Checkmate

by Lindsey Powell

  “Paige, slow the fuck down, will you?” Joey says, amusement clear in his eyes. “I don’t have a girlfriend, fiancée, or whatever,” he says, mimicking my words. “And I can assure you that no one has put you in a difficult position. The woman you are referring to is of no relevance to me, other than the fact that she is the bar manager here. I have no interest in her whatsoever other than that she keeps things running smoothly.”

  “Oh I bet. So what is it then, just the occasional blow job under the desk?” I say, and fuck if I don’t sound like a goddamn teenage girl trying to piss her high school crush off.

  “If you want to talk about my dick, Paige, all you’ve gotta do is say the word,” Joey says, chuckling.

  That chuckle of his makes my sex tingle, as well as infuriating me further. I haven’t come in here and asserted shit to him. All I’ve done is made myself a laughing stock.

  “You know, this was a bad idea,” I say as I stand up, ready to make my exit and run the fuck away from him again. “Just make the arrangements for the Morgan brothers to be transferred to me and our business will be concluded.”

  “Not so fast, Paige,” Joey says as he manages to get in front of me, blocking my way to the door.

  “Get out of the way, Valentine,” I say, folding my arms in front of me and narrowing my eyes on him.

  “Not gonna happen, babe.” He chooses this moment to take a couple of steps backwards, his eyes constantly on me, and he locks the door, pocketing the key. Now if I want to get out of here I'm either going to have to wrestle him for the key or break the goddamn window.

  “Joey, what are you doing?”

  “You’re not running from me this time, Paige. We need to talk.”

  “We don’t need to talk about shit,” I say adamantly.

  “Oh, but we do,” he says, a delicious smirk on his face. I can already feel myself wanting to give into him. The power of Joey. Always has been a force to be reckoned with.

  “I don’t have time for your games.”

  “I’m not playing, baby,” he says as he surges forwards, coming for me. I don’t move, choosing instead to stand my ground, trying to be the defiant bitch I moulded myself into. I’m not some weak-ass pussy that will drop to her knees. I won’t be that woman. The one that will suck his dick at the click of his fingers. The one who will forgive all his fucking wrongs. I’m Paige fucking Roderick, and I need to show him that I am the one in control.

  He wants to toy with my heart, more fool him.

  He wants to try and get beneath my skin, I’ll make sure he has to peel it off me piece by piece first.

  I place my hand on his chest, stopping him from doing whatever the fuck he intended to. His shoulders are broad, his chest heaving, his biceps trying to distract me.

  Be the stronger one, Paige. Take control, never let it go.

  The games began a long time ago, but I’m about to raise the stakes. Without warning, I push up on my tip toes and press my lips to his. He wanted to be the one to take the lead, but I just turned the motherfucking tables. I can feel the tension in his body; he didn’t expect me to do this. Good. Throw him off the scent, make him the fucking vulnerable one.

  My tongue moves forwards, prising itself between his lips. It doesn’t take more than a second for his tongue to massage mine. It doesn’t even take a minute for him to lift me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. I move my hands to the nape of his neck, gripping him in place as I continue my exploration of his mouth.

  He groans low and I inwardly fucking clap. He’s made it clear he still wants me, and I haven’t exactly hidden my want for him, but as long as I am in control, he can’t get to my heart.

  He moves us over to the sofas and sits down, me astride him, legs wide open for him, the skirt that I’m wearing stretching across my thighs.

  His hands caress my back and my ass before moving to the inside of my thighs. He trails his fingers lightly up, goose bumps rise on my skin, and I bite his bottom lip. His growl is ferocious as I undo his shirt buttons, pushing it to the sides once all the buttons are undone. All the while I’m still moulding my mouth over his, claiming him, or so I will have him believe.

  I push the shirt and jacket over his shoulders and he scoots forwards, allowing me to rid him of his clothes on his top half. The feel of his skin beneath my fingers is glorious, but I’ll keep that to myself. Once this is done, I’ll put it in a box and push it to the back of my memory.

  He moves his lips from mine and begins to kiss my neck. It’s all too familiar, too soft, too intimate and I jump up off of him until I am standing in front of him. We’re both panting, and his eyes are filled with lust, want, and dare I say something more than that?

  I push the thought away and undo my skirt, slowly pushing it down my legs until I am rid of it and it’s in a heap on the floor. I stand here in just my knickers, bra and shoes, and Joey looks like he has hit the motherfucking jackpot.

  He makes no move, just watches. He always was attentive, and I see that nothing has changed on that front.

  “What’s the matter, Joey?” I ask. “Don’t you wanna fuck?”

  He moves forward until he is standing tall in front of me.

  His hands caress my face, which is far from the animal sex that I thought we would be having by now.

  “You will never be just a fuck, Paige,” he says before he devours my mouth, rendering me speechless. His lips are soft against mine, he’s slowing the pace, and like a fucking fool I’m letting him do it.

  “Stop fighting me, Paige,” he whispers, his lips moving beside my ear. “You’re mine, and I’m yours. Always have been, and always will be.”

  His words send shivers down my spine, and his lips caress my skin, trailing down my neck, along my collarbone and down to my breasts. I can’t stop the feelings that he is evoking inside of me. I want him. I don’t want to fight it in this moment.

  I let out a soft groan as his tongue licks along my bra line. His hand pulls down the cup of my bra, and his tongue flicks across my nipple. My want for him heightens. My sex wet for him already.

  His other hand cups my ass, moving around to the front and stroking me over my lace knickers.

  “So fucking wet for me, Paige,” he whispers, deliciously torturing me with his words and his touch.

  His fingers continue to stroke, and he’s on his knees in front of me. He pulls my knickers down slowly, his eyes looking hungrier by the second. I watch his reactions, his emotions, it’s all there, plain as day. He never did hide what I did to him. He always made me feel empowered and like I was his reason for breathing, and he’s doing it now.

  His eyes flick up to meet mine and then his tongue is on me, licking, swirling and driving me absolutely wild. Honestly, seeing Joey in this position, taking me, tasting me, is the sexiest thing that I have ever seen. We always had great chemistry, a great sex life, but the years of waiting have turned this moment into something else.

  I can feel the build-up gathering speed inside of me. I can feel the impending orgasm that is going to hit me sooner rather than later, and I am desperate for it.

  Fuck all our problems, fuck all the complications. All that exists right now is the two of us.

  My breathing quickens as Joey nudges my legs gently, making me part them a little wider, opening myself up to him a little more.

  The adrenaline rush surging through me is more powerful than commanding a room full of men who are too weak to take me on.

  Joey isn’t weak. Joey isn’t scared. Joey is the exact opposite of the assholes that I come into contact with on a daily basis, and that is why my heart doesn’t want to completely give him up.

  I’m lost to him as his lips close around my clit. I am dazed as his finger pushes inside of me, and I am moments away from screaming my release when he stops what he is doing and stands up, picking me up and lying me on the sofa. He unbuckles his trousers, pushing them down, along with his boxers, freeing himself and showing me how fucking hard he is for me.

 
In this moment we are not two of the greatest leaders in the underworld. We are not the head of our gangs, letting the pressures of having control get to us. We are not fighting against one another. We are just Joey and Paige. Two people who want to get lost in the other one.

  Joey climbs on top of me, his muscular body dwarfing me. His lips connect with mine again, and I devour him, savouring every second. Gone is the restraint that I wanted to keep intact. I can’t be a strong woman all of the fucking time, and with Joey’s dick nudging against me, I’m damn well going to own my weak moment.

  “Once we do this, Paige, I’m not letting you go,” Joey says as he nibbles my ear lobe. I push my breasts against his chest, wanting the friction, enjoying the sensation of his skin making mine feel as if it is on fire.

  “I want you inside of me, Joey,” I say, ignoring his words and taking what I want.

  My words are his undoing, and he pushes inside of me. I open up for him as he slides in, deeper and deeper, and then he starts to move back and forth. I meet him thrust for thrust as he plunges into me, sucking my nipples, making me cry out with pleasure.

  I grab his ass with my hands and dig my fingers in as he fucks me harder.

  “Joey,” I say on a breath as I begin to tighten around him. I’m so close to the edge, desperate for him to shatter my world apart.

  “Wait for me, baby.”

  I will myself to hold back, digging my fingers harder into his skin, but when his ice blues connect with mine, I am done for.

  I cry out with the intensity of my release as Joey pounds harder, his hand moving and applying pressure to my clit at the same time.

  “Oh, fuck.” My shout is loud, but I don’t care. I’m too lost in Joey.

  His roar comes a second later, and I tighten around him some more. He continues to move, pushing me to the absolute limit before he slowly brings us both down from our high.

  His lips find mine, his fingers sliding through my hair, his touch so fucking gentle that it makes me want to weep.

  He’s still my Joey. The one I used to know. The one that never left my heart.

  He ends our kiss and nuzzles his face into my neck as the sounds of our pants fill the room.

  I stare at the ceiling, allowing myself a few moments of bliss before I have to put on my big girl panties and push him away all over again. Because as much as I may want him, I’m too damn scared to let him break my heart for a second time.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Joey

  I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting to end up with my dick buried in Paige, but this is where I’m at, and it feels fucking divine.

  Paige is led beneath me, her petite body covered by mine. Her flushed face, her sparkling eyes, and her low pants have me wanting to fuck her all over again. Before the moment is lost, I lower my lips to hers and kiss her, softly, slowly, savouring every fucking second.

  All of the years we wasted; me pushing her away, and her being mad at me. And here we are. Back in each other’s arms. Joey and Paige. Soulmates, lovers, meant to fucking be.

  She meets my tongue, stroke for stroke, and her fingers curl around my biceps. If this is what heaven feels like, then I don’t want to fucking leave. I’ve been living in hell for so long that I don’t know any different. I gave up my heaven the day I tossed her out of my life, and fuck if I don’t want it back. I’m done with the games. I’m done with the bullshit. I’m done with putting on a goddamn show.

  This is where I want to be. With her. Inside of her. Always beside her.

  I reluctantly pull my lips from hers, and stare into her grey eyes. Eyes that have captivated me since the first moment that I saw her. Eyes that own every single part of me.

  “Joey,” she says, her voice no more than a whisper. “This wasn’t part of the plan.”

  I let out a low chuckle. “It wasn’t part of mine either.” But I’m so fucking glad that she walked back into my life and turned the tables upside down.

  “We can’t do this,” she says as she pushes her hands against my chest, moving me off of her, my dick sliding out of her as she scrambles away from me, moving to where her clothes lie on the floor.

  The elation I felt a second ago quickly dissipates, and I sit up, watching her as she pulls her skirt on.

  “Fuck,” she says, grabbing her top and putting it back on, shielding her perfect form from me. Her cool façade gone, panic left in its wake.

  “Paige,” I say as I stand up, not worried in the slightest that I’m still fully fucking naked before her. I put my hands on her shoulders, but she shrugs me off, moving back a step, her eyes wild.

  “Don’t touch me,” she hisses, and I wonder what the fuck happened in the space of a few seconds.

  “Don’t touch you?” I ask her incredulously.

  The air between us intensifies. Her eyes clouding over, her walls going back up. She’s shutting me back out, and damn does that send a pang to my heart.

  “We shouldn’t have done that,” she says, running her fingers through her hair to try and rid herself of the just-fucked look.

  “Why not?” I have to ask even if I won’t like the answer.

  “This isn’t right. It’s all wrong,” she mutters, more to herself than to me.

  “Wrong? How can what we just did be wrong?” I sound fucking weak, but I don’t care. I may be a hard bastard, but when it comes to Paige, I can’t do it anymore. Having a piece of her isn’t enough. I want more. I want it all, and I know that she does too. I could see it in her eyes when I entered her. Never had it been clearer.

  “How can it be right?” she says, confusing the hell out of me a little bit more. “I never wanted this, Joey. I never wanted to go back to what we were. I’m not just some chick you can stick it in when you need to get yourself off. I’m a fucking queen in my own right, and you’re not going to take that away from me.”

  “I don’t want to take anything away from you,” I retort, pissed off that she is thinking of me in this way.

  “You fuck about with feelings, Joey, and I’ll be damned if you are going to fuck with mine ever again.”

  “Is that what this is about? About a past that I can’t change? Are you forever going to punish me for the mistake I made years ago?” The anger inside of me is building.

  “Punish you? Is that what you think I’m doing, Joey? Fuck, you have no idea what this is about.”

  “Then enlighten me,” I say, my jaw clenching together.

  “You want to flip shit around, make me need you, have me hanging off your every word. It will never happen.” She says the last four words slowly, like she’s talking to a goddamn toddler who needs it spelling out to them in plain fucking English.

  “Have you lost your mind?” I say, my voice louder than a second ago. I pick my boxers up off of the floor and pull them on just for something to do. It’s either that or ploughing my fist into the wall in anger.

  “Yes,” she says. “For a moment there, I did, but it sure as shit won’t happen again.”

  She stalks away from me, going to my trousers and digging in the pocket, producing the key that I tucked in there when I locked the door.

  “Is that it? Are we done here?” I ask her, my arms held out either side of me, my pride and my heart taking a fucking knock.

  She gets to the door, puts the key in and I hear the click of the lock opening. Her hand rests on the handle as she turns her head to me, her eyes glazing over with unshed tears.

  “We’re done,” she confirms. “You’re not good for me, Joey. You use people, hurt them, and when they are irrelevant to your life, you cut them loose. I’m not Paige Daniels anymore, Joey, and I never will be again.”

  She goes to open the door but freezes at my next words.

  “I meant it when I said that I wasn’t letting go.”

  Her sad smile has my anger fading and my heart ripping in two. “It’s time that you did.”

  She walks out, the door closing softly behind her, and I fall to my knees. She’s the only
woman alive that could make me fall, and I just fucking lost her.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Paige

  Joey released the Morgan brothers to me an hour ago.

  Donovan, Rome and Bray went to get them.

  It’s been two days since Joey and I took things too far, and we haven’t spoken since.

  I’ve showered countless times to try and wash away the feel of his hands on my skin. I don’t want to think about his touch and how it had me wanting to revert back to the old Paige. The one that was so in love with him she would have done anything to keep him.

  I’ve kept my mind busy, being more assertive than normal, more demanding with my boys, and more of a fucking bitch. Heart of stone, blood as cold as ice. That’s me, and there is no room for anything else.

  I’ve been running on empty for forty eight hours. Barely slept, worked out in my home gym until I couldn’t feel my fucking legs, and eaten no more than a few crumbs because I can’t stomach the thought of much else right now.

  I let Joey see me. I let him in, even if it was only for a short while. A game of chess, and I ended up being the pawn. I came here to be the queen, ready to checkmate the fucking king, and I’m failing.

  “Boss,” Donovan says as he stands in my office doorway, his voice pulling me from my thoughts.

  “They ready for me?” I ask him.

  He nods his head and I slowly rise. I’m dressed in my black trousers, navy blue sleeveless shirt, and my usual killer stilettos. And I’m about to unleash a whole world of fury on the fucking Morgan brothers. Neither of them gave up Bobby’s whereabouts to Joey and his men, so now it’s my turn. They should have been with me all along, but then that would have been plain sailing, something that Joey seems incapable of doing.

  I move my neck from side to side, rolling my shoulders as I make my way to Donovan.

  “You okay, Paige?” Donovan asks, and I stop in my tracks.

  “I’m fine.” I bristle at his question.

  “You might be able to fool the other boys, Paige, but not me,” he says as he lays a hand on my forearm. I let my eyes follow his fingers as they gently wrap around me. It feels wrong, like I’m doing something that I shouldn’t be, and I pull away from him as if I have been burned.