Samson looked forward to having a bit of a tête-à-tête with her.
His assistant, Babette, tried to pry for his intentions when he gave his orders, but Samson wasn’t about to go over his business practices with his secretary. Babette had always been too curious for her own good, anyway. He skimmed the papers and then went to stand by the window as he waited for April to be brought to him.
“Mr. Bennett? You wanted to see me?”
Samson didn’t turn yet. He let her wait before he even answered. He could practically smell her starting to sweat.
“Have a seat, April.” He let the moment linger before taking a slow stroll around to the side of the desk. “I’ve taken the liberty of looking over your application.”
“And you liked it?”
“It’s a bit sparse, to be honest.”
“Oh.”
Samson half-sat on the desk and leaned toward her. “Tell me more. I want to know who April Lucas really is.”
April’s fingers twisted in her lap. “I really am… looking for a job. Preferably in an architecture firm, which this is. And I really want to be able to work on projects that don’t involve constructing poorly-made pop-up houses and strip malls, which from what I’ve seen of your oeuvre, you don’t do. That’s it. That’s me.”
“Work isn’t all there is to a person, though.”
“It’s what you tend to ask about in a job interview, anyway.”
“Are you originally from Houston?” Samson raised his brows as she instinctively crossed her arms and tensed her jaw.
“No. I just... I thought I had a job here.”
“More than just ‘thought’ if it made you move all the way down here from New York. Where are you from originally? Where did you stay during the summer?”
“I worked during the summer.”
Samson sighed and inched closer. “Where?”
“In a diner. As a bartender.” April shrugged. “You don’t put that kind of work on a professional resume.”
“That’s not…” Samson pinched the bridge of his nose. He walked over to stand in front of her. April’s stormy green eyes widened as she looked up at him.
“Are you looking for someone who can self-start? I can do that. Are you looking for a team player? I can do that, too, provided your team leader knows what he or she is doing. I’ll marry this job, Mr. Bennett,” she paused and the muscle in her jaw twitched. “You just have to tell me what you want from me.”
Samson watched her silently. He took in her heart-shaped face and the furrow in her brow. He listened to the hitch of her breathing. He made her nervous. That was good. But she also intrigued him. So much so that his curiosity might just be winning out over his business sense.
He could simply tell her to go away, that he had no space at the company for her. Lana would probably forgive him, since it had been his idea to interview April in the first place. And still...
“What do you think I want from you?” He looked down at her and crossed his arms. “Do you think I want business buzzwords? Do you think I want someone who will tell me what I want to hear?”
“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.”