“I need to talk to you.” Zane points directly at me. His eyes are fucking wild and savage, and I don’t know whether to be scared or hot for him.

“Um, this isn’t a good time,” I say and gesture around the table to the room full of board members.

In true Zane fashion, he tells me like it is, as bluntly as humanly possible. “I don’t give a fuck what time it is; this is important.” He continues to walk into the room until he is facing directly across from me, looking at all the board members.

He stands by the window, breathing hard, as if he’s gearing up to run a marathon.

“What is it?” I cross my arms defensively. I’m not about to let Zane Tanner humiliate me in front of my peers.

“I’m ready to tell you the truth…” he says and we lock eyes. “The truth about everything.”

I have the sudden feeling like I’m in a movie, and this is the ending scene where the guy comes full circle and makes everything right again by confessing his true feelings.

Only this isn’t a fucking movie, and as far as I remember, I am not the star of some Hollywood blockbuster chick flick.

Zane is as cute as Matthew McConaughey or some other hunk like that, but I shake my head. This isn’t the fucking film industry. There are no cameras or a director yelling ‘action’; this is real fucking life, and I’m pregnant and alone.

“Okay, I’m listening.” I shrug with indifference, even though inside I’m drowning in a sea of emotional sabotage that I pray turns to hope, waiting for whatever he’s going to tell me.

“You’re interrupting the meeting, Zane,” David stands up and looks at me. “Piper, he is being disruptive. I think you should call security.”

“I think you should mind your own fucking business,” Zane says and takes a step towards David, who reciprocates and charges Zane.

I run to stand in front of them, thinking about the baby. “Stop it!” I shout. I forget about everyone else in the room for a few seconds. “David, let Zane talk. Zane, don’t kick David’s ass.”

David roars with laughter. “You actually think this fucking punk can beat me up?” He scoffs, always easily insulted.

“I can, but that’s not the point,” Zane follows. “I’m here to air your dirty laundry, too, so maybe if you backed the fuck away, I’ll make it less horrific for you.”

I glance at David, and he turns white, then green, then recoils a little but he doesn’t go back to his seat.

Zane continues, pointing an aggressive finger directly at David. “This man is a fucking liar, Piper.”

“What are you talking about?” I look between them.

David shakes his head, and Zane glares daggers through him.

“He’s blackmailing me to stay away from you,” Zane says curtly.

“What?” I begin to reel as the room moves in slow motion. “Is that true?” I look at David.

David shakes his head, but doesn’t say anything.

“It’s true.” Zane nods with vigor. “He told me that if I pursued you in any way, he would take my company right out from under me.”

“How…is that even possible?” I shake my head as the room continues to spin from what I assume to be a combination of shock and early pregnancy woes.

“It’s not, because I have been working all morning, working my ass off to fix everything he tried to unravel,” Zane says with vengeance.

I stare at David, who looks at the floor and refuses to solidify eye contact with anyone.

“David told me he had investors that were willing to buy me out, but when I did some research, I found out that those were lies.”

Zane looks at me, and I stare back at him in utter disbelief. “Well, that’s not entirely true; I suppose I should give the dirt bag a little toss of credit. It is true about his talks with investors, but most of them were on the fence anyway. I swooped in and saved the day by getting them back on my side, and now all of them are pulling out.”

Zane gives David a smug look, but David already has his head in his hands, his shoulders slouched in defeat.

“David?” I whisper.

I mean, I know the guy is still sour about our breakup and, let’s be honest, he’s been acting really fucking shady lately, but I would never expect this kind of sly motive from him.

“It’s true,” David shakes his head and finally musters up the courage to look at me.

“Why?” I shake my head as tears flood my eyes.

“You shouldn’t be with that jerk,” David screams and stands up, pointing at Zane. “I’m going to kill you,” he says through clinched teeth.

“I’d like to see you try.” Zane stiffens up his shoulders and proudly gives David the look of a king on a throne.

“Nobody is killing anyone.” I shake my head and hold my hands up in the air, trying to regain peace.

“David, I’m sorry, but I have no choice but to let you go,” I say firmly.

“Let me go? What the hell are you talking about?” David’s face twists with confusion.

“I think she’s trying to tell you in a nice way that you are fired, asshole.” Zane smirks. “Take the fucking hint. Oh yeah, I forgot, you aren’t smart enough.”

David’s fists clinch at his sides. “Piper, are you really firing me?”

“Yes.” I nod to confirm. “I’m sorry, David, but what you’ve done is unforgivable. Please leave the board room now; you are no longer a member.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” David shouts, as veins bulge in his neck.

“Call security,” I whisper to my assistant, who always comes to the meeting to take notes.

“Yes. ma’am,” she says and jumps out of her seat, running from the room.

“Piper, don’t do this,” David pleads, sounding more desperate than ever.

“You can’t blackmail people and get away with it, David.” I stand firm, holding my ground.

“You’ll regret this!” He yells as the security guard comes into the room.

“Enough with the empty threats, David. It’s over. I win, you lose,” Zane calls out as David struggles against the guard.

Finally, the guard escorts David out, and he’s gone, hopefully out of our lives forever.

I look around the room, and everyone is positively stunned. “Meeting cancelled for today,” I say and everyone stands up, numbly filing back out of the room.

The moment they’re gone, just like in the movies, I wrap my arms around Zane and kiss his strong lips. “You’re my hero,” I say.

“Piper, I’m so sorry you had to find out this way.” Zane shakes his head regretfully.

“It’s okay,” I say and run my hand across his cheek. There’s a hint of stubble that tickles my fingertips.

“I love you so much,” he admits.

“I love you, too,” I say and he literally fucking sweeps me off my feet and spins me around in a circle.

I know, you’re pretty fucking jealous, right? I realize in that moment that the best prize of my life is standing right in front of me, in the form of Zane Fucking Tanner, the arrogant asshole who is so astutely wonderful at playing his own game that he wins me, too.

“Let’s start over,” he says and grins that sexy grin I love so much as we gaze into each other’s eyes.

“From scratch?” I ask.

“Yes,” he nods. “I want to throw out our old deal and make a new one.”

I keep my arms wrapped around him and start to massage his neck muscles. “I like clean slates. What will the new one say?” I whisper and kiss him again.

“Well, let’s just say the new one will have very strict guidelines.” He grins.

“Are you going to make me comply?” I say naughtily.

“You bet.” He nods. “This new deal is going to include me and you having this baby together, as a couple.”

“I fucking love you, Zane Tanner. You are reading my mind,” I say.

“You know what they say: great minds think alike.” He winks at me with enough charm to light up the fucking room.

“You just show me where to sign, baby,” I say and press my body up against his.

“One other thing,” he says.

I pull away and look into his dark, handsome eyes. “Yes?”

“Let’s merge our companies. The best designer and the top manufacturer in the world? Hell yeah.”

I nod my head. “Now, we’re talking,” I say. “No one can stop us now.”

“Baby?” Zane looks at me.

“Yeah?”

“They never could.”