CHAPTER SIX
Z ANE DREW A sharp breath and brazened it out. ‘We did actually discuss that article this morning. The guys don’t like the attention it’s bringing to business so we’ve made a bet to date only one woman over summer.’
‘And that’s, what—a challenge for you?’ she asked caustically.
Amusement rippled within him. He liked sparring with this grown-up, salty Skylar. ‘Very, as it so happens.’
A storm gathered in her eyes. ‘You’re seriously deciding about the fate of a company and all its employees by betting about your sex lives ?’
‘ Dating lives,’ he corrected her facetiously.
And actually it was a disaster , because he wasn’t going to be able to go anywhere without being photographed alongside someone. He needed a force field around him so no unintentional contact could be misinterpreted.
‘No way was this Adam Courtney’s idea,’ Skylar analysed quickly.
‘He only agreed because he thinks he can easily win,’ Zane conceded with a grin.
‘And Cade thinks he can beat you.’ Skylar studied him. ‘Only a bunch of jerks could sort out a business decision based on their sex lives.’
He felt heat rise even though he was wearing only a thin T-shirt and shorts. ‘No one should be writing any stupid articles about our sex lives. We’re entitled to privacy as much as anyone else. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the company of other adults and we shouldn’t have to moderate our behaviour because of some judgmental hack journalist.’
‘Yet you’ve created a bet requiring you to do exactly that,’ she pointed out.
He gritted his teeth. ‘It was a vehicle to settle the dispute.’
‘It was a whim.’ She watched him. ‘It was you who suggested it, wasn’t it. The one they think is least likely to succeed.’
Yeah, that too.
‘You really enjoy acting on the spur of the moment,’ she said. ‘You like spontaneity.’
He felt the edge of spontaneity now, heaven help him. ‘And you don’t?’
‘Not...often. No.’ She coloured slightly. ‘Are you going to keep your vow?’
‘I keep my word. Yes. I’m allowed one woman for the duration.’
‘ Allowed one woman,’ she echoed. ‘Gosh, how magnanimous of you. It’s just so marvellous that one lucky female doesn’t get to miss out on your attentions.’
He laughed lightly at her false gushiness. She was right, of course, it was ridiculous. ‘Glad you agree given the female is you.’
‘What?’
‘We slept together after the timer had started.’
She stared at him. ‘Which means...’
‘Which means you’re the only woman I’ll be sleeping with for the next two months.’
She just kept staring at him.
He leaned forward and waved a hand in front of her eyes. ‘Why, Skylar, are you so ecstatic that you’ve gone catatonic?’
She finally blinked. ‘What if I don’t want to sleep with you?’
His smile widened. ‘Oh, sweetheart, we both know that’s not the case.’
Her whole face radiated irritation. ‘You’re the most arrogant prat on the face of the earth.’
‘Yeah, but you still want me. You like what I do to you,’ he said boldly. ‘I mean, you gave me your virginity in less than twenty minutes.’
And how that was possible he was still trying to figure out. This was Skylar—passionate, fiery Skylar. How had she gone all this time without sex?
‘We’ve already established that I wasn’t thinking at the time.’
‘And who’s to say there won’t be another incident where you find yourself “not thinking”?’
‘Me,’ she said. ‘I’m here to say there won’t.’ She folded her arms and glared at him. ‘I enjoyed myself. But I don’t actually like you.’
He shrugged. ‘Who needs like when there’s lust?’
‘Not happening.’
But she was flushed and he was so drawn to her flame.
He’d meant to play this stupid bet out slow. Find someone suitable who he could trust to play it discreetly with him. No one had seen him with Skylar tonight, so in theory he could ask her to keep this quiet and still make an arrangement with someone else as he’d originally intended. But he couldn’t lie. He wanted to win honestly. Which meant he was stuck with her. And that wasn’t quite as terrible as he’d first thought. Because her reactions to him now were endlessly entertaining.
So this had just become a game within a game.
He knew she was a pleaser and insanely loyal—to everyone but him, that was. So he was going to have to convince her by some other means.
‘It’s not looking good for you, is it?’ she said. ‘Less than a day since you made your stupid bet.’
‘You think I can’t control myself?’
‘Obviously not,’ she said drolly. ‘I’m astonished you suggested this when they’ll all think you’re the one least likely to succeed...’ She squinted. ‘Which was the point for you. Proving people wrong.’
‘You’re right.’ He aimed for contrition. ‘I really need your help.’
She shot him the most deadly look ever. ‘You’re asking for my help now?’
He couldn’t resist aggravating her. Apparently it was an uncontrollable urge where she was concerned. ‘If I’m seen with you, then that will stop other women from approaching me.’
‘Is that a problem for you?’
‘That article has had an impact already. Many messages.’
‘How awful .’ She pressed her hand to her chest in a gesture of mock empathy.
‘I know. Would you believe I’ve even been stalked at a party? This random woman was lurking in my private garden pretending to be caught on a tree branch.’
‘Really.’ She gritted her teeth. ‘So now you want us to fake date?’
‘No. You can just be my personal bodyguard. Protect me from the other bodies. We don’t have to hold hands or kiss in public or anything. It can be purely platonic if you want.’
She stared at him like he was nuts. Which he was.
‘Can’t you just not go out? You can’t possibly stay at home?’ she asked. ‘Not date at all? Be single like a normal person?’
‘I don’t think so, no.’ There seriously was a bunch of messages. Not that he’d prove it to her, because she’d accuse him of arrogance all over again, and he needed a break from the salty edge of her tongue. Otherwise, he’d end up silencing her with his, and that would be unwise. ‘Don’t worry. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to,’ he assured her. ‘People will see us and assume what they want to assume. It’s usually the worst. Or the best, depending on your perspective. Whatever. It’ll keep the heat off me.’
Skylar tried to calm down, not be stupidly flattered and actually say yes. This whole thing was vintage Zane deMarco outrageousness. ‘This is all about you. What’s in it for me?’
His smile came slow and wicked. ‘Whatever you want.’
‘Well now, there’s an offer.’ She paused for dramatic effect then batted her lashes at him. ‘Back off Helberg.’
‘Anything but that .’ He shook his head. ‘No point in the bet at all if I just give it up because you asked.’ He stepped closer. ‘Seeing you’re still working for Helberg and they’re obviously not paying you enough, I’ll pay you.’
‘I do not want your money,’ she said stiffly.
He chuckled. Of course he’d only offered that to wind her up.
‘I’m a danger to you,’ she said softly. ‘If they found out about this...’ She began to smile. ‘You need me.’
He stiffened. ‘I don’t need anyone.’
‘Well, I certainly don’t need to help you. Surely I’m better off seeing you date other people so either Cade or Adam could win. They might have better plans for Helberg.’
A fiery glint lit his eyes. ‘They’ll be vastly worse.’
She’d waved a red rag in front of a bull and it felt good.
He was a danger to her . She just had to play this game well. She felt a shiver of anticipation at the prospect of pitting her wits against his.
‘Better the devil you know, surely. And you do know me.’ He paused and added softly, ‘Even better now.’
Well, she definitely knew him better than she knew either Cade or Adam or indeed any other man. And he was too close again. Making her brain operate too slowly. ‘I want time.’
He nodded, coming closer still. ‘For what?’
‘Not that,’ she muttered. She was not sleeping with him again. That had been a mistake. A marvellous but utterly unrepeatable mistake.
‘Then for what?’ he asked innocently.
‘I want to show you Helberg. What it was, what it is and what it could be.’
‘Like the Ghost of Christmas Past?’ He shook his head slowly. ‘You want to humanise me? Too late, Skylar.’
She held firm. ‘Time.’
‘You do realise that I’ll use everything you show me as part of my acquisition preparation.’
‘Of course you will, but I don’t consider it a risk because I won’t be showing you anything confidential. But I’ll get you inside the company corridors, which is closer than you’ve been in a while, right?’
His expression shuttered. ‘Skylar—’
‘Don’t patronise me.’ She stood in front of him. ‘You break companies up.’
‘Yes. So they survive in some form.’
‘Do they, though?’ she challenged. ‘More often than not companies go under once they’ve been stripped of their assets.’
‘Helberg is old and unwieldy. Reed overstretched and his model is no longer commercially viable. Think of it as lifesaving surgery. We cut out the rot—the parts of the company not performing.’
‘And sell that rot to someone else?’
‘Sure. One person’s rot is another person’s treasure...’
‘And a guy like you gets rich on the quick sale. But you leave little more than a skeleton that has no chance of long-term survival.’ She lifted her chin. ‘I think I can prove to you that it’s a company worth holding together.’
Her loyalty meant she couldn’t stand by and see it destroyed. Because of her colleagues and the values the company had stood for. Helberg had done good for others for generations. Now she had nothing left to lose and she had to try. Was he as soulless as she’d thought—or was there an echo of that kind boy who’d shared his candy with a crying kid still inside him?
But he was still. Silent. Unemotional. Uncaring.
Skylar’s heart sank. She had no chance of convincing either Cade or Adam given she didn’t even know them. So in spite of everything, Zane was actually her best bet. She needed him to win, so she would help him.
She straightened. ‘I’ll be seen with you once a week so you still have a chance with your stupid bet. In return, once a week, you come with me on a visit to Helberg. That’s my offer. Take it or leave it.’
He didn’t answer. Still didn’t move. But she saw the flicker in his eyes.
‘Come to the office next week,’ she said. ‘I’ll text you with a time that’s convenient.’
‘What if it’s not convenient for me?’ he muttered huskily.
She shrugged. ‘It’s your choice. You want to be seen with me then you’ll make it convenient. I’m not the one trapped in a stupid bet.’
‘You know you won’t change my mind, Skylar.’
Probably not, but she had to try. And she grudgingly respected that he was trying to warn her. But she had an in with him, and one thing that Skylar had always had was hope. So she smiled at him. ‘We’ll see, won’t we?’