Page 133 of Positively Pricked

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"Which I canceled."

"Oh sure," I said. "Last-minute."

"Wrong," he said. "Lastnight."

That made me pause. "What?"

"Last night," he repeated. "That's when I canceled."

"So then why'd she show up like that?"

His jaw tightened. "Guess."

I tried to put myself in Maven's shoes. Her reason for showing up was pretty obvious. Zane was rich, famous, and unbearably hot.

But I didn't say it. It was shallow and stupid, especially because Zane would surely assume that I was speaking for myself, and not Maven the Terrible.

I said, "I don't feel like guessing."

Zane looked away and was quiet for a long moment. Under his breath, he said, "Fuck."

On this, I could agree. "Yeah. No kidding."

He looked back to me and said, "You're not fired. And you can't quit. So forget it."

"Wait, why can't I quit?"

"Because I said so."

Talk about bossy.I reminded him, "I don't need your permission to quit."

"You do if you want a good reference."

My mouth fell open. "What are you saying?"

"You're smart. You'll figure it out."

"You wouldn’t seriously sabotage me?"

"Wouldn't I?"

But I knew the answer tothatquestion. He totally would. After all, I'd seen firsthand how he dealt with people who gave him grief.

I made a scoffing sound. "And how long do you expectthatto work?"

"What to work?"

"Threats."

His expression softened. "I'm not threatening you."

"Are you sure? Because it sure sounded like it."

"If I were threatening you, you'd know it. Now, tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"Tomorrow. You're still gonna be here, right?"

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