by Kali Willows
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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.
Double Dragon Seduction
Copyright © 2012 by Kali Willows
ISBN: 978-1-61333-270-2
Cover art by Angela Anderson
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
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Double Dragon Seduction
A 1 Night Stand Story
By
Kali Willows
~DEDICATION~
For lovers of dragons, and lust filled nights, there’s always need for a little fantasy in life, and to my creative co-genius who fed my imagination throughout this fiery journey.
Chapter One
Mr. Jamison Trembley and his fiancé, Katrina Harlan, will exchange wedding vows at her parents’ estate in Niagara Falls on the eve of December first.
The doorbell startled her and she wobbled on the high kitchen stool. A wave of hatred flooded her and the newspaper burst into flame in her hands. She dropped it on the floor then extinguished it with her slipper.
The shrill chime sounded again.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming already.”
Gwen peeked through the side window curtain then grinned and opened the door. “Hey.” She spun and headed back toward the kitchen.
“So, I guess I’m too late?” Cindy joined her.
“You are? For what?” Resuming her seat at the island, she drummed her nails in irritation.
Cindy stepped over the pile of smoldering ashes and grimaced. “I was hoping to steal your paper before you found it.” She pulled two glasses and a bottle of amaretto from the cabinet, poured double shots, and handed one to Gwen.
“Even if you had, you couldn’t stop the gossip.” She gulped back the sweet liqueur and slammed the tumbler down, wishing for another.
“Subtlety has never been his strong point.” Cindy sucked back her own shot.
“No…it isn’t.”
“Getting married on your birthday, though, that’s low, even for him. What an asshole.”
“Cheers to that.”
***
An hour, and three quarters of the bottle later, Gwen sat beside Cindy sat on the leather couch in her den, staring at the sputtering flames of oak in the fireplace. She tried to let the soft crackling, and dark shadows dancing across the walls and ceiling soothe her—with minimal success.
“So, what are you gonna do, sunshine?” Cindy’s sympathetic tone grated on Gwen’s nerves, as did her practical message. “He’s clearly moved on. Are you ready to let go?”
The liquid pain killer was kicking in, smoothing the rough edges of her anger and grief. “I have no idea what to do. I mean, ten years together—how do I just give that up?”
“If you could take him back, would you?”
She gasped. “Are you crazy?”
“No, but I would have thought you were, if you wanted him back.” Cindy tucked a leg under her and faced Gwen.
“I know I’m better off without him, but it doesn’t make it any easier, you know?” She hated the tears that choked her voice.
“Yeah, I understand, but one day soon, you’ll discover something I’ve known about you all along.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re stronger than you think. Look what you’ve survived.” Cindy reached over and patted her hand. “You’re amazing, and I’m proud of you.”
Avoiding her friend’s eyes, she propped her feet on the glass table, knocking a pile of books over.
“I got it.” Cindy laughed and collected them from the floor. “I can see what you have been doing lately. How much time have you been spending reading this smut?” She held up a book with a demon and angel illustration on the cover, the blurb touting a lurid tale of erotic passion.
“Gimme that.” Gwen grabbed it.
“No wonder you’re depressed, reading all these…these…romances with monsters?”
“I read it because I’m depressed. I need something to distract me while he’s living it up with that slut.”
“But it’s just fantasy. None of it’s real.”
“That’s the beauty of it, Cin. If you know it can’t be real, you don’t get caught up with the roses and champagne, the farce of what real love could be, blah, blah, blah.”
“Honey,” Cindy reached for the book, but Gwen pulled away, clutching it to her chest like a life preserver.
“Leave me my fantasies. They’re not real anyway.” She lifted her chin. It was little enough to ask, after all.
“Whatever works for you, sweetie.” Cindy’s gaze softened as she reclined into her seat.
“Joshua, the hero of the story, may be a demon, but at least he has a soul, unlike that selfish bastard.”
“Okay.” Cindy snickered. “No need to get pissy. I get it.”
“Even though it’s fiction, can you imagine what being with a supernatural creature would be like?” Gwen’s fingers teased the smooth, glossy cover as she allowed her intimate imaginings to slip out.
“What do you mean?” Cindy sipped her drink, watching her with a frown.
“Well, how hot is this?” She opened the book. “His wings encompassed her trembling body as he descended upon her quivering lips.”
“Wings? Oh come on.”
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch.” Gwen flashed her an evil grin.
“What?”
“I did get inspired after we spoke last week.” Bursting inside, she couldn’t keep her secret any longer. “I heard about a dating service.” She dropped into her office chair and booted up her laptop, anxious to share her find.
“Dating service? Have you lost your mind?” Cindy joined her, looking over her shoulder at the monitor. “You said you didn’t want a relationship right now.”
“True, but I never said I didn’t want an outlet for my pent-up frustrations.” She logged into email and reveled in the sense of empowerment, the first positive emotion she’d experienced in a while.
Cindy dragged a chair next to hers and sat down, peering at the screen.
“What do you mean?”
“Madame Evangeline found a match for me, for an extraordinary night that has nothing to do with an ave
rage man, a selfish man, an ass—”
“Okay, open it.” Cindy grabbed for the mouse.
“My, my, aren’t we nosey?” Gwen taunted. “Listen. At your request, we have reviewed your application and found a suitable match for your 1Night Stand.”
“Oh, my God, anonymous sex? You?” Cindy’s jaw hung open.
“It gets even better, my dear.”
“What?” Cindy took a sip of her drink.
“I didn’t ask to be with a man.”
Cindy choked. “Holy crap, I thought you were totally straight.” She arched a brow. “Next time you drop a bomb like that, wait until I’m done taking a drink. That came out my nose.”
“Sorry about that,” Gwen giggled. “I’m not seeking a woman.”
“I’m confused. You’re gonna have sex, but not with a man, and not with a woman?”
“Oh, I’ll be seeing a man—actually, I’ll be seeing two of them.”
“Two guys?”
“Yep.” She grinned.
“At the same time? Shut up!”
“Oh yes. I’m gonna be the center of attention for once. I’m having a ménage à trois.”
“No.” Cindy tossed back the last of her amaretto and shuddered.
“Even if he hadn’t been a complete ass, Jamison never could have given me what I need in the bedroom. No one man could.”
Chapter Two
“This isn’t such a good idea, Tatsu.”
“Little brother, we have to get a date soon.”
“But surely there’s another way…?”
“Trust me. I don’t need to remind you of the consequences if we ignore the signs much longer.” He plopped on the side of his bed and took a long, fortifying swallow of his latte.
“No, you don’t.” Shrugging his shoulders to loosen his tight muscles, Yong sank back in the armchair and placed his cup on the table beside him.
“Besides, with an ordinary date, we’d be obligated to explain, but our one-night stand comes with no strings attached. She won’t even know how to contact us afterward.” Not that she’ll want to. She’ll probably be so freaked out, she’ll move to Ecuador to put more space between her and us.
“So, how does it work?”
“Madame Eve arranged a match for the night, and then we can get back to normal.”
“How did you find the service?” Yong was puzzled.
“Grandfather knew Eve from years ago. He assured me she is discreet and can be trusted with…” he glanced at the hotel room door before lowering his voice to continue, “…anything.”
“Grandfather approved the plan then?”
“Yes, and we would do well to follow his advice. We’re running out of time.”
Tatsu fidgeted with his cup before setting it on the bedside table.
“Is it uncomfortable?” Studying his older brother for any signs of the change, Yong cringed as Tatsu rubbed the drying skin on his forearm.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“You better start using this.” Yong tossed him a container.
“Thank you.” Tatsu sighed, smoothing the Chinese herbal ointment over his withered skin.
“You’re sure it’s safe? I don’t want anyone to get hurt, especially during—”
“We have a little time left, and with Eve’s help, we should be fine.”
“All right.” Yong dropped his aching head into his palms. “We’re messing with fire, though.”
“If anything goes wrong, it’ll happen to me first.” Tatsu rubbed behind his left ear. “You know what to do.”
“I know what to do, but it won’t get that far.”
***
Yong ran to catch up with his brother as they raced through the crowded depot.
“Hurry!” Tatsu leapt onto the step as the train began to roll along the tracks.
Yong grabbed his hand and scrambled up beside him. “That was close,” he said. “I’m so fed up with moving around.” He plopped into a molded seat by the window, fighting down unease at the upcoming evening. Niagara falls—the honeymoon destination. Ironic.
“Let’s just hope one night is enough to return everything to normal.” Tatsu settled in beside him and tucked the worn leather journal inside his coat pocket.
“What if it’s not?” Yong stared through the dirty window at the lampposts flying by at increasing speed while the train gained momentum.
“Listen, I promised I’d look after you, and I’ll do what it takes to make sure at least you have a shot at a regular life, even if I don’t make it.”
“That won’t happen. I couldn’t survive without you, and I wouldn’t want to.”
“Don’t say that.” Tatsu grabbed his arm. “You deserve a chance at something wonderful, and I’m gonna make sure you have it. You just make sure you take it.”
“You can’t ask me to—” His throat grew thick.
“Hey, I won’t debate the issue. Fate has chosen, and nature is running its course. Don’t dishonor me by refusing.” Tatsu pulled his coat sleeve down to his wrist, covering the drying skin. “You don’t need to feel guilty. Everything happens as it’s meant to.”
“Grandfather said it doesn’t have to.”
“He said there is a chance it won’t, a small chance.”
Yong swallowed hard, anger rising in his chest. “What makes me so special? Why is my life more important than yours? You deserve—” The gush of energy amplified into a shockwave of heat through the rest of his body.
“You have to calm yourself, now.” A subtle fear filled Tatsu’s eyes
“What’s happening?” Yong gasped.
“Remember what Grandfather told us. The change is fueled by energy. You’re getting angry; you have to relax.” His brother’s soothing tone helped.
“I’ve never felt like that before.” Drawing in a deep breath, the tsunami receded, more so with every inhale.
“You’ve just had a taste of my side. What do you think?” The corners of Tatsu’s mouth curled up and he settled back into his seat.
“It felt—” He couldn’t find the words.
“Powerful?”
“Yes.”
Tatsu’s weary eyes lit up a little, and then he drifted off to sleep. Paleness swept over his light brown skin and the dark hue of his full lips faded to grey. His square jaw line held the last of the strength in his face.
Sadness overtook Yong while he examined his identical twin. Born minutes earlier, he carried the wisdom of many generations. His role of protector was in danger. The energy transfer had drained him. Yong had to be more aware next time, more careful. He couldn’t let that happen again.
Chapter Three
Cindy pulled up in the valet line of the Castillo Niagara Falls and turned off the truck. “Are you sure you don’t want me to check into a room to be close by in case…?”
“Thanks, Cindy, but no. I’m a big girl.” She flashed her friend a smile. “Madame Evangeline has an exemplary reputation; she ensures safety above all. I’ll be okay. Besides, I can handle anything now.”
But as she reached for the door handle, her courage failed. “Okay, let’s park, out back. You can get a room.” She shielded her face with her hand and turned away from the window. “Hurry up.”
“Sudden change of heart?” Cindy stared. “You’re crying. What’s wrong? You don’t want to go?”
Gwen pointed. A few feet away, her ex stood arm in arm with his soon-to-be-wife, while a porter loaded their luggage on a trolley.
“Jamison’s here? Oh no.” Cindy’s voice cracked. She cranked the ignition but it wouldn’t turn over. Clicking sounds replaced the confident purr of the engine.
“Cindy, please.”
“Dammit, it won’t start. Are you scared?”
“Of him or what I might do?”
“Both?”
“Terrified, hurry.”
She turned the key again, pumping the gas. “Dammit, come on, come on.” The clicking slowed, then died altogether. “For the love of—” C
indy smacked the steering wheel with her palm. The blare of the horn alerted the bystanders to their presence.
Mortified at the sight of her asshole ex glancing their way, Gwen dropped her head down between her knees, praying he hadn’t identified her.
A knock on the glass startled her and she froze, not wanting to face her devastation.
“Gwen? Is that you?” His taunting chuckle ignited the rage she’d been suppressing for the last six months.
“Cindy,” she straightened and glared toward her tormenter, “leave the truck. Let the valet deal with it—we’re goin’ in.” She eyed the tramp standing behind Jamison, with her bony little arms folded across her chest. Gwen wanted to reach over and smack the sadistic smile off her surgically altered face. She shoved the door open with the force of her channeled fury, hitting him hard.
Clutching his bloodied nose, he let out a roar of pain. “What the hell did you do that for?”
“Jamison, I’m so sorry.” She stepped out of the truck and slung her bag over her shoulder. “I suppose I didn’t see you, standing there, laughing at me.” Unable to hide her beaming triumph, she closed the door and headed for the hotel.
Jamison grabbed her arm and yanked her to him with a loud snarl, his eyes ablaze. “I oughta—”
A flash of terror rushed over her, but she refused to let it show.
“Hey.” The doorman approached and Jamison let go, taking a step back.
“That’s right, darling. I’m not yours to knock around anymore. And in case you’ve forgotten, I can take care of myself now.” Gwen dropped her gaze to his scarred hand. With a cocky grin, she brushed past the doorman, heading for the entrance.
Cindy grabbed the suitcase from the trunk, and followed her. “Jamison, geez.” She tsked. “Now that’s a shame. Katrina, you should get him seen by a doctor. You wouldn’t want that nose bruised in the wedding pictures.”