Since I Saw You (Because You Are Mine #4)(69)
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.
“Why are you acting so strangely tonight?” she demanded, her irritation with him undisguised.
“I’m sorry for upsetting you before the performance began,” he said quietly. “But I think you know as well as I do that the Noble Enterprises of today is not the same company as it was yesterday.”
“You’re right,” Lin said coolly. “It’s more diverse and financially vibrant than it’s ever been.”
“Thanks to you, in large part,” Jason said, rubbing his hands up and down her bare arms. “And what have you got to show for it, Lin?”
“Jason, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—hopefully for the last time. I’m flattered by the offer, but I’m not interested in working for Klinf. Now that’s settled. Answer my question. Why are you being intentionally rude to Kam?”
His grip on her arm tightened. “Because of the two assets presented to me here tonight—Kam’s admittedly brilliant invention, which I probably can’t afford, in the endgame—and your beauty, talent, and expertise, I’d rather have you. Besides, if I play my cards right,” he murmured, “I might be able to have both.”
“What are you talking about?” she demanded, trying to step away from him. He pulled her toward him again, his grip unrelenting.
“You’ve been learning a lot about Reardon’s device, haven’t you? All that valuable firsthand experience? That’s an asset all on its own.”
Her disbelief at his audacity made her stop struggling for a moment. “You’re deluding yourself if you think I can comprehend Kam’s genius. Even if I could, I’d never divulge inside information to you.”
“Does Ian allow you to hold private shares in Noble Enterprises?” Jason asked, switching tracks smoothly. “Don’t bother to answer. I know he doesn’t. He refuses to give anyone a single share of his hoard, not even to you, despite his professed loyalty to you and his supposed inability to do business without you.”
“Noble is privately held,” Lin hissed. “I’ve never asked Ian to buy shares.”
“Because you know he wouldn’t give you the opportunity.” Lin flinched like he’d slapped her in the face, his blunt statement taking her off guard.
“Now that he has a wife and a child on the way,” Jason continued relentlessly, “he’s even less likely to release his tight grip on Noble. It’s a lost cause, Lin. All the time and sweat and tears you’ve put into that company, all your brilliance is being used by Noble to build an empire for his future family dynasty, and you’ll be even more of an outsider,” Jason murmured sadly. “If you come with me, I’ll offer you not only a salary worthy of your talents, but I’ll give you stock in Klinf. Up to ten percent, if you want it. We’ll be true partners, not some hollow partnership like Noble is tossing out like leftover scraps to you. You’ll epitomize the elegance and glamour of Klinf. The company will be stronger and more viable than ever with you by my side. I will be,” he whispered hoarsely, his dark eyes glistening with a hard edge.
Lin saw it coming, but she still cringed when he leaned down to kiss her. She swung her chin aside, avoiding his descending mouth. Could this evening be any more of a disaster? She tried to break loose and stumbled in her high heels.
“Jason, let go of me,” she insisted firmly. His mouth moved on her clamped jaw. She wrenched her arms from his hold, making a frustrated sound when he grabbed her again. He squeezed her arms painfully.
“I mean it. You’re hurting me, damn it,” she grated out.
She was seriously considering a particularly powerful form of the word no she’d learned in a Kung Fu class she’d taken. Something caught her attention first. From the corner of her eye, she saw a large hand tap Jason’s shoulder twice. Jason lifted his head, an annoyed expression on his face.
“What the—” He loosened his hold on Lin to twist around when he was tapped again, harder. Lin’s eyes sprung wide when she saw the thunderous expression on Kam’s face. She instinctively stepped back, knowing a storm was about to break. Kam’s fist struck Jason’s jaw like a jet-fueled hammer. Jason’s spin on his planted feet struck her dazed brain as bizarrely comical. He still had a slightly surprised look on his face when he crumpled to the floor.