Chapter 6

Kasey

Her office had never felt smaller than it did the minute Jay Canton stepped into the tiny space. A space Kasey had fought for after scoring her first New York Times Best Selling title. Careful not to alert him of her insecurity, Kasey took a deep breath before turning to face him, as she forced herself to display all the confidence her five foot four frame could project.

“Twenty minutes.” The words fell from her tongue, but Kasey was speaking with her eyes as she stared into his. He was projecting a casual demeanor, but she could sense he was a bit off kilter.

What had brought him to her office? She wondered as she watched him walk across the carpeted floor that desperately needed shampooing. He moved as if he owned the place, peeking through the dust covered vinyl blinds before turning his attention to her.

“I hadn’t heard from you since our meeting,” he began, but wanting to get back on the offensive, Kasey cut him off.

“I’m aware.”

“I wanted to see if you would be joining me at the Passions Publishing party. Well, the entire company will be there,” Jay said, quickly correcting himself when he heard what sounded like a date proposal leave his mouth.

“I’ve got a lot of work around the office,” Kasey lied, twirling her long hair around her index finger, as she always did when she was forced to tell less than the truth.

“It’s only a few hours. I just want you to see what the company is all about. It’s more than money and best seller lists, you know. We’re a family,” Jay moved around her desk, but with only two feet between them, Kasey could feel the magnetic pull. It was dangerous to think about how strongly she was drawn to this man offering her a lucrative position in his firm, a phenomenon she’d never experienced.

“Family, huh?” Kasey challenged.

She’d heard stories about Passion Publishing, and none of them would lead her to the word ‘family.’ Jay Canton was known to catapult writers into the stratosphere of fame without placing his name in in the spotlight, which was unexpected in the industry.

After their first meeting, Kasey had researched everything she could find on the mystery billionaire, and there was little to nothing about his personal life. Whoever ran his public relations team deserved a raise, because there were only a hand full of pictures, despite the numerous tabloid stories suggesting his association with models and A-list actresses.

“Come on, Kasey. It’s only a few hours. What’s the harm?” Jay asked bluntly, doubting her ability to turn him away.

“I’ll let you know, Mr. Canton,” Kasey crossed her arms, silently screaming her defiance.

Stepping back, Jay seemed to be reevaluating his approach before reaching into the interior pocket of his suit, revealing a white business card.

“Just think about it.” Laying the card on her desk, Jay looked into her big brown eyes with conviction.

“I will,” Kasey agreed.

“And just consider this, Kasey Wright,” Jay began, buttoning his suit jacket. “I came over here because I wasn’t willing to take no for an answer. I hope you don’t think this will fade. I won’t stop until you formally reject me. So, if that’s what you want to do, now is your time. Otherwise, you should get used to seeing me around.”

Kasey was dumbfounded by the audacity in the smirk that crept across his face. She knew he meant what he said, and would not be disappearing simply because she had yet to say yes. In her gut, she felt it best to formally turn him down. Her ego didn’t like the way he dared her to cancel the deal. She loved working for the small publishing house, but knew there were few options better than Passions Publishing for her career to go to the next level.

“I’ll think about it,” she reiterated, carefully collecting Jay’s business card from her laminate desk.

“It was nice to see you, Ms. Wright,” Jay nodded.

“Same to you, Mr. Canton. But wait,” she plucked a few hundred dollar bills from the stack of money he’d handed her, returning the banded bills. “I never overcharge,” she explained.

“I reject that, Ms. Wright. You’re worth every penny,” he nodded, before turning towards the door.

Kasey followed him out of the office, closing the door behind him before leaning against the frame for support.

Before she could think about it, she grabbed her bag, storming out of her office as she noted to Bianca, the red haired secretary who could never manage much at once, that she would be gone for the rest of the day.

It was a miracle she made it across town without rear ending anyone, because Kasey’s thoughts were in the clouds as she replayed every second she had shared with Jay on her way to the office where Nicole worked. Some things were best understood by girlfriends, and she had to get a second opinion on this man who was driving her crazy.

“What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” Nicole tried to hide her concern as she jumped up from her desk.

Kasey rarely showed up at her job unexpected, but this was an emergency as far as she was concerned. Without question, Nicole walked to the back office before returning to the reception area to let Kasey know she had an hour for a lunch break.

The two walked through the streets of downtown Saint Paul as Kasey revealed everything about Jay, starting from the random email she’d received from him the night they’d gone out for Mexican.

“And what do you think he wants from you?” Nicole asked, always the calm and collected of the two.

“I know he wants to make money together, and I don’t doubt that we can, but there’s something not right about him.”

“What do you mean? Does he make you uncomfortable?” Nicole asked with her perfectly arched eyebrows scrunching together.

“No, no. It’s not that, but the opposite. I do get intimidated by him, but more than anything, I feel I know him, like I could just tell him everything about my strategy and never worry about him using it against me.”

By the time they settled into an outdoor table at a bakery, Nicole was completely caught up. Sitting in a black iron chair, Kasey asked her best friend what she thought she should do.

“This seems like a great opportunity, Kase. You know it’s time for you to take another leap in your career. I’m sure you feel uncomfortable about it, but you’ve outgrown the firm. You’re too big of an agent to bring people to that shitty office.”

“I don’t bring clients to my office, Nicole.”

Nicole knew about her regular meetings at cafes and restaurants throughout the city. Her office was simply where she filed paperwork, but Kasey couldn’t see herself walking away from the company that had given her a shot when she had no proven success.

“You don’t owe them anything. You’ve been a great employee, and they’ve been rewarded handsomely. It’s time for you to spread your wings, and to do that you’re going to need more than a Facebook page.” Nicole appeared to have been sitting with these thoughts for a while, and Kasey needed to hear them.

“You’re not disloyal for seeing what else is out there, and all the man is asking is for you to see what his company has to offer. You don’t have to sign the contract that day, but maybe you’ll see how they do things at Passionate Publishing and want to make a change,” Nicole shrugged after her persuasive speech.

“It’s Passions Publishing,” Kasey giggled to herself before sipping her cappuccino.

Maybe Nicole was right. Jay was only trying to introduce her to how he did things, letting her in on the benefits his company could offer. But all she could think about was the way he looked at her— with hunger in his eyes and desire in his words.

Jay Canton made her feel like there was more between them, and it was a tension she found a bit unbearable. Kasey had never been a fan of delayed gratification, and instead, bit into her lollipops to discover what they were made of.

Jay was playing mysterious, and although she was intrigued, she couldn’t bring herself to confess that to her best friend. No, she would hold that card close to her chest until she was sure of what to do with it.

“Maybe you’re right. It is just a few hours,” Kasey finally relented, handing the cashier a few dollars to cover their bill before walking Nicole back to work.

“Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.” It was the last thing Nicole said before entering her building, leaving Kasey with the remnants of her Burberry perfume.

It was time she faced the tension with Jay and found out what he really wanted from her. She just couldn’t decide if the company party was the right place to make it happen.