Free Asking for Andre by Minx Malone

They do great work but it wasn’t right for me .” He tapped the tip of her nose and a thrill ran through her. “On their own, they seem to have no idea what appeals to me. You’re the only one who gets it. You can at least tell the designers if they’re on the right track.”
    She nodded. In that moment, she would have agreed to do pretty much anything. How incredible to have someone need her. It was a feeling she could easily get addicted to if she wasn’t careful.
    “What exactly do I get out of this?” Casey demanded, unsettled by how quickly the conversation was getting out of control. “Nothing in life is free, right?”
    His brow furrowed at her question. “You are right. I would never want to take advantage of you. I’d much rather you take advantage of me .”
    Casey struggled to hold back a smile at his provocative response. She’d expected him to argue, not agree with her. She got the sense he was used to giving orders and having them obeyed.
    “I was just saying, you know, as a matter of principle.” Casey sat back in her chair, and crossed her arms. “There isn’t actually anything I want.”
    He leaned forward, his eyes locked on hers. “Isn’t there, piccolina ? I was under the impression Saturday night that there were some things you very much wish to learn.”
    It took about two seconds for her to go from bewildered to embarrassed. Then another three seconds for her to go from embarrassed to furious. After sixty seconds of counting under her breath, she spoke over the lump in her throat.
    “Saturday night was a mistake. I was…” She gritted her teeth, appalled that they were even discussing the subject. “I was drunk, all right? I wasn’t really asking for lessons in, you know, that .”
    “Are you saying you don’t need them or you don’t want them?” Andre reached across the wrought iron table and grabbed her hand. “Tell me you don’t want me and I’ll never bring it up again.”
    She closed her eyes and all she saw were images of the two of them kissing, her hands running up and down his hard chest. She opened her eyes, defeated.
    “I can’t deny it. So I guess you get the last laugh, huh?”
    He squeezed her hand so tightly it was almost painful. “Does it look like I’m laughing? I haven’t had a decent night of sleep since you said that. I can’t stop thinking about what you felt like, what you tasted like. I’ll do whatever I must to get you back in my arms again. Either that or I’ll go crazy.”
    She sucked in a shocked breath at his bold words, her eyes sneaking down to the part of him covered by the table. Was he hard? Did he lose his breath thinking about her, about the things they’d done together? If she wasn’t so afraid that the answer would be “no” then she would ask.
    Right after she died of mortification, of course.
    Andre leaned forward, his voice hushed so they wouldn’t be overhead by any other diners. “I want you, Cassandra. Tell me you want me too?”
    Her face heated. “You know I do,” she admitted warily.
    Standing, he extended his hand. She regarded it for a long moment, unsure of whether to accept—both his hand and the unspoken offer. Even though he’d been discreet enough not to spell it out, she knew very well what he offered,
    But still, she had to be sure she could deal with the consequences, to the mind and the heart. She had to be sure the pleasure she was sure to find in his arms would be worth it.
    Casey sucked in a sharp breath. “This is probably a bad idea. You don’t even live here.”
    “Well, I have a residence here. Does that count?” He grinned at her.
    She looked into the startling cloudlike eyes that had haunted her for months and found desire, along with respect. Patience. Fondness.
    I want you, Cassandra.
    He was a client so there would be hell to pay later if anyone found out, but it would be worth it. Of that, she was absolutely sure. If they both played by the rules, no one would ever find out. She