SLEAZE: A Hollywood Comeback Story (Book #1)

Chapter 15

We’d been sitting in the parking garage adjacent to my office building for nearly twenty minutes before I cleared my throat. “Ready?” I asked, sliding my keys from the ignition and opening the car door.

Sophie looked at me in surprise as if she'd forgotten I was there, her focus torn from the sapphire ring that she’d been fiddling with throughout the drive from her house. She let out a deep breath and stared down at her lap without answering. Her expression was unreadable, though I could sense she was embarrassed over the fact that she’d cried so openly in front of me. I suspected she was also afraid of going upstairs and facing Michael, but who wouldn’t be?

After another long minute, Sophie set her jaw and, with a look of resolute determination, nodded. “If we get this over with quickly, maybe I can catch an afternoon session with my favorite spin instructor at Soul Cycle.”

We walked in silence as we headed to the main lobby, the nervous butterflies in my stomach flapping their wings more rapidly with each step that I took. I could only imagine how she felt. Sophie had resumed rubbing the impressive navy rock on her finger with her thumb, her gaze trained on the ground in front of us.

“Parker,” she said as we waited for an elevator’s golden doors to slide open.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“No problem,” I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

“Sorry for…”

Sophie trailed off and I glanced at her before looking down at the sizeable wet spot on my button-up. It was hard to tell how much of the dampness had come from her eyes while I’d held her, and how much had trickled out of her nose. I smiled, trying not to think about it. “It’ll dry.”

Sophie gave me a weak grin as an elevator chimed and we stepped inside. I got the feeling that she wanted to say something else but I didn’t press it, instead letting the hum of the rising cabin wash over me.

In the reception area, Melanie greeted us both warmly and joined us on the walk down the corridor to Michael’s office. The redhead knocked on his door and waited for him to yell, “Come in,” before turning the handle and ushering Sophie inside. She closed the door again once Sophie had stepped over the threshold, stopping me from going after her. I began to protest but Melanie grabbed my forearm, shaking her head.

“Why can’t I go in?” I asked.

“Michael wants to talk to her alone.” She studied me and then made a face. “What’s on your shirt?”

“Water,” I said. “Hit a speed bump.”

“Michael has a project for you,” Melanie replied, continuing down the hallway and beckoning me to follow.

I hesitated. I didn’t want to leave Sophie alone with Michael, not after seeing how distraught she’d been earlier. On the other hand, I’d long ago learned that only time would calm Michael down. If I stayed, I’d probably only make things worse. Reluctantly, I jogged after Melanie, casting a backwards glance over my shoulder as I went.

“What’s the project?” I asked when I’d caught up to her.

“You know how our office is going paperless?” I nodded and she continued, “Michael wants you to put all of the business cards he’s received in the past three months into our electronic database. Penny and I are working on converting his Rolodex.”

“You’re kidding me,” I said with a groan. “That’s going to take—“

“Hours? Days? Trust me, I know.” Melanie grimaced and lowered her voice to a whisper, “Hey, she’s okay, right?”