Ask Me (Mess with Me 2)

His smile falls away as he leans closer, leaning on the center console of the car to get closer. My breath speeds up as I take in the scent of his aftershave. I close my eyes anticipating another scorching kiss like the one he gave me at the Preview Gala.

When his lips press firmly to my forehead, my eyes fly open to meet his. His finger trails over my cheek gently.

“You didn’t…”

“You asked me to respect your wishes and that is what I will do.”

Maybe he’s even more brilliant than I thought if he already has me cursing my own damn rules. Why did I have to say all that stuff about being professional? In the moment I’m finding it hard to remember all the reasons I thought getting naked again was a bad idea. And friends? What was I thinking?

The way I’m feeling toward him right now is anything but friendly.

“Since you’re being so accommodating maybe I should have asked you for a few more things while I was at it. Mirage could use a new coffeemaker for the break room, for instance.”

He cups my cheek gently. “I wonder sometimes how dangerous you would be if you knew your own power. Don’t you know I would give you anything you asked for? Anything at all.”

He growls softly when I bite my lip. “Get out of the car, Casey.”

I look over at him, not surprised to see the same tortured expression on his face that I’m feeling.

“Go on, sweetheart. I need to make sure you’re safely inside.”

With a sigh, I push open the door. I can feel his eyes on me the entire time as I walk away.

But I don’t look back.

15

* * *

I put down the sketch in my hands and stand. How long have I been at this? The clock on the wall shows it’s almost lunchtime. It’s amazing how time moves when you’re trying to distract yourself from something.

Driving away from Casey’s building last week was difficult. Every part of me wanted to follow her upstairs, see where she lives, sleep with her in her bed.

Despite how many times she’s made it clear that what we shared is over, there’s a certain part of my anatomy that refuses to accept it. I look down at the anatomy in question.

Every man has a unique relationship with his cock. You have to when dealing with something that has a mind of its own. These things lead us around by the nose quite often and mine has been particularly unhappy with my decisions lately.

But then I remember the look on her face when I kissed her forehead. Surprise, yes but also hope. Even though I don’t know her whole story yet, I get the sense that men often let her down.

So no matter how angry a certain part of me has been lately, I’ll continue to give her what she needs. A friend.

Plus, even with an ego like mine, I have to admit that she could have taken things further in the car if she’d wanted to. There was nothing stopping her from leaning over and kissing me like she did that night in the bar. Or unhooking her seatbelt and climbing into my lap.

But she didn’t. The past few days she hasn’t given me any indication that she wants to see me. Hell, she could have called if she was feeling any of the things I am.

Then it hits me. She still doesn’t have my phone number.

I’m actually sitting here moping because she hasn’t called me when I never gave her my number. I have to laugh. My friends would tease me until the end of time if they could see how much Casey throws me off my game.

Voices filter through my closed door pulling me from my thoughts.

“Oh no, please don’t disturb him!”

“It’s no problem. Mr. Lavin made it clear that marketing is a high priority.”

Who is that Kate is talking to? I check my watch. It’s definitely not time for the board meeting yet. Things have been quiet around the office. Most of our employees, besides the design team we brought with us, are American so they were gone to celebrate Thanksgiving last week. Things have been pretty quiet. It would have been an excellent time to get some work done if I could actually concentrate.

The phone on my desk rings. I hit the button to activate the speaker. “Yes, Kate.”