AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey there.” Roman claps me on the back as if we are old friends. He’s in the same business as me but I wouldn’t consider him a rival. He doesn’t run his company as aggressively as me and Gemma so he will never be as successful. “How’s it going, buddy? Don’t you love all these networking events? So much fun.”
He rolls his eyes and snorts with disgust. To me, these events are integral. Without networking, any advertising business can’t survive. But I don’t need to get in to some kind of debate with him.
“Hmm, sure.” I watch Gemma tossing her head back and laughing loudly at the handsome man in a suit who is doing his best to charm her. I’m sure that from her end this is all business related, but I’m jealous none the less.
“So, how are things with you?” Roman continues. “I’m surprised to see you alone right now.”
“Why is that?” Why is she fluttering her eye lashes at him? Does she like him? Oh God, I might go over there in a moment and stake my freaking claim. “I have been networking while I’ve been here.”
“You usually have a hot young lady hanging off your arm by this point.”
His words remind me of Leanne and how different things were the last time that I was at an event like this. It wasn’t networking then, it was for charity, but my life couldn’t have been more different. I didn’t even look for Gemma then, I didn’t even notice that she was there. Now I can’t keep my eyes off of her. Things were much more simple back then but not as exciting. I didn’t enjoy myself as much as I am right now.
“Yeah well, maybe I am here for business alone right now.” I shrug my shoulders and try to act blasé.
“Maybe so, but I thought sex was how you always did business. I thought that was how you got to the top.”
I am so done with Roman. I don’t like the guy anyway but right now he’s annoying me more than usual. I also don’t like the way that Gemma seems to be flirting with this man. I need to put a stop to it before the jealousy twists up angrily inside of me and turns me in to a green-eyed monster. It makes it worse that I haven’t ever felt this way about someone before, that I don’t know how to deal with these emotions.
“I’ve got to get back to it, Roman,” I tell him as I walk off. “Speak to you later, okay?”
I’m sure that he is offended, but I don’t care. I don’t want anything to do with him right now. I have something much more pressing to deal with. I storm across the room to where Gemma is flirting, and I interrupt the conversation. I’m pretty sure that I’m not wanted but I can’t seem to stop myself.
“Hey there.” I extend my hand out to the man. “I’m Daniel Wilson. Nice to meet you.”
“Zachary Brookes.” He smiles at me, an easy-going good-looking smile which twists up in my gut. “Good to meet you too. I am just getting to know Miss Gemma Dove here. Marketing extraordinaire.”
Oh sure, but she isn’t the only option.” I hand him my business card, not quite sure what the hell I am doing here. “I work in advertising as well. My company is one of the most successful in the city…”
Zachary glances his eyes between me and Gemma, wondering what the hell he has gotten himself in to. At least he seems to assume that it is a business rivalry and not anything more. But he is already backing away, trying to make his escape. I don’t know if either of us will get to work with this man.
“What the hell did you do that for?” Gemma hisses as soon as Zachary has gone. “I had a great bond with that man there. I’m pretty sure that I was going to get some work until you barged in.”
“You were flirting with him,” I shoot back angrily. “You knew that I was watching, and you flirted…”
“I wasn’t flirting I was having a conversation with him. You must be losing your mind. And you don’t have the right to come and yell at me even if I am flirting with someone else. You down own any part of me.”
I feel a heat traveling through my body as she says that because I know that she is right. This jealousy shouldn’t be here circling through my body, none of this should matter, yet it does, and I hate that. “I just…. I just don’t think that it’s right for you to flirt to get to where you want to be. It should be on your talent.”
“Are you joking me right now?” Gemma might as well have steam pouring out of her ears because she’s so angry at me. But it’s okay because her focus is all on me. “I can’t even talk to you.”
