Checkmate (20 page)

“What’s so funny?” I asked, turning to look at him.

“She didn’t believe me.”

“What?”

“Amalia didn’t believe that you are my brother.”

“So now she’s sure that you
are gay?”

“Thanks for ruining my reputation, Dom.”

“I didn’t ruin anything. Finally, you will have a chance to follow your own advice and give your balls a rest.”

“Not that they need it, you know?”

I nodded yawning and went to the bathroom, ignoring Oliver’s annoyed expression. No matter how much I didn’t want to face the new day, I couldn’t stay in bed and do nothing. So I shaved and asked Oliver to give me some clothes. It turned out to be a pair of jeans that I could swear would slip off of me if I even moved and a white shirt, the only advantage of which was the color.

“Great, now I look like a crazy musician,” I muttered, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

“Actually, you look like a man who doesn’t give a fuck about anything but his comfort and good mood.”

“Do I look like a man in a good mood?”

“Not really, but still better than in a suit and a tie.”

“Thank God, it’s Saturday and I don’t have to go to work, dressed like a clown.”

“Hey, these are my clothes, so a little respect wouldn’t hurt you. Anyway, what you gonna do with Scarlett?”

“Nothin
g. In fact, I think it’s her turn to take the first step towards me. I’m done with trying to make her believe me.”

The memori
es of my dream flashed in my mind, but I tried to ignore them. Whatever I felt in that dream, only made my anger grow.

“And what will you do if she doesn’t come back here?”

I haven’t thought about that. Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to keep working for Wilson’s, because I had been a fool thinking that I would get used to seeing someone else working in Scarlett’s office. I didn’t want her to be just my colleague, I wanted her to be with me, day and night.

“I will find a new job, or go back to Paris,” I said.

Oliver raised his eyebrows in surprise, but said nothing.

After he and I had coffee and I thought it was time to go back home, Stefan called.

“Morning, Dominick, do you have a minute?”

“Sure.”

“I got a call from Scarlett last night and she was so upset, she sounded as if she had been crying. She said she wanted to quit.”

Now that was unexpected.

“Did she tell you why?”

“No, she only said that she didn’t want to keep working in the company.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Did she accept Derek’s proposal and wanted to stay in SF? Or was she up to something
else that I was missing?

“I don’t know what to say,” I said. “She didn’t tell me anything about quitting.”

“You two seemed to get well along with each other. Can I ask you to talk to her?”

“
I don’t think that’s a good idea, Stefan. You know your daughter: if she has made a decision, no one will ever be able to talk her out if it.”

“She wouldn’t listen to me, but she will listen to you, Dominick.”

“What makes you think that?” Personally, I doubted that Scarlett would talk to me, especially if she wasn’t talking to her father.

“She always admired you. Every time we talked about the future of our company, she said how lucky we were to have you in our ranks.”

“Really?” Who would have thought that after what she and I had been through, she would still say something so nice about me? I signed. “Okay. I’ll try to call her.”

“Thank you, Dominick. You know how much I love her. Even if she doesn’t want to head the company anymore, I don’t care. All I want is
for her to be happy.”

“I know. I’ll see what I can do.” I hung up the phone and cursed aloud. Now what was I supposed to do?

“What is it
?” Oliver asked.

I told him about
Scarlett, and he only grinned at my gloomy expression.

“Do you think it’s funny?” I asked,
staring at him in disbelief.

“Actually, yes. You didn’t want to call her, but now you don’t have a choice. A
nd I bet you don’t even know how to start the conversation.”

“What would you say
to her, if you were me?”

“For one thing, I would never let anything like that happen
to me.”

“You are not helping,” I snapped.

“Sorry, Bro, but I wash my hands off this mess,” he said, leaving the room.

“You are one hell of a brother!” I shouted after him.

“I’ll take that as a compliment!” He shouted back.

I shook my head and dialed Scarlett’s number, hoping this conversation wou
ldn’t add any more trouble to our screwed-up relationship.

Scarlett

Being back home alwa
ys felt good. But not this time.

The moment I crossed the threshold of my apartment, I realized how lonely and miserable my life was. Even my best friend who hadn’t seen me for months was too busy to respond to my calls.

The l
ast 48 hours proved that Dominick was still the only man I wanted to see by my side. He was like the air that I couldn’t live without, and he knew it. I used to think that not seeing Dominick every day was easier; well, at least I thought that it was true. Until the moment I saw him in SF, as beautiful and arrogant as he always was.

The memories of the last night we spent together flashed in my mind and
a familiar shiver ran down my spine. How could I be so stupid and hope that I would find a man better than him?

I shook my head, dropping my bag on the couch. The sound of my cell phone ringing brought me back to reality, I looked at the screen and felt my eyes widening in surprise. Dominick was calling…

“Hello?” I answered cautiously.

“Hey, it’s me.”

I smiled at the uneasiness in his voice.

“I know,” I said, wondering what
had made him call me in the first place. After seeing how angry he was when Derek proposed to me, I was certain I would never hear from him again. “I have caller ID.”

“Right. So how have you been doing?”

“Good. You?”

“Not so good.”

“Is everything all right?” It was one of the weirdest conversations I had ever had with Dominick.

“Where are you?” H
e asked, ignoring my question. I bet he was worried that I was still in SF.

“Home,” I said, knowing that the answer would make him ask more questions.

“Can you be more specific?”

“Why? Are you missing me?” Thank God, he couldn’t see me now, because I didn’t even try to hide my grin.

There was a short pause on the other end of the line and then he said, “Yes, no, kind of.”

I laughed. “Can
you
be more specific?”

“Okay, Scarlett. What the hell is going on? Your father called me. He said you don’t want to work for him anymore.”

I rolled my eyes. I knew that my dad would make a mountain out of a molehill. “Well, time changes everything, right? So I think I have finally found something so much better than the never-ending climbing up the career ladder.”

“And what is that?”

“Why don’t you come to my place and ask that question again?”

“Sounds tempting. But what about your fiancée?”

Finally, he found courage to ask the most important question of all.

“I don’t know who you are talking about.”

“Hmm-”

“Is that all that you can say?”

“How about we change plans and you come to my place instead?” He said.

“This is so very you, Dominick.”

“What?”

“Playing
at home always helps, right?”

He laughed quietly into the handset and my heart started beating faster at the thought of that laugh vibrating against my skin. “Smart girl. Put on the best of your heels and come to my place.”

“Only heels?”

“Yeah, that would be just enough for anything you wanted to tell me about.”

I smirked. “Will you let me say a word?”

“Maybe. Depends on how good you will be at everything else.”

I felt the waves of excitement running through me. “And what exactly do you have in that dirty mind of yours?”

“Come and find out.”

“Already on my way.”

I hung up the phone and rushed to the wardrobe to find a proper pair of
fuck-me-heels.

Since he didn’t want me to wear anything else, I grabbed a pair of bright-red high-heeled shoes, took off everyth
ing that I was wearing, replaced it with a long black coat and ran downstairs to take a taxi.

Saturday night had always been a nightmare. It felt as if the entire city was out
, and getting from one place to another took one hell of forever.

“Where are you?”
A message from Dominick said. 

“In a taxi. Got stuck in a jam.”

“What are you wearing?”

“Nothing. Just as you requested.”

“What? So you are naked and stuck in a taxi, with a driver that you don’t know?”

“Don’t be jealous
. Besides, I’m wearing a coat, it’s not even legal to walk out of the house with nothing but a pair of shoes on your feet, let alone hail a taxi and leave your residence. I’m surprised that he can manage to drive. The man can barely see anything through his glasses.”

“I bet hi
s vision would miraculously heal if you showed him whatever you have underneath your coat. Or at least what I hope you have on?”

“Wait and you will see.”

“If you are not here in thirty, I swear I’ll kill your damn driver!”

“Patience has never been in the list of your strong qualities, Mr. Altier.”

“You know it better than anyone, right, Ms. Wilson?”

I didn’t respond to that message. I was getting so impatient to see him, my fingers refused to type any more words.

Time never seemed to run
so slow. It wasn’t just about finding myself in Dominick’s embrace again, there were so many things I wanted to tell him. Obviously, I didn’t accept Derek’s proposal. I felt a little guilty for ruining his hopes and squashing whatever dreams he had of us being together, but I would never be able to be happy with him, still loving someone else. He was a good person and I knew that one day, he would find a girl who would be able to respond to his feelings and make him happy. Right now, I wanted to be with the only man I had ever loved.

Wh
en the taxi stopped at the driveway of Dominick’s house, I could barely control my excitement. The anticipation of the upcoming night made every inch of my body ache. With my shaking hands, I paid for the trip and got out of the car, feeling my heart thudding loudly in my chest.

Dominick opened the door even before I would knock on it. He smiled slightly and pulled me inside, shutting the door behind me.
“Waiting damn near killed me, woman,” he said, slowly wrapping his arms around my waist.

“I can feel that,” I said, looking down to where our bodies connected.

“Can’t wait to see what you have prepared for me,” he said, pulling the belt of my coat.

“Undressing me at the threshold of this house has become a tradition.”

“Just don’t tell me you don’t like it.”

I smiled. “I love it.”

“Good. ‘Cause there are so many other things that I want to turn into traditions in this house.” 

“Things like what?”

He took a step back, but his hands were still on my sides.

“Let’s
talk about it later.” His hands ran up to my shoulders and slipped under the fabric of my coat, taking it off. 

I don’t think I had ever seen so much passion burning in his eyes. For a moment, his bright-blue pool
s met mine, then moved slowly down my face, my lips, my breast and belly. I can swear, I felt every single place his eyes touched, as if it were his fingers touching me. Running his hands over my hips and across my stomach, he leaned to kiss my lips, slowly and teasingly.

“So soft, everywhere,” he breathed into my parted lips, sliding one hand in between my legs, where I needed him most.

He turned me to face the huge mirror near the door and I almost gasped at the hungry look in his eyes.

“I a
lways wanted to do it here.”

“What?” I didn’t know if
I was ready for whatever he was thinking, but I couldn’t make myself move from where I was.

He was pressed behind me and I wondered if I would ever be able to say
no
to the fantasies in his mind, that he was obviously about to make come true. I was a little nervous, my blood pumped wildly beneath my skin. Watching Dominick while making love was one thing, but watching myself was something so completely different.

“
La plus belle femme du monde
,” he whispered into my ear. “The most beautiful woman in the world.”

He could feel my fear, he knew that I wasn’t sure about this game, but
damn, I was dying to give it a try.

“Don’t close your eyes,” he said, kissing my shoulder. “I want you to see every second of it.”

I blinked and swallowed hard, my heart beating fast against his hand that was now caressing my breast while the other hand stroked my belly. The hall was half-dark, making the entire scene in front of my eyes even more surreal.

“Stop thinking,” he said, kissing my earlobe. “Just feel it.”

And so I did…

The moment I shut out
reality, everything seemed much easier. I tried to focus on what I had now: this very moment, this very night, this very man.

His clothes were gone in no time
flat, and I couldn’t help but stare at his perfect body, pressed to mine.

Without a warning, he pushed himself deep inside me and we both cried at the feeling of our bodies connecting
once again. He was so hard, so perfect; my breathing caught and I wrapped one arm around his neck, afraid I would lose my balance.

“
Fuck, look at you, Scarlett. I don’t think I have ever seen anything more beautiful in my life,” he said in between his thrusts. “Full lips, swollen and red from my kisses, hard nipples, responding to my every touch; body aching for me, eyes full of fire.
Tu es le meilleur rêve qui soit devenu réalité
— You are the best of my dreams coming true.”

Oh, God, did his every word have to sound so damn enticing? But more than anything, the view of our bodies rocking against each other had been the most exhilarating
sight from that night.

With one hand wrapped around my
waist, Dominick slid his other hand around my hip and between my legs, where he could feel how desperate I was for his every move. Circling my clit with his finger, he was watching me quietly; the intensity of his gaze sending pure bliss through my veins.

“You’ve never looked at me like this
before,” I told him softly.

“Like what?” H
e asked, laughing quietly, the sound of his laugh vibrating in the back of my neck.

“Like one extremely pleased bastard.”

His grin widened. “You can read me so well, my little tease. You are right, I’ve never been so pleased before. And you know why?” He stopped, still watching me through the floor-length mirror.

“Have no idea,” I said, reaching back with one hand to hold his hip and pull him in again.

“Because I’ve never seen you so turned on,” he replied, diving inside me again, deeper and harder this time. “Because I’ve never felt this much need in you,” he added, pulling out. “Because I’ve never wanted to fill you with myself so badly.” He pushed in and stopped, as my muscles tightened around him. “Because I’ve never seen so much love in your eyes.”

His grip on my hips tightened and I could feel him
shudder behind me. We were close to the edge, neither of us could wait any longer.

“Faster,” I whispered, moving his hand to my clit, and
he began teasing it with his fingers.

“Christ, Scarlett, one day I will be unable to stop myself from fucking the hell out of you,” he breathed into the curve of my neck.

“What shall I wear for that day?”

He
growled, shaking his head, as if trying to stop some visions flashing before his eyes. “Something that I could tear off of you with my teeth.”

“Deal.”
The image his words brought to my mind, turned me on even more than I already was.

He pushed himself hard inside me, pulling my back roughly with his move, and we both shivered at the waves of climax ripping through us. Finally, I closed my eyes and let the euphoria take me away. I threw my head back and felt his lips sucking my neck, as if he wanted
to leave a mark on me, to claim me as his. I didn’t mind it at all…

“Unbelievable,” he said, placing a small kiss on my shoulder.

“I can’t feel my legs, it’s as if they were made of Jell-O.” I turned around and saw a victorious grin curving at the corner of his lips.

“You are welcome.”

I laughed and took off my fuck-me-heels. “Payback is a bitch, you know?”

“Oh, and I can’t wait
for you to pay me back for making you come right at the front door.” He took me by the hand and pulled into his embrace, covering my lips with his. “You are not allowed out of this house for the rest of your life.”

“What?”

“You have made me dream about you for the last six months! Don’t you think it’s time to make
my
dreams come true?”