“I see.” Ken considered his glass of wine. “What about the salary?”
“Also a hundred grand a year.”
“Any other offers?”
Lana went over the other two she knew of, although the details were fuzzy. When she finished speaking, Ken downed the last of his wine and said, “You know, if you worked for a place like Lois & Bachman, I bet they’d treat you the best out of them all.”
“What are you talking about?” She scoffed. “I’m not working for them. We decided, remember?”
“Yes, I remember.” Ken squeezed her hand. “But what if I told you that they’re blowing those other offers out of the water?”
Lana released his hand, sitting back in her seat with nothing but confusion to accompany her. “Excuse me?” What is this? Why are we talking about me working for your company? Did you forget that’s impossible if I’m your girlfriend? “I know you’re not offering me a job right now, Ken.”
“I’m not.” Ken signed for the bill to be added to his company’s tab. What is he doing? He wouldn’t risk his company knowing about this dinner unless… unless…
Unless they had already signed off on it. This was officially a business dinner.
“Then what the fuck are you on about?” Did he feel her ire? Did it burn him like her being truly pissed at him would light his balls on fire? Ken hadn’t seen that side of her. Don’t make me show you that side of myself, Kenneth Andrews. He wouldn’t like that side of her. “Did your boss sic you on me? I swear to God…”
He quickly leaned in toward her, hand on her arm. “Yes. Are you happy? Yes. Charlie Bachman showed up and told me to hire you so help me God. They’re willing to pay you more money than you make in six months working for Prescott. To sign on. They want to treat you like a fucking queen, Lana. You’d be an idiot to go to any other company for the relative peanuts. You’re worth more than that.”
“Worth more than…” Lana gasped. How dare he! Really! How dare he! Implying she was some whore who could be bought, sold, and traded to the highest bidder in the game. Bad enough she felt like cattle already. Did she have to feel like a piece of sexual meat too?
Oh, God.
That was what hurt the most.
In a single instance, the fantasy dissipated. The dates. The flirting. The sex. Ken Andrews wasn’t her boyfriend! He wasn’t even a simple convention fling!
The fucker had been buttering her up for a job offer!
That was the story exploding in Lana’s head, and she refused to believe anything else. From the moment she leaped up from her seat and looked the liar in the eye, she felt so… so stupid. How could she believe he wanted her for anything other than mere sex? To be his girlfriend! Yeah, so she would work for Lois & Bachman, no matter how bad of an idea that was!
“Lana, please…” Ken held up his hands in a futile effort to calm her down.
“Fuck off, you piece of shit.” Why was the wine gone? She would love to splash some on his face! Instead, Lana would have to make do with her dirty napkin, which she threw with gusto. “I can’t believe I fell for you. All of that… what we did… God!” She grabbed her purse and marched out from behind the partition, facing a hotel restaurant gallery full of half-drunk convention goers… including Roger Prescott cozying up to Charlie and David Bachman.
The. Bastards.
“Lana!” Roger called. She hurried past him, shooting both father and son of the Bachman fuckers the biggest stink eye to stain her face. “Where are you going? Come say hello to Charlie Bachman! You know, of Lois & Bachman?”
His voice was lost in the laughter and clinking glasses of the restaurant and neighboring bar. Terrible, embarrassing memories took Lana over. This bar is where we really met. This is where I decided to fuck him. I thought he was nice! How could she be so foolish?
Apparently, she could easily be foolish.
Lana raced up to her room, keycard fumbling in the lock until she screamed in frustration. She bottled up another scream until she could collapse on her bed and shove her face in her feathery pillow.
She didn’t expect to follow that scream with gross, ugly tears that felt like they were drowning the heart she had so carefully shielded until now.