Page 23 of Silver Fox's Secret Baby

Hell no. "I'd prefer it if you reported to me," I said.

Alan tensed, likely continuing to believe this had something to do with my opinion of his work.

"If it involves marketing, I'd like to at least be in the loop,” he said.

"Absolutely, Alan,” I assured him.

We made small talk for a few moments, then I excused Alan.

“I think he thinks I’m checking up on him,” Samantha astutely deciphered.

“In some ways, you are, but I’ll let him know that it’s not because I have concerns about his performance. Let me get these things for you.” I left Samantha in her office. I returned to my office and asked my admin to arrange the collection and delivery of all the items on Samantha’s list.

Then I went back to work, doing my damnedest to not think about Samantha—competent, strong, smart, sexy in her blue dress Samantha one floor down.

9

Samantha

Once Henry left, I sat back in the chair and let out a breath. Since the moment I got out of bed this morning, I was a bundle of nerves.

First, I was concerned about getting through breakfast and whether Henry would be here. When Marie and I finally got Pax ready for preschool and went downstairs for breakfast, Mrs. Tillis told me that Henry had left early for the office. I relaxed a bit then, knowing I wouldn't be seeing him until I went to work.

Marie took care of getting Pax to preschool, and I walked into Henry's office at eight AM sharp, my nerves all a jumble again. It was so important to me that he saw me as a professional and not as the naïve intern he had taken under his wing five years ago.

I wore a navy-blue dress that I felt looked professional, although it was a little snug, hinting at the weight I'd gained over the last few months.

I still had the feeling that Henry was flying by the seat of his pants about this job. Yes, he’d arranged for data reports, but I don’t think he’d considered where I’d be working. But he found me a cozy office that had a window and natural light. I continued to have reservations about being around him, but I was grateful for the opportunity.

It was clear that his marketing director, Mr. Sprout, wasn't aware that I'd been hired until that morning, and I had concerns that it might be a problem. Especially since Henry told me I was to report to him, not to Mr. Sprout, who would've been the more obvious supervisor. After all, the majority of what I was doing was related to marketing.

But now, alone in my office, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Then I got to work. True to his word, within twenty minutes, Henry had arranged for everything that I needed to do my job, the laptop and phone and office supplies, to be delivered. The tech person got me set up on the company's intranet, and before long, I was going through all the data Henry had given me that morning and using the phone and computer to assess the various platforms.

I had just made the determination that Henry’s newspaper in Los could use a little work when there was a knock on my door. Before I had a chance to respond, the door opened and Mr. Sprout walked in.

I was irked that he hadn't waited for me to invite him in, but I put down my work and gave him my full attention. "Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Sprout?"

He crossed his arms over his chest, the corners of his mouth tightening into a disapproving frown. "Why is Henry having an intern check up on me?"

His comment made me suspect that he’d returned to his office after our introduction and researched me.

"I'm not an intern. I'm an employee."

His shrug suggested that he still saw me as someone inferior. "I have over twenty years’ experience in marketing, and I've been the director here for the last three years. I don't need someone with less experience looking over my shoulder like you know more than I do."

My jaw clenched, but I took a breath and reminded myself that I needed to be professional. "With all your experience, you shouldn't be concerned about what I might find. You don't need to feel threatened—"

His eyes flashed in anger. "I'm not threatened by you. I am the head of marketing, and everything that happens here is my business. I need to know what's going on."

"You were here when Hen—Mr. Banion told me that I needed to report to him. I'm sure that if there's something he feels you need to know, he'll make sure that you know it."

When I'd nearly slipped and referred to Henry by his name, Mr. Sprout's eyes narrowed, and he studied me in a way that made me want to squirm. I did my best not to.

"I can't help but wonder exactly what you did to convince Henry to hire you."

My gut clenched because I could see by his expression and the tone in his voice that he was hinting that my being hired was due to sexual favors to Henry.

While I wasn't sleeping with Henry now, and wasn't ever going to in the future, I was certain that this job was offered to me because Henry and I had enjoyed a relationship in the past. He'd said himself that he wanted to make restitution for how he had treated me.

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