AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A QUEEN ALWAYS WINS
Later ended up being a month. After recovering and therapy, I still wasn’t up for my usual tasks or antics. Instead, Karina and I spent most of our time at my house, making sure the hotels and casinos were being run smoothly without any need for the owner to step in.
When we weren’t doing that, Karina flew out to New York to continue her modeling career with Risque Dreams. Instead of continuing with the Los Angeles location, she settled on a new five-year contract with the New York location. Unlike before, she had multiple vacation days throughout the year, travel and hotel expenses covered, and she even got to keep the salary increase.
All that she did without anyone’s help and I was fucking proud of her for it. So proud that I forced her to take the weekend off so we could celebrate and focus on what was ahead.
Or well, the chessboard sitting on the table in front of us.
“Make your move, Princess.” I smirked, moving my bishop two spots diagonally toward her king.
My gaze drifted from the board to her as the sun shined over her face, illuminating those emerald eyes. The breeze kicked in, blowing the flora scent of Summer, along with Karina’s fruity perfume, my way.
“You think you’re going to win?” she said in a smug tone. Her eyes looked up at me, her finger tapping lightly against the table.
I didn’t think so. I knew I would. Karina only had three moves left and the way she had ignored all the moves she could have made with her most powerful piece, the queen, had me sure she planned to do that again.
“I thought you knew how to play,” I teased, sticking my tongue out at her.
Her smile dropped as she held her hand up and gave me the finger. “I do.”
“Really? Because it looks like you’re about to lose.”
“Can we continue with our questions?”
With a grin, I nodded, watching as she moved her queen once more on the board. “Let’s see... I know your family, friends, occupation, what you’re allergic to, and your dream job.”
“That already sounds like a lot,” she said.
“You also hate when I call you princess, and your favorite color is pink, black, and white.”
“All true,” she confirmed.
I tapped my finger against my knight and moved it. “Is your mom really in Thailand on vacation?”
Her shoulders slumped. I glanced over at her as she looked up at me and shook her head. “She’s with her new husband in Australia. That’s why my dad left everything to my brother and me.”
I had a feeling it was something along those lines, but Mr. Vasiliev always kept that information to himself and I never wanted to ask. Though, I felt bad for asking her. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. We talk every once in a while.” She shrugged. “She hopes to meet you one day.”
I raised an eyebrow with a smile. “Oh, you told her about me?”
“I told her my father’s bodyguard appointed himself my protector unless you wanted me to say something else.”
“I’m the family bodyguard. Not your protector,” I corrected her.
“I’m sorry. I meant my pet.”
I chuckled. “So, where’d you grow up?”
“At the academy, my brother goes to and when I graduated, I went into modeling.”
“Because you never wanted to follow in your dad’s shoes.” Leaning back in my chair, I kept my gaze on her. “But why?”
“Hotels and Casinos were his things. He wanted everyone to be at home somewhere. I want others to feel confident.” She shrugged, lowering her eyes to the board. “I model because it makes me feel great about myself and I want to bring that to others, which is why I want to make clothes one day, make them feel beautiful because not all fashion designers do that. They have a specific focus for certain girls, not all.”
I smiled at her words. Just like her father, she cared about others, not money.
“What if I told you all of that was possible and you wouldn’t worry about your father’s company because he had someone else in mind?”
“Who else would except for Balthazar?” She looked up at me and raised an eyebrow.
“A temporary substitute.”
“You?”
I shook my head. No way in hell was I going to take over. I knew nothing about handling a company. I barely knew how to run the chain. The person her dad had in mind was well suited for the job. They had experience in a hotel setting and worked at one.
“No.”
“Is it Cole?”
I scoffed. Sure, Cole owned Club Gravity, but he had other things to take care of. He wasn’t solely focused on one career like her father was. A job like Mr. Vasiliev’s needed one’s full attention. “No, Cole isn’t capable of taking over.”
“Then who else is there if it’s not you?”
I laughed at her persistence, shaking my head once again. “Your dad was adamant about keeping the business in the family.”
Karina shifted her body and glanced back down at the chessboard as she moved one of her other pieces. “You could be family.”
“I could, as long as you don’t think I’m still like Mr. Prince.”
Karina blinked twice, though it seemed the thought clicked in her mind as she shook her head. “No, definitely not. You pretend to be sometimes and keep things hidden, but you have your reason, and you at least plan on telling me about them.”
“As long as you know that, we’ll be fine.” I smiled.
“There’s a we?”
“Yeah…” I moved one of my knight’s forward on the board. “At least I’m hoping there will be.”
Karina chuckled, looking up at me. “A queen never makes the first move.”
She was referring to chess. The thought alone brought a smile to my lips. I reached over the table and kissed her. “No, but a pawn usually does.”
“I guess that’s true, but… a queen always wins.” Karina grinned as if she knew some little secret I didn’t. “Checkmate.”
Checkmate?
Drifting my attention to the checkerboard, I noticed her finger picking up my king from its spot. My eyes flickered around over the placemat, searching for an answer as to how the hell she captured me without me noticing.
“You’re distracted.” She grinned. “Paying too much attention to the moves I had already made. You failed to realize I was doing them on purpose.”
I scoffed as a smile crept over my lips. So, she used the same move her father used on me once or twice. I applauded her. “Alright, you won. What’s your prize?”
“Well, we’re already on that first date you promised.”
“You consider this our date?”
“Is it not?” She asked.
It definitely wasn’t. The game was a distraction from what I had planned later in the day. Though, I supposed the chess game counted. “So, what else do you want?”
“More of these.” She shrugged.
“More of what?” I asked for clarification.
“Us, together… doing anything, really.”
“You’re not going to get rid of me, Karina.” A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. “We’re stuck together until you want to fire me.”
“I don’t want you to just be my bodyguard.” The serious look in her eyes told me everything.
Karina wanted more than the relationship we had. She wanted something more intimate, personal. And although I still believed trouble would find her because of who I was, who she was, and my line of work; I planned to keep her safe.
“Don’t you think it’s a little too soon to get married?” I teased.
She rolled her eyes with a smile. “You know that’s not what I mean.”
“Yeah, yeah. You want to date, have a relationship.” I nodded with a shrug, playfully. “Be together, boyfriend and girlfriend—me as yours, you as mine.”
And somehow, that thought brought a flash of various fantasies. They all ranged from sweet to sexual. I hadn’t realized my eyes traveled down her body until I was staring directly at her chest. Noticing, she reached up, touching the skin just above her breast.
I leaned back, resting my arm on the table. “Now you’re teasing me.”
“It’s not teasing when we both know you can have me whenever you want.” She slowly undid the buttons on her shirt, my eyes following each move.
“And if I said I wanted you right here and now outside in the backyard where others can see?” I raised an eyebrow at her, making her stop. She stared back at me, silent with hungry eyes.
I pushed the chair back and got up. Reaching for her, she took my hand and did the same. She leaned over the table and grabbed my tie, pulling me into a kiss.
“I’d say what’s stopping you.” She grinned, hauling me into the house.
