Page 1 of Mr. Arrogant

“You didn’t tell me he was coming.” Sofie Carter sniffed. She hefted her purse up on her shoulder while walking alongside her best friend, Alana Keith. Her arch nemesis strolled ahead of them conversing with his identical twin brother. How could her friend not tell her that he was going to be there? She felt slightly betrayed due to the lack of information.

Jaxon Keith had been a thorn in her side from the moment Alana and London had got married. The man lived to get on her nerves. She tried to stay away from him, but that wouldbe impossible if she wanted to continue her friendship with her bestie.

“If I had, you probably would have come up with an excuse not to come with me.” Alana laughed.

She rested a hand on the baby she had strapped in a carrier on her chest. The six-month-old lifted his head slightly and glanced over at Sofie. Her heart softened at the sight of her godson. Chance Keith was a beautiful baby who not only had his parents wrapped around his little finger, but her as well.

“Plus, how could you not know,” Alana said. “This is a big night for PSM. Jaxon is co-owner with London.”

Sofie blew out a deep breath. She knew she was being juvenile and should act like the thirty-three-year-old adult she was, but there was something about Jaxon that rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe it was his arrogance, or the way he thought he was God’s gift to women. Even that smirk of his had her wanting to choose violence and punch him in the face.

“Do I have to sit near him?” Sofie asked.

They followed the guys into the Cleveland sports arena. She nodded to the gentleman holding the door open for them. Tonight, the city’s basketball team was playing game seven of the championship finals. If they won tonight, they would be league champions. Sofie had spent enough time in the Keith household to pick up on the ins and outs of the sports management business.

“We are in the clubhouse. There will be plenty of room for you to move around, and no, you won’t have to sit next to him.” Alana laughed. Her eyes sparkled behind her leopard-print frames. She reached over and took Sofie’s hand. She gave it a big squeeze before letting go. “I’m just glad that you took off of work to go on the trip with us.”

“You think I’m going to pass up an all-expenses-paid trip to Bora Bora? Girl, you would be out of your mind. There is nothingthat man could do to make me pass up on this trip.” Sofie barked a hefty laugh. She was officially on a two-week vacation from her job at Cleveland General Hospital. As a registered nurse, she had been working crazy hours for a while now, and this was her first real vacation in about two years.

She at first stressed about paying for her part of the trip, but London wouldn’t hear of it. She didn’t have to be told twice to keep her money. Her bestie’s husband was loaded, and if he wanted to make his wife happy by including her best friend in their vacation, who was she to deny him the pleasure of her company?

“I don’t know why you don’t quit your job and come work with me,” Alana said.

They strolled down a hall that led to an elevator. Sofie could already feel the tension and electricity in the atmosphere. It had been a while since Cleveland had won a championship.

This was one thing Sofie loved about her town. The fans of all the sports teams were diehard followers. It didn’t matter how bad the team was, Cleveland was going to show up and support. With the basketball team in the finals, the city was on edge.

They passed by quite a few media people who Sofie was sure were covering the game.

“You girls can walk a little faster.” Jaxon snickered. He stood in the doorway of an elevator and waited for them.

Sofie narrowed her gaze on him. His infamous smirk grew wider into a full-fledged grin.

“Bite me,” Sofie snapped. She joined Alana in the elevator and moved to stand in the back corner away from him.

Alana automatically went to London’s side and slid up under his arm. They made the perfect couple.

“If you want me to.” Jaxon shrugged and stepped into the car. The doors slid shut behind him. He threw her a wink beforeturning to the elevator attendant in the corner. “James, my man. How’s the family?”

Sofie hadn’t caught sight of the older man whose sole job was to manage the elevators. She never got over that the arena employed someone to do this. She knew it had to do with the area they were in. There were plenty of wealthy people who used these back elevators that went up to the skyboxes, and this must be a part of the luxury price tag for enjoying the game.

Hell, she couldn’t believe she was even in this part of the arena. Sofie was a big basketball fan and tried to come to at least a few games a year, but normally her seats would be in the nosebleed sections.

“Everyone is doing fine, Mr. Keith. We’re all praying for this championship tonight.” The older man chuckled. He was dressed in dark clothing with a sports coat. His stark white hair was combed back away from his face. He was a jolly old man who was pleasant and worked this elevator the few times Sofie had come with the Keiths.

“Aren’t we all.” Jaxon slapped the man on the shoulder.

“What were you two talking about so intently?” London asked Alana.

Her friend had the audacity to roll her eyes.

“Oh, you know. Me trying to convince her to quit her job so she could come work with me,” Alana said.

“It’s just not that easy,” Sofie said.

Alana had left her job after her maternity leave and opened her own consulting firm. She was hounding Sofie to come work with her. She was desperate to have a medical professional such as Sofie who would be able to review medical claims. It was tempting and would be a big step.

“It is. If you need help writing your resignation letter, I’ll help you,” Alana offered.

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