Checkmate Read online

  “Amen.”

  He shook his head, saying, “I know I’m the black sheep in our family, but you are a real ass, and this is one hundred percent worse. So fuck off, Dom. You’d better follow your own advice and stop banging around. Men your age think about having a family with little smiling monsters, which run around your office and tear your latest contracts to pieces.”

  I laughed, saying, “I thought you would be the last person to talk about it. Have you ever thought about the day you will have to grow up and have your own family?”

  “Actually, I have.”

  I almost forgot how to speak for a moment. “Really?”

  “Yeah, why? I might be an irresponsible player now, but I do realize that it won’t last forever. We are all mortals. So yes, I know that one day my dick will stop waking up with the first rays of the sun, and I will have to accept this fucking unfair truth of life. So stop looking at me like that. I can be a decent man, you know?”

  “If you say so.” I smiled, digging into my bacon. Actually, I was more than happy to hear that Oliver was thinking about the future. Maybe he wasn’t a lost cause after all?

  “Wanna play a game of chess?” Unlike everything else, chess was about the only thing that my brother and I never argued about.

  “I’ll kick your ass. You know that, don’t you?” He said, grinning. I couldn’t help but admit that he was good at chess, and watching him win one game always made me proud of him.

  “We will see,” I said, getting up to get a chessboard.

  Chapter 4

  My lunch was about to end, but I still had a few minutes to find a way to win the game.

  “You totally suck at chess, Bro,” Oliver said, removing one more of my pieces.

  I shook my head, disappointed. “It’s your fault. I didn’t have a worthy opponent in Paris to perfect my skills.”

  “But now you are here, and I hope you will be able to find more time for chess and your family. Mom misses you like hell.”

  “Yeah, I know. I haven’t called her in what feels like forever.”

  “I talked to Dad last night and he said he wanted you to come for Saturday dinner. Are you in?”

  “Absolutely.” I stared at my game pieces. There was no way I was going to win this round.

  “Mr. Altier?” Jillian said, entering my office. “Miss Wilson is here.”

  “Please, Jill, save the well-mannered shit for someone else,” Scarlett said, following her. The moment she saw Oliver sitting across from me, her cheeks reddened. “Sorry, I didn’t know you had a guest,” she said, smiling at my brother, who definitely didn’t need my permission to return her smile.

  “And who is this adorable creature?” He asked in his usual sly-fox manner, rising to greet her.

  “Scarlett Wilson,” she introduced herself, outstretching her hand that my brother didn’t shake, but kissed. Fucking flirt trying to be a gentleman…

  “Enchanté, mademoiselle!”

  “Argh! You are French too?”

  “Your games won’t work on her, Oliver,” I said, smirking.

  “Which means you’ve already tried using them on her.”

  Oliver shoot me a glace that said he thought he could play the game better than I could. What he didn’t know was I wasn’t exactly playing a game at this point. I actually wanted to get to know Scarlett not just for sex, but to actually know her.

  Scarlett looked at us with a furrowed brow. “Are you two brothers?”

  “Do I really look like this asshole’s brother?” Oliver jerked a thumb in my direction.

  “Actually, you look like a more earthling copy of His Highness,” she replied, crossing her arms and scowling at me.

  I rolled my eyes. “Well, I guess you two have something to talk about at my expense.”

  “Oh, I’m sure we do,” Miss Independence said, smiling pleasantly at Oliver, who was more than willing to play whatever game she was up to.

  “Now, what did you want from me?” She said, switching her attention to me. Unlike my brother, I was only blessed with a freezing-my-balls look.

  “Do we really have to discuss this in Oliver’s presence?”

  She took a deep breath so that, I bet, she wouldn’t call me names in response. “I’m not your secretary, and you are not my boss. So next time you want to talk, you will have to cross the hall and knock at my door. Is that clear?”

  “And she makes no bones with you, Dom,” Oliver said, amused. “Finally, you have someone to knock the shit out of you.” He chuckled.

  “Good to know that we are on the same page,” Scarlett said, quite pleased with Oliver and herself.

  “Let me know if you want to see what’s on the next page.” He winked at her.

  She tried to hold back a smile, but I could clearly see that she was more than happy to make an against-Dominick alliance with my brother.

  “I will think about it, Olivier,” she said, pronouncing my brother’s name in a French manner.

  “Oh, lala, sounds promising.” His eyes slid down her body and now he looked like a cat, moistening his lips at the view of a mouse. “Bloody hot.”

  “Shall I leave you two alone?” I asked with as much venom as I could put into that question. I don’t know why, but I didn’t like the way they acted around each other.

  “As you wish,” Scarlett said, giving me an evil glance.

  She did look bloody hot, so I probably shouldn’t have blamed my brother for falling under her spell too. The ivory outfit outlined her every curve, reminding me of how soft and delicate her smooth skin felt under my palms. I felt myself grow engorged in my pants. Our gazes locked for a moment, and maybe I was imagining things, but I swear, I saw the shadows of memories dancing in her eyes. Then they travelled to the coffee table with a chessboard, she squinted and came closer, looking down at the pieces.

  Both Oliver and I stared at her in confusion. Did she even know what to do with the pieces?

  “My God, one of you really suck at chess,” she said with a triumphant grin enlightening her face. She moved Oliver’s rook across the board. Again, I caught myself staring at her lips and almost groaned, miserably failing to regain fucking control over my body and mind.

  “Passez une bonne journée, messieurs — Have a great day, gentlemen,” she said, heading for the door.

  “Checkmate!” Oliver said, with his eyebrows raised in disbelief.

  “What?” I asked, puzzled, still starring at the closed door.

  “She gave you a checkmate, dude!” He burst out laughing, clasping his hands. “Now, that is what I call a proper ass-kicking. I love this girl!”

  I inhaled deeply, trying not to show how pissed I was. I could barely stop myself from running after Scarlett and teaching her a lesson on good behavior. Obviously, she gave herself too much credit.

  “My, my!” Oliver said, watching me. “She knows how to rub it in your face and you still foolishly think you will be able to handle her.”

  “She’s just stubborn and too self-assured. I can handle her,” I snapped, getting back to my table.

  “You just keep telling yourself that.” Oliver smirked. “Karma can be a bitch, right, Bro?”

  “Shut the fuck up. I’m really not in the mood for your shitty comments.”

  “Everything was okay with your mood before she came in. So tell me what happened? Did she dump you?”

  I didn’t bother to reply and tried to keep all emotions off of my face. Which apparently Oliver could see right through my facade.

  “Oh, my God… She did!” He said, slapping his hands on the table and staring at me intently.

  It was one of those moments that I wanted to smack my brother in his smug face.

  “Holy shit! Now I understand why you turned into a speechless fish when she came in. You have no idea what to do with her!”

  “Hey, why don’t you go home and do… I don’t know, something useful?” I was seriously tired of this small family meeting.

  “You know what?”
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  “What?” I all but barked at him.

  “She will have you by the balls sooner than you might think. And, trust me, Dom, you will enjoy it.”

  “Has anyone ever told you what a fucking pain in the ass you are?” I said, glaring at him.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard it a couple of times. But it doesn’t change a thing. I am right, and we both know it.”

  “Get the hell out!” I yelled, hoping he would actually listen. How was that possible to be so damn stubborn?

  “Call me when your perfectly planned life starts falling to shit,” he said, opening the door, not even a slightest bit offended by my rudeness; he seemed amused by it actually. “It will be a sign that you are totally screwed. And you know what I mean.”

  As soon as the door closed behind him, I leaned back against my chair, and closed my eyes, sighing; exhaustion overwhelmed my body and mind. I couldn’t think about anything but Scarlett: her perfect lips moving over mine; her body leaning against mine; her palms travelling up and down my chest; her scent making the fantasies in my mind go wild…

  Shit, looks like Oliver was right after all: I was in a whole mess of a trouble with this woman, I couldn’t even stop thinking about her for one minute.

  By the time I was ready to call it a day, I felt like I was about to pass out any second. My brain refused to work and I really needed a nice long nap; since last night, my stupid mind refused to shut up, and I didn’t close my eyes even for a moment.

  While Scarlett was still there with me, it was simply impossible to stop starring at her creamy skin, contrasting with my chocolate sheets; her silky hair tickling my shoulder and her luscious lips being so close to mine. She was sound asleep, and I couldn’t wait for the moment she would wake up. I never wanted any woman as much as I wanted her. She was a little tipsy while we were trying to get to my bedroom, but still, her every move felt so damn intoxicating, as if I were drunk too, not from the alcohol, but her. We were so impatient; I doubted I ever undressed so fast.

  When we finally got into my bed, I was so hard, I thought I would explode any second, being a disappointment to her and myself, but I held out. Her palm slid down my stomach, and firmly wrapped around my cock, slowly moving up and down the shaft. My heart started hammering in my chest, and I could feel its fast beating all over my body, slamming through my veins and making me stop breathing. Fuck, it felt so unbelievably good. She looked up at me, but didn’t say a word, and I wondered how long she would be able to stay quiet with me inside her, but maybe she was just one of those women who was quiet during sex. Sure it didn’t happen often with me, but once in a while, there was the rare woman who was quiet during sex.

  I was so worked up, I could barely stop myself from pinning her to the sheets with my body and showing her just how close I wanted to be to her; I wanted to melt with her and become one with her. But I wanted her to lead in this game. I hadn’t had a hand job in a long time, and even though I couldn’t wait to do so much more than that, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

  I bent to trail small kisses across her collarbone and all the way down to her hardened nipples, looking so damn inviting. The moment my tongue circled one of them, she closed her eyes, moaning softly. Fuck, the mere sound of it could make me come. The world around us felt surreal, like a dream; a dream I wasn’t ready to wake up from.

  I didn’t know what was so different about this particular woman, but I never felt so good with anyone before. I was even a little terrified, realizing that I would probably fall apart in her hands and never see her again after we are done. I wasn’t prepared for the feeling like that. I was so sure sex would never be anything but a physical satisfaction for me, my sudden loss of self-control was like a splash of cold water in the middle of January. Something must be seriously wrong with me…

  It was simply impossible to keep my hands to myself. I wrapped them around her waist, closing the distance between us enough to suck on her neck. Too late, I realized that I left a mark on her skin. Even though I didn’t regret it, not even for a second. I wanted to claim every inch of her body with my lips, and she looked so hungry for whatever I was about to do next.

  She was watching me closely, responding to every small sound I made, increasing the speed of her moves, or slowing down, as if she could actually read my mind, knowing exactly what I wanted her to do. I almost broke when her lips crashed on mine, teasing my tongue with hers, sucking and exploring, as if she couldn’t get enough of me. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to prolong the moment, at least for a while. Somehow, I knew that my heaven was about to fall apart into a million small pieces.

  “Faster,” I breathed into her parted lips, knowing that I could no longer restrain my desire. The mere thought of coming all over her flat stomach only made it even harder to control.

  The familiar tension started forming in my muscles, and I knew I was losing it too soon. I sucked on her bottom lip, her jaw, her neck, trying to drink in her every heartbeat. My thoughts blurred, and I felt a pleasurable wave running down my back and all the way to where her palm was still touching me. I came with a low groan, feeling a huge invisible wall of tension fall down from my shoulders. I opened my eyes and saw her bright-blue pools starring back at me in fascination and… surprise? It couldn’t be the first time she made a man come with a hand, could it?

  I felt a little dizzy, I pulled her closer and wrapped my arms around her.

  “Did you like it?” She asked in a barely audible voice.

  I replied with a quiet laugh, “A lot.”

  “Good.”

  “Good?” I moved a little to see her face, but her head was down, and her eyes were closed.

  “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 like 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?” She 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…