Come With Me: The Baxter Boys, #4

By Mindy McKinley

On her last chance to prove herself at her mother's publishing company, Kat Dunne is given the job no one wants – handling their most impossible client. Assigned to tag along with a writer on his upcoming North American tour, she quickly finds why no one else wanted the job. Ben Baxter is grumpy, awkward, and downright mean. He's also the hottest man she's ever laid eyes on and as his walls start to crumble, so does her resolve to remain professional, and her chance to keep her job.

 

Broody and irritable graphic novelist, Ben Baxter doesn't want to go on a book signing tour and sure as hell doesn't want a company chick tagging along. Especially one that lights a fire in him every time he looks at her. He can see right through Kat Dunne and the lie she's trapped in. She no more belongs in the business world than he does in a designer suit and if it's the last thing he ever does, he'll prove to her dreams are worth following. Even if it costs him his publishing contract.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
• Release date: Aug 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781953335555

Book preview

Come With Me

Baxter Boys: Book Four

Mindy McKinley

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, places, or events is coincidental and not intended by the author.

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If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher. In such case the author has not received any payment for this stripped book.

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Come With Me

Baxter Boys: Book Four

Copyright © 2021 Mindy McKinley

All rights reserved.

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ISBN: (ebook) 978-1-953335-55-5

(print) 978-1-953335-56-2

Inkspell Publishing

207 Moonglow Circle #101

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

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Edited By Yezanira Venecia

Cover Art By Najla Qamber

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This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. The copying, scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Dedication

For the love of my life, Scott, who takes me on adventures every day.

Chapter 1

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Kat

As Kat sat in a cozy, hole-in-the-wall coffee shop on the corner of Michigan Ave and Ontario nearly an hour early for her three o’clock meeting, she drew furiously on the paper napkin that had accompanied her coffee, trying to get her nerves in check. This was essentially her last chance to prove to her mother that she could be a useful employee.

With a heavy sigh that blew her bangs upward, she attempted to stuff all her nerves into her stomach, a go-to move that had zero value and came with a lot of potential for ulcers. Let it go, she told herself and tried to concentrate on her drawing. It was of a small girl, like the one she had seen pass by the window of the coffee shop not long before. She’d had on a red wool peacoat, black Mary Jane shoes, and a frown that made Kat’s heart pull so strongly that she gave the girl in her drawing a balloon and a smile. 

Drawing calmed Kat’s nerves. It was a tool she’d used since elementary school, before big tests, important interviews, and any life event that brought anxiety. Today, however, it didn’t seem to be helping. Too much was riding on this meeting. Not only did she need to prove herself worthy of having a position at Dunne Publishing, her mother’s mammoth publishing empire, but she also had to try and salvage the company’s relationship with a difficult client who had the potential to make the company millions more dollars. 

Add all that to the fact that she was a huge fan of the author who created the enormously successful Dimension Runners graphic novel series, and a little drawing of a girl in a red coat was not going to cut her nerves. 

Still, the coffee shop was fairly quiet in the early afternoon, and she managed to lose herself for a bit as she shaded in the finer details of the scene. 

That’s beautiful, a voice said from behind her, making her jump to a degree that made her chair scrape across the floor. The ear-splitting noise echoed around the nearly empty shop.

Pressing her hand to her racing heart, Kat looked up to find the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. Messy dark blond hair, green eyes that sparkled like emeralds, a jaw that could cut the skin on her fingers, and shoulders so solid that she itched to fold herself into them. She swallowed.

Sorry. He gave her an embarrassed smile and adjusted the leather bag hanging across his chest. I didn’t mean to startle you; I just wanted to compliment you on your drawing—it’s lovely.

Kat blinked. After taking in his fitted button-up shirt, skinny jeans, and Chuck Taylors, she came up with the ever-impressive and witty response of, Thank you?

You’re welcome. He turned one corner of his mouth into what she imagined would be a smile if he let it get that far. Anyway, sorry I bothered you, and with that, he left and took a seat at the farthest possible table from her.

Kat stared after him with her brow furrowed and pulled at her bottom lip with her fingers. Her heart was fluttering, and she was mortified at the way she jumped when he approached her. She’d been easy to startle her whole life, something her classmates in elementary school never let her forget. 

Shaking her head to clear it, Kat glanced at her phone to find she still had thirty minutes until her meeting. To busy herself and make sure she had her thoughts in order, she pulled the needed documents out of her leather satchel and ran through them again.

Ben Baxter had been a problem client from day one. He was a tiger when it came to having rights over his intellectual property and was even worse when meeting his fans. He was surly and argumentative with readers that took issue with plot design or character details and wasn’t terribly fond of taking pictures or signing merchandise. He was a nightmare, in a nutshell, for Dunne Publishing. He would have been dumped ages ago if he wasn’t bringing in the kind of money that kept the company solvent in an increasingly difficult field. 

It fell to Kat to try and tame him, to make sure he understood the company’s expectations, and accompany him on his upcoming tour to make certain he played nice. Ultimately, the goal was to try to get him to sign the five-year exclusive contract he had been turning down for the last six months. To say it was a big job was an understatement of epic proportions. No one wanted it. No one would even touch it. Kat was the last-ditch effort.

Recently disgraced via a mistake as an editor, Kat was in no position to say no when her mother presented her with this opportunity. It was a fix this or you’re out kind of situation. So much so that her mother had said those exact words without a hint of irony or compassion. 

And here she sat, nervously wondering if she should have just said, I’m out. 

As the minutes slowly ticked closer to three, she found herself staring at the man that had complimented her drawing. He was facing away from her, working on something of his own. His leather bag was open on the chair next to him and his shirt strained across the muscles of his back as he worked his pen over paper. There was an intense, tight set to his shoulders as he moved his pen, as if he knew exactly what he wanted it to do. It was intoxicating for someone who always felt like every goal she’d set had failed before she’d even begun. 

Five minutes before her meeting was set to start, he began putting his things away, checked his phone briefly, and then stood to sling his bag over his chest. Though she was trying not to, she was openly staring at him. He was fascinating to look at, vaguely familiar, and a welcome distraction from the meeting that could make or break her career. A few minutes of ogling were not out of order, especially since he was leaving. 

Except he didn’t leave. He ordered another coffee and then casually looked around the shop as if he was waiting for someone. Taking a deep breath, Kat straightened the blazer she hated and checked to make sure it was covering the only clean shirt she could find this morning. Her mother would have murdered her on the spot if she knew Kat was wearing a Transformers T-shirt under her blazer. 

When three o’clock came, she straightened her shoulders and looked around the shop for her client. No one was there except the sexy blond and the barista. 

Nerves tripling, she shuffled the papers again and let her mind race down a new anxiety-ridden path. What if he didn’t show? What if she never got the chance to try? How could she prove herself if the author stood her up? She knew her mother would figure out a way to blame her for it one way or another.

She closed her eyes and tried to breathe, willing her stomach to stop twisting when she heard, "Are you Katherine Dunne?"

With her eyes flying open, she looked up into the same entrancing emerald eyes as before. The same drop-dead gorgeous man was standing at her table expectantly. Er, she said, scrambling to her feet and tucking her shoulder-length hair behind her ear. Now she knew why he looked familiar. Yes. She stuck her hand out for him to shake, thinking how his professional headshot was doing him no favors. The Ben Baxter she’d seen in the back of his novels was mousy, nerdy even. This man was confident, much taller than she expected, and scorching in the heat department. I’m Katherine Dunne, but you can call me Kat.

His eyes flickered with something like amusement for a second before he offered her a reserved smile that made her stomach flip. He took her hand for a moment, sending a shiver up her arm, and shook it firmly once. Hi, Kat, I’m Ben Baxter.

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Ben

As Ben pulled out the chair to take a seat across from the publishing house representative for the meeting he’d spent weeks dreading, his mind raced with a thousand things. And none of them had to do with his book. He definitely hadn’t expected the rep to be so goddamn cute. She had a fresh, makeup-free face, enormous brown eyes, and shoulder-length dark hair with blunt-cut bangs. She wore a blazer and skirt suit that looked out-of-place on her, given he could see the top of a Transformers logo on the T-shirt she wore under it. That was the only thing on her that felt genuine. 

More surprising—she was an artist. The drawing she’d been working on when he’d complimented her half an hour ago was truly stunning. It showed an impressive amount of maturity and depth of imagination. 

It was all at odds with whom he expected Dunne Publishing to send to keep him in line, but he wasn’t unhappy to be wrong. He supposed that if they were forcing someone to tag along with him all over North America, someone as cute as her would at least make it interesting, even if she was the CEO’s daughter.

It’s nice to meet you. She settled into her chair again. Her eyes were as round as they could be, and he sensed by the slight flutter of her hands that she was nervous too. He liked it; it put them on even footing. I’ve been a fan of Dimension Runners since it came out.

"You’ve actually read it? Ben kicked himself when the comment came out so dickish. He could just see his brothers rolling their collective eyes at him. He didn’t usually intend to sound like an ass, but he had a problem modulating his tone. What I mean—he pulled at the neck of his shirt—is that I’m glad you enjoy it."

Kat gave him a small smile that tugged at his chest. I grabbed it the first day it came out, actually. She dipped her eyes to the table. Now I send myself all the issues straight from the warehouse the moment I can. I just can’t get enough of Litzi’s storyline.

Really? He leaned forward, surprised. No one ever brought up Litzi. In fact, Dunne Publishing had gone out of their way to convince him to drop her story arc. Why’s that?

Kat frowned for a second before she launched into an explanation. "Because she’s the most vulnerable of the seven. Litzi is the only one that really considers the human consequences of their actions, the only one that feels anxiety before she acts—she’s real. I mean, so very relatable. I think she’s ... She met his eyes for a moment. Essential."

Ben smiled back at her and enjoyed the blush that spread slowly across her cheeks. I’m glad you think so. Because that’s exactly what he’d been going for. Litzi was how he felt going through life, and he’d fought for her because cutting her out would have felt like cutting himself out of his own narrative. 

They were both quiet for a moment before Kat seemed to regain a sense of why they were there. Okay, so, I’m sure you know why we’re meeting today. Dunne Publishing has paired us up to—

You’re my handler, he interrupted, sitting back in his chair. Whatever little bubble of niceness they had been in disintegrated around them. Let’s call it what it is.

Her eyes flashed briefly before she straightened her shoulders and gave him a hard look. If that’s what you want to call it, it’s fine by me. The company prefers to call it ...

Damage control? He knew he was being a prick, but this whole thing stunk. He was an adult. So what if he didn’t want to fawn over fans everywhere all the time? They were his stories, not theirs. 

Like I said ... Her voice took on a commanding tone. You can call it whatever you like. The fact of the matter is, you’re a brilliant creator. He straightened and gave her a tight, superior smile before she continued. But you are a shitty communicator and an even worse curator of your work and image.

That smile slid right off his face. He hadn’t expected her to come out and say it so matter-of-factly. He appreciated her frankness, even if it stung. Not pulling any punches, then, I see.

I don’t see why I should. She stared him down with a stern look. If you’re not.

Fair enough.

Good, now that that’s out of the way—she pushed a single piece of paper across the table at him—this is the explicit list of behavior expectations that Dunne Publishing has outlined for this North American tour. I’m going to be there to make sure you adhere to them.

Or what? he asked, immediately regretting it.

Mr. Baxter ... She lowered her voice to a dangerous pitch. "Your contract is due to expire soon and Dunne is willing to go the distance for you, but only if you can clean up your public image. Your current contract and all of your work could be tied up in litigation for years. You could potentially lose out on decades of earnings, and while that might not be on the top of your priority list, I’m sure you’d like to continue Dimension Runners."

Well, shit. Without answering her, he took the piece of paper from the table and slunk back in his chair to read it. All the legal wording made his head pound, but essentially it boiled down to play nice or find another publisher. 

Ben blew out a breath of air. When he’d set out to create a graphic novel series, he’d had no idea this kind of shit mattered, that it mattered so much he could lose the rights over what was already published for years—he knew without asking that they wouldn’t revert his rights back without a fight. He’d been young and rash when he’d signed the original contract, and he wished like hell he could go back and take it more seriously, have someone with half a brain look at it before he signed. 

Listen—Kat leaned forward on the table, the move causing more of the Transformers logo on her shirt to show, and he couldn’t help but smile just a tiny bit—we’re not asking you to do anything impossible, we just want you to be ...

More than meets the eye? he asked, barely able to control his amusement.

She blinked. Sure? I guess that’s one way to put it. You are doing well now, but if your public persona continues to cause friction, it could adversely affect sales. You need to be more open, more thankful, less of a ...

Robot in disguise? His grin was unavoidable. He’d high-five himself if it wouldn’t make him look like a complete douche.

Kat looked at him in confusion before she realized what he was doing. She looked down at her shirt and then back at him. "You’re making fun of