Page 12 of Wickedly Played (Checkmate #1)

Chapter Ten

SERENA

It has been a month since I allowed for my bodyguard to eat me out and then found out he was dreaming of someone else. For the past month, we have danced around each other without crossing the line. I have managed to keep myself out of situations where I would be tempted to jump on his lap.

And much to my dismay, Max has been a gentleman.

The security system in my home has been upgraded since that night. I’m happy to see that Max has been efficient, even though I feel like I could die from embarrassment every time I see him.

“What are you doing tonight?” Stella asks through my headphones as I finish the third mile on the treadmill.

I converted a room into a gym to maintain my strength for shows and clients. Being a Domme is highly physically demanding, along with being emotionally demanding. When I work out, I’m able to function a little better for my clients.

I giggle. “Well, I’m not entirely sure. I have a couple of cam calls to make in a little while after I’m done with my workout.”

She lets out an exasperated breath. “All you do is work! I want to go out. Deacon’s not at home for the weekend.”

“Where is he at?” I’m not a fan of my friend’s boyfriend, but he’s okay. I think Stella could do a lot better with her boyfriend choices, but I love her anyway.

“He’s at some new club that is launching over in Springport.”

I roll my eyes. “He would be going to that one.”

“How are things with Max?”

I try to stop a groan from falling from my lips. “He’s fine.”

Stella clicks her tongue. “I have a wild idea!”

Groaning, I push the button to make my treadmill go faster. “Your ideas usually get me into trouble.”

She lets out a musical giggle. “I’m going to come over tonight and we can cam together. Show it on both of our platforms.”

“Do you need some sub space, honey?”

“Yes! It has been a week since we last played together. I miss you.”

Twisting my face, I agree quickly. “I need you, Stella,” I murmur. Stella and I have fantastic chemistry together. We’ve never dated, but we are electric together.

“I would like for you to tie me up and punish me.”

“Careful, Stella. I normally charge for these kinds of conversations.” My breath is coming in harder as my chest feels the burn from the run.

“I will bring my ropes and butt plug.”

“I can’t wait.”

“When are your other guards coming back?”

“They should be getting cleared soon. I’m hoping to add them on under Max’s supervision.” As much as Max hurt me, he’s been doing a great job with my protection.

There’s a knock on the gym door, causing me to hang up with my friend. “Yes?”

“Sweetness,” Max’s voice calls through the door.

This is the last thing I need.

“I’ll see you soon, lover,” I reply to Stella as I hang up the phone.

Yanking a towel off the treadmill, I press the stop button on the machine before hopping off it. After opening the door to seeing Max wearing a pair of loose sweatpants and a tight tank, I swallow my tongue.

It has been a long month of pretending this man doesn’t give me a constant case of wet panties. I have done my best pretending I’m not affected by his charm, his broodiness, or his in-your-face sexual appeal. I’m only a woman after all.

“Max, what can I do for you?”

His blue eyes trace my sweat-covered body and settle on the little pair of shorts I’m wearing. I usually have a video going for my cam business when I’m working out, but Stella called instead.

“Uh,” he stammers. “Fuck. I wanted to know if I could get a workout in.”

Looking him up and down, I wave a hand into the gym. “Don’t you live here, too? Of course, you can come in.” My eyebrows move up and down suggestively. I am fucking with him, and I don’t care.

I step away from the door to walk over to the mats and begin stretching out. My legs are kicked out in a split when I hear the low groan from behind me. After a quick look over my shoulder, I see my bodyguard with his eyes slammed shut.

“Max, my regular guards should be back soon. Do you want me to call them to come over, and you can get a break?” My voice is breathy and sounds desperate. The truth is, I need a break from whatever the fuck is going on here.

Even though he guards my body, I have done a good job of not speaking to him.

I can’t hear what he has to say after he and I almost had sex, and he was thinking of a different woman.

There is no doubt in my mind that we both have a mutual attraction for each other.

However, the rejection I felt before is enough to make me hesitant to act on it again.

He throws a look over his shoulder as he begins to lift. “I don’t need a break.”

“Fine, be stubborn,” I retort.

He drops the weights down in front of him before stalking over to me on the mats. “What is it you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything,” I lie.

He looks down at my mouth and then back into my eyes. Smirking, he pushes a fallen tendril behind my ear. “You sweet liar,” he murmurs.

“Why do you keep calling me sweet?”

“Maybe I should take that break,” Max throws out before going back to his workout.

I groan. “Fine. Maybe you should. Better yet, maybe I should take a break and go on vacation.”

He chuckles with his arms extended in a lift. “What kind of break would you have? Go to the beach? Have people pay to watch you there? Maybe your stalker would show up.”

I get off the mat and stomp petulantly toward him. “If you have a problem with my job so much, then why are you still guarding me?” After the humiliation of a month ago, it has gone too far. If he doesn’t like my job, who cares? I don’t know why it suddenly bothers me that he might not accept me.

“You want to do this now?”

I cross my arms over my chest, and don’t miss the way his eyes zero in on my cleavage. “Do what?”

He drops the weights and then leans against the pillar in the middle of my gym.

“Serena, your previous guards didn’t give a fuck about you.

In two days, I got your alarm system re-rigged, and there haven’t been any other break-ins.

You act like you’re so fucking hard and you know how to protect yourself, but you need someone who’s going to watch your back. ”

“Is that what you’ve been doing?” I reply. “Have you been watching my back?” I use his tone to mock him.

“I’ve been watching you every day for a month. I know more about you than you realize I do.”

“What do you know?” I sound like a child, but I can’t stop.

“Really?”

I nod before waving my hand in the air to get him to continue.

Max’s evil smirk on his face has fire burning in my lower belly.

“I know in the morning, you do yoga to stay flexible. I know that after that, you read outside on the porch. Judging from the little blush you get on your face when you read, I’m assuming you’re reading something sexy.

I know that you count calories and carbs every day except Friday night.

I know that even though you pretend to be a hard ass, you care about your clients.

I also know that when you think no one is looking, you put your head down to try to breathe out your stress.

I also know that you try to push people away besides Stella. ”

I’m mad because he is spot on. Bastard. “Well… Uh… okay.” My lips twist in aggravation. “I know things about you, too, Max,” I mock.

Max’s eyebrows raise until they meet his sexy hair. It looks as if he has run his hands through his hair several times before coming to the gym. I would love to pull on the strands to put his face where I want it.

“What do you know?”

I have a lot of nervous energy running through me, but it doesn’t stop me from delivering my blow to him. “Well, I would say you work out as hard as you do because you are running from something,” I drop the bomb.

His eyes widen as he takes in my face. “What do you think I’m running from?” Max’s voice isn’t rude as he asks me this question. It is as if he genuinely wanted to know what I thought about him.

“I think you’re running from a woman in the past. Maybe the same woman you thought you were in bed with when your mouth was on my pussy,” I blurt.

The dam has broken, and I can’t stop the word vomit.

Fuck, I don’t think I want to stop the word vomit.

“If she was so important to you, then why are you spending all of this time with me?”

I level him with my best Domme stare. It is a logical question, though.

If he’s so in love with someone else that he has dreams about sleeping with them, then why is he in my house working for me?

I’m sure the woman is beautiful, but I would hate it if my lover spent 24 hours a day with a sex worker. Maybe she’s pretty confident.

My relationships have been short-lived and came with a contract for mutual understanding over the past few years.

I wouldn’t say I was the jealous type, but there is no way I would be okay with my boyfriend or lover living and working for someone like me.

My ex-husband made me feel like I was a jealous bitch when I found out he had multiple women all over the city he was dating, including my sister.

When he and I divorced, I made sure to protect myself better than before.

There was no way I could come back from a heartbreak like that again.

One of my exes, Salvatore, is married to Kelly, the woman he was engaged to during our relationship.

From what I understand, Kelly dislikes Salvatore.

Ready for the curveball? Kelly is one of my clients.

I was open about my relationship with Salvatore to Kelly, but she didn’t care and wanted to continue with me as her Domme.

I see the moment the light leaves his eyes. In this moment, I know I have gone too far. I know he’s done with this conversation, and I hate it.

“You’re my job. My job is to protect you. I can’t be focused on some relationship when guarding you is my only responsibility right now.”

He should have just slapped me. Maybe that would have been easier to take than him telling me I’m nothing more than a paycheck. I need to call Jim to tell him I need a new guard. Max’s broodiness is too much for me to handle. Damn.

There is a slight crack in my chest.