Nicholas

 

 

She bites her red stained bottom lip as she stares at me.

"I'm sorry, Sophia," I continue since she's not saying a word. "I was a royal asshole to you that night. I did shit I'm not proud of. I look back now and I can't believe I accused you of that."

"I can't believe it either." She sighs. "I'm not capable of stealing anything from anyone."

"I realize that." I want to reach out and touch her, but I stop myself. It's not just because we're in the middle of a crowded sidewalk. It's because her body language is screaming at me to fuck right off. "I wasn't thinking clearly."

"I appreciate the apology." She takes a step closer to the curb. "I'm going to find a cab and head home now."

She's as cold as ice. Her expression hasn't faltered, her voice hasn't given away anything about what she's feeling inside.

"Can we talk more about what happened?" I move toward the curb too. "I need you to understand where my head was at."

She glances over my shoulder at the oncoming traffic. "There's nothing to talk about."

"There's a lot to talk about," I argue. "I fucked this up. I want a chance to make it better."

A smile tugs at the corner of her lips. "I don't want to discuss anything with you."

The grin on her face isn't because I followed her down the street so I could grovel. It's because she thinks I'm fucking pathetic to assume she wants another chance to be with me. She's right. I stomped all over her heart and called her boss to get her fired. I admit I'm not the definition of a good boyfriend.

"I care about you," I say that because I've gotten nothing else waiting on the tip of my tongue.

That prompts a raise of both of her brows. "Don't go there."

"Go where?"

She crosses her arms over her chest. "Don't think you can tell me you care about me after what you did. It's obvious you don't, so I'm prepared to let our lawyers figure this out between themselves."

"I don't need a lawyer to tell you that I'm crazy about you."

"Why are you doing this?" She glances at a couple arm-in-arm as they stroll past us. "You think I stole your book. You're going to sue me. We can't exactly sleep together while that's going on, can we?"

I swallow. A vivid vision of the last time we fucked envelops me. I instantly recall the smell of her skin, the taste of her lips and the sounds she made when she came around my cock. I want that again but more than that, I want her to look at me the way she had before I saw her at Hibiscus.

"Give me thirty minutes, Sophia."

"I'm going home, Nicholas." She waves her hand in the air at an approaching yellow cab.

"Can it be another night?" I step to the curb as the taxi slows. "Give me thirty minutes one night this week."

"Is this about the lawsuit?" She steps onto the street.

"I'm not suing you." I follow her lead and reach for the handle of the passenger side door of the cab. "I'm sorry I threatened you with that. It was wrong."

"You're not suing me?" Her voice softens. "I should thank you for that but I won't because it was baseless and if you had sued me, I would have countersued you."

I know she would have and there's no way in hell she wouldn't have won. I should be the one thanking her for not dragging my ass to court.

"Give me thirty minutes to plead my case. I promise that's all I want."

I want more. I want much more but I'll take thirty minutes of her time if that's all I can get right now.

She smiles at the cab driver before she slips into the back seat. "I'll text you if I find the time to meet."

"When you find the time," I correct her. "You'll text me when you find the time."

"It may not be for days." She reaches for the handle of the door even though I'm still leaning against it. "I'm busy so it could be weeks."

"I'll wait forever," I say before I shut the door and watch the car speed away with Sophia inside.

 

***

 

"You can't write an email worth shit, Nick," Crew says as he picks up the tumbler of bourbon I poured him.

"What the hell does that mean?" I furrow my brow. "I take it you read my emails that were posted online?"

"They were boring as hell." He takes a sip of the drink. "I had to bail after three of them. Thank Christ you can write a book. If you had to rely on your email writing skills to bring home the bacon, you'd be camped out on my couch."

That wouldn't be a bad thing. I've been to Crew's apartment. I thought my place was the definition of luxury. Compared to Crew's, I'm living modestly. "They were never meant for public consumption."

"You're telling me." He leans forward to place the glass on the coffee table. "In all seriousness, I want to introduce you to a guy I know. I think he could help you out."

"With what?" I ask suspiciously. I trust Crew but in my personal experience when anyone tells you they know a guy, it's always because they think you need a hand. The only thing I need help with is getting Sophia to listen to me.

"You need a better negotiator than your agent." He exhales harshly. "From what I read in those emails, that guy isn't going to bat for you. He's settling and you're worth more. If you want someone who can get you what you deserve, I'll set up a meeting between you two."

I've been considering ending my agreement with Steve for some time so I'm open to the idea. "Is he an agent?"

"He does a little of everything." He barks out a laugh. "Take the meeting and get a feel for him. If you two click, you can give me a ten percent finder's fee on the first contract he negotiates for you."

I cock a brow. "I'll buy you a bottle of scotch and we'll call it even."

"That's a deal." His fingers drum against his knee. "You're a better negotiator than your agent. Maybe you should skip the meeting and work out your own deals."

"Speaking of meetings," I segue into the real reason I invited him over. "I asked Sophia if she'd meet me for thirty minutes last week and I haven't heard a word from her since."

"Do you blame her?" He glances at his watch. "I'm not through foreplay in thirty. You need to learn to pace yourself."

I shake my head. "You're a fucking jerk."

"No." He leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. "You're the fucking jerk. I know what you said to her. You're damn lucky I'm your friend too, Nick. If I weren't, I'd take you to task for what you did."

I assumed Sophia had told him but when I called him earlier to ask him to stop by on his way home from work, he seemed fine. Apparently, he's not. I get it. They're friends and he's right to defend her.

"I was wrong," I admit easily. "I fucked up what I had with her. I want it back."

"It's not that simple." His gaze narrows. "Sophia's special. She's also smart. If she thinks a situation is bad for her, she'll avoid it at all costs."

I still. "You think I'm bad for her?"

He doesn't back down. Instead, he leans forward, his finger pointing directly at me. "I think your ego got in the way of what could have been a great thing for you both. You need to check it at that door if you want another chance, but I'm warning you. Don't fuck her around again. If she lets you back in, that'll be your last chance. She won't put up with your bullshit again."

I know he's right. "You think I have another chance?"

"You broke her in two, Nick, and do you know what the first words out of her mouth were the day after you tried to ruin her fucking life?"

"What?"

"She called me to ask if you were okay. She was worried about you. So, yeah, I think you've got a shot at another chance. Make it count.  Sophia's one in a million."