Page 178 of The First Taste

Calum leans his head over to me. “Don’t be so nervous,” he murmurs in my ear.

I swallow and look up at him. “Am I that obvious?”

His lips twitch. “Not to everyone. But I’m the lucky man whose arm you are clutching like it’s the only thing keeping you afloat.”

I look down and flush. I’ve got Calum’s arm in a death grip and I didn’t even notice. Relaxing my hand, I take a breath and apologize.

“Sorry,” I whisper back. “I’m just intimidated by all the diamonds and Rolexes I see on the crowd. I thought I was wealthy growing up, but not compared to this room full of people.”

Calum flashes me a smirk. “It’s just money, Kaia.”

I wrinkle my nose at him. “I feel like the only people who say that are already filthy rich.”

He makes an mmm sound, apparently not feeling like engaging me on that subject at this moment. Instead he lifts his head, swiveling his gaze around.

“What are you looking for?”

His eyes tighten a little as he slips his arm from my grasp. I open my mouth, about to protest, but he eases his arm around my waist.

“I’m looking for Jack Schwartz. He’s the owner of a cryptocurrency modulating software that is particularly ingenious. And I have been trying to buy his company for six months now.”

I screw my face up. “A crypto what?”

Calum shoots me a wry smile. “Cryptocurrency. That’s how I took a few million, invested it, and came out with enough money to start Indica Tech.”

My brows descend. “And Indica Tech… did well?”

He scoffs. “You’ve got to be kidding. Google, Apple, Indica… we’re one of the biggest tech firms out there right now.”

I pull a face. “I can barely use my cell phone. I’m not exactly savvy with most of that stuff.”

He stops look around the room, suddenly squinting at me. “You seriously just think that billionaires fall from the sky?”

My eyes widen. “Billionaire? Like… you have a billion dollars?”

His lips curve up just a little. “Yes, beauty. My company is worth several hundred billion dollars. I’ll leave you to figure out what that means for me.”

I blink up at him. “That’s… an incredible amount of money.”

He nods, looking around again. He sees the person he is looking for, apparently, because he starts ushering me over toward the other side of the ballroom.

We walk right up to an older man with a thin gray mustache wearing a tuxedo. The man has his arm around a lovely older woman who is wearing a pale purple gown and so many diamonds it’s a surprise that she can stand up straight.

They are talking to another couple, but Calum seems unconcerned about that. He elbows his way into their small circle, a broad smile on his face. I’ve never seen Calum smile like that before, with all his teeth.

It’s unsettling and disingenuous, like seeing a shark smile a second before he eats you.

“Mr. Schwartz!” he calls out. “What a surprise!”

Mr. Schwartz blinks a few times and turns toward us. He takes Calum in, his green eyes narrowing. Then he looks at me for a second, dismisses me, and does a double take. His lips part. His eyebrows rise.

“Well, aren’t you enchanting,” he purrs. He drops his arm from the woman he’s holding close and steps toward me. I stand up a little straighter and blink rapidly.

I don’t know that Mr. Schwartz even recognizes Calum as a person. He swoops in and takes my hand in his clammy grasp, bowing over it and placing a very wet kiss on the back.

“Enchanté, mademoiselle.” He straightens but doesn’t release my hand. “Call me Jack. What’s your name, doll?”

I lick my lips, nervously glancing at Calum. Calum’s lips are pressed into a thin line but he doesn’t say anything. So I just incline my head.