With her arm wrapped around Kasey’s shoulder, she pulled her in as the two walked back to the elevators. Anyone watching the interaction would think Renee was Kasey’s long lost best friend, but Kasey knew better than to take Renee at face value.
The ability to read people was what had made Kasey successful as an agent, but now it was a detriment, because there was never a moment she could ignore the cloud of insincerity that hovered above her new boss. It had been two full weeks of trying to fight what she knew to be true—Renee was a fake person, and working for her was not a good feeling.
“I’ll email you,” was all Kasey said as she stepped into the elevator, happy when Renee decided not to ride down to the lobby with her.
For all that Jay and Passions Publishing was not, there was never a time when Kasey felt unsure about their intention. She always knew where Jay stood, even if it was on a side she didn’t want him on. He was clear and concise, and when she walked out of Rockwell Publishing, she missed that freedom, even more than she missed seeing him.
A small lump formed in her throat when she noticed the empty spot where his Mercedes had sat next to her Honda. He was gone, along with the sincerity that came along with working with someone of his caliber. As much as she didn’t like admitting it, Kasey missed Jay, and his company.
Chapter 25
Jay
“Should we stop by the café again this morning, sir?” Danny asked, glancing at Jay through the rear-view mirror.
He knew he could easily get coffee at the office. There was no important mission after Kasey had rejected him, but still, he felt his head nod slightly, instructing Danny to return to the small coffee shop.
It wasn’t until he was standing in front of the thin barista that he acknowledged why he’d altered his routine. It was for her, the imitation Kasey who had done nothing more than amuse him the previous day.
“Another cappuccino?” She failed her attempt to hide her excitement to see him as she leaned on the counter.
“Please,” Jay nodded, forcing a half smile.
She wasn’t what he wanted—of that he was certain. Still, he was a man with needs, and if Kasey was going to play hard to get, again, he could at least find a release with the barista. Watching her move behind the counter, he had to admit she was quite attractive. What she lacked in curves, she made up for in the obvious desire to please him. Every move she made was followed by a glance over her shoulder, hoping he was watching her amateur show.
A slow sigh escaped him as she finished preparing his drink. He knew what he would do before he did it, and feeling himself slip back into his older playboy days felt less comfortable than he imagined.
“I want to call you.”
It was blunt and direct, which Jay had found to work well with the ladies, especially when they made it so clear they were interested in him.
“You don’t even know my name,” the brunette shot back, feigning insult.
“So, you’re not Melissa?” He nodded towards the black nametag she wore on her chest.
Looking down, she giggled, before raising her chin to face him again, this time with a little more color in her cheeks. She nodded her answer before quickly moving to the cash register, pushing a button, and tearing off a short sheet of receipt tape. Bending over the counter, she jotted something down before returning to Jay with her hand extended.
He didn’t take his eyes off her as he accepted the thin paper, and he could imagine how malleable she’d be in the bedroom from the look of obedience in her eyes.
“See you later,” he said casually before strolling out of the coffee shop.
“To the office, sir?” Danny asked, once they were settled back in the car.
“Yes.”
Jay finally glanced down at the paper to see a seven-digit number, with the word Melissa written underneath, the ‘I’ dotted with a heart. There were two things glaringly obvious—she was local, since typically people included their area code, understanding that everyone isn’t from Saint Paul. Second, she was as innocent as hell. He had thought dotting an ‘I’ with a heart was reserved for high school.
Instantly, Jay regretted getting Melissa’s phone number, knowing he had no plans to call her. What could they talk about? But a small voice in his head reminded him that talking wasn’t what he needed to do.
Danny pulled into the parking lot of Passions Publishing, maneuvering to the front, where Jay’s parking space remained empty, but his attention was caught by the beautiful woman squinting into the car. It was Kasey, and the nerves were evident on her face as she fidgeted with her hair.
Jay tried his best to appear nonchalant, but he couldn’t slow down as he rushed from the back seat to face her.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, subtly taking in the black designer dress she wore. Her calves looked amazing thanks in part to her stiletto pumps.
“I was rude yesterday. I’m sorry,” she searched his eyes, but for what he couldn’t be sure.
Jay remained silent, watching Kasey intently, forcing her to reveal her hand. There was no way she would come all the way to Passions just to apologize, or at least that’s what he hoped.
“I do want to go to dinner with you—to discuss business.” She added the second part in a rush as if Jay could inadvertently interpret her acceptance as a date. The precaution amused him and he had to bite back a laugh to stay in control.
“What made you change your mind?” he asked, curious about her new direction.
Renee was tricky, and after their interaction, he wondered if she would be able to manipulate Kasey into working against him.
“You’re getting the dinner, don’t push it by drilling down on my intentions,” she rolled her eyes as if he was wasting her time.
She was back—his sassy Kasey who had told him her time was money when he first approached her to work for him. She was combative in the best way, and all the suspicion Jay felt only moments earlier faded away as he watched her shift her weight from one foot to the next, waiting on his response.
“Well, the offer still stands, of course. I’ll have Jessica make a reservation, and then you can meet me at the restaurant,” he nodded, as if that was final, ready to end the interaction so he could analyze Kasey’s change of heart.
“No. You can pick me up.”
His eyebrows raced to his hairline in shock. A woman had never told him what he was going to do, regardless of whether it was a personal or business dinner. He was stunned speechless as he fumbled for a response.
“Oh. Will I?” he challenged, as his lips begged to curl in amusement.
“Yes, you will. Jessica should know my address, if not, she can ask Stephanie,” Kasey explained, referencing her old assistant.
“So, you’re not even going to give me the address?” Jay huffed, finding it impossible to maintain his composure when Kasey behaved so brazenly.
“That seems too easy, Mr. Canton,” Kasey answered, walking back to her car before looking over her shoulder, catching Jay watching every second of her exit. “Have you ever known me to be easy?”
She didn’t wait for Jay’s response, and lucky for her, because he couldn’t imagine possessing any type of wit after that performance. He watched her climb into her beat up Honda Accord, standing as still as a statue until she disappeared out of the driveway.
Finally alone, Jay allowed the smile to spread across his face, as he realized he finally had his shot. All he needed was one night with her, one dinner. At least that’s what he’d told himself.
Something had brought Kasey back to him, and as he walked into the building with a renewed sense of confidence, he decided it didn’t matter what it was. She was back, willing to hear him out. Now it was up to him to use the time wisely, and convince her that he had learned his lesson.
The more he thought of it, the more he felt unsure about what to say, because at the end of the day he wasn’t sure what he wanted exactly. Forgiveness? It seemed Kasey had already granted him that much. Anothe
r chance to work together? He did miss having her around, but he didn’t know if it was all work related.
He had some time to figure out how to approach the dinner, and he planned to spend every second perfecting his argument, whatever it would be.
Chapter 26
Kasey
Kasey’s energy was electric after leaving Passions Publishing. She’d made quite the impression, this much she knew from the look on Jay’s face as she had walked away, leaving him staring and speechless. Jay Canton wasn’t the type of man to run out of words, but she’d watched as he looked on in silence after she had all but demanded he pick her up for dinner.
She hadn’t planned to deny him her address, but when he was so taken aback by her suggestion on how to get it, she couldn’t resist taking it further.
Unable to focus on work after such an interaction, she made a detour to visit Nicole at her job. The doctor her friend worked for was in high demand, but he took clients on a referral basis only. In other words, he worked with the ‘who’s who’ of Saint Paul, which often left Nicole with plenty of down time. Far from the run-of-the-mill medical office, Dr. Proctor’s practice was top of the line, complete with lavender scent and calming music when you entered the paisley gray waiting room.
“Hello, I’d like to make an appointment,” Kasey contorted her face to match the accent she was struggling to maintain.
“I’m sorry, we don’t—” Nicole answered, looking up from the book that had captured her attention. Her broad smile soon became a fit of giggles when her eyes landed on Kasey.
The two had always been like school girls when they got together. It didn’t matter how old they got, every reunion was sure to bring on laughter and teasing.
“This book is so good!” she whispered, excitement in her voice as she held up the orange and yellow paperback, her thumb still holding her place.
“I told you. Kenny is a gem,” Kasey beamed with pride.
Kenneth Gregory was the first author she had signed to Rockwell Publishing, and she had shared the first run of his latest novel with Nicole. He was into mystery thrillers, a new genre for Kasey, but she had connected with him from their first meeting. After two lunches, they agreed that a partnership would be mutually exclusive, and the rest is history.
“You keep finding them. These publishing houses would be nothing without you,” Nicole shook her head with the confidence of a best friend before typing rapidly on her keyboard. “Okay, let’s go,” she said, grabbing her purse from a drawer.
“Where are we going?” Kasey asked.
“Oh, I know that look. You’ve got dirt to tell. I need privacy to hear this. Plus Dr. Proctor doesn’t have another client for half an hour.”
Leading her out the office building, Nicole took Kasey to a park across the street, settling on an empty bench out of the way of the wandering dogs and playful children. It was her go-to place during her lunch break to people watch and get a breath of fresh air.
“So, you would just be sitting there until the next appointment?” Kasey resumed their conversation about Nicole’s job, the annoyance clear in her tone.
“Sometimes I get calls, but regardless, I’ve got Kenny’s imagination to keep me company,” she smiled, gently tapping her purse as she tried to change the subject.
“Nicole, that man barely needs an assistant. You know you don’t have to keep working here,” Kasey began another rant for her best friend to do what she wanted.
“I know, Kasey. I should quit and release my best seller. You can represent me, and we’ll both get mega rich and live happily ever after,” she teased in a mocking tone.
“I’m serious, Nicole. I have the authority to hire you at Rockwell. You could at least read books for me. Besides, you’re already doing that. You should be writing your own stories. I remember those short stories from college,” Kasey reminded Nicole, as if she could ever forget.
“They were barely short stories, Kase, definitely not novels. Just let me read in peace,” she rolled her eyes, and Kasey knew that was the end of the debate.
“I didn’t come here to talk about your writing career,” Kasey changed the subject with a sigh. There was no reason for her to continue her argument when Nicole was never willing to budge. She saw so much potential for her friend, but it wasn’t up to her to make her life choices, so as usual, she dropped the topic.
“Yes, let’s get to the reason you’re here in the middle of the day, Ms. Wright,” Nicole crossed her legs, as if it was finally time for the main event, requiring her upmost attention.
“Oh stop. It’s not that big of a deal,” Kasey began, which was far from the truth. It was a huge deal, otherwise she wouldn’t be disturbing Nicole in the middle of the day.
“Just spill it!”
“Yesterday Jay showed up at Rockwell,” Kasey blurted.
“How do you know?” Nicole asked, knowing Kasey rarely worked from the office.
“I had to go in and pick something up and he was walking out just as I pulled into the parking lot,” she explained.
“Fate.” Nicole placed her hand over her chest in a dramatic fashion that caused Kasey to roll her eyes.
“Don’t go getting all romantic. This isn’t a fairy tale, just a business deal gone horribly wrong.”
“You cannot tell me this is still about business.” Nicole was flabbergasted by her best friend’s approach, but she tried to remain objective.
“That’s what he said. Jay asked me to dinner to discuss business,” she repeated his words as she remembered them.
“And what did you say?” Nicole all but squealed, leaning forward in her seat.
“I said no. I couldn’t even understand what he was doing there at my job,” Kasey recounted, the memory still fresh in her mind.
“Kasey!” Nicole shouted her disapproval so loud a woman walking by on the street turned in their direction.
“Relax! I went back to his office today and caught him off guard. I told him I would go, but now—I just—” Kasey’s voice faded away as her feelings became too blurry to articulate.
“What’s wrong?” Nicole scooted closer so that their knees were touching, hoping to be a supportive friend.
“I don’t know.” Kasey took a deep breath, running her hand through her long hair before continuing. “In some ways, I’m excited. But then I know I shouldn’t be. He crossed me like no one else, and I don’t think we should work together anymore. Maybe this whole thing is a bad idea.”
“Well, what are the pros and cons of going to the dinner? Let’s start there,” Nicole advised.
“The major pro is that I’ll get to know his intentions. Why does he even want to meet with me? I’m anxious to figure that out, but he wasn’t letting on to anything when I saw him.”
Nicole nodded supportively, and Kasey continued. “It will also let me know if there is a possibility of working together again. You know how well I read people. Before the check comes, I’ll be able to tell if he’s a friend or a foe.”
“That’s a good bonus. I’m sure you’ll pick up on a vibe quickly, and you need to know what you’re dealing with. What are the cons?” Nicole asked.
“It could all be bullshit.”
“What does that even mean?” Nicole twisted her lips, trapping the laugh in her mouth.
“I mean, he could be wasting my time and just messing with my head!”
“Kasey, it seems like there’s nothing to worry about. Your only con is bullshit. You want to go to dinner, you want to see him, and you want to know if you can trust him. This is the only way to find out.” Nicole spoke like she was reading the results of a test.
“I just—” Kasey began, but was interrupted by the buzzing of her phone.
A smile spread across her face when she saw it was from Jay. She’d fully expected to receive details soon, but assumed they would come from his secretary. Regardless of whether he’d made the plans himself, Kasey felt special reading the message directly from Jay.
“You’ve
got to be kidding me,” Nicole watched Kasey in amazement.
“What? It’s Jay—he sent me the details for dinner. We’re going tomorrow,” she responded, without looking up from her phone as she frantically texted back.
“Oh, I’m fully aware of who it is, it’s written all over your face. You look like a teenager,” Nicole teased.
“Wait. You think I should delay my response? I don’t want to look desperate.” Kasey looked up, her eyes wide with the need for advice.
“You cannot possibly think this is still a business meeting, Kasey. You like him!” Nicole playfully shoved Kasey’s shoulder.
“It’s not like that. He’s a big player in the industry,” she shrugged, deciding to send her reply.
My One and Only: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Second Chance Romance Page 38
