"Can you spice it up for five hundred?" I finish the last bite of the apple. "I'd appreciate anything you can do that would make it look edgier."
He snaps the cover of his computer closed before he rests his elbows on the circular white table we're sitting next to. "You know that Nick is footing the bill for this, right? He wants your input on everything design related, but he's covering the cost of a complete overhaul of your site."
"No." I shake my head as I drop the apple core in my empty coffee cup. "I don't want him to do that."
"It's already done." He thumps his front shirt pocket and the top of the small weathered billfold that is visible. "He paid me yesterday and the cash is tucked away in my account. Between you and me, it's the only money in my account right now."
"Why would he pay for it?" I ask myself as much as him.
He looks over at the table next to us where three women are sitting. "Isn't it obvious? Men will do anything for a woman they want."
That might be true, but I'm not for sale. Before this day is over, Nicholas Wolf is going to understand that I take care of myself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Nicholas
My gaze runsover Sophia as soon as she enters through the revolving door. She sent me a text an hour ago asking me to meet her in the lobby of a luxury hotel that borders Central Park. I asked what it was about, but the only response she sent was an address to this place.
I'm not familiar with it. I don’t frequent hotels in the city since I established an office space that is separate from my apartment. I admit that I once kept a room at a cut-rate hotel in Hell's Kitchen that I used exclusively as a place to fuck. I outgrew it quickly though since it left me feeling as cheap and used as I'm sure the women I took there felt.
"Nicholas." She nods as she approaches, the buttons on her white coat flying open as she skims her fingers over them to reveal a dark navy skirt and light blue top underneath. She slides the coat off with little effort before draping it over her left forearm. "There's a bar across the lobby. It's easier to talk in there."
To talk.
The words and her tone are both ominous. The look in her eye is the same.
I didn't like saying no to her two days ago when she texted me asking if I wanted to go to a fabric shop with her. Her demeanor at this moment doesn't reflect that of a woman who was turned down in the middle of a weekend afternoon. There's more brewing below the surface. Something's pissed Sophia off and I'm standing in the middle of that shit storm.
"Lead the way." I raise my hand in the air and complete the movement with a slight bow. "You're running this show."
She turns on her heel and starts to cross the lobby, only stopping briefly to wave at a man dressed in an impeccable black three-piece suit. Envy rolls through me. He's my age, or younger and apparently, his mere presence deserves a cheerful, open smile from the woman I fucked not even three days ago.
"Who was that?" I ask as I fall into step beside her.
She doesn't break her pace as we near the entrance to the hotel bar. "A friend."
I don't press for more because I'm the one following her into a bar for a drink and the three-piece suit schmuck is still standing in the lobby with his mouth hanging open at the sight of her voluptuous ass in the too-tight skirt. "What are we going to talk about?"
"I called earlier," she ignores my question as she stops to talk to a woman with jaw length blonde hair standing near the entrance to the bar. "I'm Sophia Reese."
"You're Mr. Foster's assistant." The woman looks right past me. "Is Gabriel joining you? He hasn't been here in months."
"He considers himself a silent partner in the hotel." Sophia peers into the dimly lit bar. "I can tell him you said hello when I see him tomorrow."
"Would you?" She adjusts the nametag pinned to the front of her simple black dress. "It's Hannah. We met the night the hotel opened. I'll never forget how kind he was to the entire staff."
Sophia smiles a little. "He's a good man. I'm lucky that I get to work so closely with him."
Hannah gives her what looks like a knowing wink. It has to be an inside joke because I'm still standing right behind Sophia in silence since she didn't bother to introduce me.
"Your table is in the back." Hannah reaches for Sophia's coat. "I'll put this behind the bar. Come find me when you're ready to leave."
Sophia nods and then finally turns back to look at me. "This way."
I trail behind her like a dog looking for scraps as she darts past the people who've gathered in the bar. It's a small space and judging by the wall of bodies we have to maneuver around, it's popular too.
"He's already here," Sophia calls back over her shoulder.
