Checkmate (3 page)

“Do you need anything else?” Stevie asked, bringing me back to reality.

“No, thank you.” I emptied the cup in a few gulps and gave it back to her. “Time to work.”

“You have a meeting with the new head of the company in a few hours. And Mr. Larson asked
you to call him back, as soon as possible.”

“Will do it right away. Find me his
number, please.”

Stevie nodded and left the office, leaving me alone with my mental turmoil and tons of work.

About two hour
s later, I was as exhausted as ever, and no amount of coffee could save me from falling asleep, but I certainly didn’t want to doze off while I was meeting with the new head of the company; that wouldn’t look proper. I locked the door and asked Stevie to not put anyone through to me. The couch looked so welcoming, soft and comfortable. I kicked off my shoes and laid down, hoping a few moments of peace and quiet would help me find the strength to live through the rest of the day.

Unfortunately, my heaven
wasn’t supposed to last very long. After a few minutes, I got a call from my father who said he wanted to introduce me to the new head of the company. So I got up and made sure that I looked more or less presentable, and went to meet
Mr. French
.

The moment I opened the doors to the meeting hall, the familiar smell of cologne burned my nostrils. I felt my heart dropping to my feet.

There were about two dozen people in the room, but I was looking for one particular face.

“Scarlett, Sunshine, there you are!”

“Hi, Dad,” I said, embracing my father.

“Are you okay? You look a little pale.” He looked at me from head to toe, and asked quietly, “Is there too much work? Do you need to take a few days off?”

“No, Daddy. I’m fine, really. Just a sleepless night.”

“Okay. But let me know if you want to take a break. I don’t want you to pass out in the middle of your office from exhaustion.”

“It won’t happen,” I said, forcing a smile.

“Good. Now, let me introduce you to Mr. Altier. I’m sure you two will get along nicely.”

And
then, I saw the devil that has been plaguing my last night and morning with hell and muddling my brain with a mix of bittersweet emotions, standing there in his full glory near one of the windows that I desperately wanted to jump out of.

“Dominick, here’s the woman
I told you so much about,” my father said, making our guest’s attention focus on me. “The sunshine of my life, my daughter Scarlett.”

Someone, kill me now
, I thought to myself, staring into the familiar bright-blue eyes. In the daylight, they looked even more mesmerizing.
Damn it…

I wasn’
t the only person stunned by this unexpected second meeting.
Mr. Altier
seemed completely shocked as well for what felt like an eternity, then his usual leisure smile returned, and he took my hand in his, placing a soft kiss on the back of my palm.

“
Enchanté,
Miss Wilson.” His eyes met mine, and I thought I would never be able to speak again, when he said, “Have we met before? Your…
face
looks so familiar.”

No shit, Sherlock
?

“I don’t think so,” I said, pulling my hand out of his. “Nice to meet you too,
Mr. Altier
.”

“Please, call me Dominick. First na
mes are much easier to remember,” he said with that damn grin that I badly wanted to slap off his smug face. “Especially when you finally know the first name.” He had lowered his voice so I was the only person to hear him. To my huge disappointment, my father was busy talking to someone else, and I had no choice but to keep talking to the devil.

“We are so happy to have you
here again, Sir,” one of my department managers said, coming to us. “We will do our best to make your stay here unforgettable.”

“No doubt.
” Dominick smirked, looking at me again. “Aren’t you glad to know that we will finally get a chance to…
work
together, Scarlett?”

I gave
him one of the most evil looks I was capable of, smiled sweetly and said, “Of course I am. Too bad I wasn’t here last time you came. We would have known each other so much better by now.”

His devilish smile widened.
“I love forming new connections.” In a whisper he added, “Besides, last time I
came,
you were the only person to witness it.”

What a jerk
…

I returned his smile, saying, “Hope this time
, you will be able to keep your pants on.”

“And I actually hope I won’t.” H
is eyes slid to my handkerchief and he whispered, “Sorry about making you hide your beautiful neck today. I kind of miss the view of it.” Then he traced his fingertips across my jaw and touched the silky piece, leaning closer. “You were so demanding last night, I couldn’t help but respond with the same passion.”

Thank God, no one could hear our conversation, because I was sure I had never been so mortified in my life. I swallowed hard, feeling the predatory rush of excitement running through me, and said, looking right into Dominick’s eyes, “Keep your hands off me.”

“Or what?”

“Or I will make sure you are out of this company by tomorrow morning.”

“By that time,
Sunshine
, I intend to get what I missed this morning.”

“And what was
that?” I crossed my arms so that I wouldn’t reach out and smack him in the face. I bet he knew how badly I wanted to.

“A good-morning kiss,” he said, looking at my lips. “A deep, sensuous and mind-blowing kiss.”

“In your dreams,” I hissed through my clenched teeth.

“In my dreams
, we are doing so much more than that,
ma Belle de nuit.
”

“Stop calling me that. I’m not yours and I’m not-”

“Last night you looked exactly like a desert four-o’clock,” he interrupted me, removing my hair. “Wearing that purple dress and those killer emerald shoes, that I will never forget scratching my hips.”

“Screw you,
Mr. Altier
. I’m here to work, and I won’t let you or anyone else ruin my career. Am I making myself clear?”

“You definitely have a huge problem with making yourself clear, Scarlett. If memory serves, first you said you didn’t want to sleep with me and a few minutes later
, you wanted me to come with you, right in the middle of the club.”

If only looks could actually kill, he would have been
dead in no time, because at that very moment, I was ready to give up everything, including my damn career just to sink through the floor and never see him again.

“Have a good day, asshole,” I said, before I turned on my heel and went to take a seat next to my father.

For me
, Dominick’s words meant war, and I silently wished him good luck, because the bastard obviously didn’t have a clue of who he was messing with.

You don’t mess with Scarlett Wilson!

Dominick

I was sitting at the conference table, watching Scarlett;
the only thought in my mind was to drag her out of the room and kiss her senseless. And maybe not only kiss her…

Last night couldn’t
be called one of my best nights. I had a very long and busy day, a few previous conversations were really pissing me off, and I had a very unpleasant meeting with my sister who was the most stubborn person in the world. My parents and my younger brother, Oliver, moved to the States about ten years ago, but Josseline and I loved France too much to follow them. And now, she hated me for moving to the U.S. and dragging her with me, because our mother would never let her live alone in Paris. She didn’t trust Joss’s
wild passion for life
, as she called it. In other words, she was worried about my Sis skipping college and spending every night with a new guy. I tried my best to control her, which only made our relationship worse, but now, when mom and dad started doing the same thing, she blamed me for making her
a prisoner
. It was an exaggeration, of course, but still close enough to the truth.

And so last night, when I was about to call it a day, I stopped by
The Black Rose
to have a drink. I liked the place; it was on my way home and it wasn’t overcrowded. I immediately noticed a lonely blond, sitting at the bar. First, I thought she was just another bored chick, looking for a one-night stand. The closer I came to her, the better I could see how beautiful she was. Wearing one of the sexiest dresses I had ever seen, she looked independent and uninterested in anything but her drink; for a second I thought I was wrong about her intentions of coming to the club. I took a seat next to her, even though there were plenty of untaken chairs around the bar and away from her. Ordering a drink, I watched her out of the corner of my eye: bright-blue eyes, matching mine perfectly, shadowed by the long lashes; full lips and an amazing body.

“
Merci
,” I said, taking my drink.

“French,” she said with a smirk, and I smiled to myself remembering the time I actually used my French to pick up an American girl. Now everything was a little different. I was twenty-nine, I was successful and I didn’t need anything but a sly wink t
o get any woman I wanted into bed. Not my bed, of course, it was too sacred. But somehow, last night proved that even that one rule could be broken by the power of beauty combined with the irresistible desire, making the size of my boxers suddenly too small.

After a few meaningless phrases, I realized that Scarlett wasn’t a kind of a woman I thought she was. But I co
uldn’t let her go that easily. Some unseen power was pulling me to her like a very strong magnetic force, and I couldn’t fight it, so I let it pull me into flirting with her and eventually taking her home with me.

“Just one more second,” I said, blocking her way when she was about to leave. I pulled her lips to mine roughly, and the rest of the club and the world disappeared for me. There was only her. I sank into her scent, her warmth and the taste of Margarita on her lips. And then, she suddenly said the only thing that I wanted to hear:
I want you…

Three simple words that
shut down all of my rational thinking, and I pictured her soft hair spread all over my pillows and her body moving over the silky sheets, and realized that I wanted her nowhere else but my bed. We got into my limo and hot damn, it took all of my willpower to not take her right there and then, but she looked too perfect for back-seat sex, even if it was a limo. She looked like a woman that any man would love to fall asleep and wake up with, holding her in his embrace and making love to her, over and over again. And I knew exactly what I was talking about…

Pamela and I were crazy about each other. We were even going to get married; I felt like the happiest man in the world. The only problem was that she was an American and never wanted to move to Paris. I had to fly between the two continents just to spend more time with her. Once I arrived without a call and saw her sleeping with another man. Nothing could be worse than that. I was devastated. I didn’t make a sound, I just left the room, closing the door quietly behind me and made sure that her next morning would start with the picture of me kissing another woman in the very same restaurant where I had proposed to her. Too cruel? I don’t think so.

Since then
, I had been trying to avoid everything that would make me feel again. I changed girlfriends like gloves, showing up with a new one every two weeks or so. I didn’t sleep with all of them, sometimes we simply went out together, posed for the pictures, and went our separate ways. I didn’t need any of them. Frankly, I didn’t know what I needed. According to my brother’s words, I needed a woman able to bring me to my knees, but I had already let that happen once, and I was sure that was more than enough for one life. As for marriage, I thought it would be a mutually profitable union with an intelligent, beautiful and highly-interested in my connections woman, who would be able to conceive and give birth to my heir. Sounds too typical for a soulless bastard? Maybe.

Until last night, I was sure I would nev
er let any woman stay in my mind for longer than our sexcapade could last.
So much for my self-assurance…

The moment I saw Scarlett today, I froze speechless, feeling my eyes go wide. There were so many questions and thoughts running through m
y mind, I didn’t know what to say. She was obviously scared to be in the same room with me – a witness of her night adventures – and her father, sincerely thinking that she was still his little girl. Her scared expression inspired my devilish nature and I started teasing her. I couldn’t wait to pay her back for leaving me this morning; usually it was me who left first. I also wanted to spend more time with her, and I wasn’t going to give up so easily.
I love winning and I fully intend to win with her.

“Do you think it’s a good idea, Mr. Altier?”

I blinked and stared at the man on my right.
What did he ask about?

“The Sky Television promo strategy.”
Scarlett smiled from across the table, obviously knowing that my thoughts were far from television or anything else that was going on around me.

“I’d like to s
ee a detailed plan first,” I said. “Scarlett, would you be as kind as to go through it with me? Maybe some time tomorrow?”

Her face was unreadable, but I was sure she was
n’t as calm as she was pretending to be.

“Of course,”
she said finally. “I will gladly help you with anything you need me to.”

I raised my e
yebrows, quite surprised to hear her response. Not that I didn’t like it, rather I loved the sound of it too much to hold back a grin that she promptly ignored.

“You are too kind,” I said to keep her
attention for at least a few more seconds.

“I will do anything for my company.”

Even sleep with its new head?
I thought sarcastically to myself.

“Even if I have to lock myself in the office for the rest of my life,” she said, as if answering my mental question.

I nodded, smirking. “Consider it noted.”

We stared at each other for a few silent moments, until her father spoke,
“I’m glad I’m leaving the company in good hands.” He rose and smiled proudly at his daughter. Then he turned to me, “I’d like to have a word with you, Dominick.”

I looked one last time at
Scarlett, whose eyes were still on me and followed her father to my new office.

“I wanted to ask you for a favor, son,” Mr. Wilson said, pouring himself a glass of water.

“Of course. What is it about, Stefan?”

“I want you to look after my daughter.”

I felt my eyebrows pull together in confusion. “What exactly do you mean?” 

“She’s a very determined girl, you know? If she has a goal, she will do anything possible and impossible to succeed. And that’s exactly what worries me.”

“Why would it worry you? I thi
nk that’s a good quality.”

“It is good. Until it becomes an obsession. And right now, I know that there’s nothing more important for her than this company. She wants to head it.”

“Then what am I doing here?” I took a seat at one of the chairs and crossed my arms, watching the different emotions crossing the man’s face. I could tell that he loved his only daughter very much.

“She’s too young to take that
much responsibility. I want her to live and enjoy her life. To go out more, to have more friends, even to have a boyfriend. I doubt she ever dated anyone after that guy from Los Angles. She was so crazy about him, she never wanted to move to New York, but my wife and I didn’t have a choice but to take her with us.”

I didn’t think I was ready to talk about Scarlett’s ex-boyfriends
, especially with her father, but apparently, Stefan didn’t share my uneasiness.

He proceeded, “She’s too focused on
her work. Of course, I’m proud of everything she’s doing for our family business, but I don’t want my daughter to be on the shelf, if you know what I mean.”

God, c
ould this conversation become even more awkward?

I shifted uneasily in my chair. “Do you want me to help her find a boyf
riend?” I asked, hoping
that
was not the point of this conversation. 

“Well, I thought maybe you could
introduce her to your friends, so that she had more people to talk to outside this building.”

Well, what was I supposed to say? Of course, Stefan, I’ll make sure your Sunshine has someone to make out with?

“I’ll see what I can do,” I said, hoping the man wouldn’t make me ask his daughter out. Not that I minded seeing her outside work, but he and I surely imagined it differently. Besides, I hated dates.

“Thank you, Dominick. You don’t know how much it means to me. Maybe when you have your own children, yo
u will be able to understand my concern for her.”

“Maybe,” I said solemnly.

We discussed a few more things about my work in the company, and he left, promising to come to the company’s twenty-third anniversary reception that was supposed to be held in two weeks. By that time, I needed to figure out how to get closer to his daughter and how to not be slapped in the face for doing that.
Easier said than done…

It was lunchtime, so I asked my sec
retary to order something edible and called my brother whom I hadn’t seen for weeks.

“
Salut
, Bro! How are things going?”

“
Oh, the devil himself!” He replied, laughing into the handset. “To what do I owe the honor?”

“I’m back to the States, and I thought
maybe you’d want to see me.”

“You sound just like my ex.”

“Which one?”

“Shut up, smart ass. Unlike you, I don’t use women just for sex.”

“Really? Then what do you use them for?”

“Fun. They have fun with me, I have fun with them. And everyone is happy.” 

“You sure they share your happiness?” I asked skeptically.

“I am. We set
the rules before the game begins.”

I shook my head, smiling. “You are so full of shit!”

“Look who’s talking!”

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, I know this
exchange of pleasantries
will never end. So why don’t you drag your ass out of bed, and come to my office? Maybe you will finally want to join me in the workforce, and get a job.”

“
Jamais de la vie —
never on this side of the grave!”

“Good to know that you still remember how to speak your native language.”

“I practice it a lot,” he said with a laugh, and I think I knew exactly what he was talking about.

“I’m sure you do,” I said. “You have twenty minutes to join me for lunch.”

Oliver was five years younger than me. The biggest part of his young-adult life he spent in the States. It took him no more than two seconds to turn into a real American, that’s why sometimes it felt as if we were on a different wavelength. He liked music and did his best to prove everyone, especially me, that even without wearing a tie and a suit he could be successful. Well, I truly hoped that one day, his words would become true. For now, I was sure that his
music career
brought him more physical pleasures than money. After all, girls had always been crazy about bad-ass looking musicians.

“Your lunch is here, Mr. Altier,” Jillian said into the speakerphone. “Would you like me to serve it in your office?”

“Yes, please. And I will have a guest, so serve it for two.”

“Of
course.”

“Oh, and one more thing-”

“Yes?”

“Could you ask Miss Wilson to
stop by my office after she is finished with lunch?”

“I will call her right away.”