Page 81 of Positively Pricked

"Good," he said, "because we've got another meeting in five."

My stomach sank to the floor. I wasn't sure I could take another meeting, especially if it was anything like the first one.

Unfortunately, it was.

Oh sure, it wasn'tquiteas bad, but it wasn't a walk in the park either. The only difference wasthismeeting, along with several more afterward, took place in Zane's office, where he told a whole new set of people to fuck off.

Why he wantedmethere, I had no idea – unless it was to torture me in front of strangers, which, knowing Zane, wasn't exactly out of the question.

By noon, I was utterly exhausted and more confused than ever. I still had no idea what I was supposed to be doing or where I'd be doing it. After all, I hadn't been shown to anything resembling a desk.

No doubt, a dark and dreary cubicle awaited me somewhere in the building, assuming that I actually managed to keep this job for more than a single day. I was, after all, just a little bit tipsy.

After the umpteenth person stormed out of Zane's office, I just had to ask, "Am I supposed to be doing something?"

"Yeah," Zane said, "planning for the fallout."

Oh, there'd definitely be a fallout. Already, Zane had been threatened with a whole bunch of lawsuits and a shocking degree of physical violence. I bit my lip. "About that last guy…" I hesitated. "You don'treallythink he'll send people to your house? Do you?"

Zane looked oddly unconcerned. "He can try."

If I cared about Zane at all – which I totally didn't – I'd have been just a little bit concerned. That last guy had looked ready to pop. And just before storming out, he'd told Zane flat-out that he'd better watch his back – hereandwhere he lived.

Before I could stop myself, I asked, "Is that why you carry a gun?"

Zane's mouth tightened. "What?"

"Well, I'm just saying, when I stopped by your house a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but notice that you had a weapon in your swimsuit." I froze.Damn it.For some reason, that statement sounded wrong, and yes, slightly X-rated. Quickly, I added, "I mean, in thebackof your swimsuit."

Oh, crap.Was that worse or better?

My face was burning, even as I tried to pretend that I was just making normal conversation.

"You met the guard," Zane said. "What doyouthink?"

Me?I thought the guard wouldn't look nearly as good in a swimsuit.

Where hadthatidea come from? I gave a small shake of my head. "Uh, sorry? What do I think of what?"

"About the guy manning the gate. You think someone like him is gonna keep an eye out?"

"Well, not anymore," I said, "since you fired him and all."

Zane's expression darkened. "Yeah. And he had it coming, as you damn well know."

This was true, even if I hated to admit it. Unsure what to say, I did the smart thing for once and kept my mouth firmly shut.

Zane looked toward the window and said, almost as if speaking to himself, "I've got enemies."

A nervous scoff escaped my lips. "Yeah, I bet."

Slowly, he turned his gaze back to me. "Meaning?"

"Well, I'm just saying, I think you'd catch more flies with honey."

He looked at me for a long moment before saying, "I’m not catching flies. I'm catching monsters."

I studied his face. The way it looked, he was actually serious. I just had to ask, "What kind of monsters?"