Chapter 14

Kasey

She was so excited for the meeting, Kasey barely slept. Choosing to spend the early morning dolling herself up, she came into work more polished than usual. Her hair was pulled back, styled in a chignon bun that complimented the high neckline of her ivory chiffon blouse. The contrast in colors with her high waist black skirt made her appear even curvier than usual.

“Mr. Canton is ready for you,” Stephanie announced.

Kasey had arrived at work to find a memo from Jay requesting the details of her meeting with Trisha, and then a follow-up with a set location.

Trying to appear much cooler than she felt, Kasey smiled awkwardly while accepting all the paperwork Stephanie had prepared for the meeting.

“You’ll do fine,” her assistant assured her, before walking by her side to the conference room.

“Can you find me a good restaurant for lunch? Something fancy enough for a celebration, but not so fancy I can’t get in without a reservation,” Kasey requested, before taking one last deep breath and entering the conference room.

Outside of the inter office memos, she’d had no communication with Jay, so she didn’t know what to expect when they were face to face.

“Good morning,” he greeted her, standing as he set his iPhone on the glass table.

Jay had decided on which room to use for the meeting, but to her surprise, Kasey liked his selection. It was much smaller than the conference room where they’d had the group meeting the previous day. The other major difference was the lack of glass walls, providing more privacy for them to close the deal.

“Morning,” Kasey smiled, setting the paperwork on the table.

Before she could gauge his attitude, Jessica appeared at the door to the conference room announcing Trisha’s arrival. She walked in wearing jeans and a t-shirt, which made Kasey proud. She always loved Trisha’s free spirit. Regardless of how much money or success she earned, there was no changing the simple writer Kasey had discovered writing on a less than popular blog.

“Kasey, this place is so big! And nice!” Trisha squealed, hugging Kasey just as she had only a day before at the restaurant.

“Yes, it’s a lot to get used to,” Kasey began.

“We sure hope you do,” Jay chimed in.

“Trisha, this is my boss, Jay Canton. He is the most successful man in this industry, and he believes in you as much as I do,” Kasey interrupted Jay, wanting to make the introduction.

Despite their rocky start, she was certain that her writers needed to feel supported during a move this big, and she wanted to present a strong front for their sake.

“She’s telling the truth, and we wanted to show you just how much we see in your future if you’d give us a few minutes of your time,” Jay added, walking around the roundtable to shake Trisha’s hand before offering her a seat.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Canton,” Trisha shook his hand with admiration in her eyes.

Kasey knew Trisha was well versed in the publishing industry, so while this might be the first time she had met Jay, it was not her first time hearing of this man who needed no introduction.

Flipping through the paperwork prepared by her assistant, Kasey pulled a mock-up cover from the pile, sliding it over to Trisha. It was touching to see the look in her eyes as she realized how sleek and professional her books could look. With the latest in technology available at their fingertips, Passions Publishing in-house creative staff had drafted up several mock book covers, as well as promotional items and media kits.

At her previous employer, Kasey couldn’t offer anything comparable to the products it took less than a morning’s work for her new team to compile. And from the look on Trisha’s face, it was all worth it, and great for convincing her to switch teams.

“Trisha, we want to make you an international success. Our international department translates books in over 45-languages, which you can imagine will significantly increase the available market around the world. Kasey has been very compelling in sharing your dedication to your craft, and we just want to help you get your books into as many hands as possible.” Jay spoke confidently, without the intimidation factor he seemed to carry when he spoke to Kasey.

It was a new side to him, and she liked it. Without taking any credit from her, he’d offered himself as a selling point for joining Passions Publishing. She loved the way he spoke about her confidence in Trisha, although he’d cleaned up her boasting about how much money she could earn him.

“Wow. When Kasey told me about the possibilities available here, I never really expected to sit down with you, Jay. Even when she said it yesterday, I didn’t expect you to know anything about little ole’ me. So, without further ado, let’s get these papers signed!”

As if he was listening from the small crack in the door, a man in an impeccable suit entered the conference room as soon as she retrieved the contracts from her pile of paperwork.

“This is Luther, our in-house council. He’s going to notarize the contracts as we go,” Jay explained as both Kasey and Trisha looked on in awe.

None of their previous contracts had involved a notary, and Kasey scrunched her nose trying to remember if she’d ever heard anyone mention the term ‘in-house council’ at her old firm. It was all new to them, but the glamor felt right. When the contracts were finished, Jessica entered the conference room holding a tray of champagne flutes filled with bubbly liquid, and they celebrated together. It was much better champagne than Kasey had ordered at their previous lunch, so she made sure to have an extra glass.

“You did great,” Jay said to Kasey after Trisha left, and she bit her bottom lip to stop the smile from spreading across her face. It was strange how much value his compliments held.

“You too,” she rushed a response before he rushed out, following Jessica to handle another problem that seemed to be a high priority.

It was just afternoon when Kasey left for lunch. After such a successful morning, she wanted to treat herself. Stephanie had done a great job scheduling her at a sushi bar, and it was just when her salmon rolls were delivered that the woman sat in the seat across from her at the small intimate table, startling her.

“You probably don’t know me,” she began, and Kasey decided to let her play the game out.

With her chopsticks, Kasey gently carried a piece of the sushi to her mouth in silence. If her strategy was shock, the woman must know each passing seconds made her less valuable.

“My name is Renee Rockwell, and I’m the sole founder of the largest publishing house in the Midwest,” she said, staring across the table intensely.

Kasey knew exactly who she was, in addition to her bitter rivalry with Jay. It was well known in the industry that the two had bad blood.

“Thank you for joining me, but I’m actually trying to celebrate in peace,” Kasey admitted, unsure of what the woman wanted.

“I know you’re with Passions now, so I’m certain you’ve been able to guess how things with you and Jay can easily go left. Let’s face it, he’s an ego manic,” Renee began, but her second sentence prompted Kasey to giggle a little.

“I know you’ve seen it. He’s intimidated by strong women like us, and it will only grow stronger as you continue to bring in names like Trisha Walters.”

Kasey was stunned. How could Renee know about that deal when it had only been news for a few hours? She must have been as cunning as her reputation suggested, because it seemed she had someone working within the publishing house feeding her info—like where she’d be having lunch and who she’d hosted at her new office.

“If you come and work for me, you won’t have to worry about any of that, Kasey. All I want is for you to flourish under my wing. We’ll be a dynamic duo with the clients, and I won’t watch over you to make sure you get things done the way Jay does.”

“Listen, Renee. I appreciate you coming so far from the north side of town where your office sits,” Kasey was bold, showing how she knew of Renee’s tricks and would not be an easy target, if a target already.

“That’s just his game of pretend—he likes looking like an angel in the beginning, but believe me his true colors will reveal themselves soon enough,” she stood, taking a cue.

“Nice to meet you,” Kasey nodded as Renee stood.

“But keep this. You’ll be needing it,” Renee slid a business card across the white tablecloth before leaving as quickly and quietly as she appeared.

Once she was sure she was gone, Kasey picked up the card and slid it in her purse. Jay had been wonderful in their meeting earlier, but a backup plan was never a bad idea.