The Dirty Series 1(62)
Which brought us to this building.
I bought it hours after leaving Christian at the club two nights ago.
No matter what happens between us, I’m leaving Cate with the one thing she needs more than anything: security.
The nameplate on the desk reads:
Catherine Schaffer
Editor-in-Chief
“It’s for you,” I say simply.
“The nameplate?”
“The building.”
Cate shakes her head, smiling helplessly. “Why in the hell would you buy me this building in Beechford, Jax?”
I cross over to her and take her hand.
“I shouldn’t have done what I did about your job at Basiqué. That was fucked up. I know that now.”
“Jax, I—”
“No, let me finish. You should know that I never intended for you to feel like you didn’t have any options. I had several ideas for businesses you’re more than capable of running, and I wanted to talk about them all with you. When things started happening with my mom, I didn’t get the chance, and then Sarzó—” I let out a frustrated breath. “That’s all irrelevant. The point is, you have options, and one of them is to stay here in Beechford, close to your family, and run your own publishing imprint.”
“What?”
“You told me once that if you could do anything, you’d be in charge of your own publishing house. I’ve been working with my business manager to establish one in your name. It doesn’t matter where in the world it’s located—I can guarantee that people will be breaking the door down to have their work published with you. And you can take it in any direction you want. Books. Periodicals. Internet sales. People are working on it right now to get everything off the ground. All you need to do is run it.”
Cate wrinkles her forehead. “I can’t run an entire company.”
“Yes, you can. If you can survive Sandra Sarzó for a year, you can run any company you want. But you can leverage all of my resources for business advice, if you want to.”
“Why are you doing this, Jax?” She looks up at me, eyes wide, hopeful, anxious.
“Let me show you one other thing before I answer that.” I move behind the desk, open one of the drawers, and pull out the portfolio, opening it and turning it so she can see the papers inside.
“I want you to understand that all of this is yours—no strings attached. These documents are proof that this company and all its assets—which come with startup funds and five years’ worth of salary for you and any employees you hire—belong to you even if…”
“Even if what?”
“Even if you’re really done with me.”
She puts a hand over her mouth, and I can’t control the pain in my heart, can’t get a handle on the tightness in my throat. I’ll give anything to her. But I need to know. I can’t wait any longer.
“Are you done with me, Cate?”
One long moment passes.
Then she shakes her head, tears in her eyes.
I hold my breath.
Chapter Forty-Five
Cate
It takes me a second to get the words out because I’m so overwhelmed by the magnitude of everything Jax is saying to me.
“I’ll never be done with you.”
His shoulders collapse as he registers what I’m saying, and then he closes the distance between us and takes me in his strong arms, the motion so powerful my heart nearly stops.
Then his mouth is on mine, his tongue is in my mouth, he tastes like mint and magic and it’s all so right I could scream, I could cry, but instead I kiss him back with everything I have, like there’s no moment other than this one, like this is my only chance.
When he breaks the kiss I gasp for breath.
There’s something else I need from him.
“Will you give me anything I ask for?”
“You know the answer to that,” he murmurs in my ear as his hands tighten on my waist.
“Will you prove to me that I belong to you?”
He pulls back, looking deeply into my eyes. “How should I do that?”
I take a deep breath, then reach for my shirt, pulling it over my head. My shorts are next, dropping to the floor in a crumpled pile of cotton, and Jax watches as I strip off my panties and bra.
Then, slowly, I kneel in front of him.
My hands shake with anticipation.
“I broke our agreement,” I say, my voice soft. “I didn’t follow the rules.”
He instantly understands.
“And you need me to correct you?”
“Yes, Mr. Hunter.”
I need it so badly that I don’t know how I survived without him these past days, without our meetings in his office. I don’t know how I kept breathing from one minute to the next when there was no possibility of him possessing me, dominating me, like only he can.