Chapter Nine
Dominic
“For you,” Maria said, raising her hand to show me the black lace panties hanging off her pointer finger.
I smirked and nearly laughed at the gesture. She remembered. And she was wearing a dress—even easier access. That was my good girl.
“You said no panties, so here you go.”
She pushed the panties toward me, and I took them from her, bringing them to my nose and inhaling. I loved the smell of Maria. Couldn’t get enough of it.
She gasped. “You’re deranged.”
I clicked my tongue on the roof of my mouth and shook a finger in the air, waving it in the negative. “Now, now, Maria. You’re the one who brought me your panties.” I stuffed them in my pocket and allowed her entry into my house. “So, are you ready to play chess?”
She fingered the rim of the chess board I had set up in the middle of the dining room table as she walked around, her gaze never once leaving the setup. “Yeah, about that.” She turned to me and gave me puppy dog eyes and a pout that made me want to kiss her deliriously. I wouldn’t, though, because I had to stay in the zone. Between the knowledge that she wasn’t wearing panties and my desire to stick my tongue down her throat, forget chess, we’d wind up naked in my bedroom—hell, probably against the wall—within minutes.
I brought a hand to my chin and challenged her words. “What about that ?”
Walking away from the table and coming to stand in front of me as I walked to the bar to make myself a rum Negroni, she answered, “You say you’re not a skilled chess player, but I think you might be. I mean, look at this badass set you have. What are they, hand-carved pieces? When did you get this?”
“Recently.”
“It doesn’t necessarily seem quite fair to use this as the means to get what you want.”
I smirked. “Are you considering defeat before we’ve even begun?” Please say yes because then we can skip this game and I can fuck you ten ways to Sunday.
She rolled a finger down her lips, it catching on her bottom lip in a move that made my cock twitch. Fuck, woman. You’re going to be the death of me. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m merely pointing out a fact.”
“That it wouldn’t be fair if we played chess because I’m extremely talented, as I am in other areas, like, say, the bedroom?” I raised a brow and waited, knowing I was challenging her, pushing her, but getting some pleasure out of it just the same.
She coughed. “Conceited,” she muttered under her breath, and I laughed.
“Let’s do this then. . . .” I swirled my drink around in the glass, my eyes intent on hers as I made a monumental move. Glass in hand, I flipped a finger out, pointing right at her. “Get naked. We can consider it a dry run before the shoot, since you’re so convinced I’m going to win.”
She arched her back and began fussing with her hair, which was falling in loose waves down her back—just the way I liked it. “I can’t play naked.”
“Why not? We have the place all to ourselves. Unlike you, I happen to know I won’t have any unexpected guests. And”—I closed the gap between us even more, my lips now a hair’s breadth away from hers—“it would be the ultimate distraction for me.”
Her eyes darted to my lips before meeting my eyes again. “Are you saying you’d lose? Because then that would feel rigged.”
Damn, was she ever not complicated? I shook my head, maintaining the grip on the glass in my hand now at my side. Just thinking about Maria playing chess naked had me white-knuckling it. But even so, no, I didn’t think the game would be hers. I’d be distracted, but I was still as determined as ever to win. Because hell if I didn’t want Maria participating in that shoot with me. Honestly, the more I thought about it, the harder it became to ignore my cock pressing up against the front of my pants.
“It won’t be that easy. I’ll still give you a run for your money,” I promised. “I’m. That. Good.” With each word, I inched my lips closer and closer until I was able to take a quick nip at her bottom lip. Pulling away, I backed up and set my drink down on the table beside the chess set.
Her tits pushed against the fabric of her dress with each rise and fall of her chest— she’s not wearing a bra, Heaven help me —and all I wanted to do was capture one of her nipples in my mouth. “So, what do you say?” I asked when she didn’t so much as make a sound.
She nodded slowly but moved quickly. “Okay,” she replied, reaching for the bottom of her dress and bringing it over her head in one swift motion.
Next thing I knew, she was standing before me completely naked. I immediately regretted coming up with this idea. Had I mentioned I was a schmuck? Because that I was—a schmuck. Note to self: stop coming up with ideas that were only going to torture myself.
This was okay, though. Really, it was. We could call it practice for the upcoming shoot where we’d have to have complete and total restraint. Because I think we all knew I was going to win.
“What about you, big boy? Are you going to strip, too? Seems only fair.”
I cocked a brow and had to bite my tongue from doing something stupid. “I wouldn’t want to distract you .”
She laughed, tossing her head back. “Oh, please. Give me more credit than that. Staring at you in the buff isn’t going to make me lose. Besides, all the good stuff should be below the table.” And with that, one of her eyebrows arched.
“Sure about that? I wouldn’t want to get blamed if you lose.”
In response, she placed a hand on her jutted hip.
“All right,” I said, drawing the words out. “But just remember, you asked for it.” Then I undressed, too, looking up every now and again and catching Maria’s eyes going wide. I loved that I had this effect on her. She’d never admit it to me, least of all to herself, but I knew I did—I made her nervous, but in a good way. In a very good way.
* * *
Maria
Oh.
My.
Cock.
Why did I have to go and open my stupid mouth about him stripping?
I should have thought that one through. Because now Dom was standing before me without a stitch of clothing on. Well, that is what naked means. Ugh, and all I could think about was his cock and how there was a bead of wetness on the head. I wanted my tongue on that. I wanted to taste his salty arousal.
How badly did I care about this game happening as planned?
* * *
Dominic
What was Maria thinking in that pretty, little head of hers? Whatever was going on, it had to be intense based on the look on her face—brows creased with a wrinkle across her forehead, like it was all she could do to try to not think about. . . whatever it was.
I didn’t want to sound self-absorbed or anything, but judging by the way she periodically licked her lips when her gaze roamed over my body and landed squarely on my cock, I’d say she was thinking about me. And only me. Probably wished she could eat her words.
Too bad we were both in a bit of a pickle. We’d just have to deal with it.
“Ready?” I asked, stirring her from her thoughts. Her glazed-over look turned into one filled with desire.
“I’m so ready,” she answered, and something told me she wasn’t talking about playing chess.
Either way, I took a seat, fixing myself in a way that was comfortable for me and my aching cock. Yeah, this game better not take long because I was going to die if I didn’t get my fix of Maria soon.
She sat down as well, her eyes suddenly fixed on the board. “You prepared to lose?”
When it came to Maria, I hadn’t lost yet. Eh, maybe that’s debatable. “Not on your life.”
* * *
Maria
This game was never-damn-ending. I mean, come on! Why was it so torturous to play chess? I’d played before, sure, but Dom overanalyzed everything. It was as though this was a game of life and death. To some extent, it felt that way for me, too, because I so did not want to model in the nude.
A. It would be awkward having cameras on us like that.
B. We’d be naked.
C. Our families would see.
D. Just no.
But we were doing the darn thing, so I tried to keep my head in the game, peeling my eyes from Dom’s ridiculously ripped arms. It was my turn, and I wasn’t sure which way to go. I could move my bishop to block his rook or I could start to form a barrier around my king since I’d already moved my queen on the last turn. Not that I had a choice because he was going to capture her otherwise.
I made my move, going with the bishop.
Dom studied the board while I studied his chest. All the hard lines. I wanted to rake my nails over them. One glance at the board and I realized he was about ready to make his move, zeroing in on my queen.
Shit. Without her, I’d be dead in the water. Everyone knew the queen was pivotal to the safety of the king. And success.
Oh, wait, this wasn’t life. Scratch that success part.
I smiled to myself as he took my bishop instead.
Every time I thought the game was over, it was not.
New thing: I hated chess. Hated it. Especially when I had a perfect view of Dom, naked and hard, opposite me. Throughout this game I’d gotten so wet, the proof of my arousal was officially sliding down my thighs and pooling on the chair. That would have to be cleaned.
Not that I gave a crap about that at the moment.
Dom made a sound in the back of his throat, and I squirmed in my chair. That was it, my pussy was officially throbbing so much that had it been my head, I’d have had a migraine. I was quickly losing any and all grip I had on my self-control. It pissed me off, too, because even that Dom was winning at over me.
Fuck it. “Oh my goodness, to hell with this game!” I finally blurted out, acting like the ravenous, needy woman I was. With the back of my hand, I cleared the entire board, sending pieces to the floor with tiny thuds. “You win, Dom. I’ll do the damn shoot.”
I couldn’t wait another second, honestly. If I did, I was going to explode. So I did the only thing I saw left to do—got up, walked around the table, pushed Dom until his back was pressed against the back of the chair, and straddled him. My finger danced over his gold chain, and I smiled, immensely proud of myself.
* * *
Dominic
I loved every single side of Maria. Literally all of them. I loved her, period. There wasn’t one thing I’d change about her. She may not have been perfect, but in my eyes she was. But this? This side of her—her sexual prowess—it was a serious fucking turn-on, and I was a man possessed.
I gripped her hips and gazed into her lust-filled eyes. My pulse quickened as I thought about her taking exactly what she wanted, what she needed. I wanted her to take it all. Without censoring myself, I said what I was thinking—“You going to ride my cock until that sweet pussy of yours clenches and coats me with your arousal as I fill you with every last bit of heat I have to give?”
She took my hand and brought it right where she wanted it—on her pussy and then trailing down her legs. She was wet everywhere. My hand was covered in her, and I couldn’t help but wonder the kind of mess she’d made while we were playing chess.
“Fuck, Maria. I love that I turn you on like this. Do you know how that makes me feel, you being soaked and ready for me?”
She parted her lips and let out a cute sigh. So I brought my hand covered in her wetness to my cock and followed the line of arousal that was dripping down the side, eager for her to climb on top of me. I guided it to her mouth and traced a finger over her lips, coating her with both of our arousals. “Lick your lips,” I directed her.
Her cheeks reddened, and I could feel her throbbing against me. She needed relief, and she would get it if it was the last damn thing I did. After she tasted how delicious we were together. I never doubted we’d make magic in every sense of the word. Our bodies were made for each other. More than that, though, we were made for each other. I just wished I could tell her how I felt.
She obeyed, her tongue darting out. She dragged it over her upper lip, then her bottom. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head, and she let out a soft hum as she swallowed. “Better than cheesecake.” Now that was the highest compliment because cheesecake was Maria’s favorite. “I’m so glad I’m not on my period any longer.”
I combed my other hand through her hair, brushing some strands back behind her ear so I could see her face. “Even if you were, I’d still fuck you.”
“Really? It could get—”
“Don’t care.”
Smiling, she lined her entrance up with my tip and lowered herself, my hands not doing any work at all, merely holding her backside. She sucked in a breath as she lowered herself, taking me until I was set deep inside her and there was no more for her to push inside.
She began rolling her hips, and I let out a growl. Her hands were on my shoulders, and her hair whipped to one side as she moved. She was slow at first, moving gradually and at a pace that was honestly driving me wild. But that didn’t last long. She picked up speed, going harder and faster, her body swaying back and forth, and her breasts nearly slapping my face as they moved with the motion.
I opened my mouth and made sure I was at just the right angle to catch one of her hard nipples with my teeth.
She moaned as I took hold of it, biting hard enough that it would leave a mark.
“You like that?”
She nodded. Shit, I loved marking her. And I loved her reaction to it even more, her head falling backward as she exposed her entire neck, giving me more of her tits.
Fuck, this is the hottest thing ever.
Watching her ride me, feeling her hands clench my shoulders, her nails dragging down my back, and playing with her nipple—it was all too much. I didn’t know how much longer I was going to last. An intense shiver at the base of my spine turned into a twinge, and I knew I couldn’t wait. I was going to explode inside her.
She needed to orgasm first, though. She had to. I’d be damned if I let this woman go one more second without knowing what sweet release felt like.
* * *
Maria
He released my nipple and moved his thumb to my cheek, caressing me. Why was he doing that? “Maria, get out of your head,” he said, urging me to look directly at him. “Look at me,” he demanded.
I stared into his eyes—their intense dark color a mix of desire and something else. I wasn’t sure what the something else was, but it was dominating and seemed to be captivating me. What was going on in Dom’s head? “How do I get out of my head?” I asked aloud, although I was less talking to him and more frustrated with myself because I couldn’t seem to figure out why I couldn’t allow myself to just feel. Ughhh, I wanted to scream. My head was torturing me.
This was useless. I was never going to orgasm.
I continued rolling my hips, but slowed my pace, hoping that would help slow all the thoughts that were racing through my mind. I bet he’d never had this problem with any other woman he’d been with. Whoa, where did that come from? I’d never thought about any of his past relationships before.
“You look at me and see that I’m not going anywhere, that you’re safe with me and you can let go. I think the real problem, Maria, is that you’ve never trusted anyone enough to give yourself fully to them in this way. But you can trust me.” He wet his lips and ran a hand through my hair, the feeling sending a warm sensation through my body. “You know that, don’t you? You can trust me,” he repeated.
It felt like my body was wound so tight, and it was slowly unwinding. Very slowly.
But he was right—this was Dom, my best friend, and yet it was like I still wasn’t letting myself fully trust him. Not in this way. He wasn’t a stranger, though. I knew him so well it scared me most days. This was Dom, I repeated to myself, as though that would help.
I could relax.
I was safe.
And I could let myself go, give myself to him.
I stared into his eyes and saw compassion and kindness, familiarity and comfort, and passion. So much passion. For me. We had more chemistry than I’d had with any of the men I’d ever been with. Combined.
Plus, it had to mean something that I decided to do this with him at all. I wouldn’t have entered into a no-strings-attached arrangement with just anyone. But this was Dom. That meant something. It meant more than I’d ever cared to think about before.
I picked up the pace and began riding him again like he was a horse, and I wanted him to take me home—fast and hard. So much so that I felt myself break out into a sweat. He was right there with me, though, wanting this for me, too, because he was guiding me to roll even faster with his hands on my hips.
Maybe things weren’t so cut and dry where Dom was concerned.
Oh shit, was I breaking one of my own rules? I couldn’t be, could I?
Was I getting too emotional?
He reached between us and brought his thumb to my clit, tracing feather-like circles around it that were driving me wild. Finally, he inched his thumb closer, pressing it to my clit.
I didn’t know how to explain it, how to express how I was feeling, so I’d just say it—it was like for the first time ever I was. . . feeling. Everything. All at once.
It was almost too much, and I fought back an intense, loud moan that was now trapped in my throat.
He continued to stimulate my clit as he blew on my tit, causing a shiver to race down my spine in the most delicious way.
I thought he was going to take my nipple in his mouth, but it turned out he didn’t have to because, for the first time, I wasn’t in my head. I was so damn present. But, most of all, as I looked into Dom’s eyes, I felt safe. I always had, and I merely needed to remember that.
* * *
Dominic
She began breathing heavy, her skin glistening with a light layer of sweat, and I knew she was going to orgasm. “I’m com—”
Although, she didn’t get to finish her thought because then she clenched, tightening around me as her mouth fell open and a deep breath escaped. Her motions grew lazy, so I helped her, rolling her hips with my hands as I tried to go as deep as I could. That was all it took. Fuuuuck. My orgasm ripped through me like a tornado blowing through an entire fucking city. All I heard as my vision grew darker was my name over and over and over again.
She did it. “That’s a moment I won’t be forgetting anytime soon,” I said, trying to catch my breath as we both came down from our highs.
She licked her lips and then smiled an absolutely radiant smile that went from ear to ear. “Me, neither. I did it,” she echoed my earlier thoughts.
“What are friends for if not to make the other climax?” I laughed, planting a kiss on her lips. “You coming on my cock might just be my new obsession,” I said, my voice hoarse.
“Did that make it better for you?” Her eyes searched mine.
I swept a hair away from her face and shook my head. “It’s always been good with you. I wanted you to experience it because you deserve to know what it feels like to let go and know someone will be there when you do.”
She sighed, her chest falling slowly as she relaxed. “Do you have any regrets?”
“Sure, I do,” I answered honestly, “but not about adding the benefits part to our relationship. That I’ll never regret.”
She smiled but didn’t say anything. The truth was, I knew this moment was one I’d never forget because it was about more than her coming. This was the most vulnerable Maria had ever been with me, and it gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, I could tell her how I felt, and our relationship wouldn’t fall apart.
“You know one thing I learned when I started playing chess?” I questioned.
“Hmm?”
“The king isn’t the most important piece on the board.”
“No?”
“No. The queen is.”