Sage crossed her legs under the table and stared at the empty chair across from her. The wind curled under her, tugging gently at the hem of her crisp white dress. The table, made from pristine marble, was decorated with fresh-cut roses in a copper vase. The skyline sprawled in every direction, and the morning sun brushed over the buildings in warm rays.
The place was called La Roche, an almost mythical breakfast terrace that sat atop the restored Fairmount building downtown. Sage heard of it, even googled it once. It was the kind of restaurant people booked six weeks in advance for engagement dinners. She never imagined she’d actually sit here. Not until Calden Klein had told her to.
Told, not asked.
“You may order whatever you like.” That was all he’d said. Not even a follow-up. Just the implicit confidence that she’d be here when he arrived. And like a fool, she had done as she was told. Arriving ten minutes early, no less. Only for him to be twenty minutes late.
Her second mimosa was half-finished. Her eggs Benedict sat warm on a white porcelain plate, the yolk pouring out like orange gold. A single muffin, barely touched, rested on a side dish with a bite missing and an even layer of butter spread across its surface. She glanced down at her lap, examining the manicured hand resting atop her thigh. Her legs were toned and smooth. The white dress hugged her ribs, cinched neatly at the waist, and let her shoulders breathe. A whisper of elegance that barely made Sage feel like she belonged.
Heavy footsteps caught her attention.
She didn’t need to look up. She knew it was him by the shift in energy alone.
“I do apologize,” Calden said, his voice calm and low. “Business doesn’t often respect my time, unfortunately.”
Sage looked up slowly.
He wore a gray, tailored suit. Shirt crisp, collar spread wide. No tie. The top button undone. Calden looked like he’d just returned from a photoshoot. 6’5”, broad-shouldered, and calm in the way that only power could allow.
He sat down without waiting for permission.
“Common for you to keep a girl waiting?” Sage pressed, instantly regretting the way her voice shook at the end of the question.
Calden looked in her eyes and smirked. “Not often.” He leaned back slightly. “You will need to forgive me, my business demands my attention at any given hour, and I cannot deny her.”
His accent was subtle, rich, controlled. Sage felt her breath catch in her throat, but didn’t let it show.
“I see you ordered,” he added, glancing at the table.
“I did.”
“Good. Is it to your liking?” He asked.
In an attempt to gain some measure of control, Sage shrugged, looking away as if the view had just now become interesting. “It could be better.”
Calden raised his eyebrows mildly. “How so?”
Sage froze, lips parting slightly. She hadn’t anticipated such a direct response. Her eyes darted back to her plate, then to him. He looked completely undisturbed as she clamored for an answer. Interested, even.
“The eggs,” she said quickly. “They’re a little overdone.”
Calden looked down at the golden yolks. “Ah,” he said. Then turned. “Waiter.”
A man in a dark vest approached.
“New eggs for the lady,” Calden said plainly. “They were overdone.”
The waiter glanced at the perfectly golden, half-eaten eggs and nodded. “Of course, Mr. Klein. And the usual for you?”
Calden nodded. The waiter vanished without hesitation.
Sage blinked, wanting to shrivel away in her embarrassment.
“You didn’t have to do that,” She said.
“No. But I did.” He picked up his napkin and unfolded it. “That is what makes me different.”
There was no arrogance in his voice. Just a statement of fact.
He leaned forward. “Now… how are you getting along in your role?”
Sage hesitated. “It’s… good.”
Calden’s eyebrow raised. “You don’t sound convinced.”
Before she could respond, his plate arrived. A glistening steak with two fried eggs, and a small carafe of jet-black coffee. The waiter also returned with her new dish of eggs. Two perfectly over-easy eggs resting on a white porcelain plate with a fresh parsley garnish.
“Terribly sorry for the mix-up, ma’am,” the waiter said with a warm smile.
“It’s no problem,” Sage replied automatically.
When she looked at Calden, he had already removed his jacket and draped it across the back of the chair next to him, the sleeves of his shirt neatly rolled once.
“Given the circumstances…” she started, then took a breath. “You’ll have to forgive my lack of enthusiasm.”
Calden laughed. It was deep and smooth. “What, it’s not enough that I gave you a raise and let you keep your job?”
“Considering why you gave me a raise, you can understand why I’m less enthusiastic about my new role,” Sage spoke with tempered grace, using the same tone she had used countless times on countless men. And a weaker man might have folded, but Calden simply smiled in amusement.
“I think you fail to realize the exchange that has occurred here,” He said coolly.
Sage leaned forward. “And what would that be?”
“I gave you the exact job you always wanted; the blackmail was simply a formality.” Calden leaned back. “For my protection, you see.”
Sage feigned enlightenment as she nodded slowly. “Ohhh! Is that what this is? You think you’re doing me a favor?”
Calden sipped his coffee. “You’re still here, are you not? You can leave whenever you like. With severance, I might add.”
Sage didn’t speak.
She watched the way his hand wrapped around the cup. The way he drank unhurriedly. As if nothing in the world could demand his attention more than this moment. It unnerved her.
“I want this to be a real job,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to just be your mistress.”
Calden chuckled. “It is a real job. I assure you.”
“I won’t just sleep with you either.”
He paused, then met her eyes. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Sage lost her tempo, and Calden continued before she could find her rhythm again.
“In fact,” he said, slicing into his steak, “I will not have you until you beg me to take you.”
“That could be a long time,” Sage countered.
“I think not.” Calden didn’t look up. “You’ll want me within a few months.”
The statement hung heavily in the air.
Sage stared, bewildered.
“You’re incredibly confident,” She said.
“I am,” Calden confirmed.
She looked down at her new plate. The yolks gleamed like jewels.
“Eat,” Calden said softly. “We can discuss more later.”
Sage obeyed, though it took all her concentration not to watch Calden across from her. They ate quietly for a few moments. The cool wind tousled her hair as golden rays warmed her glowing skin. It felt as though she was living in a dream, and the world had been blown far away.
“I must know,” Calden said between bites. “Outside of this… David… who else have you slept with at our company?”
Sage dropped her fork. The noise caused several old heads to turn in annoyance. Sage looked apologetically as she composed herself, glaring at a very amused Calden.
“Excuse me?” She whispered.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Calden said. He placed his silverware down neatly. “But you will. Because if you don’t, you’ll lose your job.”
She blinked.
“More blackmail,” she said flatly.
“I think not,” he replied.
There was no edge to his voice. Or apology. Just structure.
“Is Theo the only other?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said slowly.
Calden nodded. “Very good. Had it been more, it would’ve been harder to cover up.”
He drank the last of his coffee. His gaze dropped downward slowly.
From Sage’s mouth.
To her collarbones.
To her breasts.
Sage felt her breath leave as he took her in. She wanted him to. She wanted his eyes on her. She needed him to want her. And before she felt he was fully in her grasp, Calden’s eyes lifted from her chest, unhurried.
“Does your husband know?” he asked softly.
The question hit like icewater. Sage didn’t answer. Jeremy hadn’t talked about disclosing the nature of their relationship.
Calden watched, smiling faintly as he misinterpreted her pause.
“Secrets such as this are very dangerous.”
“Leave him out of it,” she said, voice level, her fork resting perfectly still beside her plate.
“Please,” Calden replied, lifting one hand in mock surrender. “I would never stoop to such levels. Your secret is safe with me.” He leaned in, voice a shade lower. “But I warn you… A scorned man does not easily forgive.”
“Save the lectures,” Sage said, a flicker of her old confidence returning. “I know what I’m doing.”
His smirk returned.
“Would you know what to do with me?” He asked.
Sage found her tempo broken once again. Her usual lines felt wrong. Her presence appeared to have no effect on Calden. Not a measure of nerves, hunger, or desire. It made Sage wonder if he was even attracted to her.
“I was surprised,” he continued, “how obedient you were the other day. Had we not been interrupted… You would’ve let me have you.”
Sage’s stomach tightened. Her eyes locked on his.
“It’s not like you gave me much of a chance to think,” she said quickly.
“That is the easy answer,” Calden replied smoothly, “and it’s the wrong one. We both know this.”
His fingers drummed once on the marble table, like a metronome resetting the rhythm.
“But… it is refreshing to see you are not as easy as I thought,” he added.
Sage had nothing. No quick retort, no carefully phrased deflection. All she could do was sit back and watch as she was outmaneuvered.
No, it was more than that.
Sage was outclassed.
She glanced around the rooftop. Everything felt sharp now. The glint of glass in the sun, the immaculate silence of white-coated servers, the hush of voices from nearby tables. All of them glancing over occasionally. Her posture straightened as the reality of her situation suddenly hit her.
She was sitting across from Calden Klein, and everyone knew who he was on this terrace.
And then she saw them. Two large men in black suits, standing at the terrace railing, watching with crossed arms and blank faces staring in their direction.
“Do you know them?” she asked, nodding toward the pair.
Calden barely turned his head.
“Bodyguards,” he replied calmly.
“Yours?”
He smiled. “Yours, actually.”
Sage’s brow lifted. “I have bodyguards now?”
“I always protect those who are important to me.”
“Hm.” Her voice dipped with suspicion. “And how many do you protect these days?”
“Just one,” Calden answered. He winked. And then, as if summoned by fate, his phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen once and stood.
“I must go.” He straightened his suit jacket, already reaching into his pocket. “They’ll see you back to the office, if you wish. I’ve arranged for Jessica to speak with you about your new responsibilities.”
“Jessica?”
“Your new assistant.”
Sage blinked. “I see.”
He adjusted his cuffs and gave a small nod. The two men approached silently, taking position just behind her.
“Until next time,” Calden said. He reached down, his fingers found hers. He lifted her hand without force and kissed it lightly. His full lips warming her skin. Sage melted at the touch.
“Charming,” Sage said, eyes narrowing with a flash of sarcasm. But the flush on her neck betrayed her.
“We’ll have dinner tomorrow,” Calden said, already turning. “Dress nicely.”
“And what if I don’t?”
He paused with a smile, not turning back. “Then you’ll endure the ridicule of judging eyes at Ferosha.”
Sage blinked. “Ferosha?”
“Of course.” He looked over his shoulder. “Take a moment, adjust yourself, and after a few minutes, exit after me.”
Sage scoffed. “Why?”
Calden nodded towards the other tables. “Because they are watching, and appearances are sadly, important.”
And just like that, he strode off, leaving her in the gentle hush of wind and murmurs.
Sage sat frozen, her heart thudding in her ears.
Ferosha. He had reservations at Ferosha. No one had reservations at Ferosha.
She glanced again at the surrounding tables. The curious glances weren’t casual. They were calculating. They didn’t just know Calden, they now knew here.
And they knew Sage was with him.
And it was the drug Sage had been searching for.
She reached for her glass of water, sipping it slowly as Calden vanished through the rooftop’s gold-trimmed doors. The bodyguards remained a polite distance behind her, but close enough to feel like orbiting moons.
The city stretched out around her. Quiet. Elegant. Unreachable.
But here she was. On top of it.
And all she had to do was bend Calden before she broke.