Page 59 of Positively Pricked

"Awful how?"

"Oh come on," I said. "Everybody knows he's a giant prick."

Lydia's lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Well, whatIheard was that hehasa —"

I held up a hand. "Don’t say it."

Lydia laughed. "Oh come on. That's just gossip, anyway. And besides, it doesn't matter. You'd probably never see him."

"Withmyluck? I'm not so sure."

"Oh, come on," she said. "What, you think he spends his time in the kitchen? Like, take my uncle. He's only seen Zane Bennington once, and that was only because he happened to be outside when Zane's limo pulled up."

"You mean outside the hotel?"

Lydia nodded. "He has an office on the top floor. I hear it's pretty amazing."

My shoulders sagged. "That's too bad."

"Why?"

"Because I'd rather see him working in the basement." I smiled. "A nice, damp one. With rats. No. Not just rats. Giant man-eating rats."

"Boy, you reallydohate him, don't you?" She hesitated. "And you said the feeling's mutual?"

Now, it was my turn to laugh. "Actually, I'm pretty sure hehasno feelings."

"Then you should apply for the job. Honestly, I doubt you'd ever see him."

There was a certain comfort in that, and Ididneed the money. So when Lydia plucked a resume off my stack, and promised to pass it along to her uncle, I did what I should've done in the first place. I thanked her for the help and said a silent prayer that I'd actually get the job.

In what felt like terrific luck, I received a call the very next day from a nice lady in the Bennington's Human Resources Department. And just like that, I had an interview scheduled for the very next afternoon.

I didn't ask with whom, because I just assumed that it would be with Lydia's uncle, or maybe with a generic H.R. person.

Big mistake.

I arrived at the Bennington Hotel fifteen minutes early, and was ushered straight into the nearest elevator, where my escort, a thin, dark-haired woman, hit the button for the very top floor.

Watching this, my stomach sank.Hewas on the top floor, well, assuming that he was in the office today.

Damn it.Isodidn't want to run into him, especially here, where he'd surely torpedo my job interview – or worse, kick me straight to the curb.

And Isoneeded this job.

In a desperate bid for reassurance, I turned to my escort and said, "I know this is a funny question, but by any chance, do you know if Zane Bennington is here today?"

She gave me a perplexed look. "Excuse me?"

Quickly, I added, "It's just that I met him a few weeks ago, and I was wondering if I might run into him again."

I held my breath and waited for the answer.Please say no. Please say no…

She eyed me up and down, frowning at my plain brown dress and no-nonsense shoes. Looking more perplexed than ever, she asked, "Was that a joke?"

I shook my head. "No, why?"

"Because he hates jokes. So if I were you, I'd stick to the basics."

And with that, she turned straight ahead, sending me the clear signal that our conversation was over. That was fine by me. Suddenly, I wasn't feeling so chatty.

I was getting a terrible feeling about this – a feeling which proved totally justified less than two minutes later, when I was ushered into the most luxurious office I'd ever seen. And who did I spot, sitting behind a massive desk in front of the giant floor-to-ceiling windows?

Zane "the Prick" Bennington.

Of course.