Caught in the Middle

Chapter 13

When we got back to Dane's penthouse, I took off my shoes and sat on the couch while resting my head on one of the couch cushions.  I heard his footsteps moving from the kitchen to his room.

I closed my eyes, inhaled and exhaled a breath as I let Dane's words wash over me.  Apparently, he felt guilty for Elisa's death and he had been walking with the guilt ever since.  The constant battles between Nathan and him were the bitterness left after Elisa's death.  But it was surprising that Dane didn't stand back and let Nathan conquer him in the financial department due to his remorse.  Dane conquered the fashion industries and he was making a vast fortune to rival Nathan's wealth.

"Do you want pizza or Chinese food?" Dane questioned me.  He broke me from my thoughts as I raised my head and blinked my eyes at him.

"Chinese food sounds good for a late dinner," I answered him. 

"Any favorites?"

"Beef with broccoli and white rice, please," I said while smiling cheeky at him.

He returned my smile with a breath taking one.

I bent my head so my long hair covered the blush that was tainting my cheeks. 

He took out his cell phone, dialed the numbers and waited for someone to answer his call.  I walked by the bookshelves next to his large flat screen television.  I skimmed through the books until my pointer finger fell on one.

"The secret logic to winning chess," I read the title out loud.  I pulled the book from the shelf and opened it.  Immediately, the first page showed many different chess pieces.  I stared at each picture and briefly read how each piece moved on the chessboard.  Childhood memories rushed through me as I use to practice playing the game.  I was once the second best female to play a game of chess in my fourth grade class because I practiced playing it a lot on the computer. 

"The queen is consider to be the most powerful piece on the board," Dane said as he startled me.  I almost dropped the book from my hand.  I peered next to me to see Dane hovering beside me.  His attention was on the book as he stood tall.  His hands folded behind his back.

"Yeah, but the king is the most important one," I replied.  "Without him, there is no game."

Dane chuckled and shivers went down my spine. "True, however, the other pieces protect the king.  If he doesn't have them then he's no better than a sitting duck."

"You may have a point, but chess is more than having the right pieces.  It's about having the right strategies to defeat your opponent."

He smirked as he moved closer to me.  "Which piece is your favorite one?"

"Hmm... I will say the rook because it's power is similar to the queen."  I titled my head to look up at him and my breath hitched.  His face was hovering a few inches away from mine.  His breath wafted over my cheeks.  My heart skipped a beat.  "What about you?"

"I will say...." He stepped back and a moan of protest almost escaped my parted lips.  "Perhaps the pawn."

My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "The pawn is the weakest piece on the board, isn't it?"

His lips twisted in a seductive smile and I felt my legs turn into jelly.  "The pawn is very deceiving.  It's merely overlooked due to the fact that there are eight of them on the chessboard.  Nonetheless, it's the pawn that can transform into any piece on the chessboard once it reaches the other side and that's what makes the pawn the most powerful one in the game."  

"I never thought about chess that way."

"It doesn't only go with chess, this goes with life as well.  Know exactly what you're doing by knowing your objectives and you will gain what you want."