Chapter 21

Jay

Two weeks. That’s how long it had been since Kasey had walked out of his office, taking the sunshine with her. In that time, Jay had kept the shades drawn, shunning the beautiful skyline of the city he loved so much.

Sitting in the dark, he scrolled through emails, debating whether to send one to Kasey. In the past two weeks, he had expected her to reach out, as every other woman in his past had done.

But Kasey wasn’t like other women, this much he knew, but she was a woman. She had needs, regardless of what she claimed about not wanting more from him.

“You’re not my husband!”

Her words had replayed in his mind more times than he cared to admit, but he still couldn’t begin to understand how she could be so unattached to him. Sure, he had overstepped a boundary, and broke their trust with the way he ambushed her after being tricked by Renee Rockwell, but he’d tried to explain that.

His arch nemesis had finally gotten the better of him, fooling him into believing that Kasey was considering leaving his company to go and work for her. Like an idiot, he walked right into her trap, storming out of the office just in time to find Renee hugging an uncomfortable Kasey.

At the time, he thought the strange look on her face was guilt, because he had caught her in collusion with the enemy. Knowing now that she was actually confused by Renee’s behavior since they’d had no plans to meet up later made him grit his teeth with regret.

How could he be so blinded by revenge and disdain for the woman trying to usurp his position in the publishing world, acting on a lie she’d told him as if there was an ounce of integrity in her entire body.

Renee Rockwell played dirty. It was the first thing Jay said to anyone seeking advice about working with her. She wanted to beat Jay Canton more than she cared to win or excel, and to him it was a sign of weakness.

Somehow, she’d discovered his kryptonite—Kasey—the woman he chased for weeks to work for him, even seeking her out at the strip mall publishing house she was working for. Kasey was a literary star, destined for greatness as far as Jay was concerned. She had an eye for talent, and an incredible way of building relationships with her writers, which led to exceptionally crafted work and a trust between the publishing house and creatives, a rarity in the business.

Bringing Kasey to Passions Publishing was quite possibly Jay’s greatest achievement, and that was a lot to say considering he’d built the company from the ground up with his best friend Mitchell.

Mitch also saw Kasey’s immense value to the company, and strongly encouraged Jay to make it right with her after he’d lashed out at what he’d thought to be her betrayal. She was too strong, too deserving of better to accept his weak apology. And since she’d walked out of Passions Publishing, she had been too strong to so much as request a referral.

Of course, she didn’t need one. After she quit, she informed Jay of her decision to work for Renee, and Mitchell had reported back that she did in fact accept the offer. She was working for the enemy, and there was nothing Jay could do about it. He’d run her off, but accepting blame did nothing for the frustration and emptiness he felt about her departure.

Never had an employee had such an effect on him, but Kasey was much more than a typical employee. Her talent wasn’t all that set her apart. Jay’s memory was filled with details about her, from her delicious scent, to the way she twirled her hair around her finger when she was nervous. He could remember the look on her face when she liked a book, pulling her long brown hair into a ponytail with both hands as she remained focused on the text.

Her body was another story—one that he probably shouldn’t know as her boss. It was a line he’d never crossed before, but of all the regrets he was having a hard time getting over, having sex with Kasey wasn’t one of them. She was worth everything, and if he lost his empire over his decision to take her up on her offer to break the sexual tension between them, he’d have no problem with the sacrifice.

“He really doesn’t want to see anyone,” Jay could hear Jessica outside his office, but the silhouette through the fogged glass door was only growing as the intruder continued to approach his office.

“I don’t care,” he heard Mitchell’s booming voice before the door swung open, revealing his friend and business partner.

What initially looked to be anger quickly faded into concern as he looked on, pausing at the threshold before continuing to the desk. Mitchell usually sat in the leather loveseat across from Jay’s desk but today he walked around the desk, pulling the heavy curtains aside to let the bright sun shine throughout the office.

They were made from fabric sourced in India, but sewn in Paris by a world-famous seamstress. Jay always sought the best, enjoying the luxurious life his billionaire status afforded him. It was rare that he missed an opportunity to tell the story of his beloved drapes, but today he couldn’t have cared less. More concerned about shielding his eyes from the light shining through the large window, he turned, scrunching his face with discomfort.

“What are you doing?” he growled as his friend moved about, tying the fabric with the ropes hanging from the wall.

“I’m reminding you it’s the middle of the day, and you’ve got an empire to run.”

“I know what I have,” Jay said, convincing no one.

“Do you? Because you’ve been holed up in here for weeks, Jay. The staff can sense you’re out of it, and every meeting ends with you being cold to every new idea and suggestion.”

“They don’t have any good ideas. None of them know what they’re doing,” Jay said. But he wanted to say that none of them were Kasey.

On her first day at the company, she’d ignored Jay’s request for her to speak with a writer, something he wasn’t used to an employee doing. To add insult to injury, she assured him the writer she was working on signing would bring in more money than all his other prospects combined.

She was right.

Kasey was bold and confident, borderline arrogant, but she had the right to be. He’d never seen anyone as committed and successful as her, bringing writers from the ranks of nowhere to the top of the charts in what seemed to be overnight success. He was blown away by her ability.

“Are you going to sulk in here forever?” Mitchell asked, disrupting his thoughts.

“I’m not sulking,” Jay responded, his voice devoid of all emotion.

“Jay, we haven’t signed one author since Kasey left. We can’t keep this up and remain the top publishing house in the country!” Mitchell raised his voice before taking a deep breath.

He was used to being the calm one, as Jay more frequently flew off the handle. Of course, none of this was news to Jay. He got the reports and saw how they were falling behind. If it wasn’t for their exceptional lead on their competitors, Passions Publishing would be taking a major hit now.

The publishing industry was fickle that way, one bad quarter and you’re dethroned. After a decade on top, he didn’t want to relinquish his dominance, but for the first time, winning just wasn’t enough.

“I blew it, Mitchell,” he finally said, shaking his head as the final conversation with Kasey replayed in his mind.

“You did. I won’t lie about that. But you have to move on.”

“Move on?” Jay’s head snapped up, his brows racing to meet each other in search of understanding.

“Well, what are you going to do, then?” Mitchell shot back, putting pressure on the friend he’d always admired.

“I don’t know what to do,” Jay sighed, as he admitted the unthinkable. He was Jay Canton, he always knew what to do, or at least Mitchell thought he did.

“You have to get her back.”

That got Jay’s attention, as he realized his best friend had switched roles. Mitchell was always Jay’s go to advisor when it came to women, his happy marriage being all the proof Jay needed to vet his qualifications on the topic.

There was no shame in bachelorhood, but Jay knew he had missed the part of life where you get to know the opposite sex, spending his college days locked in a dorm room while he built his publishing house.

Mitchell had a point. This entire time Jay had been too passive, waiting on Kasey to come to him, but he needed to make a move and get her back, if that was what he wanted. And it was. More than anything in the world, he wanted to make things right between the two of them. He wanted her forgiveness, and even more, he wanted to see her every day, the way he did when she worked for him.

“You’re right. I’m going to get her back.” It was the last thing he said to Mitchell before walking out of his office with the confident stride he’d lacked for two weeks. Mitchell smiled as he watched his partner return, knowing Jay’s determination was unwavering when he set himself a goal.