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involved she was with the Coalition, how many years she'd been working for them. Was she doing it for the money or was she committed to their cause? If it was money, he could offer her twice what they were paying her. If it was a true commitment on her part, then he might be screwed. Unless he could charm her into helping him, regardless of her loyalty to an unjust cause. Women had been known to betray their families, their countries, their own valued principles, all for love. Could he seduce Mariah into thinking she was in love with him? He didn't have much time. He needed to put a plan into motion immediately.
    "Dr. Brooks?" Jake called her name softly, but when she didn't respond, he said it a bit louder the second time. He could barely make out her dark form moving beneath the covers, but when she turned over, he felt certain she was looking his way.
    "Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice sleep-husky.
    "I've got a cramp in my arm," he admitted honestly. "Would you mind removing the handcuff for a few minutes?"
    "All right." As soon as she rolled out of bed, she flipped on the bedside lamp, lighting the room with a forty-watt creamy white glow.
    He watched her as she got to her feet—long slender feet, with red toenails. Red toenails! Now wasn't that interesting? Dr. Brooks's fingernails were short and sported clear polish. Neat, professional, boring. But her toenails were fire-engine red. Bright, sexy, ultrafeminine. And exciting.
    She retrieved the key for the handcuffs, then approached his bed. He looked up at her and smiled. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're awfully pretty when you first wake up?"
    Narrowing her gaze to slits, she glowered at him as she reached down, unlocked the handcuffs, removed one cuff from the bedpost and then pulled the other cuff from his wrist. He dropped his arm and sighed dramatically while he rubbed his arm from wrist to elbow.
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    "I don't know what sort of game you think you're playing," she said, "but I advise you to forget it."
    As she turned to walk away, he reached out, grabbed her arm and dragged her down until she toppled over on top of him. He wasn't quite sure what to expect, didn't know if she'd slap him, just jump up to get away from him or verbally reprimand him again. She surprised him by sliding off him and onto her side, then she stared deeply into his eyes.
    Those sky-blue eyes of hers appeared twice as bright, twice as sparkling, against the golden glow of her dark complexion. In that one instant of complete stillness, Jake slid his arm around her. She didn't move, didn't respond, and he realized she was holding her breath.
    He caressed her neck with his fingertips. "Do you play chess, Marian?"
    She shook her head, tossing her thick black hair ever so slightly from side to side. "I jog, I play tennis, I work out at the gym. As far as games go, I haven't played any since I was a kid. Checkers and jacks were my favorites."
    He continued caressing her, allowing his fingers to linger over her earlobe a few minutes before forking them through her hair. "In chess, each player's goal is to attack the enemy's king in such a way that the king can't escape.
    It's a game of wits. You must learn to not only evaluate your own moves, but you must anticipate your opponent's next move."
    "Does chess have anything to do with the game you're trying to play with me?" A shiver rippled through her when he cupped the back of her head and brought his mouth within a hairbreadth of hers.
    "What do you think?"
    "I think you should release me and go back to sleep. I plan to start our first session fairly early in the morning."
    "Why don't we start now?" Before she had a chance to respond, he lowered his mouth and kissed her. Gently.
    Sweetly. Being careful not to seem too aggressive. For a split second she responded, giving herself over to the moment, but then she ended things. Abruptly. Withdrawing quickly, she