My eyes tighten on her face. Several second tick by and a smile plays over my lips. “I’ll pass. We should talk about what will happen to you and your unborn child if you ever threaten Kaia again, though. I promise you, it won’t be pretty.”
I glance at Lucas and he scowls at me.
“What?” I snap.
“Who the fuck is Kaia?!” he whispers.
I flap a dismissive hand at him. “Doesn’t matter.”
Honor crosses her arms, sneering. “What, you don’t want your brother to know about your dirty little secret? Cal is fucking one of the little girls he hired to replace me at the ballet. Judging by the photos my private investigator got of you two canoodling all over the fucking city, you have a type. Young, blonde, and flexible.”
Her lips twitch. I blink, trying to rein in the immediate fury I feel.
Lucas climbs to his feet, scowling at Honor. “I think you should leave.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, right. Here is the deal, since you had to make me play hardball. I want three hundred million dollars as a fee for keeping those pictures to myself. I want your stupid little bimbo fired from the company. And I want you to sign your name on my baby’s birth certificate, so I always know that he’ll be taken care of financially.”
I scoff. “Just because you have some fucking pictures?”
She smirks at me. “I have a video from inside Club X, okay? You and your newest little blonde, in the champagne room, talking about your filthiest fantasies. And the second I turn them over to the press, they will tear her to pieces. Your reputation may be tarnished, but she’ll be ruined. She won’t dance anywhere ever again, ballet or otherwise.”
I glare at her, but inside I get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I know what the ballet means to Kaia. I know how hard it would be for her to lose her position in the company… and be hounded by the press.
Deciding to bluff a little, I stand up and cross my arms. “I don’t think that this alleged video will do the damage that you think it will. And I don’t really care for Kaia, so…”
She smirks at me. “Yes you do. I saw you two together at the bar. When you thought no one was looking, you acted just like a man in love. Whatever you may say, I know that you’re weak where it comes to women.”
I scowl at her. “You don’t know me.”
She tips her head to the side. “Yes I do, Cal. I’ve known you and men just like you for my entire life. And in order to get what I want, all I have to do is endanger the princess in the castle. You’ll get your knight’s armor on and ride out to save her. You can’t help yourself.” Her lips quirk. “It’s pathetic.”
My fingers flex, aching with the need to wring her neck. “
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Honor smiles at us both. “If I don’t get my way, I have already paid for a contract with the Ukrainian mob. Unless I’m made very, very rich and very happy, it goes into effect.”
She withdraws a piece of paper that has been stamped with a photo and vital information.
Kaia stares back at me, her doe eyes wide, her lips parted as if she’s about to speak.
I look up at Honor. “You’re…” I chuckle, not knowing how else to respond. “Fucking insane.”
She bites her lip, smiling, and shrugs. “There are worse things to be, darling.”
“You’re going to end up dead,” I tell her.
She starts backing away slowly. “I will give you the night to break the news to your little fuck doll. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be back with the papers for you to sign. You should…” She waves her hand. “Call somebody that can arrange a large transfer of funds.”
Glancing at Lucas, I don’t even know what to say. “You’re literally nuts, Honor.”
She winks at me. “Test me, Cal. Find out just how fucking crazy I am.”
Then she whirls and struts away, her heels clicking on the stone floors as she goes.
I stare after her for a long moment. Lucas clears his throat.
“Is she right?” he asks.
I look up at him, overwhelmed. “What?”
“Do you… have feelings for this girl? Because if you don’t, then Honor has basically nothing on you. You can just walk away.”
Shaking my head, I drop my eyes to the picture of Kaia again. “I don’t love her. I’m not even capable of that.”
He sighs. “No one is throwing around that word but you, Calum. I just asked if you care about whether she gets hurt or not.”
A tendril of emotion creeps out as I stare at her picture. “Maybe.”
“Well… then things are about to get difficult,” he says.
Bile burns the back of my throat. “I know.”
I drop the photo to the floor, turning toward my office. Lucas squints and follows me, not saying a word.
31
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.” 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 hard 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--“