But Andre doesn’t look any happier.
“I thought I made it clear I have no interest in that.” His leg shoves between my thighs, pressing tight to my pussy like I need a reminder it’s what we’re talking about. “The fact that you are untouched doesn’t appeal to me.”
It takes everything I have not to whimper as the thick band of his quad grinds into me. “Then why are you here?”
It’s probably not smart to question the man who just made it pretty clear he knows exactly how to separate me from the oxygen in the room, and I regret it immediately.
But Andre doesn’t seem bothered by it, which surprises me more than anything else in this interaction has. He studies my face for a second, the hand at my neck easing higher until it curves along my jaw. “I go where I want to go, Duchess. I don’t need a reason to be here.” The tips of his fingers slide across my skin, the pad of his pointer moving over my lips. “Now tell me, what do I own?”
Apparently we’re circling back to this. A question I thought I answered. “My—”
“If you say virginity again, I will spank your ass until you can’t sit down.” The hand in my hair slides free, moving down to grip my right butt cheek as if I didn’t immediately believe the threat. “So choose your words carefully.”
“Well…” I’m struggling with too many conflicting thoughts to censor my words the way I should. “Technically you don’t own anything.”
Andre’s eyes flash and I realize that was probably the wrong thing to say.
I suck in air, pulling as much as I can into my lungs since I’m pretty sure I know what’s coming next.
But Andre’s hand doesn’t return to my throat, instead his fingers slide down a strand of my hair, twirling it between them as a smirk twists his lips. “You have a point, Duchess.” His fingers wind tighter, reeling up toward my scalp as he cranks my head back until it’s angled toward the ceiling, my lips positioned right under his.
Like he might kiss me.
And for some reason that makes it almost as hard to breathe as his hand on my neck did.
“Your money is waiting for you, Duchess. The bank information you gave Yvonne was wrong.” His mouth hovers just above mine. “You changed your number and she couldn’t reach you.” There’s anger in his explanation, like he’s pissed Yvonne couldn’t call me, and it makes me spill the truth.
“My phone was shut off.” It’s an embarrassing reality of my life and something that would probably never occur to Andre. “I couldn’t pay the bill.”
He lives in a penthouse. Has nice cars and men who drive them.
Not being able to pay a cell phone bill is a worry he’s never had.
And apparently it’s one more thing that pisses him off, because his expression goes cold as he stares at me.
The silence stretches out between us, giving me plenty of time to put together the pieces of the past few minutes.
Andre came here because he thought I was going around telling people he didn’t pay me.
But he did pay me, Yvonne just couldn’t get the money into my account.
He paid me.
Even though we didn’t fuck.
“Why did you pay me?” I’m struggling to make sense of the man in front of me. One minute he’s got his hand on my neck, and the next he’s threatening to spank my ass.
He goes from the edge of violence to stroking my skin with an almost reverent touch in less than a heartbeat.
But he doesn’t answer me, just continues offering up conflicting behavior, releasing me and stepping back, his hard eyes staying on my face as he pulls out his wallet and slips a stack of bills free. He shoves them into the leather-ish apron attached to my shorts. “I expect your phone to be back on tomorrow.”
Then he walks out, leaving me standing there, jaw slack as I stare at the bulky wad making the edge of my pocket gape open.
It’s all hundreds, and he handed them over easier than the men downstairs part with two fives.
I reach one trembling hand into my apron and pull out the money Andre gave me just as the security door to the room flies open.
Madison rushes in, naked chest heaving, empty bottle of Dom Pérignon poised to swing. “Where is he?”