Teaching The Boss

Chapter Eight

April glanced at the clock once more. Four twenty-five. She still had a few minutes before she was scheduled to meet Annabelle in front of the building for their class, and she hadn't had a chance to give Donald his son's message.

The problem with working for one of the most important men in the city was that they usually had packed schedules. Donald's jacket and bag were still in his office the last time she'd checked, so she knew he planned to come back at some point. She just had no idea when.

He had until her computer powered down to get back, otherwise she'd have to leave him a note. Something as serious as a father/son blowout seemed as if it needed more than a piece of paper saying to call Sam, but she wanted to let Donald know as soon as possible.

Sam had appeared calmer by the time he left. Maybe the two could have a rational discussion and put the past behind them. Or maybe they'd hate each other forever. Either way, she told Sam she'd pass along his message.

April tucked her computer in her bag and made her way to the elevators. She'd been doing work with the accounting department after she started, so she was on a different floor than the famous CEO of Hunter Enterprises. After going up to the sixty-third story, it was a short walk to the biggest office in the building.

His assistant's desk was empty and April breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to involve anyone else in the family drama. She swiped a piece of paper and a pen from his assistant's side table and made her way into Donald's office. His door was open, so it wasn't as if she was breaking in or anything. Worst-case scenario, she'd just tell the truth.

Donald Hunt was notoriously neat, so it was easy to find a clear spot on his desk to set her purse down and write her quick note.

Sam was here. I convinced him not to make a scene, but told him I'd tell you to call.

-April

She considered writing more, but decided against it. It was enough to get the message across and that's all she needed to do. She set the paper right in the middle of the desk where Donald couldn't miss it and reached for her purse. She must not have lifted it high enough, and the bottom of the large leather bag caught on a tidy stack of folders, sending them cascading to the floor.

Damn it! April dropped to her knees and scooped the papers back into the folders. Luckily they hadn't scattered too far and most of the pages at least had a corner sticking out of their bindings. Once she had everything basically back to normal, a piece of white against the burgundy carpet caught her eye.

Her fingers brushed the thick paper. It was too thick and shiny to be from the office printers. She grasped it and leaned back. Great. Now she would have to figure out which folder it slid out of.

She flipped the paper over to examine it, and her jaw dropped. It was a photo, but not like any she'd seen before. The images were hazy, as though zoomed in one too many times, but the people in it were clear enough. It was Jackson Booth and Matthew Burkey in a passionate embrace, in what appeared to be a fancy hotel room.

Reflexively, her fingers went limp, and the picture fell back to the carpet. The image still stared right at her. April closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. What would Donald be doing with that picture? As far as she knew, he had no business with either of the Bs.

But Sam was his business. And they were involved with Sam. And each other, apparently. The city was getting more modern, so the idea of them being together might not be as big a deal as it would've been a decade ago.

Except for the fact that they were both married.

April jerked the picture off the floor, pushed herself up and slammed it face down on the desk. She quickly flipped through the stack of folders until she found the one the Bs' picture belonged to. It wasn't hard to identify because it was the one filled with other pictures. Holding hands on a golf course. Kissing in a dark corner. More hotel room pics. She knew she should put the documents down and run out before anyone saw her, but she flipped through the pages anyway. The photos got more graphic and then there were additional documents. Bank records. College transcripts. News articles.