Late Nights

by Marie Rochelle

  Chapter Fifteen

  Where has the time gone? Sasha thought as she stood on her front porch with Sterling. She hated that their date was already over and she was back home. She could have spent another three hours in his company and still been able to get up early for work tomorrow. This was truly the best date she ever had in her entire life.

  “What time do you want me to pick you up for our date tomorrow?” Sterling asked, resting his shoulder against the doorframe while she unlocked the door.

  Don’t jump at the chance for a second date. Make him work for it a little.

  “I don’t recall agreeing to a second date with you,” Sasha teased as she took her key out of the door, sliding it back inside her purse.

  “You know you want a second date as badly as I do.” Leaning into her, Sterling captured her lips with his in a soft, slow kiss.

  Moaning softly, Sasha wrapped her arms around Sterling’s shoulders, tugging him closer to her body. He tasted like a wonderful mixture of brandy and chocolate from the slice of cake they shared after dinner.

  Grabbing her by the hips, Sterling held her against him and she felt the heat from his cock against the front of her dress. He was rock hard and wasn’t trying to hide his reaction from her. No, she had to stop this before things got out of hand.

  She wasn’t going to give it away on the first date, not even to Sterling. She seldom kissed guys goodbye on first dates and now here she was underneath her porch light, making out for the entire neighborhood to see.

  Placing her hands on the center of Sterling’s hard chest, Sasha pushed him away from her. “No…we can’t do this,” she gasped, trying to regain her breath. “I need to get inside and you have to leave.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Sterling whispered against the side of her neck as his hands roamed up and down her back, really tempting her to change her mind. “I would love to come inside for a drink or anything else you might have in mind. Don’t you want to offer me something to drink? I promise I will be a very good boy if you do.”

  Yes! Her mind screamed. Sasha shoved down her burning need to act on it. Few men respected a woman who gave away her goodies on the first date. She had learned that good piece of advice from watching The Steve Harvey Show. They wanted the challenge of working for it a little.

  “No, I really can’t. I have to get up early for work. My boss can be a real pain in the ass if I even show up five minutes late.” Reaching behind her, Sasha turned the doorknob and pushed open the door.

  “Can’t I change your mind?” Sterling asked, running his index finger over her bottom lip, making her pulse race. “I only want a few more kisses and then I swear I will leave. However, if you are serious about me leaving, you have to give me something to take home. I need more to dream about when I’m alone in bed later.”

  “Yes, I’m sure I have to turn you down as much as it hurts me to do it.” Wrapping her fingers around Sterling’s wrist, Sasha eased his finger away from her mouth.

  God, Sterling had a charm about him that constantly drew her in every single time, but she would fight it tonight. He had to be kept wanting more or, like most men, he would lose interest fast.

  “If I give in now, what do you have to look forward to later on? Just think about how much more intense it will be if we wait just a little while.”

  A faintly eager look flashed in Sterling’s eyes, mingled with a spark of some indefinable emotion. Taking a step back from her, he shoved his big hands into the front pockets of his slacks, drawing her eyes down to the huge bulge there.

  “Do you know what you’re sending me home to?” he asked softly. “I never thought of you as a cruel woman, but what you’re a doing is borderline torture.”

  Great! What kind of game was he going to play with her now? She was already having a hard time not yanking him into her house so she could have her way with him. Whatever he told her, she had to stay strong.

  “No, I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure that you are going to tell me.” She couldn’t wait to find out what was going on inside of Sterling’s head.

  “Well, beautiful. You’re sending me home to a long, cold shower and then into a big, cold empty bed. Do you really want to do such a horrible thing to me?” He lowered his voice and took a step towards her. “I promise if you let me in I’ll show you for the rest of the night what a good decision you made.”

  Was Sterling actually trying to give her that line?

  He wasn’t going to spend the night in her bed, not after only one date. She had better get in of the house before he made her change her mind.

  “Sterling, I’m sure this isn’t the first time you went home in that condition. I know you will find a way to handle it on your own.” Sasha gave Sterling a quick kiss on the mouth before going into the house and closing the door behind her.

  She heard Sterling’s deep laughter through the door as she leaned her back against it. She wondered if she had made the right decision by sending him away. In the end, she couldn’t keep the grin from spreading across her face at how good her evening turned out with Sterling. Maybe she had done a good thing by listening to Akisha’s advice after all.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Moving away from the front door, Sasha kicked off her favorite pair of black Jimmy Choos before making her way into the kitchen for a warm glass of milk. Since she was so wired from her date, the warm milk would be the perfect thing to get her to sleep without any problems. It was something her mother always gave her as a little girl to help.

  Before getting her drink ready, she decided to stop at the CD player on the counter and pushed the play button. The smooth sound of Gerald Levert’s voice filled the room as she got everything together for her drink.

  Pouring the milk into a mug, Sasha placed it inside the microwave and turned it on just as the telephone rang. Thinking it might be Sterling calling to tell her good night, she rushed over to the kitchen table and picked up the cordless phone.

  “Hello,” she answered quickly.

  “How did your date go?” Akisha asked. “I debated if I should call you or not because I was worried I might be interrupting something and then I realized you don’t give away on the first date.”

  Sasha rolled her eyes as she hurried back over to the microwave for her late night drink. “What makes you think I didn’t invite Sterling inside for a night of hot sex? You don’t know me all that well.”

  Akisha’s sudden laughter surprised her. What’s so funny? She might have been in bed with Sterling right now and then her sister’s phone call would have really upset her.

  “Come on, before Rachelle lost her mind and fell in love with Cash you were the most prim and proper sister in the family. I know you’re attracted to Sterling, but not enough to end up in bed with him. You aren’t made like that at all.”

  Grabbing the mug out of the microwave, Sasha made her way over to the kitchen table and took a seat. “Sometimes, I really do hate how much of a know-it-all you are.”

  There was a short pause on the other end of the phone before Akisha finally answered her. “Sorry that the truth hurts,” her sister chuckled. “So, are you going to tell me what happened? You know that my love life is going nowhere. I have to live through my sisters. Give it up.”

  Sasha took a small sip of her milk to make sure it wasn’t too hot and relaxed in the kitchen chair. She shouldn’t tell Akisha anything at all, but she was the final push that made her go out with Sterling for their fabulous date.

  “I had a wonderful time,” Sasha gushed, remembering how good it felt to share the chocolate dessert with Sterling. Tonight turned out so much better than she ever thought it might have.

  “Girl, give me more details than you had a wonderful time. Did Sterling at least try to kiss you again? I know the two of you were making out in the office, but broke apart when I accidentally walked in on you.”

  Akisha wasn’t going to get any more out of her than what she had already told her. Her little sister wasn’t the one
who went out on a date with Sterling. She was, and she was going to keep the rest of the night to herself.

  “I’m not telling you anything else. Why don’t you ask Ethan out on a date? I don’t want you to give up on him. I think you and he would make the perfect couple.”

  Her sister groaned in her ear. “Haven’t we already discussed this? I’m not going into this again with you. Good night.” The phone hung up with a loud click.

  Looking at the phone in her hand, Sasha shook her head before placing it back on the table. She picked up her milk and took a, sip glad it was still a little warm. Akisha wasn’t going to get away with blowing her off, but she would give it a rest for now because she wanted to give all of her attention to her growing relationship with Sterling.

  He really showed her a different, more relaxed side of him tonight. She only hoped things would continue to get better between them. Secretly, Sasha wondered if he was at home thinking about her like she him. If not, what was he doing instead?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Turning off the shower, Sterling brushed his wet hair off his forehead, then opened the sliding door and grabbed a thick, dark blue towel off the sink. Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped it around his waist, then left the bathroom.

  He had hoped a cold shower would get his mind and body off Sasha, but she was there taunting him with the kiss they had shared. He was still having a hard time believing she sent him away. He was sure she was going to invite him to spend the night.

  His willpower had surprised the hell out of him, because he usually wasn’t a patient man on his best days.

  All during dinner the sight of Sasha in that dress had been torture, knowing he couldn’t touch her the way he wanted. She had made it so hard for him to concentrate on anything but her over dinner. The only thing he thought about while they were eating was finding a private place to get Sasha alone so he could show her how long he had wanted to be with her.

  Removing the towel from his waist, Sterling dried off his damp body then tossed the wet towel into the green clothes hamper by the door. He pulled back the crisp white sheets on his empty bed and got in between them.

  Sterling folded his hands behind his head and let his thoughts wander over his date with Sasha. Taking Holden’s advice had turned out so much better than he first believed it would. Everything with Sasha was so much better than he had ever hoped for.

  Once they had finished their dessert, on a whim, he suggested they go for a walk instead of him taking her straight back home and Sasha had instantly agreed.

  During their walk together, it suddenly hit him Sasha provided him with sustenance he wasn’t aware he lacked….love. In all of his forty-three years, he couldn’t ever recall a moment being so perfect in his life.

  Without even thinking about it, he reached for Sasha’s hand and she had taken it. Her soft fingers felt so good against his during their walk. She even opened up to him more, telling him her favorite memories for her childhood with her sisters.

  Hearing about how close knit Sasha’s family was made a tiny part of him long for something in his own past. Sasha, along with her bubbly personality, could give him everything now that unfortunately he missed out on growing up as a kid. After tonight he no longer doubted he might be lucky enough to have Sasha in his life permanently.

  The emotional support, the tender affection he secretly craved most of his adult life could be found with Sasha if he just got past the apprehension she still was feeling towards him.

  If that stupid misunderstanding hadn’t happened several days ago because of his knee jerk reaction, he could have his woman wrapped up in his arms right now, but he was all alone in his huge bed thinking about her instead.

  Why didn’t he think things out better before he acted on instinct?

  For a split second, the idea of calling Sasha crossed his mind, but Sterling decided not to do it. She was probably asleep since she was scheduled to be at work early tomorrow morning.

  How was he going to keep his hands off Sasha when they were in the same room? Before, he only dreamt about what it would be like to kiss, touch, and hold her, but now he knew how good her body felt against his. How could he keep his hands to himself all day at work?

  Hell! He could still taste her on his lips.

  For months and months, Sasha’s killer body, sweet smile, and alluring scent had given him countless hard-ons, leading to one cold shower after another, along with sleepless nights guessing how it would be to have her in his bed. After their explosive kiss at her front door, he made a vow to himself right then. He was going to do everything he could to put a ring on Sasha’s finger and make her his wife.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Early the next morning, Sasha stood beside Sterling’s desk, trying to find the file on the new employee she had given him last week. She needed to check his references again because something wasn’t adding up with him. He wasn’t acting like the person who presented himself in the interview.

  He went through the orientation two weeks ago with flying colors, but now he wasn’t doing anything right. She had to make sure he hadn’t lied about anything in his past and wasn’t completely honest with them. She would inform Sterling and let him handle the next cause of action involving Jeremy.

  It was part of her job to make sure all the newly hired employees followed the rules until their ninety-day probation ended. But today she was having a hard time getting any crucial work accomplished because her mind was still on her date with Sterling.

  Usually she had a list of things to go over with Sterling at least one a week, but she wasn’t at the top of her game this morning. None of that was going to happen if she didn’t get her head on straight.

  God, she couldn’t be this lovesick after only one date with him.

  She had gotten into a lonely and empty bed last night, thinking about Sterling’s hot kisses. She might have thought she made the wrong decision about sending him home, but she quickly got over it and forced her mind to think about something else.

  Yes, she had actually sent a gorgeous guy home instead of taking him to her bedroom. But her career came first and if she wasn’t able to do what he hired her to do, what would keep Sterling from getting rid of her and hiring someone else in her place?

  “I need to get busy and get my mind off of him,” Sasha whispered, searching Sterling’s desk again for the missing file.

  “I hope you are talking about me and not another man,” a deep male voice teased by her ear just before a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist.

  Sasha jumped and then glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes connected with Sterling’s blue ones and he winked at her. “Good morning, beautiful.”

  “God, you scared the hell out of me. I didn’t even know you were here yet,” she said, spinning about in his arms.

  “I decided to come in early because I was hoping you would already be here. I wanted to get some extra alone time with you,” Sterling told her. “I had gone by your office first, but it was empty so I came here.

  “Imagine the surprise I got when I opened the door and found you bent over my desk. I got all kinds of wicked ideas in my head. Do you want to act any of them out?” he asked, then planted a kiss on her neck.

  Sasha felt a tad bit uncomfortable with Sterling touching her so freely at work, even with his office door closed. What if another employee opened the door without knocking first? What would she have to say for herself? All of the employees knew that Sterling had strict rules about employees not dating each other and they were definitely breaking them.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t touch me like that when we are at work,” Sasha suggested, moving a couple of steps back from him. “I don’t want the other employees gossiping about me getting special treatment if they see us like this.”

  Smiling at her, Sterling brushed the back of his hand down her cheek. “Baby, you are special to me. I don’t care if the other employees see me showing you attention.”

  “Sterling─”
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  “However, I understand your concerns,” he said, cutting her off, “and I’ll try my best to keep my hands to myself while we are at work. But once you’re off the clock, I’m not going to pretend that I don’t find you very attractive.” Sterling took a step back from her, but he was still close enough that she could feel his body heat.

  “Since we’re the only two people working today, how about we get some breakfast at the diner a few blocks from here?” he suggested.

  Frowning, Sasha stared at Sterling. “Why are we the only two working today? It isn’t a holiday. Saturdays are usually your busiest day of the week. There is no way you would close the store today.”

  “I left a note on the time clock yesterday after you left work, telling everyone to take today off because Monday was a holiday. I wanted them to spend some extra time with their families. I thought this would give us some time alone. That’s why I was coming on to you a few minutes ago. I knew no one was going to interrupt us.”

  Sasha didn’t know what to think about Sterling giving everyone the day off. She should have been told about this. She could have worked the extra hours at Luxury, getting everything ready for Rachelle’s return in a few days.

  “You should have told me about this,” she said. “I mean, it would have been nice to at least know about it.”

  Wrapping his hand around her arm, Sterling gently pulled her back against him. “Why don’t we stop talking about work? We have something else more important to discuss, don’t you think?”

  “What is it you think we need to talk about?”

  “I loved the time we spent together last night. Didn’t you? I was up most of the night because I couldn’t sleep. All I could think about was our kiss outside on your porch. I have to be honest, I was very disappointed you didn’t invite in me for a nightcap.”