16. Sage
SAGE
On Monday, as I wait at a restaurant for my lunch meeting, my phone pings with a new email.
From Max and Alex’s managers.
Dear Sage,
Thanks again for golf last week—it was great, and we loved hearing more about The Extravagant and think it’s a good fit for us.
I know we indicated we were ready to sign on, but we’ve had an offer from another casino come through this morning that requires some serious consideration. We thought it only fair to let you know the reason for our delay.
We’ll be in touch in the next few weeks.
Regards,
Max and Alex Management
Damn it.
I throw my phone on the table as the waitress places a jug of ice water down. I’d felt certain Max and Alex were as good as a done deal, in the bag. And with most of the casinos having residencies locked in for the next few months, who else could be courting them?
A sheet of ice prickles my neck.
I know of one man.
One incredibly sexy, passionate, competitive man.
I quickly shoot them back an email and increase our offer just as Eliza walks in, the first to arrive for our lunch with Stone.
As always, my friend is perfectly put together and looking a little bit like a rock star herself, wearing designer jeans, a trendy violet top, and red shoes that I have no choice but to covet six ways to Sunday.
They’re adorned with images of female comic book superheroes, and sport red sequins on the chunky heel.
Perfect for her.
Full of personality with a feisty touch.
I give her a hug, then a once-over. “Why do you always have to look so perfect?”
She flicks her silky chestnut hair and juts out a hip. “Because I’m meeting a rock star. Can you believe he’s been friends with my business partner for a few months now, and I haven’t met him yet?”
“Nadia is evil and clearly likes to hoard her trophies,” I say.
“That is true. Also, I was out of town for a while working up overseas deals,” she says.
I give her a I know you were nod. “Exactly. So now you get to meet the man.”
“Thank you again for letting me play groupie today.”
I wave a hand dismissively, scoffing. “Oh, please. If memory serves, your football team is one of the sponsors of his upcoming concert series.” She’s not simply here because she’s the world’s biggest fan of Stone.
Her team is partnering with us on the residency he’s doing at The Extravagant.
“Also, I do believe we have a little contract going for your team to stay at my hotel the night before each home game,” I say with a wink.
She bumps shoulders with me. “Woman power. I do love dealmaking with my bestie.”
“It’s the best way to make deals,” I say.
“Still,” she says, brushing some unseen lint off her shirt, “I don’t know that I’ll ever feel like anything but a groupie, so I’m approaching sky-high levels of excited.
But speaking of excited . . .” She wiggles her eyebrows as we sit down, glancing around perhaps to make sure Stone isn’t here yet.
“I want the full story about what went down with Cole Donovan.”
I’d texted her after the meeting in my office, serving up the key details—he was one of my strangers, and oops, we did it again.
Or rather, we did more .
A sensory memory of what we did last week rushes over me, as images flicker by of how it felt to touch him and to be touched by him.
“I gave you the basic facts,” I say, playfully evasive.
Her green eyes widen, all tell me now, girlfriend . “And now I want the feels . Was it as amazing as it was at the party the other night?”
I laugh, then take a drink of the ice water on the table. “Why do I feel like you’re egging me on? Aren’t you supposed to be my friend and say he’s bad news and to stay away from him?”
Eliza reaches for her water, takes a drink, then simply shrugs. “Of course he’s bad news, but it’s not like the sex was the bad news.”
“No, this sex was pretty much the opposite of bad news. The sex was good news. It was a gospel. It was a revelation. It was incredible.”
She waves a hand in front of her face as if it’s boiling in here. Then she sets her chin in her hands. “So, what’s the problem?”
I wave a hand breezily. “Oh, you know, his hotel won The Exquisite Show, nabbed the contract from the Renegades, and now they’re probably going after Max and Alex too, and I am determined to get them.
It’s a dog-eat-dog world here. It would be like if you were to get involved with the head of the Renegades team. ”
She shudders. “That would never happen.”
“Because your sights are set on Xavier,” I say, picturing the handsome, strapping backup quarterback who absolutely deserves his time on the gridiron. Too bad her team’s starting quarterback is at the top of his game. Though that’s not truly too bad .
“What can I say? The heart wants what the heart wants.”
I lift a glass again, clinking it to hers. “Isn’t that the truth?”
She taps her nails against the table. “But on the bright side, hello, great sex to erase the memory of your cad of an ex.”
I give her a naughty smile, a saucy lift of my eyebrows. “That is true. I am done thinking about him ever again.”
“Instead, I bet the movie theater of your mind is doing you the favor of showing a repeat of Hot Office Sex with the Enemy .”
A tremble runs through me, and I go warm everywhere.
I flash back to the other day again. To the things Cole said to me.
To how I felt when he took me. To getting down on my knees for him.
“I think he’s some kind of sex magician.
It’s like he can conduct tricks with my body and pull off all sorts of spectacular reveals.
He did things I wasn’t expecting, didn’t know I wanted, and now crave wildly.
” I’d do best to snap a rubber band against my wrist as a reminder that Cole Donovan is off-limits.
After all, we’re both vying for Max and Alex now.
I won’t lose them to somebody else, especially since I just contacted their managers to increase the offer. “But that’s behind me now.”
Before she can reply, a big, beautiful voice booms across the eatery. “Ladies. How the hell are you gorgeous babes?”
I turn in the unmistakable direction of the famous singer.
In well-worn jeans, motorcycle boots, and a stylish T-shirt, Stone strides across the marble floor with that easy gait and a shit-eating grin on his handsome face, his carved cheekbones on full display, his gorgeous green eyes lighting up the room even from a distance.
He’s flanked by his bodyguard, a man who’s got the build of a pro football player and the looks of Chris Hemsworth, all blond and Thor-like.
The big man walks beside Stone, his eyes swinging left and right, his focus intense.
Funny, because this isn’t the type of restaurant where you’d think he’d be scanning for trouble.
Then again, my sister relies on her bodyguard wherever she goes.
She’s needed one, since she dealt with a stalker more than a year ago, and I briefly employed one too, but I no longer feel the need for security beyond the norm at the hotel.
When Stone reaches me, I stand, grin, and offer him a hand.
He scoffs like it’s the most ridiculous thing he’s ever seen, then holds his arms out wide.
“Come on, Sage. Bring it in. Bring it in nice and tight.” He wraps me in a huge, warm hug, then lets go, appraising me up and down. “It is motherfucking good to see you.”
“I could say the same about you, Stone,” I say. Then I say hello to the man by his side. “Hi, Jackson. How’s life treating you with this troublemaker?”
“Stone is definitely full of trouble,” he says, with a quirk of his lips.
“You would know,” Stone murmurs.
Jackson’s lips twitch in the barest of a grin, then his gaze travels around the restaurant because that’s his job. To survey for trouble.
I gesture to Eliza, who waggles a hand at the musician. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m crashing your lunch.”
Stone gives her a look like she’s nuts. “I love lunch crashers. Crash all you want anytime.”
“Eliza is one of the majority stakeholders of the Hawks, along with Nadia.”
“Then you’re hardly crashing the lunch,” Stone says, kissing the top of her hand.
That delights Eliza, who nearly coos. “It might seem like I’m crashing when I tell you I am the world’s biggest fan of your music. Your music got me through so much heartache.”
Jackson chuckles, and Stone shifts his gaze to him. “Did my music get you through some heartache too, my man?”
An eye roll comes from the bodyguard. “It’s just interesting how many people use your words as a balm for the heart.”
Stone claps Jackson on the shoulder. “That’s what I am. I am a salve. I’m a balm. I am a cure-all. A magic elixir. I am the medication for whatever ails you.”
Jackson laughs, then almost mutters under his breath, “A legend in your own mind.”
Stone points a finger at him, narrowing his eyes. “A legend everywhere. But why not be a legend in my own mind too? It’s a great place to be a legend.”
My gaze turns to Jackson. “Would you like to join us for lunch?”
He shakes his head. “Thank you, but no.”
“He rarely joins. He has his job to do,” Stone says, like he has to make an excuse for the man.
“You want me to do my job, Stone,” Jackson corrects.
“That is very true, because nobody does it better.” There’s a note of intensity in his voice, like these words are nothing but the truth. Stone points his thumb at the bodyguard. “He’s the best in the entire biz. A good bodyguard is worth everything.”
Jackson says little. Simply offers a curt “Just doing my job.”
That makes me wonder, though, if his job necessitates him being this close.
But as soon as that thought touches down, Jackson walks away, stationing himself near the entrance to the restaurant.
Stone sits down, and we look at the menus, and when the waiter arrives shortly, we order. We thank him, then I rub my palms together and dive into business. “Everything is going to be fantastic for your upcoming concert series.”
“It is,” he says, cutting in. “And I want you to know I made a big decision.”
“Oh, what’s that?” I ask, a little taken aback.
“I saw you were donating ten percent of the proceeds to local charities.”
“I am. We are. It’s part of what we believe in, my sister and I. And Eliza and her business partners on the Hawks as well,” I say, gesturing to my friend, who is also a big champion of many nonprofit organizations.
“I’m going to do the same. Ten percent of my proceeds too,” Stone says.
Eliza’s jaw drops first. I blink, stunned speechless for a moment by his generosity. Quickly, though, I compose myself. “That’s amazing. Fantastic. I’m even more thrilled to be in business with you.”
“Happy to do my part.”
I slide back to the details, a warm glow inside me. “I know Ivy has already gone over some of the details, but I wanted to meet to discuss how we can include this in our part of the ‘Experience Las Vegas’ campaign.”
“So Vegas can experience me ?” Stone suggests with a twinkle in his eye.
I smile. “That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”
Stone slaps his palm on the table. “I love it. I am all fucking in.”
After the meal ends, we thank him, then Eliza and I walk ahead. As we wind through the blackjack tables, I catch a brief glimpse of him with his bodyguard again. Softly, I say to Eliza, “Does it feel like there’s an energy between them?”
She nods vigorously. “Oh yeah. Especially since I’m pretty sure Jackson didn’t technically need to walk Stone all the way into the restaurant.”
I picture Ivy and her bodyguard, Callum, how he’ll often escort her to a lunch meeting, walk her all the way in, drop a kiss on her cheek, then wait outside. But then, he’s her lover too. Which makes me wonder . . .
“Exactly. I was thinking the same thing.”
“It’s almost like they vibe off each other. Like they enjoy each other’s company.”
“Or more so, they enjoy giving each other a hard time,” I add.
Eliza wiggles her brows. “Do they, Sage? Do they like giving each other a hard time?”
I smack her shoulder playfully. “You dirty girl.”
“What? There is nothing wrong with a woman enjoying the prospect of a little man-on-man action.”
“Nothing at all,” I second, since I’m learning too that we all like different things. “We all get our kicks in our own ways.”
She holds up a hand, preach it style. “That is true. What about you? Are you hoping to return to your masquerade kinks?”
My kink.
What exactly is my kink?
Is it two men?
Is it being used?
Being teased? Being taken? By both?
And yes, I also like it when one of them, in particular, does that.
When Cole does.
I like being his plaything and their plaything.
And I have no idea what that means or how it’s going to manifest in my life. If at all.
As I head toward my office, I confess to my best friend, “I can’t stop thinking about one of them. And maybe also the other one.”
And tomorrow night, I’ll be attending a dinner, and both of them will be there.