“Old habits die hard.” Samson touched her shoulder lightly and guided her to the elevator. “To be honest, I used to have that habit as well. You learn to assess your own value and have confidence in it. You know already what you’re good at and what you need to learn, and that’s a good start. When I was your age…”
Samson raked his hand back through his hair and thought back on what he’d been like fresh out of college. “Well, I’ll just say, at twenty, I was not as capable of telling stubborn old men that they were wrong.”
“It bodes well for me that you consider my flaring temper a positive trait.” April looked up at him as the elevator doors closed.
“Just aim your flares away from me, if you please. I’m still smarting from the last one.”
With a stab of pleasure, he watched her giggle.
***
Samson took dinner and coffee in his suite while reviewing some paperwork. He hadn’t seen Ethan Crumb and Johnny Jones for a few years, and if he were honest, it had been too long. Since he began leveraging his real estate holdings into a larger conglomerate, Samson hadn’t had the time to lounge around on holiday with them. Now they owned their own little series of shops in several major metropolitan areas in the UK that were in severe need of a branding upgrade.
As he walked into the bar, he spotted one sandy head of hair and one dark, and a pair of empty martini glasses and came toward them with a smile and open arms. Ethan gave a little hop, and Samson lifted the petite man into his arms, causing Johnny to laugh deep and low.
“The giant came down from his cloud to see us, finally!” Johnny said.
“I’ll take it!” Ethan gestured toward the seats. “After you, Sir CEO, Mr. Important Person. You still drink? Scotch? Gin martini with a twist?”
“Scotch will be fine,” Samson managed to get out just before Ethan bounded off. “He’s got as much energy as ever, doesn’t he?”
“God, you’ve no idea, Sammy.” Johnny sprawled back into their booth. “Dunno how our little business would be still running if he weren’t like a bloody energy rabbit.”
“Energizer Bunny.”
Johnny waved him off. “Pfft.”
“I don’t know how you wouldn’t know that phrase. They have batteries in the UK.”
“They do. But you see, we got here an hour ago, darling.” Johnny wiggled his martini glass between two fingers.
“Here I come!” Johnny returned, juggling a glass of scotch and two more martinis.
“Tell the waitress to bring us something to eat, please. I’d like you two to still be capable of language by the time my associate gets here,” Samson said.
Ethan and Johnny fell against one another laughing helplessly. Samson rolled his eyes and went to get a menu.
Although neither man was near to sober, Samson enjoyed having the chance to simply talk with the two of them and catch up on their adventures. With their small business, they still got out and did new things. Samson found himself going out knowing exactly what would happen and how the people around him would react to each move. It made him wonder if that was why the day with April had been so enjoyable. They had explored, finding new and inspiring things together.
Samson took risks—business risks, calculated risks. However, in his personal life, he’d gotten comfortable. Maybe he needed to explore more. There was no risk in taking home some cute piece of ass whose face he probably wouldn’t see again and whose name he probably wouldn’t remember.
Johnny let out a low wolf whistle and sat up suddenly. “Good God, I think we’ve got a model in our midst, lads.”
Samson looked back to see April standing by the entrance of the bar as she scanned the seats looking for him. He could see what Johnny meant. She was wearing a perfectly-fitted emerald green drape dress, with the wrap gathered at the left side of her waist, emphasizing how petite she really was. It accentuated her body perfectly. But what really had Samson staring was her hair. It wasn’t pinned back in a librarian bun, or halfway up, or in pigtails. Her golden curls spilled down over her shoulders just as they had in his wildest fantasies.
“Over here, darling!” Ethan called. Johnny laughed as Samson gave them a stern look.
“Well, I suppose she could keep us company!” Johnny said.
“That is my employee,” Samson told them, warning laced through every word. If he wasn’t allowed to misbehave, they had better not.
Johnny and Ethan shared a glance and smiled as she came over. She walked slowly, and Samson realized that she was wearing heels rather than pumps. Lord, he would need strength to get through the night. He downed his scotch and made space for her at the table.
“How did we get so lucky!” Ethan was up to greet her before Samson had the chance to speak, but Ethan’s energy had seemed to put April at ease. She smiled warmly and introduced herself to both of them before sitting next to Samson.
“Is your business located here in Chicago?” April asked.
“Oh, no. We were just visiting the States and thought we could use some face time with our mate Sammy here,” Johnny said.