One night with the famous Sterling Lombard could be my reward for the long hours and the lack of work-life balance I’ve tolerated for too long.
‘I see.’ He nods and heads to the bar. ‘So what do you do?’
I watch as he reaches for and then uncaps the bottle. The fine cotton of his shirt moulds to his muscular chest and arms. His narrow waist tapers to the most delicious butt. He must spend a lot of time doing squats in the gym.
‘I run my own business, but I don’t want to talk shop right now.’
‘Fair enough.’ He returns with two glasses. ‘Take a seat.’
I slide onto his leather couch and accept the glass, which is half-full of amber liquid and ice cubes. I take a sip as he joins me on the sofa. The bourbon is delicious—smoky and smooth with hints of caramel.
‘So this is how you spend your Friday evenings? Working late while the rest of Manhattan parties?’ I wince at the hypocrisy of my question. I’m practically a hermit. I usually spend my downtime relaxing in the kitchen, cooking from my mother’s dog-eared handwritten recipes and freezing healthy meals for the working week ahead.
‘Yes, I’m afraid you’ve saved me from myself tonight. And perhaps I’ve saved you, too.’ He smiles and touches his glass to mine with a clink of expensive crystal. A delicious spasm jolts through me. ‘To you, Ava. And to chance meetings that make Friday evenings a million times more interesting.’
I take a sip, my stare held captive by his, then lick the bourbon from my lips. What am I doing? I’m supposed to be convincing him to sell me back his shares in my business, not thinking about how long it’s been since I had sex and how I’ve never physically reacted so strongly to a man I’ve just met.
But Sterling Lombard isn’t just any man. I always thought the rumours about him couldn’t possibly be true—wealthy, intelligent, with a reputation for dating glamorous ladies—but, now I’ve met him in the flesh, his sexual magnetism speaks for itself. Directly to my aching nipples, which are peaking through the thin fabric of my dress.
‘That’s what I love about New York,’ I say. ‘In a city of eight million people, you just never know who you’ll meet and where it will lead.’ The alcohol moves through my blood, warming and relaxing as it travels.
‘Where do you want it to lead?’ he asks directly. His voice turns gravelly. ‘Because you should know that I’m definitely going to want your number before you leave.’
His confident, forthright manner is a major turn-on. His eyes seem to see right through me. It’s not unpleasant, kicking up my heart rate and flooding me with thrilling heat.
I should present my case for Hamilton’s, but now that I’ve experienced our fierce chemistry, my heart is no longer in it. I’ll have another chance. I could give him my number—he’s exactly the type of man I’d date if we met under different circumstances.
I eye him over the rim of my glass, my pulse flying. Why does he make me feel so reckless? Is it his power and success, a serious aphrodisiac? Is it because I didn’t expect to share anything in common with him? Or is it just pure, unadulterated and uncontrollable lust that’s made me desperate to kiss him since we left the elevator?
‘I don’t want to interrupt your work.’ I glance at the desk and his lonely laptop.
He holds my stare, his thick-lashed eyes intense. ‘It can wait. Can you?’
My breath is trapped in my lungs. This wasn’t the evening I had planned, but why not? Who knows—perhaps it will smooth the eventual business negotiations?
I shudder out a sigh and clank my glass down on the low coffee table. ‘No. I can’t.’
I lean in close. He leans too.
My hands find his strong biceps as he slides one hand to my thigh. I’m not sure who kisses who first, but it doesn’t matter. Our lips collide, a sublime yielding, give and take. Power and life pulse to the tips of my fingers and toes. It’s been way too long since I’ve felt this degree of attraction, and I fall into it headfirst.
I slide my fingers around his neck, urging him closer. He presses one hand between my shoulder blades, crushing my chest to his so I’m encircled in his strong arms. My lips part to welcome the surge of his tongue, and my nipples tingle against his rock-hard muscles.
I was right about the excellent kissing.
He pulls away and I actually moan in protest.
‘Well, that was a surprise...’ He cups my cheek and glides his thumb over my skin, his aroused stare searching mine and a hint of amusement twitching his beautiful mouth.
I can’t help my own smile. My business plan is completely sidelined by this fierce and unforeseen want. Of all the things I’d hoped to achieve tonight with Sterling Lombard, pleasure wasn’t one of them, but when opportunity knocks...
‘I’m full of those,’ I say, tugging his mouth back to mine.
Copyright © 2021 by JC Harroway
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ISBN-13: 9780369702562
Just One More Night
Copyright © 2021 by Caitlin Crews
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidentsare either the product of the author’s imagination or are
