Teaching The Boss Read online

  April pushed away from Sam. “Blackmail?”

  “It sounds bad, but Donald pushed me in this corner. He shouldn’t be surprised when I fight dirty to get out.”

  Even as Sam tried to convince her, his eyes still held a haunted, pensive look. As though he tried to convince himself as much as her. “Sam, if you aren’t comfortable, don’t do it. You have a good instinct. Maybe you need to trust your gut on this one.”

  “This is a one-time only deal. It might be my only chance and it’s a small window I have to convince Donald that I’m his only hope.”

  Since when was there a time constraint on blackmail? “Once he gives you the shares, this will all be over? You’ll leave him alone and he’ll stay out of your life?”

  Sam shifted his weight and pushed off the couch. “I’m tired and I didn’t actually eat anything with Simon. Want to order some Chinese food?”

  April’s head tilted as the pieces fell into place. “You’re not going to hold up your end, are you? You said Simon has been after this investor for a while. The only way he gets caught is if Donald does.”

  Sam’s lips tightened. “I didn’t start this game, April. But I do have to finish it.”

  It was so easy to think of Donald as the big bad, sitting in his massive office and twirling his (nonexistent) mustache as he contemplated new ways to ruin his son’s life. But now that she was witnessing the conniving first hand, she didn’t feel as if she was watching a master villain at work.

  “This whole thing feels off, Sam. After you take this step, there is no going back.”

  “I already can’t go back. He took HuntCorp, April. What am I supposed to do?”

  She took a swallow as she tried to think of something, anything to stop him from destroying Donald. “You have time to think about it, right?”

  “I have until tomorrow,” he said.

  “It’s happening tomorrow morning! Doesn’t that seem a bit fast to you? I think it’s strange Simon couldn’t give you more time.”

  “Technically, tomorrow afternoon. But Simon made it clear that he didn’t have much control over when the meetings were set. He was more conveying the information to me.”

  April stood and glared at Sam. “Tomorrow afternoon?”

  His eyes shot to the ground.

  “You’re not going to be there?” She tried to keep her voice level, but she couldn’t stop the quiver of desperation that crept in.

  “Babe, I’ll find a way to make it up to you. I promise I’ll make this okay.” Sam took another step closer but this time April stepped back, not wanting to be any nearer to him.

  “This is my graduation. I’ve worked my ass off these past six years to get the kind of grades I was able to pull off and put HuntCorp in the position it’s in. All those sleepless nights, the mountain of debt I’m in. Everything is leading to this twenty-foot walk I get to make across that stage in an incredibly unflattering gown that I’m going to treasure for the rest of my life. If I’m important to you, this should be important to you too.” She immediately wanted to take the words back. The idea of making him choose was much too heartbreaking. Mostly because she already knew his choice.

  “Don’t act like I don’t care. You know I’d love to be there for you, but I’ve been pushed into a corner, damn it! This could be my one and only chance to get my company back and I can’t let this pass me by.”

  April shook her head. “One and only chance? You and Donald have been carrying this feud out for decades. Do you really think that he’d let you get away with blackmail? Even if you get HuntCorp back, he’s played you before. You’re just going to continue the cycle of petty competitiveness that’s gotten you nowhere.”

  “So you think I should just forget about all the ways he’s tried to ruin me? Just give up HuntCorp to make you happy when the actual walk has no bearing on you actually graduating? I didn’t go to my graduation.”

  She snorted at the reminder. “The graduation your arch nemesis paid for in full!”

  “He didn’t pay for my college.”

  “Excuse me. The college your trust fund paid for. How could I have been so stupid to make that mistake? I accomplished something here. I want my three seconds of glory and I want the man I love to be there with me.” April couldn’t even believe how far the fight had deteriorated.

  Sam closed the gap between them and set his hands on her shoulders. “If you really loved me, you wouldn’t ask this.”

  She met his somber blue eyes. “If you really loved me, I wouldn’t have to.”

  The silence stretched as the air seemed to grow thick with tension. April looked to Sam, waited for him to say something, anything. Some sign that he was listening and receptive to what she wanted. That he would be there for her in her moment of glory.

  But all she got was silence.

  And there she had it. Sam might like her, but his true love was his work and she could never compete with that. He was completely convinced that he could stop this stupid feud with his father by one-upping him in his own game.

  Unable to look at him anymore, April scanned the modern, dark furniture of Sam’s apartment. The hard edges and stainless steel suddenly seemed cold and uninviting. She didn’t belong here. She never did. “I, um, I should go.” She grabbed her bag from the leather sofa behind her and made her way past Sam.

  “April, wait.” He set a warm hand on her arm.

  The sudden heat gave her pause. His small touch reached through the tension of the argument and the stark reminders of the different worlds they came from.

  “If money is an issue, I don’t mind helping out,” he said.

  She ripped her arm out of his grasp. “God, Sam. This isn’t about getting a handout!”

  He followed her as she stomped to the door. “It’s not a handout! I love you, and if this will make your life easier then I want to do it.”

  “Don’t throw out words you don’t mean. I know very well how important HuntCorp is and you’ve made it clear where I stand in your list of priorities. Revenge, HuntCorp, me. So don’t look me in the eye and say that you love me, okay? You might believe you do, but I’ve worked by your side for years. I know better.”

  “I’m not just saying it. I’m telling you, I’ve never felt this way about someone. I knew you were special from the moment we shared that cab and I offered you a job on the spot, and since then you’ve been a constant and amazing part of my life. Please, please don’t walk out that door.”

  “Sam, I care for you. You know I do. But I don’t believe for one second you care about me more than your company. And, honestly, I’m okay with that. I knew before we ever got involved that HuntCorp was number one. But I never thought you’d choose Donald over me.”

  “I’m not choosing anyone over you! If I don’t go through with this, I might never get HuntCorp back.”

  “If you go through with this, you’ll be escalating a war with one of the most powerful men in the city. What if he laughs in your face? He can take your company down long before you ever get him in prison, and you know he’ll take you down with him.”

  “This might be my only chance and I’m not letting it slip away.”

  April blinked back the tears. Her nose crinkled with the pent-up emotion. He was letting her slip away and he didn’t even seem to care. How could she expect him to listen to reason when it came to HuntCorp? It was and always had been his one true love. She would always be left in the dust.

  For some reason, up until that very second, she’d thought that was okay. Somehow she’d believed that being second was worth it for Sam’s love.

  “I have a big day tomorrow, so I should really get some sleep,” she croaked out. It was a lame excuse considering she’d practically been living at his place, but all she could think about was getting out of his suddenly stifling apartment and back to the freedom of her tiny studio.

  “Are you sure?” asked Sam.

  Are you? she wanted so desperately to ask. Are you so sure that this plan for vengeance w
on’t backfire and destroy you? Are you sure this is worth giving me up?

  “I’m sure,” she said.

  He fished around his pockets. “At least let me call you a car.”

  “The doorman can get me a cab. Don’t worry about it.” April inched closer to the door, frantic to get out and hesitant to leave at the same time.

  “It’s no—”

  “Sam. I need to leave. Goodnight.” She turned the knob and slipped into the hall. The world seemed to spin as she moved farther and farther from his apartment. She didn’t get a chance to collect herself until she was out on the warm city street. For once, the exhaust-ridden streets were practically a breath of fresh air.

  She filled her lungs over and over again and kept walking. She didn’t stop to call a cab. She didn’t want to go back to the claustrophobic walls of her apartment, and she didn’t want to dampen Annabelle’s excitement about graduation. If she went to Jessica’s, it would be a night full of silent “I told you so’s.”

  No. She’d have to go home eventually. Sit in her quiet, tiny apartment that had never once bothered her until she’d started to see Sam. She let out a bitter laugh. One taste of the good life and she was already hooked. When Sam kissed her at Mason’s party, she hadn’t thought of one good reason not to let him into her room and her bed. Now all she could think about were those reasons. Now that it was over.

  Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe he would call her with a beautiful, heartfelt apology and they could go back to the way they were.

  Who was she kidding? There was hardly anything in the world that Sam would choose over HuntCorp and she sure as hell wasn’t on that list.

  But there was one person who fully deserved all this rage. One person who had turned her life so far on its axis that she could barely stand on her own two feet. Donald. He’d offered her salvation when she was most vulnerable and struck Sam in a weak spot he didn’t even know existed. Donald was the one Sam was obsessing over. And who knew how dangerous that obsession could be? What if the blackmail didn’t work? How far would Sam be willing to go?

  April’s phone chirped, signaling a new voicemail. She contemplated even looking at it. Sam was probably calling. He could even be apologizing.

  She just wasn’t sure she wanted his apologies at this point. Even if he professed his undying love, he made his choice. There wasn’t much more to say.

  As the thoughts raced through her mind, her hands seemed to move of their own accord as she reached into her bag to pull her phone out. The street seemed to come to a standstill as she looked at the missed call.

  Donald Hunt.

  No. She couldn’t believe she was being dragged even further into their crap. If either Donald or Sam thought she’d be the middleman between the two of them any longer, they both had another think coming.

  Already feeling the fury rushing through her veins, April pounded on the screen and waited for the voicemail to play.

  “April. Sorry I missed you. I just wanted to say good luck tomorrow. I’m very excited for you to start this new chapter and I know you’ve worked hard on it. Congratulations and thanks for all your work.”

  April blinked as she stared at the phone. The kind words completely contrasted with Donald’s harsh actions. How could he seem so thoughtful and generous one moment and heartless the next? Screw this. She was sick of sitting back and waiting for Sam and Donald to work things out. She was going to find out what the hell was happening once and for all.

  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.

  High on adrenaline and anger, April barged right into Donald’s office. Because it was Saturday, there was no assistant to block her path.

  He looked up immediately at her entrance. “April, I—”

  “Why? Why would you do this to your own son?” she blurted out.

  He reared back a tiny bit, obviously surprised by her ballsy words. “Might I ask what exactly you’re referring to?”

  April set her hands on her hips, trying to take up as much space as possible to be imposing and intimidating. “Don’t play stupid.” Holy crap, did she just called Donald Hunt stupid? She blinked away the second thoughts and continued in her tirade. “You mess with his companies, with his love life. You took his pride and joy from him! He worked his ass off to get HuntCorp to where it is toda
y and you just swooped in and took sixty percent. Why? What could your endgame possibly be? How could it be worth the undying hatred of your only child?”

  Donald sat up straighter and clenched his jaw. “Is that how you see it?” he asked calmly.

  Of the many things that irritated April, his casual question might’ve infuriated her the most. “That’s how it is!” she shouted. “You’re destroying his life, and I’ve had enough of your petty shit. Now tell me why.”

  Donald stood and stretched to his full height of six two. Now, Donald wasn’t the tallest or biggest guy, and the years had started to catch up with him, but he knew how to command a room. As he stared her down, she became intricately aware of who she was talking to and exactly how disrespectful her language had been. She took a nervous gulp, but held her ground.

  “Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get to where I am?” he asked.

  “I’ve seen how hard Sam has worked to build himself up after you ruined his first company.”

  “You didn’t know him back then. He was just out of school and had no idea what he was doing. If I hadn’t taken over, he would’ve run it into the ground.”

  April narrowed her eyes. “So you thought you’d ruin it for him?”

  “I was teaching him to have what it takes to succeed!” He leaned forward as he shouted the words.

  The passion behind them made April take a step back. “And his fiancée? What lesson was that?”

  He scoffed. “That woman was a gold digger. She dropped him like a shit-filled shoe the second I paid her the slightest bit of attention.”

  “Even if you did all those things out of a warped sense of love, you still stole HuntCorp.”

  “He gave controlling interest to an unsecured party! If HuntCorp continued to be successful, it was only a matter of time before someone else found out who the investors were and their weak spot. My intentions with HuntCorp are pure. I fully intend to step back and let Samuel continue what he’s been doing. He’s obviously doing well with this one. But I couldn’t let him keep that vulnerable spot. He’s my son. He needs to succeed.”