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Chapter Seven
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That Night Chapter Eight
It quickly became apparent one Wednesday evening that Richard was not well versed in the world of texting with emojis. In fact, his texting was stiff and lacked a flow.What started off as innocent had me rolling on the floor in laughter, slamming my hand on my kitchen table as I tried not to pee myself from laughing so hard.I miss the sweetness of your lips—RichardThat was the first message that popped up onto my phone as I cooked dinner. It was sweet and made my chest clench.I miss your warmth—Natasha, I typed back.I miss your warmth, too. Especially the warmth between your thighs—RichardI quirked a brow at the screen. Someone was feeling frisky.Perv—NatashaWhat can I say, my every thought is of you, including the very dirty ones—RichardWell, now all I can think of is your in my —NatashaI bit my lip as I stared down at the screen, waiting for his response, but when it came I stared down at it in disbelief.I have no idea what that means. Is that an eggpla
Last Updated : 2024-10-29That Night Chapter Nine
MarchAfter two weeks, Monday through Thursday became simple stepping stones counting down like a clock until I got to see Richard again. I made them productive, if only to keep myself busy, to keep myself from missing him.It was hard to believe how much I missed him after only being together for a few weeks. Jenna spent a lot of time with Brent, and they sometimes invited me along, but I hated feeling like a third wheel. Also, the baby was zapping my energy and I usually went home and didn’t move from my couch.Of course Richard and I talked on the phone, and texted, and even emailed, but all that did was make me long for him more. I felt the need to be physically connected, surrounded by his arms and breathing him in. I craved him. My skin crawled in desperation for him.The first week I started sending him memes during the day, but he didn’t really understand them, much like the emojis, and it took him a moment to pick up. I had a feeling his office may have bee
Last Updated : 2024-10-29That Night Chapter Ten
Mid MarchI stared down at my phone, at the photo I’d taken at Natasha’s the weekend before. Natasha was asleep, her arm thrown up above her head, breasts covered by the sheet.How many years had it been since I had felt this way about a woman? Since I could barely stand being away from a girlfriend or my wife for more than a few hours?Searching my memory, I could find none. Perhaps some from high school came close, but the woman had my mind wandering in the middle of the day. She had me working long into the night so that I could leave early just to see her sooner. I didn’t tell her that, though. I couldn’t.Only a month had passed, but it felt like multiple months. There was never the usual period of awkwardness. It felt like she knew the deepest parts of me without even trying. And if she didn’t, she could force them out of me. It was amazing and freeing, and frightening as hell.A knock sounded at my door and I cleared the screen, but not without one last long
Last Updated : 2024-10-29That Night Chapter Eleven
For weeks I’d heard the whispered words and theories, Jenna had even filled me in on some of the gossip circulating on her side of the building. I tried not to let it get to me, but every time Richard popped up, he didn’t care who saw us being affectionate. It negated all of my efforts to appear professional.However, I felt a change occurring in my relationship with Richard. Work Richard, the VP, was serious and stiff, while my boyfriend was loving and attentive. The problem was the VP was becoming more and more present with each week.Earlier in the week I sent him our favorite baby Yoda memes, and twice in the week he hadn’t responded. One night I even went without our nightly phone call. It wasn’t like our nightly calls were long and time consuming, sometimes they were as short as a couple of minutes, but it was enough just to hear his voice.It felt like our footing had become uneven somehow, but I attributed it to the distance between us.“Natasha, did I hear Richard
Last Updated : 2024-10-29That Night Chapter Twelve
End of MarchI should have stayed at the office.I should have been in a meeting with Michael about next month’s rollout.But instead I was where I wanted to be, though the quirked brow and pursed lips that met me had me on edge. Natasha was still working, and I wasn’t even there for the project we were working on together.“In the five years I’ve worked here I don’t think you’ve ever come for a visit, but the last month and a half you’ve come five times,” she said before standing. “I think I’m getting special attention, because Nina never saw you this much. And if you’re blaming it on my department I will swat you.”I had been to the office before, many times, but it was odd how I’d never seen or noticed her. If she hadn’t been in that meeting, would I have noticed that day?“No, I’m blaming it on you.”She rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. “Ass.” I pulled on her wrist and she crashed against my chest. “Richard,” she hissed, her gaze darting around.
Last Updated : 2024-10-29That Night Chapter Thirteen
There was a strange feeling in the air when I woke up shortly before we arrived deep in the heart of downtown Chicago. Almost as if there was an invisible wall that had been erected between us, dividing the car in two. It hadn’t been there before, and its appearance now was a foreshadowing that made my heart ache.“Why don’t you go take a nap,” Richard said after we walked in.“I just woke up.”He nodded. “What sounds good for dinner?”I brushed my hair behind my ear, my brow furrowing. I didn’t like the distance in his gaze but what scared me was the physical distance that he placed between us. This wasn’t the same man who dropped in to my office hours ago. What had happened when I was asleep?“Pasta. Does that work?”He nodded and walked into the kitchen and the drawer where he stored menu copies. “There’s an Italian restaurant that’s good.”I watched as he flipped through them, his concentration focused until he found what he was looking for. He handed me the menu bef
Last Updated : 2024-10-29That Night Chapter Fourteen
AprilI bit at my nail as I stared at the clock.He was late.Dinner was a big deal—meet-the-parents kind of big deal. Oh, and telling my parents about my pregnancy and hoping they didn’t ask “how did this happen?” Because I didn’t want to tell them how we met. The safe explanation was that we met through work.I took one last look at my appearance to make sure I didn’t look too pregnant. My stomach was definitely sticking out more every day, but thankfully the empire waist of the dress my mother bought me for Christmas managed to flare out enough that it wasn’t noticeable. However, if I twisted and the fabric got caught, it was “hello, bump.”I had reminded Richard of our dinner plans during our nightly call, but I hadn’t heard from him all afternoon.With him getting wrapped up in work last weekend, I was seriously beginning to wonder if he was coming.Friday traffic can be a bitch, I reminded myself.I needed him to be there, beside me. Otherwise I didn’t kno
Last Updated : 2024-10-29That Night Chapter Fifteen
For the past week Natasha helped me to smooth out and perfect the budget analysis, and I was quite impressed with her work. She had it more streamlined than I’d been able accomplish on my own in the past.We both had stayed up late, talking on the phone, emailing back and forth in the final week, until everything was just right. I knew it took a toll on her, and I was ready to free her for an early weekend, to pamper her a little.And to share the excitement of a job well done.The walls built to protect myself from Natasha did nothing to stifle the deep-seated desire I had for her. Natasha had worked her way into my bloodstream and had become a drug my body needed regular doses of to survive.Meeting her family only highlighted how dysfunctional my family was. Susie and I weren’t close like that because she was a girl and I was a boy. Girls cooked and cleaned and sewed and played with dolls, while boys did hard chores outside, played sports, and made money.I had a paper
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
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That Night More books from K.I. Lynn!
That NightI got pregnant on New Year’s Eve.That night was hands down the best night of my life. A magical night with the man of my dreams.The aftermath changed everything.After weeks of silence from him and a positive pregnancy test, it was safe to say I was in full out panic mode.Until I walked into a conference room only to find Mr. Man-of-my-dreams-father-of-my-unborn-child at the head of the table.Turns out the VP of finance isn’t an old boring guy with white hair.Two different cities.A baby on the way.An intense attraction.And he’s technically my boss.Life just got even more complicated.Find out more hereAbductedThe mafia never lets you go.I thought I was safe, free, but I never expected to find myself locked in a cage.I’m in his territory. His prison.The beast.A fate worse than death awaits me if I can’t get away, so when the opportunity of salvation presents itself I grab it, even if I’m unsure i
That Night About the Author
K.I. Lynn is the USA Today Bestselling Author from The Bend Anthology and the Amazon Bestsellers, Breach and Becoming Mrs Lockwood. She spent her life in the arts, everything from music to painting and ceramics, then to writing. Characters have always run around in her head, acting out their stories, but it wasn’t until later in life she would put them to pen. It would turn out to be the one thing she was really passionate about.Since she began posting stories online, she’s garnered acclaim for her diverse stories and hard hitting writing style. Two stories and characters are never the same, her brain moving through different ideas faster than she can write them down as it also plots its quest for world domination…or cheese. Whichever is easier to obtain… Usually it’s cheese.WebsiteFacebookTwitterInstagramGet my Newsletter
That Night After all the words and all the things…
When I began working on my piece for the Wild in the Windy City Anthology I was struggling. I wasn’t connecting to ideas, and while talking to a friend she said to me “Why don’t you do an office romance? You love those.”And she was right. I do love those.I immediately connected to this idea and a story blossomed and a connection so powerful that I knew it had to continue past that night.I hope you enjoyed Richard and Natasha’s story. If by chance it wasn’t for you, I hope you will still give me a chance to become one of your favorite authors.
That Night Epilogue
One year later…The last year hadn’t been as picture perfect as I’d hoped, but that didn’t mean we weren’t happy, and that I wasn’t still hopelessly in love with Richard. His insecurities ran deep, but he worked hard to give me the chance…to give us the chance to succeed where he hadn’t with Desiree. And he made sure every single day to show me he loved me.Thanks to Keenan’s glowing endorsements to many of his ex-teammates and friends, along with Wyatt spreading the word, Bennett Sports Advisors grew by leaps and bounds. Within six months he had fifteen employees, and after a year he doubled that. He needed all the help as they had grown to over two hundred clients—a number that continued to increase weekly thanks to word of mouth.“Finally,” I said as the dryer went off.It’d been over a year since Richard bought the brown teddy bear I was pulling out of the dryer, but it was our daughter’s favorite snuggle toy, which she’d spit up on.I walked back to
That Night Chapter Twenty-Six
After my fall and subsequent hospital stay, I was directed to take the rest of the week off. It was torture the first day after Richard left. There was nothing to do but wallow in my grief. No matter what declarations he made or the love I had for him, I had to let him go.That knowledge, that it was for the well-being of me and our baby, didn’t make it any easier. The acknowledgment that he was the biggest stressor in my life and that stress was causing physical problems with my pregnancy was the hardest truth I’d ever had to face.What ifs floated through my mind. Would his avoidance have been the same if I’d lived in Chicago? Would he have gone to appointments, or would work have sucked him in all the same?Jenna came over that night and held me as I sobbed. Just her being there meant the world to me.She also unblocked his number from my phone.On Wednesday I felt steady enough to get up, to get my mind something to think about other than Richard. I continued on with t
That Night Chapter Twenty-Five
I wasn’t entirely sure how I got home. The whole drive back to Chicago I felt numb. My brain didn’t get on board until the next day when I sat at my desk with my view of Lake Michigan. The sun streamed in, and the beach was studded with bodies enjoying the warm weather. They were seemingly carefree, having a day off with no worries.There was nothing but turmoil inside me.I’d lost her.Each minute away from Natasha burned in ways I’d never experienced before. Weighted down with responsibilities, I’d been choosing the wrong ones to focus on.It hadn’t been twenty-four hours since I left her, but I’d never had a black cloud of this magnitude take up residence in my chest. Not even after my divorce, after finding out Desiree had been cheating on me, did I feel the depth of despair that weighed me down now.I was determined to make good on my promise, but my normal problem-solving mind had left for vacation and was unavailable to help me figure out what to do.There was a kn
That Night Chapter Twenty-Four
When I was released the next morning, it was Richard who was there to drive me home.I hated it. I hated the way it made my chest clench to see him there, so attentive to my needs. It was a side of him I’d seen glimpses of in the past, but it had been many weeks since this side of him had been allowed out.The buzzing of his phone in his pocket went unnoticed, and the ringing through the car’s speakers went unanswered.“You aren’t going to get that? It could be important.” The air continued to be filled with static, and it was suffocating.He reached across the center console and covered my hand with his, giving it a squeeze. “Not as important as you.”“Had some epiphany, huh?” I cringed against the light, my eyes overly sensitive thanks to the migraine slamming my head into a table had caused.“I want to talk about this.”“Why?” Give me a reason.“Because this isn’t over, despite what you seem to think. One fight does not end a relationship.”“It is over, and if you t
That Night Chapter Twenty-Three
Work kept me busy over the weekend and all of Monday, but even having all my focus on work could not stop the weight from settling on my chest or the pit that grew in my stomach every day. They weren’t feelings I was familiar with, but I knew they had to do with Natasha.Calling and texting had been futile exercises—she wasn’t answering.We were both angry, and the distance didn’t help.Though I wasn’t sure if it was her I was angry with. It was me. After she hung up on me, I realized why she was so upset. I’d missed a pivotal moment I could never get back in the life of my child. A moment when I should have been holding her hand and kissing her in excitement, and instead I was sitting at a conference table, firmly planting another wall between us.Why I kept doing it, I had no idea. My self-destructive moves were hurting more than just me. The walls were meant to protect me, but they were doing the opposite.I wanted to let her in. I wanted to drown in the feelings that w
That Night Chapter Twenty-Two
It had been two days since I hung up on Richard, and I had yet to leave my bed. I was so upset I blocked his number. Dr. Danvers said to watch my stress, and it was stressing me out more. He was the father of my child, but I needed space.I regretted doing it almost immediately, but I needed to be strong. If he wanted to fix things, he would come to me.When I heard voices coming down the hall, I started, but relaxed back into my blanket fort when I recognized my mother.“You know,” I whined from under the covers. “I didn’t give you that key so you could just walk in whenever.”“All right, young lady, get up,” Mom said from the doorway to my bedroom.“No,” I whined from under the covers. I didn’t want to do anything but wallow in my misery…and pizza. And ice cream, pickles, fried rice, and bacon cheeseburgers.My stomach rumbled at all the food thoughts, the baby demanding everything.Just like when I was a teenager, my mom pulled the covers from me. I cracked an eye and
