Billionaire Bad Boy(33)
Author: Kendra Little

They stopped outside a well-lit mansion and a parking attendant greeted them. Zack handed him the keys to the Ferrari and without a second glance back at the expensive machine, he took Annie by the arm and led her inside.

They were greeted at the door by a waiter and a glass of champagne. Zack whisked her inside so quickly she didn’t even have a chance to feel nervous or take in her surroundings. The one thing she did notice was that everything was made of white marble. They were led along the hall and through to a sparsely furnished lounge where a throng of impossibly sexy people chatted. An attractive woman approached. Annie recognized her as a well known TV actress.

"You didn’t tell me this was Louisa Mondeo’s party," Annie whispered to Zack before the woman reached them.

"You didn’t ask." He held out both hands and Louisa caught them in pink talons. He smiled but not widely. For the first time, Annie wondered if he really enjoyed this sort of thing or whether it was all a carefully acted play.

"Zack, Daaahling." Louisa pecked him on both cheeks. "We haven’t seen you out and about for sooo long. What brings you to my little soiree?"

Louisa Mondeo was exactly like the character she played in the TV soap Steamy Nights—slick. Her black hair was tied back in a tight knot, pulling the skin on her face tight in a vain attempt to make her look wrinkle-free. All it really did was stretch her lips into a permanent smile. The pink lipstick matched the pink claws, pink earrings, pink dress and shoes. Annie felt a headache coming on just looking at her.

Louisa had started to chat to Zack about her show when he interrupted her and introduced Annie as "a friend".

"How nice." She extended her claw and Annie shook it, being careful not to touch the pink talons in case they snapped off. "What did you say your name was?"

"Annie McCallum."

"She’s an agent," Zack said.

"Really?" Louisa perked up and thrust her cle**age forward. Perhaps her contract was up with the network.

"Music agent," Annie clarified.

Louisa’s top lip curled. "Oh. But you look so familiar." She tapped a talon on Zack’s shoulder. "Have I met her before?"

"She was in today’s papers. She got arrested at a protest outside City Hall."

Louisa’s eyes bulged so wide Annie grew concerned the blue contacts would pop out. "Really! How interesting! Trust you to go out with a girl like that, Zack." She grinned cheekily at him and sauntered off, but not before giving Annie the once over beneath lowered lashes.

Once Louisa was swallowed up by the crowd, Annie surveyed the room. Not a good idea. There were more celebrities at the party than a PBS telethon and she suddenly realized how much of a nobody she was—and how much of a somebody Zack was.

She swallowed her anxiety, but the damn thing kept rising back to her throat trying to choke her. She took another sip of champagne and felt Zack’s hand tighten around her shoulders.

"Just relax," he said quietly. "Remember, you’re better than everyone here."

Yeah right. Good try, but he needed to do better than lie to get her to relax.

She glanced up at him. He was watching her. His eyes were dark and mysterious and she fought the urge to reach up and brush his cheek with her fingers. Problem was, she hadn’t put any nail polish on so she kept them discreetly at her side. On second thought, she tucked her right hand in Zack’s arm where it couldn’t be seen.

He squeezed it and gently tugged her forward. They joined a small group of people who greeted Zack like a long lost friend and eyed Annie suspiciously.

"Ah-ha," cried the young guy beside her. "You were in the paper today."

"She hit a cop," Zack said. "Got arrested."

"No way," said a young girl, dressed in a skimpy white dress, standing too close to Zack. "Did they hurt you bad?"

"Um, not—"

"She’s got a few bruises," Zack said. "Cuts, that sort of thing. Lucky she knows people in the right places or she’d still be in a cell."

"No shit," said the original speaker. He was mid-twenties with hair that needed a cut and clothes needing an iron. His attention was completely focussed on Annie. It was unnerving but she stood her ground. He was the perfect candidate to try her flirting technique on. Problem was, she really didn’t want to. She felt drained, emotionally exhausted. She sighed and grabbed another champagne from a passing waiter to give her strength.

"That’s so cool," he said again, inching closer. "So what do you do, Annie?"

"Agent. Music industry."

His eyebrows nearly flew off his forehead. "Really! What a coincidence, I’m a musician."

Her gaze flicked to Zack but he was brooding and she doubted she could rely on his help to extricate her.

The musician, Rick, launched into a well-rehearsed spiel—which he probably saved for just such occasions—about how he’d got started and how he was "gonna make it big". If only he had the right agent.

It took a Herculean effort for Annie not to roll her eyes. After what seemed like hours, she glanced in Zack’s direction. She and Rick had somehow parted from the others—probably because every step he took toward her, she took one back—and they now stood out of ear shot. But Zack didn’t notice her pleading looks. He was deep in conversation with a woman Annie recognized. Melanie, the watermelon br**sts from the bar. She bit her lip and tried not to look their way again, but her curiosity nearly killed her.

"Say," Rick said, trapping her against the buffet, "how about we go outside. It’s cooler." His mouth was very close to her ear. He stank of soda pop and wacky tobacky.

What the heck. If Zack was too interested in Melanie and her watermelons to care who Annie spoke to then she might as well continue with the flirting. Not that she’d done much—Rick needed no encouragement.

He took her by the hand and led her through the lounge to the large double doors that led to a courtyard and pool beyond. As they passed Zack and Melanie, Zack caught Annie’s arm.

"Where are you going?" he asked, voice rumbling somewhere in the depths of his chest. He seemed annoyed, but that could have been Annie’s hopeful imagination playing tricks since he was wearing his expressionless expression.

"Outside." She sniffed. "That okay with you?"

He let go of her and turned back to Melanie who’d been appraising Annie with raised brows and a sneer on her bee-stung lips. Annie gave her a wink as if to say I know something you don’t, but she wasn’t sure if she got the message across. She probably just looked like she had something in her eye.