What You Need Read online

  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.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  What You Need

  Copyright © 2014 by Landra Graf

  ISBN: 978-1-61333-666-3

  Cover art by Fiona Jayde

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

  Look for us online at:

  www.decadentpublishing.com/

  Decadent Publishing Recent Releases

  Being Prince Charming by D.L. Jackson

  Two Dads for Christmas by Kate Richards

  Beauty and the Brigadier by D.L. Jackson

  Truth or Dare by Elizabeth Morgan

  Hero Worship by Kimberly Quinton

  Lover Enslaved by Eva Lefoy

  Silk & Scorn by Cassandra Dean

  Broken Road by Alexa Bourne

  Long Overdue by Tara Andrews

  Stealing Cupid’s Bow by Jewel Quinlan

  Midwife to Destiny by Nana Prah

  One Night Ride by Jennah Scott

  Perfect Ride by Eva Lefoy and Shiloh Saddle

  Goddess of the Hunt by Becky Flade

  What You Need

  A 1Night Stand Story

  By

  Landra Graf

  ~Dedication~

  To my besties, Lora, Monica and Lori, who read every draft, listened to every idea, and told me this was the one. To my husband, for always lifting me up. To three special ladies, who helped with the final steps and gave words of wisdom.

  Chapter One

  A simple knock would grant him entrance to a suite in one of the most expensive hotels in the tri-county area. Royce clutched his canvas bag and stared at the room number plate. According to Madame Eve, a beautiful woman stood behind the barrier, one who could make all his fantasies come true. He had plenty of ideas rattling around in his head, and being with a gorgeous woman who accepted his desires would make the night perfect. He rocked on the balls of his feet, checked the time on his phone again, then put it on silent mode before another e-mail could chime through. Seven o’clock, time to...shit. He didn’t sleep with random women. Not now, not ever. But dominant women weren’t popping up around the corner and he’d paid for this.

  Fuck it.

  He rapped his knuckles on the heavy wood. Three solid taps. The door swung open slowly, revealing too much beauty to absorb at once, and his mouth dried. Red stilettos with tiny spikes all over them, legs that went on and on to lush curves, a short and sexy red dress, and gorgeous black hair. The dimmed hallway lights and non-existent ones in the room obscured her face, but that didn’t stop the jolt of pure lust, not helped by two years of celibacy, that speared straight to his cock. Without a word, she grabbed his tie, its black a stark contrast to her porcelain white, elegant fingers, and pulled him into the room. The latch clicked into place behind him and his bag fell to the floor when she shoved him against the cold, firm surface. Goose bumps rose on his skin along with the hairs on the back of his neck.

  “Hi.” About the only word he managed before a pair of luscious, plump red lips descended on his. One sharp heel spike scratched the skin above his ankle. His trousers were tight and rough on his thighs, igniting a pleasurable pain in his pulsing erection. She molded her body to his, and her nibbling bites on his mouth sent his brain reeling. The press of her weight sparked his nerves. Lord, he hadn’t experienced anything like that.

  Skin hot and flushed, he moved to embrace her and deepen the kiss. Instead, she grabbed his wrists and anchored them above his head; a simple gesture of dominance and one he’d never thought of as arousing until then. Her ministrations slowed to a crawl, as she opted for tracing the seams of his lips. He thrust his own eager tongue forward, desperate for another taste of spice and something familiar…a flavor of summer and sweet lemonade.

  She pressed harder, her breasts crushed to his chest, his wrists still restrained, her nails biting into the flesh. Royce’s desire ratcheted up further. As he thought he might succumb to the most embarrassing release ever, she pulled away.

  Panting, he tugged at his shirt collar. His date faced the window, out of the fan of illumination from low-lit lamps within the room. Curvy with toned arms and legs, her bare back on display, she stood straight and confident, her profile nothing less than stunning.

  He took a deep breath and exhaled hard. What a way to start the night. Chemistry wouldn’t be an issue. But he also wanted a little conversation.

  “That’s some way to say hello.” Chuckling, he grabbed his discarded bag and moved farther into the room.

  “Yes, it is. But I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.” Her voice sounded sultry and all-too-familiar.

  Holy fuck.

  “Tori?”

  “It’s Victoria nowadays.” She turned away from the window. “How’s life, Royce?” Her dark brown eyes appeared black and the desire in them reminded him of the erection from hell he still sported. She looked nothing like he remembered. Her long hair was gone, replaced with a bob, and no longer a radical shade of pink or blue. Baggy clothes to cover her figure were obviously a thing of the past.

  “How?” He’d just had an extremely arousing moment stuck between a solid surface and his ex-best friend. Stop thinking about sex. Tally that under the unexpected column. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Where the fuck have you been?”

  Tori, or Victoria—whatever she called herself—bit her lip, a nervous habit she’d always had to avoid a topic or feared how her next words would be received, although right then it made him remember the things she’d done with her teeth to him a minute before. “I’ve been around.”

  “That’s all I get after eight years of the silent treatment? We were best friends, prom dates, peaches and cream. You give me nothing and then kiss me like—” He cut off, not wanting to let his arousal become a verbal statement.

  “Like what?” She sounded intrigued and playful. It pissed him off, like she didn’t care about his feelings.

  Brutal truth, meet open air.

  “Like you want to fuck me until I can’t think straight.”

  Tori’s mouth spread into a wicked grin. “Really? So, no more thinking I’m only friend material then? No running away now that you know it’s me?”

  “I’m not like you. I can handle a bit of an embarrassment and stick around.”

  “Oh, you call our first kiss a little embarrassment.” She stepped toward him, tucking a chunk of her short, dark brown hair behind her ear. “I’d say baring my soul and confessing my love to the person I was closest to and then being told no, in so many words anyway, was more than little humiliating. I think I deserve some retribution, and your pitching a tent seems small in comparison. I also wouldn’t be so quick to call that kiss just now embarrassing. Judging by your pants, you agree.”

  Damn. Clenching his fists, he willed himself to calm the fuck down. “I’d like to think you know me better than that. You’d been drinking that night. I don’t get involved with so
meone under the influence. You threw me off guard.”

  Not to mention he’d been unable to admit his submissive nature to her back then, but he didn’t want to go back down the sex road. Not yet, anyway.

  “If I remember correctly, you weren’t one for one-night stands either. I can see that’s changed.”

  “Not entirely. I don’t expect…a quick screw, but some conversation. Something beyond physical stimulation.” He waved a hand toward the door, wanting to change the subject to something a little safer. Like why she never bothered to talk to him since that night. “Tori, did you think I wasn’t going to apologize the next day? Hell, I did. In a text. In a voice mail.”

  “I never got the messages. I changed my number first thing in the morning.”

  The words tore at the wound of their split, cracking it wide open again.

  “Why in the hell would you do that?” His voice rose in anger. “Where the fuck did you get off?”

  Her eyes flashed, and in two quick strides she stood before him, resting a gentle palm on his cheek, the other cupping his erection. “Don’t ever raise your voice at me again or I’ll make sure you’re hurting and not in the good way. Also, my name is Victoria,” she whispered.

  “I’m sorry. It’s—”

  “I’m sorry, too.” She stroked his straining cock. “I’m going to make it up to you. We can save the questions for later. That is, if the rest of you is up to it?”

  His Tori would never have acted like that. The woman before him appeared more confident and assertive in her sensuality. The sole similarity between the two lay in the mischievous look her eyes held, and the fact he wouldn’t fight her. The one time he’d refused something she’d asked of him, she’d disappeared from his life.

  “How do you plan to make it up to me?” In a hotel room with a hot, dominant woman…he couldn’t summon the words to tell her to stop. Not that he wanted to.

  Leaning in, she placed a sweet kiss on him, then pulled back an inch. “You’ll see.”She went to work loosening his tie and removing it from his neck. His mind raced with possibilities.

  “What are we go—”

  “Shhh. Half the fun of an experience is the mystery and wonder of what will happen. Trust me.” She slipped the loop of the tie around one wrist and moved behind him, securing his arms behind his back. Holy hell. She planned to tie him up; something he never would have expected from his childhood playmate.

  “I’d be fine with a simple conversation.”

  “But I owe you so much more than that.” She wrapped her arms around his chest. The spike heels made her tall enough to rest her head on his shoulder. Seconds of anticipation passed, then a hot breath, coupled with a swipe of liquid heat on his ear lobe. Victoria unbuckled his belt. He shuddered.

  “See, Royce, you need some assistance.” At the mercy of her assistance, he hoped it ended with release. “Now, I’m going to do a few things. I want you to feel them.”

  Dipping beneath the band of his boxer briefs, she gripped his cock and drew him free. The rush of semi-cold air in the room and the heat of her palm had him jerking in response. “Vic—”

  “Hush now. Don’t talk. Just feel. And if you come before I tell you to, this will be the first and last thing we do together this evening. I’ll kick you out before you even get your dick back in your pants. Nod if you understand.”

  Royce obeyed and she stroked gently, then firmly. When he shivered, she fondled his balls, keeping him on edge, her efforts both heavenly and maddening. Bound the way she desired, he didn’t dare speak, fearing she’d stop her ministrations.

  He bit the inside of his cheek to stifle his groans, but when she cupped his balls and tightened her grip around his shaft, a moan tore loose. Victoria circled and dropped to her knees in front of him. Snaking her tongue out, she traced up and down both sides of his cock. As she laved at the pre-cum from the tip, he rose on the balls of his feet toward her hot breath.

  She glanced up, light catching the deep golden flecks in her eyes, her expression beautiful and determined. She flicked the tip of his cock with one finger, the pain a sharp contrast to the earlier pleasure of her tongue. A perfect balance. “I think for all the trouble you’ve put me through, you deserve to be cold-cocked.”

  Standing, she dragged his pants partially up with her and backed him into one of the four bedposts. “Hold onto that. You’ll need the support.”

  Royce wrapped his hands around the post as best he could. The cool wood felt good against his heated skin. Victoria had him more aroused then he’d ever been.

  She shifted from the table next to the TV, and slipped something between her lips. Sinking to the carpet in front of him, she grabbed his cock and inserted him into her warmth. Extreme cold and heat surrounded his cock in heaven and agony. Ice. His climax neared and he gripped the post for dear life. The pressure built as the ice melted and she sucked. He needed release: soon.

  Leaning back, she began to piston her hand around his cock. “Come. Now.”

  The words were the final push he needed, and his balls clenched. He watched, mesmerized by the sight of his cum jetting into her mouth, and shuddered through the final release. His vision blurred.

  She swallowed and licked her lips. “You can let go of the post now.”

  He collapsed.

  “Oh, hell. Royce? Are you okay?” Victoria went to her knees. His pulse ran a little fast. She ruffled his hair, hoping to see a change in his closed eyes, praying she didn’t hurt him or make an error.

  Then reaching behind him, she removed the tie around his arms. “Get up.”

  With her tender touch on the side of his cheek, he started to move, his skin damp and cold compared to hers.

  “Tori….” Royce attempted to sit up on his elbows then fell back again. “Crap. Sorry about that.”

  “Can you stand?” Standing, she leaned over to help him up.“ Actually, give me a minute. I just need a drink.” He squinted and beads of sweat formed on his brow, his skin unnaturally pasty.

  “Hold on.” She’d forgotten about Royce’s hypoglycemia. He’d been that way since they were kids, always needing at least a snack every couple of hours. “When’s the last time you ate?”

  He blinked several times. “Around lunchtime.

  “Have anything in that duffle of yours?”

  “A protein bar in the left pocket.”

  “Stay still.” Victoria shot to his bag and dug in the side pocket, found the snack, and helped him peel back the wrapper. “And here I thought all this fainting stuff was because I blew your mind.”

  “Still good at the bad jokes, I see.” He nibbled.

  “Yes, always good at bad jokes. Now, how about I order us some real food?”

  While chewing, he tucked his cock back in his pants with his free hand. His actions were slow and controlled, hands steady due to the carbs, normal color back in his cheeks. “Don’t think you can continue to postpone our detailed conversation with food. I can’t be bribed.”

  Victoria grinned at how delicious he appeared: his brown hair in disarray, pants loose and unbuttoned, food muffling the words. He seemed younger in the candlelight, a near, spitting image of the teenage boy she’d embraced in a beat-up Honda CRX. “I think I remember you could be bribed easily if it involved Philly cheesesteak and peach cobbler.” She walked to the cabinet and poured him a glass of water.

  “Fine, I’ll agree to the food, but I want to discuss the last eight years over dinner.” He straightened his shirt the best he could, the fabric nearly see-through with sweat. He wouldn’t relent. The lone dominant part of Royce had always been his stubbornness when resolving arguments or during tough conversations. If she truly didn’t want to talk about it, she could make him quit asking, but it wouldn’t be fair. No doubt he’d weasel his way into discussing their past one way or another.

  She extended the glass to him, the touch of his skin clammy like his cheek had been.

  “Okay. I’ll order and we can talk.”

  “Sou
nds great.” He took a drink, passed back the glass, and stood to button his pants. “I never knew you were into D/s.”

  “I never knew you were into it either, but I’m fairly new to the scene.”

  “The profile I got from Madame Eve said as much. What got you started?” He took a couple of small steps away from the bed, appearing steady on his feet.

  “Things….” she hedged, setting his water on a cabinet, then gestured toward the bathroom. “How about a shower while we wait for dinner?”

  “You don’t have to be afraid to tell me things. We used to tell each other everything.”

  “I know. I need a little bit longer to get comfortable with discussing the past with you. It’s been a long time since one of our heart-to-hearts.” She sat on the bed. “I’m afraid you won’t look at me the same.” She didn’t do deep conversation with anyone except her therapist. With friends and family, she kept her conversations playful and away from the topic of her personal life and feelings. “I also don’t do pity parties.”

  Royce shifted in close and took her right hand in his. “It’s not a pity party. It’s a conversation. Big difference. You don’t need my sympathy or compassion. I want to know where you went and what you’ve been up to. I think I deserve that much.”

  “Yes, you do. And more.” She sighed and laced her fingers with his.

  He pressed a gentle kiss to them then let go, heading to the bathroom. “How about you ask me questions? I’m not an interrogator, and I’m sure you want to know what I’ve been up to.”

  There he went again, always wanting to make her comfortable with every situation. “Do you always have to try to make me feel better? Feel safe?” She trailed him to the bathroom, pausing outside the door.

  “That’s what friends do and I never stopped thinking of you as one. So, I’m going to shower and you can stand right here and ask me questions.” He smiled then closed the door partially. Victoria, like a voyeur, longed to peek around the edge of the obstruction. In their current circumstance, did etiquette demand she give him privacy?