Late Nights (4 page)

Thank God. No one else had taken her place at the leader board because he would have hired someone instead of her. He had the final decision and without giving it a second thought. He told Charlie to offer Sasha Williams the job.

Why shouldn’t he have the final decision? Comforts Sleep Company was his and he only wanted the best working for him.

He was also hiding another secret from Sasha and many of his employees. After the Management Consultant interviews were over and the final person had gotten hired for the position, he was supposed to hire another manager to take over the re-opening, but after he laid eyes on Sasha he decided to take the job for himself and not head back to Florida. He had more than enough capable employees to handle things over there.

There was
no
way he could hire another man to be around her. No, he wasn’t going back overseas either without getting to know her better, and he wasn’t talking about on a business level.

Ever since he and Sasha started working together, he’d tried really hard to fight his growing fascination towards her, but it was getting more and more difficult with each passing day. She was just so stunning, which made it hard for him not to want to touch her beautiful body.

What surprised him the most was Sasha wasn’t aware of how he was constantly around her at work.

He loved the way she tilted her head to the side when she was thinking about something. Shit. Even the way she moved her hips turned him on more than any other woman ever had before.

Another quality of Sasha’s that drew him was how she was so independent and self-reliant. Nothing
ever
stood in her way. She faced everything head on. She never allowed any of the nasty comments from some of the employees to bother her when they didn’t like her new rules. All of those traits combined made her very alluring to him.

One thing he was sure of...he was
dying
to go out on a date with her.

He might have had a chance at getting what he wanted if only he hadn’t messed up this morning when she had touched his hand.

What in the hell had made him jerk his hand away from hers?

He was more than nervous about what Sasha thought about him now. For all he knew, she believed he didn’t want her to touch him. It was absolutely the furthest thing from the truth. He dreamt about having her soft hands all over his body.

If he hadn’t acted like an asshole in the parking lot this morning, he could be planning a date for them. His jealousy grew more intense with each passing moment at the mere idea of another man going out with Sasha on a date tonight.

He constantly noticed how the male customers’ eyes lingered on her body as Sasha walked past them back into her office. They couldn’t take their eyes off of her.

What if one of them had asked her out on a date without him knowing?

He never thought she would accept a dinner invitation from any of them, but what if he was wrong? She already had dinner plans for tonight, so someone had done something he hadn’t enough nerve to do.

No, I can’t let her do this. All of this is my fault because I never showed her how much I want her. I probably pushed her into doing it.

Damn it
!

Sterling knew he wouldn’t be able to pursue Sasha if another man came into the picture. How could Sasha not feel the chemistry burning between them? No… He wasn’t about to allow his earlier mistake to push a wedge between them.

His body always reacted every time she came into the room looking beautiful in her bright, cheerful colors. He had to get his damn act together and soon or he was going to lose his mind from lust…desire…need.

Sterling wasn’t sure which one would come first, but all of them were causing chaos in his head. All he knew for sure was he had to get Sasha to see how sorry he was for his early treatment of her. Hopefully she would accept his apology and then they could move on from there because he would like to have her in his life.

What man wouldn’t find the package Sasha presented alluring? He loved how she never had to rely on him for anything. If any problems came up at Comforts Sleep Company, Sasha was excellent at handling the angriest and most argumentative employees. They would listen to what she told them and do it or they would quit.

Either way, she never allowed anyone to get in the way of her accomplishing her job. Despite the fact Sasha seemed tough and more than capable of handling any job he tossed at her, she still came across as soft and feminine.

Ever since Sterling could remember, he had been captivated by women who had interests and the ability to do things on her own without needing him at her side.

His fiancée had wanted to spend every waking moment with him, like she was his shadow. Which was the entire reason he ended things with her by calling off the wedding six weeks before it was supposed to happen. He couldn’t take her clinginess anymore, it wore on his nerves.

Sterling kicked himself for months afterwards for staying with someone like Sophia for so long. The sex between them was fantastic, but it wasn’t so mind-blowing to constantly make him overlook her shortcomings. He loved being in a relationship and dating, but sometimes he needed time alone. He sensed he could get that with Sasha while still giving her the love and attention she craved.

Some days at work, Sterling noticed how Sasha would take a little time out for herself by going outside for her break. Independence for him was a huge turn-on and Sasha possessed an abundance of it.

However, today wasn’t one of the days he craved his own solitude. Sterling was positive if he got another chance to ask Sasha out of a date that she wouldn’t turn him down a second time.

He wanted to spend time with her outside these four walls. Why did Sasha have to turn down his request to work late together tonight? Her dismissal of him challenged the part of his personality that made him push harder through the tougher times.

He wasn’t a person who gave up on anything he desired easily, so Sasha brushing him off only pushed him to get the answer he wanted from her. He was going to keep pursuing her and he didn’t give a damn if there was another man in the picture.

He enjoyed when the two of them talked about his business or life in general. Sasha had come up with a several good ideas for the Comforts Sleep Company campaign, which turned out to be pretty damn good and tremendously helpful to him. While Sasha was out watching his employees while they worked, she was also his eyes and ears when it came to all of the customers’ likes and dislikes.

Enticing
was how he would describe Sasha if someone asked him about her. She made him smile at the oddest times of the day with one of her jokes. She had the best sense of humor. When he thought something would upset her, she would just laugh it off and walk away.

The craziest thing about it was Sahara wasn’t even aware of how much he liked those rare times they spent alone. He got such relaxing pleasure from the stimulating conversations he shared with her. Without even trying, she captivated his mind and interests without any sex involved, which only made him hotter for her.

Sterling wasn’t against having a long passionate affair with Sasha, yet something told him that she wouldn’t be into just having hot,
mind-blowing sex with him. She would be more interested in the in-depth and meaningful connection he was currently thinking about creating with her.

Now, all he had to do was rethink his plans of action and get her to spend some time with him outside the workplace. However, she wouldn’t ever think about doing it until he got his foot out of his mouth. He knew was fighting an uphill battle, but he was willingly to do anything he could to make Sasha a part of his life.

Chapter Five

Why hasn’t Sterling gone back into his office yet? He’s never stayed out here this long before.

Sasha tried her best to concentrate on answering the questions asked of her by a customer, but she couldn’t process the words, not with Sterling standing to the side watching her. The woman’s voice sounded more like the school teacher from the Charlie Brown cartoons.

Why is he so interested in what I am doing all of a sudden?

Sterling’s rejection of her this morning hurt more than she cared to admit. After it was over, she avoided him. She couldn’t let him get under her skin with those killer eyes. She had to be on the top of her game tonight at dinner to deal with her sisters since she didn’t know what might come up.

During one of her breaks, she went outside and called Akisha, who finally answered her phone. After a lot of pressuring on her part, her sibling reluctantly agreed to have dinner with her and Genise tonight. She wasn’t stupid. Everyone in the family knew how Akisha would call five minutes before dinner and cancel.

With the added stress of dealing with her sisters on her shoulders, it meant she couldn’t focus her time on Sterling and why he was acting so weird. This morning he acted like her touch wasn’t something he ever wanted again. Now, over the past several hours, he hadn’t taken his eyes off her longer than a few minutes.

She didn’t understand how the male mind worked. Maybe that was the reason she was still single without the possibility of any kind of relationship in her future. In the past, Sterling came across like he wanted her to touch him, but she could have been wrong.

She would have bet money his curiosity about her was genuine. Yet, he stunned her by having a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with his sudden mood swing. He came across like he was a totally different man with his actions towards her.

Out of nowhere, Sterling Hamilton came into her life and instantly stimulated her on an intellectual level. Her ex-boyfriends
never
valued her opinion; most of them didn’t want her to speak her mind about anything.

Yet, Sterling was different—her opinion mattered to him. He actually gave her his undivided attention anytime she had an idea about work. He didn’t stare at her body like she was the last piece of dessert on a plate. She finally believed she had found a man who might be captivated by her mind more than her body. The feeling she got from his approval was uplifting and stimulating all at the same time.

Several of her suggestions about his promotional campaign, Sterling pushed forward and they ended up working out wonderfully, drawing new customers to this place. She had showed him that she could be more than an Employee Relations Specialist if things got too hard on his end of the business.

He made her feel important, unlike her sisters. They blew her off, acting like she didn’t have a good head for business and any idea she had was actually laughable.

Well, not Rachelle, but Genise and Akisha constantly teased about how the improvements she wanted for
Luxury
would never amount to anything. Sometimes they would even call her a mini-Rachelle.

Sure, there were times she agreed with Rachelle on certain ideas or plans about the hotel because she was blessed with a head for business. Most of the time, Akisha and Genise were wrong and too stubborn to admit they were to her or Rachelle. Nevertheless, that didn’t give either one of them the right to pick on her anytime they felt the need.

Besides Rachelle, Sterling was the only other person she could go to and get a truthful answer whether she wanted to hear it or not. She loved
how insightful he was about certain issues.

His apparent interest in her thoughts and opinions gave her the illusion maybe the two of them could work towards something more than a boss and employee relationship, but she had been so wrong.

It had been a mistake to imagine crossing that line with him. He shouldn’t get involved in the personal aspects of her life. It was very unprofessional for both of them. Sure, he had been nice enough to take some time out of his day to answer a few of her questions, but that didn’t constitute a relationship.

Sterling Hamilton wouldn’t ever be anything more than her boss, and she should stop dreaming for anything different. She wasn’t a little girl still dreaming for her Prince Charming to come and slip the glass slipper on her foot. He was a fairy tale that she should have gotten over a long time ago.

How did she ever allow herself to envision there might more going on between herself and Sterling?

“How’s everything going?” a deep familiar voice asked directly behind her.

Sasha jumped at the unexpected sound of Sterling’s voice. Glancing over her shoulder, she found him standing very close to her. He was watching her with intensity like he knew a secret she didn’t.

Great
!

What in the hell did he want with her now?

She hoped this would be one of those days Sterling spent more time in his office than out here with her on the showroom floor. She had plans to avoid him for the rest of the day or at least have minimum interaction with him until it was time for her to go home, but now she would have to deal with him. She couldn’t act like she hadn’t heard him, especially since she had just made eye contact with the man.

“I have nothing to complain about, which is always a good thing. I’ve been standing here watching the employees and they are using the advice I gave them last week. The customers are noticing the changes and are spending more money.

“I swear with the way the products are selling today, you might have to order more inventory before the month is over,” Sasha said, looking away from Sterling to the front of the store.

“I have you to thank for that. You were the one who came up with the fifteen percent off and free delivery,” Sterling praised, walking around and stopping directly in front of her. “I wouldn’t have offered the free delivery, but it seems to be the selling point with certain customers.”

Sasha fought down the need to step back from Sterling. He wasn’t going to sneak his way back into her good graces today with a few empty compliments.
No
! She wasn’t going to forget how he treated her. She couldn’t let him think he would get off the hook that easily.