Checkmate (17 page)

“Scarlett hates California, and I love it so much! I can’t
imagine living anywhere else. I don’t even know what we will do after we get married. We should probably think about-”

“You’
re getting married?” I asked in a cold voice. I didn’t really care about his reaction, I still wanted to kill him with my bare hands.

“Well, I haven’t officially proposed yet,” Derek said, his eyes travelling to Scarlett and Melody,
entering the room. “But I’d love to see her as my wife. She’s amazing.”

“Yes, she is,” I said quietly, watching her.

She moved around the room, talking to the participants of the meeting, and I couldn’t help but admit how easily she could mingle with people around her. Apparently, I was the only exception to that rule.

“Dominick, you like it hot and sweet, if memory serves.” I didn’t immediately realize what she was talking about.

“The coffee, I mean,” she said with a small smile.

“Your memory doesn’t fail you. You always knew what I liked most.”

Our gazes met and I could swear, I saw the familiar fire burning in her eyes. She remembered every second that we spent together, just as well as I did.

“Here you go,” she
said after a short pause, handing me a cup of coffee.

“Does your menu offer anything else?” I took a sip and smiled at her.

“Cookies?” She said, barely holding back a smile.

“I’m not a fan of cookies, but I wouldn’t mind another
kind of dessert.”

She smirked. “I don’t know about France, but here it is usually served after the main course.”

“Then why don’t you have dinner with me? Tonight.”

I knew it was a dangerous game to play, but damn me
, I wanted it even more than I ever had before.

She shook her head. “I can’t. Derek and I-”

“Are dating, I know. But I’m not asking you to sleep with me. Unless, that is what you want instead of dessert.”

“You will never change, will you?”

She crossed her arms, watching me cautiously. There was a battle happening behind her eyes, we both knew that she
was
considering my invitation.

“Why w
ould I change if you still like the old me?”

“You give yourself too much credit, Mr. Altier.”

I looked around to make sure that no one else could hear me and said in a whisper, “Then why don’t you take me down? If memory serves, you always liked being on top.”

“Why don’t you go to hell, Dominick?”

“Relax, Scar. I only wanted to make sure that you are a good girl now. After all, I know how demanding it can be to be your toy. Poor Derek. Does he know that you sleep with him just to be closer to controlling his father’s company?”

“What?” S
he said a little too loud.

“Is everything okay, Sweetheart?” Derek asked, coming to
stand beside us.

“Yes. Dominick had just surprised me with some news,” she said, trying to play it cool.

“Good news I hope,” he said, kissing her hair.

I almost retched at the gesture.
Why did karma always have to be such a bitch?

“I was actually asking Scarlett to have dinner with me,” I said, enjoying anger that her eyes responded with. “We haven’t seen each other for so long, we can hardly find time to talk on the phone, and there are so many things we need to discuss.” I smiled pleasantly at the two of them.

“Sure, you can go for dinner with Dominick,” Derek said to Scarlett.

“But what about our plans for tonight?”

“I didn’t know we had plans.”

Oops…
I could hardly stop myself from laughing, that’s what happens when you lie Scar, that bitch called karma comes and slaps you in the face.

Now, it was my time to celebrate. “Then I’ll pick you up at seven,” I said. “Text me your address.”

Derek smiled at me. “Now I know that my girl will be in good hands.”

Oh, yeah
, definitely. She will be in my hands very soon, you’ll see soon enough lover-boy.

Since the meeting was over, I left the room a
nd headed downstairs, texting my brother on the way.

“What’s your favorite place in SF?”

“The Cowboy.”

“Sounds like a trashy strip-bar
, or a cowboy for line-dancing, beer, and hicks.”

“It is a strip bar,
one of the best in the city, btw.”

“I was asking about something more civilized.”

“Then go to El Paraìso — a perfect place for ladies of your caliber.”

“Thanks!”

A few moments later, Oliver sent another message.

“Holy crap, are you going out with Scar?”

I didn’t bother to reply.

“
You really are!”
He sent a text again.
“Be careful, Bro. Last I checked, you didn’t know how to keep your hands off her. And you have Candace now, remember?”

“Tais-toi!”

“Don’t tell me to shut up! I just can’t wait to see what will happen next, your life is like a soap opera,”
he texted with about a dozen smileys at the end. 

I shook my head and got into the car, and told my driver to take me back to the Fairmont. I needed a shower, preferably a cold one, and some time to think about what to do next.

What the hell is wrong with me? Did I really want to start this torture with Scarlett yet again? Wasn’t I just thinking that I didn’t need her to be complete?

I knew that dinner was a bad idea. I was like an addict dying to get another dose of his favorite drug. I tried to make myself believe that it was going to be just dinner, but deep down in my gut, I knew that I wanted so much more than
just
dinner…

I took my cell phone and sent a message to Scarlett,
“Put on something sexy. You know how much I love your curves.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you!”
She texted back.

“The hell you are not! You don’t want your precious Derek to know about our short
and very naughty adventure, do you?”

“Blackmailing me again? So very you.”

“So what? If it’s the only way to make you spend an evening with me, then hell yes, I don’t mind blackmailing you, not even a little bit!”

“Screw you, Dominick!”

“Looks like my bad girl’s back. Love it!”

Scarlett didn’t send any more messages after that, but I knew she wouldn’t ignore my invitation; she didn’t have a choice but to accept it. And I couldn’t wait for the moment that I could play with her again…

Scarlett

“This is not happening, this is NOT happening!”

For the last half an hour, I had been pacing my bedroom, hoping that everything that happened today was just a dream, a very bad dream.

Many things had changed since the last time I saw Dominic
k, except for one — I still lost my head around him. He drove me absolutely crazy, in both senses of the word: good and bad.

The moment I saw him in the meeting room, I thought I would faint.
My knees trembled and it took every ounce of my damn self-control to not forget how to speak. He always liked when I spoke French, so I didn’t hesitate even for a second before I greeted him in his native language. When he turned around, something fell to pieces inside me, for instance the wall that I had been trying to build to keep my heart closed off from Dominick for months. I did my best to not think about him. I tried to not call him, unless absolutely necessary. I didn’t even ask Jillian about him. But now, I knew it was all for nothing… I knew with just that one look, one look into his eyes and I was right back to where I started; Jillian was right, I allowed this man to ruin me, and I kept giving him the power to do so.

When our eyes met, I felt the familiar
warmth, forming in my tummy. God, he looked so gorgeous, as always.
Ugh, why did he always have to look so amazing? And damn it, why did he always have this effect on me?
I couldn’t stop staring at him, drinking in every line of his face, every small feature that I missed so much. It was pointless to keep fooling myself, nothing had changed since the day I left New York. He was still the only man I ever truly wanted to be with…

I sighed in frustration. Not even Derek
could make me feel that way. He was nice and sweet, but something was still missing. And until today, I didn’t realize that something that was missing was the rush of excitement that I always felt in Dominick’s presence. I knew that sooner or later I would see him again, but I didn’t expect that our meeting would bring so many emotions tumbling back into my heart. One second I thought that I hated him, then the next I was sure that I was madly in love with him, and then again, I thought there was no way I would or even could accept his invitation for that damn dinner. Then, as if my indecisiveness wasn’t bad enough, Derek had to go ahead and tell Dominick how he believed I was in good hands with him, and he was okay with me going to dinner with him.
Thanks a lot Derek!

I read Domonick’s
messages again, and felt my blood boiling slowly in my veins. It took no more than one glance at those gorgeous bright-blue eyes of his to make the ice in my heart melt. And now, I didn’t know what to do. I knew he would never ask me out without a reason. He obviously wanted something from me, and I wondered if his desires were identical to mine, because deep down inside me, I knew that talking was the very last thing I wanted to do with him.

My eyes travelled to the picture of Derek and me, and I cursed mentally. I couldn’t betray him. He did so much to make me
feel special and loved every single day that we were together. I even considered the idea of marrying him. After all, miracles happened, didn’t they? I could love him in time right?

I turned away from the picture and looked at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes screamed fear. I was so confused, I needed to talk to someone and there was only one person who always knew what to say to make me feel better.
So, I decided to go ahead and give her a call, and maybe see what her opinion was on the matter.

“Hey, Beautiful,” I said to Jillian.

“Hey, girl! How are you?” She asked in response.

I could hear the rustle of sheets and murmurs
in the background. “Am I interrupting something? Shall I call back later?” I asked.

“No. I was just about to make breakfast.”

I looked at my watch and frowned. “Since when do people
just
start cooking breakfast at 9:00 o’clock at night?”

“I had a very long
day that sauntered all the way into my night as well.”

I chuckled. “I see. Can you still walk?”

“Don’t be jealous. I feel absolutely amazing.”

“I’m not jealous,” I said, laughing. “I’m worried about your health.”

“My health is just fine. In fact, I think my heart is healthier than it has ever been. Now, what makes me think that I already know the reason for your call?” 

“Maybe the fact that you work with the very reason
for my call every weekday of your life?”

I heard her sighing. “I bet he made your pant
ies wet in seconds.”

“I’m not sure I want to talk about my pant
ies with you, but yes, you are very close to the truth. He asked me out tonight.”

“Wow, like for a date? What about Derek?”

“I know, I know, but I wasn’t going to sleep with Dominick, and Derek told him that ‘
he knew I was in good hands with him’.”

“Does
Dominick know that you are not going to sleep with him? Something tells that that’s exactly what he would like to get for a dessert.”

“Please, Jill, don’t make me regret calling you.”

“You never regret calling me and you know how much I hate all this
it’s-gonna-be-okay
bullshit. Besides, we both know that this date, or whatever it is, will end with you riding my boss or vice versa. And don’t even try to deny that you want it, as I’m pretty sure your internments with Derek never go beyond boring sex in bed. Does he always leave the light on?”

I rolled
my eyes. “No, he doesn’t.”

“That’s great news. Maybe he’s not as much of a lost cause as I thought he was.”

“Well, thanks for your honesty, but this is not what I need right now.”

“My point exactly! So go, put on your best big-girl pant
ies and make Mr. Altier go wild on you. Or under you, or behind you, or-”

“Okay, I got your point. I will think about it.”

“No, Sweetie, no thinking crap tonight! It’s time to face the music and admit that Dominick and you can’t live without each other. So if he comes back to New York in a shitty mood again, I swear, I’ll kill you, Scarlett. I’m sick and tired of his belly aching. He chews out at least ten people every day, and I don’t even know how I’m still alive! So please, make his balls happy, and save me from another half of a year of his unfulfilled face showing up in the mornings.”

“I didn’t know it was that
bad. You never told me about his mood swings.”

“Because you never asked! I thought you
didn’t want to hear anything about him. Now you know everything. Promise me you will use this information for good instead of evil, don’t just take it to throw in his face the next time you see him. Take it and make your dreams come true, because I know you well enough to know that you’re not happy with Derek. As well as I know that you miss Dominick as much as he misses you. Now go and get your man!”

“
I’ll try, I mean to use the information for good that is.” Even if I wasn’t going to sleep with Dominick, it was just about time to sit and talk.

“Call me when the mission is done,” Jill said. “Or if you
are unable to make a call in the morning, I’ll take it as good news.” She giggled into the handset.

“You are impossible, you know that?”

“I do. But that’s exactly why you love me so much, isn’t it?”

“Damn true.” I smiled
to myself and said good-bye.

Jillian was right,
I never regretted calling her. Eventually, the decision was made, and I went to find some nice big-girl panties. Well, just in case –
you are not going to sleep with him
– I somehow end up without my dress on…

At 7:00 PM Dominick texted me, “
I am downstairs, hope you haven’t changed your mind, ‘cause I have something big planned for tonight.”

“Keep that something big
in your pants,”
I texted back.

“I was talking about dessert, you naughty
, little tease.”

“So was I
.”
Unintentionally, I smiled and looked one last time at my reflection in the mirror. The moment I saw the reflection of my eyes, my smile faded. I haven’t seen myself so happy for a long time.
Why the hell did it have to be Dominick to make those sparks in my eyes shine so bright?
I shook my head, trying to get a grip on my raging emotions and left the apartment.

I saw
Dominick leaning against the back of his car, with that leisure half-smile that always promised trouble.

“I’m ready,” I s
aid, realizing a little too late how he would interpret my words.

“I can see that.” He looked at me from head to toe and nodded approvingly, opening the passenger door for me. “Blue is my favorite color. You knew that, didn’t you?”

“Actually, I didn’t,” I said, getting into the car. “But it’s my favorite color as well.”

“I know.” He winked and went to take the driver’s seat.

Since it was the beginning of March, San Francisco was still chilly at night. I was wearing an ivory cocktail dress, with a light-blue velvet coat over it. My hair was pulled up in a high bun. I thought it would make me look more inaccessible.

“You aren’t wearing your hair down,” Dominick said, starting the engine. “Did you do that on purpose?”

“Excuse me?” I looked at him, a little confused. It had always been hard to know what he was getting at. 

“Your neck. Now I won’t be able to think about anything but kissing it.”

Oh, God…

I closed my eyes for a mome
nt, hoping it would help me clear the visions of him kissing me away. No such luck; it only made the visions more colorful and defined.
Damn it…

I cleared my throat and looked at his still smiling face.

“Can we just have dinner and talk?”

“Talk? Hmm, it has always been the only
thing that we hopelessly sucked at. But if you want to talk, why don’t we give it a try?” He pushed the gas pedal and for a second I felt like a trapped rabbit, without a chance to live through the night…

El Paraiso
was one of my favorite places in all of San Francisco.

“How did you know?” I asked, a little surprise
d to find our car stopping at its entrance.

“How did I know what?”

“I love this place,” I said, looking out of the window.

“Really? I didn’t know that. Oliver recommended it.”

“How is he doing?”

“Great, as always.”

I saw Dominick’s brother here in San Francisco a couple of times. He always looked happy and I wondered if he knew what a bad mood was.

Dominick opened the door for me and offered his hand. I hesitated and he rolled his eyes.

“Come on, Scar. It’s not like I’m going to undress you right here. Unless that is what you want me to do, of course, then I would be happy to oblige.”

“You always liked getting on my nerves, didn’t you?” I took his
hand that he offered and let him help me out of the car.

He didn’t let me go. Our gazes locked, and his joyfulness was immediately replaced by something I couldn’t understand. Sadness?

“Shall we go inside?” I asked, trying to break the intense silence.

“Sorry, I got lost in my memories,” he said, turning away from me. To my surprise, there was no humor in his voice.

Our table was in a private area, where no one but the waiters could find us.

Now, it was my time to ask, “Did you do this on purpose?”

“Do what?”

“Reserve
this precise table?”

He smiled slightly and looked at me. “It’s the f
irst time I’ve ever been here, remember? I didn’t know that a private table would be
that
private.”

“Right. So tell me,
Mr. Altier
, how have you been doing all this time?” We were still watching each other, and somehow it felt so good, so familiar. I didn’t want to look away.

“It depends on what exactly you want to know, Scarlett.”

Again, I felt trapped and he knew it.

“I was asking about your life,” I said. “Work, holidays-”

“Dating?”

I felt my cheeks blushing. “It’s a part of your life too, isn’t it?”

“I met someone,” he said, nodding. “We live together.”

My heart stopped beating at once. Of course, I realized that Dominick wouldn’t be alone for too long. I had a relationship too, but hearing about another woman sharing a bed with him felt somehow painful.

“That’s great,” I said. “Who would have thought that you would let a woman into your house?”

“It’s not that we are going to get married, but-” He paused for a moment. “Candace made it easier not to lose my mind.”