Page 24 of That Conflicted Feeling

Shesnorts. “Ofcourse you did.”

NowIhave an excuse to touch the spot on her upper arm thatI’vebeen eyeing.Igive it a playful prod. “You’reassumingMommyandDaddypulled strings and bankrolled me, aren’t you?”

Herbare forearm breaks out in goosebumps.Howvery satisfying.

“Maybe,” she says.

“Andyou’d be wrong.Itwas the exact opposite.Ihad scholarships and worked two jobs whileIwas there.Noone gave me anything.”

“Anyway.”Sheswirls her finger in a get-on-with-it motion. “PrestonCayman.Goon.”

“Afterhis lecture, three friends andIhung back to ask him some questions, and he ended up inviting us out to dinner.”

“Somewhereswanky,Ibet.”

“Hetook us to a ludicrously pricey ‘exotic food’ restaurant.Thekind of place where they serve alligator steaks, and python, and some little green things that are apparently the world’s most expensive vegetable.”

“Hopshoots.”

“Ibeg your pardon?”

“Hopshoots.”Shehas a deliciously satisfied expression. “Theworld’s most expensive vegetable.”

“Oh, right.”Ofcourse she’d know that. “Maybethat was what it was.”

“Butpython?”Shemakes a retching sound. “Peopleeatsnake?”

“Peoplewho have more money than sense apparently do.Anyway, after the meal, he said he was ordering dessert for everyone.Butwhen the server came, she put plates in front of me and my friends with a bunch of hideous things on them.Weeach had one of those giant white grub thingsI’dseen them eat onSurvivor, a sheep’s eyeball, a bull’s testicle, and a warthog anus.”

Sheglances at me. “Ananus?”

“That’sthe only one that bothers you?Andwatch the road, please.”Ipoint through the windshield. “You’rebad enough when you’re looking where you’re going.”

Shepulls an insanely sexy half-smile as she turns her attention back to the road.

“Anyway,”Icontinue, “Prestonwas a dick and a bully.Hetold us if we didn’t have the balls to eat what was on the plate, we didn’t have the balls to make it in business.”

“Whatan asshole.I’mnot watching that show again.”Shebrushes a loose strand of hair off her face. “Noneof you ate that stuff, right?”

“Oneof the guys got straight up and walked out.Oneof them nibbled on the edge of the testicle, burst into tears, and sat there sobbing.Theother managed the eyeball, tried to get the bug down, but threw up, right there on the table.”

Sheplaces a hand on her small, curved belly. “Oh,God.Andyou?”

“Prestonjust sat there, looking at me over the pool of vomit.Therewas no wayIwas going to let him bully me and make a fool of me like that.ButIwasn’t prepared to walk away either.Iknew there had to be a way to leverage it to my advantage.”

Shecocks her head. “Soundsfamiliar.”

“I’llignore that and assume you want to hear the rest of the story.”

Shemoves her hand from her belly back to the steering wheel and drums her fingers on it.

“Anyway,I’ddone a ton of research on him before his talk, soIcould pick his brain and try to learn from him.AndIknew he’d bought a food truck business a few months before that he wasn’t utilizing to its full potential.Hewasn’t giving it the resources it needed to grow.Hewasn’t really interested in it—he’d bought it just because someone else wanted it.ButIknew it could be a goldmine in the right hands.”

Sheepin the field whizz by asPollyputs her foot down to try to make it through a green light at an intersection a little way ahead.

“So,Itold himI’deat everything on the plate if he’d give me that company.Helaughed.Andhe must have thought there was no wayI’ddo it because he held out his hand and shook on it.”

“Oh, shit.Youdidn’t?”