His eyes gleamed as he regarded her. ‘Eventually,’ he said lazily.
‘Ah, there it is. The big, fat catch. What does eventually mean?’ she demanded.
‘I need proof that you’re as good as you say you are. I don’t endorse mediocre ventures.’
‘Wow, are you always this insulting in the morning?’
‘Sexual frustration doesn’t sit well with any man, amante, least of all me.’
‘And you think bringing your sexual frustration into a business discussion is appropriate?’
Silver eyes impaled her where she stood. ‘You followed me thousands of miles and inveigled yourself into my company under false pretenses. You wish to discuss who holds the monopoly on what’s appropriate right now?’
‘What other choice did I have? I couldn’t lose everything I’ve worked for because your employee is chasing orangutans in the Amazon.’
‘I may be way off the mark but I don’t think there are any orangutans in the Amazon. Borneo, on the other hand—’
‘I didn’t mean it literally. I meant...’ She sighed. ‘Bottom line is, NMC agreed to help me launch my business and it’s reneging on the deal.’
‘And I’m giving you a chance to get things back on track.’
‘By making me jump through even more hoops?’
‘I employ the best people. There must be a reason why Stone delayed in honouring the agreement.’
‘And you think the fault is mine?’ Irritation bristled under her skin. He stood there, arrogant and nonchalant as she flailed against the emotional and professional sands shifting under her feet.
‘I’m trying to meet you in the middle.’
‘All you have to do is review the show’s footage. There were world-renowned food critics who judged my cuisine and cocktails the best. I won fair and square.’
‘So you keep saying. And yet I’m wondering if there’s something else going on here. If everything was above board, why didn’t you use lawyers to hold my company to account? Why the very personal touch?’
‘I don’t have the kind of money it takes to involve lawyers. Besides, I was hoping you’d be reasonable.’
He moved towards her, his gaze pinned on her face. Danger blazed from his eyes. Along with hunger, passion and a need to win at all costs.
Her heart hammered as she forced herself to return his stare.
‘You lied in order to get close to me. And you continued to lie until we were alone together. Having caught a glimpse of who I am, Ruby, how reasonable do you think I am?’ His tone was silky soft, but she wasn’t fooled. Underneath the lethally thrilling charm and the man who’d shown a surprising gentle side moments ago lay a ruthless mogul who ate amateurs for breakfast.
During her internet trawl she’d come across his moniker—The Warlock of Wall Street.
It took a special kind of genius to reach multibillionaire status by twenty-five and even more to attain the kind of wealth and influence Narciso Valentino wielded by his thirtieth birthday. If she didn’t tread carefully, she’d leave Macau the same way she’d arrived—with nothing.