Chapter 18 Calum
Calum
I’m at the stylish, hammered copper bar at Peychaud’s, toying with my drink. The lights are dimmed, the place is hopping. It’s busy tonight, the bar packed, the tables full of noisy people dressed in their date night best.
The bartender, a pretty brunette, comes over to check on me. “Would you like another Vieux Carre?”
I look down at the drink, surprised to find it all but empty. The dark cherry is still there along with a couple of half-melted cubes of ice. I check my watch with a sigh.
“Yeah. Might as well.”
She takes my old glass and heads down the bar. Right beside me, a group of young businesspeople throw their heads back, laughing hysterically. A redhead in a stunning red dress accidentally steps too far back. She whirls, her expression a bit tipsy but no less apologetic.
“Omigoooooddd,” she squeaks. “I’m so sorry.”
I frown at her. Normally I would use this moment to pick her up and fuck her in a storage closet. But Kaia is on her way here.
At least, in theory.
I’ve gone to great lengths to have Kaia at my beck and call; I know for a fact that she’ll give me exactly what I’m looking for, because I pay her to.
Which is why the redhead is off-limits, for now.
“No problem,” I say at last, starting to turn away.
She leans closer, peering at me with an incredulous look on her face. “Your eyes are stunning!” She says. “You’re not here all by yourself, are you?”
I glance at my watch again. Kaia is twenty minutes late. Which begs the question…
Am I here alone or not?
Before I can answer her, I notice Kaia outside the window, dressed in a tiny white dress. She’s running toward the bar, looking flustered.
“My date just got here,” I say. “You’ll excuse me…”
I turn and signal to the bartender to keep my seat and the chair beside it open. Then I walk over to the front door, where Kaia is being hassled by the door guy for ID.
I pull out my money clip and slide off a hundred dollar bill, waving it at the guy. “She’s with me.”
He doesn’t even blink or look up at me. He just takes the money and turns to the next person coming through the door.
Kaia looks at me, trying to catch her breath. She looks absolutely amazing, her tits pushed up and an almost scandalous amount of leg showing. I step closer, hugging her against my dark-suited body.
My lips twitch as I whisper in her ear. “You’re late.”
She pulls back, her eyes scanning my face. “I told you. I was on the other side of town.”
Guiding her back to our seats at the bar, I pull her seat out for her. Her eyebrows rise.
“Are you being a gentleman for me now, Calum?”
I chuckle as I take my own seat. “Don’t worry, beauty. I promise that I’m still beastly underneath this posh exterior. I’m Dr. Jekyll right now, but wait until I get you alone.”
I smile at her, showing my teeth. She shivers as her eyes dip down to my mouth. I can’t get enough of those honest, innocent little reactions.
She licks her lips nervously, looking over at the bar. She leans close, whispering to me. “I’m not actually old enough to be in here.”
I squint at her. Yes, I know that I should pick women who are old enough to legally drink. And I usually do.
But Kaia is different. One look at her body while she was grinding on the pole at Club X and I knew I had to have her.
“Here,” I say, picking up the Vieux Carre cocktail. “Try this.”
She takes a sip, looking at me. Then she makes a face. “It’s strong. And bitter. I… I don’t think I like it, Calum.”
I roll my eyes. “All right. We’ll start off easy. You like champagne, right?”
Her cheeks blaze bright pink. “Yes…”
I raise my hand as a signal. The bartender comes over, smiling. “What can I make for you?”
“Make her a French 75,” I say.
The bartender nods, disappearing. When she reappears a half minute later, she holds a champagne flute. The contents of the glass are a curl of lemon, a little gin, a dash of simple syrup, and an effervescent champagne topper.
“Here you go,” she says, setting it on a cocktail napkin before Kaia. “Enjoy.”
“Thanks,” Kaia says. She looks at me again as she tastes the cocktail. As though she needs feedback from me when sampling something new.
That’s… interesting.
Her expression brightens. “Mmm! This is good.”
I smile coolly. “Baby’s first cocktail.”
“Hmm?” she asks, leaning her head closer to my mouth.
“Never mind. Where were you when I called?”
Her mouth pulls down in a frown. “Here and there. Out with my friends.”
I narrow my eyes on her face. “What friends?”
I move my hand toward her cheek, thinking to tuck a piece of her cornsilk hair back behind her ear. But I’m not expecting her reaction.
Kaia flinches, closing her eyes and recoiling. I stop, my hand hovering in the air between us.
It’s the first time I’ve seen her behave like that, as if she were an abused puppy and I were her unhinged owner.
That’s a learned behavior if I’ve ever seen one.
After a second, she opens her eyes. Warmth instantly rushes to her cheeks.
“Sorry,” she says, looking mortified. “You… uh…”
I shrug one shoulder, dropping my hand. Instead I pick up my drink, taking a sip. The cool liquid burns on its way down.
Kaia puts her champagne flute on the bar, pouting. “Is it usually like this? When you… start seeing someone like me? Or am I just spectacularly awkward?”
“I wouldn’t know,” I say.
She looks up at me, surprised. “What do you mean?”
“You’re not the first girl to catch my eye at Club X,” I say, swirling the amber contents around in my tumbler. “But you are definitely the first one that I’ve seen outside the club. The only one I’ve had a contract with.”
She blinks, flushing. “Oh. I just assumed that you had… dated… women from the club before.”
I purse my lips and cock my head. “You caught my eye. But you had my attention the second that I saw you do an arabesque. The stripping was all flash, but the actual ballet is the reason that we are both here right now.”
I reach out, trailing my fingers over her knee. She looks up, swallowing hard, her hazel eyes so wide and innocent.
“Don’t you agree?” I murmur.
She sinks her white teeth into the fullness of her bottom lip, smiling shyly. “I never quite know what to think when I’m around you.”
I smirk at her. “I promise to keep you on your toes… quite literally.”
She squints at me. “Did you just make a pun?”
I shrug, glancing away and sipping my drink. “I can be funny sometimes. Mostly when I am drunk.”
She nods slowly. “It’s just not something I associate with you as a person.”
“What can I say, I’m multifaceted. You didn’t think that you could know me for less than a month and already have me all figured out, did you?”
Two spots of pink appear in the apples of her cheeks. She wrinkles her nose humorously. “I guess not. But… does your comedic turn mean you are drunk right now?”
Setting my drink on the bar, I move toward her, skimming my hands along the outside of her bare thighs. “I’m getting there. Don’t worry, beauty. My dick is still hard as a fucking rock right now, looking at you in that little dress.”
She bites her lip playfully, placing her hand on my shoulder to pull my ear closer to her mouth. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot. Thinking about when I straddled your lap and you rubbed my pussy…”
Growling softly, I stand up and pull her hard against the wall of my muscular body. She makes a soft sound of surprise, looking up at me. She’s so soft, so feminine. So innocent, a rose whose petals are ready to be plucked.
I bite my lip, whispering in her ear. “I’m going to ruin you, Kaia. After we finally fuck, no other man will ever make you cream the same way.”
She looks at me, sucking in a breath. I reach up and drag my thumb across the fullness of her sensitive bottom lip. She leans her head back a little, her lips parting, her eyes closing halfway.
I can’t help but kiss her, pressing my lips against her hot mouth. Her fingers curl around my nape; she moans ever so softly as I sweep the inside of her mouth with my tongue.
She’s so fucking sweet that I almost can’t stand it. I groan and press her closer, my hand sliding down from her waist to cup her ass.
My cock throbs, pressed between our bodies. A stray image pops into my head of her on her knees, her mouth open wide as I bury my cock deep and fuck her face. The feeling of her tongue working against mine makes my whole body shudder.
I pull back, ready to tell her that we should go to my limo.
But over her shoulder, I see Honor standing with her hands on her hips.
She’s wearing a little silver dress and showing off a lot of skin.
It would be hotter if I didn’t know that she was out at a bar while she was pregnant.
She looks at both of us, her lips twisting sourly.
“Am I seeing things?” she asks. “Because if I’m not mistaken, this is one of the dancers that the New York Ballet brought in to replace me.”
Kaia’s eyes widen and she steps away from me, glancing back at Honor. “Says who?”
“Don’t engage with your predecessor, Kaia. She’s clearly been trolling the NYB’s website, angry at being replaced.” I tilt my head to the side. “How is being pregnant going for you, Honor?”
She scoffs. “Like you can judge me. I know that you two are not supposed to be all over each other like this. I mean, you’re supposed to be her teacher, Calum. Jesus.”
I shoot her a glare. “We should go, Kaia.”
Honor blocks our path. “Seriously? The last time I checked, you were obsessed with me. I practically had to take a restraining order on your fucking ass. What happened?”
I slide my arm around Kaia’s waist, tugging her close as I start to maneuver around Honor. “You had plenty of chances, Honor. Clearly I’ve found a replacement for you.”
Kaia does a double take. “What?”
Honor bares her teeth. “I want my job back, Calum.”
I shake my head, pulling Kaia along with me. “I don’t really care.”
“I’ll report you both!” Honor calls after us.
I stop, releasing Kaia from my grip. Turning around slowly, I send Honor a smoldering glare.
“You’re an aging, bitter, disgraced former employee.
I don’t think that anyone will listen to you make accusations against me, the primary supporter of the ballet company.
” I smirk. “So go right ahead. I would love to get you on record so that my fleet of personal attorneys can destroy you.”
Honor’s eyes widen. “Calum—“
I shake my head, spinning back to Kaia. “Let’s go.”
Kaia lets me pull her along, glancing back as we leave the bar. We step outside and my limousine is already waiting. I get the door, pulling it open for her.
But she doesn’t get in. Her eyebrows are drawn down, her mouth is twisted to the side. “Is what you said true? Am I really just a replacement for Honor?”
That gives me pause. “No. I don’t… it’s more complicated than that. Can you get in the fucking car?”
She balks. “I think I can get my own ride tonight.”
“Seriously?!” I protest. “Get in the fucking limo, Kaia. If you insist, I can drop you off at your house.”
Kaia stares at me, her hands bunching into fists. “Fine,” she says through clenched teeth. She ducks her head and climbs in the back seat.
I get in after her, pissed off. Honor managed to ruin a perfectly good mood. And now I’m chauffeuring Kaia home instead of having her enthusiastically blow me.
“Where are we going?” I ask, bristling.
Kaia looks away, out the limo’s window. “Queens.”
The limousine pulls out and I glare at the buildings as they pass, seething.