Chapter 54

Kasey

The music was playing through the car, one of Kasey’s favorite songs by Coldplay, when her phone began vibrating in her lap. Glancing down, she saw Jay’s name and a smile swept across her face. She lowered the volume of the radio before tapping her iPhone a few times, placing the call on speakerphone.

“Hi,” she gushed.

“Hi, sweetheart. How are you?” he asked. She could tell from the sounds on the phone, he was walking.

“I’m good. Heading to the meeting I told you about.” She answered while making a left turn into a quaint neighborhood. Every home had an immaculate garden, which made Kasey believe it must be a well off community.

“I want to see you,” Jay cut to the chase, and she felt her stomach tense with lust at the tone of his voice.

“I want to see you too,” she admitted. He was all she had thought about all day. Even going out of her way to stop by the office unnecessarily, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. When she learned he was in a meeting with his accountant, she decided not to push it further, despite Jessica ensuring her that he would be happy to pause the meeting if she needed. In fact, she made Jay’s assistant promise that she wouldn’t even deliver the message that Kasey had stopped by.

“Your house or mine?” he asked, just before the sound of a car door closing came across the line.

“Is that really a question?” Kasey laughed. She loved Jay’s home, and would never choose her townhouse when given the option. It seemed much smaller after a weekend in Jay’s mansion.

“I like your place too,” he added, always careful not to offend her.

Kasey found it amusing how Jay went out of his way to make her feel comfortable dating him, despite the extreme differences in their lifestyles. Before, she had thought it a bit charitable, but after seeing his childhood home, and spending the weekend with him, she knew it was all from a genuine place.

“But your place has a bathtub,” she said slowly, recalling their intimate moment, which stuck out in her memory more than any of the orgasms he’d given her.

Jay chuckled softly before responding. “Then my house it is. Should I order dinner?”

“That sounds good. I’ll call you when I’m on my way, I’ve just gotten to the house.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great.”

Kasey ended the call and took a deep breath. It wasn’t her first time meeting the author, but she’d never had more riding on a meeting in her life. Janice Ross was the top writer in several fields. She wrote in different genres, which was a rarity for authors. Rarer still, she was great in every field she tried.

The red brick house was modest, but still found a way to impress. The pathway to the house was lined with sunflowers, and Kasey smiled at the small bookshelf on the front porch, thinking it was something she would enjoy at her own house one day.

Janice opened the door before Kasey could ring the bell, and the two greeted each other like long lost friends.

“It’s been a while, Kasey. How are you?” Janice asked while welcoming Kasey inside.

She’d made a pitcher of lemonade, and the two sat with a glass in their hands as they caught up on each other’s lives. Leaving out her chapter at Renee’s, Kasey told Janice all about her decision to move up in the industry and join a large publishing house.

“I heard about that. An agent fighting for clients in the publishing industry—how does one stay sane?” she teased.

It was common practice for agents to care only about selling the most books. And that made the writers despise the partnerships. Once partnering with a publishing house, the work usually suffered because in order to reach massive success, the books needed to appeal to the masses, something these artists aren’t concerned with.

Kasey had made a living by allowing writers to focus on the work, while she fought for their artistic freedom and integrity, unlike her competition. It was customary for agents to work with the publishing house, so the writers saw themselves at odds with both their agent and publishing house at once.

In contrast, Kasey chose to partner with her writers, creating a better opportunity for the work to represent the true intentions of the author, as opposed to the more commercial concerns of the publishing house.

“Passions Publishing is different,” Kasey began the spiel she’d been practicing all day. Jay had given her the green light to discuss the new project with Janice, but she knew it would be best sold by the two of them working together.

“It’s not about how many books you can sell. The world has already seen you have that ability. You’ve topped the best seller list with every release for the past five years.” Kasey said, watching Janice lift her chin just a little higher with pride.

Her writing was very transparent and real, something that should never be watered down. Janice started independent, and even when she partnered with companies, it was solely for distribution, never in a way that allowed for advice or compromise.

“You’d think that would be enough for publishers to think I’ve got this figured out. But, no, they always think they can make it better. I’m not interested in transforming my work to make more money, Kasey.”

Listening intently, Kasey nodded along while Janice continued, detailing meetings she’d had with publishers who made guarantees about paydays she would have if she just signed her life away on the dotted line. It was disrespectful to her for businessmen to step into her creative space and speak about her writing as if it was novelty.

Kasey understood that. She always had. As a young child, she found herself on the opposite end of a bully more times than she could count. Books were her solitude, and she would get lost in fictional worlds that were much more appealing than her adolescent reality.

While she had never written a book herself, Kasey believed in their value and never once attempted to get an author to change anything about their work. Her goal had been, and always would be, to find the best way to reach the right audience, regardless of size.

Janice Ross happened to have the kind of work that would appeal to larger audiences, and just assumed it would come at a price she wasn’t willing to pay. All Kasey needed to do was let her know about the benefits and resources she’d gain working with Passions Publishing, but Kasey knew it would be better to show her.

Besides, she had a secret weapon up her sleeve, one that Janice could not possibly be prepared for. She had Jay Canton on her team, as the biggest supporter she could ask for professionally. Her mind drifted to seeing him late that night, and her lips curled up with anticipation.

“What are you grinning about?” Janice asked, leaning forward to refill both glasses. Janice was a petite woman, but you could look take one look at her and tell she didn’t take any shit.

Her blonde hair in her signature pixie cut, and her narrow face was never hidden behind layers of make-up. She was boho chic, and you got a sense of security being around someone as comfortable with themselves as Janice was.

“I just have some things I’d like to show you, and thinking about your reaction makes me more than excited.” Kasey answered, telling the truth, even if it was a bit twisted.

“Well, you know they say excitement is contagious, Kasey.”

“How about you come by the office and we can have a formal meeting. I’ll show you what all the excitement is all about.” Kasey said, making her pitch.

It was now or never. This was what she needed to make the new venture successful, and she could feel in her bones that Janice was opening up to the idea.

“Now, you know I only took this meeting out of respect for you, Kasey. I don’t want to sign to a traditional publishing house. They don’t have what I need,” she looked disappointed, the way people cringe when delivering bad news.

But she’d said the word that Kasey had waited to hear—traditional. Janice didn’t want to sign to a traditional publishing house, but what Jay and Kasey had dreamed up was anything but.

“Give me one opportunity to show you what I’m talking about, and if you don’t like it, we’ll never do more than enjoy this delicious lemonade when I come to visit you.”

Janice laughed before raising her glass in the air. As the glasses clinked together in a toast, Kasey felt like she’d won a championship and looked forward to delivering the trophy to Jay late that night, knowing how proud he would be at her accomplishment.