We finished?” she asked hopefully, putting her hand around her watch and squeezing. He’d seen her do that a few times now. It must be some quirky thing she did when she was nervous. She stood and began to gather her things.

  When he didn’t answer right away, or move to leave, she stopped and looked at him.

  “I can see why you couldn’t call me back, but did you want to?” he asked.

  She stared at him.

  “Yes,” she finally answered. “I did.”

  He closed his eyes and dropped his head. When he looked up again, she was gone.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “I’ve got something to run by you. Before you say no—” started Phil.

  “Forget it. I can tell by the way you’re prefacing it, I won’t like it.” Sam was grumpy from his one-on-one meeting with Annie. He finally meets a woman he likes and, of course, she’s off-limits. Why did she have to be an employee?

  “You’re right. Let me rephrase. You’re going to love this,” Phil tried again.

  “Too late. I hate it,” Sam grumbled.

  “From your demeanor, I take it your conversation with Annabelle didn’t go well. You talked to her about her attitude, I assume? What a bitch.” Phil dropped to his regular spot on the couch, and Sam slumped into the chair opposite him.

  “Annabelle is Annie,” Sam stated matter-of-factly. “From this weekend?” he added when Phil didn’t immediately go ballistic.

  “Holy shit! You had sex with Annabelle?” Phil exploded off the couch. “What did she say? What is she threatening? I’ll call the attorneys now. Fuck, this is bad, Sam. Really bad.” He pulled out his cell phone and prepared to dial.

  “Calm down, Phil. She’s not threatening anything or anyone. We don’t need the attorneys. She says she won’t tell anyone.”

  “Pft, yeah, right. We’ve heard that before. We’ve got to do some damage control. Should we make up an excuse to send her back to San Fran? That would be easy with her horrible attitude. We can be honest, say she isn’t going to fit in.”

  “We’re not sending her anywhere. It’ll be fine.”

  “You don’t believe her, do you?” Phil asked cautiously. “You think she really won’t use this somehow, someday, to cash in?” He was incredulous. “I know you’re not that naive, Sam. What do you want me to do?”

  “I do believe her, and we’re done talking about it. I’m sorry I told you.” He stood and walked to his desk, where he picked up his phone and briefcase. “I’m leaving early. See you tomorrow.”

  He left Phil with his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

  ***

  “Idiot,” Phil muttered. “What a fucking idiot.” Well, if Sam wasn’t going to protect himself, someone had to. Phil searched through his contacts and made a call, but not to the attorney.

  “Hey, it’s me,” he whispered. “I need you to find out, discreetly, of course, anything and everything you can about a new employee. Preferably the stuff she doesn’t want anyone knowing if you catch my drift. Her name is Annabelle O’Neill. She also goes by Annie.”

  He listened for a second. “As soon as possible, but make sure no one finds out about this request. Not even Sam. Especially not Sam.”

  He disconnected, grabbed his jacket, and stalked out of Sam’s office.

  His countenance changed in a heartbeat as he walked from the office. He smiled at the beautiful sentinel that guarded Sam’s door. “See ya tomorrow, Tracey. Have a great evening.” God, she was pretty.

  ***

  Sam spent the drive home thinking about his conversation with Annie. He might have to call her Annabelle at the office, if that’s what she preferred, but he’d think of her as Annie. Between the dinner they’d shared and their brief conversation after the meeting, he’d only spent about an hour with her, but her straightforward, tell it like it is personality drew him to her.

  He had to figure out a way they could see each other without putting anything in jeopardy. Without taking her off the project, he didn’t see how that was possible. He certainly couldn’t leave the project—at least not now. Maybe after the launch? No, that was too long to wait.

  When she’d whispered that she had wanted to call him, his heart swelled. At least it wasn’t all one-sided then. She must like him a little. He thought over different possibilities during his workout at the gym and while picking up dinner from his favorite Italian restaurant. He drove home and ate. Alone.

  Though he was surrounded by people all day and had invitations to some type of event or activity just about every night of the week, he couldn’t escape the fact that, at the end of the day, he was alone. He had friends, business partners, brothers, and acquaintances that he spent time with, but nothing deep. Nothing that mattered. Most of them were all yes-men who sucked up to him for one reason or another. He almost always slept alone, and he was getting tired of it.

  He had money to do anything he wanted, but no one to share it with. That was what he found himself longing for lately. Someone to wake up to. Someone to share the fancy vacations with. Someone to just eat a weeknight dinner with. Money was nice, but it didn’t fill the void.

  His phone chirped in the middle of his meal, and since there was no one to be annoyed that he was taking calls at dinner, he answered it.

  “This is Sam.”

  “I thought we were going to pretend this never happened.” It was Annie. Like a teenage kid, his heart rate quickened, and his hands began to sweat. He sat up and put his fork down, coming to attention.

  “What?”

  “The flowers. I mean, they’re gorgeous. Like, I’ve never seen anything so gorgeous, but I’m not sure they’re appropriate. You know? Now that you know that I know who you are.” She chuckled.

  “Shit. I forgot about that. I ordered them this morning before the meeting.”

&nbs
p; “Ah, of course. Well, it was a nice gesture. Thank you for sending them. Even if you don’t mean them anymore, they made my day.” He could hear the smile in her voice.

  He paused for a second and then blurted, “What are you doing right now? Can I take you to dinner?”

  “What? Are you crazy?”

  “Maybe. Probably. You’re right. Maybe not out to dinner. How about I pick you up, and then we’ll get some takeout and bring it back to my place?”

  She took forever to answer. “I don’t know, Sam. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “Not really, but it’s what I want to do, so what do you say? I take it you’re still at your cousin’s place. I can be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “People don’t say no to you very often, do they?”

  “No, so please don’t start. See you in fifteen?” he asked, biting his lip and holding his breath.

  “All right,” she relented. “See you in fifteen.” He hung up before she could change her mind.

  He arrived exactly fifteen minutes later. She opened the door, and sparkling turquoise eyes met his. She’d changed out of her work clothes and looked much more comfortable in jeans and a light blue V-neck sweater with a white tank top underneath. She smelled like deodorant and toothpaste.

  “Your cousin out?” he asked.

  “Yes. She’s working late tonight. You want to see the flowers you sent?” she asked, backing away from the door to allow him entry.

  He glanced over her shoulder, where an enormous assortment of spring flowers dwarfed the small kitchen table. It was overkill for sure. “Nah. As long as you like them, that’s all that matters. You ready?”

  “Yeah, sure.” She locked the door and followed him to a black Cadillac SUV.

  He opened the passenger door for her and once she was settled, jogged around to the driver’s side.

  “I hope Italian is okay. I already ordered it, so we wouldn’t have to wait.”

  “Oh, yeah. Who doesn’t like Italian?” She licked her lips.