ForePlay: A Checkmate Inc. Novel Book 1 (The Checkmate Inc. Series)

by Shelly Alexander

  It’s brilliant. She’s knocked it out of the ballpark. The knot that’s been tightening inside my chest releases.

  “Not only is this good,” I say. “But it’s creative, inventive, and sharp as hell.”

  Chloe beams at me.

  Dex taps his fingers against the table. “I’m willing to go with it. It makes me nervous, but I don’t see that we have much choice.”

  Oz’s jaw ticks for what seems like a decade. “I’m in,” he finally says.

  “Gentlemen, would you like to proceed with Chloe’s ideas or should we go back to the drawing board and start from scratch?” Adam asks, and his tone has gone hard and cold. He looks at me, waiting for an answer, and his eyes are like ice chips.

  A cool shiver races up my spine because I’m sure he hasn’t played his last dirty trick. By the look in his hollow stare, he hasn’t even pulled out the big guns yet.

  I look at Dex and Oz for a response. We know each other so well we can communicate without words, and I know Chloe has won their approval.

  I swing my gaze to Chloe’s sparkling blue eyes when I speak. “This is the best work I’ve seen since we started this company. Let’s go with it.”

  Zach moves around the room to shake our hands and assure us that we’ve made the right decision.

  “Great!” Chloe says. “I’ll assemble a film crew and write up a script for the interviews and how I want the segments to unfold.” She starts to gather up her things. “Which store would you like to film? I was thinking the one Leo took me to on Fifth Avenue yesterday would be perfect.”

  Oz and Dex freeze.

  My lungs lock, and I literally cannot pull in a breath.

  “Gerard is very charismatic.” Chloe continues to ramble as she stuffs things into her satchel. “The way he walked us through the whole process like Leo was a new client was exactly what we need on camera.”

  I’m back in a really fucked up Star Trek episode where time has not only slowed, but the entire world has stopped spinning on its axis.

  Goddamn that fucking Space Time Continuum.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “You can kick my ass later,” I say to Oz and Dex who are both staring at me, waiting for an explanation as to why I’ve broken the pact we all but signed in blood when we first started the Checkmate retail chain. I should’ve told them I brought Chloe to a studio with me. The situation just spiraled out of control so fast that I haven’t found the right moment.

  Okay, so that’s a bullshit answer. Truth is, I’m wrong, and I know it. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell my buddies sooner, because I didn’t want to face the looks of disappointment that are flashing in their accusing eyes.

  “Right now, I need to speak with Chloe.” I head for the door to go find her before she leaves the building. “You guys aren’t aware of everything that’s at play in this situation.”

  “That’s what happens when our business partner keeps us in the dark.” Oz jams both hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

  I stop at the door of the conference room. “I promise I’ll explain everything.”

  Dex folds his arms over his chest and raises a brow as if to say my promises will never carry any value again.

  I drag a hand over my face. “I’ll be right back.”

  When I get to the elevators, the doors are sliding shut. Shit. I have to see her. She did a fantastic job on the pitch, and I want her to know we’re behind her one thousand percent. I also want to ask her if our little game of Walk On The Wild Side is still on.

  I blow through the emergency exit door and take the stairs down two at a time in a dead run. My lungs burn more and more with each floor as I descend. Finally at the bottom, I burst into the rotunda without stopping to catch my breath.

  I look to my right just as Zach disappears into the men’s room. It’s past working hours, so the after-work foot traffic has thinned and most of the employees passing through the rotunda are leaving for the day. Chloe and Adam are to the left in front of the main doors. Adam’s expression looks cool and calm. He’s doing all the talking, and by the look on Chloe’s face, his words don’t match his amiable expression. I skirt the rounded wall to the left so I can sneak up on them.

  It’s my fucking building, so I can eavesdrop if I want.

  Just before I turn the corner, I stop and listen to Adam and Chloe’s conversation on the other side of the wall.

  “If you fuck this up, you’re history.” Adam’s voice is hard and cold. “You’re the lead on this account only because that’s the way Foxx wants it. I didn’t think you’d stoop to fucking someone to bring them in as a client, but whatever works.”

  My hand balls into a fist, and I step around the corner into full view.

  Chloe sees me first. “Leo.” Her voice is full of tension.

  The hot fury in my chest clawing to get out must show on my face, because her gaze darts between me and Adam.

  Adam turns to me, looking annoyed that Chloe’s attention has been pulled off of him. I swear, I mow him down with one steely-ass glare. He pales, but recovers like the slick son-of-a-bitch he is.

  Chloe gives me a pleading look. It takes a truckload of self-control not to kick his ass right here. The only reason I don’t is that it would make her situation even worse at work.

  “Leo,” Adam says as smooth as silk.

  What a fucking snake.

  “We were just talking about your business… needs.” His lips curl into a thin, knowing smile.

  I really want to pop the bastard, but Chloe’s stare is begging me not to. “Then you’ll understand why I need to steal her away so I can show her the offices she’ll be working from.”

  “Of course.” His beady eyes slide to Chloe, but he speaks to me like she’s not standing right here. “I’ll wait for her here in the lobby.”

  “No need to wait,” I sound just as smooth as Slick does. Then I turn my full attention to Chloe as if Adam has become invisible. “I’ll have Leticia call you a cab when we’re done, Chloe.”

  Adam knows he’s been dismissed. “I’m glad our firm can be of service to Checkmate, Leo.” He lifts his chin a notch. “May I call you Leo?” I don’t respond, and he backs up a step. “I’ll just visit the men’s room before I go.”

  I resist the urge to direct him to the little girls’ room. Instead I say, “My partners and I are confident that Chloe will do a fantastic job.” Adam keeps a plastic smile on his lips, but I don’t miss the flash of resentment in his eyes.

  Instead of leading Chloe to the elevators, I take her elbow and lead her back to the stairwell. I swear, electricity zings through me starting where my hand grasps her arm. That’s how it’s been since I met her. We spark like two live wires when we’re together, the electrical charge growing and thickening around us with each day that passes.

  “I don’t need you to fight my battles, Leo,” Chloe says in a low, raspy voice.

  “I’m well aware of that.” I keep hustling her toward the emergency stairwell. “That’s the only reason I didn’t cold-cock that asshole.” I touch my security fob to the pad and open the door for her to go in first.

  “Why are we in the stairwell?” She stops in the middle of the landing and looks around.

  I don’t speak. The time for talking has passed, and frankly, I’m pretty damn proud of myself for waiting this long to do what I’m about to do. Even if I’m breaking a promise to my two partners.

  I take her arm again, turn her into me, and I show her why we’re in the stairwell by laying a scorching hot kiss on her. Her breath catches, and she lets out a surprised little gasp as she threads her arms around my neck. If she gives any sign, any indication this isn’t what she wants, I’ll end it as quickly as I started it.

  Instead, she sighs against my mouth, melts into me, and takes the kiss from wanting to desperate in the blink of an eye.

  Yes. Hell yes.

  I back her against the wall. She slides one palm over my chest and down, until she’s massaging my dick. Sh
e takes one of my hands and moves it to her tit. It fills my palm, and I work it until she gasps. Our heavy breathing, our sensual moans, our bodies shifting and adjusting all echo off the walls of the secluded stairwell. This isn’t what I had in mind for my first time with Chloe, but we’re caught up in the moment. Unable to stop ourselves from getting sucked into this vortex of lust that’s been swirling around us, pulling us closer and closer to the brink. We’re finally there, unable to resist another second, and we let the maelstrom overtake us.

  The way her fingers thread through my hair as she pulls me in for a deeper, more demanding kiss answers my question: game still on.

  “I want to see you.” I fumble with the buttons of her jacket and crush my lips to hers again. When it finally falls open, I lean back to look at her. I’m so turned on that all words leave me for a few seconds.

  Sweet Jesus, she is wearing sexy lingerie under all that conservative tweed. I’m not sure if I’m in heaven or in hell, because the desire that burns through me is torture and threatens to engulf me. I start at the base of her neck and run the back of my fingers straight down over her chest, mapping a path between her full breasts that are covered by sexy scarlet lace.

  “Do you like it?” She’s breathless and panting, but a sensual smile curves onto her lips. She already knows I fucking love it.

  “I more than like it.” I trace the edge of the lace cup over one breast then the other.

  “I bought it especially for today.” She swallows. “Especially for you.”

  Those three words are pretty much the end of me. This woman has me wrapped around her French-manicured pinkie. My thumb and forefinger close over the lace, and I lightly pinch one nipple.

  She arches into me, her eyes slamming shut.

  Another bolt of lust pulses through me, so I use my other hand to reach for hers. I thread my fingers into hers and guide her hand to the wall. She gasps, and it makes me want to slide my hands all over her, then my lips. Her heat, her need wraps around me and drives me on.

  My hand falls to her waist, and I run an open palm down to the hem of her skirt. “What’s underneath this?”

  “See for yourself.” Her voice is breathy and soft.

  She’s like a present I get to unwrap for the first time. I mean, yeah, I saw her in the studio. That doesn’t really count, though, because I didn’t get to touch her myself. Neither does the little bit of touching I did at the restaurant, because we weren’t alone for me to fully explore her and bring her to a full orgasm. I run my hand up a bare thigh, my fingertips curling into her flesh. A shudder quakes through her. Our breaths are hot and wet, one washing over the other because we’re so close. But I don’t kiss her. I just enjoy the moment, drawing it out. Never wanting it to end.

  My hand travels up to cup her ass in my warm palm, and my fingertips brush against lace. I growl with need.

  I pull her bottom lip between mine and gently suck. She breathes out a sexy gust of air that washes over my cheeks.

  “You bought these for me?” I ask.

  “Yes,” she rasps out and bites at my bottom lip.

  “Then you can only wear them for me.”

  “I’d rather take them off only for you.” Her voice is thick and naughty and completely levels me.

  She fumbles with my belt, my zipper. I help her and have a condom on the fastest I can ever remember. I pull her skirt up to her waist, slide both hands into the waistband of her panties and push them down. She steps out of them, and I fill both of my palms with her ass, lifting her off the ground. Her legs close around me, and I brace her against the wall, grinding my hips into hers.

  She cries out, her head knocking back against the wall. It echoes through the empty stairwell. The heat between her thighs burns me. My dick twitches and aches for that sweet, wet spot.

  I scorch a trail of kisses to her ear and whisper, “You’re already so wet and hot.”

  “Yes.” She angles her head to give me access to her neck, and I take full advantage, devouring her tender skin like I’m a ravenous animal.

  “What do you want, Chloe?” I ask her. I need to hear her say it.

  “I want you,” she says. “All of you. Fuck me, please.”

  I sink my face in her hair and breathe her in as I bury my rock-hard dick deep inside of her with one fluid stroke. Her sharp cry of pleasure bounces off the walls.

  Swear to God, if anyone interrupts us now they’re fired. On the spot.

  I give us both a second to adjust. My mouth at her ear, I whisper, “I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you. Finally, I can have you.” I let the sweet truthfulness of my words spiral through her. Her breaths quicken. They become more urgent. I hold her against the wall and withdraw to my tip, then sink into her again. Another sharp cry of ecstasy escapes through her glossy lips, and I start to move, pumping into her. Her eyes are closed when I lift my head to look at her. Her brow is furrowed with a look of pleasure so intense it’s almost painful.

  The sting of her heels digging into my ass drives me insane with want. “Look at me,” I say, my hips picking up speed.

  Her eyelashes flutter, and she pulls a plump lip between her teeth like keeping her eyes open is nearly impossible. Her eyes are as wild and hungry as her panting, and that’s exactly what I wanted to see. I pull back, hesitate until her expression turns pleading, and then I roll my hips into her.

  “Oh my God.” Her voice is a desperate whisper. The slightest tremor ripples through her muscles around my cock. Her fingernails dig into my shoulders as she holds on for dear life, the excitement building to a fevered pitch in us both. The pressure, the pleasure gains momentum. Spreads through us as she tightens around me more and more. Our gazes stay locked, her eyes flaring to that beautiful shade of purple as I fuck her hard and fast.

  “Hold on,” I whisper, knowing her climax is close. I want us to come together this first time. It isn’t what I’d planned. I’d wanted to give her a dozen orgasms before I had one, but she excites me more than any woman I’ve met, and I want this first time to be in unison. Like we’re one. The thought rockets through me and both shocks and comforts.

  I reverse the direction of my hips, shift my angle slightly, and dip my knees to come up inside of her with such force that I strike gold. We explode into the most intense orgasm at the same time, her warmth washing over me. We both shiver against the sheer raw satisfaction of what we’ve just done.

  I hold her there and touch my forehead to hers while we both descend from the clouds.

  When I can finally speak again, I murmur against her lips, “I’m sorry.”

  “Why?” She kisses me soft and sweet, her tongue slipping through my lips to caress mine. She gently feathers one set of fingers through the back of my hair. The urgency is gone, but the sensuality lingers.

  She shifts the slightest bit, and I’m already swelling inside of her again. Wanting her all over again.

  “I didn’t see our first time together quite like this.” I chuckle. “I pictured soft music and champagne.” I nuzzle her neck, and her skin pebbles under my touch. “Maybe a bed.”

  She laughs. “A bed would be nice. Next time.” She dips her head in the sexiest way and skims light kisses along my jaw. “But this was perfect. It was sexy and passionate and exciting. I’ve never done it like this.”

  Jealousy spikes inside of me, but also relief. I’m beginning to understand where her ex’s critical assessment of her sexual prowess came from. Okay, not really. Her ex putting the idea in her head that she wasn’t very good obviously came from him being a grade-A asshole. Her believing him probably came from her lack of experience.

  Chloe hasn’t been around the block very many times. And when she did take a spin, she probably rode a tricycle. I plan to let her ride a Harley, if you know what I mean.

  I know exactly where she’s coming from, what it’s like to feel brave enough to conquer the world academically or professionally but stumble and flounder socially with the opposite sex. I was on the chess te
am in high school and college, for God’s sake.

  “So how about a do-over with a bed. Tonight.” I can’t help it. I snag the edge of her lace bra and pull one side down to reveal a lush tit. The nipple hardens into a peak under my stare, and I close my lips around it and softly suck, flicking my tongue over the tip.

  “Leo!” She bucks against me, and her back arches.

  Goddamn she’s such a turn-on.

  “Say yes.” I breathe hot, moist air across her nipple and it turns to granite just like my dick.

  She shudders against me and moans. “I need to work on your account,” she gasps out. “I don’t want you or your partners to fire me.”

  I take the tip of her nipple between my teeth and bite just enough to hear a sexy hiss of pleasure spill from her lips. “I have a little pull with the company. I think you’re safe.” I recapture her tit and suckle harder, deeper.

  “Jesus,” she whispers.

  “Is that a yes?” I’m relentless in my pursuit and nip at the underside of her breast while grinding into her.

  “Yes!” Her head bumps the wall again as her excitement soars.

  “Good.” I finally stop, because we need to get dressed and get out of this stairwell before someone catches us. I ease her down and let her steady herself on those heels that were so gloriously digging into my ass just a few minutes ago.

  “But not tonight.” She slips into her panties. “I really do need to work tonight. Adam and Zach want daily updates.”

  The mention of her douchebag ex completely kills my boner. At least zipping my pants is a little more comfortable.

  “Tomorrow night?” She smoothes her skirt down into place and goes to work on her jacket.

  “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  She shakes her head and takes the two steps over to me. Her heels click against the concrete floor. Her long, slender fingers curl around the edges of my leather jacket, and she pulls me into her. Her lips brush mine. “You can be at my apartment at seven, but we’re not going out.” This time she bites my bottom lip, and the sharp sensation turns me on again. “I’ll supply dinner and lingerie. You supply the steamy sex.”