Page 175 of Viper

My office door opens, and I swivel around in my chair, expecting the woman who runs the nightly cleaning crew to pop in, but the second I see his sleek blonde hair and smarmy face, my stomach drops.

“Get out,” I say, pointing to the door, but he’s already shutting it behind him.

“We need to talk,” Zane says, striding across the room until he’s right in front of my desk.

“I have nothing to say to you,” I snap, grabbing files and shoving them in the top drawer.

“Funny, because you never seem to keep your mouth shut.” He drops down into the oversized leather chair across from my desk and loosens his dark green tie. “Oh wait, that’s because you’re too busy sucking dick.”

“Come up with new material, Zane. It’s getting old.” I push up from my chair, and grab my bag, stuffing in a few files to take back to Clyde’s and look at later. “What do you want?”

“We have a meeting tomorrow.” He frees his tie and rolls it up, then tucks it in his pocket. He’s removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, giving him a casual appearance. To anyone who doesn’t know him, Zane looks like a regular handsome businessman, ready to take on the world.

But I know him and that smug smile. He’s up to something.

Again.

I still haven’t decided if he was just being his usual asshole self or if he was trying to sabotage the deal with Viper and Breaker so Rune would be angry with me.

Maybe both.

“Informing me of a meeting requires a personal visit?” I ask. “Could have been an email.”

I grab a few more files, but groan when I realize the contract I printed up for Rune isn’t on my desk. He must not have had his secretary return it to me this afternoon after he made corrections. I curse his refusal to use modern technology. Everything gets printed, and thanks to him, I don’t have the changes he wanted me to make, which means I won’t have it ready for tomorrow’s meeting.

With a sigh, I glare at Zane. He still has that slappable look on his face. “Did Rune give you the contract this afternoon?”

He shrugs, lips turning down at the corners. “He left early to work from home before the dinner meeting.”

Dammit. Now I’m going to have to go to his house before I return to Clyde’s. My heart skips a beat, dreading going there. I could wait, but—

“Your daddy was into it, you know.”

All thoughts slam to a halt. I blink, refocusing on Zane. “What?”

“Drake loved watching Caroline get railed,” he says, studying my reaction. “He would jerk off while he watched.”

Disgust roils through my stomach. A stabbing pain shoots through my fingertips. Darkness tugs at the corners of my eyes, trying to drag all those horrible memories into focus. I suck in a breath, refusing to allow them to take center.

“Drake was a nice enough guy.” Zane taps the armrest, drawing my attention to his manicured nails. “Though the fact that he let your mom put you in a closet was seriously fucked up.”

The words stab through my chest like a serrated knife. An echo of Zane’s laughter as my mother locked me away cracks through my head. I grab my bag. I will not let him rile me. He had enough fun the other day, simply because I had no choice.

I had to react.

Now I don’t.

“Fuck off, Zane,” I say, making sure my voice is even. Callous like his.

“Did you know your father liked to be tied up?” The glee in his voice sends a shiver down my spine. “He even liked licking my cum off my dick.”

“Eww.” I shoulder my bag, my heels clicking sharply as I continue to march around my desk. “Can you refrain from givingme details about your depraved sex life with my dead mother and father, please?”

“Rune doesn’t care I was fucking your mommy.” He rises from the chair lazily, dragging his eyes over me. “He’d probably have fucked her too if he didn’t have such a hard-on for Sophia. But then he’s always had a thing for young girls.”

I pause. Delilah’s mom.

I only have a few memories of her. Her laughing at dinner parties. A few lunch dates where we all went shopping. She was beautiful. Regal. Kind. Everything my mother was not. How she was such good friends with my mother is a mystery. Makes me wonder if she even had a choice.