Chapter 37

I didn't know what to say. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? Did this guy's girlfriend – or wife, for all I knew – cheat on him with Zane?

I was dying to ask, but didn't dare. And now, I had no idea what to say. Once again, my gaze drifted to Zane. His eyes were still shut, and he showed no sign that he was listening, or even conscious for that matter.

I studied his face as I considered what Teddy had just implied.

In every possible way, Zane was unlike anyone I'd ever met. My own loathing aside, I could definitely see why someone – or cripes, anyone – would want to sleep with him.

And it wasn't for his money.

His hair was thick and lush – dark bronze, with golden highlights. His eyes were emerald green with flecks of gold. His lips – I felt myself swallow – oh yeah, they were definitely made for sin, just like that amazing body of his.

On top of that, I'd heard the rumors. The way it sounded, he put that body to most excellent use.

Next to me, Teddy gave a loud sigh. "Don't tell me she was right?"

I practically jumped in my seat. "What?"

"About you and Zane."

I drew back. "God, no."

"Are you sure?" Teddy's gaze narrowed. "Because you seem like his type."

Okay, now that was just plain ridiculous. I'd seen Zane's type. They were all tall and willowy with perfect hair and million-dollar cheekbones.

In contrast, I wasn't tall, willowy, or particularly gifted in the cheekbone department. I was no goblin, but I wasn't a supermodel either. Teddy's statement had to be a joke.

I almost laughed in his face. "Yeah, right."

"You think I'm kidding?"

My face was burning with embarrassment, especially because I was obscenely aware that the person we were so rudely discussing was right here, across from us, within earshot no less.

Again, I looked to Zane. His eyes were still shut, but that was no guarantee of anything.

And besides, he was my boss.

And a total jerk.

I looked back to Teddy and said, "Of course, I think you're kidding. Look at me compared to…" Damn it. I didn't even know the chick's name. But that was hardly the point.

I glanced away. "You know what? I don't feel comfortable discussing this."

"Why not?" Teddy asked.

As an answer, I looked to Zane.

Teddy said, "If you're worried about him, he's out cold."

"He is not," I said. "And even if he is, he's my employer, not, well, anything more."

Determined to end this conversation once and for all, I grabbed my paperback and opened it to a random page. I looked down and pretended to read, as if I could concentrate on a single word.

My thoughts were filled with too many questions. They all centered on one guy, who happened to be sitting across from me.

Ignoring my obvious hint, Teddy said, "Growing up, I saw him maybe once, twice a year. We used to talk sometimes." Teddy gave a low scoff. "He was a lot nicer back then."

This, I could believe, but only because Zane was such a jerk now. In comparison, any version of him would be nicer, right?

But this wasn't the time or the place to be discussing it, so I gave a small shrug and kept my eyes trained on my book.

Undaunted, Teddy continued. "Anyway, when it came to girls, he always went for the farmer's daughter type, so if you ask me, it's only a matter of time."

More heat rushed to my face, and of course, it didn't help that my parents were, in fact, farmers.

What were the odds?

Oblivious to my discomfort, Teddy kept on talking. "Zane’s grandfather – a really nice guy, by the way – had this thing for old TV shows. I love Lucy. Father Knows Best…." He gave a small laugh. "…Gilligan's Island. So sometimes, we ended up watching along in his media room, you know?"

I gave a noncommittal shrug. It wasn't that I wasn't interested. It was just that I was so terribly conscious that Zane could be listening.

And besides, I wasn't sure how much of this I actually believed. Even as far as the grandfather, the guy had been absolutely loaded. I had no idea what rich people did in their free time, but for some reason, I couldn’t imagine them watching old reruns on TV.

Then again, I was no expert. After all, it wasn’t like we saw a lot of billionaires down on the farm.

Teddy was still talking. "But Zane? He was all for Mary Ann. Never Ginger."

It took me a minute to realize that he was referring to the characters on Gilligan's Island. I'd seen only a handful of reruns, but this was more than enough to know that Mary Ann was a farmer's daughter, while Ginger was a movie star.

Now that I thought about it, I did look a little like Mary Ann. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Either way, I was definitely no Ginger.

I gave a little shake of my head. Why was I even thinking about this?

More desperate than ever to end this conversation, I looked to Teddy and said, "Well, he likes Gingers now, so…" I let the words trail off, as if there was nothing else to be said.

"Oh yeah?" Teddy replied. "So why'd he kick Ginger off the plane?"

Obviously, he was speaking metaphorically – unless her name really was Ginger, which I highly doubted.

I said, "That's an easy one. He kicked her off because she was being a pill."

"So were you. And you're still here."

"Oh, please," I said. "I wasn't the one who threw a giant hissy-fit. And besides, you were kind of a pill yourself."

He frowned. "I was not."

I returned my eyes to my book. "Sure, you weren't."

"All right, fine," he said. "But here's a fair warning. You don't want to get involved with that guy."

"I wasn't planning on it."

"You know he's an asshole, right?"

I gave Zane a nervous glance. "All I know is that he's my boss, and I don't feel comfortable discussing this."

Stubbornly, Teddy said, "Yeah, well he's my boss, too."

With a sigh, I set aside my book and turned to face him. "Oh, come on. He's not just your boss. He's your cousin."

"So?"

"So maybe you two should, I dunno, patch things up."

Teddy looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "With that asshole? You can't be serious."

I gave another shrug, but made no reply. After all, what could I say?

Teddy made a scoffing sound. "Are you forgetting? That asshole screwed my girlfriend."

Stupidly, I couldn't help but think, "At least it wasn't your wife." It's not that I was excusing Zane's awful behavior. He was a monster, plain and simple. But I did realize that it could always be worse.

Still, what could I say? Honestly, I had no idea. I was still searching for the right words when Zane's voice cut through the silence. "She was no girlfriend."

Teddy turned to glare at him. "Oh yeah? Then what was she?"

Without missing a beat, Zane replied, "A gold-digging slut."

I heard myself gasp. He did not just say that. But his eyes were now open, and he wasn't taking it back.

Teddy was still glaring. "What?"

"If you ask me," Zane said, "you're better off without her."

Teddy was sputtering now. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

But Zane wasn't kidding. I knew this, because for fifteen whole minutes, Teddy tried – unsuccessfully, I might add – to get Zane to take it back.

Instead, Zane doubled down by telling Teddy that he should be grateful he learned the girlfriend was garbage before Teddy did something really stupid, like marrying her.

Teddy was practically yelling now. "I was gonna marry her!"

If Zane felt guilty, he sure as heck didn't show it. "Then consider it a bullet dodged."

The argument ended like two minutes later after Zane casually mentioned that Kalamazoo wasn't the only airport on the way to New York.

It was a threat, obviously. And no doubt, Zane would've made good on it.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought so. From then on, Teddy said nothing to anyone.

The awkwardness aside, that was fine by me.

I was tired and confused, not only by what I'd just learned, but also because of my own conflicted feelings. I said a silent prayer that after we arrived in New York, everything would be smooth sailing.

And who knows? It might've been, if it weren't for the unexpected arrival of a certain senator and his wayward fiancée.