"Hey!" she shouted after him, her temper rising. "Are you going to answer me or do you just expect me to follow?"
"Are you hungry?" he called back over his shoulder.
She hesitated then said, "Starving."
He tapped the pack. "Then I expect you to follow."
She chewed her lip then cursed under her breath. Yep, arrogant. "Damn you, DiMarco. I could just strangle you right now."
"Now, now," he teased without turning around, "violence never got anyone anywhere."
"No," she muttered, "but it's a great way to relieve stress."
Her hunger won over her frustration and she followed him at a trot. He'd better not expect her to follow him around like a puppy dog for the rest of the week. She wasn't one of his female groupies, hanging on his every word. She had a mind of her own and she intended to exercise it at every possible opportunity, especially around Zack.
Some time later she wondered if they were going to keep walking until they'd reached the other side of the park. Just when she was about to give into her grumbling stomach and ask him when they'd be stopping, he did.
"Will this do?" he asked.
They stood on a low hill surrounded by spectacular and unusual flora overlooking a small lake. Sunshine glinted on the water, dappling the leaves on the overhanging trees. Despite the heat, a breeze made the spot pleasant, particularly in the shade.
"Perfect," she said.
He laid down the pack and pulled out two sandwiches. "Hope you like pastrami."
"Love it. What else have you got in there?"
"Just a couple of sodas and apples."
"No beer?"
"I thought you didn't drink beer."
"Of course I drink beer." Twice in fact.
He shrugged. "I didn't think you did, and I didn't want you to start today when you've got to ride home on the bike in one piece."
"You think I'd fall off?" she scoffed. "What sort of idiot do you think I am?"
"I choose not to answer that on the grounds I may incriminate myself."
"Smartass."
They ate their sandwiches in silence. Zack lay on his side, propped up on his right elbow, his long legs stretched out. His jacket lay discarded alongside Annie's. She'd removed hers as soon as she got off the bike. No need to be seen wearing that hideous thing any longer than necessary.
At first she tried to look everywhere except at Zack, but her traitorous eyes couldn't stop turning to him. He was handsome, in a Wild West kind of way. That languorous pose displayed the corded muscles under his T-shirt to perfection. His hair hadn't suffered at all by being under the helmet—strands of it flopped across his forehead, messy, sexy. He was gorgeous. What hot-blooded woman could deny it? Certainly not the one sitting beside him, trying hard not to get caught out staring.
"When you've finished staring, maybe we could discuss our plan."
Oops. "What plan?" she asked casually.
He turned to her and those chocolate eyes looked good enough to eat as his gaze roamed with leisurely arrogance across her face. "How we're going to turn you into a new woman."
Annie swallowed the last bite of her sandwich too quickly and nearly choked. She suddenly felt uncomfortable about the whole deal. Trying to be someone she wasn't was...wrong, deceitful. No, more than that. It hurt. Yeah, that's what bothered her. It meant she, the real Annie, wasn't good enough. She forced down the emotions those thoughts stirred up. Long forgotten emotions she wished would stay that way.
But they wouldn't. Not while Zack relished the task of changing her into a wild child. It was as if he couldn't wait to see the results of his handiwork.
And that was just downright insulting.
"So, what's the plan?" she asked through clenched jaw. She tried hard to banish her insecurities—they were for a later time, when she was alone and he wasn't around to unsettle her with his confidence and come-here eyes.
"Tonight, I'll take you to a bar. We'll have a few beers, maybe some spirits if you're coping okay, then—"
"Of course I'll cope," she snapped. Relax, Annie. It's his problem if he doesn't like you the way you are. She knew that. So why did his eagerness hurt?
"Then tomorrow, I'll take you shopping."
"Shopping? For what?"
"Clothes. You can't wear that jacket if you want to hang out with me. You need some outfits that will make you more comfortable around people like your potential client."
Yep, she'd guessed right. He was embarrassed to be seen with her. That hurt, more than she liked to admit. Sure, she wasn't as well endowed as the women he usually hung out with, but she wasn't that bad.
Was she?
"You made me wear that stupid jacket," she countered.
"Don't remind me. I'm just glad no one recognized me under the helmet."
"Yeah, lucky," she sneered. "Anyway, my clothes aren't all terrible."
"After rummaging through your entire wardrobe earlier, I now know what you like to wear. None of it is appropriate for the image I'm trying to create."
Image. So it was nothing to do with her, just an image he wanted her to project. Fine, she could deal with that.
"And what image would that be?" she asked sweetly, playing along.
"Sleazy Hollywood agent wanted by everyone."
"I'm not sure about the sleazy part."
"Me either, but it's my gut instinct and I'm going with it. We'll turn you into the woman every man wants to sleep with and every woman wants to, well, sleep with."
Annie laughed.
Zack grinned back. "That's better. You should do that more often."
Embarrassed, she immediately stopped smiling. Then scolded herself for being too contrary. "I don't know about all this. I'm not sure I can pull it off."
"Why not? A change of clothes, hairstyle and more makeup and you'll at least look the part. Besides, you've got a great teacher."
She cocked a brow at him but said nothing. He didn't really get it. He didn't understand that it was more than just clothes and makeup. It was confidence, and she had a severe lack of that commodity in group situations, especially when everyone else oozed it. Of course, a man like Zack wouldn't ever understand that. He had it all—looks, money, sex appeal. He was perfect—probably always had been. How could he ever come close to understanding what it was like being a nerd? Hell knows, other people had tried to change her—her father for one—and not succeeded. What made Zack think he could?