I blew out a jagged breath. “You know the woman I’ve mentioned a few times—the one you met the other day at The Countess?”
He nodded. “Sure. Sophia. The woman who wants to kick you in the balls half the time and is way too beautiful for your ugly ass?”
I cracked a sad smile. “Yeah. That’s her.”
“What about her?”
“We’re together now. Or, at least we were.”
“Okay…what happened to change things?”
“I betrayed her trust.”
“You cheated on her?”
“No. Well, not in the way you’re thinking anyway.”
“Then how?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I guess you’re lucky you have a captive audience. You do know my legs don’t work, and I can’t get up and leave no matter how boring your sorry-ass tale of woe is, right?”
I sighed. “Yeah.”
Even though Mr. Thorne already knew the worst of me, I was embarrassed to admit what I’d done. At least most of the shitty stuff I’d pulled over the years could be blamed on the alcohol.
“Go on,” he encouraged. “Trust me, whatever it is, I’ve done worse, son. I’m not going to think any less of you.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath, readying to start at the beginning. “Well, I told you our families don’t get along. Our grandfathers fought over a woman named Grace more than fifty years ago. Grace died a few months ago, leaving forty-nine percent of the hotel each to my and Sophia’s grandfather’s.”
Mr. Thorne grumbled. “Only thing my ex ever gave me was divorce papers.”
I smiled. “Anyway, my grandfather loathes Sophia’s grandfather. And you know what a bad place I’ve been in with him ever since my last screwup.”
He nodded. “I do.”
I inhaled deeply. “Well, my grandfather called me right after I’d gotten off the plane Sophia had been on with me. I mentioned who I’d just sat next to, and he laid into me about getting distracted by a skirt.” I shook my head. “He told me to turn around and get back on the next return flight, said I wasn’t the man for the job because women and booze were my weaknesses. I told him he was wrong, but he said he’d send my father instead. Then he hung up on me. I’d just exited security, so I figured I’d get some fresh air and decide what to do next. Ten minutes later, Grandfather called back and said he’d changed his mind and had a new strategy. Since I was a womanizer, he wanted me to seduce Sophia and get the Sterlings’ bid from her.”
Mr. Throne’s eyes were dark with disappointment. “And you agreed to do that?”
I closed my eyes and hung my head, nodding. “I didn’t think beyond getting him to let me stay so I could prove I’m not a total loser. I would’ve agreed to anything. After I sobered up, I realized I didn’t have much left in my life except for my job. I’d lost Caroline, and most of my friends were partyers, and I had to take myself out of that environment.” I scoffed. “You’re pretty much the only friend I’ve got.”
He shook his head. “Of all the things we’ve talked about over the years, that last part has to be the saddest. But we’ll come back to that. Let’s keep our focus on the girl. So you told your grandfather you’d do it, and then what?”
I shrugged. “Then…I fell in love with her.”
“So you started things with the intention of seducing this woman, and that changed?”
“That’s the thing. Even though I told my grandfather I’d play his game, I never really did. Sophia and I have had this odd love-hate relationship since high school. So when I was giving her a hard time and things got heated, it wasn’t part of playing her. It was real. It was always freaking real. Nothing I ever said or did with Sophia had to do with my grandfather.” I raked my fingers through my hair, tugging at the strands. “But every time he asks if I’m going to be able to come through with their bid information, I assure him I will.”
“But you never intended to get that information out of Sophia?”
I shook my head. “I was planning on making up a number a little under mine and rolling the dice. If my work coming up with the number was right, we’d win the bid anyway, and no one would be the wiser.”
“Did you tell Sophia that?”
“She never gave me the chance to.”
“And now you think she isn’t going to believe the truth when you finally lay it out for her.”
“I’m certain she won’t. The entire thing sounds like bullshit—even when I just told you the story.”
Mr. Thorne nodded. “I hate to say it. But you’re right.”
“Great.” My shoulders slumped. “I came here thinking you’d tell me something different.”
“Considering I’m your only friend, I’d say it’s my job to tell it like it is. You don’t need me blowing smoke up your ass. You need a friend to vent to, to work through your problems with, and help you figure out how to solve them. And most of all, you need someone to remind you that drinking is only going to make shit worse.”