Page 36 of Checkmate
“I don’t mind paying,” he said, moving to stand.
“Nu-uh,” she replied. “You got the last ones. Fair’s fair.”
Without waiting for a reply, she walked off, not giving him a chance to protest.
He looked over his shoulder at her, smirking as he checked out her ass without meaning to.
Quickly looking away, he silently berated himself. That was not helpful. Pretending to want this woman wouldn’t be an issue.
Not only was she stunningly beautiful, but as he glanced at his watch, it occurred to him that time had flown by in her presence.
She was nothing like what he was expecting.
In fact, he had pictured her to be a slightly older and more done-up Sophie with lip fillers and heavy contour.
But Erica was a different kind of beauty.
Already he knew this was a woman who would embrace the aging process and let her natural beauty shine through.
Sophie had been having Botox since she was eighteen, so fearful of looking her age.
Marcus had never minded.
Despite her numerous procedures, he could still recognise her as the woman he fell in love with. So far, everything had worked well to enhance a woman already blessed in the looks department.
But he suspected in ten years that all these procedures would age Sophie in a way she didn’t expect.
He used to feel sorry for her.
After hearing about her youth and the shit her mother had instilled in her, he recognised her insecurities despite the front she used.
Now, however, he couldn’t wait for reality to catch up with her.
“I didn’t know what you were drinking,” Erica said, interrupting his thoughts. “So I got you a latte and hoped for the best.”
“As long as it’s hot, I’m not too fussed,” he said as she took her seat once more. “Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure,” she said, winking at him. “Now where were we?”
“Divorces,” he muttered. “But I wanted to ask you something.”
“Go ahead,” she said, gesturing for him to continue.
“Do you have a plan for this affair of ours, or is it just an idea right now?”
“I have a plan,” she confirmed. “With this client being so skittish, it presents the perfect opportunity for Alex to host a party to show how capable and in control he is.
“I’m going to make sure he insists everyone bring their partners to show a united front. With the entire company there for support.”
“Giving us a chance to meet for the first time,” Marcus said with a nod. “At least in their eyes.”
“Exactly. We meet, we hit it off, and the rest is history,” Erica said. “And in the meantime, we hang out, get to know one another, and grieve our marriages with someone who understands.”
Out of everything she had said so far, it was that last line that sounded the most appealing to Marcus.
He needed someone who understood how anger turned to heartache with the drop of a hat, and how that heartache fuelled his anger.
He needed someone who would laugh at his self-deprecating jokes while knowing that came from a place of self-loathing torment.
