“The difference is that I don’t shit where I eat. You need to keep your professional and personal life separate.”
April pushed through another rack, but wasn’t paying attention to any of the clothes. Instead, all the ways this thing with Sam could go wrong raced through her mind. “I’ve wanted this for years.”
“And you got over it. Where was Sam all that time you were crushing so hard? Oh, yeah. Out drinking, partying and running over defenseless women.”
“Damn it, Jessica. It’s not like that. He’s worked hard to change.”
Jessica scoffed. “Please. If I had a nickel for every time I heard a guy tell me that. What does the girl he crippled have to say about all this anyway?”
April took a deep breath. This was a bad idea. She’d known how Jessica felt about Sam, but for some stupid reason thought Jessica would be happy for her. “I haven’t talked to Annabelle since before the party.”
“Too afraid to tell her? That’s understandable.” Jessica crossed her arms over her chest.
Slamming a hanger on the metal rack loud enough to draw the attention of a few other shoppers, April turned to face Jessica. “You know what? She actually likes Sam. She thinks his attempts to change are sincere and, even though she’s suffered because of his mistakes, she’s forgiven him.”
“Please. Is that what she said as she was cashing the big, fat check he wrote for her silence?”
“I can’t believe this. At least Annabelle would be happy for me.”
“She’d pretend to be happy for you. I know she’s smart. She can see how doomed this thing is as much as I can.”
April set all the clothes in her arm on the neat display behind her. “That’s it. You’re no fun right now, and I came out expecting to have fun. See you around, Jessica.” She pushed her way past Jessica and strode to the door.
“Wait!” As April stepped out of the store, Jessica caught up to her. “I’m sorry, okay.”
“You’re just sorry I got pissed.”
Jessica set a hand on April’s arm, and she stopped. The crowd of pedestrians busy spending the Sunday exploring the shopping district moved around them as April met her friend’s eyes.
“I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. You know you’re my best friend. I want what’s best for you.”
April looked down and stared intently at the pebbles in the concrete. Who was she kidding? She’d known Jessica since middle school. Jessica had been one of the only people besides her aunt who’d known about her mom’s drug problems and had pushed her through the normal high school insecurities. “Can’t you be happy I’m happy? I’m not stupid. I know the situation isn’t exactly perfect, but can’t you pretend it is?”
Jessica pursed her lips. “If you’re happy, I’m happy.” She held her hands up in surrender. “You know how I feel, so I won’t push it. From now on, I’ll be the supportive best friend you deserve. Promise.”
It suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted off April’s shoulders. “I appreciate it.”
The corners of Jessica’s mouth lifted and she opened her arms. “Come here. You got laid, and that deserves a hug.”
April laughed and brought a hand to her face. “Thanks.” She leaned into the hug.
“Now come on. Let’s go find a bar with some good specials. Today calls for a margarita or two or four.”
~~~~~
“So I hear you have daddy issues.”
Sam narrowed his eyes at the man who sat across from him. “That’s one way of putting it.”
Simon West shrugged. “I don’t like to bullshit.”
That made sense. He was one of the best consultants in the business. He didn’t look much older than Sam, probably mid to late thirties, but he’d saved more companies and businesses than Sam could count. He came in strong, worked fast, and turned shit around. That kind of attitude was exactly what Sam needed when dealing with Donald.
“I can appreciate that. I’m also happy you could start this so quickly.”
“I like interesting cases, and it doesn’t get more interesting than the mess you’ve found yourself in.”
Sam took a sip of the water in front of him, wishing he didn’t want it to be whiskey. “Did you have a chance to read over the financials I sent over earlier?”
“I glanced through them. But the things that will help me probably won’t be found in spreadsheets.”
That was what Sam was afraid of. He didn’t want to be too prideful, but it was damn hard for him to crawl to a stranger and beg for help. The blow to his ego was only matched by the blow to his checkbook. West didn’t come cheap. This dinner alone was going to cost five figures and was time he’d much rather spend with April.
At the moment, he wasn’t sure whether he was more pissed off at his father for sabotaging his company or because he was the reason Sam didn’t have April stretched out naked over her sofa at that very moment.
“Anything you need, just let me know.”
West took a drink of his Scotch. “Well, I know you called me in right away, which is a good move. What other balls do you have rolling on this?”
“To be honest, not many. I only found out about everything going down this morning. I have the lawyers ready to look the paperwork over tomorrow and I have a rough idea of how to rout Donald’s spies out of my company.”
West nodded as he seemed to digest the information. “You said Donald blackmailed the other investors. Does he have anything on you?”
“He has a lot of stuff on me, but most of it is public already. He’s brought down a previous venture of mine and broke up an engagement and generally made my childhood hell.”
“This is very important.” West leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “I can do a lot on my own, but things go faster and much more efficiently if I know all the skeletons in your closet.”
Sam took a deep breath and exhaled. “There’s one thing. A girl.”
“Isn’t there always,” said West with a smirk.
“This is different,” he bit out. Sam debated how detrimental it would be to his cause if he stormed out on West. “She’s been my assistant for years. A few months ago, we had a falling out and she quit. Before I could grovel at her feet, Donald showed up and promised her more money and opportunities. We recently…reconnected and she’s coming back to work for me, starting tomorrow.”
West blinked a few times. “I’m sorry. What about that seemed like a good idea to you?”
“It’s not like that.” Sam took a deep gulp of water.
“She left you for more money and now just happens to be coming back after all this happened? If you’re looking for a spy, look no further.”
Sam slammed his drink down on the table. “I told you, it’s not like that. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that April is an innocent pawn in my father’s fucked up games.”
“Hmm.” West leaned back and crossed his arms. “So I take it the two of you are serious. How long has your affair been going on? Is it a secret?”
“About that…” When was the start of their relationship? They’d kissed for the first time the night she quit. He’d checked out her ass for the first time about two months into her employment. Taking in West’s cynical look, he decided on the most likely answer he wanted. “Ten hours ago.”
West let out a bark of laughter. “At least today wasn’t a total bust then. April…why does that sound familiar? Wait. This is the same April who showed up to Mason’s party with your dad?”
“That does sound bad,” said Sam through clenched teeth.
“Don’t worry.” West took another drink. “From what I’ve read, you seem to have a natural business instinct. If you say she’s on the level, I’ll take your word for it. But just because she doesn’t want to hurt you, doesn’t mean she can’t be used against you. Does she know anything that Donald would want?”
“Yeah.” Sam looked away for a moment. He hadn’t admitted his dark past to anyone for years. “I used to drink. A lot. I got into an
accident and a girl ended up in a wheelchair.”
“Should we be worried about her?”
The corner of Sam’s mouth hooked up at the thought of Annabelle. “No. She’s a saint. We settled out of court and I wrote her a check big enough to pay for a decent apartment and a few vacations of a lifetime. But instead she invested every penny and enrolled in college. She and April got to know each other pretty well since April was her main contact during the settlement. Now they’re in their last few college classes and are actually friends.”
Simon considered his glass for a second. “I’m trying to decide if I’m happy I took this job or terrified.”
“Well, it’s not going to be boring, I can promise you that. Did you have any fun plans?” The joy of being an insanely successful consultant was that West had the freedom to work two months out of the year and still make a killing.
His suit was definitely a thing to be admired. The tailoring was impeccable, and Sam was half tempted to ask where he’d gotten it. Everything about the man was perfectly manicured and maintained. His red hair was barely longer than a buzz cut and his full beard was kept short enough to show off a chiseled jaw that could only be maintained through strenuous hours at the gym.
Sam knew because he’d worked damn hard for the same thing.
“Give me a few days and I’ll let you know exactly how much fun I think this is going to be. Is that everything I need to know?”
“Anything else is going to be in the files I sent over, but those are the big bases to cover.”
West threw some bills on the table and stood. “I’d stay longer, but I want to get my contacts moving on this as quickly as possible. One quick question. How dirty are you willing to get on this?”
“I’m willing to roll in the mud with the pigs if that’s what it takes to make Donald pay.”
“Good to know. Enjoy work tomorrow. At least you’ll have April to cheer you up.” With that, West walked away, pulling out his phone and making a call as he went.
Sam let out a sigh and grinned. He actually was looking forward to getting back to work.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Why the hell was someone at her desk? April had played her HuntCorp homecoming in her mind a thousand times, but none of that had prepared her for the sight of some guy at her station.
Of course she’d known Sam had replaced her. Sam had complained about the new guy multiple times. It was just hard to process. With a sigh, April crossed over to Sam’s office.
Apparently this made the new assistant uncomfortable. “Excuse me, do you have an appointment?”
April paused. She needed an appointment to see him? Did she have one? Damn. She should’ve called him instead of assuming she’d show up at the same place and time as normal. “Hi. I’m here for Sam.”
“I’ll check to see if he’s in. What’s your name, ma’am?”
“Um, April Morgan.” She studied the young, blonde man carefully for any hint of recognition, but got nothing.
He picked up the phone and punched in the speed dial code for Sam’s intercom. “Morning, sir.”
April raised a brow at the “sir” but stayed silent.
“There’s a Ms. Morgan here for you. Sir?”
The door to Sam’s office swung open. “April. You came.”
For the sake of the obviously intimidated assistant, April passed on pointing out the unintentional innuendo and smiled up at him. “You didn’t think I would?”
He returned her grin. “A few things haven’t gone as expected the past few days. Come on in.”
She slipped into his office before he closed the door. The second they had privacy, he pulled her into his arms and gently pressed his lips to hers.
“Mmmm,” she breathed against him. “Mixing work and pleasure?”
“I wish.” He pulled away slightly, but still kept her close. “I’d love to bend you over my desk right now and lift that skirt over your delectable ass.”
Her heart caught in her chest at the words as he trailed kisses down her neck.
“But I happen to have it on high authority that you’re a screamer.”
April let out a laugh and pushed him away. “Please! You think I’m the loud one?” She pointed a finger at him. “You’re the one who had the entire floor making noise complaints.”
“Fine.” He backed up and held his hands up in surrender. “We’ll agree to disagree then.”
She took a moment to soak in his smile. This was all for her. She stood in Sam’s domain and he made jokes about undressing her. How had this even happened?
The memory of Oksana and him discussing her future flooded back, along with the years she’d spent trying her damndest to get over him. And now here they were, together. Sure, the idea that he only realized he cared for her after she left stung a bit, but she pushed all those thoughts down. She’d leave the doubting and negativity to Jessica. For now, she’d focus on enjoying being back on home turf.
“So where am I off to?” she asked. “It looks like my old spot is taken.”
Sam leaned against his desk and crossed his arms. “You really want to go back to being my assistant?”
“No.” She knew she wasn’t going to be working for Sam in that capacity anymore, yet somehow the reminder of the door slamming on that chapter of her life stung. “What do you expect me to do then?”
“Probably nothing too different than what you were doing with Donald. Entry-level reporting, following up with different departments when needed and, obviously, coordinating between me and Donald.”
The air seemed to crackle with tension at the mention of the Donald situation. “What’s happening with that?”
“Today is for damage control. My aim is to convince everyone in the city that I planned the buyout and am overjoyed.”
April set her purse down on the sofa. “Overjoyed?”
“I’m still planning on taking HuntCorp public, no matter what Donald is cooking up. So I need everyone to think Donald’s buy-in was a strategic move to strengthen the knowledge capital before the IPO.”
She sighed. This whole thing seemed to get more complicated by the minute. “How are you going to get the city to believe that?”
“I’m going to tell them. There’s a press conference today at two. Donald and I are going to stand as a united front, make sure everyone knows HuntCorp is even stronger than before.”
“And Donald agreed to this?” April set a hand on her hip. Sam had a tenuous relationship with the press at best, but Donald was practically paranoid with the lengths he went through to keep them out of his personal life.
“Well…” A flash of guilt ran over his face.
“Oh my God. This is a me thing, isn’t it?”
“He likes you,” said Sam.
“Did you even try calling him and asking? Since he got you in this mess, I’m sure he’d throw you a bone.”
Sam pushed off the desk and moved a few steps closer to her. “Please, April. I could’ve called, but I’ve already given him too much this weekend. My pride couldn’t take anymore.”
She cocked her head and studied Sam. “For someone so prideful, you’re sure quick to play the pity card with me.”
His mouth curved up and he closed the distance between them. “Where you’re concerned, I have no pride.” He leaned down and kissed her.
His lips were soft and gentle, and April allowed her eyes to drift closed as his hands fell on her hips. “No fair. You’re using sex to control me and I’m apparently much too susceptible.”
“As long as you don’t realize the sex thing goes both ways,” he whispered.
She felt heat rush to her cheeks. Was it possible that she held that power over him? “Fine. You win. But, just so you know, you and your father are ridiculously immature.”
“You’re not wrong. But there’s one more thing we have to deal with.”
“The mole in the company?”
Sam abruptly twisted out of her grasp and moved behind his desk to fish a piece of
paper out of his briefcase. “Here are our suspects.”
April took the paper from him and scanned over the list of five names. “What is this?”
“Luckily for our search, not many HuntCorp employees have the work ethic we do, so these are all the employees who registered computer activity while on the building’s Internet after six thirty p.m. on the night you quit.”
She looked at the names again, but nothing popped out at her. She’d worked with all these people for years, and none of them screamed traitor to her. But one name was missing. “You don’t think Oksana could’ve done it?”
“Oksana and I only met two weeks before that. I don’t think Donald had enough time to sink his claws in her. Besides, I thought you two were getting along better now.”
“Getting along better rather than horribly doesn’t make us best friends.” Ugh…how did this conversation swing around to Oksana? Oh yeah…she brought it up. “So what are we doing with everyone else?”
“The audit was in full swing then, so it’s mostly accounting. I’m going to set you up down there. Since you’re coming back from enemy territory, see if anyone’s more interested than the others. You have plenty of reason to talk to all of them. Maybe do lunch today. Anything you can do to find out who is loyal to me and who isn’t.”
“It’s not like they’re just going to blurt out that they’re on Donald’s payroll.”
“That doesn’t mean they won’t do anything else suspicious. Lie about small things and see if anyone notices.”
“What?”
“Say the carpet is a bright red or something. If anyone looks at you like you’ve grown a second head, it might be a sign that they’ve been to the Hunter Enterprises offices before.”
“Is there anyone you want me to focus on more than the others?”
“It’s impossible to know for sure. Gloria has been with me for almost as long as you, so I’d hate to think it would be her. Gavin is the only one on the list who will be eligible for stock compensation after the company goes public, so he has a vested interest in making sure HuntCorp stays in good standing with the press. I doubt he’d be the one leaking the info.”
Teaching The Boss Page 12
