Checkmate (9 page)

“I h
ave no idea,” she breathed into my lips.

“I want to finish what we once started in my office.”

“Save that thought for later. I have a meeting with
Moonlight
designers in-” she looked at her watch, “five minutes.”

“Do you think I can make you come by that time?” 

She giggled, shaking her head. “No.”

“No?
Don’t you ever underestimate my talents,
ma Belle de nuit
,” I said in a whisper, feeling my fingers touching the smooth fabric of her panties.

“I don’t doubt your talents, but I’m not sure I will still be able to think straight after whatever it is on your dirty mind.”

“How long are you going to be at the meeting?”

“No less than two
hours. We have a lot to discuss.”

“Okay, then how about you c
ome have lunch with me?”

“Lunch with you?” S
he asked, watching me with a mischievous smile, playing on her lips.

“Yes, why?”

“Will it be as not-to-have-anything-to-do-with-food lunch as the breakfast that we had two days ago?”

I smiled, kissing her lips again. “Perhaps.”

“I will think about it,” she said, watching me intently.

“Miss Wilson, are you there?” T
he voice through the speakerphone asked.

Scarlett’s cheeks flushed again, she turned to the phone on her table, pressed the red button and said, “Yes, Stevie. What is it?” I couldn’t
help but admit that I already missed her, knowing that I wouldn’t see her until noon.

“The
Moonlight Design
team is here. Shall I accompany them to the meeting hall?”

“Yes, please. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Time to go?” I asked quietly, pressing her back against my chest.

“Yes. We are still at work, remember?” She didn’t look like she wanted to go, and I was more than glad to admit it. Her head rested on my right shoulder, exposing her perfe
ct neckline, and collarbone that I couldn’t seem to stop kissing.

With my hands on her hips, I placed a small kiss right under her ear, and took a step back. “Go, before I lock the
damn door and make you miss your important meeting.”

She didn’t turn around, but I knew she was smiling. “I’ll see you later then.” She took a notebook and a pen and headed for the door, leaving me totally lost, but
surprisingly happy.

Of course, my good mood wasn’t supposed to last forever. The moment Scarlett was gone, my worries about Pamela and our
small problem
returned. I went to my office and called Dr. Morrison, who was the only person I could trust and be sure that the news about me having a kid wouldn’t spread all over the world by tomorrow morning.

“Dominick, what can I do for
you?” He asked.

“I need you to do me a favor that should stay between the two of us.”

“Of course. You know that my patients are like family. I keep their secrets to myself.”

“I know. That’s why I’m calling you. Can you meet me in about an hour?”

“My office or yours?”

“Mine, if that’s okay.”

“No problem. See you soon!”

I hung up the phone and looked at the stack of documents on the
desk that I needed to look through. Work had always been a great distraction for me. But unlike other times, today it didn’t help much. Apart from my so-called fatherhood, my thoughts were still wrapped around Scarlett. I wondered if she was thinking about me as much as I was thinking about her.

“What are you wearing under that pretty white skirt of yours?”
I texted, leaning against the back of my seat.

“What would you like to see there?”
She texted back and I smiled, not even the slightest bit surprised by her immediate reply.

“Nothing,”
my text said.
“Nothing but my fingers, making your sweet juices slide down my skin,”
said text two.

There was a short pause, during which I was sure she was trying to fight the excitement that even I could feel forming inside me at the mere thou
ght of my words becoming real.

“Are you alone?”

I frowned at her message.

“Yes. Why?”

“Lock the door.”

I immediately liked whatever she was up to.

“Done!”
I texted back.

“I want you to touch yourself.
”

Uh, the woman obviously knew how to make me lose my mind. It was a little crazy, and I sure as hell would never start masturbating in the middle of my working day, right in my office. But right now… Damn, I didn’t want to thi
nk about anything but what she would ask me to do next.

“Are you touching yourself?”

“Yes, you naughty, little tease.”

“
Can you imagine my hand touching you instead of you touching yourself?”

Oh, God, yes…

“I can remember your hand doing it pretty clearly.”

“Can you imagine my lips working their way down your chest? And all the w
ay to where they could part and lick your shaft?”

“Christ, do those guys from MD even know that you don’t give a fuck about the
ir meeting?”

“Stick to what you are
supposed to be doing!”

“Yes, Sunshine.”
I smiled, and pushed the
send
button.

“Now, picture my lips wrapping around you-”

Oh, fuck, yes…

“And then slipping down your length-”

Yes, please…

“And then moving up and down again-”

Oh, Lord…

“And then sucking it lightly-”

Fuuuck…

After no more than five seconds of silence
сe I texted,
“What next?”

“I would wrap my fingers around it and start stroking
it, teasing your lips with mine.”

“Don’t stop!
”

“And then my lips would be back on your cock, moving up and down until you can no longer control yourself and start falling apa
rt-”

Oh, yes…

“Until I feel you hardening and then coming all over me-”

Man, could her words be even more mind-blowing? I let my imagination go wild and repeated the things she texted about
in my mind again and again, until I felt the familiar bliss rushing under my skin and all the way to where her imaginary lips were…

“It was unbelievable,”
I texted, my hands still trembling.

“You are welcome,”
she replied with a smiley.
“Now, I have a presentation to show.”

“Don’t mix
it up with the conversation flashing on your cell’s screen.”

“Get back to work, Mr. Altier! Oh, and don’t forget to put your pants on.” 

I laughed, shaking my head in disbelief at what had just happened. Oliver was right, my balls no longer belonged me… But rather that sexy little blonde giving a presentation in the room down the hall.

Scarlett

I was definitely out of my mind. I couldn’t believe I had just texted all those naughty things to Dominick.
Will I still be able to look at him without blushing after what I had just done? I don’t think so…

I couldn’t wait for the meeting to be over. I was so turned on, I could barely think about anything but burning the sheets with the gorgeous man from the wildest of my dreams. The night we spe
nt together was even better than my expectations. Every inch of my body still remembered Dominick’s touches and kisses, and I couldn’t wait for the moment to repeat it all over again. Did he want it as much as I did? I didn’t know. Even though he acted like it was special to him, I doubted he wanted this game to last for too long. My heart shrank at the thought of ending things with Dominick, because whatever it was, it was better than anything I had ever experienced.

“Miss Wilson, can we get a digital copy of your presentation?”
A voice said across the room.

I blinked hard, trying to switch my attention back to the negotiations. “Of course, Mr. Carsen. I will ask my secretary to make a copy for you.”

“Great. I also wanted to thank you for such a prompt response to our offer. If things keep going according to our plan, we will finish a new
Ishu
promo by the end of the month.”
Ishu Industries
was one of the Japanese largest techniques seller and one of our best clients, so there was no way I would let my games with Dominick ruin a project that I had been working on for months.

“It’s a
pleasure to be working with you,” I said, smiling at the MD representatives. They used to be our main business rival, but after their head and my father realized that by combining our efforts we could achieve more, we started working together, and had successfully developed a few very profitable promos.

My phone buzzed in my hand.

“If you don’t come here now, I’m afraid I will have to come in there and finish your damn meeting for you, and I’m certain the MD representatives wouldn’t appreciate that very much,”
the text said.

“Get a grip on yourself, I’m almost done here.”

“Easier said than done. I’m waiting!”

I
shut my lips tight so I wouldn’t start smiling like an idiot. I didn’t want anyone to think that I was flirting through text messages while discussing a million-dollar deal.

“If you don’t have any more ques
tions, I think we are pretty much finished here, gentlemen,” I said, rising to my feet. I was simply unable to sit any longer, and my lower body totally agreed on that point. 

“Can I have a word with you, Scarlett?”

Oh, no!
I groaned mentally. Talks with Jon Tithdail never lasted less than an hour. He was a divorced man in his late thirties, and we all knew about his wild-bachelor’s reputation. The man couldn’t miss a single skirt that passed by.

“Sure, Tom. Why don’t we talk i
n my office?” I said, hoping I could come up with a good excuse to get rid of him as soon as possible. “Would you like a cup of coffee or, maybe tea?”

“Yes, coffee would be great. Thank you.” He smiled, following me out of the meeting hall.

“Stevie
, could you please make two mugs of coffee for us? And tell Mr. Altier that I’ll meet with him a little later,” I said, hoping Tom would realize that I didn’t have forever to listen to his nonsense; the man obviously needed someone to talk to and not just fuck with.

“So how have you been doing since y
our father’s leave, Scarlett?” He asked, taking a seat on my couch. “I heard Dominick Altier is one hell of a man to work with. I hope he’s not trying to boss you around?”

“Oh, no. Of course not. He knows where the boundary of his obligations and rights end.” Well, maybe it wasn’t entirely true…

“Good. Let me know if he tries to put any pressure on you,” he said, projecting concern.

“I will.” I smiled politely,
sitting next to him.

Stevie came into my office, carrying the two mugs of coffee I had asked for.
“Thanks, Stevie.” I took one cup and gave it to Tom, and then accepted my own.

“There’s one more thing I wanted to discuss with you,” he said.

“What is it?”

“I know how much you hate public events, but I’m having a small party next week, and would be happy to see you there.”

He was right, I didn’t even like the sound of it.

“What’s the
occasion?” I asked, as if I were interested.

“My oldest daughter’s birthday.”

“Margaret’s? How old is she?” I knew the girl. She was very nice.

“She will be
turning eighteen.”

“Wow, all
grown up!” I said, genuinely surprised.

“Yeah, her mother and I were so crazy about each other.” Tom laughed quietly at the memory. “Margo was born when we were twenty.
I’d like you two to get to know each other better. You’ve always been one of her idols.”

“Really?”

“Yes. One day she will take my place in the company, and I want her to see how well a young and beautiful woman can deal with our business.” At the words ‘young and beautiful’ his eyes slipped down to my breasts and legs, and I shifted uneasily under his stare.
Fucking bastard
…

I was only seven
years older than his daughter, and he seemed to be unable to realize that he was too old for me. Though judging by the age of his chickadees, I doubted he ever gave a damn about that.

“Thank you for the invitation,” I said, looking at my watch impatiently. “I will think about it. I have one more meeting today, so if that’s all you wanted to talk about-”

“Oh, right. I totally forgot that you needed to see the devil.” He smiled sympathetically. “I will repeat myself, I will be unbelievably glad to see you at the party,” he said, resting his hand on my knee; then he looked a little sheepish as if he had put it there by accident, which he and I both knew he didn’t, he wasn’t fooling anyone.

The next moment the door to my office flew open, and Dominick let himself in; his eyes staring at Tom’s hand.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he said, looking at me with his eyebrows raised questioningly.

“Not at all,” I said, rising to my feet. I was actually glad he came
in before my conversation with Tom could become even more awkward. “Dominick, let me you introduce you Mr. Tithdail, the owner of
Moonlight Design
.”

“Your name sounds familiar,” Dominick said, drilling my companion with a murderous stare. “Was that you
that Clary Fanton accused of sexual assault?”

Oh, God, did he really need to be such an all-knowing ass?

Tom smiled, but I could swear he was dying to kill Dominick with his bare hands right now. “It was just a misunderstanding,” he said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He nodded to the two of us and headed for the door. “Don’t forget about the invitation, Scarlett.”

“I won’t.” I closed the door behind him and turned to Dominick, shaking my head wordlessly.

“What? Did you want to become his next Clary?”

“She lied about
the sexual assault, and we both know it.”

“I wouldn’t be so su
re about that. The man just doesn’t know how to keep his dick in his pants!”

“Look who’s talking!” I laughed, crossing my arms. “The man who wants nothing
more than another orgasm for lunch.”

“Maybe not just
one,” he said, coming closer.

“You can’t enter my office without knocking,” I said, pretending to be unaffected by his closeness.

“Oh yeah? So you did want to become the asshole’s next Clary?”

“That
is
not
what I meant.”

“Well, I was kind of excited
to see you again,” he said, pulling me to his chest. “And just for the record, if he ever tries to touch you again, I swear I will tear his balls off.”

I smiled, sayi
ng, “I would give almost anything to see that.”

“Don’t push it, Scarlett. Maybe I can get over you working with so many greedy basta
rds dying to get into your panties, but I will never let any of them actually do it.”

“And what
makes you think that you have full control over me and my personal life?”

“Maybe the fact that no one can make you feel what I can?”

“Oh really? Wanna bet?” I said, placing my hands on my hips.

“No fucking way,” he hissed through his clenched teeth. “I do
not
share, and you know it. So as long as you are mine, no one can touch you. Is that clear?”

“And how long exactly are you going to have me
all for yourself?” I didn’t like his possessive tone, but somewhere deep down in my heart I knew I would do anything to belong to him forever…

There was something in his eyes that I couldn’t understand.
He surely couldn’t be jealous, could he?

“As long as it pleases both of us,” he said finally.

“And what if I don’t want it anymore?”

He smirked, leaning closer to my lips. “Don’t fool yourself,
Sunshine
.”

Maybe if it wasn’t Dominick Altier saying the words, I would immediately show him the doo
r, but I seemed to be unable to even breathe when this particular man was around.

G
iving up has never been one of my best assets. I ran my fingertips across his bottom lip and said, “I will keep saying that until you prove otherwise.”

“Uh,
j’adore
challenges,” he said almost in a whisper before his tongue licked one of my fingers. “Come here.” Then he pressed me to his hard chest and covered my lips with his, sucking on them softly. 

I knew the moment our lips met, all my doubts would be thrown out of the window. Kissing was no longer enough. And we both knew it.

“Give me a second,” he said, breathing heavily. Then he went to the door and I heard the lock clicking.
Locked…

“We can’t do it
here
,” I said, wanting nothing except him all over me.

“We will have to be quiet
,” he said, taking my hands in his and pulling me to the couch.

“Is that even possible?”

“Let’s find it out.” He sat and pulled me to sit on his lap, with my legs circled around his hips. “I love this dress,” he breathed into my parted lips. “I have been dreaming about you riding me like this since the very moment I saw you wearing it this morning. I missed you like hell.”

My dress was nothing but a simple white flared skirt with a
waist that fit my upper body like a glove, though still looked appropriate enough for work.

“You were supposed to be working, and not missing me,”
I said, feeling Dominick’s hands slipping under the hem of my skirt. 

“It was kind of hard to concentrate, receiving all those naughty messages of yours.”

“Did you like them?”

“
Oh, yes. Very much so. You keep messing with my head, and I don’t know how to get a damn grip on myself. I want you… All of the time.”

“So maybe I should stop flirting with you?”

“Don’t even think about it. When I’m with you, I’m all yours. You can do whatever you want, and I won’t even try to stop you.”

“Oh, yeah? Then what if I unfasten your belt… unzip your trousers… and-?”

“Do it,” he said, looking into my eyes.

His gaze was the reflection of mine: full of unspoken desire and
hunger that we both needed to satisfy.

I did what I said, wrapped my fingers around his arousal and gasped quietly at how long and hard it
felt in my hand.

“I told you I missed you like hell,” Dominick said, smiling. “Do y
ou think you can handle this?” He looked down to where I was touching him.

“Not sure, but I’d love to check it out.”

“Guide me inside you,” he said in a pleading voice and I couldn’t help but admit that the more time we spent together, the more I wanted to be with him. Not just for sex I mean, I actually wanted to be his and his only, as he said…

“Touch me,” I said,
raising my hips just enough to give him a better access to my thighs. “I want to feel your hands all over my body,” I purred.

“God, you are so soft and warm,” he whispered, closing
his eyes for a moment. “I want you so bad, it hurts.”

“Same here,” I said, enjoying the way my skin burned under his knowing fingers working their way up my thigh and
under the fabric of my panties, where my desire was pulsing.

Circling my clit, he kept kissing my lips, jaw and neck, nibbling my skin, and making me wet in all the right places.