Page 133 of Checkmate
“Before I wrote to you, I emailed a bunch of screenshots of Alex and Sophie’s conversations to the CEO of the London group.”
“Brutal,” Josh said, holding his bottle up to Marcus. “Fair play.”
“Shit, the day I got your letter he had a meeting with them,” Erica said as realisation dawned on her. “I thought it was weird that he seemed so nervous. Now it makes sense. Damage control. How did you know to contact them?”
“Those fucking messages,” Marcus said. “Sophie kept complaining about how much you were around the office. On and on about how it was driving her crazy. Alex told her it was because the London group is such a clean-cut company, he needed to show them how stable his life was.”
“So fucking his secretary was going to cause issues,” Erica said, putting the pieces together. “Jesus, Marcus. You just went straight for the jugular, huh?”
He shrugged, indicating for Josh to get him a beer. “I was angry. What can I say? I’m not sure I’d do it again with hindsight. But it gave me some leverage today, so I’m thankful.”
Erica fell quiet as Josh and Marcus replayed their encounter with Alex. She heard words here and there, but mostly she thought back to that day at Alex’s office the day she got Marcus’ letter.
Sophie had been so smug that day, as though she knew something Erica didn’t. It all made sense now. She probably got a kick out of being part of the reason for that meeting.
Damn, how had she been so blind?
“Penny for your thoughts?” She looked up at Marcus, focusing on his face. He had a swollen eye, and an angry bruise covering one half of his face. He had a split lip, a bruise on his jaw, and blood matted in his hair.
Surprising herself, she felt tears prickle in her eyes. “Oh, Marcus. I’m so sorry he did this to you.”
Immediately, Marcus was at her side, taking her hand in his. “Don’t apologise,” he said reassuringly. “Please. I set him up, and he did exactly what I expected him to do.”
“But if it wasn’t for me, it wouldn’t have happened.”
“That’s true,” he said. “But Erica, if you think there is anything I wouldn’t do to secure your happiness, you haven’t been paying attention.” His eyes dropped to her lips, chuckling to himself. “This is gonna hurt like a son-of-a-bitch.”
His head swooped towards hers, his lips brushing over hers in a tender kiss. She moved her fingers into his hair, careful to not put too much pressure on his injuries. The kiss itself wasn’t important, anyway. It was the intimacy of the moment that made her heart flutter.
At least until Josh killed the moment. “Um. Guys? What did I miss?”
Well, shit. She had forgotten he was there.
This was going to take some explaining.
Chapter 38
Sophie
THREE YEARS AGO
“Do you want children?” Sophie asked as she looked over the table at Marcus, cutting up her steak into manageable bite sized pieces.
Tonight was their first date after weeks of flirting. So far, she was getting only good vibes from him. At least until he choked on his drink at her question. “It’s a simple yes or no, Marcus.”
“Christ,” he chuckled. “A heavy question for a first date, isn’t it?”
“Yes. But I absolutely do not want children. So I like to get it out of the way so I don’t waste my time. Or yours, I guess. No point in us dating if our goals don’t align.”
“Right. Well.” He took a slow breath and met her gaze. “If we’re getting it all out there, I guess the honest answer would be I don’t know. Haven’t really given it much thought.”
“How could you not think about it?” She asked, taking a sip of wine. “It’s pretty important when trying to find a suitable date. Can you imagine falling in love with someone and preparing to spend your life with them, only to find out you disagree on something as important as children?”
“I suppose,” he laughed. “But dating can be about fun, too. Not every person you date is going to be the one, you know?”
Sophie wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like that,” she said. “I’m dating to find my person, so I’ll have fun when I’ve found them. There’s no way I’m wasting time, effort, and money on someone who I don’t see a future with.”
“Fair enough,” Marcus said with a small smirk. “Well, while I try to figure out the rest of my life for you, why don’t you tell me why you don’t want children?”
