Page 50 of Checkmate
Alex knew that.
He knew he couldn’t get her hopes up like that because Sophie would not contain herself. So he spun a lie to her, and himself, she suspected, that this was only about sex and if it ended tomorrow, he’d be fine.
It hurt sometimes, but she understood the way it needed to be.
“You’re right,” she whispered, as though his words had spooked her. “I didn’t even consider that.”
“How could you not?” Alex asked, clicking his tongue. “I told you, Sophie, you have to be vigilant. Any hint that either of them knows something and we’re over.”
“I understand,” she replied, crossing her fingers behind her back. She was barely listening at this point.
With those seeds of doubt planted, Erica and Marcus’ budding friendship was exactly what she needed to push Alex into her arms.
For a morning that had started so roughly, things sure had picked up, and the tides were finally turning in her favour.
It wouldn’t be long now. Erica would be a thing of the past, and Sophie would have her man.
Chapter 13
Marcus
The past month with Erica had made Marcus realise just how unsupportive his wife had been.
From that first lunch date, Erica had thrown herself into his business, immersing herself in his world. She had taken his tour a handful of times, filling her jotters with scribbled notes and doodles. Every night she messaged him with additional facts she had found and questions she was desperate to know the answer to.
He found her enthusiasm refreshing, and it had revitalised his own enjoyment of his job.
Sat in the same café, a month after their first lunch, Marcus waited for her to join him.
Back then, they had agreed to stay on the down low for a while. Though they had texted and talked on the phone, they hadn’t physically seen each other since they said a reluctant goodbye all those days ago.
It was alarming to him how much he wanted to see her again.
At various points, he had almost texted her to break the rules, coming up with every excuse in the book that didn’t give away the fact he just wanted to see her.
He enjoyed Erica’s company more than he ever thought he would. The conversation flowed between them as though they were old friends, any silence comfortable and natural.
But the time apart was all part of their game plan.
Both Alex and Sophie had something to say about their lunch date and their plans to go into business together.
It had been Erica who suggested they lulled them into a false sense of security. Neither of them had mentioned one another to their spouses, and it seemed their lunch was long forgotten.
That was going to change after today.
Erica was a vision as she walked into the café a short while later, grinning as she made a beeline for him.
Though it was the dead of winter, she had brought sunshine and warmth with her with her infectious smile and friendly eyes.
He stood to greet her, ready to pull her chair out for her until she threw herself into his arms, pulling him into a tight hug.
“I’ve missed you!”
She smelled incredible, and he lingered after her as she pulled away to take her seat. He got there at the last moment to push her chair under the table. Thanking him, she shrugged off her jacket, grabbing an overburdened folder from her bag.
“What’s this?” He asked as he sank back into his chair, her perfume clinging to his clothes and distracting him. Sophie was going to give him shit for that later.
“It’s all my research,” she said, placing it on the table with a noticeable thud.
