The Little Black Dress (Love in Las Vegas)

“She was his personal assistant,” Scotty explains. “He fired her for not completing an impossible task.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, and he snorts.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? She’s not some heiress trying to expand her collection. She was there for him. Getting that painting was the impossible task. You made it impossible by refusing to lose. She got fired because of you, my friend.”

I stare at him with unseeing eyes as my conversation with Sophie on Saturday replays in my mind.

“You can give me that painting so I can fix everything.”

“You have thirty-five million dollars to buy it?”

“No, but my boss does.”

“Who’s your boss?”

“Nobody. And it’s all your fault.”

Scotty is right. Hatfield fired Sophie because she didn’t outbid me on the Pollock. Of course, he would’ve given her a limit, and when I surpassed it with my own bid, there was nothing she could do. What the fuck did he expect? She had no way of controlling the other bids to make sure she won. This wasn’t her fault.

I realize I’m getting all worked up on her behalf, and force myself to calm down. What happened, happened. It wasn’t her fault, but it’s not mine, either. I can’t allow myself to feel guilty about the choices her ex-boss made.

Shit, I did her ass a favor. If he hadn’t already, he would have eventually made some kind of indecent proposal. Or used her for nefarious purposes. The man is abhorrent. She shouldn’t be anywhere near him, much less in his personal employ.

“Whatever you’re thinking, just stop it,” Scotty says, and my gaze focuses on him. “She doesn’t owe you gratitude for getting her fired.”

How did he know…

“She’s our only choice, Jared,” he goes on. “And from what I’ve seen so far, she’s pretty fucking awesome. Whatever she said or did at the auction was out of desperation because she was under so much pressure. You need to at least give her a chance. As it is, I only have four days to train her before I leave. I don’t have time to start over.”

I lean my head back against the chair with a heavy exhale. He’s right. We are out of time. And it seems Sophie was under a lot of pressure Friday night. And she was drunk on Saturday, probably drowning her despair over getting fired in booze and commiseration with her friends.

Can I really hold her behavior against her? But what about just a few moments ago?

That woman’s temper is just as red-hot as her hair, and she’s obviously still pissed at me for “ruining her life.” How will we be able to work together after all that?

Seeing the determination on Scotty’s face as he stares me down, I sigh again.

“Fine. I’ll try. Bring her in.”