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. Another 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.