Sophia is waiting for me at the reception with her legs crossed and eyes narrowed. I offer Dina a smile and return the guard’s curt nod. A blonde brow raises when I stop in front of Sophia with a commercial worthy smile glued to my lips.
Will El be mad at either of us if she finds out Sophia is the appointment?
I don’t think too much about it as we start for my office without exchanging pleasantries. Sophia elbows me in the ribs once we are safe in the elevator. Mischief settles in her eyes. I sneer.
“Someone is happy.”
“I am.” Curiosity takes over her face, I settle for saying, “I’m moving back to the mansion.”
And I am finally getting to tap that ass. Man, I am walking on sunshine.
I lower the briefcase to the floor and rotate my shoulders to ease the stiffness. Three more floors to my office. She shoots me a furtive glance, a shaky smile takes over her lips before her eyes dart to her shoes.
Her head bobs. “Nice.”
Just that? She was rooting for us. I support my weight on the other side of the wall. “You don’t sound so happy.” If she is not happy for me, then it’s a big problem for us. Our friendship. I will always pick El over her. But I don’t want to be put in that position. We have been friends for too long. Bridging the gap, I mimic her position. My back connects to the wall, I push my feet forward. She stares at her feet. “You don’t want us together?”
“I do.” She nudges her glass up the bridge of her nose. Her hands slide into her pockets and another sigh escapes her. “You guys are so cute it makes me want to get married.” Her nose crinkles like she caught a whiff of something foul. At one point, we shared the same sentiments about commitment. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t want it. Once upon a time, marriage made no sense to me. “I don’t want to get married.”
To that, I nod. If I didn’t marry, where would I have been? The office. Working. Working as hard or more than Sophia. She lives and breathes work. There has to be more to life than work for her. It is crazy to think that used to be my life.
Who does she rant to on the awful days? I nearly lost my mind these last years alone. The solitary lifestyle kind of sucks. It’s cool until it isn’t. And I never want to be alone anymore.
I search Sophia’s face for a second too long and she kisses her teeth. “Are you seeing someone?”
She folds her arms on her chest. “It depends.”
We engage in a stare-off. Her face reveals nothing, she has also mastered the art of masking her true feelings. Logic battles with emotions at our prolonged eye contact. Memories from the past assault my mind, I close my eyes and expel a breath. I am about to step into old territories. It is the only choice I have at this moment. “Yes or no?”
Her jaw ticks. “No.”
The relief that floods me is overwhelming. One more block out of the way. Her foot drums into the floor, the sound only heightens my nervousness. I release another shaky breath and smile. It is now or never.
“Are you up for an old game?” Her eyes widen, I count to five. “A fun tryst?” Before my conscience kicks in and emotions win, I take out my phone to show her the picture of Vincent I got from the internet. The idiot doesn’t look as bad as his attitude. I hit send on the picture, her phone pings. “He likes blondes.”
And tall, fair-skinned women and booze. Her phone beeps with more messages from me. Details about Vincent. His schedules, the clubs he frequents. He also has a few kinks Sophia might have fun exploring.
She rolls her eyes, already searching him up on her phone. “What do you want from him?”
“Everything. Anything.” I tug on my hair from the roots. “I don’t know.” The door slides open, we step out but remain in front of the elevator. Sophia turns to me with a wry smile and a wave of guilt rolls through me. I shouldn’t be using my friends for my dirty business. But I need the keys to his cupboards, I need to find his skeletons. “Don’t do anything you are not comfortable with. You can always say no.”
Sophia’s shoulders quake from trying to hold in her laughter. Fine. I am overthinking it. We have done this in the past. Too many times to count. She goes out with different people, gets the information I need. It is how much I trust her. Even now, I still do. But Vincent is who I don’t trust. What if he’s crazy?
“Vincent will be at the hotel from Tuesday.” Tapping one of the pictures I sent her, the image of a hotel fill her screen. “This one. He will be here for a few weeks. One or two. I don’t know for sure.” She nods. “Vincent likes Dynasty.” A popular club that’s home to some of the most wealthy men in Manchester. With an underground club that satisfies humans weird fetishes and carnal desires, it is never lacking for clients. Sophia and I went there once. It required a lot of phone calls. “I got you in for the weekend.”
“Okay.”
A brow lifts, she shrugs. Her composure is worrisome. “He will be there on Friday.” She purses her lips, the hairs at the back of my neck rise. “He knows something about Brianna, I want to know what he knows.”
She tucks her phone into her bag and hits the buttons on the wall. “Alright. Vincent, right?” I nod. “I like his name.” My eyes settle on her impassive face. She is too cool about this game. Was I always this nonchalant in the past? Would I do the same for her? Fuck. I hate this therapy shit. The point of going to therapy is to heal, not overthink myself to death with these impossible questions. “I needed to cool off anyways.”
Overwhelmed by guilt and gratitude, I draw her in for a hug and pat her back. “Awkward,” she says in a singsong voice against my chest, her back ramrod straight. I chuckle, she laughs and steps back. I am definitely never hugging her again. It’s too weird. She steals a peek at her wrist. “I have to get going.”
“Yeah, thanks. If you can’t do it, just say the word.”
Her head snaps to my face. “Is this what marriage does to people? You are too nice. It’s weird.”
Humans. I push her gently into the elevator and she spins on her heels to glower at me. When I am not nice, I get complaints, now, I am nice, I am still getting complaints. I might as well turn into a deaf mute.
“It’s called showing appreciation. Ever heard of that?” She rolls her eyes. “You should try it some time.”
“Shut the fuck up. I’m leaving.”
Shock registers on my face, the door shuts before I mutter a comeback. Maybe she is right, I have grown too nice. She wouldn’t speak this way to old Brandon. Then again, I like this new version of me. Being nice isn’t so bad. Elna loves me this way. I love myself this way. I shake my head and start for the office.
Thoughts of Vincent cloud my mind. At thirty-five, he is unmarried. He has had a few break ups but he is currently single. He is not violent so I have nothing to be worried about on that front. Sophia can handle herself. If she can’t, I will step in. The guilt kicks in once again, I drag a hand through my hair and release a deep sigh. We have done this before. I am not making a mistake. But why do I feel like a fucking prick?
Damien would have been the man for the job but we haven’t spoken since that day and I want to keep it that way. Besides, he is brutal. I want charms and wits and Sophia is all that. She will get me what I need.
My stomach growls, I retrieve the flask from the lunch bag. An aroma tickles my nose, my mouth waters without me having a taste yet. Wifey cooked again for me. I love that she cooks. Taking a spoonful of the curry, my eyes close as my tongue registers the flavour. I moan, shoving more of the mix into my mouth.
El’s voice floats into my head when the food is halfway gone. I send her a short video. She replies with a thumbs up and I finish the rest of my meal with a frown. I was hoping for some nudes or at least a selfie.
Ed calls as I am arranging my things. Due to health reasons, he will be absent today. I give him today and the next day off to consult the doctor and get some rest. If I wasn’t overworking him, he might not be ill.
The rest of the day passes in a fast blur. My neck hurts from being hunched over files for too long. I am filled with newfound admiration for Ed when I miss two appointments and the telephone begins to ring uninterruptedly. I press two fingers to the side of my head, glaring at the phone till it stops. I take it off the hook, put mine on silent mode, then start an apology letter to reschedule the missed appointments.
God. How did I survive before Ed?
Panic flickers through me when I get a chance to peek at the time and I bolt out of my seat. Shit. When did it get so late? The lights made it easy to forget the time. I grab my things and speed walk out of the office, cursing at the number of missed calls on my screen. There goes all the plans for the evening.