Page 5 of Positively Pricked
Obviously, some of them were. Yes, he was obnoxiously good-looking with a killer body. And yes, he'd arrived from nowhere to claim the vast family fortune that had fallen so violently into his lap. And yes, he'd been caught in some alcove with Senator Wilson's new fiancée, who'd tried to explain away their half-naked encounter by claiming it was some sort of wardrobe malfunction.
Wardrobe malfunction, my ass.
I knew the fiancée. We'd gone to the same university. But whereshe'dgraduated straight into the arms of Senator Wilson,I'dgraduated to the sad realization that the job market sucked, rent was expensive, and the clock was ticking.
Unless I wanted to move back to the family farm, I needed money likenow. I loved the farm. And I loved my family. But skulking back like a runaway child was too humiliating to consider.
Besides, things weren't all bad. The catering gig paid a lot better than the job I'd just given up. Plus, I'd been officially converted to full time. That was something, right?
Naomi's voice interrupted my thoughts. "You know, he's only twenty-eight?"
I gave another nod. Ididknow, but it was still hard to fathom. Twenty-eight-years old. That was only five years older than I was.
I bit my lip. Where wouldIbe in five years?
And then, there was the scarier question. Where would I be in five days? I gave an involuntary shiver. Headed for trouble, that's where, unless I could scrounge up enough money for this month's rent.
Sometimes it was hard to smile when the rent was due – no,overdue. Feeling suddenly overwhelmed, I looked toward the nearest window. Outside, it was dark, leaving me nothing to see but my own reflection.
Yup, there I was – Jane Compton.
A plain Jane? I wasn't quite sure.
I was no runway model, but I wasn't bad-looking in that girl-next-door sort of way. Of course, I'd look a lot better without the frilly white apron, and better still if my hair wasn't knotted up so tight that my scalp literally ached.
As for my feet, well, they ached, too, but that had nothing to do with my appearance. It was because I'd been on those feet since the crack of dawn, finishing up my other job.
Yeah, that was me, living the good life, all right.
In the background, I heard Naomi say, "Oh shoot, there goes another candle."
I turned to look. Sure enough, the chafing candle underneath the nearest stainless steel warmer had gone out, leaving the crab cakes in serious danger of growing cold.
Already, Naomi was rummaging around below the cloth-covered serving station, saying, "Good thing we brought extras."
Had we? I didn't remember, but then again, I wasn't the one who packed the supplies.
After five minutes of rummaging, Naomi looked up and frowned. "I must've left them in the van. You wanna run out and look?"
Did I ever.
I'd been surrounded by people for hours, and I was dying for a little peace and quiet.
Unfortunately, that'snotwhat I found in the back parking area. I foundhim– Zane Bennington, who proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that at least one rumor was true.
Hewasan asshole.
Totally.
