Chapter 6
Cobra studied the chessboard. Richard had been trying all night to trap him, but he wasn’t having it. He refused to be baited, even by the man who had taught him everything he knew about the game.
“I understand my granddaughter doesn’t like you much,” Richard said.
Cobra didn’t bother to look up because he knew Richard hadn’t. One of the rules the older man had instilled in him was that, unless you needed to rest your eyes for a minute, a good chess player knew not to take their eyes off the board for long.
“To be honest, Richard, I don’t care much for your granddaughter either. She accused me of trying to use you.”
“She said that?” Richard asked, as if surprised.
“Twice. Once at the wedding and then at her office on Monday. That pissed me off.”
Richard chuckled. “I’m sure it did.”
“Where is she, by the way?” Cobra asked, glancing around. When he decided to join Richard for dinner before their chess game, he’d assumed she would be there. The fact that he didn’t like her meant nothing. If anything, he’d hoped his presence would annoy her.
“Allison is still at the office. She wants to get through all those manuals she has to read.”
Cobra nodded. “How late will she be working?”
“If she follows the same pattern as the other couple of nights, I would say until around ten.”
“Ten? And how will she get home?”
“I usually send my car for her. However, I don’t think she appreciates it.
I guess it rains on her independence. Although this place is plenty big enough, I have a feeling the only reason she’s staying here and not moving into an apartment is that she thinks she needs to keep an eye on me.
” Richard smiled as if he found the very thought amusing.
Cobra rolled his eyes. “Or so she can keep an eye on your friends and associates, so they don’t take advantage of you. As if such a thing were possible. I’m convinced the older you get, the sharper you get.”
“I’m glad you think so. Checkmate.”
Cobra blinked. How had he let that move happen? Damn, he had become trapped after all. “As I said, the older you get, the sharper you get,” he said, standing and putting on his jacket. “When will Lolita be returning?”
“Not for another month. She is enjoying spending time with her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson in Sydney over the summer. I’m thinking of joining her there for a couple of weeks.”
Lolita Albritton was the woman Richard had started dating a year ago.
The two had met when Lolita and Richard had attended a special party in honor of New York’s new mayor.
Lolita was a widow who had taken over the running of her husband’s media business upon his death.
She’d retired two years ago and had turned over the running of the corporation to her son.
In Cobra’s mind, Richard and Lolita were compatible on so many levels.
They shared a number of values and interests.
Richard had confided that he never thought he would meet a woman who could hold a light to his wife, but he had.
He wondered if the real reason Richard had requested that Desiree return to the States was to meet Lolita. “Have you told Desiree about her?”
“Not yet, but I plan to do so soon.”
Cobra nodded. “Thanks for dinner.”
“Anytime.”
Before reaching the door, Cobra turned and said, “How about calling Ron to cancel that pickup.”
Richard lifted a brow. “Why?”
“I’ll pick Desiree up and bring her home. Can you call your night security station to approve my access to the fortieth floor?”
Richard eyed him curiously. “I thought you and Allison didn’t like each other.”
“We don’t. However, after losing to you tonight, I’m in the mood to annoy somebody.” He crossed the room, opening the door to leave. “Goodnight, Richard.”
***
Desiree heard the knock on her office door and looked up from the manual she’d been studying. The cleanup crew had already made their rounds, so she wondered who it could be. According to Karlie, very few people worked late on this floor. Obviously, someone had.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Cobra Masters walked in. She tightened her mouth, mainly from keeping her jaw from dropping. What on earth was he doing here? And at this hour? How had he gained access to this floor?
Her grandfather had mentioned that he and Cobra were playing chess tonight.
So, what was he doing here, in her office, leaning against the door and studying her with those intense dark eyes?
It was obvious he was waiting for some sort of reaction from her.
Considering how their last encounter ended, was he expecting her to throw something at him?
Desiree doubted it. In fact, he was standing there looking just as cool and calm as anyone could in a shirt, jeans, and a lightweight jacket that accentuated his broad shoulders and firm abs.
Why did he always look so sexy? It didn’t seem to matter if he was wearing a tux, a business suit, or a pair of jeans.
He was too attractive, and it bothered her that she was too aware of him.
“What are you doing here, Cobra?”
He walked away from the door to sit in the chair across from her desk.
She watched him, tuned into his every move.
What was it about him that moved her? Her heart was racing, and her breathing seemed to catch, all because he was here.
She resented her body’s reaction to him and desperately hoped he wouldn’t notice.
“I don’t recall inviting you to sit down,” she said.
“You didn’t. And to answer your question, I played chess with Richard tonight, and he told me you were working late.”
“And that concerned you how, exactly?” Desiree asked.
“Honestly, it doesn’t.”
“Then why are you here?”
***
Cobra could give her a lot of reasons, but most would amount to nothing but bullshit.
Even the reason he had given Richard was crap.
For some reason, which he clearly hadn’t figured out, he was attracted to her, and it couldn’t have happened at a worse time.
Had he met her last year, that would have been great.
He could even envision her being someone he took to bed more than once.
And that said a lot for someone who was a one-and-done man.
However, there was no way he would tell her the truth about why he was here.
That she had been on his mind more often than he liked.
That he’d woken up in the middle of the night twice this week with a hard-on from hell as a result of dreaming about making love to her.
And he’d never lost a good night’s sleep over a woman.
He blamed it on the bet he’d made with his brothers. Or, more fitting, he blamed it on Bernice Whey, and her many aliases.
“I’m waiting, Cobra.”
He shifted in his seat, hoping she wouldn’t notice how aroused he’d become just from looking at her.
That was the reason he’d needed to sit down.
The moment he’d walked in and saw her sitting there, a rush of want and need had raced through him.
What woman would still look so good this late at night?
One who was so well put together? Whose beauty was so striking?
Who didn’t have a strand of hair out of place?
Damn, even that red lipstick on her lips looked fresh.
“I thought I’d take you home.”
She lifted a brow. “Any reason Ron isn’t coming?”
“I told Richard to cancel Ron, that I would do it.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Did it at any time occur to you that I’d prefer not to see you?”
He smiled. “Of course. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me.”
There was no reason to tell her that he had called himself all kinds of a fool on the elevator ride up to this floor.
But the moment he had walked in and seen her, he had realized that coming here made perfect sense.
Especially to a man who was one of the masters of the game.
With his brothers married, he was the last one—a man who viewed romantic pursuit as a strategic “game” to be won.
Bottom line, he wanted her in his bed. However, it would be another five months—inching toward four—before he could make such a thing happen.
In the meantime, he saw no reason not to use this time to prime her for what was to come.
That way, when it happened, she would want him as much as he wanted her. He would see to it.
“So why are you here?”
“Do you want a truthful answer?”
“I don’t just want a truthful answer, Cobra, I expect one.”
He nodded. A master of the game could answer a question truthfully, but in a way so as not to reveal their strategy. “The reason I’m here has everything to do with your mouth, Desiree.”
She chuckled at that. “What’s wrong with my mouth? Is it too sassy for you? Are you one of those men who dislike outspoken women? A woman who can hold her own?”
“It’s none of those things.”
He was tempted to smile at the confused look that appeared in her features. “Then what are you talking about?”
He studied it for a moment. “I think you possess the most tempting pair of lips I’ve ever seen on a woman.” And he had a feeling that one day, that mouth would be his downfall.
She stared hard at him for a second, and then burst into laughter. He loved the sound of her laughter, but wondered what the hell she found so amusing?
“Is that the best pickup line you’ve got? Honestly?”
He shrugged. “It wasn’t a pickup line.”
“Then what was it?”
“The truth. Your lips are full and plump. The shape of your mouth is perfect for your face.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you honestly want me to think you cancelled my ride with Ron because of your fascination with my mouth?”
“It’s more than a fascination, Desiree, trust me.”
He could tell from the look in the depths of her hazel eyes that he definitely had her attention now. “Then, what is it?”
That answer was easy. “A desire that I can’t seem to kick.”
“A desire to do what?”
“To kiss you.”
***