SLEAZE: A Hollywood Comeback Story (Book #1)

Chapter 4

“We did it,” I sighed, still reeling from the tension of the situation we’d just escaped. I could hear Sophie sniffling quietly and I reached into my grocery bag to retrieve a pack of Kleenex. As I searched for them, I scoffed when the feel of my bottle of eye drops came under my fingertips. All that trouble, and my eyes hurt just as badly as before.   

“Here,” I offered, pulling out one of the tissues and leaning over the center console to hand it to her. Sophie swatted my hand away violently and I watched the paper handkerchief float down to area next to my feet. I bent down to retrieve it, puzzled by her reaction.

This girl made absolutely no sense. I felt color rising in my cheeks as my relief transformed back into irritation.

“What is your problem?” I demanded. “You hit me and didn’t apologize and now that I’ve helped you, you can’t even manage a damn ‘thank you’?”

No reply.

I opened my mouth to continue but my words died on my lips as I lurched forward, slamming face first into the back of the driver’s seat as Sophie abruptly hit the brakes. I groaned in pain as she pulled the car over into an empty metered spot along the side of the road.

“You want me to thank you?” Sophie hissed venomously as she swung around to look at me from behind her sunglasses. In the sunlight, I could see the outline of her eyes through the tinted material and could feel her burning fury.  

“Shit, I think you broke my nose—“

“Why the hell would I thank the asshole who set me up?” She snarled and I gaped at her, dumbfounded. Set her up? “What’s the matter? Decided to sell me out and then realized what a douche move that is to do to someone? How much did they pay you, anyway? You know they won’t let you keep it now.” I couldn’t tear my gaze away from a vein pulsing visibly in her neck.

After a long moment, I realized she was waiting for me to say something and I mumbled, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t lie!” Sophie screeched, droplets of spittle spraying my face. I brought my hand up to wipe them away and also checked my nose gingerly. It hurt, much worse than the part of my body that had previously met her car’s grill, but at least it wasn’t bleeding. I decided then that I’d made a mistake in getting into her car, even if it had been with good intentions. She’d caused two injuries in a matter of minutes; it was only a matter of time before she actually killed me. Then again, from the way she was acting, maybe that was her goal.

“I swear!” I cried defensively. “I’ve never even met you before!”

“Please,” the blonde spat, her hair glinting golden. “As if that little trick you pulled by jumping in front of my car wasn’t planned. Anyway, when has not knowing me ever stopped you people? Do you get off on it or something? Following me around and making me miserable?”

“Look,” I said in frustration, grabbing my bag of medication and cursing the dust in my office and my damn allergies for forcing me to go on this errand from hell. “I have no idea who you are, nor do I really want to. You can believe whatever you want, but I need to get back to work. Later,” I reached for the door handle but found my dramatic exit foiled as the door remained steadfastly shut. I flushed embarrassedly as I continued jiggling the handle, willing it to magically open.

It didn’t.

“What, are you kidnapping me, or something?” I asked sarcastically as the girl watched my failed attempts to leave. “Take off the child lock and let me out.”

“Where do you work?” Sophie demanded.

“Huh?”

“Simple question. Where do you work?” she repeated, her voice lowering in volume though her breathing remained ragged with adrenaline. “Or, more importantly, who do you work for?”