“I think if you want the latter, I probably wouldn’t be your best bet, since I have a knack for ticking my bosses off. But you can’t fault someone who both needs a job and wants one in her field for trying hard to get it.”
Samson shrugged. “I have to admit, enthusiasm can go a long way toward a good job.”
“I have enthusiasm coming out of my ears.”
“What a strange place for it,” Samson drawled.
April grinned. “Lana said this place didn’t have enough innovation. I know the area almost as well as the native Houstonians would, and I might not have a lot of professional experience, but from my internship, I know how to consult on projects that push the boundaries in architecture trends. I’m a good investment, but only if you have the guts to really use me.”
“Use you?” Samson narrowed his eyes slightly.
April flushed a bit. “Your resume tells me that you have plenty of experience putting people to their best use.”
“I do indeed. I’m overburdened with experience.” He smirked, and her eyes fell to her lap. “I have a team that I’m putting together for a new living complex in the Tanglewood area. Houston is one of the top cities for population growth, but there are so many complexes going up and coming down right now that standing out is nearly impossible. We need to do something different. Something that will get attention to this little company I’ve taken over.”
Samson went to the other side of the desk to pick up his files on her project. He could hear her let out an audible breath of relief. “This is the spirit I want. Your plans here aren’t functional, but you’ve grasped the concept and I’ll have seasoned professionals leading the team.”
He handed the papers back to her, and her eyes narrowed as she recognized her work.
“How...?”
“I want to see you here tomorrow morning at eight o’ clock. You’ll be with Don Hutchinson’s team. Joan can walk you through the paperwork today, and we’ll have an ID card for you by tomorrow.”
April shuddered. She full-body shuddered. “I have the job?”
“You have the job. Welcome to Bennett Industries.” Samson rubbed his fingers over his lips, unable to contain his grin. “I trust you’re pleased?”
The tension drained from her, and she hopped up and lunged forward as though she were about to run around the desk and hug him. Instead, she brushed her hands over her skirt.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Bennett.”
Samson nodded. “Good thing you got my attention the other day, isn’t it?”
“Well,” April shrugged her head to the side. “I try to avoid that kind of attention in the office. It... complicates things.”
She leaned over to shake his hand and did so firmly enough to impress him. She was strong despite her size, although his hand engulfed hers, and she was very warm. He suspected the little move with her skirt just now had been a subtle way of wiping the sweat off of her palms.
That was good, too. He got her worked up and made her shudder, and that was just when they were in the same room together. Working together would give him ample opportunity to keep an eye on her, and perhaps, make her shudder for better reasons.
Chapter Three
April spent a lot of time in her first few weeks on the job catching up on her team’s research, shadowing them to the future construction site, and drafting and re-drafting building designs by hand and on the computer. The latter might not have been her job, but as soon as Garcia, another team member, had figured out how quickly she could mock up a sketch, he encouraged their manager, Hutchinson, to make her an active part of the team.
Jones & Ramirez wasn’t what April expected from a Samson Bennett company. She expected ice-cold conference rooms and ice-cold employees. An atmosphere so ruthless that the Mongols would have been jealous. In actuality, the most daunting aspect of her work environment was that most her coworkers had known one another for years, and she felt a bit like an outsider. With the exception of Hutchinson, the rest of her team had inside jokes, long-standing traditions, and knew the names of one another’s children and pets.
“I know fences are popular, Don,” Jessie argued, “but I’ve yet to see them actually work as a deterrent to crime.”
“That isn’t the point,” Hutchinson said, leaning back in his chair with a frown. “The point is the façade of the front. The look of it.”
“I think a crime deterrent would be of some concern,” April ventured. “The lack of zoning in Houston means a lack of control over living in an area that doesn’t have a relatively high crime rate. And I’ve seen guys hop those fences without breaking a sweat. I wasn’t thrilled about it paying $575 a month for that. No way am I going to pay thousands of dollars to rent someplace with just the ‘façade’ of safety.” Jessie smiled, and both women looked at Hutchinson.
“I think our tenants will be able to afford a security system.” Hutchinson looked at April strictly.
April twirled her pen. “Dunno. That’s kind of a cold comfort when you can’t keep your balcony window open because dudes are jumping up there.”
“People cannot jump up on your balcony,” Hutchinson scoffed.
“Oh, they can. And they do, if you don’t plan the patio and the balcony well enough. I tell ya, it’s no fun waking up on your day off to see some guy poking his head in your sliding glass window.”