Tempted at Midnight

by Cheris Hodges

  “It’s called a job, Erik. It’s not fate. Though, if I ever tell my mother the whole story about this, she’d disagree.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s a stickler for the magic of midnight kisses on New Year’s Eve. Guess that’s the thing about being from New Orleans, you believe in magic.”

  “You’re from New Orleans?”

  She nodded. “Well, I lived there until I was fifteen. My father passed away and my mother moved us to Baton Rouge, then Charleston, South Carolina.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” He stroked her arm as if she’d said her father died yesterday. There was something about the way her eyes dimmed that told him how deeply she was still affected by the loss of her father.

  She shrugged his touch off and wiped away a stray tear. “It’s fine. My dad and I were really close. Not to say that I’m not close to my mom. But I was a daddy’s girl.”

  Erik nodded, remembering when he and his father were close. But those days were in the rearview mirror. Simon and Yvonne made it clear that they weren’t in the mood to forgive Erik for trying to save the company.

  He nearly snorted as he thought about the fact that Simon brought this shame on the family and somehow it was all Erik’s fault that he’d been named CEO. It still baffled him as to why his father had been robbing the company for years.

  “Hello.” Sylvie snapped her fingers in front of his face. “My stomach is growling.”

  “Sorry. I’ll start breakfast and you should take advantage of my shower. It’s even more amazing than my bed.” He winked at her and hopped out of bed. Sylvie stretched her arms above her head and yawned.

  “Everything is amazing in here except the décor.” She got out of bed and headed into the master bathroom.

  “There you go with that mouth again,” he called out as he headed out of the bedroom. Once he made it to the door, he turned around and watched Sylvie as she slipped her dress off. Again, he was taken by the fact that she had an amazing ass.

  Chapter 11

  Sylvia stood underneath the warm shower spray, and once again she found herself believing that Erik was right. His bed was amazing. His shower was magical, and if the coffee and breakfast were on point, she might be in trouble.

  Turning the water off, she knew she needed to get her mind right. Just because he had a big dick and great sex didn’t mean that she should offer him her heart on a silver platter.

  What am I thinking about? This man is in the middle of a scandal and clearly just needs to release pressure and steam every now and then. There is no need to get the idea that this is anything more than two people having a good time.

  She stepped out of the shower and realized that she’d failed to get a towel—again. Luckily, the linen closet was inside the bathroom and she didn’t have to drip all over Erik’s bedroom to get one. Sylvie had to admit it, the man believed in luxury. The plush towel she wrapped up in felt like a warm hug on a winter’s morning. It didn’t compare to waking up in Erik’s arms, though. And she was afraid that feeling would become a habit.

  She started to reach for her dress, then she saw it had been replaced with a white silk robe. Now, Sylvie liked to think of herself as observant, but she hadn’t seen anyone come into the bathroom. She put the robe on and walked into the bedroom. She found a note on the bed telling her that her dress was being laundered and Mr. Jordan was waiting downstairs for her.

  “Guess this is how Julia Roberts felt in Pretty Woman,” she muttered as she headed for the kitchen. One thing she noticed as the sun filtered in through the huge windows was that the interior of Erik’s house was even worse in the daytime.

  “Ugh,” she murmured as she walked into the kitchen. The scent of cinnamon and butter filled the air and made her forget that she’d spent the night in a place that needed a makeover more than a reality star trying to make people forget she’d gotten her fame from a sex tape.

  “Good morning, again,” Erik said. “I hope Betsy didn’t scare you when she came upstairs.”

  “Is she a ghost? I didn’t even hear her come into the bathroom.” Sylvie hopped up on a bar stool as Erik flipped the toast in a copper pan. “Is that your cleaning lady?”

  “She’s more like an auntie to me. Miss Betsy has worked with the family for my entire life.”

  “Must be nice.”

  “I’m feeling judged right now,” he said as took the toast from the pan and loaded the thick slices on a plate.

  “No judgment from me at all. You were born into wealth, yet you’re not an asshole. You and LJ are special men. Why hasn’t he had a bigger role with the company before now?”

  Erik shook his head. “We’re not having that conversation until after breakfast. And your coffee is almost ready. I think Kona is best when French pressed.”

  “You’re almost as fancy with your coffee as I am.”

  “Sounds like we’re a match made in coffee heaven.” Erik sprinkled powdered sugar and pecans over the toast. “Are you going to sit there and look pretty or do you want to help me?”

  “I don’t think that was part of the deal.” Sylvie laughed. “Besides, my best work is done outside of the kitchen.”

  “Why am I not surprised?”

  “Whatever.” Sylvie walked over to the French press and pushed the plunger down. The aroma of the coffee nearly made her knees weak. “You’re right. This is the best way to make coffee.”

  “I hope you’re planning to share.”

  “After what you did for me this morning with my shower, of course I’ll share.” Sylvie filled the two white mugs beside the French press with the java and crossed over to the bar. She liked her coffee strong and black. Taking a sip, she realized that Erik had the magic beans. Before she could stop herself, she was reaching for his cup.

  “Whoa!” he said as he set the platter of French toast, eggs, and bacon in front of her. “I thought you were sharing.”

  “This coffee is amazing.”

  “I know. That’s why there’s more in the French press.” Erik took his cup and sipped it slowly. “I did a good job today.”

  “An amazing job. I’m sure if I had another cup, I could finish your building in the next fifteen minutes.”

  Erik shook his head. “Then you better sit down and get ready to eat. I can’t have you walking around here on a caffeine high. Let me heat the syrup. And move the coffee out of your reach.”

  She rolled her eyes and grabbed the handle of his mug. “Don’t think I won’t drink your coffee.”

  “You’re used to getting your way all the time, aren’t you?” Erik grabbed his coffee mug and took a huge sip.

  “I’m used to making my own way,” she replied with a saucy smile.

  “Somehow, I’m not surprised.”

  “People have a habit of underestimating me.”

  “Enough talking. It’s time to make you fall in love.”

  Erik ushered her over to the breakfast nook and pulled out a chair at the table for her.

  Sylvie shook her head and smiled. “You should add a new title to your résumé.”

  “What’s that?” he asked when she sat down.

  “Breakfast hype man. And it better live up to the hype, Flavor Flav.”

  Erik winked at her. “Get ready to eat your words, Sylvia Elaine Gates. Yeah, boyeee!” He crossed over to the bar and grabbed the platter of food. Then he reached for the nearly empty French press. Setting the food and coffee on the table, Erik nodded for her to take a bacon crisp first.

  “This is turkey bacon, right?” She picked up a piece of the crispy meat.

  He nodded, then took a slice of his own. He watched Sylvie bite into the bacon and reach for a slice of French toast. She slipped two slices of bacon between the sweet bread, then dipped it in the warm maple syrup. She moaned as she took a bite of the food. “Okay, you win. This took me back to my childhood.” She wiped her mouth. “My grandmother’s waffles used to taste like this.”

  “This is the first time I’ve been compa
red to someone’s grandmother and been all right with it.” He sat down beside her and poured the rest of the coffee into her mug. “You’re welcome to the rest of the coffee.”

  “I could get used to this. Since I’m going to make this house look a lot better, you can make breakfast for me when I come in.”

  “I can do that. Especially on the mornings when you wake up here.”

  Sylvie sucked her teeth and hid her grin. “There you go being presumptuous again. Who said that I’m going to ever spend the night here again?”

  Erik nodded toward her empty plate. “I would say I found your weakness. Me and French toast.”

  “You’re right about one part of that equation. I’m weak for the French toast. And don’t forget the Kona coffee. You, on the other hand . . .”

  He leaned into her and brushed his lips against hers. “Am the most irresistible man who’s ever made you breakfast.”

  She stroked the back of his neck. “You’re all right.”

  “Let me fix that.” He kissed her slow and deep. Her lips parted and invited his tongue inside. Erik wanted nothing more than to slip that robe off her naked body and make love to her on the tabletop. But they both had work to do. However, the temptation of her kiss and the sliver of brown skin he saw through the robe made him reach for the sash. Then his phone rang.

  “Damn it,” he muttered as he broke the kiss. There was something about seeing Sylvie’s lips swollen from passion that made him hard as his marble countertop. Running his thumb across her bottom lip, Erik was two seconds from kissing her again when he got an alert on his smart watch.

  “I have to handle this,” he said as he rose from the table. Erik headed to his home office and checked his missed calls and the text message. Both were from Ingrid.

  The shit is hitting the fan. You need to get here immediately. Press is everywhere.

  He punched in Ingrid’s number and ran his hand across his face as it rang.

  “Erik,” she said when she answered. “Did you know your parents were going on Good Morning Atlanta? And of course, the national media has picked it up. CNN keeps calling. The board is asking me to get you in front of some cameras and—”

  “Calm down. We will address this, but I need to see the interview first.”

  “What have you been doing all morning?”

  “When I wake up in the morning, turning on a TV isn’t the first thing I do.” His mind floated back to being in bed with his arms wrapped around Sylvie’s heavenly body. Yes, the last thing he’d wanted to do this morning involved reaching for a television remote.

  “Maybe it should. I’m going to draft a statement. When you get here, I’ll make sure to show you the interview and we can tweak the statement from there.”

  “Sounds good. I should be in in an hour or so.”

  After hanging up the phone, Erik wasn’t surprised to hear Logan and Miss Betsy talking in the kitchen. His brother probably saw the interview, and knowing Olivia, she was probably telling Logan not to get involved with the company because it would be too toxic to his brand. He couldn’t blame her if she felt that way, but he hoped that Logan wouldn’t allow her to pull the plug before things got started.

  * * *

  Olivia gave Sylvie a cool once-over as she sat down across from her friend and took the last piece of French toast from the platter in the middle of the table.

  “Say whatever you’re thinking because that look is annoying.” Sylvie rolled her eyes because she’d really planned to eat that last piece of toast while Erik wasn’t looking.

  Olivia slowly chewed the bread, then shook her head. “I guess you ran out of red lipstick.”

  “What?”

  “No notes on the mirror. You spent the night.”

  “Yes, I did, and got a wonderful breakfast and another assignment.”

  Olivia pointed to her friend’s neck. “Also, a hickey.”

  Sylvie pulled the neck of the robe together and laughed. “That’s a birthmark.”

  Olivia leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. “I guess you were born last night, too.”

  “Whatever. What are doing here?”

  “Have you had a chance to see Good Morning Atlanta?”

  Sylvie shook her head and lifted her nearly empty coffee mug. “Nope. What did I miss?”

  “Probably the reason why Logan doesn’t have anything to do with his family. His parents did an interview basically calling Erik everything but a child of theirs and God. They explained away Simon’s arrest as a plot by Erik to bring his father down.”

  “That is unbelievable.” Her voice was a near whisper. What kind of parents went on TV to trash their child? Maybe the Jordans were the hot mess that Olivia warned her about.

  “Tell me about it. Logan was so upset, because Erik loved working for the family company. Maybe he was too loyal, but what their parents did today shows that Logan has been right all along.” Olivia shook her head. “You got some coffee to share? This is going to be a long day.”

  Sylvia stood up and started for the coffeemaker, but stopped when she heard raised voices coming from the area that led to Erik’s home office. Olivia crossed over to Sylvie and shook her head. “And so it begins.”

  “What are you and Logan going to do?”

  “I’m minding my business. Logan was so excited to work with Erik and the company. But he was hurt this morning. I’m thinking it’s a good thing that you two were otherwise occupied and didn’t see that interview. It hurt me and I’m not a relative, yet.”

  Sylvie reached up in the cabinet for a mug and fixed Olivia’s coffee. She couldn’t help but wonder how Erik was feeling. It’s not as if she knew how close he was with his parents or if he even cared about what they said on that show. What was she supposed to do?

  “Maybe I should leave,” Sylvie said.

  “Why? I know you and Erik are just casual or whatever, but he’s going to need all of us supporting him right now.”

  She nodded and turned around to see Erik and Logan walk into the kitchen. It felt as if the air was sucked out of the room by the stern looks on their faces. Erik slammed his phone on the counter and walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. Before he could open it, Logan snatched it from his hand.

  “We’re not doing this. If you’re going into the office to refute what Dad said, you need to be sharp and sober.”

  Erik shook his head. “It’s not what Dad said. I can’t believe Mom sat there and . . . Fuck it, I have a fire to put out and if he wants tell this story about me being power hungry, then I’m going to tell the truth about him being a thief.”

  Olivia crossed over to Erik and gave him a sisterly hug. “I know this is hard, but you have to go into this without emotion. Just stick to the facts.”

  Erik nodded and headed for the bedroom. Logan, Olivia, and Sylvie just stood in the middle of the kitchen looking at each other, trying to figure out what to do next. It took a few seconds for Sylvie to head up the winding staircase to get to Erik. When she walked into the room and saw him standing there without a stitch of clothes on, all of the supportive things she had thought to say on her way up the stairs floated out of her mind like butterflies in the rain.

  “I-I, Erik, are you okay?”

  He turned around and her knees went weak at the sight of his magnificent body. Even with the scowl on his face, that man was sexy beyond words.

  “You need something?” he asked. “Your dress?” Erik pointed to the chair in the corner of the room.

  “Yeah, I need something. Are you all right?” Sylvie walked over to him and forced herself to look into his eyes and not at his tantalizing body.

  Erik reached for his boxers and slipped them on. “I’ll be fine. The beauty business can be really ugly. Don’t worry, though, you still get to—”

  Sylvie threw her hand up. “Hold up. I came up here to check on you. Forget business. I’m sure hearing about what your parents said about you has you feeling something.”

  He nodded.
“You’re right, but I don’t have time to cry about that now. I have to do what the board trusted me to do, and that’s save this company.”

  Sylvia crossed the room and grabbed her dress. “Good luck.” She dropped the robe and tugged the dress over her head. She didn’t understand why she was upset. Erik owed her nothing. He didn’t have to spill his feelings out to her. She sure hadn’t opened up to him last night about her horrible day. How could she expect him to do what she wouldn’t? Just as she was about to walk out of the room, she felt his hand on her shoulder.

  “Sylvie, I’m sorry if I was terse, but this is new for me. Simon was the one who always taught us to keep family business out of the media. I’m feeling a little betrayed right now. And the fact that I have to go into the office and hear all the bullshit my father said about me to the world, in front of my employees, has me on edge.”

  Facing him, Sylvie wanted to pull him into her arms and tell him everything would be just fine. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t faced a similar betrayal. “I’m sorry. If . . . I don’t want to be in your way or anything.”

  “You’re not in my way at all. Thank you for being here this morning and I’m sure I owe you a bag of coffee.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “Well, if it’s that Kona blend, then yes. Otherwise, I guess I’ll wait and have another cup the next time you make me breakfast.”

  “Like in the morning. We’re supposed to give this place a makeover too, remember.”

  “Then what time should I report for duty?”

  “Around seven thirty tonight. I get the feeling that I’m going to need those arms and these lips to get me through the night.” Erik leaned into her and brushed his lips across hers. “And you can’t use the I got lost excuse for being late this time.”

  “Whatever.” Sylvie cupped the back of his neck and nibbled on his bottom lip. “I’d better let you get dressed.”

  “Yeah. Duty calls. I’ll see you later, and if you wear those black jeans again, I might be tempted to have you for lunch.”

  She released him and smiled. “You’re going to stop looking at my ass while I work.”

  “I’d tell you that I would, but I don’t believe in lying.” Erik gave her bottom a playful swat. “See you at the office.”