Page 436 of His Virgin Romance Series

“What about you?” I asked. “Have you had many jobs before you made it big?”

Gregory smiled. “The truth is, I’m one of those spoon-fed rich kids. My father was a powerful man, and he pulled strings to get me into Harvard. Afterwards, he got me a job in this company and things sort of snowballed from there. I made contacts, rose through the ranks, and when I was confident enough, I started a company of my own. None of which would have happened at all if I hadn’t already been rich.”

I smiled. “It’s nice that you’re so honest.”

“You have to be honest with yourself if you expect to get anywhere in life,” he observed. “I’ve worked hard for what I’ve achieved, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that I never had to start from scratch. I always had opportunities handed to me. You can’t know how much I admire you for doing things on your own, instead of relying on your parents.”

“Hey, I’m not judging,” I rushed to tell him. “There’s nothing wrong with getting help when someone offers. The point is that you take the help you’re given and make something more of it. It’s what Jason did, and it’s what Seth did, too.”

“That’s—”

“Brie,” a hard voice said at my shoulder. “Gregory.”

I turned around in surprise to see Seth standing over our table, staring daggers at Gregory. His expression was cold, bordering on furious, and I was shocked at how harsh his tone was.

“Seth,” I said uncertainly. “What’s wrong?”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Seth demanded of Gregory, without even looking at me.

Gregory kept calm and regarded Seth coolly. “I’m having dinner,” he said, with a faint smile. “What are you doing?”

Instead of answering him, Seth turned to me. “Brie, come with me.”

I bristled at his commanding tone of voice. “Excuse me?”

“I need to speak with you—now.”

“About what?”

“I think Brie just wants to have dinner with me, Seth,” Gregory said. He put his hand on Seth’s arm, but Seth shook it away violently.

“Seth,” I said, standing up. “Calm down; if you want to talk, let’s talk. Excuse me, Gregory.”

I could sense how tense and cold Seth seemed to be. The moment we had turned into a large, deserted corridor, he rounded on me.

“What are you doing with him?” he demanded.

I raised my eyebrows. “We were having dinner,” I said. “Before you interrupted us.”

“He’s not good enough for you.”

I was taken aback by the reaction. I had hoped for a little jealousy, but I’d never expected this kind of uncontained anger. I couldn’t even be pleased because I was so shocked.

“He’s not?” I asked in disbelief.

“He plays the field,” Seth blurted out. “He flits from one woman to another without a care in the world.”

“Something you have in common with him.”

My comment made him pause for only a second. “He’s too old for you; he’s too experienced, and you’re too—”

“Too what?” I demanded, starting to get angry myself.

“Too…young,” Seth said, tripping over his words. “Too inexperienced…too pure.”

I blinked at him for a moment. When I found my voice, I took a step towards him and looked him directly in the eye. “I am not a child, Seth,” I said through gritted teeth. “I am no one’s plaything, and I certainly am not yours to be told who I should or should not be having dinner with. I am a grown woman. And I will make my own decisions. If you don’t like it, then that’s your damn problem.”

Seth was quiet for so long that I started to feel a little uncomfortable. The coldness in his eyes ebbed a little, but I could see that he was still angry.

I shook my head at him. “I can’t believe you still see me as a child.”

He looked down, breaking the eye contact between us. “I definitely do not see you as a child,” he said softly.

The change of tone surprised me, prompting me to search his face for some clue as to the cause. His intense dark eyes were masked over, and I could barely decipher what was hidden beneath them. I felt the heat between our bodies and the tension of our exchange, and for one insane second, I thought he was going to kiss me.

And just as my body leaned in towards his, Seth turned his back on me and walked away without so much as a word or a backward glance.

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