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“I only had a couple glasses with my steak.”
Sebastian kept his gaze on his brother.
“I can’t believe you really think I’d go after the first girl you’ve shown any interest in in years.” It wasn’t unlike Gus to steer the conversation away from his drinking.
Sebastian shrugged his shoulders. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Hey, that was years ago, and Macy only wanted one thing out of your relationship.”
“My bank account remembers well.”
“I did you a favor there. She was good for a little fun, but not the girl for you.”
It was the same with most girls Sebastian attempted to date over the years. At first, they seemed genuinely interested, acting like they actually wanted to get to know him, but as the relationships progressed, the topics of conversation often turned to buying this or that, going to fancy restaurants, taking the limo or the private jet on trips. It was never about their future, only about what he could give them or buy them. He’d only had one serious dating relationship in his life—Serena—but in the end, that had turned out to be a lie too.
When he’d sworn off dating, the fact that he might always be alone saddened him, but he’d gotten used to it over time. He had a family who loved him, and while at times he longed to be close to a woman, he was mostly happy with his life.
But now that he’d met Genevieve, the longing to connect on a deeper level was overwhelming. And the possible threat of his brother swooping in drove him crazy.
He almost laughed aloud thinking about wanting an honest relationship with her when he’d started theirs off with a lie. Kurtis? What had he been thinking? Why hadn’t he just told her who he was? She might have been embarrassed at first for insulting him unknowingly, but they could have moved past that awkwardness and at least she would have known who he really was.
But then he thought again about how relaxed and open she was with him. There were no barriers because of status, and that had felt amazing. It had reaffirmed in his mind that this was the right choice for now. At least until he knew if this could actually go somewhere.
“Hello.” Gus waved his hand in front of Sebastian’s face. “Are you in there?”
“Huh?”
“Gosh, I’ve never seen you so moony over a girl before.”
“Shut it.”
“You’ll be happy to know that she’s single. At least I think she is. She mentioned money being hard to deal with when you’re single.”
“Why were you talking about money?”
“I asked if she would rather marry a rich man or a poor man.”
“What?” He was so exasperated with his brother at times.
“I was trying to gauge her feelings about guys with money.”
“And that question was going to give you your answer?”
“She said it didn’t matter to her. That she’d choose a poor man if she was in love with him. And she thinks you’re poor, so … go and fall in love.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“It didn’t matter how impressed she was with that office, she clearly wasn’t impressed with me. She only asked about you … or should I say ‘Kurtis’.”
“She asked about me?”
Gus smirked. “Just go.”
“I already stopped by her office once today. I don’t want to seem too eager.”
Gus rolled his eyes. “She’s off and running already. You should’ve heard her talk about this event. The wheels are turning, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already set up meetings.”
Sebastian shook his head and smiled. “She’s so incredible.”