“What about you and Kathy?” Jay finally asked Mitchell, as the elevator doors closed.
“Mitch has a soccer game tomorrow,” Mitchell answered, referring to his son with a gleam of pride in his eye.
“That sounds fun,” Jay answered, glad to see his friend so happy, but quietly wondering if a family could ever bring himself to feel such pride. He’d never been interested in a family, and despite the fact that many of his peers enjoyed families, he didn’t consider it a necessary component to a successful life.
“Yeah, it’ll be nice. So, you’re really staying in?”
“Why is that so shocking?” Jay teased, although he knew the answer. It was out of the norm for him to have no plans on a Friday night.
“If you have some time, look this over then,” Mitchell said, ignoring his friend’s question as he handed him a paperback book.
“Hmm,” Jay glanced at the cover—a woman in lingerie, a man’s hand on her midsection.
“It’s a new author I’ve been researching. I think she just might have something. I read it today, let me know what you think,” Mitchell added, just as the elevator doors opened.
“I’ll check it out,” Jay assured him, and the two shook hands before going their separate ways.
Unlike Jay, Mitchell drove himself to work, choosing not to even utilize the valet option. Jay, on the other hand, only drove for leisure, opting to be driven to and from the office.
“Mr. Canton,” the driver nodded towards Jay as he approached the black Mercedes-Benz Maybach.
“Hey, Danny. How are you?” Jay asked, while climbing into the backseat, half listening to the young man’s response.
He’d hired Danny as a favor to his father, effectively paying his college tuition, but this way he earned it. Most of Jay’s friends came from nothing, as he had, and although they had access to one of the wealthiest men in the state, they rarely tried taking advantage of him. He prided himself on weeding out the users in his life, but the main reason he didn’t deal with leeches was because anyone who knew him well enough to ask for a favor, knew he wasn’t the person you wanted to get one over on. Jay was a shark; a handsome shark no doubt, but a shark just the same.
“Where to, sir?” Danny asked, while glancing in the rearview mirror.
“Home,” Jay answered, absentmindedly.
He’d started reading the book Mitchell had recommended before they were out of the circular driveway in front of the Passions Publishing building. The first sentence drew him in, and he found himself so lost in the racy story, he didn’t realize they had made it to his mansion on the outskirts of the city until Danny opened the door.
“Will you be heading out again, sir?” he asked, as Jay stepped out of the luxury vehicle.
“No, you’re free to enjoy your night. And I should be fine for the weekend, so don’t worry about coming back until Monday.”
Danny nodded, keeping his eyes averted, hoping his boss didn’t see the excitement on his face. He loved his job, but he loved a free weekend even more.
Walking into his home always gave Jay an immense sense of pride. To the outsider, he appeared lucky, but Jay knew how hard he’d worked for everything he had. Nothing came easily, which made him appreciate everything all the more.
“Mr. Canton, your dinner is ready in the warming drawer. Shall I prepare it?” Laura asked. She’d been Jay’s housekeeper since he moved into this home, which was more like a castle, a decade ago.
“Yes, that will be fine,” he answered, a smirk covering his face as the heroine in the book made a bold move towards the love interest.
In a bit of a daze, he walked to the kitchen, dropping his briefcase on the end table in the foyer before washing his hands in the powder room. By the time he settled in his seat at the head of his large dining table, his dinner place was set—roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus.
“You can go ahead and leave for the evening. Thank you, Laura,” Jay looked up from his book as he said her name. It was the first she’d seen his eyes since he arrived.
After enjoying his perfectly cooked meal, Jay took a long shower, his thoughts a bit clouded with the details of the book, something that rarely happened to him. After so many years in the business, it was easy to disconnect from fictional characters, unlike the captivated readers who’d made him a billionaire over the years.
Lying in bed, he glanced over at the book on his nightstand. It was already bent out of shape from his rough handling over the past few hours. Mitchell was right, the writer did have something, and after a quick debate, he agreed he could read a few more chapters.
Five hours later, he found himself in the same position. His right hand resting on his hard abdomen, while his left held the book he couldn’t bring himself to put down. With only a few pages left in the story, the sexual tension between the two lead characters was finally culminating in an explosive scene that prompted his hand to slowly drift lower.
Sliding beneath the elastic band of his boxers, Jay fisted his growing cock as he continued the salacious story, stroking his member with increased desire.
“Mmm—” he moaned, as the pleasure grew, his body thirsty for a release. Gripping his length tightly, he pulled and squeezed until his orgasm erupted with thick white semen oozing into his hand.
Finally, he put the book down to clean himself before returning to bed.
“Kasey Wright,” he read her name aloud. She was the agent who the author credited with her success. Jay had seen her name before, and made a note that he should learn more about her before drifting off to sleep.
Chapter 2
Kasey
Kasey scanned the dining area in search of her best friend. From the far corner of the seating area, Nicole stood perched on the foot rest of her barstool, waving her hand frantically until she locked eyes with Kasey. Migo’s was their favorite Mexican restaurant in the city, and at least once a month they scheduled a date for margaritas and girl talk.
She could feel all the eyes on her as she made her way through the packed crowd, but the attention of men was nothing new. Kasey had been fending men off since she was a teenager. When she was halfway to Nicole, a bold blonde stood in her way, his broad chest blocking her path. After first trying to move right, and then left, only to learn he was intentionally holding her up, she looked up into his bright blue eyes.
“Can I help you?” she asked, trying to bury her irritation. She’d just finished reading a dreary novel by an author she thought could be a new client, and was more than ready for the margarita she’d seen was waiting for her on the table across from Nicole.
“I don’t know. Can you?” The strange man answered with too much confidence for her liking, running his fingers through his hair as he looked down his perfectly straight nose, flashing a pearly white smile.
“No.”
It was all she said before side stepping and continuing in the direction of Nicole, who was overly amused by her best friend’s lack of interest in the man. Kasey could hear him huff and puff behind her, but thought nothing more of him as she all but dove into Nicole’s open arms.
“I’ve been counting down to see you all day!” Nicole squealed when they finally released each other.
“I had to finish that book, so I’ve been in the zone,” Kasey explained before taking a long sip of her margarita, closing her eyes slowly to emphasize how tasty is was. Nicole giggled before chastising her.
“Kasey, you don’t need to work on weekends, too, you know!”
“I thought I had one. A winner, you know? It’s a guy I’ve been chasing for months. There aren’t many men in the romance genre. I thought he’d be an anomaly, but he turned out to be more of a catastrophe!” she said, sticking her tongue out after the last word, showing her distaste.
Kasey prided herself on discovering new talent, and was rarely ever wrong. Her disappointment would surely fade before the sun set, but until then, she would mourn the failure of the writer like a friend, because all
of her clients—even those she never signed—were near and dear to her heart.
“Well, I know Trisha isn’t a catastrophe. When you told me you’d signed her, I bought her latest book—you know, the one with the racy cover. I knew from the lingerie that I was going to like it,” Nicole blushed.
“Oh, she’s so good. I can’t wait to see this new series she’s working on come to life. She’s such a student of her craft, it’s impressive to see her work,” Kasey gushed, looking at Nicole, but her vision was in the clouds, back at the office, where she brought her dreams to life.
“I got so lost in the book, I literally lost track of time and let the phone ring off the hook,” Nicole admitted with embarrassment covering her face. She was a good employee, and hated to think of letting her bosses down.
“You shouldn’t be answering phones at a doctor’s office anyway. You know you’re too talented for that, Nicole,” Kasey began her continuous plea for Nicole to leave the job that did nothing more than pay her bills.
“And let me guess, I should be a famous writer instead?” Nicole pretended to be annoyed as she moved her index finger in a circular motion, signaling to the waiter they were ready for a second round of refills.
“You read more than me! There’s never a new emerging artist you’re not familiar with, and you’re more than capable of comparing writers, and understanding trends. Whenever I have a new author, you’re the first person I share their work with, because you know what it takes. You should be writing your own stories! You have the blueprint!” Kasey screamed across the table, thankful the restaurant was packed, so her outburst easily blended into the cacophony of the restaurant.
“Reading a lot of books doesn’t make you a good writer, the same way watching basketball every day doesn’t mean you can dunk. I’m a bibliophile, nothing more, nothing less,” she said, too casually for Kasey’s liking. They were interrupted by the waiter, who was struggling to make room for their new drinks.
“Would you like to order dinner or appetizers?” he asked, after finally replacing their empty glasses with fresh drinks, the color of a ripe lime.
“Chicken tacos for me, and a beef burrito for her,” Nicole ordered their regulars before sending the waiter away.
“Fine. I won’t push.” Kasey backed down with a soft smile of defeat, before taking a sip of the strong margarita, the tequila warming her from the inside. “For now, at least,” she added, after swallowing the cold liquid.
“It’s fine. I have my own quarrels to pick,” Nicole began, sipping her margarita without taking her eyes off her best friend.
“What did I do?”
“It’s not what you did, but more what you should do,” Nicole answered, without revealing her premise.
“If you’re talking about giving this writer a chance, I’ll let you read his work. I know everyone can grow, but trust me, Nicky, this guy is not going to be a hit.” Kasey revealed her level of intoxication by using Nicole’s nickname, typically a reliable barometer.
The two had met when Nicole was the receptionist for the first small publishing house in Kasey’s career as an agent. Within a week, they were inseparable, and even after they both moved on from the small operation, their friendship stayed intact.
“This has nothing to do with your career. I’m talking about you getting back out there and dating.” Nicole knew she was entering dangerous territory, but she always felt the need to voice her concern.
Kasey had been shying away from dating ever since her fiancé called off their engagement during their senior year of college. In some ways, Nicole feared Kasey had never fully recovered from the heartbreak, but it was difficult to criticize someone as successful as her friend.
“You know I don’t have time for that,” she answered solemnly, with a hint of what almost sounded like regret in her voice. Nicole didn’t want to push the subject, but she couldn’t help herself.
“At what point do you think your career will be safe enough to focus on other aspects of your life?”
“When I’m not worrying about paying my bills,” she responded swiftly, looking directly into the eyes of her best friend.
“No argument there. You know I think you should be making a lot more for all you do for that shitty company,” Nicole said, just as the waiter arrived.
“It’s not about the money, and you know that. My writers are family to me, and they hire me because of the friendship. I would never be able to survive in this business if I was just like every agent—only after my percentage.”
It was the truth. Kasey was the most successful agent in the region, but she worked for a publishing house that may not be known by someone in the city. She was too loyal for the wrong reasons, but feared if she ever left, her clients would think she’d do the same to them.
“Just consider your options,” was all Nicole said before digging into her tacos.
The rest of the dinner was spent on more lighthearted girl talk—like their favorite reality TV shows and updates on mutual friends. By the time they each got into their separate Ubers, full of Mexican food and tipsy from the margaritas, Kasey was even more grateful they carved out these times to catch up.
However, when her iPhone pinged with a new email from Passions Publishing, she was forced to sober up. Kasey was so focused on the simple request for a meeting that she offered the driver an extra five dollars to let her sit in the back seat for a few minutes after arriving at her townhouse.
The message was addressed to her from Jay Canton, and of course she knew his name, he was the most successful publisher in Minnesota—possibly in the whole country. But, it couldn’t actually be from him. He couldn’t possibly know who she was. Could he?
She asked herself these questions before agreeing to a meeting at the famed publishing house the following Monday. With a flash of a smile, she handed the driver a five dollar bill and thanked him, walking into her building filled with anxious excitement for Monday.
Chapter 3
Jay
“For someone who claimed to have no plans for the weekend, you sure do look exhausted,” Mitchell joked, walking into Jay’s office, just as he ended a phone call.
“How was the soccer game?” Jay asked, as Mitchell settled into the same seat he sat in at the beginning and end of each work day.
“Just like every other one. Mitch scored two goals, so that was cool,” Mitchell shrugged, leaving Jay to silently question what had changed since their conversation in the elevator when he first learned of the game.
That was what scared him about married life. Mitchell always seemed to be in such a rush to return to his family at the start of the weekend, but upon returning, he was always wiped out as if work was his recess.
“I read the book you gave me,” Jay changed the subject, hoping to draw Mitchell out of whatever funk he was in.
“You did? What’d you think?” He responded with enthusiasm, and Jay was grateful to see him look more alive.
“I loved it. So much so, I reached out to the agent that represents her. She needs to be in-house. Imagine what she could do with our resources,” Jay held his hands out as if he was the resource, and the idea was not lost on Mitchell, who took the opportunity to warn him of his limits.
“I’ve done a bit of research on Kasey Wright, she’s one of those supremely loyal agents—somewhat of a unicorn in this industry—but she fights like hell for her clients, and has been with that shithole firm for over five years. Everyone has tried to poach her,” he explained to his overly confident best friend, who is obviously overdressed for the occasion in a sleek Tom Ford suit and platinum Hublot watch.
“Everyone isn’t me, Mitchell. It’s what I’ve been trying to tell you since freshman year. I’ve seen her talent, I’m sure she’s aware of mine, all she needs is some one-on-one time to see I’m serious about adding her to the team. Not a scout, not a hiring director, the CEO. It doesn’t get any bigger than that,” Jay reasoned, before checking his vibrating phone.
He didn�
��t see the challenge in speaking with Kasey. The head of his security department had sent over a file with her background check the night before, but he’d yet to even skim over the pages. He didn’t need to know her weak spots, or career aspirations, all he needed was to swoon her over.
Of course, this wasn’t a date, but as always, he knew his looks and charm would take him far enough. Besides, he wasn’t trying to get in her panties, he just wanted her under his thumb, bringing her skillset and clientele to Passions Publishing, to help his company dominate the competition further than they already were.
“I’m just saying. For her, it’s always seemed to be more about connections than business. Something tells me she’s not as black and white as other prospects,” Mitchell added nervously.
It was obvious he felt his partner was ahead of himself, but without any personal experience with Kasey, he felt inadequate to steer Jay away from discussing the possibility with her. It wouldn’t be the first time Jay had surprised him, but in the back of his mind he doubted his ability, for the first time in their long friendship.
My One and Only: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Second Chance Romance Page 26
