Checkmate Read Online Free

thought you knew him. He was here last year, at the presentation of a new project that we made for Cartier .”
    “I was in LA at the time.”
    “Oh, right. Well, you will see him in about-” she looked at her watch, “half an hour.”
    “Can’t wait,” I mumbled absently, as I put the paper with the name back on the table.
    “Hey, you okay?” M y friend asked, worried. “Maybe you should go home and sleep for a while?”
    “No, I’m fine. It’s just that I didn’t know I would have to work side by side with another French ie.”
    “Another French ie?”
    “Never mind. I’ll talk to you later.”
    “Okay.” Jill nodded and went back to her desk.
     
    The smell of coffee made my mouth water. The moment I entered my office, I saw a big cup of a steaming mug that I was dying to have since the very moment I woke up in the damn stranger’s bed.
    “I thought you needed a big one,” Stevie said, nodding to the mug.
    “You were right, as always.” I took the cup and inhaled deeply, saying, “God bless the discoverers of coffee.” Then I took a sip and my body welcomed the burning liquid, washing down every woe from my morning.
    “ Magnifique ,” I said almost in a whisper, remembering the word heard last night. It awakened that weird sensation in my belly that I thought I would never feel again. And again, I thought about how much I was sorry that the things with the stranger didn’t go well. A part of me still craved him…
    I shut my eyes firmly, hoping to make the images of him kissing me so passionately go away. Uh, if only the power of my persuasion wasn’t so weak.
    “Do you need anything else?” Stevie asked, bringing me back to reality.
    “No, thank you.” I emptied the cup in a few gulps and gave it back to her. “Time to work.”
    “You have a meeting with the new head of the company in a few hours. And Mr. Larson asked you to call him back, as soon as possible.”
    “Will do it right away. Find me his number, please.”
    Stevie nodded and left the office, leaving me alone with my mental turmoil and tons of work.
     
    About two hour s later, I was as exhausted as ever, and no amount of coffee could save me from falling asleep, but I certainly didn’t want to doze off while I was meeting with the new head of the company; that wouldn’t look proper. I locked the door and asked Stevie to not put anyone through to me. The couch looked so welcoming, soft and comfortable. I kicked off my shoes and laid down, hoping a few moments of peace and quiet would help me find the strength to live through the rest of the day.
    Unfortunately, my heaven wasn’t supposed to last very long. After a few minutes, I got a call from my father who said he wanted to introduce me to the new head of the company. So I got up and made sure that I looked more or less presentable, and went to meet Mr. French .
     
    The moment I opened the doors to the meeting hall, the familiar smell of cologne burned my nostrils. I felt my heart dropping to my feet.
    There were about two dozen people in the room, but I was looking for one particular face.
    “Scarlett, Sunshine, there you are!”
    “Hi, Dad,” I said, embracing my father.
    “Are you okay? You look a little pale.” He looked at me from head to toe, and asked quietly, “Is there too much work? Do you need to take a few days off?”
    “No, Daddy. I’m fine, really. Just a sleepless night.”
    “Okay. But let me know if you want to take a break. I don’t want you to pass out in the middle of your office from exhaustion.”
    “It won’t happen,” I said, forcing a smile.
    “Good. Now, let me introduce you to Mr. Altier. I’m sure you two will get along nicely.”
    And then, I saw the devil that has been plaguing my last night and morning with hell and muddling my brain with a mix of bittersweet emotions, standing there in his full glory near one of the windows that I desperately wanted to jump out of.
    “Dominick, here’s the woman I told you so much