Asking for Andre (6 page)

“Anya!” It came out as a shocked whisper. “We have to put these back. These shoes cost almost as much as my apartment.”

Anya pursed her lips. “No offense, honey, but your apartment is a shithole. So that’s probably not the best basis for comparison. Besides, you can always pay me back a little at a time.”

Casey gaped. “Are you crazy? I don’t want you eating macaroni and cheese for the next three months because you felt sorry for me.”

“When I said I wasn’t a gold digger, I meant it. I have money to spare and I can spend it as I like. I’m not just buying this stuff for your benefit, you know. My poor eyes just can’t stand seeing any more of those hideous sweaters or god forbid, those penny loafers.” She said loafers the same way some people referred to bugs or infectious diseases.

“I can’t let you buy all this stuff, Anya. It’s too much.” Casey trailed a finger over the delicate fabric of the skirt and closed her eyes. She’d never owned anything so lovely. But the idea of taking charity was more than her pride could allow. Plus, she couldn’t spend more on shoes than she did on her textbooks, could she? It seemed wasteful and wrong.

And really, really tempting.

“On the contrary, it’s nothing at all.” She sent Casey a sly glance from the corner of her eye. “You’ll actually be doing me a favor. I need to do some good deeds to make up for being such a slut and all.”

Casey choked back a laugh. Her attempt to look stern failed and she shook her head at her friend’s antics.

“I don’t know why I’m even bothering. Who’s looking at me anyway? Unless you count Harold from accounting who, by the way, is old enough to be my dad.”

Anya studied her fingernails casually. “You know I overheard Law talking on the phone. Apparently the Lavin Group is going to be in town a lot more lately. They plan to finalize the campaign pretty soon.” She didn’t meet Casey’s eyes as she said it.

Great. So Anya had picked up on her fascination with the man. She could only hope that it wasn’t so obvious to everyone else at work.

Casey peeked at the shoes again and then her eyes went to the brightly colored blouses hanging on the back of the door. The fabrics shimmered even under the crappy fluorescent lighting. What would Andre think when he saw her in her new clothes?

He’ll probably think you’re even more of a tease than you were last night. Or maybe he’ll kiss you again.

Maybe you’ll have a chance to make it up to him.

“I shouldn’t but I can’t resist.” She shook Anya’s hand before the other woman pulled her into a quick hug. Casey surprised them both by holding on tight. “You’re an angel, you know that?”

With a self-conscious wave of her hand, Anya brushed the compliment away. “Shhh. Don’t say that too loud.” She winked. “I have a reputation as a bitch to maintain.”

* * * * *

The next afternoon, Casey tugged self-consciously at the front of her blouse. She’d worn one of her new outfits and was already regretting it. Her breasts were half exposed and she had to resist the urge to tie a scarf around the open area of her chest. She felt different, as if people were staring for all the wrong reasons.

Especially since she was starting to believe that more than a few of her coworkers had seen her nearly sucking the lips off their biggest client. She’d gotten several pointed looks, especially from the guys in the office.

Casey’s mind tormented her with images of the glittering ballroom, the endless glasses of champagne and most of all, the intoxicating man who’d been by her side through it all. She didn’t even want to imagine what he thought of her. He probably hadn’t wasted any time finding someone to take her place.

Not that I blame him.

She pictured him as he’d been when she left him on Saturday night, puzzled by her bizarre behavior no doubt. It made her cringe all over again. In her experience sex had been just one more thing that didn’t live up to the hype. Not something that made her feel achy and wanton and beautiful. If nothing else, Andre had shown her desire wasn’t something to be afraid of but something to celebrate. To cherish. If only she hadn’t repaid his efforts by freaking out on him.

“Did you already set up conference room three?”

Casey looked up into Milo Hamilton’s expectant face.
Focus, Casey. You’ve got work to do.

“I don’t remember seeing any appointments for this afternoon.” She pulled up the calendar on her computer. It showed only internal meetings. All of the conference rooms were available. “There must be a mistake…”

“Actually it’s my fault.” Law walked up, hands held out in surrender. “I had to reschedule The Lavin Group to this afternoon.”

Her heartbeat came to a screeching halt in her chest. “The Lavin Group? Andre Lavin is coming back
today
?”

Both men peered at her strangely. Law nodded slowly. “At three o’clock. I told Anya about it last Friday. Didn’t she tell you?”

Casey swallowed against the sudden hard knot crowding her throat. “It must have slipped her mind.”

Her insides went hot and she clenched her fists on top of the desk. Anya hadn’t forgotten, the traitor. No wonder she’d been so adamant that Casey dress up a little today! She obviously planned to test out her matchmaking skills. Too bad Casey had already ruined her chances with Andre by running away like a virgin schoolgirl. She had hoped to have some time before she had to see him again.

“It’s no problem at all.” She took a few deep breaths before continuing. “Just let me know what you need and I’ll get everything set up.”

Law shook his head. “Like I said, it’s my fault. Anya was supposed to tell you, but she must have forgotten. I usually check on these things, but then I… Well, I forgot too.”

Milo’s lips twitched as if fighting back a smile. “Of course. It shouldn’t take long to set up the room. We just need some refreshments and an extra set of hands to assemble the design boards.”

Casey carefully removed her headset. “I’m on it. I’ll go see if Anya is available to help as well.” She concentrated on keeping her steps light and even. She glanced over her shoulder to see both men watching her. As soon as she rounded the corner, she broke into a sprint.

“Whoa! Where’s the fire?” Anya appeared suddenly and grabbed her arm, yanking her into the copy room. She poked her head out the door and squinted up and down the hallway. “Who are you running from?”

“I’m not running from anyone. I was trying to find you.” She cornered Anya and crossed her arms. Anya avoided her gaze, suddenly interested in the stacks of paper on the worktable in front of her.

“Is he here already?” The other woman had the grace to at least look guilty.

“Who exactly are you referring to, Anya?” she spat. “I don’t have anything on the schedule for this afternoon. I’m sure you wouldn’t purposely omit telling me about an appointment that was rescheduled.”

Anya huffed out a breath. “Don’t be so dramatic. I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d just worry about it all day. I already set up the refreshments so all that’s needed are the handouts for the presentation.”

“I hate being caught off guard. I feel like I’m already out of my league as it is,” Casey argued.

Anya picked up a large stack of paper and handed it to Casey. “Just follow my lead. It’s fine. Everything is under control.”

Casey gave up trying to talk sense into Anya. It was too late to do anything about it now because it was almost three o’clock. She couldn’t pretend to be sick or suddenly remember she had a doctor’s appointment. The best she could do was just grit her teeth and try not to screw up.

Anya walked down to the largest conference room and immediately crossed to the sideboard where the food was. Law walked up and said something that caused Anya to turn her back to him. Law stood staring at the stiff set of her shoulders for a moment before walking away.

Casey hugged the stack of papers against her chest and let out a soft breath of relief. He wasn’t here yet so she still had time to get herself together.

She heard a soft sound behind her. She turned and slammed into something that felt like concrete. “Ouch!” She clutched frantically at the sheets of paper but it was no use. Dozens of white sheets fell to the floor and scattered across the room.

Everything went completely still. Casey flushed as every eye in the room turned her way. Including the eyes attached to the body she’d just crashed into.

The very firm, black-suited body.

She peeked up tentatively. A pair of somber gray eyes stared back.

“I am so sorry, Mr. Lavin.” She knelt and started gathering the handouts. She looked up to see everyone watching. To be precise, they were watching the man now kneeling on her right.

Andre Lavin was actually down on the floor collecting the papers at his feet into a neat pile. She closed her eyes as shame washed over her in waves. So much for remaining inconspicuous. Not only was everyone staring, but she had the agency’s biggest client scrabbling around on the floor.

“Oh no, please don’t do that. You’ll get all dirty.” She took the pile of paper he’d collected and tugged at his arm.

“I don’t mind. It was my fault after all.” He stood in one swift motion. “Besides, I don’t mind getting a little dirty.”

A slow, suggestive grin spread over his face and her heart began to beat so hard she feared she would drop everything all over again. Just to be safe, she set it all down on the conference table.

Anya walked over and picked up half the handouts. Everyone had finally turned their attention to other things but Casey still felt conspicuous.

Probably because Andre hadn’t taken those penetrating eyes off her since the collision.

He stood, casually elegant with his hands in his pockets. There was no censure in his gaze for the way she’d run out on him Saturday night. His smile was just as warm as always. She could almost forget the past weekend had even happened. Until his eyes dropped to her breasts and his lips curled into a small smile. Her nipples turned traitor and peaked under his gaze, pushing against the fabric of her top. His eyes homed in on the sharp points immediately. The man had no shame.

Casey coughed and turned away, trying to get her breathing under control. The lights dimmed slightly, which prodded her into action. She had work to do and the agency wasn’t paying her to stand around and ogle handsome men. Even irresistible Italian ones.

Everyone took their seats as the presentation began. Not for the first time, she marveled at how fluidly Milo and Mya worked together. They each presented a separate section of the presentation and at times finished each other’s sentences when one or the other got stuck explaining a point.

It must be wonderful to have someone who understands you that way.

She circled the table slowly, distributing the handouts relevant to the next part of the presentation. Anya had already given them out on her side of the conference table, leaving Casey to hand them to Andre and the other members of his company.

There was Jason Gaultier, a tall, blond man who ran the financial division and an older woman she’d never seen before who wore her striking silver hair back in a twist. The woman regarded Casey icily before turning her attention back to the front.

As she rounded the table toward Andre, her mind raced looking for an excuse not to walk over to him. Finally, she tried to place the handout on the table in front of him but he reached out and took it so their fingers brushed. She snatched her hand back at the contact, determined to ignore the thrill of his touch. It was an impossible task, especially now that she knew what those strong, slender fingers were capable of.

Andre regarded her thoughtfully before speaking to the rest of the group.

“Let’s test it out.”

Everyone at the table turned to face them. Casey backed up and stood off to the side. She didn’t know what the next section of the program was but it wouldn’t hurt for her to stay out of the way.

Milo and Mya exchanged confused looks. Law shifted in his seat. He opened his mouth but after a glance at Andre’s determined face, he stayed silent.

“I need to finalize the slogan and marketing campaign before fashion week. We only have about three weeks.” Andre ran his hands over his hair and sighed. “We’re running out of time.”

“What do you mean test it out?” Mya asked. “Did you want us to set up a focus group and survey different demographics…”

Andre stood and waved impatiently. “No time for that. This is the third slogan we’ve tried, so I think it’s time we get a little creative. Besides, we have a member of our prime demographic group right here.”

Andre walked over to Casey and took her by the hand. Eyes wide, she followed him as he pulled her to the center of the room. Nervous, she folded her hands in front of her and tried not to fidget.

What was he doing? She should have known not to trust that easy smile. If he’d decided to get revenge on her for running out on him Saturday night, then he’d picked the perfect way to do it. There were few things she hated more than being put on display.

Andre walked over to the computer and pulled up an image of a young man wearing a sleek, black suit. The logo
“Livin’ the Lavin Life”
was splashed across the top of the photo in red.