Late Nights (10 page)

“Okay, I’ve told you enough about me. What about you? Did you have a good relationship with your parents?” Sasha asked, eager to learn more about Sterling’s childhood.

A look of unhappiness came over Sterling’s face a second before he was able to conceal it. “Let’s just say my father wasn’t anything like your parents. He didn’t believe in bedtime stories, taking me to the park, or even tucking me in at night. He worked countless hours not to provide me with a good home, but to show off his wealth and give his mistresses anything they wanted.”

“Oh God,” Sasha whispered, reaching across the table. She laid her hand on top of Sterling’s and squeezed it. The pain in his words cut at her heart. “I can’t believe your father was so heartless. Maybe he just didn’t know how to show you love. Some people, especially men, have a hard time expressing their feelings. He should have loved you deeply but was scared to show it.”

Sterling jerked his hand away from hers. Picking up his drink, he tossed it back in one swallow before placing the empty glass back on the table. “It’s nice of you to think that away, but Victor Hamilton was a world class bastard. My father knew how to show love to the women who were in and out of his bed, but not to his only son.

“He cared so little about me that he believed his lover’s lies when she told him I came on to her. She was the one waiting for me naked in my bed after I got out of the shower, but he saw her side and not mine.

“I didn’t wait for him to kick me out. I left him and moved to the States right after I graduated and never looked back. If I hadn’t saved up my own money from working to leave town and get a fresh start, I might have a totally different story to tell you.”

“Your own father kicked you out of the house over his girlfriend?” Sasha was stunned beyond words. What kind of parent would do that to their own child?

A muscle flicked angrily in his jaw as Sterling’s brows drew downward in a frown. “My dear old dad would have kicked me out sooner, but he didn’t want to tarnish his image. He couldn’t let what went on inside our house to come out. He liked being seen as an excellent parent by providing me with the best education. He sent me to one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the world. He wouldn’t allow himself to look bad in front of his business partners or the community.

“My grandfather’s name meant something and he wasn’t about to have me ruin it by kicking me out of the house. He was too stupid to realize he had already tarnished it by sleeping with the low class women he did.”

Sasha had to conquer her need to ask more questions about Sterling’s past, but she would respect his wishes and move on. Just hearing how unfeeling his father was towards his own son made her frustrated and more than angry.

“Oh, Sterling,” she said. “I’m so sorry. I had no clue you went through all of that growing up.”

“How about we move on something else?” he suggested. “I’m sure we have plenty of other things to talk about.”

“Okay, I’ll agree with you. We can move on to something else; however, I’m giving you fair warning that I’ll bring this topic up again.”

“Fair enough,” Sterling said as the waiter came up to their table with their food. “I just want tonight to be about me learning more about you. I have waited too long to spend this time with you to have it ruined by useless memories from my past. You are my main focus and nothing else.”

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.