Page 121 of Positively Pricked

I should've known.

I wasn't sure what I found more revolting – that he'd ditch his date last-minute or that he'd ditchmenow.

And why on Earth was I still standing here? With a sound of disgust, I pushed my way around Zane and began striding toward the exit.

I'd made it only a few steps when a tug on my wrist made me stop. I looked down to see Zane's hand, encircling my own.

In a low voice, he said, "Jane. Wait."

I glanced around. By now, everyone was staring, not that I could blame them. Near our table, Maven stood, eyeing our exchange with blatant satisfaction.

When she spotted me looking, she smiled and gave me one of those finger waves – the kind you give when you really want to piss someone off.

And Iwaspissed. No. Not just pissed. Royally pissed. I yanked my hand out of Zane's grip and hissed. "Your date's waiting."

"No," he said. "My date's leaving."

My thoughts were so jumbled, I wasn't even sure who he meant. Me? Because I was heading toward the door? Or her? Because he was planning to ditch her a second time.

Either way, I wanted no part of it. I glared up at him. "Thanks for the wine."

Asshole.

I didn't say it out loud, but from the look on Zane's face, he got the message loud and clear.

He leaned closer, "Jane—"

Behind him, I heard Maven call out in a sing-song voice, "Oh waiter. We'll need a new bottle of wine. And can you clear away this mess?"

Zane and I hadn't even eaten. There was no mess, at least not at the table. But inside, I felt conflicting emotions swirling and twisting into a toxic brew. Adding salt to the wound, I felt stupid and disheveled in comparison to Maven's cool elegance.

The way it looked, she was loving every minute of this – the drama, the spectacle, the fun of humiliating someone who wasn't remotely in her league.

Suddenly, I felt like crying.

I didn't want to cry, not in front of a crowd, and certainly not in front of Zane.

Or Maven, for that matter.

Besides, I told myself, none of this was a big deal. Zane was always a jerk. I was used to it. Or at least, Ishouldbe used to it.

And yet, now I wasn't. I looked back to Zane. As our gazes locked and held, I didn't bother hiding my disgust. Whateverhewas feeling, I couldn’t be sure.

But it wasn't happiness.

Good.

I lowered my voice to just a whisper, and said, "Zane, there's something you need to hear."

He leaned a fraction closer. "What?"

"Fuck off." And with that, I turned and walked away, pushing my way through the exit. In the distance, I heard Maven laughing as she said, "God, what a drama queen."

Bitch.

Outside the confines of the restaurant, I was walking faster now, heading toward the elevators. But when I arrived, a couple was already standing there, waiting for the next elevator down.

I didn't want to wait. And besides, the thought of breaking down in front of strangers was just too much to bear.