My One and Only: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Second Chance Romance

by Weston Parker

  Every project was a case study as far as Kasey was concerned. She was never far from her dream, whether she was writing about it or testing out theories and taking notes. When Passions Publishing was in need, it felt like the perfect time to finally share her idea.

  What she hadn’t expected was Jay’s complete support and enthusiasm for making her dream a reality. He believed her from the first pitch, and she knew him well enough to know it had nothing to do with their budding relationship. Jay saw it as a real investment opportunity to grow Passions, and he was impressed with her mind.

  Mitchell would become a believer as well, she knew it would only take time. He was the more reserved of the two, so it made sense that he would need more than projections. Mitchell would doubt the vision until he saw results, and Kasey was confident she could provide them.

  “I’m going to look these over, Kasey. Thank you for bringing so much data,” he mumbled, as his eyes scanned the paperwork she had provided.

  The two walked out of the conference room together, though Mitchell was too interested in reading her notes to carry on a conversation. When she told him she’d see him later, before turning down a different hallway, he didn’t even look up from the page he was reading about author development, nodding as he mentioned something about seeing her at the meeting later.

  She knew he was giving the bland response he probably gave to employees all day, and shook it off as she made her way down the wide and expansive halls of Passions. She’d missed the grandiose design and electric excitement of the staff, who continued to stop her every two feet to let her know how happy they were that she was returning.

  When she finally reached Jay’s office she knocked softly, causing him to look up from his computer just long enough to flash his heart stopping smile.

  “I’m heading out,” she said, explaining her reason for the interruption as he jotted down something with one finger in the air, requesting her patience.

  “I just wanted to talk to you really quickly before you left,” he said casually, leaving his desk to wave her inside.

  Kasey stepped into the office, waiting for Jay to give her feedback on her pitch to Mitchell, or maybe share some new insight he’d been researching. She watched as he closed the office door before turning towards her with a new glare in his bright blue eyes.

  “I want you,” was all he said before scooping her up with one arm draped around her back, carrying her across his office and then lying her on his sofa. The same sofa she’d gripped her nails into as she came loudly while employees sat at their desks in the office not too long ago.

  “Baby, wait,” she giggled, as his lips raced down her collar bone.

  “Come to lunch with me. If I can’t taste you, I should at least be able to feed you,” he said with a hunger that had nothing to do with food.

  “I have a meeting in less than a half an hour,” Kasey struggled to look at her watch.

  Jay kissed down her arm until he reached her wrist, taking her hand in his. “Can I buy you a watch?”

  “What? Where did that come from?” she asked.

  Kasey had never thought much of it. She had the Rolex a happy client had gifted her, and thought that was the best of the best as far as watches went.

  “I collect watches. I want to get you one, but I know how you are,” he raised one eyebrow as he lifted himself from the sofa before pulling her to her feet with one fell swoop.

  “Oh? And how am I?” She pierced her lips to stop the grin from spreading across her face while running her hands down the front of her dress to straighten any wrinkles caused by Jay’s sudden takedown.

  “You’ll refuse an expensive gift, or tell me you already have a watch,” he shrugged, as if she knew exactly what he was talking about.

  “Well, I do already have a watch,” she held up her wrist to remind him of the gold Rolex.

  “Barely. I’m getting you a watch,” he smirked, deciding to forget seeking permission.

  “You’re something else, Jay Canton,” she smiled, unable to hide the giddy excitement she felt.

  Jay was right, she would usually react in the exact way he described, but she didn’t feel like her normal self when she was around him. He brought out a new side she was getting to discover, a side that looked forward to being showered with gifts by him.

  “So, what’s your meeting about?” Jay changed the subject, satisfied with her lack of fight about his gift.

  “A new author I want to sign,” she switched from personal to business flawlessly.

  “Hmm. So, can I see you tonight, then?” He switched back quicker than she’d anticipated.

  “How about dinner?” she asked.

  “Sounds perfect. Do you need my driver?”

  Kasey wasn’t sure if Jay was offering his driver for her work day, or their dinner later, but because she didn’t need him for either, she simply told him she was fine before rising on her toes to press her lips to his.

  “I’ll see you tonight,” he said before planting another soft kiss on her lips and walking her out of his office.

  Kasey felt like she was walking on clouds as she made her way to the meeting, ready to convince the new client that Passions was the best way to go.

  As usual, she was early to the restaurant where she would meet him, so she took the time to order a few appetizers while scrolling through her notes about his work in her phone.

  “Kasey!” Jacob greeted her as he walked towards her.

  Unlike many of the writers she represented, Jacob was very outgoing with supreme confidence that could easily be misconstrued as arrogance. He knew his work was good and didn’t feel the need to hide behind his words. Instead, Jacob preferred to be as famous as his work, which was an anomaly in the field.

  Kasey spent a lot of her time trying to convince writers to proudly be the face of their books, because in the current state of the industry, the fans were connecting with more than the words on the paper. They wanted to know who wrote the books, how they lived, and what they were working on next.

  Jacob embodied that with a personality bigger than his first novel, which topped the charts. If Kasey could bring him to Passions, she knew he would be the best guinea pig imaginable for her new, dream company.

  “It’s always good to meet with you, Jacob. How’s everything going? You just got off an international book tour, right?” She smiled as they settled into the red leather seats of the booth.

  Kasey had picked a burger joint, after scrolling Jacob’s social media accounts and learning how much he loved a good burger.

  “This place makes the best guacamole,” he said, rather than answering her question.

  “Better than Migos?” Kasey doubted his knowledge.

  “You know about Migos? I thought that was one of the best kept secrets in the city,” he smiled, impressed.

  “Well, I’m not known to eat and tell, Jacob.” They both laughed before ordering two beers when the waiter came around with the Parmesan fries Kasey had ordered.

  “I’m not going to waste your time, Kasey. I know you’re working with Jay and Mitchell, and I love what they’ve got going over there. But, I’m also taking a meeting with Renee Rockwell later tonight,” he cut to the chase, pleasing Kasey.

  After working for Renee for over a month, she had widened her network, and knew about his meeting with Renee before she called to schedule the lunch.

  “I’m going to tell you about what I have to offer, the benefits, and the room for growth. Ultimately, it’s up to you, Jacob. I’m not going to pressure you either way.”

  Kasey had never slung mud when it came to signing artists. She always felt it best to rise above the cattiness that existed in her profession, and knew her writers appreciated it. So, although she had insider information about how shady and scandalous Renee could be, she didn’t speak negatively about her former boss.

  Instead, she spent their lunch sharing all the resources and advantages Jacob would gain by joining Passions Publishing. It took ev
ery ounce of will power she could muster to hold back on the details of the new venture. It hadn’t been completely implemented, and her experience had taught her not to discuss future details with clients. If Jacob signed at the end of their lunch, she couldn’t guarantee him the benefits of the new program, and that was enough reason for her to hold off selling him on the full package management.

  “Kasey, everything sounds really good and I know you’re top notch. I’ve never heard anything bad about you and all my friends who have worked with you rave about your commitment,” Jacob said, after wiping his mouth.

  They had just finished their meals and from the frequency of his glances at his watch, she knew it must be time for him to head to his other meeting with Renee.

  “Like I said, take the meeting Jacob. I know Renee will offer you more than Passions on the upfront payout, but consider all the options when you’re making the deal. Nothing is final at Passions, so you can make adjustments and renegotiate as you see fit.”

  It was a gem, but she wasn’t sure that Jacob would pick it up. The reason Renee offered more to authors upfront was to draw them into bad contracts that locked them in for years without the option for renegotiation.

  It was the most Kasey had ever said about a competitor in a meeting, but she was comfortable with being more aggressive. She was committed to Passions, and wanted her new program to take them to the next level, so if that meant being bolder than she’d ever been, she’d do it.

  “As always, it’s been a pleasure,” Jacob smiled, and Kasey knew he was intrigued.

  “Let me walk you out,” she offered, before insisting that she pay the bill. Just when they reached the front door, she turned to Jacob. “Listen, if you want to meet again after your meeting, just give me a call.”

  They said their goodbyes and Kasey exhaled deeply, hoping she’d done well enough to secure a big win for Passions. Only time would tell, but she didn’t have much of it to spare.

  Chapter 49

  Jay

  “Ready to leave?” Mitchell interrupted Jay. Looking at his computer, he realized he was due to meet Kasey for dinner soon. His secretary had made reservations and a grin spread across his face as he realized he’d soon see her.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he answered Mitchell, who seemed to be in a better mood.

  The two hadn’t spoken since the meeting earlier, and Jay had wondered what else, if anything, Kasey had said to him. Whatever it was must have had some positive impact, because this was the first time all week that Mitchell had showed up for their daily recap.

  It felt like the two were growing apart, but Jay was smart enough to understand that Mitchell was just upset. He cared about Passions and didn’t want to see it fail. His commitment only made the company stronger, so Jay wasn’t going to give him a hard time for fighting for the best.

  Of course, that was easier said than done, especially when Kasey was involved, so he had gone a bit off the rails in their meeting. In Jay’s mind, Mitchell showing up in his office was a clear indication that he too wanted to make it through this rough time stronger than they’d been before he sold one of the three publishing houses to Renee.

  The old friends walked to the elevator with their first lighthearted chat in days, as Mitchell told Jay about his son’s upcoming soccer game, and Jay inquired about golf plans. Things were getting back to normal, and Jay was more than grateful.

  “Let me know if you want to get a couple of rounds in this weekend,” Mitchell called out to Jay as they split from the elevator.

  “Will do!” Jay answered back, although he knew there would be no exchange between the two of them this weekend.

  His decision had nothing to do with not wanting to see Mitchell. Jay’s only mission over the weekend was to spend time with Kasey, so unfortunately his best friend would be taking a backseat.

  “Hey Danny! We’ve got a dinner date!” Jay was far from the grumpy boss Danny had recently become used to. The young man was beaming as he welcomed his boss into the Mercedes before racing around to the driver’s seat.

  “Everything good?” Danny asked, testing the waters.

  “Great! We’ve got about seven minutes to the restaurant. Fill me in on what I’ve missed,” Jay smirked, knowing Danny was dying to tell him all about his life.

  By the time they arrived at the restaurant, Jay knew all about Danny’s tough college courses, his ongoing dispute with his parents about moving off campus, and the love triangle he had found himself in the middle of.

  “We’ll pick this up tomorrow,” Jay assured him, shaking his head at the troubles of a college kid.

  Kasey was waiting for him at the bar when he walked into the restaurant, and seeing her took his breath away. She’d changed into a spaghetti strapped maroon dress, which accentuated the highlights in her long hair. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and that made him eager to get through dinner so he could get her out of the dress that hugged her perfectly.

  “You look amazing,” he whispered in her ear as he hugged her. She inhaled sharply at either his words or their proximity. He couldn’t be sure which one, but he liked having that effect on her.

  “You’re not so bad yourself, Mr. Canton,” she teased, calling him by his last name like she did when they first met.

  “Let’s eat.”

  They were seated at a table in the back of the restaurant that gave them more privacy than the average diner. Jay didn’t want to say anything, for fear of sounding pretentious, but he was one of three initial investors who had opened the restaurant, now hailed as the finest dining in Saint Paul.

  “I’m starving. I didn’t want to pig out at my lunch, so I only had a slider,” she took a deep breath while she looked at the menu.

  “Where’d you go?” Jay asked.

  “Do you know that new burger place downtown? Uh, Minestros,” she asked, peeking over the menu.

  “Yeah. How was it?” Jay fought back a smile. He was a part owner of that restaurant as well.

  “Oh, Jacob Leary is a thriller novelist, and he’s very accomplished. He wants to be a major star, so naturally I’ve never been the best fit for him. He needs all the bells and whistles of a major firm like Passions. I’m hoping I can bring him onboard for the new program,” she smiled sweetly.

  “I see,” Jay nodded. He was only asking about the restaurant and how she enjoyed lunch, but Kasey was so passionate about her work he didn’t want to interrupt her.

  “He had an interview with Renee later,” she began, and Jay felt his stomach tense at the name of his arch nemesis. “You know, with the acquisition, she’s offering more as a signing bonus,” Kasey rolled her eyes.

  “Sweetheart,” Jay reached across the table, covering Kasey’s free hand with his. “I don’t want to talk about business. I just want to spend time with you.”

  She blushed before smiling slowly. “Well, I went to the salon in preparation for this dinner.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. Jay had noticed it was shinier than normal, but his main thought was how he wanted to pull on it later in the evening.

  “I never know where you’re going to take me, and I always think I’ll be underdressed,” she looked down, and although it was sweet, Jay didn’t like the thought of her being insecure about anything.

  “I’d never take you somewhere you weren’t dressed for, Kasey,” he answered seriously, and she nodded with the sweetest smile of gratitude.

  “What were you like in college?” Kasey asked, catching Jay off guard.

  “In college? Hmm. I guess I would say I kept to myself. I thought the point was to get a job and get rich, but since the jobs required the degree, I wanted to short circuit the system.”

  “You were competitive,” she remarked.

  “Always.”

  “Did you ever play any sports?”

  “When I was growing up I played everything. Soccer, basketball, football, swimming, you name it.”

  He smiled thinking of himself back in his athletic days, realizin
g no one ever asked him about his upbringing. Most people assumed he was born rich, but even more regularly than that, he put up a wall that prevented anyone from asking such a personal question.

  “What about you? What was little Kasey like?” he asked, imagining her as a petite teen.

  “A rebel,” she answered bluntly.

  “No way,” Jay scoffed. Of all the answers that ran through his mind, he never considered Kasey would have had a rebellious stage.

  “My mom says I was revolting against never getting a little sister, but I don’t know. I was just combative and feisty for no reason. Everything was an argument with me. I don’t know how my parents put up with me.”