Then he added one more line to the text before he sent it off.
Thanks again for helping with the sculpture.
As promised, Casey had helped him find the one-time wedding gift on a back shelf of his closet, then boxed it up for him. He’d told Joanna he’d deliver it to the gallery where she was showing some of her work. Casey had offered to take it, but he couldn’t let her do all his dirty work. Besides, if he was going to move forward with her, he had to be man enough to face his ex-wife, even if it was simply to hand over a sculpture.
Once the jet was airborne, he reviewed the formal proposal that Casey had sent him for The Luxe’s rollout of the pleasure packs in some of their resorts, with the LolaRing as the centerpiece. He sent a few minor notes back, suggesting they announce the pending deal soon. All in all, it looked good, and they were on the same page when it came to marketing—no need to say it felt like being licked and fucked at the same time. For the business deal, they’d decided to go with her classier suggestion for their honeymoon suite wording: You’ve given her a diamond ring, now give her the LolaRing. An exclusive partnership, it made The Luxe the only hotel chain in the world to partner with Joy Delivered on the new product’s launch.
Funny how all the details of their business deal were laid out in black and white, and all the specifics of their lessons had been determined in advance. But now, he was flying blindly with Casey, operating without a guidebook, and completely unsure how to navigate this new stretch they’d encountered.
He only hoped he didn’t crash.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
New York, same day . . .
As Casey finished a sip of her cinnamon dolce latte, she tossed out a question that had been nagging at her.
“I have no clue how to do this, Jane. When I see him tonight, do I just say I’m absolutely crazy for you and I want to have a go at this for real?”
Jane nodded enthusiastically. “That’s certainly one way you can do it. Just be completely direct and upfront with him,” her friend suggested, as she drank her tea.
“It’s not as if I’ve had the best luck being totally direct with men,” Casey said. She’d caught Jane up to speed with the Nate situation, from how it had started, to how it had changed, and to what she wanted now with him. The answer to that was starkly clear. She wanted him all to herself for a long, long time. She had never expected this to happen, but she’d fallen for him something fierce. He was tender and protective, funny and smart, and so damn passionate. Her intensity for him knew no bounds, and she was sure he was crazy for her too, even though he hadn’t said as much in words. The connection between them, though, was so strong that neither one could stay away from each other. The last few nights had been nothing short of amazing.
They hadn’t tried to put a label on what was happening, but Casey knew herself, and she couldn’t do casual. She needed to define what they were and where they were going. She needed to know if there was a real future, like she longed for. The best way to do that was to be straightforward and put it all on the table, even though the thought of that terrified her, given her track record of speaking her mind with men.
“From what you told me, Nate doesn’t seem to be like those other guys you dated. Those assholes who had a problem with you saying what you wanted.”
“He’s definitely in a class by himself,” she said.
Jane slapped the table with her palm. “Then go for it. Tell him how you feel.”
“How is it that you’ve never had this problem with men? You’re a rock star. I can’t imagine anybody more intimidating than you,” Casey asked.
Jane laughed. “Oh, maybe it had a little something to do with the fact that my first husband turned out to be gay and I fell madly in love with the next guy I was involved with,” Jane said with a laugh. At least she was able to joke about that heartbreak now.
Casey laughed. “Good point. Fine, you win.”
Jane raised her arms in victory, then turned serious. “But for what it’s worth, I do think you should just be up front with him. At the least the two of you can know what you’re dealing with.”
“What if I lose him as a friend though? I hate the thought of that happening.”
“I think the more direct you are now, the better off you’ll be at staying in each other’s lives in whatever capacity that is,” Jane said.
Casey nodded several times as if this conversation was giving her the courage to show her cards to the man she was falling for. He was on his way back from Vegas and she was looking forward to seeing him tonight after he returned Joanna’s sculpture. He’d insisted on doing it himself, and she had to admit she was proud of him for facing up to what scared him the most—Joanna and all the pain she’d caused him.
As they cleared their mugs and left the coffee shop, the name Grant Abbot flashed across her phone. Her blood froze. He was supposed to be overseas still, and she’d planned on telling him when he returned that things had changed, and her heart was elsewhere. She took a deep, fueling breath, steeling herself, then answered with a breezy and business-like hello.
“Any chance you would be free for a drink this evening? I find myself in New York City sooner than expected and I’ll be in the mood for a cocktail tonight.”
Casey gulped. A flock of nerves swept through her body. She could hardly believe that three weeks ago she wanted to seduce him, and now the prospect held no interest for her. But she also didn’t want to leave the man hanging. Being upfront with Nate would need to start with Grant. She’d have to let him know they were only in business together, and nothing more. Perhaps, the timing was serendipitous. She’d end things before they started with Grant, then she’d start something more with Nate.
She gave Grant the address for Speakeasy and said she’d see him there this evening. She returned to the office, plowed through work, and finally remembered to respond to Ethan Holmes.
She clicked on his note from nearly two weeks ago, then opened the attachment and read his proposal. He was a smart guy, and it was ironic because he’d suggested something a bit similar to the deal she and Nate were finalizing. Ethan didn’t know about the LolaRing. Joy Delivered was keeping the new toy under wraps until the official launch later this summer. Ethan had, however, suggested the Victoria Hotels start offering The Wild One, a popular toy in the Joy Delivered catalogue, as part of a “Late-Night Sex Toy Menu to satisfy the red-hot appetites!”