Kasey’s eyes snapped open and she found herself staring up at a white spackled ceiling. It was that of her bedroom, not Jay’s office. Her body was drenched in sweat and her breath was quick and short. Her chest rose and fell as she whipped her head around, desperately searching for the man she knew wasn’t there.
“Fuck. He’s not even here. Jesus, I’m losing it,” she said aloud, with no one to hear but the walls of her bedroom.
Her body didn’t seem to believe her though, as her nipples threatened to tear through the fabric of her nightgown. The dream had been all too real.
Throwing the covers off her body, as if they were to blame for the sheen of sweat covering her body, she stripped while walking into her small bathroom, stepping into the shower before the water even had time to heat up.
Pouring shampoo into her hand, she wondered why she was dreaming of a man who had betrayed her. As her hair turned to white suds, she shook her head, hoping to rid herself of the erotic thoughts clouding her judgement. Was it just sex?
She did get horny after so many nights alone, but this was a new level of desire she wasn’t used to. Jay was gone. History. Why couldn’t she let the memories go too? This wasn’t her first time waking up wet and throbbing because of him. Kasey just wished it would be her last.
Chapter 23
Jay
The start of a new work week always gave Jay an unexplained boost of energy. There was something about the blank slate of a Monday that washed away the week of the past, and a fresh start was just what he needed after the last two weeks he’d had. Even more intimidating than the funk he’d been hiding in was the feat in front of him as Danny opened the door to the café along the route, a stop he’d requested.
“This is the best café in the city, sir,” he proudly announced, holding the door open as Jay reluctantly stepped from the Mercedes. He knew he would need a caffeine boost for the stunt he had planned, but he usually had it catered in. Stepping into a coffee shop felt foreign to the man who stopped working hard for things in his twenties.
Jay was all about working smart, and it was his experience and expertise that had allowed him to remain at the top of all competitive lists for the past two decades. Publishing was his forte, and there weren’t many who could do it better than him. The few that could failed to do it grander, which kept them from even being considered competition.
Walking into the restaurant, there was no fan fair. Saint Paul was far from the likes of Los Angeles, but even when he was there, Jay was never followed by paparazzi, or even asked for his autograph. It was a privacy envied by his celebrity friends. How he could have more money, but less notoriety always baffled them, but Jay would have it no other way.
“Hi, can I help you?” the young brunette asked, as he gazed at the menu.
Startled, Jay stepped to the cashier stand. He’d expected a line, which would have afforded him a few minutes to pick his order from the seemingly endless list of options.
It had been years since he ordered his own coffee outside of the office, and the main reason was because he thought it saved time. Now, looking into the googly eyes of the barista, he wondered why he was paying his secretary extra when he could easily fulfill this role on his own.
“Yeah. Can I have a cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso, please?” He ordered with less confidence than he’d intended.
“Sure,” she smiled, while tapping a touch screen cash register, a soft dimple showing in her cheek.
“What’s funny?” Jay asked, instantly noticing the effect of his boldness. The fair skinned cashier went ruby as she glanced up at him nervously.
“Oh, it just seemed like you didn’t really know what you wanted, that’s all.”
She had the look of the poor employees at Passions Publishing when they feared they’d made a mistake. She was afraid she could lose her job, or at least that’s how Jay felt.
“I’ll confess that my secretary usually handles this part of my day,” he revealed, hoping to put her at ease her a bit.
“I figured. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you,” she smiled, tapping a few more times before telling him his total. Jay touched his credit card to the electronic reader until a subtle beep alerted him that his card had successfully been charged.
“No whip cream or any of that,” Jay added, as he thought of the extras coffee shops seemed to add.
“No? You seem like you could use a little,” she said, before pursing her lips, fighting back a grin.
Jay’s eyebrows rose in shock. She was blatantly flirting, and he couldn’t help but feel flattered. She was far too young for him, but still he was amused by her gesture. Glancing over his shoulders, he made sure no one was witnessing their encounter.
“You just missed the morning rush. It’s just you and me,” she winked, drawing his attention behind the counter as she moved from the pumping station to the espresso machine, bending too slowly as she knelt for sugar, and peeking over her shoulder when she reached a high shelf.
Jay was amused by her show, but knew she wasn’t worth his time. It had to be Kasey, and his desire to see her again, that even made the young girl attractive. It was unlike him to go so long without being with a woman, but no one seemed to measure up to the one he let get away two weeks ago.
Maybe the brown hair of the barista had stirred something within him, he couldn’t tell, but when she finally handed him the cappuccino with a smile, he was happy to be leaving.
Danny drove quickly as he continued along the route Jay had sent him on the previous Friday. They were going to confront the problem that had made Jay’s life a living hell for the past two weeks—Renee Rockwell.
His arch nemesis had hired Kasey, a move to do nothing more than piss him off. Sure, she would make millions from the talent Kasey harbored, but Jay knew that was less valuable to Renee than sticking it to Passions Publishing. She wanted nothing more than to gain Jay’s priceless attention.
“Is the front door okay?” Danny asked, his confused tone revealing his lack of understanding.
“Yes, this is fine,” Jay answered, sounding a bit unsure himself as he sat with his cooling cappuccino in the cup holder before opening the back door for himself. “Just wait here. I shouldn’t be long,” he added, before closing the door.
The walk into Rockwell Publishing seemed to take forever. It was more impressive than he remembered. His last visit had been to warn her of stepping on his toes, poaching his clients and employees, and while Renee tried to hide the effects of his intimidation, Jay saw through her like a lace covering.
“Do you have an appointment?” The blonde receptionist asked Jay as he entered the eighth floor, which he knew to house Renee’s office.
“No need. He’s here for me,” the arrogant voice stopped Jay from his planned routine of persuasion.
“Renee,” he stated coldly, looking over at his adversary who seemed more than eager to invite him into her shitty office.
“Come in, Mr. Canton,” she smiled, as she extended her hand towards her office.
“Nothing better to do than watch for me?” Jay sneered, as he walked into her small office.
The décor wasn’t comparable to his office—a glass top desk, the likes of which he’d seen in more offices than he could count, served as the center piece. Her small window showcased a glimpse of the city, if you tilted your head and squinted. It was fair real estate, nothing to brag about, but still an accomplishment for an up and coming publisher like Renee.
“My first-floor security alerted me to your arrival. I was wondering who I owed for the great Jay Canton to be visiting Rockwell Publishing,” she feigned surprise as she rested her hands on her narrow hips. Jay noticed the lack of polish on her nails, substituted by a clear coat and short cut nails.
Renee did everything to fit in with the men she competed against, which Jay found to be a disadvantage. She should have accentuated what made her stand out—her femininity and ability to connect on a level men lacked. It was what mad
e Kasey so special, but seeing Renee only reminded him of his reason for barnstorming her business.
“I’m here to talk to Kasey,” he boldly admitted, silently thinking of how much of an asset he could be to Renee if she was a friend. He could easily quadruple her business, but because she always went about their relationship with a combative nature, he met the fire with fire, refusing to help a woman dead set on pretending to compete with him.
“Is this professional or personal?” she asked, catching him off guard.
It had never occurred to Jay that Renee could know about his relationship, if that’s what you would call it, with Kasey. But the way she spoke made him believe she had insider information he had not planned to divulge.
“Business,” he shot back before he could further doubt Kasey’s discretion. “Why would it be anything else?” he added, when he noticed the look of defeat on Renee’s face. She didn’t know anything, and Jay quickly realized he should stop expecting so little from Kasey.
That’s what got him in this position in the first place. Kasey wasn’t a girl after fame from sleeping with him, but accepting that was difficult for someone with his level of success. A woman wanting anything less than exposure from him was rare.
“Well, she’s not in. She usually works from home. You know, a talent like Kasey needs room to breathe, something she couldn’t get at Passions Publishing,” Renee crossed her arms as she looked directly at Jay, judgement in her eyes.
“Well, let her know I’m looking for her,” Jay said, before turning to leave the shabby office. There was nothing more he needed to say to Renee. She’d made a mistake by revealing that Kasey didn’t work in the office much. He had an entire staff who could easily pinpoint where she would be on any given day, and from the panic on Renee’s face, he knew she could read his intention of finding the woman responsible for her recent bump in sales.
“I’ll make you an offer,” she called after Jay, just before his hand reached the handle of her office door.
Turning his head in her direction, he prompted her to continue without speaking another word.
“I’ll fire Kasey, sending her back to Passions, if you’ll give me the rights to one of your publishing houses.” Unbelievably, she managed to deliver the ridiculous ‘offer’ with a straight face.
Passions Publishing had three houses—located in Saint Paul, Los Angeles, and New York. Rockwell Publishing, however, was located only in Saint Paul, which limited Renee in her attempt to compete with Jay. Why she would ever think Kasey was worth an entire publishing house, he couldn’t rationalize.
“Just deliver my message,” he reiterated, after a huff of disbelief.
Renee didn’t follow him on his way to the elevator, but her words did. There was no way he could give her access to another publishing house, but he had to get Kasey back. On the elevator ride, he vowed in silence to find another way to the woman who had walked away from him, taking more than her talent with her.
Chapter 24
Kasey
It was rare for Kasey to go into the office at Rockwell Publishing—a stipulation she made sure to add into her contract. While she hated to admit it, there was something about Renee she didn’t care to be around regularly. She needed her independence, and during their negotiations, Renee seemed so desperate to sign her, Kasey knew she could construct her dream deal with no objections.
Pulling into the parking lot of the small publishing house, she missed the valet option at Passions Publishing. It was a bit overzealous to refer to Rockwell Publishing as small, especially considering where she’d been working just a month ago, but Kasey couldn’t help but feel like she’d taken a step backward after leaving the largest firm in the country.
She had just pulled around to the VIP parking when she saw him. Jay was walking out of the building, looking even more breathtaking than usual as his jaw muscles tightened with every step.
What was he doing at Rockwell? She wracked her brain for a logical reason, meanwhile scrambling to think of a plan of action.
Instinct told Kasey to run, it was the obvious choice. She didn’t want to face Jay, yet there was a small part of her that was excited to see him, so she pulled beside the Mercedes she knew to be his and rolled her window down just as he approached.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, drawing his attention to her Honda Accord.
“Kasey,” he spoke her name like it was a breath of fresh air after a day at sea. His eyes lit up with a glimmer as he looked down into her window. “I came to see you,” he added, as if it was obvious.
“For what?” Kasey asked, shutting her car off before reaching for her small purse and opening the door.
Jay stepped back, making room for her as she planted her stiletto clad feet on the cement. She immediately wished she was better dressed. She’d only planned to run in and out of the office to pick up a delivery from a writer, so her skinny jeans and t-shirt were not what she’d hoped to be wearing the next time she ran into Jay Canton.
“I need to talk to you,” Jay held his hands up, as if he’d never had to explain his reasoning for requesting someone’s time. Most people were happy to meet with Jay Canton, Kasey knew, but he had burned himself with her.
There wasn’t much Kasey had when it came to comparing herself with Jay. He was by far more successful and wealthy, but they did match up on work ethic and integrity. After working together for a short period of time, she was confident he respected her work ethic and ability to get the job done. But his actions had shown her that he failed to acknowledge her integrity, and that was a miscalculation on his part that she was not willing to let slide.
“I don’t have anything to say to you,” she said, holding her chin high as she struggled not to get lost in his dreamy blue eyes.
“Kasey. It’s only dinner, about business. Come on, let me talk to you,” he stepped forward, and she could feel her insides begin to boil up, and it was not with anger. Despite her desire to hate him, Kasey couldn’t bring herself to harbor ill feelings toward this man.
“I’m not hungry,” she heard herself say, as if that was excuse enough.
“You’ve been reading,” Jay ignored her statement, brushing a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear as he smirked. He remembered how she tied her hair up whenever she got lost in a book, and for some reason that meant a lot to her. Jay had remembered her work ethic.
“I have to go,” she declared, but her feet didn’t move. The two stood face to face, only a few tense inches between them.
“Kasey, let me explain,” he said in a pleading tone. “Please.”
It was all Kasey needed to walk away—a reminder of how badly he’d fucked up. He wanted to explain, because he’d broken the trust between them, something that could never be repaired.
“I have no interest in your explanation,” Kasey looked directly into his deep blue eyes before walking down the narrow pathway that led to Rockwell Publishing.
Without ever looking back, she knew Jay watched her entire journey. He was the kind of guy who didn’t want much, but when his attention was captured, it was hard to turn him away. Kasey had captured Jay’s attention, this much she knew. The reasoning was questionable. Maybe he realized how great of an agent she was, maybe he felt guilty for misjudging her, or maybe he’d even suffered a decrease in sales after her departure.
Regardless of why he’d shown up, she knew it had nothing to do with the personal relationship, but she couldn’t be sure how she felt about that. Did she want Jay to care about her on a deeper level? The confusion was so captivating she didn’t even notice Renee at the elevator doors once they opened.
“I know you’re not going to walk right past me,” Renee held her arms up. Unaware of her boss’s presence, Kasey had planned to do just that, catching herself as she forced a smile and walked into another one of Renee’s awkward hugs.
“I was hoping you’d come by today. There’s so much I wanted to congratulate you on,” Renee said almost too cheerily as she
followed Kasey to her office.
The entire journey felt forced and uncomfortable, as Kasey racked her brain for an explanation for Renee’s pushiness. There were no new releases, and she hadn’t signed any new authors, so what could be bringing on the faux friendship?
“Well, I just came for these. So, I’m going to head out to get ready for a meeting,” Kasey lied, holding up a set of paperback books.
There was no meeting, but she needed out of Renee’s desperate plea for commitment. It was draining to attempt to match her fake smile as they both sat in Kasey’s office, which seemed too small for the energy Renee was harboring.
“I know you’re busy. That’s why I value everything you do for this company,” Renee said, in a tone that sounded rehearsed and overused.
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