Teaching The Boss
By: Mallory CroweThe elevator dinged, and the spell was broken. April blinked a few times and glanced away, choosing instead to stare intently at the windows in front of her. Her body suddenly remembered to breathe again, and she took some long, calming breaths.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I should—”
“It’s Oksana,” Sam said.
April frowned, but then she heard the click-clack of stilettos headed toward Sam’s office.
“I’ll just—”
Sam jumped up; his chair wheeled across the floor and clanged into the window. “It’s late. You should probably get going.”
“Sam, what—”
He set a hand on her back and guided her toward his door. “Really. It’s the weekend. You should be off enjoying yourself.” The closer they got to her desk, the faster he moved and Oksana’s footsteps grew louder and louder.
“Is this about Oksana? Is something wrong?”
Instead of answering her or explaining himself, he practically shoved her toward her desk as Oksana turned the corner, her svelte frame wrapped in a beautiful green dress that showed off her long legs and tiny waist to perfection.
“Hey, babe.” Sam turned every ounce of his attention away from April.
For a few moments, April stood in a stunned silence as Oksana leaned into Sam and placed a soft kiss on his lips. His eyes widened at the kiss, and for a quick second, his gaze met April’s across the hallway, and a flash of guilt marred his features.
He pulled away from Oksana. “Let’s go in here.” He took Oksana’s hand in his and pulled her into his office.
What the hell was wrong with him? They hadn’t done anything questionable. Certainly nothing worthy of rushing her aside to avoid his girlfriend of a whole three weeks.
April shook her head and bent down to pick up her oversized purse when the sound of Sam’s deep voice reached her ears.
“Hey. I thought we were meeting downstairs,” he said.
April cocked her head as she stared at Sam’s office. In his jumbled rush to get Oksana as far from her as possible, he’d left the door open a tiny crack. How unlike him. Sam wasn’t prone to flights of... crazy.
Maybe there was a logical explanation and she just needed to give him a minute. Not that April could think of any possible reason he’d hide her from his girlfriend, but she owed him a chance.
“I wanted to surprise you,” Oksana purred. “You’re all alone up in your big palace. I figured you’d want company.”
Okay, it was time to get the hell out of Dodge. She stared intently at the flashing screens of her computer as it shut down.
“I’m not alone,” said Sam. “There are plenty of people still here. April’s right outside.”
Oksana laughed. “She’s a smart girl. I’m sure she knows what we’re doing.”
April rolled her eyes. Seriously?
“Did you talk with her about boundaries yet?”
April’s ears perked up at that. Why would Sam need to talk to her about boundaries? He was the one making out with his girlfriend in front of her. She should leave. At this point, listening in on a private conversation between her boss and his girlfriend wouldn’t bring anything but trouble.
“I’ve been too busy to deal with the April problem,” he muttered, irritation evident in his voice.
Okay, now she couldn’t leave. April problem? She tiptoed over to the crack of light coming from the door, trying to keep her footsteps as quiet as possible.
“I know you agree.” Oksana leaned into his chest and stared up at him, wearing the exact same pout April had seen in all those swimsuit photos. “It would be best for everyone involved if April were out of your life.”
Sam stumbled back and ran into his own desk. “I’ve made up my mind. We’re not going to talk about this anymore. Now, I think April made reservations for eight.”
Oksana’s sensual pout turned sour. “Sam, you have to trust me. I know people, and April will thank you eventually. It might hurt her at first, but she’ll get over it.”
Every muscle in her body stiffened at the words. Why were they talking about firing her? Why wasn’t Sam defending her?
“We really need to go.” Sam shut his laptop. His gaze shot to the crack in the door. Right to where April peeped in on their conversation. About her. She jerked away from the crack of light and held her breath. Come on, Sam, she tried to say telepathically. Say something. Tell her she’s wrong. Tell her you need me.
