Page 43 of Checkmate
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realised his error. He held his breath, praying she’d skate past it.
“Okay. Marcus is happily married and clearly adores his wife. Personally, I don’t know what he sees in her.”
“Damn, Erica. That’s far too much of a bitchy comment for you.”
He’d never heard her speak about someone like that before. Erica had always been sweet and kind to a fault.
She scoffed again, rolling her eyes. “Sorry I insulted your little girlfriend.”
Panic made his heart leap as he turned to face her, searching her features for any hint that she might know his secret.
She watched him expectantly, as though she were waiting for something. He just didn’t know what.
“Now who is the jealous one?”
It was the wrong thing to say. The very second the corner of her lips turned down, he knew he’d made a mistake.
“There is nothing about that woman to be jealous of,” Erica said, flicking her cigarette out of the window, hiding her expression from him. “She is a child in an adult’s body.”
“And what makes you say that?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. He couldn’t think of anything he had said that would make her think so poorly of Sophie.
“The fact that she bitched to you about her poor husband and his failing business. Or that she immediately swapped out personal and sentimental earrings for something more expensive.”
“They were ugly earrings,” he muttered.
“Or perhaps it’s the fact she follows you around like a lost puppy, just hoping you’ll pay attention to her.”
“This is a change from our conversation the other day,” he said. “I offered to get rid of her.”
“And open yourself to a lawsuit? I don’t think so.” Erica sighed and looked out of the window. “It doesn’t matter, anyway; I have to get used to being around her.”
Alex reached for her hand, holding it between his. “Baby, don’t be a martyr. I can find grounds to let her go and she’ll be a distant memory. A single page of our story.”
Erica turned back to look at him, her eyes searching his. “That wouldn’t change anything.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’ve agreed to help Marcus with his business, so I’m sure I’d still have to see her.”
Alex stared at her, not quite seeing her.
Had she just said she was working with the husband of his affair partner?
“What do you mean?”
“You already asked that,” Erica said. “I don’t know how to make it clearer.”
Alex released her hand, running his hand through his hair. “Erica, what the fuck do you mean?”
This was bad.
This was really fucking bad.
All it took was for Erica and Marcus to swap notes and start talking, and his carefully kept secret would quickly unravel.
“I don’t know what the issue is,” Erica said, unaware of his inner turmoil. “He was telling me about it this evening and it sounds like fun.”
“Work isn’t supposed to be fun,” he scoffed. He was focusing on all the wrong things, and he knew it, but panic had taken over and it seemed his brain and mouth had disconnected. “Why are you helping him?”
