Chapter 48

Kasey

 

Mitchell was still apprehensive about her pitch, Kasey could feel it. But she didn’t let that deter her. Instead, she pressed on with as much of the information as she could remember. Jay had given her less than 24-hours to come up with the pitch for Mitchell, because he was so certain it was a great idea.

 

The idea for the new company had long been a dream of hers—one she knew would require great assistance from someone more experienced in the industry. The worst thing she could do was push to make her dream happen before she had the adequate resources to actually accomplish it the way she saw it in her mind. So, she kept detailed drafts about how to create an environment ideal to help authors flourish, based on data collected from her meetings with authors.

 

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 every 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.