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That Night Acknowledgments
To Massy…this is all your fault. Love you, boo!Thanks to Danielle for saving me when I was drowning.
Last Updated : 2021-10-29That Night Intro
A wave of nausea rolled through me, and all because someone heated up some sausage in the break room. It was a smell that would have normally had my stomach growling, but not the past week. My stomach clenched before heaving up my breakfast and expelling it into the toilet.“Nat, you okay?” my best friend, Jenna, asked as she knocked on the stall door.I hastily wiped at my mouth and flushed the toilet as I stood. “Yeah.” I turned the lock to find Jenna’s dark brown eyes staring at me, a toothbrush and toothpaste in her hand.“I love you,” I said as I took them from her.“You look like shit.”“I feel like it.” My stomach clenched again, but I managed to breathe through it. Thanks to my actions that night, I was now swallowing back waves of nausea.“Can you cancel the meeting?”I shook my head. “No.”Jenna was always prepared, and I was very thankful to be able to wash my mouth out. I watched her reflection in the mirror as she pursed her lips, then pulled the hair band
Last Updated : 2021-10-29That Night Part 1
New Year’s EveI stared at my reflection, analyzing every angle. My light hazel eyes popped out from the smoky eye makeup, and my face was framed by what I called miracle curls of my coffee-colored hair. Perfectly pink lips with a hint of mischief finished the look.The silver off-the-shoulder dress with its flared skirt was festive, along with a mix of cute and sexy. Best thing—pockets.While I did have a wristlet, I could use the pockets as well. The silver wristlet had just enough room for my phone, lipstick, and some cards and cash.“How do I look?” I asked as I stepped out of the hotel bathroom.Jenna’s lips twitched up into a smile. “Like a hot beotch.” She slipped a silver bangle over her hand. “Zip me up?”I stepped over as Jenna turned, the glitzy deep red of her fitted dress contrasting against her golden, fair skin. Like mine, her dress sparkled in the light.Chicago’s Resolution Gala was all about the shiny. It was an event we’d both looked forward to
Last Updated : 2021-10-29That Night Part 2
After
Last Updated : 2021-10-29That Night Chapter One
Six weeks had passed since I last laid eyes on him, and I couldn’t help but notice the difference. The excitement, the life I saw more and more through that night, was gone. The light inside was replaced by the loneliness I’d also seen in him. All work and no play.It was hard to keep my attention on what was being said, my gaze locked on him. His lips moved, but I heard none of the words, until his eyes were fixed on me. In fact, the whole room was. A jolt of panic kicked inside me.“I’m sorry?” I asked, realizing my wandering mind had missed something important.“I asked why there are so many discrepancies in the GL for January. They should have been addressed before month end, yet they are still hanging open.”It was something I knew was going to come up. All accounts were supposed to be balanced by month end, but there were two general ledgers that wouldn’t balance and I was still investigating the reason why.I cleared my throat, nervous energy vibrating through my ve
Last Updated : 2021-10-29That Night Chapter Two
Hours later I was fresh out of the shower and staring down at the two dresses I’d picked out. One was the standard little black dress, the other was that dress, the silver one I’d worn the night we met.Was it cliché? Stupid? Was I being an idiot for even considering it?“Knock knock!” Jenna called out as she entered, the sound of the lock clicking back into place.“Bedroom,” I called back.She walked in with her makeup kit in one hand and her curling iron in the other. She set it all down on the bathroom vanity before coming to stand next to me.“What do I do?”“Oh, hell, yes,” Jenna said when her gaze hit the dress I’d worn on New Year’s Eve. She picked it up and brushed the other one to the side, barely looking at it. Not that she hadn’t seen it before—I’d worn it to the office Christmas party.“Not too much?”She shook her head. “Totally fitting, but it reminds me…I can’t believe you got pregnant on New Year’s Eve!”A chuckle left me. “I still can’t believe you hoo
Last Updated : 2021-10-29That Night Chapter Three
The entire way to the restaurant I couldn’t help but constantly glance over at her. In that dress, it was like we were picking right back up, like the last six weeks hadn’t even passed.Six weeks that I pined for her thinking she’d blown me off, but it was my own stupidity. I thanked that little voice that told me not to delete the contact, because that was my only saving grace. That evidence took her from standoffish to melting in my arms.And now she was sitting in my car in that motherfucking dress. The one I’d clumsily spilled her drink on, then promptly shoved my hand down.It was possibly the most idiotic move I’d ever made, but also the best.Still, that dress did things to me. It represented weeks of fantasies, and was a reminder of how I had felt that night. How much I loved that night. How captivated I was.“Have I told you how much I love that dress?”Her lips pulled up into that blinding smile, making her light brown eyes sparkle. “I chose wisely. I did notice
Last Updated : 2021-10-29That Night Chapter Four
Dinner progressed, and I’d never felt the level of connection that I felt with her.We were poking at a piece of chocolate cake when her phone went off with a text message.“Going to check it?”She shook her head. “No. I just want to be here with you.”It went off again. “Might be important.”She blew out a breath and pulled the phone from her clutch. Her brow scrunched as she looked at the screen.“Well, the thought that maybe this was you is now blown out of the water.”“What?”She shook her head. “I’ve gotten a couple of random text messages from an unknown number.”“Well, we know it wasn’t me.” I held out my hand and she set the phone on my palm.After a couple of cursory, nondescript texts there were two new ones.Why haven’t you responded?It’s Valentine’s Day. You’re breaking my heart, baby.“Given your numbers to any strange men lately?” I asked with a chuckle.“Well, there was this one, he turned out to be mostly harmless, but hot as hell,” she teased wit
Last Updated : 2021-10-29
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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
