suddenly escalated. She refused to let hope rise until she’d read the small print in his words. ‘So...you’ll sign over what NMC promised me?’
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.
‘I’m not unwilling to renegotiate our terms, Mr Valentino...’ she ventured.
‘I’ve had my mouth on parts of your body that I believe have earned me the right to hear you say my first name.’
Her blush was fierce and horrifyingly embarrassing. ‘Fine! You can have thirty per cent,’ she blurted.
His eyebrows shot up. ‘Thirty per cent of your body?’
‘What are you talking about? God, you think I’m renegotiating with my body?’ She gasped in shocked horror. ‘I’ll have you know that I’d rather die than do something like that!’
His discomfiture was evident as he slowly straightened and spiked a hand through his hair. ‘I’m...sorry,’ he murmured.
A touch of warmth dispelled the ice. ‘Apology accepted.’
‘Per favore, enlighten me as to what you meant.’
‘Part of the deal for winning was that you’d help with the cash prize and advertising and I’d give you a twenty-five-per-cent share in my business for the first three years. After that I’d have the option to buy it back from you. I’m willing to go up to thirty per cent.’
His shook his head. ‘I have a new proposal for you. Agree to it and you can keep your extra five per cent.’
‘Do I have a choice?’
‘There’s always a choice, cara.’
‘Okay, let’s hear it.’
‘Convince me of your talent. If you’re good enough, I’ll hire you to cater my upcoming VIP party. If you’re better than good, I’ll recommend you to a few people. Now, the only thing you need to decide is if it’s a choice you wish for yourself.’
‘But I’ve already proved I deserve this by winning the show.’
‘Then this should be a doozy.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Do you agree to my terms?’
The sense of injustice burned within her, the need to stand her ground and demand her due strong.
But from what she’d seen of him so far he could destroy her just as easily as he’d offered to help her. He’d rightly pointed out that she’d sought him out under false pretences. She should be thanking her lucky stars he hadn’t turned her over to the security guards.
The small print in her Petit Q contract had warned of serious repercussions if she breached confidentiality or behaved inappropriately towards a Q Virtus member.
So far she’d breached several of those guidelines. It was therefore in her interest to stay on the right side of Narciso Valentino.
If he could throw away thirty million dollars with the careless flick of those elegant fingers, surely it was worth her while to endure this small sacrifice to prove herself to Narciso. Getting her restaurant opening back on track would also send her parents the message once and for all that she had no intention of bowing to their pressure to join the family business.
She sucked in a breath, which hopelessly stalled when his eyes darkened. ‘Yes, I agree to your terms.’
He didn’t move. He just stood there staring at her. Ruby had the weird sensation he was weighing her up, judging her...
Unable to stand his stare, she started to turn away. His eyes dropped to her bare legs, heat flaring in his gaze. The power of it was so forceful she took a step back. Then another.
‘Stop,’
