Seductive Guest by E. L. Todd Page B

chewing. “I’m a jerk because I think you’re way out of Nathan’s league?”
    I stopped myself from grabbing another slice off the pan and looked at him. “You think I’m out of his league?” Really? Me? Nathan was a gorgeous billionaire. I was just a secretary.
    “Yes, sweetheart.” His voice contained his annoyance.
    “Did you see the guy?”
    “Big deal. He’s a tall good-looking guy. You can find his clones walking the streets every day.”
    “But he’s successful. He built his company from the ground up. He’s not even thirty. Isn’t that amazing?”
    He shrugged. “I didn’t realize you were the kind of girl who cared about money. Perhaps I misjudged you.”
    His words got under my skin. “No, I don’t care about money. But Nathan worked really hard to reach his goals. I admire that. He accomplished something most people could never do. And that’s what I care about.”
    “I think someone’s position is only a small part of who they are. You shouldn’t put too much value on it.”
    “Again, that’s not what I’m saying.” It seemed like he played devil’s advocate out of spite.
    He put down his pizza. “Listen up. You clearly aren’t getting it. Look, take away the rich empire and the pretty face. What’s left?”
    “What do you mean?”
    He released a sigh of irritation. “What’s left of Nathan? What qualities remain?”
    “He’s sweet—”
    “He ditched you to get laid. In my book, that makes him a pig.”
    “He’s generous—”
    “Because he donates money for a tax write-off?” River asked. “No, that makes him a greedy asshole.”
    River and I would never see eye-to-eye on this. “I don’t understand you. I paid you to do a job so why don’t you just do it and keep your mouth shut? What does it matter if I like a man who doesn’t deserve my affection? It doesn’t affect you at all.”
    He grabbed his soda and took a drink. His lack of reaction told me he didn’t care to continue the argument. But when he set the soda down, he continued. “This is my problem.”
    I patiently listened.
    “Seeing these amazing women with lame guys. It drives me crazy.”
    “Meaning?”
    He stared at me with his piercing blue eyes. “Meadow, you’re a beautiful girl. I noticed it the first time I saw you, even when tears were coming out of your eyes. You’re sweet, thoughtful, and you aren’t the type to hold a grudge. You forgive people when they don’t deserve it because you don’t have the darkness to continue your hatred. Those are admirable qualities. But yet, you want a guy who’s clearly the opposite of all that. It just drives me crazy.”
    It still didn’t make any sense. “But how does this affect you personally? Did you want a woman who didn’t want you back? Were you me at one point in your life?” I found that hard to believe. Just one look at River told me he always got what he wanted. What woman would say no to him? When he kissed me I felt weak and I didn’t even know him.
    He picked up the next slice. “Forget I said anything. I’ll stop giving you a hard time.” He retreated, taking his hostility with him. His voice became smooth, like it was on the night of the charity event.
    Since the argument was over, I didn’t say anything to make that change. I let it die even though I was curious about River’s personal interest in my situation. “Have you met a lot of crazy girls doing this?”
    “Too many to count,” he said with a laugh. “But the crazies make it interesting.”
    “What’s the worst you’ve had?”
    He smirked then rubbed his chin. “Let me open the vault… Yes, I got one.” He balled up his napkin in one hand. “I went out with this girl, but when I met her I recognized her. I went to high school with her. She looked different and I couldn’t remember her name, but I knew her. She paid me to escort her so her family would stop pestering her about settling down. Anyway, when I walked her home everything was fine. We stopped