Page 51 of Positively Pricked
"You know. Offed his uncles."
From the sofa, Paisley said, "Offed?"
"Yeah," Charlotte said. "Like, he killed them so he could inherit." She looked to me and asked, "What doyouthink?"
Paisley said, "How wouldsheknow?" She gave Charlotte a smug smile. "You should've asked me. I know way more about celebrities than she does."
Charlotte said, "Oh yeah? Haveyoumet him?"
"No," Paisley grudgingly admitted. "But she hasn't either."
"Hah!" Charlotte said. "That's whatyouthink."
"Oh, get real." Paisley turned to me and said, "You have not met him." When I made no response, she frowned. "Have you?"
The way I saw it, it wasn't anything to brag about. Still, I said, "Actually, I worked at one of his houses last night." Under my breath, I added, "…back when Ihada catering job."
Paisley brightened. "Oh, is that all? Gee,Icould've done that."
I gave her a dubious look. Catering jobs were hard work. Paisley was on some sort of work-study program as part of a financial-aid package. From what I'd seen over the last few months, it involved very little workorstudy.
I couldn’t resist telling her, "I think they're hiring. Maybe, you should apply."
She drew back. "What? You mean work in…" She made a face. "…food service?"
I gave an enthusiastic nod. "Yeah, and think of the glamor." My tone grew sarcastic. "You could meet rich, famous guys."
Next to her, the professor announced, "I just had a paper published."
We all turned to look. When no one said anything, he mumbled, "I'm just saying, I'm kinda well-known myself."
It suddenly struck me that I had no idea what subject the guy even taught. Cripes, I didn't even know his name – mostly because Paisley always referred to him simply as the professor.
I briefly considered asking for more details, but quickly thought better of it. When it came to Paisley and the professor, I knew far too much already.
Charlotte pointed to the TV. "Shhh! It's back on."
I looked to the screen, and there he was, Zane Bennington. It was a live-action shot of him entering the Bennington's flagship hotel, located in downtown Indianapolis, where the company was also headquartered.
In the news footage, Zane looked obnoxiously rich and successful, just like any other hotshot business mogul, well, except for the fact he was a few decades younger and a whole lot sexier.
The bastard.
And yet, as the segment continued, I couldn’t help but lean forward, more curious than ever.
Who was this guy, anyway?
