Midnight Passions

by Leigh Ellwood

  Midnight Passions

  A novella of erotic romance by

  LEIGH ELLWOOD

  Published by Phaze Books

  Also by Leigh Ellwood

  In the Dareville series…

  Truth or Dare

  The Dares That Bind

  Dare Me

  Daring Young Man

  Double Dare

  Dare to Dream

  Daringly Delicious

  A Winter’s Dare

  Don’t Dare the Reaper

  Also available…

  Enter Sandman

  Surveillance

  Why, Why, Zed?

  and many more…

  This is an explicit and erotic novel

  intended for the enjoyment

  of adult readers. Please keep

  out of the hands of children.

  www.Phaze.com

  Midnight Passions

  Copyright © 2007, 2011 by Leigh Ellwood

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Cover Art © 2011 by Niki Browning

  First Edition November 2011

  ISBN-13: 978-1-60659-635-7

  Published by:

  Phaze Books

  An imprint of Mundania Press LLC

  6457 Glenway Ave., #109

  Cincinnati, OH 45211

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, Mundania Press LLC, 6457 Glenway Avenue, #109, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211, books@mundania.com.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without permission from Mundania Press LLC. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights and livelihood is appreciated.

  Chapter One

  Colleen hoped that by now, nearly six months into their relationship, that Daryl would show more understanding for her situation. When he flopped back on her sofa and planted his boot heels on her coffee table, tearing the cover of a fashion magazine she had yet to read, her first instinct was to kick his feet away, then kick him out of the house.

  Her daughter Melissa, seated primly in the recliner facing them, might have championed that move. Melissa was too young to understand the intricacies of adult relationships, though. This was a minor snag, nothing more. It could be resolved—no need for knee-jerk reactions.

  Daryl’s head lolled from side to side over the back of the couch, and he sighed heavily. “Can’t she stay home alone?” he whined.

  Colleen paced the floor behind him, cordless phone pressed to her ear, and brushed away a lock of red hair from her eyes. “She’s eight years old, Daryl. She’s too young to be without a sitter.”

  She glanced at Melissa, whose attention at that moment turned away from the cartoon she was watching and fixed on her mother. Melissa’s expression was cold, strongly advising Colleen to not talk about her like she wasn’t there... and to not treat her like a kindergartner.

  “And it’s not that I don’t trust you,” Colleen rejoined quickly. “I don’t trust the rest of the world. Damn it!” She clicked the off button after the twelfth ring, cursing to herself. That was her last number, her last hope. Daryl was going to be pissed, more so, but what could she do? It wasn’t her fault the babysitter canceled and that she couldn’t find a last minute replacement.

  “Mom,” Melissa called.

  “We don’t have to go out,” Colleen suggested to Daryl, her voice placating. “We could order in some pizza, rent some movies.”

  “But these tickets are only good for tonight.” Daryl waved the free movie passes in the air under Colleen’s nose. The thin edge of one looked as if it might slice her skin, and she instinctively leaned back. Daryl had scored tickets to some slasher flick from a friend. Where anything free was concerned, Daryl was a master at acquisition. Be it free movies, free food, whatever. His thriftiness didn’t bother Colleen so much; he had college loans to pay, and of course there was the promise of a new, bigger house for the three of them, as he had intimated more than once in their time together. She knew that certainly wouldn’t be free.

  This was an R-rated movie, too, so Melissa couldn’t come with them, even if Daryl could manage a third pass.

  “Mom,” Melissa pressed.

  “Not now, honey.” Colleen pinched the bridge of her nose. It did little to calm the throbbing in her temples. “Well, I suppose we could—”

  “Come on, she’s gotta have some friends she can stay with for a few hours. Don’t you know any of your neighbors?” Daryl interrupted. He plucked a corn chip from the bag at his hip and tossed it at the girl. “Unless you’re, like, some kind of nerd that nobody likes.”

  “I have friends, and I’m not a nerd,” Melissa huffed. Her long, brown hair swayed across her back as she bounced impatiently in her seat.

  “And I don’t really know any of the people around here,” Colleen said at the same time. “You know we haven’t lived here long enough to make friends...”

  “I’m staying over with my friend Monica tomorrow night,” Melissa continued.

  “So, move it up,” Daryl said.

  “I can’t. Monica’s mom won’t let her have friends over on school nights, just Fridays and Saturdays.”

  Colleen tapped at the phone, wishing another number would dial itself and somebody would answer. She didn’t want to get into the sleepover argument with Daryl. The only reason she had conceded to the Friday night one was so she and Daryl could have the place to themselves. As much as she loved Daryl, Colleen had made it clear that he couldn’t spend the night when Melissa was home. Their trysts were thus limited to the nights Melissa spent with her father, who was presently out of state on business for a few weeks. The sleepover was Colleen’s only hope for sanity this month.

  Assuming she lived to see tomorrow night and didn’t give in to the urge to go running into the street and into the path of a truck.

  “Mom!” Melissa shouted.

  “What!” Colleen snapped, then, “I’m sorry, sweetie. What is it that you want?”

  “I called Professor Spence. He said he’d come over if it was okay with you.”

  “Professor Spence?” It had never occurred to Colleen to call her next door neighbor, and landlord. Professor John Spence lived in the adjoining townhome—the Burleighs rented the other half that Spence owned—and basically kept to himself. Colleen imagined that in the four months they lived there, she had probably spoken no more than five hundred words to the man since signing the lease. He always seemed to be coming when Colleen was going, and vice versa.

  He was, however, almost always home at night, and then Colleen surmised he was hardly alone, if the soft moans seeping through the wall connecting their bedrooms could be interpreted correctly.

  “I don’t know,” Colleen said warily. She would h
ate for the professor to have to cancel a date to babysit Melissa. Besides, even though she handed him a check for rent every month she didn’t really know the man. How she could trust a practical stranger with her daughter?

  Daryl was out of his seat and poised to strike. “What? What’s wrong with him?” he demanded. Colleen ignored him, giving her attention to her daughter.

  “What possessed you to bother Professor Spence? I’m sure he has better things to do with his time,” she told the young girl.

  Melissa rolled her eyes and sagged into the recliner. “He said it was okay, Mom. He’s not a stranger. I talk to him every day. Sometimes he helps me with my homework.”

  “He does?” How long had this tidbit of information been kept from her? Colleen should have been relieved to find a sitter at such short notice, but now she felt more suspicious, to say nothing of being disappointed with herself. What else did she not know about her daughter’s life and with whom Melissa spent her time?

  “Janie called only half an hour ago to say she wasn’t coming. When did you consult with Professor Spence?” she challenged.

  Melissa threw her a glance that said Duh! “I walked next door while you two were yelling. It took, like, a minute.”

  Her daughter was able to slip from her attention so quickly? What kind of a mother are you?

  “We weren’t yelling, we were discussing the situation. And what were you doing—hey!”

  “Yelling, discussing, whatever.” Daryl was shrugging on his coat and hustling Colleen toward the door simultaneously. “Can’t we all say nobody’s at fault so we can get going, huh? I don’t want to miss the previews.”

  Colleen was barely able to grab her purse from the recliner. It was pressed between the arm and Melissa, but the young girl moved to help Colleen dislodge it easier. Melissa’s look of calm was fascinating and disturbing.

  “Wait,” she said. But Daryl was too strong for her to resist.

  “He’s not a serial killer, Mom. Go to the movie, have a good time,” Melissa called after them, picking up the phone Colleen had discarded on the couch. “I’ll call him now and let him know you’re gone.”

  “O-okay,” Colleen said, but inside her stomach roiled. Sure, Professor Spence had been cordial to them for the time they lived in his building, but weren’t all serial killers like that, offering pleasant personalities to hide their evil?

  She let herself be dragged out the door to Daryl’s truck. The girl was dialing their neighbor’s phone number, by memory apparently. Colleen had never known Professor Spence’s phone number. She had never thought to check the lease for it and she never had cause to use it, not even for emergency situations or to check on the mail while they were away. The townhome was too well maintained for Colleen to require anything of him.

  Yet Melissa knew him well.

  What else didn’t she know?

  Chapter Two

  The movie was terrible, interminable, and ripe with trite dialogue and heaving, bare breasts. Colleen knew she should have expected as much from a low-budget slasher flick. Of course, she was going by how little she had actually seen of the movie. She had spent a good amount of time sneaking out of the theater to call home and make sure Melissa was okay.

  “Mom,” Melissa had whined. “Stop being a pest.” By the second half of the movie Colleen was calmer, but it did little to enhance the quality of such a terrible film.

  Daryl had eaten it up from the opening credits, with as much gusto as he had devoured the jumbo tub of popcorn and giant yellow box of chocolate-covered raisins that Colleen had purchased. The memory of Daryl patting his back pocket with a sheepish grin still burned behind her eyes as the truck pulled into her driveway and Daryl killed the headlights.

  “I’ll pay you back, I swear,” he said.

  You better, Colleen thought as Daryl draped an arm over the back of her seat and leaned forward for a kiss. Not just with money, either.

  He reeked of peppermint candy—also on her dime—and that obnoxious cologne he insisted on wearing despite her complaints. It wasn’t the first time Daryl pled poverty at the cashier station, but Colleen forked over the money anyway to avoid a buildup at the concession line. He’d pick it up next time. Next time wouldn’t happen, she knew, unless Daryl could score coupons, but Colleen hadn’t been bothered. Payday was tomorrow, and she wasn’t worried about going broke. Besides, it was only popcorn.

  And Raisinets.

  And a large Cherry Coke.

  All of which Daryl had been loath to share with her. She still felt the touch Daryl left when he had lightly slapped her more than ample thigh and waggled his finger in a gesture that said Now, now…a moment on the lips…

  She should let it bother her more, she knew, but surely Daryl had only been teasing. He wouldn’t be dating her if he thought her too fat, and he was too incredible a lover to just cast to the curb.

  She tried not to breathe as she parted her lips to receive Daryl’s kiss. Peppermint assaulted her senses as his tongue gently explored her mouth, flicking over her teeth and teasing her upper plate. Boy, but could Daryl kiss. The mere touch of his lips against hers sent an amorous heat straight to every erogenous zone. She loved the way his short, blond mustache tickled her upper lip. Her nipples stood to attention, her pussy warmed with desire. She recalled how that mustache felt tickling her clit as Daryl licked her pussy, and yearned to feel just that right now.

  She shifted her in her seat, cursing silently for not first releasing the seatbelt, and hoping Daryl might reach over to cup the crotch of her jeans and massage the ache.

  Moments like these were definitely worth the hassles.

  Daryl broke free and traced the outer shell of her ear with his tongue. A stray hand landed on her breast. “Come home with me,” he said. “You’re not working tomorrow.”

  “I can’t. Melissa.”

  “Let that doctor watch her.”

  “He’s a professor, and no. Besides, they probably heard the truck pull up. They’re expecting us.” She jerked her face away from Daryl to check her picture window, peering forward for any sign of activity in the house.

  “What? You’re worried he’s gonna rape her or something? You probably shouldn’t have left her with the jerk then.”

  “No!” Colleen was horrified Daryl would suggest such a thing. For a second she couldn’t even look at Daryl, and felt disgusted by his touch. He had been so eager to leave, knowing the college professor would be willing to watch Melissa—free of charge, Colleen gathered, since Daryl hadn’t given her time to confer with the man first. What if she had made a mistake?

  True, she didn’t know her neighbor/landlord as intimately as she would have liked, but she felt confident that she knew enough about him to discern that he wasn’t a pedophile, despite her misgivings throughout the evening. Melissa hadn’t seem threatened by the man, and apparently her daughter had matured enough know better.

  She had matured right under Colleen’s nose. How could she miss that?

  Her blood ran cold. What if he actually had turned out to be a pedophile, or worse? Convinced Melissa he loved her, that she was old enough to be loved? The man could have taken Melissa far, far away. She shuddered at the thought.

  “Daryl, let go.” She tried to see through the slits in the vertical blinds covering her living room window. Two figures rested on the couch, and Colleen caught a sliver of Melissa’s smiling face as the blinds wavered. The older gentlemen sat a respectable distance away, a book covering his features. She relaxed. They were just reading. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

  Daryl had pulled away entirely and now leaned against his window. “What is up with you?” he groused. “Don’t you want some?”

  Oh, did she want some. Even with all this anxiety coursing through her blood, she was horny. She had thought of nothing but getting some all week, but her ex-husband being called away on business had put a wrench in her love life. Colleen had to be happy with either the sporadic clandestine quickie with Daryl while
Melissa was at a friend’s house, or with running out the batteries in her vibrator. All the while she had to sleep alone in bed while the common wall connecting her bedroom to the professor’s vibrated with the sounds of lovemaking. Whoever Professor Spence was, he never seemed to want for companionship. Far as she knew, Spence had no children and didn’t have to worry about fitting his love life into other people’s schedules.

  Lucky.

  When Melissa wheedled for the sleepover Colleen had only been too happy to oblige her, and in some small way she suspected Melissa knew of her mother’s ulterior motives.

  “You know I do,” Colleen said finally, fighting the ache. “And when Monica’s mother comes to pick up Melissa, we’ll be coming all night long. I guarantee it. I don’t know about you, but I plan to make tomorrow a very casual Friday.”

  Daryl waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Do you now?”

  “Mandatory dress code. Birthday suits.”

  Daryl grinned. He shot out a hand, grabbed Colleen’s, and pressed it to the rock hard bulge in his pants. Colleen felt her pussy twitch in response.

  “This can’t wait ‘til tomorrow night, though,” he said as he molded Colleen’s fingers around his cock. “I need some relief, spelled C-O-L-L-E-E-N.”

  Colleen snorted. It was a lame joke, but one that worked. She scooted closer to Daryl, minding the stick shift and the transmission hump, and unzipped his jeans. She fished through the slot in his boxers until his cock sprang upward, thick and hard and long, and she wasted no time in cuffing the shaft and stroking the silk of his skin. Colleen loved Daryl’s cock, and loved the way it filled her pussy, stroking in and out of her. She kept that image in mind as she touched him, anticipating good feelings to come.

  Daryl leaned back as far as he could go, a difficult task given the truck cab had very little space in back, and closed his eyes. “Oh, yeah,” he groaned, drawing the words out into many syllables. “Faster, babe. Stroke me faster.”