"No, she's fine." He smiled weakly. "Don't worry. Just get Dug-E to sign this contract and everything'll be okay."
She nodded and closed the door behind her. She got as far as the empty secretarial desk outside Bob's office. She flopped into the swivel chair and nearly swiveled right off it.
She tried to steady herself and her nerves but without much success. So much for not seeing Zack again. Bob and the agency needed Dug-E to stay afloat, that much was clear. Tears stung her eyes and the beige office suddenly went blurry. Oh, hell. Bob had been her father's best friend as well as business partner. He'd given her this job out of pity and a sense of duty to the man who'd helped him start the agency over forty years ago. And now he needed her to stop his business from going under.
The weight of it all pressed down on her shoulders, and suddenly her problem with Zack seemed miniscule. As much as she wanted him, as much as it hurt knowing Zack was only interested in her for sex, she had more important things to worry about. Bob needed her and she needed Zack. She couldn't be a rebel without him. End of story. She had to shove aside any feelings she had for him and get on with business. She could definitely do that. She had to. For Bob. And her father.
***
Despite her determination to forget about the night before, when Zack picked her up that afternoon and handed her flowers, Annie's emotions were still warring. She wanted to kiss him but the urge to throw the flowers back in his face was equally overwhelming. She settled for a demure "Thanks" and put them in a vase on her desk before heading out with him.
They said nothing until they were in the Ferrari and even then, conversation was agonizingly polite.
"I take it you're still angry with me," he finally said.
"Yes. No. Okay, yes, annoyed I guess. But I'll get over it. It's no big deal."
No big deal, she repeated to convince herself.
He sighed. "Right. Good. You had me worried for a while-I thought I might be getting those flowers shoved up my nose back there."
She laughed despite herself. "Now why would I do that? And how did you know lilies are my favorite?"
"Bob told me."
Traitor. "So explain to me why we're going to a protest rally," she said, returning to their mutually safe topic of turning her into a rebel.
"Street cred. It'll get you into the papers, people will talk-especially after I mention it at Louisa's party-and you'll become an instant celebrity around town. Dug-E will hear about it and he'll think you're cool."
"Sounds ingenious but how will you get me in the papers in the first place?"
"Leave it to me."
She didn't like the way he said that. It had an ominous ring to it. "You're not going to make me do anything illegal are you?"
He laughed. "Not unless you want to. I know a couple of photographers and journalists who'll be there. I'll slip them a few dollars to take a photo of you in the crowd and to spell your name correctly. No sweat."
"But Dug-E's from out of town-do you really think he'll hear about me on the grapevine?"
"Just to be sure, we'll slide the newspaper under his hotel door and I'll get a few people to mention your name in his presence. Easy."
Yeah, easy. So why was she so nervous? Probably it had something to do with spending the entire afternoon with Mr. Cool.
Zack found a parking space close enough to City Hall that it was probably illegal. The rally had begun without them and a mass of people stood chanting and waving placards at the building.
At the office she'd changed into jeans and a T-shirt bearing the slogan Animals have rights too. Zack wore his usual black jeans and T-shirt, no slogan.
"They only had one T-shirt I suppose?" she said as he hustled her past a line of police keeping the chanting crowd under control.
"It's not my image."
"But it's mine?"
"Who knows what your image is, Babe."
Not the same as yours, that's for sure.
They moved into the thick of the crowd and quickly picked up the chant. Someone handed her a banner and she waved it with gusto over her head, managing to bump Zack in the face with it a few times. Accidentally of course.
After nearly half an hour, she'd gotten into the rhythm of the protest. It was a good cause and she was an animal lover after all. Maybe she should go to other protests-
"Oh hell!" Zack cursed. She glanced up at him, but he was looking behind them. "My car's being towed!"
Good. Served him right for driving such an arrogant car. And for sleeping with her. And for leaving right after.
"Wait here until I get this sorted out." He raced away and was quickly swallowed by the crowd.
But fifteen minutes went by and he hadn't returned. The protesters were getting edgy. The mayor hadn't appeared on the steps of City Hall as promised and they wanted his blood.