Teaching The Boss

by Mallory Crowe

  April sighed. Maybe asking him about his plans was a bad idea. Now all she wanted to do was go back to her desk and daydream about being on the beach.

  She fumbled with her yellow note pad, trying to remember where she’d left off on her list. “I know you said not to mention this, but your father called seven times while you were gone.”

  She held her breath as she waited for his reaction. He’d made it crystal-clear that he wanted nothing to do with Donald Hunt, but after the third message she’d taken, April decided it was worth mentioning.

  Sam stiffened. “Did he say what he wanted?”

  “I asked, but he said he’d only speak to you. Do you want the number he gave me to reach him at?” April was officially one of the few elite members of New York City who had Donald Hunt’s phone number. Or maybe the phone number of his assistant. Really, she didn’t know how calling a billionaire worked.

  “If he didn’t leave a message, then it can’t be that important. What’s next on the list?”

  She tightened her lips, but decided not to push the matter. Sam and his father obviously had issues, but it was none of her business. “The Jude Foundation called. They wanted to personally invite you to their annual gala and I said you’d make it.”

  “Jude…what’s that again?”

  April rolled her eyes. He could remember where the Dow was two months ago, but this he forgot? “They’re a social care foundation. Helping out kids in the foster system to find permanent homes. You did that baseball event with them last year.”

  His face lit at her words. “Oh yeah. I played catch with Jimmy. We sent him Christmas presents, right?”

  She let out a laugh. “Yeah. The laptop, mp3 player, and loaded gift card. Santa was very kind to him.”

  Sam beamed up at her. “Think Jimmy will be at the gala?”

  “I think this is more of an adults only, black tie thing. I told them two tickets in case Oksana wanted to go.”

  “What day is it?”

  “It’s in six weeks.” April dug out her phone and opened up her calendar. “Looks like June fifth.”

  “Oh. I don’t think I can make it. That’s the launch of…God, I don’t remember. But it’s a big launch party for a campaign that Oksana is the face of. She’s really excited about it and I promised I’d go with her.”

  April chewed on her bottom lip and looked back down at her list, even though there was nothing left to go over.

  “Come on,” said Sam. “Don’t give me the disappointed look. I promised Oksana.”

  “I’m not looking at you.” She flipped the top sheet over, so she stared at a blank piece of paper.

  “I know I just met her, but she’s special. I really think this might go somewhere.”

  “I never said anything about Oksana.”

  “You did silently.”

  She let out a breath and finally brought her eyes back to his. “Maybe you feel bad about not going to a fundraiser for a charity you actually care about and going to a clothing launch instead.”

  “Handbags. It’s handbags. Damn it, why can’t I remember the name?”

  April shook her head. “I’ll be at my desk.” She turned to leave.

  “Wait,” he called. “I’ll go.”

  Her lips curved up. Every time she thought Sam had turned to the dark side, he’d surprise her. “The one ticket then?”

  “Hell no. You got me into this, and you’re coming with me.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Sam started on his third cup of coffee, which notably wasn’t working, when his office doors swung open.

  He glanced up, expecting to see April’s smiling face. Instead, he was confronted with Oksana’s confident swagger. Although she’d made a small fortune thanks to her face, she wasn’t classically beautiful. Her cheekbones were a little too sharp, her lips a little too thin. But her unique look combined with her piercing green eyes made her stand out, and advertisers loved her.

  “Hey, hun. Is it lunch time already?”

  She shrugged as her eyes roamed over his office. “I’m early, but I had a hard time sleeping. New York time has never agreed with me. Let’s do a long lunch. You can show me the Statue of Liberty.”

  He inwardly groaned, but made sure to keep the smile on his face. He’d been under the impression she’d be working as much as him, which was the only reason he’d invited her to stay at his place. Considering he’d spent most of his time in Paris at her apartment and she was scheduled to come to New York the same time he was headed back, it only made sense.

  Now his kindness was coming back to bite him in the ass. “I’m still up for lunch, but I don’t know if I can do any sightseeing.”

  She shrugged again. “It’s okay. I have some friends I can go with.” If another woman had been talking, he’d think they were being passive aggressive, but not Oksana. One of his favorite things about her was that she spoke her mind and never seemed to overreact.

  “Let me make sure April can move our reservations up.”

  She cocked her head slightly. “She is the one whose desk is outside your office?”

  Something about the way she asked told him he was in trouble. “Umm...yes.”

  “She’s different than you described.” Oksana crossed her arms over her chest.

  Yep. Now she was pissed. Was this about him not taking her out? He raked his mind, trying to remember what he’d said about April, but came up blank. “What are you talking about?”

  “You said she was a frumpy art student.”

  He frowned. “I never said ‘frumpy.’ I don’t even talk like that.”

  “Maybe not explicitly.” She leaned to sit on the edge of Sam’s desk. “I thought she was going to be a dowdy little thing. Not that.”

  “I suppose she used to be.” His brow furrowed as he thought back to April six years ago. Sure, when he’d first met April, she’d been twenty pounds larger and wore clothes for a woman fifty pounds heavier, with a horrible blonde dye-job. The sight of her standing in the rain, looking downright miserable, was cemented in his mind. Out of pity, he’d offered to share a cab with her, but the second she was in the backseat with him, she’d opened up about her dislike of art, her family, and how much she dreaded picking a new major.

  Despite the heavy subject matter, she’d smiled and even managed to make him laugh harder in that cab than he’d laughed the entire night. By the time the cab stopped in a neighborhood he didn’t feel comfortable driving through, let alone living in, he’d handed her a card and offered her a job.

  But that was six years ago. She didn’t look like the broke Jersey girl anymore. She was a sleek and manicured New Yorker. When the hell had that happened?

  “We moved to the city and her style changed. I guess I didn’t notice. It’s not a big deal.”

  Oksana pursed her lips, but didn’t mention April again. “I have a fitting for the LeFarge shoot tomorrow morning, so I hope you don’t mind having a light lunch.”

  LeFarge! That was the handbag line. “You have to be fitted for a purse?”

  Finally he got a smile from her. “For the clothes I’ll be wearing. It’s less a fitting and more dress rehearsal for the shoot. Normally there isn’t all this pomp and circumstance, but you know how some of these designers can be.”

  Truthfully, he tried his hardest not to deal with fickle designers, but he refrained from telling Oksana. It was one of the benefits of being in the appliance business. “Yeah, tell me about it.”

  “I’m not sure if he’s more excited about the launch or the party. He was telling me some of the celebrities who were going to be there. It’s going to be crazy. When I told him I was bringing one of the Hunt boys, he could hardly contain himself.”

  Shit. He bent down to grab his bag and collect his wallet and keys. “About the launch party—I checked my calendar today and it looks like I have a previous engagement.”

  “No.”

  He jerked his head back up. “No?”

  “This is too important for yo
u to blow off. You told me you were coming and I told LeFarge you were coming.”

  “I know this is important to you, but there’s a fundraiser I already said I would go to.”

  Her expression didn’t soften at the mention of charity.

  “It’s for kids in the foster care system,” he continued. “I met this one kid, Jimmy, a few months ago and we completely connected. He told me about his dad being carted off to jail and how his mother has been fighting the courts to get him back and…” Sam stopped when he saw Oksana wasn’t melting in the slightest. “I’m sorry to bail on you, but when April reminded me about it this morning—”

  “April reminded you?”

  Shit. “She helps to keep track of my appointments, so, yes, she’s the one who reminded me.”

  Oksana paced back and forth. “So your secretary is more attractive than you ever told me, and she is forcing you to cancel events we’d already had planned.”

  Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s not what happened.”

  She abruptly stopped her pacing and set her hands on her hips. “I don’t mind attractive women. I really don’t. But I can’t believe you’ve been with her for only three hours and you are already following her every order. You know how important this launch is to my career.”

  Sam sighed and looked out the window at the city below him. “What do you want me to do about it? I’m not going to cancel and I’m not going to make April wear clothes two sizes too big.”

  “Then get rid of her.”

  Sam whipped around. “Are you out of your mind?” he shouted. Realizing how loud he was, he lowered his voice. “I’m not firing anybody because you feel threatened.”

  Oksana raised a perfectly tweezed brow. “I’m not threatened. I’m telling you the way it is. She’s supposed to be your subordinate. Even if we were just friends, I should still have more of a say than your secretary.”

  “She’s not a secretary,” he bit out. “She’s an administrative assistant.”

  “This is exactly what I’m talking about. You let your administrative assistant get you this upset? That’s not good business, Samuel. You need to focus on succeeding, and sometimes that means getting rid of distractions.”

  “You don’t consider yourself a distraction?” He half expected, and at this point wanted, Oksana to get pissed, but she didn’t appear bothered.

  “You and I are having fun. Both of our careers are at turning points. Yours is winding up and mine is winding down. We both need the publicity, and if we happen to enjoy making love, then that’s a bonus. You coming with me to an A-list event will get you much more attention than whatever April put on your calendar. Now tell me I’m wrong.”

  He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He took a deep breath before he attempted to speak again. “I’m not going to your launch party.”

  She pressed her lips tightly together and nodded. “I see how it is. Will you at least get rid of her?”

  “No,” he said flatly. “And I suggest you don’t mention firing her again.” He mentally calculated how long she’d be in the States for. He’d imagined he’d be spending what little free time they had in bed, not listening to her tell him what was best for his own damn business. But on the other hand, she had a point. The more publicity he got in the next few months, good press to be precise, the better his initial public offer would go. He needed to make the IPO work, and Oksana could help him. Simple as that. He just thought he’d enjoy the ride more.

  “I’m not saying you have to kick her out on the streets. Give her a severance package or put her in some corner of the office you never have to see her again. Either way, she’s a problem, and it’s not like you to leave problems so close to you.”

  Sam let her words sink in. He would get more exposure at her launch party, and his notoriety in the tabloids was one thing he had going for him. Giving a big check to kids in need might be page five news, but him kissing a supermodel would be front page. It was a sad fact, but true. And he hadn’t even considered that when April was talking to him.

  Maybe Oksana had a point. Normally he’d look at every side of an argument, but April had him wrapped around her finger within seconds. A well-manicured finger attached to a curvy body, skirt and blouse designed to make her look like a walking wet dream. How had he not seen any of this?

  “Transferring her would be better for her career,” he croaked out. How could he possibly replace his perfectly efficient and easygoing April? Oksana’s words swirled in his mind. Soon enough, he wouldn’t have a choice in the matter. April would be graduating soon. If he didn’t move her up in the company, she’d be gone in a heartbeat. If he was proactive about it, there was a chance he could keep her with HuntCorp. She’d need a new job once she graduated anyway. He blinked a few times to clear his jumbled thoughts. What the hell would he do without April at his side every day?

  “It’s for the best,” assured Oksana. “Now, are you ready for lunch?”

  There was the Oksana he knew. Brush off the emotional and get right back to living life the way she wanted, on her terms. He was just used to her terms agreeing with his.

  He might’ve snapped if she’d even looked the slightest bit smug. He didn’t want some pissing contest between her and April. In truth, there was no question. April had been his rock over the past six years. But Oksana didn’t act like she’d won some imaginary victory. She looked exactly like a pretty woman who was ready to go to lunch. As though nothing had happened.

  He slipped his phone and wallet into his pocket. “Let’s go,” he said, not looking at April as they walked past her desk and to the elevator bay.

  ~~~~~

  April gently shut her laptop and glanced to Sam’s closed office door. It wasn’t like him to shut himself in all day. Something must’ve happened with Oksana. He’d outright ignored her as he and Oksana had gone out to lunch and muttered a quick “hello” on his way back in.

  Then the door was shut and, except for the few grunts she’d gotten while she announced his calls and messages, he hadn’t said a word.

  Whatever. If he wanted to be left alone, she could give him his space. She collected her purse and took three steps for the elevator before she found herself inexplicably turning toward Sam’s door. Damn it. He was a grown man. It wasn’t her job to psychoanalyze his mood swings.

  Even as those thoughts raced through her mind, she crossed to his office and gently rapped on the door.

  “Come on in,” called Sam.

  Well, he sounded okay. She eased open the heavy wood and peeked her head in. Sam stared intently at his computer screen, not even bothering to look up. “Hey. I’m heading out for the night. I’m going to visit Annabelle.”

  “Tell her I said hi,” he muttered, his fingers deftly working over the keyboard.

  He was never this distracted. Well, there had been times, but those were usually code red moments when they’d both been working late into the night. Something bad had to be going on that he didn’t want her to know about. “Did anything happen at lunch today?”

  His head jerked up. “What are you talking about?”

  Crap. Now she was imagining things and scaring him. “Just wondering. You’ve seemed agitated all afternoon. It’s not a big deal, but I wanted to make sure everything is okay.”

  Sam leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest and studied her. Suddenly self-conscious, April fought the urge to fidget. She chewed on her bottom lip and her eyes focused on the ground below her.

  Every sweep of his gaze felt strangely intimate, almost like a caress. Great. Now she was reading too much into his mood and his looks. This crush stuff needed to stop. Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze. “Sam?”

  “Are you happy here?”

  Her brows drew together, the abrupt question enough to break through her intense inspection of the carpeting. “What? Why would you even ask that?”

  He took a deep breath. Then another. “You know what? It’s nothing. I
wanted to make sure I wasn’t taking advantage of you. Have a great night.”

  She nodded, but didn’t move for a moment, torn between asking more about his strange mood and getting out of the office quickly. What the hell kind of question was that? She replayed the day in her mind, but couldn’t think of anything she could’ve done to make him think she wasn’t happy.

  But he was an adult. If he wanted to confide in her, he would. “Goodnight, Sam.” She finally turned to leave.

  He didn’t say anything as she shut the door.

  ~~~~~

  As the cab drove farther from Manhattan, the scenery got worse and worse. April would always complain about her apartment, but at least she didn’t have to worry about drive-by shootings.

  Normally she’d take the L train to her tiny loft in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, but she was a bit too wary of the barred houses and constant blaring of sirens by Annabelle’s house to risk walking between bus or train stops. The cab turned onto Annabelle’s street, driving by the boarded-up windows. But none of these apartments were abandoned. Space in the city was too limited to let any building go to waste. These were owned by families struggling to get by.

  The cab came to a stop and April handed the driver his fare and a tip. She’d made this trip enough times to know exactly how much it would be.

  April grabbed her purse and book bag and climbed out of the backseat. She carefully made her way over the cracked and broken sidewalk to the entryway and hit the intercom button for apartment 115. She glanced around her as seconds turned to minutes. A woman walked by with her child; the young girl pedaled away on a tricycle. The warm sight helped to calm April’s nerves.

  After a few more minutes passed, April fished out her phone to call Annabelle. As she got into her contacts file, the jarring buzz of the door unlocking sounded.

  April slipped into the building and finished the short walk to Annabelle’s unit. She was about to knock on the door, but stopped when she heard fumbling on the other side. A few seconds later, the door swung open as Annabelle flopped back into her wheelchair. “Sorry about the wait. I was laying down for a few.”