by Anna James
A hysterical laugh bubbled up inside and escaped before Sophia could stop it.
“Do you think this is funny?” Dante asked in an astonished voice.
She shook her head.
“Then why the hell are you laughing? This is serious. Do you have any idea what this could do to our reputation if we lose the Jackson account?”
“Of course I do. People will assume Trey was a Baker client, even though he wasn’t. When word gets out Sanford is shopping around for new representation everyone will assume it’s because he wasn’t happy with how Baker managed Trey’s assets. We’ll lose business. Sanford knows this and is using it to get what he wants.”
Dante gave her a speculative glance. “What does Sanford want?”
“I haven’t quite figured it out yet. In the meantime, we need to be prepared. I’ve been watching Trey’s portfolio since Dad got sick and I’m quite familiar with the various investment strategies he employed. I’ll take another look at it now and optimize the allocations.”
“Do you think Sanford is looking elsewhere for investment advice?”
“I can’t be sure until I know what he’s after. I’ll give Trey a call to see if he can give me any insight.” He owed her that. They were supposed to be friends, after all. Sanford may have the final say on what happened with Trey’s inheritance until he turned twenty-five now that her father was gone, and he may have insisted they shop around for other financial representation, but Trey could have, at the very least, given her a heads-up to let her know Sanford’s intentions instead of letting him blindside her.
Dante stiffened. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why?”
“I don’t trust him. I think he’s in on Sanford’s game plan and he’s using you.”
She shook her head. “No way. Trey’s not like that. He wouldn’t do that to me.”
Dante arched up one perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Are you that naïve or are you so in love with the guy you can’t see what’s below the surface?”
She glared at him. “My relationship with Trey is none of your concern.”
“Like hell it isn’t.”
Since when did he have any say over her love life? Okay, Trey wasn’t her boyfriend by any stretch of the imagination, but still… “You may be my business partner, but that does not give you the right to interfere in my personal life.”
His face flushed bright red and he glowered down at her. “It damn well does if your personal life affects the business. I don’t trust them.”
“I don’t trust Sanford either, but you’re wrong about Trey. I’ve known him almost all of my life. We’ve been best friends since we were two, for goodness’ sake. I’m telling you he’s not the manipulative type. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a portfolio to review.” She stood and walked toward the door.
“Sophia?”
She stopped and turned to face him, her jaw clenched. “What?”
“Good job with the Morgan meeting this morning.”
Her face fell. She should have known he’d find out somehow. And because she hadn’t told him, he’d accuse her of keeping secrets again or playing games—which wasn’t true. Not really. Okay, she should have contacted him right after the meeting went belly-up, but she’d still been reeling from Malcolm having got the better of her and well…truth be told she hadn’t wanted to admit to the screw up. For someone who’d insisted she could run the business on her own, she wasn’t doing a very good job. This would further prove Dante’s point. “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier. It’s been a crazy day.”
“Don’t worry about it. I understand you’ve got a lot on your plate right now.”
Sophia’s mouth gaped open. Did Dante just let her off the hook? No, he couldn’t have. She must have misunderstood him.
“Sophia?”
She blinked. “Huh?”
“I asked if the security people have completed the repairs to your system yet.”
She frowned. He wasn’t mad she hadn’t told him or that the Morgan meeting had been a complete failure? “Ah… No. I had to order a new system because the old one was damaged beyond repair.”
“You should stay in a hotel until the new one is installed.”
She sighed. “I don’t need to stay in a hotel. I’m fine where I am.”
He scowled down at her, but said nothing more on the subject. She turned away and strode toward the door only to stop when Dante called her again. “What is it?”
“We need to make reservations for the day after tomorrow. I’ve checked the flight schedule and there’s a direct flight to San Francisco first thing in the morning.”
She had no plans to go anywhere this weekend, let alone fly to San Francisco and with Dante. “What are you talking about?”
“The follow-up meeting with Lucas Morgan, what did you think I was talking about?”
“What follow-up meeting? My appointment with him this morning was a complete bust.”
Dante frowned. “I don’t understand. He called this afternoon and left a message. He had some questions about your recommendations and wanted to know if we could meet with him on Saturday evening to discuss them.”
Lucas reviewed her proposal? Already? And he wanted to meet with them? “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
He walked over and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
The touch of his soft, warm skin against hers had the blood pounding in her ears and sent shivers trickling down her spine. She closed her eyes and tried to get her wayward hormones under control. “I’m fine.”
He dropped his hand.
A wave of disappointment washed over her.
Stop it right now, her brain scoffed.
“Are you sure? You’re not making any sense.”
Sophia nodded and opened her eyes. “I’m just surprised given what happened this morning.”
Dante gave her a curious look.
She sighed. “Somehow, Malcolm found out about my meeting with Lucas. He left a message at the hotel where Lucas was staying, indicating I’d moved the location of the meeting. By the time I found Lucas, he had to leave for the airport. I gave him the proposal but didn’t think he’d even review it, considering how annoyed he was with me. He thought I’d given him the runaround, not to mention I was over an hour late.”
Dante beamed a thousand megawatt smile at her. And, oh Lordy, her knees were in danger of buckling from the impact it had on her senses. Business partner, business partner, business partner. Why wouldn’t her body get the message her brain was sending? With supreme effort, she steadied her ragged breathing.
“Whatever the case, he’s asked to meet with us. That tells me he liked what you proposed. I assume you’ll make yourself available for this meeting and change whatever plans you may have had for the weekend?”
She’d planned to meet Clair for lunch and then shop for a new car on Saturday afternoon. “No problem. I’ll go car-shopping another time.”
“I’d forgotten you needed to buy a new car. Have the police been able to prove Malcolm was involved?”
“No. They questioned him, but he had an airtight alibi. The detectives reviewed the building’s main entry surveillance tape, but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. There’s nothing more they can do unless an eyewitness steps forward and I doubt that will happen at this point. I spoke to the insurance company and should have a check in a few days.”
“I can take you to the dealership when we get back if you need a ride.”
Sophia stared at him, astonished, and wondered again, what had transpired in the last twenty-four hours to transform him from the hostile, angry person who’d accused her of neglecting her Baker responsibilities at the seminar last night into this helpful stranger of today? Still, she couldn’t come up with anything significant t
o effect this metamorphosis. There you go again. Stop psychoanalyzing the situation and just be happy you’re not still fighting with him. She smiled. “Thanks. I’ll let you know. What time do I need to be at the airport?”
“The flight is at six o’clock.”
He wasn’t kidding about first thing in the morning. “Okay, I’ll make sure to get there with plenty of time to spare. Where are we staying?”
“At the Acquati.”
“Lucas’s new hotel.”
Dante nodded. “The poshest lodging in all of San Francisco, from what I’ve heard.”
Sophia grinned. “I’m willing to make the sacrifice, especially if we can land this new account.”
Chapter Fifteen
Dante leaned against the open door frame of Sophia’s office and studied her as she reviewed the file on her desk. He glanced at his watch. Nine o’clock. She’d been at it for more than five hours now.
He still couldn’t believe Allen walked out last night and left her to deal with the aftermath of the break-in alone. What an ass. Yet, she’d taken care of everything and then spent the rest of the evening developing an investment plan, doing her best to ensure Baker Investments landed one of the wealthiest men in the country as a client.
And here she was again, reviewing the Jackson account, despite her obvious exhaustion. He’d been wrong about her. She was more than capable of running the business. Why hadn’t he seen her dedication and expertise before?
He’d wanted to believe the worst of her, that’s why. What a fool he’d been.
“Dante?”
The hesitant, husky murmur drew his eyes to her. A slight frown marred her pale face and her brows furrowed as she waited for him to respond.
“Hey.”
She smiled. “Hey, yourself. What are you doing here? I thought you’d left a while ago.”
He had, but after two hours of prowling around his apartment, because he couldn’t get the damned image of her running toward Trey Jackson and throwing herself into his open arms out of his head, he’d decided to come back to the office and get a little work done. But, he wouldn’t tell her any of that. “I left my Blackberry on my desk and came back to grab it. What are you still doing here?”
Her eyes flicked over to the computer screen. “Oh, I didn’t realize it was that late. I’m just about finished with Trey’s portfolio. I’ll head out in a few minutes.”
His hands tightened into fists. Just the mention of the bastard’s name had his stomach churning. “What’s wrong?” he asked at her sudden frown.
“Trey still hasn’t returned my call. I asked him to have dinner with me, but—”
You can have dinner with me instead. Where the hell did that idea come from? And why was she staring at him as if he’d suddenly grown a second head?
“Dinner?” she squeaked.
That explained her gaping mouth. He’d spoken the comment aloud instead of thinking it. Hell, there hadn’t been any thought involved. The words came tumbling out of his mouth before his mind had any idea of what he’d been about to suggest. Still… Now that he’d proposed it, dinner wasn’t a bad idea. He needed to get up to speed on Jackson’s current holdings and they both needed to eat.
“Dante…I…I don’t think…I’ll call a taxi if Trey doesn’t get back to me before I’m ready to leave.”
Over my dead body. No way would he let her spend the evening with that conniving moron. He grimaced, stunned by the intense ferocity of his thoughts. He didn’t give a rat’s ass if she had dinner with Trey. His stomach clenched. Okay, maybe he did. But only because he didn’t trust the bastard.
The image of Sophia came back in full Technicolor, joy and happiness evident on her beautiful face as she raced toward Trey. His blood boiled. Once, she’d gazed at him with the same adoration and he’d fancied her soft, luminous eyes, and radiant smile had been reserved for him, and only him. Pretty dumb, all things considered. There’d been other men.
His vision clouded as an image of Malcolm’s lascivious smile flashed in his brain and he had to clamp down hard on the urge to smash something. No. Nothing happened between Mal and Sophia. Mal lied, if he believed Sophia’s version of the story. And he wanted to believe her.
“Dante?”
“Yes?”
“You’re scowling.”
Get a hold of yourself, man, and focus. They’d been talking about having dinner and he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He strode into her office and leaned both hands on her desk. “It’s no big deal. You haven’t eaten yet and neither have I. We can grab a bite to eat and you can give me an overview of Jackson’s holdings. I’m not familiar with his accounts since your father handled his finances personally.”
She stared at him for long moments and then nodded. “Give me another minute or two to finish up here.”
He released the breath he hadn’t been aware of holding and sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. “Take your time.”
Sophia shut down the computer a few minutes later, disengaged it from the docking station and placed it in her carry-all.
“I’ll take that for you.” He reached for the bag before she’d had a chance to sling it over her shoulder.
They headed out.
Thirty minutes later they sat in silence at a small bistro in West Hollywood. He’d hoped the casual setting would put Sophia at ease, but it didn’t. She hadn’t spoken a word since they’d left the office. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. “I can take you home if you’d rather not stay.”
She peered up at him, a contemplative expression on her face. “Did you cancel the order while I wasn’t paying attention?”
It took a moment for his brain to connect the dots. “The pizza restaurant.” How had he forgotten? No wonder she’d been apprehensive when he’d suggested dinner. She probably expected a repeat performance tonight. He gave her a rueful smile. “Why don’t you show me the Jackson proposal?”
She nodded, reached inside her purse and pulled out several pieces of paper, then laid them on the table between them. “This is a summary of Trey’s accounts. I’ve prepared pie charts for each component of his holdings to identify the split within.”
Dante studied the information. “Your father did a good job of diversifying the portfolio, although the real estate holdings are a little high.”
Her brow arched up. “You seem to know a lot about portfolio diversification.”
He grinned. “I’ve learned a thing or two over the years, but I’m not an investment planner by any stretch of the imagination.”
“Turns out you’re right. The real estate holdings are too high.” She snagged the bottom sheet of paper and presented it to him. “I’ve recommended the sale of three properties.”
He nodded, scanned the rest of her recommendations and handed the paper back to her. “You’ve taken a conservative approach. That’s good.”
She smiled. “I didn’t want to give Sanford an excuse to go elsewhere.”
“What about Trey?”
“He’s not our enemy.”
He didn’t agree. “I don’t trust him.”
“I do. We’ve been through a lot together. He got me through those first months after my mother’s suicide,” she whispered.
Every muscle in his body froze. Dear God, no wonder she wouldn’t talk about it. Dealing with her mother’s death would have been difficult enough, but knowing she’d taken her own life…it must have been devastating. “I’m sorry…I had no idea. If there’s anything I can do…” He sounded like a bumbling idiot, even to his own ears.
She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. “It happened a long time ago and I didn’t tell you to make you upset. I wanted you to understand why I feel the way I do about Trey.”
Dante dragged a hand through his hair. Shit. She worshiped the ground the bastard walked on. Everything inside t
old him the guy was a loser, but he couldn’t say that. He had to trust her if their partnership was going to work. “Okay.”
Sophia nodded. “Good.”
The waiter arrived and set their plates down in front of them. The savory aroma of rosemary and garlic filled the air.
“It smells delicious,” Sophia said, and took a bite of the chicken. She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh.
The tip of her tongue darted out and licked the corner of her mouth where a drop of lemon sauce lingered. His pulse rate soared. Oh yes, definitely delicious. “Good?” he asked.
She grinned. “Better than good. It’s fantastic. How about your steak?”
Dante cut a piece of meat, took a bite and nodded. “Excellent. Have you heard anything from the insurance agency yet regarding the break-in?”
Her face fell. He sighed. “Okay, what happened?”
She shook her head. “Right. I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”
“Dante? And oh my gosh… Sophia!” Clair stopped short as she, David, Sam and Caroline passed by them, following the host to a nearby table.
The foursome halted and Dante stood and shook their hands.
“When did you get back, Dante? You weren’t here yesterday afternoon when I left work,” Clair asked.
“Last night, in time for the seminar.” Had it only been yesterday? A lot had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
“Oh. I missed you this morning. I had to leave at nine o’clock for a doctor’s appointment.”
“How did it go?” Sophia asked. “I got your message about having to stick around for more tests.”
Clair rubbed her large belly and smiled. “Everything’s fine. Our little peanut should make his debut in another few weeks, right on schedule.
“Dad and David are going to finish painting the nursery and get it all set up on Saturday. Oh, and Mom is going to tag along with us while we search for cars. We want you to come with us to the spa after you find one, Soph.”
“I wish I could, but—”
Clair shook her head. “We won’t take no for an answer. I’ve already booked full body massages for you and Mom, and a pregnancy massage for me.”