Andrea Montague

“I’ve been staring at this screen too long.  I don’t think I can see straight.”

“Then give it a break for a little bit,” Andrea advised as he took a sip of his coffee. “Nothing’s on there that you can’t get back to in a half hour.”

Gabi: Oh that's easy enough then. I can get a good variety for the two of you.

Andrea: I'd appreciate it for sure. But you've got to get better first.

All her doubts were dashed as the man agreed and winked at her; something she could get used to. As he got in position, so did she, an almost impish grin on her lips. “Yes, sir.” And she did. She really went for it this time, wanting it to be a challenge. What was the point if she only punched at half strength or half tempo? She was working up a sweat, her breath was laboured, but she wasn’t stopping. She was intent on seeing how far she could push him, and herself. Plus, she wondered if her stubbornness would outlast her physical abilities.

Andrea kept up, but he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t a challenge. His own breath was labored and by the time she finished, he’d worked up quite a sweat. His eyes crinkled as he smiled at her, shaking his head as he pulled off the mitts. “Damn, girl, you know how to wear someone out, don’t you?” he chuckled. “I’ve been saying it, but I really do think you could kick my ass.”

Gabi: You won't be disappointed.

Gabi: Of course! Are there any particular flavors you especially do or do not prefer?

Mila was focusing on calming her breathing, but there was a wide grin on her face as he laughed. “I did warn you.” She teased before nodding excitedly, pleased that he wanted to give her another go. This time, she wasn’t going to stop until he gave in; if he would. “We could make it a bet; if I tire out before you do, you choose your reward. If you tire out before I do, well… I’ll think of something fun.” Her eyes were sparkling, though she wondered for a brief moment if a bet was a bit childish. Pushing those thoughts aside, she simply watched him with a grin, ready for him to either agree or to tell her to simply start punching. 

Andrea chuckled and nodded, accepting the challenge. “Alright, I’ll take that bet,” he replied. “But don’t count me out too easily. You might find I’m a bigger challenge.” He gave Mia a wink and held his hands out in position again. “So let’s see what you’ve got. C’mon and show me round two, then we’ll switch it up.”

Gabi: I'm very proud of my macarons because I spent a long time perfecting them. However, I've had very good reviews about most of my goods. And I'm always happy to make something specific as well.

Andrea: Alright, macarons then. I'll give them a try.

“I have known Oz Montague from long before he was Lord Oz and yes he has done many things which would be considered questionable or legally wrong but I have never known him attack a submissive in his care, let alone murder them.  From what I know now he had a relationship with this woman, I see no reason why he would kill her in cold blood.  Now if you know differently then please tell me.”  She wiped her hand over her face with a breath, “I’m doing all I can to keep the family calm and running.  I have no wish for the violence to erupt and it will do nothing to help Oz and right now I think the majority of the family would agree that helping Oz out of jail is our number one priority.  If violence erupts then it is not under my orders.”

“I don’t know differently... but I also don’t not know differently. I remember what he was like - he ran rough with the best of them twenty years ago,” Andrea replied calmly. “My number priority is to my child. I’m trusting you when you say enough is enough, Martina. Whatever you need, I’ll fall in line - but I won’t expose my child to the violence I was raised in.”

Mila smirked lightly as she watched him take up the appropriate stance. He really was a handsome man. Shaking away any distracting thoughts, she took up her stance in front of him. It was surely a rather amusing sight, with him nearly a whole foot taller than her, but this was how she liked it. “Is that an order, Andrea?” She teased playfully, though she threw her first punch before letting him reply. It was a simple jab, and she settled for a moment before throwing a jab and a cross. She repeated this a few times, increasing her power as she went before dancing back on light feet, feeling that familiar buzz she got from fighting. “Well? How was that?” 

Andrea had started to say yes, but Mila followed up her question with a quick jab. He blocked it easily enough with the pads, but she quickly followed up with a repetition of jabs and crosses, keeping him on his toes. He grinned as he caught each one, though her speed and strength kept him on his toes the whole time. By the time she finished, he felt good and worked up.

“Well I’m certainly convinced you could kick my ass,” he replied with a laugh. “You’re fast. Really fast. And I’m clearly out of practice. Want to see if I can keep up for another round?”

Gabi: I could never! That would ruin the integrity of my bakery!

Gabi: And if you think something from a grocery store tastes anything at all like something I've made, then you clearly haven't had any of my baked goods.

Smiling appreciatively Martina put her empty cup to the side as she nodded to the seat opposite her in offer.  Her expression stayed fixed as she heard Andrea’s concerns, “The girl’s death had nothing to do with the family and I don’t for a minute it had anything to do with Oz.  However there is nothing I can do to manage that side of things at the moment.”  She looked over with a tilt of her head, “I have told everyone it is business as normal and that is the best strategy for now I believe.  Unless you have a different approach.”

“Martina... do you really believe that?” Andrea asked, no smile on his face. “I know I’ve been gone for a while, things might have changed - but it’s not like he isn’t capable of it. Business as usual is the best approach, I agree - I just want to make sure I didn’t bring my daughter here for the violence to erupt again.”

Mila laughed along with him, shaking her head in amusement before considering. “Sure, why not.” She finally decided on, grabbing a pair of boxing pads and handing them over to him. “You put these on first and I’ll do the gloves, then we switch.” She was more curious to see his power - or if he’d even use his full strength on her - but she also liked showing off her own strength. “Keep those up, around shoulder height, and we’ll see how much you can take.”

“Alright then, show me what you’ve got,” Andrea said after getting the pads fixed on. His body eased into the familiar stance as he braced for Mila’s punches, curious to see what she could do. “See, I haven’t forgotten everything - don’t hold back even a little bit, got it?”

Gabi: I'm not sure. Most of them are busy at work themselves. I can manage it, I'm sure. If nothing else, I can just sell what I have in stock currently and wait to do more baking until my foot's a bit better.

Andrea: True.

The groan only served to widen Mila’s smirk, pleased at the effect she had on him. Plus, she certainly didn’t mind the way his gaze trailed over her figure. “I’ll find a way to convince you.” She teased, before letting out a soft laugh as he drew the conversation right back to actually fighting. Glancing over at the mat, she nodded and began to lead him over to it. “Well, we can start with boxing to ease you into it. Though MMA is a favourite of mine, so I may be tempted to show off some moves after we spar. I’d also be happy to teach you some so you can whip them out next time… If I don’t scare you off now, that is.”

Andrea chuckled. “Alright, alright - boxing it is. I hope you can teach me a thing or two, but if I’m getting an exhibition, then I intend to enjoy it.” He followed her to the mat and motioned over at the equipment in the corner. “You want me to wear the mitts first, see if I can handle a punch or two from you?”

“No, I think I’m only about 85% caffeine at this point.  Plenty of space to improve!”

“Only eighty-five? You’re right, not nearly enough caffeine. Here, I brought you some more.” Andrea set a cup of coffee down in front her, taking a seat on the other side of the desk. “Thanks for seeing me today. I’ll get right to the point since I know you’re busy - what is the fallout here? Tell me everything with Oz is contained and we aren’t trying to cover up a larger problem for him.”