Checkmate (5 page)

“I didn’t want to disappoint you
.”

“What?” She sounded so innocent, I couldn’t believe she looked like a hungry devil just a few seconds ago. “You would never disappoint me,” I said, kissing her hair.

“How do you know that?” She didn’t look up and I wondered if she was about to fall asleep.

“I knew it the moment I kissed you back in the club.”

“Good,” she said again, and I smiled to myself thinking that it was the first time in
years
that I didn’t feel like running away after my sexual needs were tended to.

Her breathing was steady and even without seeing her face, I knew she was asleep. I removed my hand from under her head, and replaced it with a pillow that she embraced tightly. Lying on her stomach, she looked so young and fragile. I leaned on one elbow, watching her. I didn’t even know her name, but I couldn’t hold back my smile: she might have looked like an angel, but I could tell she was dangerous. And damn, I liked it.

She woke up about three hours later, looking as if she was scared to find herself in my room, in my bed.
I didn’t know what to make of her sudden change of mood. She left so fast, I didn’t even have time to realize what had just happened. I had been thinking about my mysterious guest the entire morning, while I was taking a shower, drinking coffee and driving to the office. And then, BOOM! She turned out to be my business partner’s daughter and again, I thought about karma being a fucking bitch, just like everyone always says…

I sighed, leaning against the back of my chair.
Could my life become even more complicated?

The sound of a new text message brought me back to reality. I looked at my watch and frowned. It was almost midnight.
Who would be texting me so late?

The number was hidden, but I immediately knew who the message was from.
“We need to talk about last night,”
it said.

“Only talk?”
I texted back.

“Yes. Are you still at work?”

“Was just about to leave.”

“Meet me at the parking in five
.”

“K.”

So Scarlett was still at work too? I wish I knew that earlier. I didn’t want to talk about work, but I was sure we had a lot of things to discuss. I turned off my computer, grabbed my cell phone and car keys and went to the elevator.

She was waiting for me, leaning against my car.

“To what do I owe the honor,
Sunshine
?” I liked the way her father called her that.

She shifted uneasily, but her face remained unreadable. “I wanted to ask you something,” she said with her arms crossed.

“Go ahead,” I replied, standing one step away from her. God,
talking
was the last thing I wanted to do with her now.

Her brows pulled together and she looked like she wasn’t brave enough to ask her question.

“Last night you were more determined,” I said, enjoying the way her cheeks flushed at the mention of the time we spent together last night.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk about.”

“Figures.”

“Listen, Dominick… Whatever happened, was a mistake.”

Ouch…

I felt my jaw tightening.

“
I don’t do things like that,” she said, still avoiding looking at me.

“Things l
ike what? A hand job?”

She drew a sharp breath, and ran one hand through her hair. “And that too.”

I shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. “Okay, I’ll remember that the next time you join me in my bed.”

“And there will never be
a next time
,” she added with a cold look.

“You sure about that? I thought we had some, let’s say,
unfinished business
to deal with.”

“Once was more than enough.”

“It can hardly be called
once
actually.”

“What do you mean?” S
he asked, confused.

I studied her for
a long minute, before the realization hit me; she didn’t remember what happened last night… She thought we had sex, and the truth was that we didn’t even come close to that.

“Never mind.
” I waved it off. “A one-night stand was exactly what I needed. So, yes, I’m totally fine if you want to pretend nothing happened.”
Not that I’m going to pretend nothing happened myself…

It was a little offending to know that she forgot something that I thought was one of the best
not-fucking-the-hell-out-of-each-other
night of my life. But still, saying what she wanted to hear was better than admitting how much I actually wanted to see her coming all over my cock…

“Good,” she said, nodding in relief. “So, things can be normal between us, right?”

“Sure.”

She nodded again and turned
on her heel to leave.

“Do you need a ride?” I called after her.

“No, thanks. I’ll take a taxi.”

“Where’s your car?”

“I wasn’t sure I could drive this morning.”

Did she even have time to stop by her house this morning
?
She looked a little tired, but it was almost midnight, and she had had a long day. Only now, did I think about something that I didn’t care to find out this morning.
How did she get back to the city?

I lived in a
deserted area. There were only a few houses around and I highly doubted she would find a waiting taxi out there; definitely not at 5:00 AM.

I got into my car, started the engine and waited for Scarlett’s silhouette to disappear behind the corner. In the blink of an eye, she managed to turn my world upside down. I remembered my brother’s words and even though
t about calling him, as my perfectly planned life was already fucking falling to shit, just as he had said in his words…

Scarlett

Being back home was the most amazing feeling. It even smelled like peace that not even
Frenchie
could ruin. I took a shower; one of the longest showers of my life. I still secretly hoped I would be able to wash
the making-my-stomach-hurt-miserably
memories away. That was wishful thinking; it didn’t really work unfortunately…

When I left the bathroom, I noticed the
red light on my cell phone flashing.
Was it a missed call or a message?
My knees trembled at the thought that it could be from Dominick. But the very second I went to check it out, my phone rang and my best-friend’s smiling face flashed on the screen.

“Jill, it’s almost two in the morning.
Did you even consider the fact that I might be sleeping already?”

“No, I was sure you wo
uld be still wide awake, daydreaming about stripping in front of my new boss and hoping he would refresh your memories from last night.” She chuckled on the other end.

“Oh, God. You are
not
helping, you know?” I groaned, sinking back against the pillows on my bed.

“I wasn’t trying to
.”

“What the hell, Jill? Aren’t you
supposed to be on my side?”

“Seriously, Scar? Be on your side when such a
please-fuck-me-now
man
with a
gorgeous set of muscles is on the other side? Are you kidding me?”

“Do not ever call him that again.”

“Why? Does it make the butterflies in your
stomach that has been longing for a good shake-up go wild?”

“What are all these multi-word adjectives about?”

“Well, you didn’t stop by to talk after the meeting was over, and you never called me. Which makes me think that you need someone to talk to.”

“You often think dis
jointedly, but this is one of your worst attempts to make what you’re trying to say clear. I don’t think I am understanding your point.”

“Whatever. Tell me everything!”
She said excitedly, like she thought I could remember what happened, even though I’d already explained to her that I couldn’t.

I immediately regretted telling Jillian about Dominick. Well, technically
, I didn’t tell her it was
Dominick
, but somehow she figured it out all on her own after she saw the two of us drilling each other to the walls with our eyes throughout the entire meeting.

“There’s nothing to tell; r
eally. We talked to make sure that we were on the same page.”

“And what page exactly are you talking about?
The
Forget-it
one or
I-can’t-wait-for-the-next-time
one?”

“The former,
” I told her, hoping this would get my point across that there will never be anything between Frenchie and me.

“Oh, well… Are you sure this is what you want? I mean, he’s super hot and
you haven’t had sex in forever. Seriously, who goes
that
long without getting laid?”

“So what? I’m not going to let him or anyone else ruin my plans for the
future, just because you and my vagina think I need to have sex.”

She laughed into the handset. “God, Scar, you don’t even know how d
esperate you sound. I will agree with you on one of your points though, your vagina does have needs. So, why don’t you try to give yourself a break and take things easy?”

“If by
easy
you mean sleeping with your boss, then no, I will not take things
easy
.”

“Ugh, sometimes I
want to shake you by the shoulders, ‘cause you miss out everything that life gives you! And I’m not talking about your job. There are other things outside of your work, you know? Well, you can find them in my boss’s pants too, but you get the general point anyway.”

“Yeah, I ge
t it. And thanks for the reminder, we both have work tomorrow, so I’m going to hang up now, and I’ll see you in about six hours.”

“Scar, wait!”

I pushed
the end call
button and turned off the phone, knowing that she would call me right back; at least ten times before giving up and deciding to further pursue the conversation tomorrow at work.

Falling asleep wasn’t hard. I was so exhausted, not even thoughts about
Mr. Perfect
could make me stay awake. It felt like I had just fallen asleep when I heard my alarm clock ringing, my mind was too hazy to realize that it was actually time to get up.

I grabbed
my cell phone off of my nightstand, turned it on, and finally saw the missed message that I forgot to check before going to bed.

“Make sure next time you leave my bed, we both get what we want,”
the message said.

I stared at the screen, confused.
What the hell is he talking about?
I thought we both
did
get what we wanted the other night, hence why I woke up in his bed in the middle of the night
.

So I decided I’d ask,
“Didn’t we both get what we wanted?”

To my surprise, the response came immediately.

“Well, I can’t seem to remember, I only recall the part where you were begging me to take you right now.”

Oh, God… He was
kidding, wasn’t he? Damn those Margaritas! I might never drink tequila again!

I hesitated for a couple of minutes before typing
the next message, then I hit
send
before I could change my mind.

“What do you want?”

“You owe me at least one orgasm.”

What? Was he serious?

“I thought y
ou were fine with leaving this ‘unfinished business’ aside.”

“I changed my mind.”

Asshole…

“I’m sure you can find
someone else to finish it for you instead of me, I’m sure there are other women you can pester.”

“Debts
need to be repaid.”

No shit?

“Sorry, not this time.” Or any other time for that matter,
but I didn’t add that to the text message, I figured he would get the point.

“I have something that might make you change your mind.”

Oh, no…
I felt my palms trembling.

“What is it?”

“Have breakfast with me, and you will find out.”

Okay, at least he wasn’t going to send my nude photos or whatever
it is that he had, to the newspapers or post them online; at least not without meeting with me first, or so I hoped.

“Fine. Where?”

“My office. 7:30, don’t be late.”

Double asshole…

I looked at the clock on the wall — it showed 6:50 AM. Which meant I had only forty minutes to get dressed and get to the office.

I took a quick shower even though I had one last night, it helped me wake up, put on the first outfit I could find, and rushed downstairs, hoping I wouldn’t get stuck in traffic, it was New York City after all — the United States’ number one city for bad traffic. It’s so awful that most people don’t even own a car; they just take a taxicab. Fortunately, by the time I made it to my office and dropped my jacket off on my chair, it was only 7:35 AM; I was sure the jerk wouldn’t notice that I was late.

“You are five minutes and thirty-two seconds late,” he said the m
oment I crossed the threshold to his office. I cursed mentally.
Why would such a handsome face be given such a douchebag?

Today he was wearing a dark-gray suit with a white shirt and red tie that made him look even more severe and gorgeous.

“Sit.” He waved to the chair opposite him.
What does he think I’m a dog? I don’t respond to one word commands! Not this chick, sorry dude.

“Leave your boss-around shit for someone else
, I’m not your employee and I’m not your dog,” I snapped, coming to his desk. I didn’t sit down. I stood with my arms crossed on my chest, trying to read what was hidden behind that poker face of his.

Slowly, his eyes travelled down my face, stoppin
g at my lips long enough for me to notice what he was looking at, and then moved down to my neck and my breasts that he obviously couldn’t leave unnoticed.
Pig.

“Lovely dress,”
he commented finally, rising. I shifted uneasily at the thought of him coming any closer to me than he already was. I felt much more secure when he kept his distance from me.

I didn’t move when he s
topped right behind me, and brushed my hair away from where it covered the still visible mark he left on my neck the other night.

“Do you remember at what point of our play that I gave this to you
,” he asked quietly, caressing the hickey with his fingertips.

“No,” I said, trying to sound indifferent.

“Then I will remind you,” he replied; his lips brushed my skin, making my heartbeat accelerate. “It was during the first stage of the little game we were playing,” he breathed into the curve of my neck, one of his palms slid down my side. “Your hand was on my cock, your full breasts in my palms; and you were trying so fucking hard to please me.”

I swallowed
, unable to picture anything else except for the images his words made flash behind my closed eyes.

“You were so willing to give me anything I wanted,” he proceeded, now kissing my neck light
ly. I almost groaned at how wonderful it felt, and how badly I wanted his lips all over my body, and not just on my neck. “So obliging and so demanding. How is it even possible to combine two completely opposite emotions?” His lips travelled to my jaw and I didn’t even realize that I had turned to face him; our eyes locked, our lips mere inches apart. “Do you even realize what you are doing to me,
ma Belle de nuit
?”

That was it — the moment
my rational thinking won and took control; I took a step back trying to get away from him, but only ended up locked between his body and the desk.

“Nowh
ere to run?” He asked, excitement dancing in those sexy eyes of his.

“What do you want?” I asked for what felt like a hundredth
time.

“
You
.
I want
you
. Here, in my bed, in your office, everywhere I can take you to finally get you out of my system.”

His palms moved to the hem of my dress and
he pulled it up so fast, I gasped when he lifted me up onto the desk that was behind me.

“What
do you think you are doing?” I asked, horrified. Someone might come in at any moment, and I sure as hell didn’t want to be caught like this.

He ignored my question and smiled cunning
ly, leaning closer, as if he were waiting for me to stop him. But I was so hypnotized by him, everything about the man felt so intoxicating: his voice with his words, his face with his sexy expressions, his mouth teasing me by kissing my neck, his hands pulling up my dress, his scent filling my nostrils, and I don’t think he thought I noticed the bulge in his pants; I did. I couldn’t leave even though I knew it was exactly what I needed to do, and I needed to do it right now, before anyone came in and saw what was going on.

The next second his lips were on mine, and he was kissing me with so much need and hunger, I immediately forgot how to breathe.
His hands were all over me: my sides, my tummy, my breasts, my thighs…

I could stop him, I
should
stop him, but more than anything, I wanted him to keep going.

“Christ, you can’t even imagine how badly I want to be inside you
right now,” he breathed into my lips, before he started kissing me again. I could feel his hand sliding down my stockings to where he could touch my skin.

“So soft and so warm,” he whispered, biting my lower lip softly. Then I felt his fingers sliding under the hem of my panties and I panicked.

“Stop
,” I said breathlessly, catching him by the hand.

“Too late,” he replied,
pulling his finger to his mouth, licking it and putting it back down my panties, pressing one of his fingers to my clit and stroking it.

“I mean it,” I said, trying to break free of his mind-blowing hands and eyes.

“So do I,” he mouthed, now drawing small circles around my clit.

I squeezed my eyes
shut, trying to make myself move. I needed to leave, I wanted to stay, and I needed to stop him, but I didn’t want to…

Thinking back and forth
about what needed and should be done, I finally gave up, I stopped resisting, sent my doubts to hell and leaned closer, watching the familiar fire burning in his eyes. It was one of the few things that I still remembered about the other night.