Page 62 of Checkmate
“Alex—”
“Sophie, I’ve asked you to do something for me, and I don’t think you’re in a position to say no, are you?”
An uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach. That sounded vaguely threatening. Alex wouldn’t try to abuse his authority as her boss.
Would he?
Not wanting to test that, Sophie sighed, reluctantly leaving the room and silently padding down the corridor.
Standing out of view, she leaned against the wall and listened in on the conversation happening around the corner.
“… if we’re lucky, we can get things up and running in no more than a week.”
“I can’t believe this is actually happening,” Erica said. Sophie could hear the smile in her tone.
What the hell were they talking about now?”
“Sophie! Sophie, what’s happening?”
“Nothing,” she whispered. “Now be quiet.”
The voices on the other side of the wall faltered and Sophie cringed as she listened for any movement.
“I can’t wait to spend more time with you, just one on one,” Erica said. Was Sophie going crazy or had her voice taken on a huskier tone?
“I’ll make sure we have fun,” Marcus chuckled. Was he flirting?
This was wrong. All kinds of wrong.
Marcus wasn’t supposed to flirt with someone else!
“Sophie! Fucking talk to me!”
“Be quiet,” Sophie snapped. This time, the conversation stopped completely. Holding her breath, Sophie inched closer to her bedroom, ready to run if she heard them moving closer.
“Stop ignoring me,” Alex hissed in her ear. “You’re supposed to keep me—”
“If you don’t shut up, I’m going to—”
“Spying, Sophie?”
Her heart dropping, Sophie looked up at Erica, who stood before her, still holding her wineglass. The worst part of all was the look on her face, as though Sophie had played right into her hand.
“And I’ll assume you’re on the phone to Alex like a good little bitch.”
“Do not tell her it’s me,” Alex warned. “I mean it Sophie; I will make your life hell.”
“Alex, I know you can hear me,” Erica said, not giving Sophie a chance to deny it. Alex cursed in her ear. “How fucking far we’ve fallen, huh? Getting someone to spy on me?”
Erica scoffed and, for the first time since meeting her, Sophie saw anger on the other woman’s face.
“I wasn’t spying—”
“Hiding around the corner worried about getting caught kind of indicates you’re spying,” Marcus said, with a similar look of anger on his face.
“It’s pathetic,” Erica spat. “Well, Alex, I hope it was worth it because I won’t be coming home tonight. I’ve never been so fucking insulted.”
“Let me drive you to a hotel,” Marcus said. “Or we can get a cab given the wine.” Erica nodded while Sophie stood rooted to the spot, Alex barking orders in her ear.
