Tempted at Midnight

by Cheris Hodges

  It was a fucking headache.

  “Erik, are you listening to me?” Logan’s voice forced him to look up from his papers and focus on the phone call.

  “Sorry, I was catching up on some reading. What did you say?”

  “Man, you’re already letting it consume you.” Erik could hear the judgment in his brother’s voice. “Maybe allowing some of those French investors to come in and take the pressure off would be a good thing.”

  “What do you know about that? Having even one percent of this company owned by someone who doesn’t care about this community or the history of this company is unacceptable.”

  “Now you’re starting to sound like Simon. How much do you think he worried about the community and family legacy when he was stealing from JI? Maybe it’s time do things a new way. You have the power to make that change.”

  “And I have the power to prove Simon wrong, but keep a legacy for our future kids—your future kids.”

  “What’s that our about?” Logan chuckled. “I know damn well you didn’t fall in love with that model and now you’re thinking about a family. Or did you find out that you have a teenager in California or something?”

  “Hell no. You’re the one who’s getting married, and despite what Dad did, this is our legacy.”

  Logan scoffed. “Some legacy. It’s time for you to get your own legacy and stop trying to make Dad’s dreams fit your feet.”

  “As much as I know you hate Jordan Industries, I don’t hate what it represents to so many women who have been told they’re not beautiful or that they have to conform to someone else’s idea of beauty.” Sylvie flashed in his mind. She’d been wearing the faintest amount of foundation because she wasn’t trying to hide. It wasn’t as if there had been many flaws for her to cover up.

  Wait. Why was he thinking about this woman? A woman who obviously had no problem forgetting him. She didn’t even give him the “Darling Nikki” treatment, because she didn’t leave a number at all. Thank you for a funky time, indeed.

  “Olivia and I are having a small dinner tonight with her family, and you have to represent the sane side of the Jordan clan, so get your shit together and meet us at Modele’s by seven. Be ready to get hugged to death by Mrs. B.”

  “As long as there isn’t going to be one of Olivia’s cousins sitting there thinking I’m her date for the evening.”

  Logan snorted. “We’ve given up matchmaking. You’re a hopeless case, and it seems you’re about to be married to your job anyway.”

  “And if you want to see me at seven, you better let me get something done in the next few hours.”

  “Don’t be late. Mrs. B is already feeling some kind of way about our family issues as it is.”

  Erik sighed but didn’t tell Logan about his attempt to reach out to their mother earlier in the afternoon, only to be sent straight to voicemail. He knew she’d been screening her calls, but he didn’t know if it was because she wanted to keep the peace with their father or if she was actually on Simon’s side.

  “I’ll be there.” After hanging up with his brother, Erik dove back into the reports. Then he found himself thinking about New Year’s Eve again and that kiss. That woman’s mouth was magical. And that tongue. The way she licked him like a lollypop made his knees quake just thinking about it. Too bad he’d never see her again. Now, he just needed to get his dick to realize that.

  His electronic calendar chimed, alerting him to a meeting. Erik grabbed his phone and sighed. That stupid redesign. He tossed his phone across his desk and dug out the cost report on his father’s vanity project.

  If he had his way, he’d cancel it. The last thing they needed right now was attention. But there was going to be a spread in a national magazine about the family company. JI’s amazing PR division had told him the article could be his coming-out party as the CEO of Jordan Industries, and they could use the interview as a chance to control the narrative about Simon’s arrest and why Erik was going to be the savior of the company.

  Rising to his feet and crossing the room, Erik still wasn’t sure he wanted to take this mantle. But he didn’t have much of a choice.

  * * *

  Olivia shook her head as she sipped her coffee and listened to Sylvia tell her story about the man she’d left the party with.

  “You are too much,” Liv said as she set her coffee mug on the table in Sylvie’s makeshift home office. “First of all, you just decided that you were going to kiss a stranger. Then you went to his hotel room and had sex with him.”

  Sylvie nodded and glanced at her sketch. “I was caught up in the moment.”

  “But you left him a note on the mirror in lipstick? Why?”

  She shrugged. “The moment passed. You know what these last few months have been like for me. I needed a release and he was just what the doctor ordered and more.”

  “Then why didn’t you exchange phone numbers? Get to know him and . . .”

  Sylvie threw her hand up. “Slow down. We all don’t get to find Prince Charming and travel the world with him.”

  Liv glanced down at her five-carat diamond and sapphire engagement ring. “He is charming, sweet and . . .”

  “The last of his kind,” Sylvie muttered as she drew a line on her sketch of the Jordan Industries lobby. “Do you think LJ would donate a painting to my new project?”

  Olivia shook her head furiously. “Nope. He wouldn’t even sell you one.”

  “Why?”

  Liv sighed. “Ask him.”

  Sylvie shook her head. “Sounds like drama, and you know I’m drama-averse. But I think it would make my stock shoot up like a bamboo tree!”

  Liv shook her head. “You’re really close to being someone who uses people. Logan doesn’t want anything to do with those people and I’m not mad at him.”

  Sylvie looked up from her sketchbook. “Is there something I should know about these people before I cash my check and commit the next six weeks of my life to them?”

  Liv sighed and took a sip of her coffee. “Logan’s last name is Jordan.”

  Sylvie shrugged, and then the realization of what her friend said hit her like a ton of bricks. “As in, he’s a part of the Jordan dynasty? How could you not tell me this?”

  “Have you noticed that Logan doesn’t have anything to do with his family or his last name? There’s a lot of bad blood there, and I haven’t even met his parents. It wasn’t something that I thought was important to mention.”

  Sylvie raised her right eyebrow. “And you’re cool with that?”

  Olivia nodded. “From the way he talks about his father, I think I’m dodging a bullet.”

  “Then I guess you don’t know what’s going on with the company, then?”

  Olivia shook her head, then picked up her coffee mug. “Logan is on the board, but he allows his brother to make all of the decisions. I meant to introduce you two last night, but I guess both of you decided to leave early. Workaholics.”

  “Technically, I wasn’t working, I was working it.” Sylvie gyrated her hips as if she were a video vixen.

  “Please tell me those were not the moves you put on Mr. Midnight. That man was probably happy to wake up alone.”

  Sylvie tossed a pencil at her friend. “Don’t be jealous of my boogie.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes. “Honey, I got my own moves. Logan is totally satisfied.” She glanced at her watch. “Speaking of Logan, we’re having dinner with my family. You should come.”

  Sylvie shook her head. “As much as I love Mama B’s collard greens and black-eyed peas, I have to make sure my proposal and designs are on point for my meeting next week.”

  “Have I told you how proud of you I am? You’re really doing the damn thing, despite everything your old partner put you through.”

  “Please, don’t remind me. I wish I had three days to sleep.” Sylvie dropped down in her leather desk chair.

  “Now, don’t kill yourself trying to write your name in history.” Olivia walked over to her friend�
�s desk and closed Sylvie’s sketchbook. “You can take a break.”

  “This is a make-or-break moment for me. Failure isn’t an option.”

  “And dying to prove the world wrong isn’t an option either. Get some rest and call your mother.”

  “She and Vernon are spending the rest of the holidays in Alaska on a cruise. Who does that?” Sylvia laughed. “When I think of a cruise, I want sun and sandy beaches. She and Stepdad are out looking for polar bears and icebergs.”

  “Your mom and mine are the last of a special breed. I wonder what she’d think about how you rang in the New Year?”

  “Get out!” Sylvie quipped. “Because if she finds out, I’m wearing a hot-pink pantsuit to your wedding.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes and headed to the door. Pink was one of her least favorite colors and if anyone knew that, it was Sylvie—even if she’d tried to incorporate pink into the redesign of her townhouse.

  Once she was alone, Sylvia glanced out of the window, thinking about the enormity of this Jordan Industries project. What if she failed? What if people hated what she designed and her company went down in flames?

  Suppose Amanda was right and SGD was too much about Sylvia and not enough about the clients, and she was destined to fail? Nah. Amanda was just a small-minded hater, and this project was going to prove her wrong. Sleep could wait.

  She opened her sketch pad and started drawing again.

  Chapter 3

  The only thing Erik realized he missed about the holidays was a plate full of steaming collard greens. Thank God for Mrs. B and her cooking. He dug into his third plate of greens and corn-bread as everyone around him chattered and talked about the upcoming wedding.

  Erik had told Logan all he needed to do was tell him where he needed to be on his wedding day and he’d be there. All of this other talk about venues, colors, and the like just went over his head. Not that he was against marriage or didn’t share in Olivia and Logan’s happiness; his mind was just on work. When he’d finally read all of the financial reports, he knew that Jordan Industries was in more trouble than anyone knew. There had been two sets of books and both of them were in the red.

  When the stockholders found out the truth, heads were going to roll. Erik knew he’d have to share all of the evidence the SEC had against Simon and answer a lot of uncomfortable questions. The stockholders had a lot of money invested in the company and would be justified in any anger they displayed.

  He also needed to call a meeting with his legal team to see how they could make sure that this investigation focused solely on his father.

  Then he wanted to see if he could get an outside agency to do a parallel investigation to make sure his father was the only one involved in stealing from the company. Specifically, he wanted to make sure his mother wouldn’t end up in a women’s prison somewhere. She couldn’t be in on her husband’s scheme.

  “Erik, are you okay?” Mrs. B asked when she noticed the pensive look in his eyes and that he’d stopped eating.

  “Oh, yes, ma’am. I think I may have overdone it on dinner.” He wiped his mouth, then smiled at the older woman. He could see where Olivia got her beauty and heart. Mrs. B was like an angel who could give Bobby Flay and Devon Harris a run for their money in a kitchen, on or off the Food Network. She greeted everyone with a hug or a kiss on the cheek. After not seeing his mother over the holidays, Erik was surprised by how touched he was by Mrs. B’s kindness today. He and his mother had a close relationship that he often took for granted. She’d been the one who took the brunt of his father’s anger whenever Erik did something that pissed the old man off.

  Back in the day, it could’ve been something as simple as breathing. Luckily, Erik had brought in a lot of money with his creativity in the lab. He thought his dad had finally learned to respect him. Clearly, he was wrong.

  She patted the back of his hand and smiled. “Are you ready to be the man at Jordan Industries now? I hope you’ll bring my favorite lipstick back.”

  Why did she have to say lipstick? Erik smiled despite himself. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  She gave him a warm smile. “You can always take some greens home with you. I know you don’t have a lot of time to cook some good food.”

  “Mrs. B, I don’t cook at all. You are a lifesaver.”

  Logan tossed a napkin at his brother. “You’re going to act like you don’t have a cook?”

  Erik rolled his eyes at his brother. “Had a cook. She got the idea that we were starring in a romantic comedy that would end up with us getting married.”

  The table went silent and everyone looked at Erik, silently begging him to tell them more. Logan knew the whole story and watched his brother squirm.

  “Well, Erik, you’re just going to have to stop being so charming and settle down,” Mrs. B said with a low chuckle.

  He took a quick sip of his iced tea and wished it were whiskey. Here it goes, he thought. “Mrs. B, that isn’t an option for me right now. I’m about to settle into this job right now.”

  Logan rolled his eyes at his brother. “He’s a lost cause. I’m just hopeful that he doesn’t let Jordan Industries consume his life.”

  “How about we change the subject to that cake over there?” Erik nodded toward Mrs. B’s famous sour cream pound cake.

  Olivia winked at her future brother-in-law. “Good save!”

  After a few more hours of good conversation and even better food, Erik reluctantly headed back to the office to see what he had on his plate for Monday morning. When he saw the first thing on his list was a meeting with the interior decorator, he immediately palmed it off to his assistant—well, his father’s assistant. Hell, he was still trying to wrap his mind around being the CEO of Jordan Industries.

  One thing he wasn’t going to get too involved in was this redesign. Sure, he’d do the article, but he wasn’t going to be involved in picking out samples and colors for the wall.

  He was about to send an email when the office phone rang. Who knew he was there and why were they calling the office and not his cell?

  Erik started to ignore the phone, but then noticed the call was from his parents’ home.

  “Erik Jordan.”

  “Should’ve known your backstabbing ass would be sitting in my office as if you belong there.”

  Erik gritted his teeth. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?”

  “I’ll be damned if I allow you to call yourself taking my company. I’ll burn it to the ground before I let you or the board force me out.”

  “Dad, you did this to yourself. If you loved the company so much, why were you robbing it blind?”

  “Boy! You aren’t so grown that you can question me about what I do. I built this company and—”

  “What you did was illegal. And why?”

  The dial tone sounded in his ear. Erik closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose. His mind went back to the last time he walked into this office late at night.

  The whirl of the paper shredder filled the air in the empty offices of Jordan Industries.

  Simon Jordan knew his misdeeds were going to be the topic of discussion at the board meeting, but he’d like to see those smug bastards prove anything without evidence.

  “All they have to do is agree to the sale,” he muttered as he loaded more financial documents into the shredder. Suddenly, the door swung open with a violent force. Erik Jordan glared at his father.

  “What in the hell are you doing, Dad?”

  Simon returned his son’s hard stare. “This is none of your concern. You just walk out that door and go home.”

  Erik crossed over to the documents lining his father’s desk. “What are you trying to hide?” He picked up a stack of tax records.

  “You’re my son, you should—”

  “I’m also a board member, and if I haven’t learned anything else from you, I’ve learned this company comes first.”

  Simon snatched the files from Erik. “You selfish son of a bitch. I bu
ilt this company, gave you a sandlot to play in. You need to get the board to agree to this sale and—”

  “I need to call the SEC.” Erik walked over to the shredder and shut it off. “This is fraud and you’re not going to get away with this.”

  “Who’s going to stop me? You?” Simon laughed.

  Two police officers walked in and Erik nodded toward his father.

  “Simon Jordan,” the taller officer said. “You’re under arrest.”

  Erik had no warm feelings watching his father being cuffed and led out of the office. Part of him had hoped he’d been wrong about his father. He would’ve rather found his father having a torrid affair or anything but the financial malfeasance the board had suspected him of.

  When Erik hired a forensic accountant to see if there had been any wrongdoing, he had been disheartened to find proof of his father’s embezzlement. Erik made sure there were no media trucks around when his father was arrested. He didn’t want the media storm to start immediately. But it wouldn’t be long before Jordan Industries made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

  There was no doubt in his mind that the time for reckoning was upon them.

  * * *

  Sylvie woke up with a start, thinking that she was late for her meeting. It would’ve served her right since she’d spent her nap dreaming of Erik and that kiss. And everything that happened after that kiss. Why was she acting as if she hadn’t been horny before? And the sex had been amazing, but she couldn’t lose focus on her main goal, growing her business.

  It wouldn’t be a lie to say that Sylvie wanted to fall in love, but she stopped believing fairy tales were her thing when she realized that Cinderella was really a story about the right shoes changing a woman’s attitude. Prince Charming was totally overrated.

  But that didn’t make her want one any less. For now, she’d settle for a thriving business and veggie burger. Glancing at the clock on her computer, she saw that it was just a few minutes after ten. She could calm down and get something to eat, and then obsess over her meeting at Jordan Industries.