Teaching The Boss

Chapter Twenty

As Sam waited for the latest earnings report to load on his laptop, his thumb beat out an incessant rhythm on the desk. As soon as he realized his hand moved of its own volition, he clenched his fingers into a fist.

His gaze darted to where his phone sat silently on the coffee table. He wasn't sure whether he wanted April to call him or not. There was a very good chance that she would only be calling to yell at him more. There was a slight chance that some time to herself would've convinced her that he was right.

He and April had a good thing going. They could have years to make up for one missed day. He could take her to Paris, Rome, and anywhere else her heart desired. He would make her the queen of New York, and the very best of everything would be at her fingertips.

Of course, that was assuming she ever wanted to see him after this "one" missed thing. His heart twisted within his chest. The thought that April wouldn't get over this, that she could leave him, sent a spear of fear right through him.

She had to know he needed her. He had for years. They had something. Some sort of connection that only came around once in a lifetime.

He bent over to snatch his phone, but stopped himself.

What would he say? He couldn't give up this chance to nail Donald once and for all! April knew this. She probably knew it better than anyone. She couldn't be serious. All she needed was some time. Let her be angry for a day. Once he had HuntCorp firmly secured and Donald off his back permanently, he'd talk to April. She'd forgive him. She had to.

Even as Sam tried to convince himself, fear swirled in his gut. What if she didn't forgive and forget?

~~~~~

April didn't have time for this. She had to be fifteen different places within the next few hours, and confronting a real estate mogul didn't fit into that schedule.

But Sam being an ass definitely didn't fit into her schedule.

She'd finally admitted defeat and retreated back to her apartment the previous night. Instead of the warm, snug arms wrapped around her like she had rapidly grown accustomed to, her bed felt cold and unwelcoming. She spent all night tossing and turning, replaying all the scenarios.

Had she been too quick to storm out? Sam seemed so convinced that he could take care of Donald. He could be right. Obviously he knew his father much better than April, and he normally had a great head for business.

No matter how many ways she looked at it, she couldn't imagine this ending well. The only way she saw Donald leaving Sam alone after this stunt would be if he was in jail, but how could she allow Sam to put his flesh and blood behind bars?

He'd done a lot of questionable things since she met him, the worst of his bad deeds in the early years when he was still drinking. But he changed. After dealing with her mother's on-and-off the wagon moments, April was more skeptical than most of a person's ability to change, but Sam had done it.

After seeing what he did to Annabelle, Sam directed that same focused energy normally reserved for his business on never looking at a glass of whiskey or Scotch the same way again. He was a completely different Sam after that.

Except for when he wasn't. The memory of his cutting words at the party came back to her. Maybe he wasn't as different as she thought. So she'd woken that morning more determined than ever to confront Donald.

She was still technically a Hunter Enterprises employee, so she had no problem getting up to the executive suite.

During the elevator ride up, she pushed all her tumultuous thoughts of Sam out of her head and instead homed in on Donald. She'd had a healthy fear of him ever since he'd first hired her, but no more Mr. Nice Girl. He had a lot of explaining to do, and it was about damn time she got some answers.