Page 32 of Better Left Unsaid

I brought a hand to my chin and challenged her words. “What aboutthat?”

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 distractyou.”

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?

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