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

by Shelly Alexander

  “It looks good. I can’t wait to taste it.” My voice is thick and raw, my blood as hot as the oven.

  She looks over a shoulder, still bent over. “It’ll be ready in a minute.”

  “I wasn’t talking about the lasagna.”

  “I know.” She pulls the pan from the oven and sets it on the table. After tossing the oven mitts to the counter, she tells me to wash the dog treats off my hands, then directs me into a chair at the little bistro table that’s sitting against the wall. It’s already set with two place settings and a candle.

  Tonight she apparently wants romance. Romance it is. Wish I’d brought flowers. I’ll be sure to send her a bouquet tomorrow.

  She pulls a frosty mug from the freezer, empties a bottle of Blue Moon into it, and plops in a slice of orange.

  “All of my favorites,” I say.

  “I paid attention.”

  Obviously, she’s a good listener and very observant. I can’t help but wonder if she was gathering these little details to make me happy as a client or as a man. I hope both, but she did say she only wanted a week with me.

  She goes to the counter to mix a drink with all kinds of colorful ingredients.

  “What’s that one called?” I’ve missed her seductive cocktail orders. They are quite entertaining.

  She dishes up plates for both of us, dims the lights, and joins me at the table. “This one is called an All Night Long.”

  She doesn’t disappoint.

  We sit and talk and laugh while we eat, enjoying the moments when our hands brush, our eyes meet, our knees touch under the table. I listen and let her talk about herself, her family, her childhood, her college experiences. Every time the conversation turns to me, I subtly shift it back to her.

  When our plates are empty, she kicks off a shoe under the table and it makes a thunk against the tiled floor. Her bare foot slides up my leg, over my knee, across my thigh, and massages my dick. I groan. A foot job wasn’t my plan for tonight, but whatever works for this woman is fine by me. I’m down for whatever she wants and will walk across a sizzling hot desert with no water to give it to her.

  “You like that?” she asks.

  “Do you?” I counter.

  “I like turning you on, Leo.” She applies more pressure, the strokes of her foot long and thorough. “The way you want me so much makes me feel sexy.”

  “Oh, I want you, Chloe.” I grind out the words through tight lips because she’s getting me so worked up. “I want you so fucking much.”

  “How much?” Her voice has gone breathy.

  “I’ll show you exactly how much.” I grab her foot and hold it tight against my dick. “But first, there’s something else I think you want.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Come on.” I take Chloe’s hand and lead her into the living room. Toby is snoring on the sofa. Thank fuck. I pull out my phone, thumb through iTunes, and in less than a minute, a soft jazz song is lilting through her apartment. I dim the lights and fold her into my arms.

  The candles, the home-cooked meal, the privacy and intimacy of her apartment, all tell me she wants romance tonight. So instead of diving into her panties like a douchebag would, I figure a little music and dancing is a better plan.

  There’s not a thread of space between us. I curve my palm over the back of her hand and hold it against my chest. My other hand molds to the small of her back. The thin material of her dress is soft under my fingertips, and I stroke small circles where her waist dips in. A conspicuous shiver causes her luscious tits to shimmy against my chest.

  An electrical current hums through my veins.

  “My mother used to say that dancing is the way to a girl’s heart.”

  “Your mother sounds like a smart woman.” Chloe nuzzles my jaw with her temple. “I’d like to meet her.”

  I have to stop myself from stumbling. Ava must not have told Chloe about our parents. Now isn’t the right time to get into it, plus I don’t really like to talk about it.

  We take small steps to the seductive music, barely moving. Our breaths are erratic and infrequent, but our heartbeats are wild and wanting where our chests touch.

  “This is nice,” she whispers against my neck, and I do a little shimmy and shudder of my own.

  I dip my head, rub my jaw in the crook of her neck so that my five o’clock shadow ignites another quiver that races over her, then I drag my lips across that same spot all the way to her ear. “Nice?” I growl. “Is nice what you want tonight, Chloe?” I make sure my whispered words are wet against her ear, and the tremor that racks her body is damned near convulsive.

  She looks up at me with need shimmering in her eyes, and the last thing I want is to be nice. I want to strip her naked and fuck her every way imaginable until the sun rises.

  The tip of her pink tongue traces her bottom lip. “No.”

  That one word causes lust to coil tight until I can’t take it anymore. I drop my hand to her ass and pull her flush against my erection.

  She moans, and blazes a trail of kisses over my neck. “You get me so fucking hot, Leo. Nice is the last thing I want tonight.” One of her bare legs hooks around mine and slides up to trap me. Except I don’t feel trapped. I’m right where I want to be.

  I devour her mouth with a punishing kiss. “Chloe, you turn me on and light me up like a thousand-watt bulb.” I nip the soft flesh where her neck meets her shoulder, then I sink my teeth in gently.

  She lets out a sexy gasp, the sound not really forming real words.

  “What was that?” I tease and rock my hips into her.

  She chokes out a sob of pleasure. “I want you.”

  “I want you too. So. Fucking. Much.” I take her hand and guide it to my rock-hard dick. “Does that feel nice?” Then I grasp the edge of her low-cut neckline and tug until a delicious-looking tit tumbles out. I close my mouth around the tip and suck. Hard.

  “It feels sexy as hell, Leo.” Her eyes are closed, and her words whisper through her sultry lips. Her head is thrown back, and the nails at my shoulder curl in until they sting my skin through my shirt. “I can tell how much you want me, and that makes me...”

  “What?” I whisper against her pink, hard nipple. My warm breath sends another shiver rioting over her. “Tell me.” I move to the other breast and pull it into my mouth.

  “I don’t know…” She swallows, her breathing gaining speed.

  “Yes you do, Chloe. Tell me.” I flick my tongue across the pebbled flesh in my mouth and suck harder.

  “Powerful,” she says on a desperate cry, and spears one set of fingers deeper into my hair. “It makes me feel powerful.”

  I smile as I continue to suckle and lick and kiss her tender flesh. She feels empowered. Which makes her even more beautiful to me than she was before.

  She squeezes my prick, and it grows even harder. Her hand closes around my shaft and she palms me. “I want this inside of me, Leo.”

  This time I groan and hiss out a breath. “I fucked you with it yesterday. Tonight I want to fuck you with my tongue,” I murmur against her nipple as I nip and suck. “I want to taste you, Chloe. I’ve been dreaming about what you’ll taste like.”

  I’ve been more than dreaming about it. I’ve been fantasizing about how I’d make her come, completely shatter her world in a hundred different ways.

  “God, I want that.” She buries her fingers in my hair and presses her full tit further into my mouth. “I want to taste you too, Leo.”

  “Whatever you want, Chloe. I’m yours the rest of the week.” I grab her ass in both of my hands and lift her off the ground. Her legs close around my waist. “Where’s the bedroom?”

  She points, and I move in that direction. Her arms close around my head and she lays a deep, desperate kiss on me.

  I have to walk slowly down the hall to keep from bumping into a wall.

  “Are you already wet for me?” I ask. I know she is, but I want to talk dirty to her to see if she likes it. To see if she wants more.
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  “I’m dripping.” She pants against my ear, grinding against my dick as I carry her down the hall. “I could barely sit through dinner.”

  I blow out a light laugh. “Good. I knew you were hot and bothered this morning when you rubbed your ass against the desk.”

  She directs me to the right, and I turn into her bedroom. Only a dim table lamp burns in one corner, casting a sexy glow over the room. I stand next to her blonde-wood dresser. “Take my glasses off for me.”

  “Can you keep them on? They’re sexy.” She pretends to pout.

  I give her a naughty smile. “Trust me, you don’t want them on. They’re going to get in the way.”

  She takes them off and lays them on her dresser next to a jewelry box.

  Her bed is covered in a plush velvet comforter. It’s the same color as the sky at dusk, a pale grayish-purple. She sinks into it when I lay her down. I stand at the foot of the bed, and look down at her. Desire ignites in her eyes, turning them a similar shade as the velvet she’s laying on.

  “Do you know how goddamn sexy you are?” I grasp one foot, and bend to bring it to my lips.

  Uncertainty races across her expression. “I want to be.”

  “You are. So damn sexy.” I lay a smoldering kiss on the inside of her ankle, then slide the shoe off and let it drop to the floor. I do the same thing to the other, then kiss my way up one leg with my head under her dress.

  Her legs fall open, and I settle between them. I place a hot, open-mouthed kiss on the inside of one thigh, then the other before moving on to more promising real estate. I breathe hot and wet against her panties and bite into the lace. She arches against my mouth, the friction of the material and the moisture of my breath getting her even more worked up. My tongue traces the outline of her folds, and her breathing starts to run wild. My mouth settles against the dip where her clit is. I nip at it and tongue it, letting the lace rub wet and hot against her until she’s soaring.

  “Oh God.” Her voice is thick and hoarse within seconds.

  “We haven’t gotten to the good part yet.” I bury my face in lace again and lick and stroke until she’s writhing against my mouth.

  Since the moment I saw her, I’ve wanted to taste her. Drive her wild just like this. She’s so wet and hot against my mouth. I wedge one hand under her ass and flex all five fingers into her flesh.

  She moans, “Yes.”

  “Hang on,” I say. “Make it last. It’ll be so much better.” I slip two fingers into her panties and move them aside. My lips hover a heated breath away from her clit. I want to draw it out, make it last. Let her anticipation build to nuclear meltdown levels. When Chloe does come, I want her to drench my tongue and my face.

  She’s writhing in expectation now, applying pressure to the back of my head, thrusting her hips toward me. I smile and cover her throbbing clit with an open-mouth kiss.

  It’s like a bolt of electricity shoots through her. She cries out and arches off the bed. “Leo! That feels so good.”

  “Tell me what you want,” I murmur, and delve in again.

  “Tongue,” she rasps.

  I give her tongue, stroking in rhythm with my lips. Sucking and massaging and coaxing.

  Her wild panting, her erotic moans, her hips fucking my mouth, her fingers pressing my face into her center, all tell me she’s close. So I slip two fingers into her slickness and curl the tips.

  “God, Leo, yes!” Her legs clamp around my head. I’ve fantasized about that too, and it feels just as utterly awesome as I imagined. “I love you finger-fucking me.”

  She’s soaring above the clouds now. My fingers drive deep inside her, and I give them one last twitch and curl. She splinters, drenching my tongue and face just the way I’d hoped.

  The tension in her body goes slack, and she strokes her fingers through my hair. I kiss and lick and nuzzle the soft skin on her flat belly just above her panty line. It takes a little while for her breathing to calm. When it does, I stand up and start to undress.

  She sits up, leaning back on her elbows. “Can I do the same for you now?”

  Hell yes. I one-hand my thermal Henley and toss it aside. “Do you want to?” When I tug at my belt buckle, a new spark of desire ignites in her blue eyes. I undress slowly, letting her look her fill until I’m standing in front of her buck-ass naked.

  She must like what she sees, because she licks her lips and nods. “Yes.”

  “Then yes, but first, will you undress for me? I haven’t seen you completely naked yet.”

  Her gaze roams over me, hungry and hot. “Give me a minute. You’re eye candy.”

  I can’t help it. I really can’t. I give her a proud smile. Right about now I’m very thankful for that gym membership I’ve put to good use for years. When her stare lands on my throbbing prick, her eyes grow smoky. My smile widens because I’ve never had any complaints in that department. Intelligence isn’t the only thing I was blessed with.

  Her gaze finally moves on and wanders to my ink. “The tattoo is so you,” she whispers.

  Involuntarily, I flex where the black knight chess piece stands erect. The stallion’s mane is drawn as if it’s in motion, charging into battle. The word Checkmate is scrawled through the base. “All three of us have one.” Me, Oz, and Dex were still dumbass kids when we started the company. My sister, already showing a talent for computer graphics, designed our logo. We were so excited we stormed the nearest tattoo shop then got drunk as hell to celebrate.

  “It’s perfect.”

  Her gaze licks over me again, and I swear my skin burns everywhere she looks. She gets up on her hands and knees, crawls to me on all fours where I’m standing at the foot of the bed, and kisses my stomach. I hiss, my abs tensing and jumping. With both palms flat against my stomach, she slides them up my chest until we’re face to face.

  Her mouth is hot and wanting when I take it with mine. I let her take control, and she curls her nails into my skin while she finds my tongue with hers. God, this girl drives me wild. I’m halfway there, and she’s barely touched me. “Do you want me to undress you?” I ask. I don’t want her to feel insecure with me after some douchebag messed with her head and made her feel less than perfect. So if she wants me to do more of the work for her, I will.

  She hesitates like she’s torn. But then she shakes her head. “No,” she murmurs against my lips. “I want to undress for you.”

  Good. I want her to see how sexy she is. How much power she has over me. I circle her wrists with my fingers and guide her off the bed so she’s standing in front of me. I lie back on her bed, sink into her pillows with my hands behind my head, and cross my legs at the ankles. “See what you fucking do to me, Chloe?”

  Her stare drops to my dick, which is thick and pulsing and standing at attention. A smile curls her lips, and she raises a brow.

  With one fluid movement, her dress is off, and she’s standing there in nothing but purple lace. The bra barely covers her nipples. When she turns around, my pulse rockets to the sun and back. I’m finally getting a good look at the thong I’ve been dreaming about for days.

  Her ass is perfect. Round. Tight.

  I hiss out a breath. “Good Lord, woman. I swear, you’re going to be the death of me.”

  With both hands, she reaches around and unhooks her bra. When she slides it off, the toned muscles in her back whisper under her skin. The purple lace dangles from her fingers. She holds it out to one side and then drops it. Slowly, one agonizing inch at a time, she turns to face me.

  I swear, I think the wind has been knocked out of my lungs. She’s magnificent.

  I’m on her in a flash, my hands covering her breasts. I sit on the edge of the bed, and draw her between my legs, my fingers digging into her hips. I cover an already taut nipple with my mouth and suckle it into a pebble. The sound of pleasure escapes from the back of her throat, and she threads her fingers through my hair. I drag my tongue between her breasts and circle the other nipple with a wet tip.

  Her breath
picks up speed, her chest rising and falling.

  “What else do you want, Chloe?” I taunt her.

  “More tongue.” Her voice is strangled. “Your tongue is incredible.”

  I give her what she wants. Instead of circling her nipple with the tip, I flatten my tongue and lavish her skin with it. I taste and taunt and tickle her with my tongue since she likes it so much. I taste every spot on her breasts, then I explore over her ribcage, down her stomach, and around her belly button.

  I take her panties between my teeth and start to tug them down while I smooth my palms up the back of her thighs and fill them with her ass. I knead and massage.

  “How do you want me to fuck you this time, Chloe?”

  Her head has fallen back, her eyes are clamped shut, her fingernails rake across my shoulders. She’s trembling, and doesn’t speak.

  I grab the string of lace across her ass and lower her panties the rest of the way to the floor. When she steps out of them, I toss them aside. “I’ve used my fingers, my tongue, my dick,” I murmur just above her curls. “Which did you like?”

  “All of them.” Desperation laces her words.

  One of my hands travels up the inside of her thigh and strokes her slick opening. I groan. “You’re soaking wet and ready for me again.”

  “Yes,” she says.

  “So how do you want it? What position?” I want to give her whatever she wants tonight. I’m all in, and the sky is the limit. She just has to say the word. “Tell me what your favorite is.”

  “I’m not sure,” she says.

  I wonder if her douchebag ex ever gave her an orgasm. Strike that. I’m pretty damn sure he didn’t. If he had, she’d already have a good idea what her favorite position is. I want to wipe clean whatever damage that asshole did. Erase it from her brain so that it’s a distant memory and she never doubts herself again.

  Only a moron would fuck things up with a woman like Chloe. I should send him a thank-you note.

  She doesn’t answer me exactly. Instead, she drops to her knees and takes my cock in her hand.

  “Goddamn,” I groan as a freight train of lust barrels into me.