thevirginchronicles by Jennifer Willows Read Free Book Online Page A

to ride with me today." He didn't want to spend extra time riding alone when they could ride together and those minutes could be spent with her.
     
    Jennifer looked pensive and he knew that she was unsure if she wanted to let it all hang out at work yet. His eyes were drawn to her as she walked through the double doors to the bright afternoon sunlight and slipped on her large frame designer shades. She let him drive her without complaint in his rented Jeep just around the corner to the mall. Finding a spot by the door, Riordan parked and opened Jennifer's door to escort her out.
     
    Riordan found the atmosphere cramped and had a few more occupants than he personally preferred. Although the dining wasn't as private as he wanted, the wait staff was polite, well trained and the small dining room was practically empty for the early lunch hour. This time the couple shared a carafe of hot sake and dynamite rolls, deep fried rolls still blew Jen's diet sky high despite her good intentions when she ordered a cucumber roll and seaweed salad. But he couldn’t resist offering her a bite of his lunch between two bamboo chopsticks and when it was all said and done she didn’t even touch her bland meal. Their conversation was scintillating as always and he spent the entire time learning more about the new object of his desires. After a decent meal and an even better tete-a-tete, their two purloined hours were coming to a close. They went back to work the same way they left.
     
    When they made it back to the building, most of the classmates were back. But most were distracted, texting or face booking, some doing both at the same time while playing a game. Only one person was potentially alert enough to notice how they came in together. Jennifer had a flush to her cheeks paired with lightly bruised lips, and Riordan bore a hint of her usual shade of lipstick smudged to the left side of his jaw, unnoticed until he glanced in the blank black computer screen at his seat. The rest of the afternoon longing looks passed between the two, the brief glances felt all the more potent for being hidden and furtive.           
     
    Riordan was at her house by six that night, and as he promised earlier brought dinner. His plan for the night was a bit of relaxation and as much fun as he could pack into the short window of time they would have tonight. He picked up Indian food, Chicken Tikki Masala and Chili Chicken with extra naan bread. Lots of sticky basmati rice and samosas made an excellent picnic spread on the floor. Both of them were positioned Grecian style and lay on their sides facing. In between them rested a chess board and plates of the forgotten spicy meal.
     
    For whatever reason, when he saw the marble board tucked away on a bookshelf, he wanted to play with her. If she didn't know how he could teach her. So he asked, without many expectations and was pleasantly surprised by her response.
     
    "Do you play Jennifer?" She looked confused for a moment, as she was pulling plates out of the cabinets when he initially asked. When he saw her confusion, a perplexed look in her eyes, he made himself clearer.
     
    "Chess, do you play?"
     
    "Yes of course. Why have a board if I can't play?"
     
    Riordan laughed at that, usually the nicest sets were owned as decoration only and finding another player was rare. Outside of the internet that is. "I’m just asking if you want to play a game."
     
    "Alright, but bear in mind I'm rusty."
     
    "That’s fine, I am a bit myself."
     
    With those words, battle lines were drawn. The meal they ate was delightful, food spicy and rich. However, with board between them, the affable duo became opponents in a war. They flipped a quarter to see who would play which color. After that point it was on like Donkey Kong.
     
    The gameplay went on for nearly two deadlocked hours, as they talked and ate pinches of this and that between moves. When they lost the desire to eat anymore, the nearly empty plates