Her eyes darted from left to right as she twisted her hair around her finger in uppermost concentration. Every figurine was carefully inspected and possible routes were composed. At last, when her eyes lit up and her lips curled up in such devious smirk, shivers were sent up his spine. Keeping his face straight, he cleared his throat.
"Your demise is near, my friend." She mused, slowly dragging her queen across the board. "Check," she added.
"I shall never surrender," he reminded her with a similar smile while his knight pulverized her queen. She gasped.
"You just didn't!"
"Everything is permitted in cases of love and war," he declared. Resting her chin on her hands, she reconsidered all her options again. The queen had been her last hope and judging by her opponents face, she wasn't the only one aware of this.
"It's your turn, honey," Vaughn insisted. Chelsea pursed her lips as her eyes wandered from the board to her opponent.
"You can always admit your defeat if you don't see any other way out." Her eyes narrowed as she shoved her bishop to the offensive lines of the battlefield. He wiped the grin off his face and stared concentrated at the black-and-white figurines. Then he moved his queen to his upper right. Gauging her reaction he looked up at her. Blank-faced, she looked back. Vaughn put on his own poker face.
"There is something I have to tell you," he said, "And you're not going to like it." He cleared his throat.
"Checkmate!" He jumped off his seat, threw his arms up in the air in victory and resisted the urge to make a little dance. The brunette on the other side of the board, however, wasn't as amused. In a fluid motion she jumped off her chair and pounced the euphoric cowboy, straddling him and pinning him down.
"Wasn't everything permitted in cases of love and war?" She managed to choke out, out of breath. She grinned and started a tickle-assault. She tickled his sides, his chest and his stomach while the cowboy, a little less victorious than a few moments earlier, let out cries of laughter.
"Have mercy!" He laughed. She pinned his hands down again, grinning, but with a blush on her face.
"Are you admitting your defeat?" Vaughn made a funny face at her remark.
"I shall never surrender," he repeated, "Especially because it's kind of exciting being pinned down by such a pretty lady," he snickered.
Two days later, the evidence of their little chess game was still visible on Vaughn's cheek.
Yes, Chelsea slapped him. Poor thing.
Please review, or you will share Vaughn's fate!