Page 80 of Sleeping with the Frenemy

“I told Malorie to make sure to let you know and add it to your calendar,” he told her. “You need to take over handling the Costa account for me. I have too much other stuff going on.”

Sofi wasn’t sure she believed that. On one hand, Malorie was the secretary she and her father shared. She was new to the position, starting there shortly before Sofi returned from Europe. She’d been hired after their old secretary, Mrs. Barnes, had retired. Sofi had no idea what Malorie’s work was like prior to her return, but since she’d been back it had been clear that Malorie was struggling to juggle both Sofi and her father. Sofi had the sneaking suspicion that Malorie’s organizational skills had not been the reason her dad had hired her. She was ninety-five percent sure that Malorie was one of her dad’s “friends” who’d just been lucky enough to be available when the secretary position opened.

On the other hand, Sofi would not put it past her dad to spring this meeting on her at the last minute as some sort of lesson. That was totally his MO. He was the type of dad who’d throw his kid in the deep end to get them to swim. He thought a person needed to take their licks in order to learn. Having a conversation like a normal human being didn’t even cross his mind.

“Well, It’s not here so I had no idea about it. I don’t have anything prepared.” She already knew what he was going to say next.

“We can’t do anything about that now. They’re here and waiting.”

“I’ll reschedule with them,” she tried to suggest, knowing it wasn’t going to work.

As expected, her dad shook his head before she was even done speaking. “Absolutely not. They have been one of our biggest accounts for years and they are already on the fence about bringing us on again. There is no way we’re rescheduling.”

“I have nothing ready for them. What do you want me to do? Wing it?”

“This is supposed to be your account now. Besides, you’ve come with me to enough meetings that you know just as much as I do. You should be able to make it work.”

That was absolute bullshit. Sure, she’d accompanied him to most of the meetings so she knew some basics, but he was the one who knew the details. Besides, Sofi didn’t do last-minute presentations, her glossophobia wouldn’t let her. “You know that I can’t do that. I need to be prepared.” Her dad had never understood her need to have everything planned out and memorized to a T. He was the type of guy who could go into a meeting with nothing and leave with not only a contract, but a new best friend.

“You’re going to have to.” He gave her a stern look. “I’ll head in there first and take some time catching up, but I want you in there in five minutes. Do you understand me?”

“Yes.”

He turned and left, leaving Sofi sitting at her desk panicking.

She didn’t know what to do. She felt like every word she’d ever known had flown right out of her head. Fuck. She hated this feeling. Her stomach turned as sweat started to bead along her hairline. She felt like every cell in her body was shaking. Saliva flooded her mouth.You will not throw up, she told herself sternly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth. She repeated the action over and over until she no longer felt panicked. She still felt like she was on a train that had gone off track, but at least she didn’t feel like she was going to puke.

Sofi continued to tell herself that everything was going to be fine as she reached for her phone, unlocked it, and raced through her contacts until she hit the one she wanted. She held the phone to her ear as it rang and rang. “Pick up. Pick up. Pick up,” she chanted. The ringing stopped and Sofi almost cried in relief, but her relief was short lived.

“You’ve reached Leo. Don’t leave a message, because I won’t listen to it. It’s not 1996. Send me a text like someone who’s not a psycho. Unless this is my mom. Then just call me back later.”

“Fuck,” Sofi exclaimed. She called back only to get the same response. “What is the point of having a boyfriend if he doesn’t respond when you need him to?” she groused. She’d just hit the call button again when there was a knock at her office door.

Malorie poked her perfectly made-up, clearly unnatural platinum blond head around Sofi’s door. “Your dad told me to let you know when your five minutes were up.”

Of course he would tell her that, but not that Sofi had a meeting in the first fucking place. “I got it,” she gritted out through her clenched jaw. “Thank you, Malorie.”

The younger woman smiled. “No problem.” Then she simply stood there.

“Is there anything else?”

“Umm. He wanted me to walk you there. He said to make sure you made it there and didn’t disappear.”

Sofi contemplated chucking her phone at her floor-to-ceiling office window then quickly realized that it would only succeed in breaking her phone. Which she needed. To call someone else for help since Leo had decided not to answer. Maybe she’d call the police to come get her after she committed patricide.

Sofi stood up from her desk and stomped her way to the door. Malorie had better move out of the way quickly, because, with the mood she was in, Sofi was willing to bowl her over. Her willingness must’ve shown on her face, because Malorie practically dove out of Sofi’s path. During their silent walk to the conference room, Sofi kept reminding herself to breathe. She also told herself to ignore her sweaty scalp, back, underarms, and hands.You can do this, she repeated over and over.

Then she reached the door to the conference room and almost turned to flee. Except freaking Malorie justhadto knock on the door to let them all know she’d arrived. Malorie was now officially her least favorite of all her dad’s girlfriends—and one of them had once told Sofi that she’d never be anything but a pretty piece of arm candy for some guy to take advantage of.

“There she is!” her dad’s voice rang out. “The woman of the hour.”

“Sofi, dollface,” Anthony Costa said as he stood to round the table. “I’m so glad to see you. This place hasn’t been the same without your gorgeous face around.” He pulled her into a hug without her consent. “I’ve had to stare at your dad’s ugly mug for the last year.” He let out a loud braying laugh like the ass he was.

Sofi stood there like a board. “Hello, Mr. Costa. It’s nice to see you.” She didn’t even bother with the other people who’d accompanied him since there’d undoubtedly be a new team the next time they met. Much like her father, Tony liked to have pretty young women around. Unlike her father, he didn’t have the charisma to charm them into staying around. Where her dad could win over just about every straight woman with a pulse, Tony only attracted a certain kind of woman—one who was using him as much as he was using her.

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Tony?” He looked like a Tony. In that he looked like the guy who played Tony Soprano. He finally pulled away and Sofi fought the urge to brush herself off. He was such a sleazeball. “We’re definitely on a first-name basis, especially now that we’re going to be working much more closely together.” He brushed his knuckle along his jawline and suddenly the urge to vomit was back.

Of course, her dad said nothing while the guy basically harassed her right in front of him. Her tío Manny would’ve decked him the first time he’d called herbeautiful for a Black girl.That had been when she was barely twenty. Every time she’d seen him since then, he’d gotten more and more bold in his words and his touches.

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