by BETH KERY
“What do you mean?”
Richard shrugged and gave her an apologetic glance. “An unrequited love sucks, but it certainly assures safety. I know how cautious you are in relationships. I know that it hurt you more than you ever let on when your parents left you here in the States and moved to Taiwan—”
“Oh, give me a break” burst out of her throat. “That was ages ago. Don’t play psychoanalyst with me, Richard.”
“And then your grandmother passed, and I know she was everything to you. I’m just saying that your fear of being abandoned by people you care about could make an impossible love pretty damn appealing. Face it. None of the men you ever date are going to match up. Take Jason Klinf, for instance, since we’re on the topic and you went out with him a few times—”
“Jason is an inveterate womanizer, you know that. I’d just be another notch on his bedpost,” Lin interrupted impatiently.
“So? He’d be another notch on yours, too. It goes both ways. My point is,” Richard persisted when she gave a little disgusted groan, “his lechery for you aside, Jason also wanted you to work for him. He offered you a king’s ransom to do it. But you wouldn’t even consider the idea, not even for a second. No, you never wavered in your loyalty to Ian. Ian gets to exist on some kind of insurmountable pedestal, and you never have to worry about his rejecting you because he never knows how you feel.”
“Or will ever know,” Lin said with a pointed glance. She shut her eyes, pressing lightly on her burning eyelids. She was alarmed to feel her hand trembling.
“Do you think Ian would show you the same loyalty, Lin?”
She looked up slowly at the sound of his sober question. Richard winced at whatever he saw on her face.
“Aw, sweetie. I’m sorry,” he groaned, standing.
“I’m not even sure how I do feel about Ian, despite all your confidence on the matter,” she exclaimed. “I really can’t think about all this right now. I have to get ready. I have to go—”
“To work,” Richard finished. “I know. Work is the place where you make everything in your world right. I respect that. I adore you. Just forget what I said. Thanks for the tissues. I’d give you a hug, but I don’t want to spread the plague, so I’ll just say ‘don’t worry.’ It’s all going to work itself out. You’ll see.”
“Thanks. I have some homemade soup in the freezer. It’s not the hot-and-sour, but it’ll still be good for your throat,” she said, leading him out of the room.
“Merci, ma poupée,” Richard said gratefully when she handed him the container of soup in a plastic bag. “We’ll talk more later, yes?”
Lin just nodded, sure her heart was on display in her eyes, and watched her friend leave the kitchen.
• • •
Kam resisted a nearly nonstop urge to rip at his shirt collar and give himself a little breathing room. Fucking tux. No wonder they called businessmen stiffs. These clothes were made for masochists, not men. Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around and saw a startled-looking waiter. The thin-faced man hurriedly stilled his slightly tottering platter of champagne flutes.
“Might you be Mr. Kam Reardon?” the waiter asked when everything came to a rest.
“Yeah,” Kam replied, his gaze skimming the elegantly clad crowd. They stood in the grand foyer of the Civic Opera House, people chatting, tippling champagne and eating hors d’oeuvres and fancy desserts. Lin had told him she’d meet him and Jason Klinf at the opening night party, so he’d reluctantly used his ticket to enter. It was now six forty, and Kam hadn’t glimpsed a hair on Lin’s gorgeous head, no matter how furiously he searched the crowd.
Even though he didn’t particularly feel like talking business with Jason Klinf or attending a crowded opera, he’d been looking forward to seeing Lin again. Instead, he was standing here like a chump in a penguin suit at a stuffy formal event, and Lin was glaringly absent.
“That man over there”—the waiter said, nodding his head in a general direction of the black-and-white, cocktailing mass of partygoers—“requested that I come over and check if you were Reardon.”
Kam’s gaze landed on a tallish, debonair man in his thirties with short brown hair and an expectant expression standing at the edge of the crowd. “Why didn’t he just ask me?” Kam asked bluntly.
The waiter looked offended. “I don’t know,” he said, his sallow cheeks flushing. “His name is Jason Klinf and . . . oh, here he comes.” Kam nabbed a glass of champagne from the waiter before he made his escape, not because he liked champagne, but because he suddenly felt certain that a drink was imperative for survival of this evening.
“Mr. Reardon?” the elegantly dressed man said, approaching him with a smile and hand outstretched. “Jason Klinf. I can’t tell you what a pleasure this is.”
“Thanks,” Kam said, shaking his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you and your watches from Lin.”
“I understand from Lin that this is your first time to the States. Are you enjoying yourself?”
Something caught Kam’s eye. He stared. “Yeah,” he said distractedly. “Enjoying myself immensely.”
Jason looked politely confused and turned to see where Kam was staring. In a sea of black-and-white tuxes and monochrome dresses, Lin wore red. Jason and he weren’t the only ones in the crowd gawking. The evening gown she wore had a plunging V neckline, leaving a mouthwatering, yet tasteful amount of her creamy, firm breasts exposed. Her hair was unpinned and fell in lush, sexy waves down her back and arms. She glided toward them instead of walked, her round hips moving in a mesmerizing, lust-inspiring sashay.
“Voulez-vous regarder ça!” Kam thought he heard Jason mutter under his breath. Would you look at that! Kam tore his gaze off the vision of Lin approaching long enough to throw the other man a repressive look. Klinf wasn’t doing anything different than Kam and the majority of males in the ballroom were, but he found the other man’s hot, covetous gaze on Lin especially offensive.
“I’m so sorry for keeping you waiting,” Lin said breathlessly, glancing from Kam to Jason. “A good friend of mine is sick and I needed to make sure he’s all right. Hello, Jason,” she said warmly, accepting Jason’s kiss of greeting on her cheek.
“Don’t apologize for a thing,” Jason murmured, not leaning back for a moment. “The result was more than worth the wait. You’re stunning, as usual.”
“Thank you,” she said. Her smile wavered slightly and she hesitated when she transferred her gaze to Kam. With a slight jerk, as if she’d had to jumpstart her actions, she put her hand on Kam’s arm and craned up to replicate the kiss of greeting Jason had given her.
“Kam,” she murmured.
The fabric of the dress was cut out on her shoulders, leaving them bare. He touched her there, feeling exquisitely soft, cool skin. He turned his head, interrupting her intention to kiss his jaw. Her kiss landed on the corner of his lips, his on hers. Using his hold on her, he kept her in place for an additional second, sliding his lips against hers, aligning them. He felt the tiny puff of air that signaled her surprise, and then the slight give in her lips as she ever so briefly molded them against his. That tiny gesture on her part gratified him. It was a fleeting kiss, but it was far from being the typical dry peck of greeting. He was getting a little fed up with all this cloak-and-dagger business when it came to the fact that he and Lin were more than just business associates. As a result, he didn’t regret Jason’s slight scowl when they separated.
He didn’t regret it a bit.
Lin stepped back. “Have you two had much of an opportunity to talk yet?” she asked, her voice smooth and melodious, even if a delicate pink hue was spreading on her cheeks.
“We had just introduced ourselves when you arrived,” Jason said. “I’ve been looking forward to this meeting ever since I read your article in the Journal of Electrical Engineering,” he told Kam. “Your invention is straight out of a science f
iction novel.”
“Oh, it’s a very real—and brilliant—thing. Yes, thank you,” Lin said when a waiter paused next to them with champagne. She started to reach, but Jason was already placing a flute in her hand. “Thank you,” she said. “Yes, Kam programmed me today for a demonstration of his device, so I got a firsthand display of the reality of it all.”
Klinf’s dark brows went up in dry amusement. “‘Programmed’ you, did he? That does sound interesting.” Lin’s smile faltered at Klinf’s sly dig.
“What do you mean by that?” Kam asked quietly, holding Klinf’s stare. Jason blinked disconcertedly.
“It was interesting,” Lin said brightly, as if to erase Kam’s glare. “I know I’m not an expert like the two of you, but it is starting to dawn on me how game changing Kam’s invention really is.”
“I do have questions about the practicality of the typical buyer of the watch being able to gather their own baseline readings. Do you really think it’s possible, Reardon?”
Kam scowled and saw Lin shift uncomfortably in her high heels when he didn’t immediately respond. He glanced at her face, guilt flickering through him at the hint of anxiety in her eyes.
“It’s not complicated. If an individual can read at the fifth-grade level, and if they have access to a computer, we should be able to provide a protocol that’s easily followed. There are several feedback mechanisms included, so a user will automatically be alerted if they are doing something wrong,” Kam said.
Klinf smiled broadly. “I can’t wait to see the demonstration. Especially since you’ve acquired the most lovely test subject,” he added warmly, leaning in closer to Lin. Irritation tightened Kam’s muscles when he saw Klinf’s gaze lower to Lin’s beautiful breasts. He opened his mouth to say something, but immediately closed it, his annoyance mounting. This was precisely one of the reasons why he didn’t want to participate in this whole damn process. Kam despised pretending to be something he wasn’t. If he said what he wanted to say—and do—in that moment, however, it would upset Lin.
Lin nodded in the direction of a distant archway. The crowd had begun to worm its way toward it. “It looks as if we’re going in.”
Kam frowned when Klinf was suddenly at Lin’s side, taking her arm. Slippery little eel, he thought. Klinf certainly seemed more interested in flirting with Lin than he was with Kam’s invention.
Not that Kam cared. He was in the habit of making quick but firm first impressions. There was no way in hell Jason Klinf was ever going to touch his device, let alone use it for his company.
• • •
Their seats were in the first row of a box on the mezzanine level. Lin paused before following Jason down the aisle.
“Perhaps you two would like to sit together so you can talk business before the opera begins?” she asked.
“Nonsense,” Jason replied, grabbing her hand and pulling her after him. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk at dinner. Nothing against you Reardon, but a beautiful woman next to me is a must for full appreciation of the opera.”
Lin settled uneasily in her seat. What had gotten into Jason? Yes, he was typically a flirt, but usually more tastefully so. He seemed determined to insult Kam. His behavior confused her, given his former professed fascination and interest in Kam’s invention. He’d certainly never woo Kam this way, she thought nervously, noticing Kam’s expression as he came to sit on the other side of her; Jason would undoubtedly be felled by his scowl if he were bothering to glance in Kam’s direction. Instead, he had leaned in to speak to her, his face just inches from her temple.
“How is Ian doing with fatherhood soon approaching?” he murmured.
“Oh, very well. He’s very excited,” Lin said, trying to speak loud enough to include Kam in the conversation and dilute Jason’s intimate manner.
“I would have never thought I’d see the day when Ian Noble settled with one woman so happily,” Jason continued, his voice volume very low. She glanced uneasily at Kam, but he was staring stonily out at the filling, gilded auditorium. As usual, she had the distinct impression he missed nothing about what was happening, however, despite Jason’s clandestine manner. “Do you think it’s possible now that Ian is finding so much contentment on the home front there might be the slightest opportunity that he’d loosen the reins on you, Lin?”
She blinked and turned to stare at Jason in amazement.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I was wondering if you would reconsider my offer about coming to work for Klinf. For me,” he said, his dark eyes moving over her face.
She smiled stiffly. Oh no. She’d thought he was over this. “Thank you again for the offer, Jason, but my answer hasn’t changed.”
“But your situation has, surely?” He noticed her bewildered expression. “Ian won’t be half so proprietary over you now that he’s so involved with his wife and future child. And for you, surely the appeal of being at his beck and call every second of every day has dimmed as well.”
It took her a moment to unfreeze her tongue. The icy hand that had seized her heart remained tight. She hated it, but some of the things Jason was saying now, and had said to her in the past, were not all that dissimilar to her own thoughts on the matter recently. Still, she’d never let Jason know that. “I’m a Noble executive. I hardly see how his having a wife and child affects my employment.”
“Don’t take offense, please,” he implored quietly, grabbing her hand. Her head turned as she shot Kam a nervous glance. From her side vision, she saw his long legs tense and shift. “I just meant that loyalties often alter when such large changes occur in an employer’s life,” Jason continued near her ear. “Yes, even when the alterations are in his personal life. You’re a practical woman. You must realize that.”
She turned toward him briefly.
“I realize no such thing,” she stated unequivocally. She pulled her hand away from his. What had gotten into him? She’d never seen Jason this way. Luckily, the lights dimmed and the audience hushed.
“We can speak more about it at the intermission,” Jason whispered.
She opened her mouth to tell him there was nothing to discuss, but the orchestra began to play. She sat there, watching the stage unseeingly, feeling trapped between Jason’s inexplicable crassness on one side and Kam’s silent, smoldering intensity on the other.
She had never enjoyed the opera less, despite the superiority of the performance itself. Jason and Kam seemed as tense and dissatisfied as she felt as they stood in the crowded lobby at intermission, waiting for some drinks.
“And what do you think of Vasquez, Kam? Do you think he’s adequate to the role?” Jason asked Kam pointedly, referring to the young South American tenor playing the part of Otello.
“He’s good,” Kam said with his typical laconism.
Lin had a sinking feeling when she noticed Jason’s smirk. Kam’s brief response had clearly been precisely what Jason expected from his pompous ideas of who Kam was. Why had she ever let Ian talk her into this? Beyond the fact of Jason’s strange, competitive mood, it clearly had been a mistake. Kam was not enjoying himself any more than she was.
“I’m not so sure I can agree with such eloquent praise,” Jason said drolly, taking their drinks from a waiter’s tray and passing them around. “I’ll admit to being a bit disappointed, given all the hype over Vasquez. Otello is one of the great acting challenges in opera. Vasquez has none of the flare and fire of Bardo, for instance, wouldn’t you agree, Lin?”
“Bardo blustered his way through Otello,” Kam said harshly. Jason looked at Kam in amazement, Lin with abrupt trepidation. “Vasquez has ten times his power vocally, and despite his supposed gaucheness, is much the subtler actor. If it came to a showdown of the two men, Vasquez would demolish that strutting peacock Bardo. Excuse me,” Kam said so abruptly that Lin jumped. He turned and walked
away.
Lin resisted an urge to laugh at Jason’s slack jaw. Jason looked at her with his mouth still hanging open.
“Did I say something to offend him?”
“What do you think, Jason?” she snapped. When she saw his surprise at her outburst, she inhaled and calmed herself with effort. Kam had already cut down Jason to half his size, even if Jason didn’t seem aware of his suddenly dwarfed stature. This night would not be made better by her further insulting one of Noble Enterprises’ business associates. She just wished this event were over.
“He doesn’t really like crowds,” Lin said, attempting to be neutral despite her cool tone. “He probably just went to use the facilities or to get a breath of fresh air.” She hoped what she’d said was true and that Kam hadn’t just left the opera house for good. She wouldn’t put it past him.
“He’s an odd one, isn’t he? If he didn’t look so much like Ian, I’d never believe they were related.”
Lin ignored the invitation to join in a sniping match about Kam. She sipped her champagne, thinking about the impatience on Kam’s face when he’d soundly put Jason in his place just now and walked away. Kam thought she was wasting his time, and Lin had to agree with him in this instance.
“Speaking of crowds, can we find a private place to talk?” Jason interrupted her preoccupation. “We have a few minutes before the intermission is over.”
Lin sighed. She didn’t want to talk to Jason in private, but maybe she’d better just kill this idea he had of her working for him once and for all. Besides, there were a few other things she needed to clarify with him.
“All right. But only because I’d like to hear why you’re being so rude to Kam.” Jason blinked at her bluntness, but quickly recovered.
She followed him to a deserted alcove that led to a closed-off stairwell. Jason reached for her champagne glass and set it, along with his, on the marble column at the foot of the stairs. The sounds of the crowd were muted here. Lin stiffened when he placed his hands on her upper arms.