Since I Saw You (Because You Are Mine #4)(56)
Author: Beth Kery

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.