Page 117 of Positively Pricked
"So what do you know about her?"
"Not much," I admitted. "It's not like we're best friends or anything."
Especially now.
Zane said, "But you're more than acquaintances."
"I guess." Maybe I was being evasive, but honestly, there wasn't much to say.
"How about her fiancé?" he said. "The senator. You knowhim, too?"
I shook my head. "I've seen him, but that's it."
"Yeah? Where?"
I gave a shaky laugh. "Other than in the lobby a few minutes ago?"
"I'm not talking about tonight," he said. "You saw him before. Where?"
I bit my lip. I almost didn't want to say, mostly because that whole night had been so incredibly embarrassing. Still, there was no sense in lying about it. "Actually," I said, "it was the night we met. At your party."
Zane leaned back in his seat, and his mouth tightened. "Uh-huh."
The way it looked, he wasn't any happier with the recollection than I was.
Happily, I was spared from saying anything in response, thanks to the appearance of a wine steward, who went the whole ritual of opening the wine and pouring each of us a glass.
I was excessively grateful, and not only because I could definitely use a drink. The interruption, as short as it was, gave me some time to figure out why I was here.
At last, I thought I knew.
Obviously, for whatever reason, Zane wanted to know more about Tiffany and the senator. And, in true Zane fashion, he couldn’t bring himself to wait until tomorrow.
So here I was, at his beck and call.
As usual.
Maybe he'd send me packing the moment he learned whatever it was that he wanted to know. No wonder he hadn't let me order. For allIknew, he didn't plan on letting me stick around long enough to actually eat.
It would be just like him, too. When the steward left, I couldn't stop myself from tormenting him, at least a little. "So, 'Shove off' huh? Is that your new catch-phrase?"
To my surprise, he didn't look tormented at all. In fact, he looked almost amused. He gave something like a shrug. "I was trying to be nice."
Zane Bennington? Nice?That would be a first. And yet, it did make sense in a Zane sort of way. After all, the phrase was a lot nicer than what he usually said to those who irritated him.
I had to admit, "I guess itisan improvement." I took a sip of my wine and savored its sweetness for a long, drawn-out moment before asking, "So, how doyouknow Tiffany?"
Yes, I was being bold, and maybe a little nosy, but the way I saw it, he had it coming. And besides, Iwascurious. Zane and Tiffany had, after all, been caught doingsomethingat his own party.
Zane studied me from across the table. His gaze didn't waver as he took a slow drink of his wine and then set down his glass before saying, "How do you think I know her?"
I felt myself swallow.Intimately.
But I didn't say it, because even now, I didn't quite have the nerve. So instead, I tried to laugh. "No fair. I asked you first."
"Yeah? Too bad."
"Why?" I teased. "Because you're my boss?"
