Asking for Andre (3 page)

Chapter Two

The next night arrived faster than Casey could believe. She stood in the Grand Ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and gazed around nervously. It was a stunning room with enormous crystal chandeliers and intricate moldings. Waiters in black tie scurried back and forth hefting trays of champagne, and a small ensemble band played soft jazz in one corner. A woman glided by wearing a necklace with emeralds as large as quarters.

She stood up straighter, suddenly appreciative of all the times her mother had corrected her posture and insisted she wear heels to church. They hadn’t had much money but her mother was determined to raise her the “proper” way, as a true Southern lady. She’d hated her mother’s old-fashioned ideas growing up but was extremely thankful for them now. The other women in the room looked like the type to wear lace and pearls even when they were sleeping.

“I’m definitely not in Kansas anymore,” she whispered.

A passing waiter offered her a flute of champagne and she took it, grateful to have something to do with her hands. She raised the glass and took a healthy gulp. The cool liquid tingled over her tongue, a refreshing surprise. She finished the glass and then snagged another from the next waiter she saw. Since the company was paying for the event she might as well have a good time.

Everyone else seemed engrossed in their conversations and no one seemed to notice her, which was probably a good thing. Someone passing on her left bumped into her elbow. Champagne sloshed over her hand.

“Oh hi, Casey. I didn’t see you.” Milo Hamilton held her arm in a steady grip and flashed a toothy grin. “I’m usually not so clumsy.”

Casey found herself smiling back easily. “No problem. Where’s Mya?” A waiter appeared like magic, taking her glass and handing her several napkins to mop up the spill.

“Mya hasn’t arrived yet. She’s coming straight from an offsite meeting with a client. Until then, I’m forced to socialize on my own.” Right then the music changed to something up-tempo.

Milo held out a hand and she took it automatically. “Let’s dance.”

When he moved toward the center of the floor where several couples were already dancing, Casey began to have second thoughts.

“I’ll try not to step on your feet,” she joked.

He led her through the moves of the dance, leading with gentle nudges left and right. He spun her and her mouth dropped open in surprise when she didn’t stumble but executed a perfect turn.

“Wow. I actually did it! You make this seem so easy.” Casey grinned as he spun her again.

Milo winked down at her. “I figured I should go easy on you. I appreciate you taking pity on me so I didn’t have to stand by myself.”

Casey laughed when he made a pleading face. She had no doubt he would have no shortage of companions when he chose to mingle. It was more likely that he was taking pity on her.

“I’m more than happy to hang out with you. I was almost on the verge of leaving and going home.”

Milo regarded her thoughtfully. “I don’t think you want to do that. Not until you put your admirer out of his misery.”

Casey’s head shot up. “Admirer? What are you talking about?”

Milo smiled and looked behind her pointedly. “You’ll see.” He released her and nodded at something behind her.

She turned slowly and scanned the room. She could see people moving out of the way as someone walked through. Her ears started buzzing and the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

Somehow she just
knew
.

Andre finally came to stand next to them. His eyes never left hers but his words were for Milo.

“This doesn’t seem fair, Mr. Hamilton. You can’t keep all the beautiful women to yourself.”

Milo threw his head back and laughed. He was such a handsome man with his wavy brown hair and blue eyes. But his laugh didn’t cause her heart to race. His touch didn’t make her lose her breath. Only one man had that effect on her and he was standing to her side, observing them with a mixture of suspicion and hostility.

“All I’m going to say, Mr. Lavin is now we’re even.” Milo seemed to enjoy Andre’s discomfort.

Casey glanced between the two men. “Even? What does that mean?”

Andre growled something in Italian which caused Milo to grin even harder. Casey crossed her arms as the two continued to stare at each other.

“Hello? Will someone please tell me what’s going on here?”

Milo shook his head. “I’ll leave that for Mr. Lavin to explain. I’m getting out of the line of fire.”

Casey watched as he turned and joined a group nearby. She turned back to see Andre watching her with a thin-lipped smile.

“Mr. Hamilton is just paying me back for a little misunderstanding that occurred while he was wooing Ms. Taylor. I’m starting to understand his position.”

“Oh, you were dating Mya?” Casey hoped the tremor in her voice wasn’t as obvious to him as it was to her.

“No. He just thought I was. That was bad enough, believe me.” His eyes fixed on her face. “So it’ll just be the two of us. Disappointed?”

Casey placed a hand self-consciously over her exposed cleavage. The movement drew his attention there and she watched as his pupils widened before he ripped his gaze back to her face.

“Of course not. I’m always happy to talk to you, Mr. Lavin.”

He grimaced and clenched his fists at his sides. “Don’t call me that. Please.” The last word was less of a command and more of a plea. “Call me Andre. We’re not in the office. There’s no need to be formal.”

Casey stared at him for a long moment. He was behaving so strangely. She had a hard time believing it really mattered to him one way or the other what she called him.

“Okay. Andre.” Just saying his name brought a rush of heat to her cheeks. Her heartbeat stuttered and began to beat double time.

“Let me get you a drink.” He motioned one of the circulating waiters over.

“Oh no, you don’t need to,” Casey sputtered. She’d already had too much as it was. But before she could protest, he plucked another crystal goblet of the sparkling gold liquid from the tray of a passing waiter.

“Well, I suppose one more can’t hurt.” She would just sip it slowly. Savor it. It would give her something to concentrate on besides how good Andre looked in black tie.

Casey’d only tasted champagne once before at an impromptu farewell party for a friend back home. She held her glass up to the light, admiring the color. The bubbles seemed to pulse in the soft light of the ballroom chandeliers, rising to the top of the glass in intricate patterns.

“It’s so beautiful.”

She heard Andre’s murmured agreement but when she lifted her eyes, she found him observing her, not the glass. He smiled and her heart jumped around in her chest again. She felt as if he could see everything she tried to keep hidden, all the flaws she desperately wanted to conceal. It made her want to find out what he was thinking just as surely as it made her want to run in the other direction.

“Come. Let’s go outside. I need some air.” Andre motioned for Casey to follow him through the tall double doors leading onto the balcony. He held the door so she could walk ahead of him. They placed their glasses on a small table before they passed through.

Casey stopped abruptly when she saw how high they stood. She’d never felt comfortable with heights. Tentatively, she touched the wrought iron railing, the only thing keeping them from plunging to the manicured walkway below. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, Andre stood beside her, so close she felt his heat.

It struck her that their position was incredibly intimate, standing together in the dark with their shoulders brushing. Casey shuddered when Andre moved closer, his leg settling right next to hers, their hips bumping gently. She tried to move a little to her left but found herself next to a large column. She was now trapped between the column and six-feet-plus of hard, Italian male.

Gulp.

“I wasn’t sure you would actually come tonight. I know you’re very busy.” Casey sucked in a breath when he turned to face her. This close she saw the varying shades that made up his unusual eye color, darker around the edges blending into a lighter color closer to the pupil.

“I am busy, yes. But I am learning to make time for what’s important to me.” His eyes didn’t leave hers. After a few charged moments, he turned and stared out over the walkway below. “Life is for living, right?”

This side of the building was half shadowed, with small sconces at each balcony entrance providing muted illumination. The garden below seemed designed to encourage clandestine meetings and lovers’ trysts. Several couples walked slowly in the moonlight, hand in hand, enjoying the crisp night air. She shivered a little and wished she’d brought a wrap. Andre immediately slipped out of his jacket and hung it on her shoulders. It smelled of him, aftershave and his unique scent. She smiled gratefully up at him.

The door behind them swung open. A woman, obviously inebriated, stared back at them before giggling and going back in. As the door swung shut, Andre sighed.

“I’m so weary of this.”

Casey turned to face him, a question on her face. He smiled ruefully and gestured around them.

“I used to find inspiration in the people around me, the energy of each city I visited, the sights, the sounds. But for a long time nothing has inspired me. Everything looks the same. No mystery. No excitement.”

She laughed and crossed her arms. “No mystery or excitement, huh? I didn’t realize I was that boring.”

He grimaced. “Sorry. That came out wrong. It’s just this whole routine is so…routine.”

They laughed. Casey studied the beautiful scenery. She couldn’t imagine considering champagne in a five-star hotel as routine. “I suppose you come to a lot of parties like this. Poor baby, your life is so difficult.”

Shock flickered across his face before a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “I sound like a spoiled brat, huh?”

She shrugged. “Maybe a little. But I really think you have it all wrong. People may seem predictable sometimes but they’re never boring. People are complicated and fascinating.”

She gestured over the balcony to the gardens. A couple below was dancing in the middle of the pathway, oblivious to everything around them. “This is a perfect example. Tell me what you see.”

Andre squinted down at the couple. “I see a couple dancing. I see this at these parties quite often. People get bored and wander off. Growing up, my brother and I were forced to attend many social events. My mother is very concerned with appearances, you see.” He chuckled and sent her a sly look.

“If she only knew how many of her prim-and-proper friends we caught in compromising situations over the years, she probably wouldn’t have been so insistent that we attend those parties.”

Casey giggled when he winked. She nodded toward the couple again. “You say they’re a couple but how do you know? Just because they’re dancing together?”

Andre leaned over and whispered in her ear. “No, I assume because of the way he has his hand on her ass.”

Casey peered over the railing again and her breath hitched. The man had one hand firmly on the woman’s bottom while the other rubbed slow circles on the skin exposed by the plunging back drape of her gown.

“I bet she’s
really
cold,” she quipped. Even as her face heated and she started to turn away, the woman stood on tiptoe and pressed her mouth against her lover’s. She looped an arm behind his head and held him to her, caressing his back, neck and face. Casey couldn’t turn away, their dueling tongues visible even from a distance. They kissed with such passion it embarrassed her to watch.