“So you aren’t worried Dr. Keno won’t approve him?” The words fly out of my tight throat.
“No, not in the slightest, remember, Sam’s going to be training only. I wasn’t worried about it before I went out to meet with him and after yesterday, I’m even more sure about what Keno will tell me. Yes, he needs the right temperament and he’ll be leading exercises close to what he did in the Rangers but he won’t be under the same pressure he was before. It’ll be fine.”
I can only nod, Taylor is right. With a sigh of relief my eyes go down to the file, not seeing a thing. Of course, it would be fine. By the time I look up Taylor is gone and I’m glad. Rubbing my forehead I try to focus on Sam’s file, with a start I realize I’m seeing his last name for the first time. Sam King, it fit him is all I can think. Curiosity drives me through the rest of it, his transcripts from Harvard, his release from the Army and I’m surprised to see he’s thirty five, he’s a year younger than Taylor. It’s odd, all the other things I know about him but other small things I don’t. I want to know absolutely everything about him, from his shoe size to his favorite color.
I can admit it now, I want Sam, any way I can get him. If it was just six months then I’ll take it, if it’s a week, I’m not proud enough to turn it down. I’ll figure it out, I will try so hard to give him what he needs from me and not be empty and cold and maybe if I get it right this time he won’t leave.
An hour later Sam is back with Dr. Keno and my eyes are on Dr. Keno and his smile and I can finally breathe deeply for the first time since Sam’s kiss by the elevator. Both of them go into Taylor’s office. My phone rings and it’s the last person I had called about Quincy Tucker. Taking careful notes, what I’m hearing from a current coworker is good and I’m able to wrap up my report on Robert’s prospect. He looks good and I’m sure he’ll fit. At the prospect of the interview tomorrow with Tim Nielson, I shiver with distaste, at least it will be Friday.
Taylor’s door opens, “Zoe, take Sam down to human resources and did you finish up on Tucker? Of course you did, thanks. On your way back up, can you get me an espresso? Regular coffee isn’t going to cut it today. Thanks.”
Dr. Keno waves his goodbye. Sam’s arm is up around me again as he leads me out of the office. “Sam, not where Taylor can see.”
Sam laughs and pulls me tighter, “You are adorable sometimes. Kiss me and I’ll think about it.”
“No, kissing you makes my mind all fuzzy.” The elevator stops on the fourth floor and two people get on. I nod a hello and want to elbow Sam for pulling me closer to him. It’s beyond obvious and I fight not to blush but fail. When the elevator stops at our floor I want to flee but Sam keeps me tight against him. “Sam, please, not at work. I’m begging you. I have to deal with these people day in and day out.” He shakes his head and his damn smile went from sinful to devilish and all I can think is, fuck it, and melt against him. I offer my mouth and he takes it, it’s a rough kiss, almost bruising but I don’t flinch. Deep down I feel the same way. It lasts only seconds though and then Sam pulls back, very slowly. That light is in his eyes and I know what he wants but that we have to wait.
It takes a minute to get my legs moving again and I turn to see the door being held open by a very interested administrative assistant. I go in with a muttered thanks, avoiding her eye.
Sam is at my back but gives me some space and I give him a rundown of the setup of the floor. When we get to Jill’s office I knock and wait until Jill calls out to come in. I introduce them and hand over Sam’s file. It’s stupid that the hair on the back of my neck goes up as Jill smiles up at Sam. Jill is married, then Jill giggles, giggles. Damn it. “Okay, well have fun. I’ll see you later, bye.”
Wanting to smack Jill I turn and pull Sam down for a kiss on the cheek, he smiles knowingly and I grit my teeth. Leaving the room without looking back, my only thought is, let Jill giggle at that. There’s no policy in place about employees not getting involved, so I’m not worried about that kiss in front of human resources in the slightest. What I’m worried about is making an idiot of myself.
The morning goes by quickly and I try to keep the disappointment from my face when Taylor leaves, announcing he’s taking Sam out for lunch. I treat myself to a tiny chocolate tart for dessert at lunch and then lecture myself on buying it just as a perk up for missing out on lunch with Sam. I’m back at the size ten I had been before I dated Troy but since I hated exercising, preferring walking or swimming to being stuck in a gym it’s a battle to stay comfortable in my size ten.
It isn’t like we need to spend all day together, but it is hard knowing he’d be doing overnights. Would he sleep okay?
Not surprisingly their lunch went long, Taylor has a habit of that and it’s almost two in the afternoon before Taylor is back. Sam isn’t with him, there’s still some paperwork that needed to be completed.
“Zoe, get the number for the dealership and sales guy Mickey we did that last buy from will you? Sam is going to need something and he likes my truck. I can’t remember what I paid for it.”
“Are we buying him a truck or he’s buying it?”
“Sam already busted my balls on his salary, he is not getting a vehicle out of me. Besides, he has more than enough money to buy his own.”
“Really? Sam had said he didn’t need the money when it came to working here. I thought he meant he just didn’t need it all that badly.”
“He wasn’t just talking, he really doesn’t need the money. Did you notice the windmills when you went out to his place? They’re on his land, he owns about thirty acres out there. It used to be a chicken farm, one of the largest family owned suppliers in Texas. Things didn’t work out though, Sam had to sell out and he made a deal with a company for the use of his land for the windmills. He’s getting a yearly payment for a lease on the fifteen acres they’re on and then quarterly profits. All of that plus his pay from the Army going into an account and rarely spent, he’s doing just fine.
Actually, come on into my office. I want to run something by you. Close the door. I’ve been thinking about asking Sam if he wanted to buy in as a partner. We’ve done well since Stanton left but there are times when I’ve met with prospects that aren’t DOD or our usual customers and I can tell that there’s hesitancy there because I don’t have military experience. It feels like it takes longer to land them and if maybe I had Sam at my side I’d close them quicker. Hell, I could just send him out, he’s the whole package. You’ve had some one on one time with him. He told me you talked him around and he’s shared his concerns. I’m sure now he trusts in us or he wouldn’t still be here. What do you think he’d say to the offer?”
A small part of me wants to scream with happiness at the idea of a way to keep Sam permanently but then I remember Sam’s words. “Right this second, I think the answer would be no but I think if you give him some time it would change. I think right now he’s still feeling out the whole situation, his condition for it to only be six months is apart of that.”
“You look worried?”
“I am, what if he decides it’s not for him after all and leaves again? I don’t think he’d go back
home but he’s still assessing it all.”
“Maybe we just have to make it so that he’s so happy here he won’t go?”
Taylor is saying exactly what I’d been thinking earlier. “That could work.”
“I trust you’ll help out on that front where you can?”
My eyes go down, not ready to share my feelings about Sam yet. I nod in agreement. “But could we keep the deal we made out of any conversation with Sam?”
He’s quiet for a long minute, “I think that’s a good idea.” Taylor stands, “Sam mentioned you were going to take him shopping for clothes, after that you’ll go to the dealership. Give him the information on what I paid and let him haggle with Mickey from there. When he comes back, there won’t be much for the rest of the day. Go ahead and leave a little early and get it done.”