Salazar laughed. “I’m sending her tomorrow at eleven. She doesn’t have a résumé, but I guess you’ll do what you need to do. By the way… This is how you continue a game nobody else wants to play.” He hung up.
Dane threw the empty bottle at the wall. If Salazar hadn’t been his father…if Shirley hadn’t asked Dane to keep an eye on him, he would’ve destroyed the son of a bitch.
Just because Sophia had given him her virginity didn’t mean Dane should let his dick do all the thinking. Somebody was going to be her first, and it had just happened to be him. It didn’t mean anything.
Sophia could come work for him, and he’d make sure she quit in tears, or better yet fled the damn state.
Chapter Sixteen
Despite the late night, Sophia got up at seven sharp. It was an old habit—one that she could never seem to shake off.
After showering and getting dressed for the day, she took Roco for his morning walk. He enjoyed exploring the new area. The garden was much bigger than she’d expected. It was more like a small forest, complete with its own little pond and tennis courts.
Despite its size and display of wealth, the Pryce family mansion didn’t have the flashy veneer of nouveau Hollywood money. It might have been the landscaping and architecture, but the place felt…dignified. If it were a person, it would have been the sort who kept their chin raised and upper lip stiff no matter what.
When Sophia came back to the house, a uniformed housekeeper said, “Good morning, miss. Your breakfast is ready.” She looked down at Roco. “And his too, although it’s in the kitchen. I’ll take him.”
“Thank you,” she said, surprised. Her family had never been waited on hand and foot.
The breakfast room was made of glass walls that let the sun pour in. Oblong, sand-colored tiles formed interesting patterns on the floor. A blue crystal vase full of freshly cut tiger lilies sat in the middle of a round table large enough to seat ten. Oddly enough, there were only two chairs. Salazar was already in one, going through some newspapers.
“Did you sleep well?” Salazar said, snapping the gray sheets closed and putting them next to his coffee cup.
“I did, thanks.” Before she could move, Al appeared and pulled out the remaining chair for her. He then produced a silver tray with eggs, bacon, toast and chunks of fruit.
“Help yourself,” Salazar said. “And if you want anything else, just say the word.”
“No, it’s…more than enough.”
As she served herself and started in on her eggs, Salazar said, “By the way, I got you a job interview. It’s at eleven. That should give you plenty of time to eat and get out there.”
Sophia blinked. “So soon?”
He got a slightly cocky look. “Hey. Told you I’d help you get back on your feet.”
“What kind of job?”
“It’s an assistant position. So you assist. Basically do whatever your boss wants. Nothing too intellectually taxing or physically demanding. But I gotta warn you. I know the guy you’re going to be working for. He’s kind of an asshole.”
“Um…” She reached for her tea, not knowing whether to laugh or be worried. “I see.”
Salazar chuckled. “No need to look so concerned. I’m not sending you to work for a psychopath. Do you have a car you can drive?”
“Uh, no.” She flushed. “I had one, but it wasn’t under my name. So…” She shrugged delicately, clearing her throat.
“I understand. No sweat, you can take one of mine.”
“Oh, I can’t possi—”
He waved her away. “I have so many cars, it’s a chore to have to choose one. And it’s not good to let vehicles rot in the garage. You’ll be doing me a favor.”
She ran her thumb along the rough edge of her whole-wheat toast. She didn’t know anything about cars and maintenance, but she should just accept the offer. There wasn’t any decent public transportation near the mansion. She’d had to walk quite a while to reach his place from the closest bus stop on the map. “Thank you.”
“Great!” He smiled. “Let me give you my number so you can call if you need anything.” He gave her a card that only said SALAZAR PRYCE and had a phone number underneath.
“Is this your…business card?”
“In a manner of speaking. Sometimes it’s just handy to be able to give someone your number.”
She took the card, then finished her meal and returned to her room to make sure she looked professional and presentable for the job interview. Even though Salazar had acted like it was a done deal, she didn’t want to embarrass him.