Yeah, right. I couldn't remember the last time I had had a nice relaxing dinner with everyone. By three o'clock every day, I was pulling into the parking lot behind The Lodge, getting ready to open the doors. I liked to tell myself I wasn't as bad as Eli, because I had no problem letting my staff do their thing while I did mine. But I felt better being on site. God forbid anything went sideways. It was much easier for me to take control of the situation when I was just down the hall, rather than having to drive in from the outskirts of town.
Speaking of… I looked up to find Sam sitting on the couch across the room, fiddling with his phone. He was such an asset to The Lodge because it was easy for him to tune out when told he didn't need to be part of a conversation. Other times, he would hang back and observe, never stepping in unless his intuition made the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
“Sorry about that,” I apologized. “What can I help you with, Sam?”
Sam held up a manila folder and cautiously stepped forward. “I probably should have asked your permission ahead of time…” Well, that was one way to get my attention. Sam wasn't the type to do anything without being given the green light.
I motioned for him to move closer. “Go on.”
“So, in one of my classes, we had to put together a business proposal. I raised more than a few eyebrows when I decided to base my fictional business on this place, but I figured it would be easier if I was working with an environment that I was familiar with already.” Sam practically collapsed into the chair on the opposite side of my desk.
“That was a smart move.” Sam sat up a bit straighter and his eyes shone, dimples forming at the sides of his mouth when he smiled under the praise. “What makes you think you should have asked my permission?”
“Well, I went into it honestly thinking it was just going to be a goofy little project, but then I did really well with it. I wanted to show you what I worked on because I think there are some things that we could bring to the club.” He paused, hedging, squirming around in his seat.
“Relax, Sam. I'm not going to promise you we can make any big, sweeping changes, but if there's something in there that seems doable, I am more than open to suggestions.”
Sam rested the folder on his lap, placed his hands on top of it, and gazed at a spot on the floor in front of him. It couldn't be easy for him to put himself out there like this.
“Sam,” I said, digging deep for the low-pitched voice I used when I was in Daddy mode.
His gaze glittered up to mine, and it crushed me that his earlier excitement had been replaced by uncertainty.
“It was brave of you to approach me. A lot of men wouldn't have had that sort of strength.” I held out my hand. “May I see what you came up with?”
He remained so still I wasn’t certain he’d heard me.
“Sam, let me look,” I said, a bit more forcefully this time.
His hand shook as he obeyed me. “I’m not saying I think I know better than you or anything, but maybe a fresh perspective would help us bring in more business.”
“More business is always good, Sam,” I praised him. “And I like having innovative people on my team. It will be a shame when you eventually graduate and move on to a real job.”
Sam's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, but no words came out. Why did he look like the idea of going out and making his own mark on the world was a punishment rather than the huge accomplishment it was?
“I mean it, Sam. And do not take that as me trying to shove you out the door. I would be damn lucky to keep you around, but there are so many other things waiting for you out there.”
“I know, it's just…” his voice trailed off again.
“It's just, what?” I slid the folder off to the side and leaned forward, resting on my forearms on the desk. “Talk to me, Sam. What's really bugging you today?”
“It's nothing you need to worry yourself with.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” I insisted. There was little I liked less than people assuming I was too busy to worry about their problems. I wasn’t some sort of self-absorbed asshole whose sole focus was on the businesses I ran or invested in.
But youarea bit obsessed with the bottom line. Isn’t that the whole reason you’re single now?
“Let me see what you've got.” Sam was silent as I scanned over the business plan he had put together. It was easy to see the bits he had lifted from The Lodge but, at the same time, there were all these fresh ideas I had never even considered. After a cursory glance, I closed the folder and pushed it to the center of the desk.
“I'm impressed,” I told him.
“Seriously?” He gaped at me, sitting on his hands to keep from fidgeting. There was something about this entire exchange that toed the line between professional and far too enticingly personal.
“Definitely. There are a few of the ideas you came up with that I'd like to work on implementing if you’re game.”
Sam practically bounced in his seat. “You're serious?”
“Absolutely.” It was times like this I hated the formality of having a desk in between the two of us. Sam was the type of man who needed tenderness. He thrived on innocent touches and the simplest displays of affection.
