Want & Need

by CJ Laurence

  I bid him good night before heading to the bar for yet more unneeded alcohol. Tessa ordered our drinks as I watched Paul and Ash share a short exchange. Downing my drink in one go, I smiled as he sauntered over, his blonde hair twinkling under the disco lights.

  “Where’s your brother going?”

  I smirked. “For an early night.”

  He laughed as he shook his head. “Just me and you, then, I guess?”

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  He frowned.

  “I’m going for an early night too.”

  His jaw clenched and his eyes hardened into a killer look. “With who?”

  I grinned, wrapping my hand around Tessa’s body. She responded by curling her own arm around my waist.

  His eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

  “Totally.”

  He smirked, folding his arms over his chest. “So, you’re just going to leave me high and dry?”

  I ran my tongue over my bottom lip. “Not like we’re in a relationship or anything, is it? I didn’t ask you to spend three hours in a car to come and see me.”

  “Touché.”

  I started walking past him, my grin ever growing. I turned back, gesturing towards the door with my head. “You coming?”

  He grinned in response and followed us out.

  As we stepped outside into the fresh air, the alcohol I’d consumed seemed to hit me all at once, sending me into a new spin as we made our way back to the hotel. When we entered my room, Paul disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Tessa and me alone.

  “You sure about this?” she asked.

  I nodded, smiling as I tried to steady my whirling mind.

  She leaned into me, pressing her soft lips to mine as her tongue slipped inside my mouth. Our hands mirrored each other’s movements, both of us fondling over our feminine curves. Shivers covered me from head to toe. A small moan escaped me when she brushed a hand over my chest, new waves of lust rushing through me.

  I broke our kiss for a second. “Take it off. My dress.”

  She smiled before working her way down my neck with her soft lips, catching all my sensitive spots with an expert touch. She unzipped me, pushing my dress to the floor in one swift move. She took a moment to look at me in my black lacy underwear, biting her lip as she did so. In less than a second, her own dress found its way to the floor as she revealed her own bright red silk lingerie.

  Her hands found my hips, running along my tingling skin as she wound her way round my back, releasing my bra. I copied her movements, my heart pounding as I took her bra from her gorgeous body.

  She reached for me, grabbing my head as she pressed us together, our soft skin rubbing together with a delightful sizzle. The feel of her velvet body against mine was just incredible. Her hands roamed over me, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake as her red lips continued to cover me in kisses.

  I gasped, my head falling back as she nibbled at my neck before working her way down. With a gentle lick, her tongue worked over my chest in delightful patterns. Violent shudders coursed through me, each one settling between my legs with a throbbing ache.

  “Fucking hell.”

  I opened my eyes to see Paul stood by the bed, watching us. His eyes glittered like gems seeing daylight after years of being hidden. I’d forgotten about him in my moment of pleasure. I smiled and closed my eyes, allowing Tessa to push me on the bed. She crawled on top of me, continuing her sensual assault on me as she worked her way down my body. Her fingers glided down my legs, sweeping my thong off in one smooth movement.

  Paul groaned, and I opened my eyes to see him undressing himself. Tessa distracted me from him as she kissed her way back up my legs. I squirmed with an overwhelming anticipation of where she was going next. Her hands crept up my body, skimming over my chest at the same moment she placed her mouth between my legs.

  I jolted from the sudden delight of her mouth on me, teasing slow circles over my tender spot. Within seconds, my hips were bucking up to her, forcing more of me into her mouth. I struggled to calm my breathing as I silently begged for her to give me more.

  Her hands left my chest, running up and down my thighs as I basked in this sheer bliss she was giving me. Another hand grabbed hold of my chest, and I opened my eyes to see Paul hovering over me with his own ragged breathing. His mouth found mine, his tongue taking control of mine as his hands teased me with their own rhythm.

  I moaned, feeling more than overloaded with all of this decadence the pair of them were crashing over me. It was only a matter of minutes before I released myself to her, her tongue delving deep inside. She continued her breath-taking pace, leading me onto another sweet relief only moments later.

  She stopped, her voice a hoarse whisper. “You taste so good…”

  Paul broke our kiss, growling at Tessa to move. I opened my eyes, the room spinning all around me as Tessa settled herself above my head. Before I could even register what was happening, Paul plunged himself inside me, a familiar groan sounding from him as he filled me.

  His fast tempo soon served me with my third climax as I writhed under his assault on me. My drunken state was fast becoming a hindrance to how much I could revel in this pure heaven.

  He flipped me over, his eyes falling on Tessa and ordering her to touch herself. He pulled me down the bed, bending me over as I watched Tessa dance her fingers over herself. She wriggled under her own touch while Paul’s hands grabbed hold of my shoulders, forcing me back onto him as hard as he could.

  As Tessa gasped under her own joyful release, Paul stilled inside me, letting out a deep breath as he did so.

  After a couple of minutes, Tessa sat up, her green eyes gleaming. “Well, that was definitely worth an early night.”

  Paul said nothing. He walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

  I crawled into bed, sobering up at a rate of knots. What the hell did I just do? With my boss?

  Chapter Thirteen

  I woke up on Saturday morning with a pounding headache. In the fuzzy parts of my brain, I could hear something jingling. I blinked a few times, trying to adjust my sore eyes to the dimly lit hotel room.

  As I sat up, I gasped in horror when I saw a woman in my bed. Her silky red hair splayed out on the pillow like something from a seductive photograph. Then it hit me. Like a herd of stampeding bulls, all my jumbled memories fell through my mind, fragmenting their own picture show of last night’s events.

  The bathroom door opened, revealing a stark naked Paul looking mighty fine in all his glory.

  He grinned at me. “Morning.”

  I groaned and clasped a hand to my head. I met his amused gaze, squinting as his words of where we stood filtered through, driving that painful arrow even further through my heart. Why was he not a relationship guy? Why did he come down here if he wasn’t interested in something more committed?

  I pulled the duvet back, stumbling towards the bathroom. “I need a bath.”

  I turned the bath taps on before realising I had no shower gel in there with me. Wrapping a towel around me, I walked back out to see Tessa getting herself dressed.

  She flashed me a dazzling smile. “Hey. I had a good time, thank you. I think you two should definitely reconsider your ‘fun’ arrangement.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, let’s just say that’s the first ménage a trois I’ve had where the guy makes his singular interest rather clear.”

  Heat flushed through me as I realised that, really, the poor woman had ended up enjoying herself more than either of us. But what exactly did that mean?

  I faked a smile and nodded, not quite clear-headed enough to make sense of her words just yet. I felt awkward enough as it was anyway.

  She ran for the door, making her excuses for having work in less than an hour. As the door slammed shut behind her, an uncomfortable silence fell between Paul and me.

  I said nothing as I walked back in the bathroom, shutting the door behind me before slipping under
the bliss of the bubbles. My peace lasted for barely two minutes.

  “Kyra…”

  I groaned hearing Ash banging on the room door.

  Several seconds later, I heard him greet Paul. “Hey, Hot Stuff.”

  “She’s in the bath.”

  Ash’s voice boomed through the bathroom door. “Ky, get out here.”

  “What do you want?” I wrapped a towel around me before poking my head around the door. “What?”

  Ash smirked back at me, his eyes lighting up at impending gossip. “Did I just see Tessa leaving your room?”

  “Shut up.” I slammed the door in his face. “I’m hungover.”

  “Holy shit. You did, didn’t you?”

  I didn’t dignify him with a response.

  Paul coughed, making it obvious it was time for Ash to leave.

  “All right, gorgeous, chill out. Tessa is quite a fun girl, isn’t she?”

  “I wouldn’t know.”

  “Oh, come on, man, we’re all grown-ups.”

  “And some things still remain private.”

  “Fine.” Ash’s voice changed slightly, his tone lowering as he turned serious. “Let me put it another way. Did you stick your dick in another woman in front of my sister?”

  “Ashley!” I yanked the bathroom door open. I glanced at Paul, glad to see he’d pulled his jeans on at least. “Get out!”

  “What?” His dark eyes told me he was more than serious at this moment in time and I had no idea why. “I’m just trying to have a normal conversation about sex and Mr. Uptight here is refusing to.”

  “Ash, I’m your sister. This is weird enough. Out. Now.”

  Ash ignored me, turning his attention back to Paul. “What are you doing with my sister exactly?”

  I interrupted before Paul could even open his mouth. “We’re having sex. That’s it. End of.”

  “Yeah, you’ve told me your side already.”

  Paul shrugged his shoulders. “We’re having fun. It’s nothing serious. I’m not a relationship kind of guy.”

  I glowered at Ash at forcing me to hear those words again. “Satisfied?”

  Ash turned to me, his serious face lightening in a second. “I am now, yes. So, Tessa?”

  “We had fun. We’re all consenting adults and no one has any strings attached. And just for the record, he didn’t actually touch her.”

  Ash raised his eyebrows. “Hmmm. Interesting. Except you two do kind of have strings attached. How awkward is this going to be on Monday morning?” He chuckled his way out of the room, shutting the door on his way out.

  A degree of silent discomfort fell over us both before I whirled round, heading back to my bath.

  “Kyra…”

  He said my name in such a soft tone it coated me in shivers. I ignored him, intent on shutting the door between us whilst I buried my head in the sand for a while longer.

  “Kyra, we need to talk.”

  I turned round, pushing the door in front of me as some sort of guard against him. “About what?”

  “You know what.”

  I smirked. “If I knew what, then I wouldn’t be asking, would I?”

  He folded his arms over his muscled chest. “What was that? Last night? I mean, I’m not complaining, but it’s like someone flipped a switch and boom, off you went and jumped into bed with a woman. Where did that come from?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I told you I’d always been curious.”

  He narrowed his eyes and took a few steps towards the bathroom.

  “Fine. You said we’re just having fun because you don’t do relationships so I figured I had nothing to lose. Why not?”

  “I see.” He rubbed his chin between his thumb and forefinger, his face harbouring a thoughtful look. “So despite the fact I may change my mind at some point, you decided to put the final nail in the coffin by involving another person in our sexual relations?”

  My heart raced to new heights as dread and regret tumbled through my body. Had he just said I’d stopped any chance of us getting together? I looked down at the floor, wishing I could curl up into a ball and rewind time.

  My stubborn side chose its moment to show itself. “Yes. I’m not waiting for anyone.” I closed the door to finalise the conversation before reopening it again. “Besides, most guys would love what happened in here last night, and you’re complaining? Pffft.”

  He raised his eyebrows and his lips twitched into something of a smile. “I understand you don’t want to wait but expecting me to declare my commitment to you after a week is a little high expectation, don’t you think?”

  “I have high expectations and patience isn’t my strong point.”

  “Clearly.”

  I scowled at him. “Why the hell did you come down here anyway?”

  He ran a hand through his hair and looked away. “I wanted to see you.”

  “And you couldn’t have waited until Monday?”

  He sat back on the bed, his elbows on his knees as he cradled his head in his hands. “I thought it would be a nice surprise.”

  “Surprises are usually a relationship type of thing, Paul. You can’t take me out for dinner, ask to see me in the evenings, follow me three hours down the road, and then act shocked when I think this is going somewhere.”

  He remained silent for a few seconds before his eyes met mine, somewhat empty. “When you put it like that, I’m sorry. I guess I have given you false hope. I shouldn’t have come here.”

  “Wow. You really are a piece of work. Just go, please.”

  I slammed the door in his face before he could respond. I clicked the lock as loudly as I could to make a point.

  I slid back inside my now lukewarm bath, cursing under my breath at all the interruptions I had at just wanting a damn soak in some hot water.

  A gentle knock tapped at the door. “Kyra…”

  “I’m not listening.”

  A chuckle floated through the door, my anger subsiding. What the hell was this guy doing to me?

  “I’m not going home until you talk to me.”

  I snorted. “Enjoy your stay, then.”

  “Stop being awkward, Kyra.”

  “Fine. When you stop being a confusing asshole.”

  A loud sigh came from the other side. “Friends with benefits, Kyra. That’s the best I can offer you.”

  I smirked as I sank under the bubbles. “Fine. Whatever.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  An hour later we sat in a posh café a few minutes’ walk from the hotel. Ash insisted on taking us there for lunch so I could chat with Ben. He was actually quite sweet. I liked him. He was broad built but well-toned with sandy-coloured hair and dark eyes. His face always wore a pleasant smile and his manners were second to none.

  Ash was detailing me on how they met in Australia. “Hell of a coincidence, don’t you think, Ky? We live in the same country but never meet yet travel to the other side of the world and bam, we meet. It’s like it was meant to be.”

  I forced a smile on my face. “Yeah. Totally meant to be.”

  He caught the sarcasm in my voice and glared at me. “Why can’t you be happy for me? Just because Hot Stuff here is as much of a commitment phobe as you, don’t take it out on me.”

  Ouch. That stung. I bit my tongue, playing the one in the wrong. “Sorry. I’m just a bit tired.”

  He smirked. “Yeah, I bet.”

  He laughed with Ben whilst I turned my attention to the menu, which I’d already read five times over. Ash was picking up the bill as a treat for all of us. When the waitress came over, I took great delight in ordering the most expensive food on the menu. I blew Ash a kiss and sat back in my chair, smiling at his scowling face.

  Ash clasped his hands together, leaning on the table. “Well. I’m glad Hot Stuff here decided to show up.”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “Why?”

  His eyes flitted across to Ben before he sent a beaming smile my way. “Ben and I are going to live together and we’re going to spend
a few days house hunting down here.”

  My jaw dropped open. “You what?”

  “We’ve been together over six months. It just feels right.”

  “So let me get this right.” I rested my elbows on the table, glaring at him for all I was worth. “You come back after being away for a year, which may I add, you barely spoke to me for the duration of. Not mentioning you didn’t even tell me the proper date you were coming back. You then whisk me down to London for a weekend for us to spend some time together but all you really wanted was to spend the weekend with your new play toy? Tell me, if Paul hadn’t showed up, how was I getting home?”

  He looked at me as he ran his tongue over his lips. “I’m sorry, Ky. I didn’t realise it sounded quite that bad. I was just excited about you meeting Ben and sharing our news with you. I didn’t quite think of how you may feel…”

  “No.” I stood up, scraping my chair back against the polished floor with a spine chilling screech. “That’s your lot’s problem, isn’t it? You men are just incapable of thinking of anything except your fucking dicks.”

  I stormed out, my temper getting the better of me to say the least. I found a wooden bench a few hundred yards away and sat down, taking deep breaths to calm myself. Thinking over my little outburst as I cooled my temper, guilt began to wash over me as I realised Ben probably thought I was a first class bitch by now. More than anything, I was shocked at Ash and his hidden agenda. Why hadn’t he just been straight with me from the start?

  As I contemplated going back with my apologies, Paul appeared, a blank expression on his face. I rolled my eyes, sighing as I looked the other way.

  The bench moved slightly as he sat down next to me. “I presume that was a little dig at me there?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself.”

  “Kyra, I know what I said isn’t what you wanted to hear but I’m not going to fill you full of false promises. That wouldn’t be fair on either of us.”

  I nodded, biting my lip to stem my flow of tears. I blinked for all I was worth before turning to face him. “Yeah, it’s fine.”