Page 51 of A Vicious Rumor

I rolled my eyes but smiled nonetheless. "That's a little unfair to say, Ronny."

He shook his head. "Not at all, darling. You're a hell of a catch. If he let you go, he's one of the biggest idiots out there. Not someone I want for you."

I sat silent for a moment while I thought about what Ronny said. "But, what if I want it for myself?"

"Well," Ronny replied, giving me a knowing look, "you know I've always told you to put your own wants and needs first. You can't look after others if you're not looking after yourself. If you want something, go take it."

"Hey mom," I said into the cell phone on my way out to the parking lot. "I'm going to be a little late today. I've got an errand to run first before I come home."

My mom sounded apprehensive over the phone, but ultimately agreed. I knew she was worried about me after I'd called her to pick me up from Tyson's. We still hadn't talked about it, but I still wasn't ready.

I got in the car and started up the engine. What I was about to do was a long shot, but it's like what Ronny said, it was at least worth a shot.

I made the long drive to the other side of the river, following by memory the way Tyson had taken me in his Jeep. I was lucky that I had such a good memory, otherwise I would surely have gotten lost in the winding roads. After what felt like an eternity, I made it to the end of a private driveway and looked up at the massive house I never thought I'd see again.

I got out of my car and made my way to the front door. I figured it would be the more polite thing to do rather than try and meander through the open air corridors, but as I held my hand up to knock, the door swung open.

"Well, well, well, what brings you here?" His voice was smooth, and he stood there leaning against the door frame in a pair of grey sweatpants and a snug v-neck tee that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe put together.

"Hi Scissors," I said to him, not wanting to meet his stupid blue gaze, but forcing myself to.

"Please," he said, "We've been in bed together. I think we're on a first name basis now. Call me Zachary."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I needed a favor from this guy, so being impolite to him wasn't going to help with that.

"So," he said, leaning against the doorframe again. "Of all the places in the world, why are you here?"

"Do you mind if we talk somewhere privately?" I asked. "It's sort of weird to just be standing here at your front door."

Zachary shrugged. He stepped out onto the front stairs and closed the front door behind him. "It's faster to go this way," he said, motioning for me to follow him. We walked on the outside of the house and over to what I knew was "his" wing of the house given that's where the party had been held last time.

I followed him in silence all the way up to the room across from the guest room where my first uncomfortable encounter with Zachary had happened. He closed the door to the clubroom behind us and made his way over to a fridge against the opposite wall.

"Something to drink?" he asked me, grabbing some sort of expensive bottle of something.

I shook my head. "No, thanks."

He shrugged and plopped down on the very modern, very expensive looking black sofa. I took an awkward seat across from him in some sort of chair that looked like it belonged in a museum, not in a house.

"So, is this more private?" he asked with a wink. "Or, did you want to go back across the hall? Was that more your speed?"

"None of this is my speed," I said. "But this is fine."

"Well, I'm dying with anticipation over here," Zachary said with another wink. "Why is Rock's sweet little Tiger Lily here, at my house, and in my room?"

I'd made it all the way here, but when I went to open my mouth, I realized I hadn't thought through how exactly I was going to tell Zachary what it was I needed. The entire situation seemed embarrassing.

What? Was I just supposed to tell him that I'd fallen bad for Tyson, and that I needed his help to help Tyson realize his feelings for me? Why would Zachary want to help me anyways? He and Tyson seemed to hate one another.

No, anything I proposed to Zachary would need to take advantage of the fact that him and Tyson were not friends.

"Tyson and I had a falling out this morning," I said.

"Oh?" Zachary said with a quirked eyebrow. "Whatever about?"

"It doesn't really matter. What matters is that I want to get back at him." I hated saying these words, but I knew it was the only chance I had.

"How delicious," Zachary said, taking a swig of his drink. "But, what's it got to do with me? Him and I are friends, yes?"

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