Positively Pricked: A Billionaire Loathing-to-Love Romance

by Sabrina Stark

Oh, I had issues all right. Through gritted teeth, I told him for what felt like the millionth time, "I'm not sleeping with my roommate's boyfriend."

  He held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, like I said, it's none of my business."

  And yet, he kept making it his business.

  I stared at the guy, wondering what his deal was.

  At something in my expression, he gave a long sigh. "Sorry. It's just that, shit, I know what it's like to be cheated on." He looked toward Zane, and his eyes narrowed. "Especially when they cheat with your own cousin."

  Chapter 37

  I didn't know what to say. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? Did this guy's girlfriend – or wife, for all I knew – cheat on him with Zane?

  I was dying to ask, but didn't dare. And now, I had no idea what to say. Once again, my gaze drifted to Zane. His eyes were still shut, and he showed no sign that he was listening, or even conscious for that matter.

  I studied his face as I considered what Teddy had just implied.

  In every possible way, Zane was unlike anyone I'd ever met. My own loathing aside, I could definitely see why someone – or cripes, anyone – would want to sleep with him.

  And it wasn't for his money.

  His hair was thick and lush – dark bronze, with golden highlights. His eyes were emerald green with flecks of gold. His lips – I felt myself swallow – oh yeah, they were definitely made for sin, just like that amazing body of his.

  On top of that, I'd heard the rumors. The way it sounded, he put that body to most excellent use.

  Next to me, Teddy gave a loud sigh. "Don't tell me she was right?"

  I practically jumped in my seat. "What?"

  "About you and Zane."

  I drew back. "God, no."

  "Are you sure?" Teddy's gaze narrowed. "Because you seem like his type."

  Okay, now that was just plain ridiculous. I'd seen Zane's type. They were all tall and willowy with perfect hair and million-dollar cheekbones.

  In contrast, I wasn't tall, willowy, or particularly gifted in the cheekbone department. I was no goblin, but I wasn't a supermodel either. Teddy's statement had to be a joke.

  I almost laughed in his face. "Yeah, right."

  "You think I'm kidding?"

  My face was burning with embarrassment, especially because I was obscenely aware that the person we were so rudely discussing was right here, across from us, within earshot no less.

  Again, I looked to Zane. His eyes were still shut, but that was no guarantee of anything.

  And besides, he was my boss.

  And a total jerk.

  I looked back to Teddy and said, "Of course, I think you're kidding. Look at me compared to…" Damn it. I didn't even know the chick's name. But that was hardly the point.

  I glanced away. "You know what? I don't feel comfortable discussing this."

  "Why not?" Teddy asked.

  As an answer, I looked to Zane.

  Teddy said, "If you're worried about him, he's out cold."

  "He is not," I said. "And even if he is, he's my employer, not, well, anything more."

  Determined to end this conversation once and for all, I grabbed my paperback and opened it to a random page. I looked down and pretended to read, as if I could concentrate on a single word.

  My thoughts were filled with too many questions. They all centered on one guy, who happened to be sitting across from me.

  Ignoring my obvious hint, Teddy said, "Growing up, I saw him maybe once, twice a year. We used to talk sometimes." Teddy gave a low scoff. "He was a lot nicer back then."

  This, I could believe, but only because Zane was such a jerk now. In comparison, any version of him would be nicer, right?

  But this wasn't the time or the place to be discussing it, so I gave a small shrug and kept my eyes trained on my book.

  Undaunted, Teddy continued. "Anyway, when it came to girls, he always went for the farmer's daughter type, so if you ask me, it's only a matter of time."

  More heat rushed to my face, and of course, it didn't help that my parents were, in fact, farmers.

  What were the odds?

  Oblivious to my discomfort, Teddy kept on talking. "Zane’s grandfather – a really nice guy, by the way – had this thing for old TV shows. I love Lucy. Father Knows Best…." He gave a small laugh. "…Gilligan's Island. So sometimes, we ended up watching along in his media room, you know?"

  I gave a noncommittal shrug. It wasn't that I wasn't interested. It was just that I was so terribly conscious that Zane could be listening.

  And besides, I wasn't sure how much of this I actually believed. Even as far as the grandfather, the guy had been absolutely loaded. I had no idea what rich people did in their free time, but for some reason, I couldn’t imagine them watching old reruns on TV.

  Then again, I was no expert. After all, it wasn’t like we saw a lot of billionaires down on the farm.

  Teddy was still talking. "But Zane? He was all for Mary Ann. Never Ginger."

  It took me a minute to realize that he was referring to the characters on Gilligan's Island. I'd seen only a handful of reruns, but this was more than enough to know that Mary Ann was a farmer's daughter, while Ginger was a movie star.

  Now that I thought about it, I did look a little like Mary Ann. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Either way, I was definitely no Ginger.

  I gave a little shake of my head. Why was I even thinking about this?

  More desperate than ever to end this conversation, I looked to Teddy and said, "Well, he likes Gingers now, so…" I let the words trail off, as if there was nothing else to be said.

  "Oh yeah?" Teddy replied. "So why'd he kick Ginger off the plane?"

  Obviously, he was speaking metaphorically – unless her name really was Ginger, which I highly doubted.

  I said, "That's an easy one. He kicked her off because she was being a pill."

  "So were you. And you're still here."

  "Oh, please," I said. "I wasn't the one who threw a giant hissy-fit. And besides, you were kind of a pill yourself."

  He frowned. "I was not."

  I returned my eyes to my book. "Sure, you weren't."

  "All right, fine," he said. "But here's a fair warning. You don't want to get involved with that guy."

  "I wasn't planning on it."

  "You know he's an asshole, right?"

  I gave Zane a nervous glance. "All I know is that he's my boss, and I don't feel comfortable discussing this."

  Stubbornly, Teddy said, "Yeah, well he's my boss, too."

  With a sigh, I set aside my book and turned to face him. "Oh, come on. He's not just your boss. He's your cousin."

  "So?"

  "So maybe you two should, I dunno, patch things up."

  Teddy looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "With that asshole? You can't be serious."

  I gave another shrug, but made no reply. After all, what could I say?

  Teddy made a scoffing sound. "Are you forgetting? That asshole screwed my girlfriend."

  Stupidly, I couldn't help but think, "At least it wasn't your wife." It's not that I was excusing Zane's awful behavior. He was a monster, plain and simple. But I did realize that it could always be worse.

  Still, what could I say? Honestly, I had no idea. I was still searching for the right words when Zane's voice cut through the silence. "She was no girlfriend."

  Teddy turned to glare at him. "Oh yeah? Then what was she?"

  Without missing a beat, Zane replied, "A gold-digging slut."

  I heard myself gasp. He did not just say that. But his eyes were now open, and he wasn't taking it back.

  Teddy was still glaring. "What?"

  "If you ask me," Zane said, "you're better off without her."

  Teddy was sputtering now. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

  But Zane wasn't kidding. I knew this, because for fifteen whole minutes, Teddy tried – unsuccessfully, I might add – to get Zane to take it back.

 
Instead, Zane doubled down by telling Teddy that he should be grateful he learned the girlfriend was garbage before Teddy did something really stupid, like marrying her.

  Teddy was practically yelling now. "I was gonna marry her!"

  If Zane felt guilty, he sure as heck didn't show it. "Then consider it a bullet dodged."

  The argument ended like two minutes later after Zane casually mentioned that Kalamazoo wasn't the only airport on the way to New York.

  It was a threat, obviously. And no doubt, Zane would've made good on it.

  Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought so. From then on, Teddy said nothing to anyone.

  The awkwardness aside, that was fine by me.

  I was tired and confused, not only by what I'd just learned, but also because of my own conflicted feelings. I said a silent prayer that after we arrived in New York, everything would be smooth sailing.

  And who knows? It might've been, if it weren't for the unexpected arrival of a certain senator and his wayward fiancée.

  Chapter 38

  It was an hour before nightfall, and I was alone in the elevator, going down. Already, I'd been in New York for three jam-packed days of accompanying Zane to countless interviews.

  Just this morning, he'd appeared on two morning shows and a popular business channel. On air, he'd been surprisingly professional and yes, maybe even charming, at least by Zane's standards.

  It made me wonder all over again, who was this guy, anyway?

  We were staying, of course, at the Bennington Hotel in New York, which also housed the regional corporate offices, where Teddy would be working whenever he got settled in.

  As far as anything we'd discussed on the plane, none of it was ever mentioned again – not by me, not by Teddy, and certainly not by Zane, who'd been even more unsociable than normal.

  That was fine by me. Ever since that awkward flight, I'd been feeling nervous and unsettled for reasons that I couldn’t quite decipher. Something between us had shifted, but I had no idea what.

  I was still trying to figure it out when a sudden ding jolted me back to reality. In front of me, the elevator doors slid open, and I came face-to-face with someone I was surprised to see so far from home.

  It was Tiffany, and she was toting a bunch of shopping bags. At the sight of me, she stopped and squinted across the short distance. "Jane? Is that you?"

  I had to laugh. "As far as I know."

  She bustled forward. "What are you doing here?"

  "Working."

  "Oh, like a catering thing?" She gave me an encouraging smile. "Good for you."

  Obviously, she had no idea what I'd been doing, which was pretty surprising, considering how obsessed she'd been with Zane. Then again, she'd never been one to follow the news.

  I was just about to explain when she said, "I'm going to the lobby. Could you please hit the button?"

  I glanced at the panel. "It's already hit."

  "Oh." She frowned. "You're not going there, too, are you?"

  I gave her a confused look. "Why? Is that a problem?"

  "No." She bit her lip. "Well, maybe. It's just that I'm meeting the senator."

  "That's nice." I hesitated. "Right?"

  "Sure, but…" She let her words trail off into silence.

  "But what?" I asked.

  She sighed. "Listen, I hope you don't take this personally, but could you scoot away a little?"

  Scoot away? "Why?"

  The doors had already shut, and the elevator was once again heading downward.

  Tiffany replied, "Because he might recognize you from the catering stuff."

  "And…?"

  "And, well, I don't want him to think we're together."

  I stared at her. "Together how?"

  "Well, not together-together. I just mean, I don't want him to think we're, um…"

  My jaw tightened. "Friends?"

  She smiled in obvious relief. "Right."

  I was so stunned that I didn't know what to say.

  At something in my expression, Tiffany winced. "You're not insulted, are you?"

  "Me?" My tone grew sarcastic. "No. Not at all."

  "Oh come on, don't take it so personally," she said, glancing down at my clothes. "Honestly, you're dressed so nice now that he might not make the connection, but really, it would be so much better if I didn't have to risk it."

  I looked down. Thanks to the busy interview schedule, this was my first stretch of real freedom, and I was on my way out to do some sight-seeing.

  Not knowing where I'd end up, I'd skipped the more casual clothes in favor of a long black skirt and high leather boots, along with my favorite white cotton blouse.

  This way, I figured, I was prepared for anything – except, of course, to be insulted yet again by Tiffany.

  She gave another sigh. "Look, I'm not trying to be mean, honest. It's just that I need to consider my social standing. You know how it is."

  I did now. Looking to make a point, I made a show of backing up until my butt hit the back wall. "Is this far enough for you?"

  "I guess," she said. "I mean, not like you could go much further." She gave me a nervous smile. "But can you do me another tiny little favor?

  I rolled my eyes. "Oh, suuuuure. Anything for a friend."

  "See, that's just the thing," she said. "If he's waiting, can you pretend we're just strangers?"

  Un-freaking-believable.

  At this point, I didn't have to pretend. It's not like Tiffany and I had ever been best-buddies anyway. Obviously, she was no friend of mine. "Don't worry," I told her, "That won't be a problem."

  The words had barely left my mouth when the elevator dinged again, and there we were, at lobby level. The elevator doors slid open, and right there, facing us, was a familiar male figure, dressed in dark tailored slacks and a cream-colored shirt, open at the collar.

  But it wasn't the senator. It was Zane.

  When he saw me, mashed up against the elevator's back wall, his brow wrinkled. "Jane? You okay?"

  Probably, it was the nicest thing he'd ever said to me.

  Before I could even think to answer, Tiffany squealed out, "Oh, my God! Zane!" She dropped her bags and lunged forward to claim his arm. "Imagine seeing you here."

  As if his last name wasn't on the building.

  She looked back to me and said in an off-handed way, "Hey, can you grab those?"

  I blinked. "Excuse me?"

  "The shopping bags," she said, "would you mind grabbing them and taking them to the front desk? I think they've got a giant safe or something." She gave a breezy wave of her hands. "If they ask, just tell them I'll pick them up later."

  Well, that was rich.

  I put on my clueless face. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

  She gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, stop." She looked back to Zane and then froze, as if finally putting two and two together. "Wait, so you two know each other?"

  Wow. What a guess.

  Zane had, after all, just called me by name.

  Tiffany looked thunderstruck by the connection. As for Zane, his gaze returned to mine, but he said nothing.

  Zane was a lot of things, but he wasn't stupid. He obviously realized there was a lot more to this story.

  By now, the elevator doors surely would've slid shut again, if it weren't for a huge shopping bag blocking their path. Tiffany had dropped it during her mad lunge for Zane, and the bag was now lying on its side, smack-dab in the elevator's doorway.

  The way it looked, it was triggering the sensors that were designed to keep the doors open until everyone was in or out.

  Unable to resist, I edged forward and gave the bag a little nudge with my foot. The bag slid forward, and a moment later, the elevator doors began to slide shut.

  Tiffany called out, "Wait!" Releasing Zane's arm, she lunged back into the elevator. Frantically, she gathered up her bags, glowering at me the whole time. Under her breath, she hissed, "Thanks a lot."

  I gave her a cheery smile. "You're welcome."
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  With the bags in tow, she once again, exited the elevator.

  Feeling surprisingly cheerful now, I followed after her. As for Zane, his gaze kept shifting from me to Tiffany and back again.

  The way it looked, he wasn't nearly as happy to see Tiffany as she was to see him.

  Utterly oblivious, Tiffany turned to Zane and said, "So, do you have any plans for dinner?" She leaned closer and practically purred, "Because I haven't eaten all day."

  Oh, for God's sake. Hadn't she just told me that she was meeting her fiancé? What was she planning to do? Ditch the guy last-minute? Or make it dinner for three?

  Zane gave her a cold look. "Yes."

  Tiffany beamed up at him. "Great! We could eat right here in the hotel. I haven't been to the Skyroom, but I hear it's fabulous."

  Obviously, she meant the restaurant on the rooftop. Supposedly, it was fabulous, but it took forever to get a table.

  Then again, the hotel's owner would surely be able to snag a seat any time. Who knows? Maybe Tiffany wasn't as clueless as I thought.

  Zane's gaze shifted to me. In a tight voice, he said, "I meant yes, I have plans."

  Tiffany's smile faded. "Oh. With who?"

  His gaze locked on mine. "With Jane."

  I froze. Me?

  Tiffany blinked a few times and said, "What?"

  He said, "And we're late." He flicked his head toward the front desk. "So shove off. The senator's waiting."

  I turned to look. Sure enough, the senator was waiting. Worse, he was watching us with an expression that told me he wasn't stupid either.

  He knew exactly what had just happened, and he wasn't happy. In spite of everything, I actually felt bad for the guy.

  But I had no time to dwell on it, because, to my infinite surprise, Zane hadn't been bluffing about dinner.

  Unfortunately, I never did get to eat it.

  Because of her.

  And him.

  The prick.

  Chapter 39

  Less than ten minutes later, Zane and I were sitting at a prime table in the glass-enclosed restaurant. The whole scene was entirely surreal, and not only because of our ultra-posh surroundings and the amazing cityscape view.

  More than anything, it was the whole idea of being here, with him, in a social setting that didn't involve watching as he told someone to fuck off.