Page 28 of Psychopath

“He didn’t approve, said I was too reckless and they’d come back to bite me.”

“Did you…” Quinn swallowed. “Ever love any of them?”

“No. They said I was a party animal. Addicted to sex, and so—”

“That’s what you became.”

Zane grinned and leaned back in his chair. “You’ve got it.”

“Must’ve been lonely.”

“I was sleeping with men and women nearly every night. Why would you think I was lonely?”

“No emotional attachment.”

“Who wants emotions? Who wants romance?”

Quinn bit his lip. “A lot of people.”

“I learned from my dad’s pinning over my mum that love isn’t worth my time, but I can tell you like the idea of it.”

Quinn shrugged. “I don’t feel ashamed of that—”

“And nor should you. It’s not for me, that’s all. These…beautiful people offered themselves, and I used them.”

“That doesn’t sound nice.”

“They knew it wasn’t love. I never deceived them into thinking it was. It was sex, sometimes just sex on its own with no strings is so much better, no drama, no awkwardness, only pleasure for the both of you.”

Zane’s eyes glinted, and he raised his eyebrow as if challenging Quinn to argue.

“Do you think any of these beautiful people wanted more from you?”

“Money, a step up the ladder at work, their picture in the paper to help plug their next product or expand their social media following.” He shrugged. “Sure, they wanted me for my name. Everyone did at first.”

“There’s been a lot of…stories about you. Kiss-and-tells.”

“Kiss-and-tells.” Zane sighed. “At first I quite enjoyed them.”

“Why?”

“Reading in the paper that I was a relentless lover was an ego boost. Attractive men and women would come up to me because of what was said about me; they wanted a taste for themselves, and I indulged.”

“You said…at first.”

Zane hummed. “One woman threatened to expose my love of rape fantasies.”

Quinn stiffened. “What?”

“It was a lie. I could be rough, liked to be in control, but that fantasy wasn’t for me. She threatened to expose me; I was young, didn’t want that written about me, so I paid her off, which was the worst thing I could’ve done.”

“What happened?”

“Things spiralled then, more allegations, more kiss-and-tells but with darker claims. My legal team was struggling to get control of the situation, and of course when it’s revealed I paid someone to keep quiet, that can only be because I’m hiding something sinister, right? A depraved sexual appetite. An aggressive and abusive Zane Black sells more papers than one that gives multiple orgasms.”

Quinn averted his gaze. “How many partners would you say you’ve had?”

“Now that”—Zane flashed his teeth—“is a very personal question.”

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