Chapter 31 Kaia
Kaia
Calum is late.
I shiver as I glance at my phone again. I’m waiting for him outside of the Continental, the hip, sleek bar at the bottom of his building. He asked me to meet him here twenty minutes ago… but so far, he’s a no-show.
And I’m way too much of a wuss to try to go inside with Calum there, paying the door guy off.
Are you close? I start typing into my phone.
A hand lands on my arm. I startle and look up, flush at the sight of him. He looks a little disheveled, his hair raked to the side, his tie loosened. He’s still wearing his suit but his suit seems rumpled. His eyes lock in on me, expression unreadable.
He jerks his head toward the bar. “Let’s go.”
I frown as he ushers me into the bar. His apartment is only an elevator ride away… but I guess he just wants a drink. I slide my coat off and he leads me to the bar.
Calum pulls out my chair and I sit down, my cheeks flushing. I expected some sort of compliment on my dress, maybe a dirty thought whispered into my ear.
But I guess not. He seems preoccupied, busy thinking about whatever it is that billionaires think about, I guess.
I nod uneasily. He waves his hand at the bartender, who scurries over.
“What can I get you?
Calum looks at me, raising his brows expectantly.
My cheeks warm. I straighten my spine and clear my throat. “Yes. Could I have a French 75?”
Calum looks at me, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip. “I’ll have a McCallum, neat.”
The bartender nods and head off to start making the drinks. I turn toward Calum, reaching out to touch his knee.
“I expected to see you earlier today,” I say gently. “We had out first rehearsal on the main stage—“
“Kaia,” he interrupts, frowning. “I just had a talk with the ballet company. We are letting you go.”
I freeze. My heart beats painfully in my chest. “What?”
His head bobs. “Sadly, I think that brings our professional relationship to a close.”
“I’m— I’m fired??” I say, struggling to understand.
Calum reaches into his suit jacket, withdrawing a slim envelope and placing it on the bar before me. “I also wanted to let you know that your services will no longer be needed for me. I’ve paid you the entire amount that our contract stipulates--“
I grab his arm, forcing him to look up at me. “What is happening?”
The bartender comes back and drops off our drinks. Calum’s gaze slides to him before settling back on me.
“I need to sever any relations we have, completely and finally. Do you understand?”
I’m so floored that it takes me a few seconds to answer that. “No, I don’t understand.”
My voice rises. He looks around, drawing my attention to the other patrons in the bar.
“Control yourself. We are in public,” he says.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask. “Is it… is it because we had sex?”
Calum’s face twitches. “No. It’s got nothing to do with you.”
“It sure as hell seems like it has everything to do with me,” I say, bewildered.
He clears his throat, standing up. He taps the envelope between us. “You will find that I compensated you more than adequately. My suggestion would be that to take this money, find a ballet in another city, and start your life over again.”
I don’t know why, but suddenly I’m so angry at Calum. He can’t just do this to me. He may be rich but he’s still a person, ruled by the same things as me.
In a flash, I yank my French 75 off the bar and toss the contents in his face.
He blinks several times, startled, and wipes away the sticky sweet mixture that is trickling down his face.
“Kaia—“
“No!” I shout. I get off my stool, grabbing my coat. “No way. You don’t just get to walk all over me. I’ll… I’ll sue the hell out of you and the NYB.”
His hands flex into fists. “No you won’t. I’m paying you enough money to silently fade into the background.”
I pick up the envelope, my hands shaking, my eyes filling with tears. Then I look him right in the eye and start tearing it apart. “I’m not interested in your money, Calum. I want to be treated like a human being.”
We stare at each other for several seconds. My face crumples.
He is a fucking bastard. Then again, he told me that the first time we met.
When someone tells me that they are broken, that they are a bastard, that their alliances aren’t to anything but money…
The next time, I’ll believe them.
Spinning on my heel, I race out of the bar, tears staining my cheeks.