Five Midnight Moments
New Year Bae-Solutions
Sheryl Lister
SL Books
About Five Midnight Moments
Some rules are meant to be broken.
A passionate affair with a sexy, charismatic man is right up Valencia Townsend's alley. Except when that man is her boss and it's against company policy. He may be irresistible, but she has no intentions of ending her year the same way it began - in a relationship headed nowhere.
The no-fraternization policy Dwayne Albright put in place to protect himself comes back to bite him with a vengeance. He never expected to meet Valencia, who completes him in every way. Now he has five nights—five moments—to decide whether to follow the rules or ring in the new year and every year with his perfect woman.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Five Midnight Moments Copyright © 2020
by Sheryl Lister
ISBN: 978-1-7338670-7-8
All rights reserved.
Editor: BR Sutton
Cover Design: Sherelle Green
For those who risk it all for love.
Acknowledgments
My Heavenly Father, thank you for my life and for loving me better than I can love myself.
To my husband, Lance, you will always be my #1 hero!
To my children, family and friends, thank you for your continued support. I appreciate and love you!
To my writing tribe, thank you for being you.
Brandi, you are a lifesaver!! I love you.
To Ebony Evans and the EyeCU Group, thank you for sparking the idea!
Thank you to all the readers who have supported and supported me. I couldn’t do this without you.
Dear Reader
Dear Reader ~
Have you ever heard the saying “some rules are meant to be broken? Valencia finds herself having to decide whether her relationship is worth that risk. And when Dwayne believes it is, midnight might just take on a whole new meaning. I hope you enjoy each moment!
Love & Blessings!
Sheryl
[email protected]
www.sheryllister.com
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Other Books In The Series
Do Me Excerpt
About the Author
Also by Sheryl Lister
Chapter 1
Valencia Townsend shivered as she entered her condo and dropped her tote on a chair.
“Cold?”
She smiled. “Coming from those eighty-degree temperatures in Puerto Vallarta back to barely sixty here in Sacramento is enough to make anybody cold.” She usually programmed the heating system, but when Dwayne Albright had asked her to go away with him for the weekend to Mexico as his Christmas gift, the only thing on her mind had been how fast she could pack. She walked over to the thermostat and cranked up the heat. “I wish we could’ve stayed longer,” she said, rubbing her hands up and down her arms in an effort to warm up. After two and a half days of sunshine, pristine beaches and sumptuous foods, she loathed having to return to the real world.
Dwayne left her suitcase next to the sofa and wrapped his arms around her. “So do I. We’ll have to do it again in the new year. I can’t ever remember enjoying a trip so much.”
“Neither can I.”
He nuzzled her neck. “I especially liked that moonlit beach walk.” Tilting her chin, he stared at her intently. “I will never forget the kisses we shared, the passion in your eyes when we made love.”
Her body heated with the remembrance. She wouldn’t either. It had been the first time since they’d started dating four months ago that they could be seen together freely, which was part of her concern. Valencia backed out of his hold.
He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
She pasted a smile on her face. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
Dwayne viewed her skeptically, obviously not believing a word she said. “It’s not nothing. You don’t think I know when something’s bothering you?” He closed the distance between them. “Tell me what’s going on, sweetheart.”
“Dwayne, I really like being with you, but I’m tired of hiding and I don’t know how much longer I can do this.” She scrubbed a hand across her forehead. The only person who knew about Valencia’s relationship with Dwayne was her best friend, and she’d sworn Leah Ward to secrecy. She’d only told her friend that they worked together. Valencia hadn’t even shared his name.
He sighed. “I know. It’s hard on me, too.”
“I want to be able to go to a movie or out to dinner without having to drive miles away. Or go out to lunch with you occasionally like regular couples do.”
“So what are you suggesting?”
Valencia threw up her hands. “I don’t know. Maybe we should just…end things before it’s too late and start the new year as friends. Sooner or later, someone is going to see something and—”
Dwayne silenced her with a kiss. “Is that what you really want? To end things between us? Because I don’t. We both knew what we were getting into when we started this relationship.”
“No, I don’t,” she said softly. He was everything she could ask for in a man—intelligent, compassionate, hard-working, and a sexy hard rock body that belied the fact that he sat behind a desk all day. All six-foot plus inch of his coffee-with-cream colored body had called to her from the moment they’d met. And his smile made her weak…every time. But he was also her boss. The year was almost over and she was about to end it the same way it started—in a relationship headed to nowhere. Albright Financial Group had a no-fraternization policy, and sleeping with the man whose family issued her paycheck definitely topped the list of what not to do. She’d only worked there for six months and would be the only one at risk of losing her job.
“Baby, don’t know how much you mean to me?”
She figured he cared about her—the way he treated her said so. But did she really know how he felt? Sure, he’d thrown out those three little words in the throes of passion, but she had yet to hear them in the light of day. On the other hand, Valencia knew exactly how she felt about him. She’d fallen in love with Dwayne.
He palmed her face. “I don’t want to lose you, Lyn.”
“I don’t want to lose you, either, but I can’t see any way for this to work.”
“It can, and it will. Trust me. You mean everything to me.” Dwayne slanted his mouth over hers, kissing her deeply and seemingly trying to communicate just what that meant.
Her arms slid up the hard wall of his chest and circled around his neck. She moved closer to him and heard his deep groan. Every stroke of his tongue pushed her doubts further and further away, until nothing remained except him and the pleasure he always delivered. It was her turn to moan when he pulled her against his rigid erection. His hands roamed over her body, singeing her in every spot he touched. Valencia didn’t realize he’d unbuttoned her blouse until she felt the heat of his tongue on the tops of her breasts. “Dwayne,” she whispered.
“Yeah, baby.”
“I thought you said on the plane that you had some work to do tonight.”
Dwayne chuckled. “It can wait. Right now, my focus is on you.” He swept her into his arms, strode down the hallway to her bedroom and placed her on the bed. His eyes never left hers as he stepped back and removed his cl
othes and donned a condom.
He came back to the bed and slowly finished undressing Valencia, kissing and licking his way up her body. Desire raced through her body and she trembled as his tongue made sweeping, swirling motions inside her mouth. He brought his hands up to frame her face, holding her in place and delving deeper. Without breaking the seal of their mouths, Dwayne shifted their bodies and guided himself slowly, inch by incredible inch, inside her. They both groaned.
He held himself still. “You said you wanted to start fresh in the new year. I want what you want—a fresh start, but with us. Together. That means I have five days, five nights to prove to you that what we have is more than an affair.”
Valencia gasped when he withdrew and thrust deep inside her. She wanted more, too. She just didn’t see it happening. But for now, tonight, she’d savor this time with him.
* * *
Monday morning, after the weekly staff meeting, Dwayne knocked on his brother’s office door.
“Come in.”
He entered and dropped down in the chair across from Dwight’s desk. “How are you settling in?”
“I don’t know how you wear these damn suits every day. These things are giving me hives.” Dwight frowned and tugged at his already loosened tie. Until two weeks ago, he’d worked with a buddy in his construction business and preferred working outdoors to being cooped up in an office every day. He also tended to be more intense and bordered on being an introvert, a direct contrast to Dwayne’s laid back and outgoing personality.
He chuckled. “You’ll get used to it.” Dwayne loved the world of money and investments and had followed in their father’s footsteps with business and finance degrees—and had worked at the family firm since age eighteen—but Dwight opted for construction engineering. Of course, their father hadn’t been too happy about Dwight’s refusal to join the firm upon graduating from college, but to appease him, he had minored in finance. It had taken a full year after Reginald Albright’s retirement for Dwight to relent, and Dwayne knew his brother had only stepped in to help him.
“I don’t want to get used to it,” he grumbled, leaning back in his chair. “Anyway, I’ve been checking out all the accounts and noticed a few irregularities in one.”
“That’s why I’m glad you’re here. If anyone can find out what’s going on, it’s you. The security analyst is adding another layer of protection that should be done today or tomorrow, so I’m hoping any funny business will be easier to flag.” They’d just acquired two big accounts and the last thing Dwayne needed was money to start disappearing from any of their client’s accounts. Albright Financial Group prided themselves on being one of the best investment firms in the country and he had no intentions of letting someone ruin that reputation.
“Like I said, it looks like just the one account has been touched and only a hundred dollars is missing.” Dwight drummed his fingers on the desk. “It’s almost as if whoever is doing this is testing the waters to see if he or she and get away with it.”
“I don’t care if it’s one cent, when I find out who the thief is, they’re gone.” Dwayne’s cell buzzed. He dug it out of his pocket and smiled. “Hey, Leticia.”
“Hey, stranger. Long time no see and I haven’t talked to you in months.”
“It’s been a busy year. What’s up?”
“I’ve got an invitation to a New Year’s Eve party and thought maybe you could come along as my date. We could catch up. I hope you don’t have any plans.”
“Actually, I do. Sorry,” he said. He planned to ring in the new year with only one woman. “I’m sure we’ll catch up at my parent’s New Year’s dinner party.” Their families had been friends for years and she and his sister, Shelby, were best friends.
“Probably,” Leticia said, sounding disappointed. “I’ll let you get back to work.”
“Okay. See you later.”
As soon as he disconnected, Dwight said, “You know she has it bad for you.”
“What? We’ve been friends since we were kids and I think of her as another sister. She knows that.” At age thirty-one, Leticia was the same age as his sister and five years his junior. He’d sensed some interest on her part the last few times he’d seen her, but had been careful not to do anything to give her the impression that he saw her as anything other than a friend.
“That may be true for you, but I talked to Shelby yesterday and apparently, you haven’t made that clear enough because, from what I understand, Leticia was shopping for some outfit guaranteed to get your attention.”
Dwayne groaned and scrubbed a hand down his face. “I don’t need this right now.”
Dwight shrugged. “What the problem? She’s a nice woman, pretty, and you know she isn’t trying to get with you for your money. It’s not like you’re dating anyone else at the moment.”
“That where you’re wrong. I’ve been dating someone for the past four months.” And he couldn’t tell a soul. Not until he figured out a way to ensure Valencia wouldn’t be penalized.
His brother frowned and sat up straight. “Why haven’t you said anything? You never mentioned one thing about her and I should at least know her name.”
“It’s complicated.” He and Dwight were close and usually confided in each other about everything, but not this time. Dwayne had put the no-fraternization policy in place at the beginning of the year when he took over as CEO and a female employee wouldn’t take no for an answer. After she ignored his polite, but firm refusals and he found her naked in his office, he’d fired her and issued the memo the next day. Now there was Valencia, who, like him tried to follow the rules and ignore their attraction. But the chemistry between them was too strong to resist and the past four months with her had been the best of his life. Thoughts of their conversation from the previous night surfaced in his mind. He couldn’t lose her.
“What the hell kind of trouble are you in?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” He stood. “I’ll see you later. Let me know if you find anything else.” Not bothering to wait for a response, he walked out. Dwayne knew he should go straight to his office two doors down, but his steps took him to the other side of the floor where Valencia’s office was located. He knocked on her partially open door and saw her talking to the marketing manager. Shawna Baker had been with the company for two years and her skills had kept them firmly in the public’s eye. “Good morning, ladies. Do you have a minute, Ms. Townsend?”
Valencia nodded. “Sure.”
“We’ll talk later, Valencia,” Shawna said, heading for the door. “Mr. Albright.” She gave him a coy smile and exited. Dwayne closed the door behind her and quietly turned the lock.
Valencia slowly rose to her feet. “Um…is something wrong? Did something happen with the security system? I mean we don’t… you—”
“Relax, baby,” he said softly. “I just needed to see you.” They had agreed not to seek each other out or have any conversation outside of what was necessary for business. He’d been fine with that until he realized what he felt for her went far beyond a casual hookup. Dwayne loved everything about her, from her enchanting smile, dark brown eyes and sexy, petite curves to her rich vanilla bean coloring, which matched the sweet, soft scent she always wore. Even now, the naked desire he saw in her eyes nearly did him in. “You have no idea how hard it is for me to stand her and not take you in my arms.” Dwayne didn’t care about policies or rules right now. He just wanted her. Closing his eyes, he mentally counted to ten, trying to maintain his control, but lost the battle within seconds. He walked over to the desk where she stood.
“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not a good idea.” She tried to take a step back, but ended up against the desk. “I can’t lose this job.”
He angled his head thoughtfully. “Actually, it’s the best idea I’ve had all day and there’s no chance of you losing your job. I promise.” He slid an arm around her waist, lowered his head and kissed her sensually, tangling his tongue with hers. Yeah, this was the best idea he’d ha
d. Dwayne switched their positions so that she was standing between his legs. He deepened the kiss and brought their bodies closer. Her taste was like an aphrodisiac and he couldn’t get enough.
Valencia moaned. Her eyes snapped open and she gasped. She jumped away from him so quickly, she almost lost her balance. “You should go.”
“Probably, because right now I want to strip you naked, lay you on that desk and show you—”
Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over his mouth. “Go,” she whispered, glancing over her shoulder to the still closed door.
He took her hand and pressed a kiss in the center of her palm. She snatched her hand away and he chuckled. “I’ll talk to you later.” Dwayne held up five fingers. “Five nights.” As he made his way back to his office, he smiled. It was time to put his plan in action.
Chapter 2
Valencia tried to concentrate on finishing up the last test on the new security protocol, but had difficulty. She still couldn’t believe what Dwayne had done. He’d walked out of her office calm and in control, as if nothing had happened. She, on the other hand, had been left in a state of arousal that refused to die down. She briefly toyed with marching over to his office and giving him a taste of his own medicine, but figured they’d already tempted fate enough for one day. It would be just her luck for someone to barge in and find them in the middle of a heated kiss. Or worse—them half naked and her straddling him in his chair.
Shaking off the errant thought, Valencia turned her attention back to the program. By late afternoon, everything ran as expected. Whenever someone logged into a client’s account, it would alert upper management and they would be able to track it and trace it back to the person’s computer. She assumed, with the recent acquisition of two major clients, the company didn’t want to take any chances. She sent Dwayne an email letting him know everything was in place. He replied almost immediately: Thank you. I appreciate your hard work. Impersonal. The part of her that had fallen for him felt a little disappointed. However, the rational part of her said she couldn’t have it both ways.
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