Just One Night : An Erotic Fantasy Read online

  Chapter 1

  Katie complained to herself as she marched down the street. The near frozen sidewalk was slippery, and she had to step carefully over the slabs of concrete. Her black leather knee-high boots had only a small grip on the soles, and she cursed herself for not wearing more rational shoes. Her breath clouded around her face in small puffs of fog highlighted by the street lamps and stuck to the navy wool scarf that was wrapped around her neck and chin. Her hands buried into the pockets of her red wool coat and clenched into fists as she huddled into herself, trying to stay warm.

  “I can’t believe this, fuck this night, and fuck that stupid asshole,” she swore to herself, her brow furrowing. “Fuck the bus, fuck this stupid shitty snow, and fuck winter!” She paused and looked around suddenly, realizing she had walked half a block too far. “Seriously?! Fuck!” she screamed down the street, listening to the echo reverberate off the buildings and noticing a startled couple far down the street snap around suddenly to look in her direction. Turning around, she marched back to the door of her apartment building and fumbled in her purse, searching for her keys.

  “Holy fucking Christ! You’ve got to be friggin kidding me,” she grunted and rubbed her hand over her eyes while moving to the intercom by the door to push in two numbers.

  “Uh… hello?” a puzzled voice garbled out of the speaker covered in dark brown fabric.

  “Hi Ryan? It’s Katie…” she started.

  The voice immediately warmed with recognition and called out, “Oh hey, Kate! Forget your keys again?”

  “Yeah… can you let me in please?” Katie sighed and grabbed the handle of the door eagerly, glaring angrily at the warm yellow-lit lobby with the tacky purple carpeting on the other side of the glass.

  “No problem; see you upstairs soon,” the voice crackled and a muffled click was heard before the familiar buzzing noise. Katie yanked the door open and shuffled in, wiping her feet on the mat and unbuttoning her coat. She headed over to the elevator and furiously punched the car call button with her knuckle, as if it was the source of all her problems. She untied her scarf from her neck and let it hang, smoothing down the deep red cotton shirt beneath the coat. Grunting at the small wine stain that was still on the front of it, she felt her shoulders collapse in defeat. Couldn’t the day just be done with now? Tears pooled in the backs of her eyelids as she forced herself to hang onto her composure until she was safely behind her private apartment door.

  Chapter 2

  The bell dinged as the elevator doors slid open, allowing the faint smell of musty mould to emit from the car. Wrinkling her nose as she always did, Katie stepped in and pushed “8”, rolling her eyes at the shiny red heart tinsel her manager had put around the bulletin board on the wall. “I hate Valentine’s Day.” she grumbled in her head. She stared at the board while glancing over the memos disinterestedly: selling a sofa for twenty-five dollars, has anyone seen this dog, please remember that recycling is now picked up on Friday, blah, blah, blah.

  Katie bolted out of the elevator car as soon as she could fit through the opening and marched down the hallway, turning around the corner to see Ryan leaning against the frame of his open door, warmly grinning at her in bare feet. She looked at him and sighed, pausing in front of him with a frown. “Thanks, Ryan,” she mumbled, with an outstretched hand.

  Ryan smiled softly, not giving up her keys just yet. “Crappy night?” he asked, moving to lean against the wall beside her door and face his own open one. When Katie didn’t answer except for a glare and her outstretched hand not returning to her side, he nodded and looked at her for a moment. She looked aggravated, although very cute as always, he thought to himself. Popping up, he reached open both his arms and looked at her with empathy.

  Katie drew out a long sigh and glared at him sadly for a second, then bit her lower lip and moved into his arms, beginning to sob. Her body trembled and Ryan hugged her tight, not wanting to let go. Her head tucked under his chin and her hand brushed at her nose as she sniffled while the other arm hugged tightly around his waist. He caressed her back soothingly and petted her beret-covered head, letting her get it all out. Katie jumped a little at the rubbing, but did not stop him as her trembling gradually diminished and the crying quieted. Tears were still pouring down her face as she stepped back, sniffling and rubbing her eyes as she looked at Ryan sadly.

  “Ugh, sorry,” she stuttered as she noticed the wet spots on his black t-shirt. She buried her face in her hands and apologised again, shaking her head. “I’m so sorry, Ryan,” she muffled through her hands, “I’ve just had such a fucking awful night, and I don’t mean to bring you down too.” She dropped her purse to the floor and took off her coat, folding it over one arm.

  “No need to apologize, Kate,” Ryan’s voice was gentle. He looked at her sad face and black streaked makeup, and his heart did the familiar flutter it did every time he saw her. “Valentine’s Day is downright depressing for us single people.”

  She let out a wobbly, shuddering sigh and nodded, biting her lip. “You said it,” she muttered and held her hand out again, staring at her toes. She felt the key ring drop into her palm and she closed her hand around it. To her surprise, her hand encased Ryan’s fingers as well. She shot her stare up to gazed at him and saw him look at her intensely.

  “Want to come in? I have hot cocoa and pizza that just got delivered and a ton of movies. You can tell me all about it.”

  Katie stared at him and blinked, realizing what he had said had not been an invitation; it was more of a request. She looked down for a moment then and rose her eyes back up to him and slowly nodded, forcing a small grin. “Okay, Ryan. I’m just going to have a quick shower and change into something more comfortable. I’ll bring some popcorn over, as well,” she offered.

  Ryan smiled and relaxed his hand from around the key he still gripped, releasing it into her palm. “Great,” he nodded at her to agree she had made the correct decision. “I’ll leave my door open, so go ahead and walk on in, alright?”

  Katie nodded at him and leaned in to quick peck on his cheek. “Thanks,” she looked at him and shot him a comforting smile for a moment before picking up her purse again and opening her door. “See you in a few,” she said, and closed it softly.

  Chapter 3

  Ryan pressed his cheek with his hand and stared at her door blankly, letting out a deep breath to himself. He wandered back into his apartment and closed his own door, resting against it and running his hand through his hair. “Damn, Ryan. You’ve got it bad, don’t you?” he talked to himself and headed to the kitchen, tossing the pizza in the oven to keep it warm. Katie’s eyes adjusted painfully to the bright light of her entrance as she hung up her coat and put her purse on the floor of her closet.

  Standing in front of the mirror on the closet door, she stared at herself. sneering at her makeup, she desperately attempted to rub the dried grey streaks from underneath her eyes away, and realized Ryan saw her looking like this. She cringed at the thought, and began to rub harder. He didn’t seem attracted in her in any way, but she could still keep trying, and at least looking her finest, couldn’t she? Sighing and placing her hands on her hips, she inspected her clothing choice. The blue cotton shirt she wore had a low U-shaped neckline and its sleeves were fairly short and wrapped over her upper arms while exposing the upper half of her shoulders. She wore a black ribbed tank top underneath for modesty’s sake, and a white belt held up her black jeans. Her black knee-high leather boots gave her an additional inch in height and a black beret sat angled slightly on her head. She arched her back a little, knowing that the tank top peeking over the blue cotton was the only thing preventing her breasts from popping out of the shirt. T
urning to her side, she looked at the bulge of her bottom, the curve of her hips, and her slightly toned, yet soft stomach. Her hair was up in a low lying ponytail and flew over one shoulder, flirting with heart-shaped earrings and the chain of a key pendent that sat in between her breasts.

  She nodded, and thought to herself, ‘Heck, I do look pretty cute though, I have to say. Whatever. He’s the one missing out; he was a dork, anyway.’ Her expression turned bitter a little and she got slightly irritated again, slipping the leather boots from her legs and taking off her hat. She put these away and walked into her bedroom, peeling clothes off as she went. She dumped all the used clothes into her hamper and treaded around in her underwear as she began removing her jewellery and placing them away in her jewellery box. Sitting down in front of the mirror as she undid the clasps on the earrings, she looked at the bulge of her breasts encased by the bra and grinned slightly at what she saw. It was deep crimson red with black polka dots patterned all over it and lace-edged along the plunging neckline. The soft lower pad inserts shoved her breasts up and together, and she reached her hand inside the bra to adjust them so that they sat properly in the push-up. Adjusting the band so it sat flush with her ribcage, she ran her fingers along the curves, pressing softly and caressing the exposed skin. If only her night had turned out better, maybe someone else might have been doing it instead.

  “Aak, no, not with that jerk,” she yelled out to herself. She wouldn’t sleep with whatever the hell his name was in a thousand years. “That’s the last bloody time I reply to a personal ad,” she heatedly promised her reflection, shaking her head. She stood up and headed to the bathroom, retying her hair back into a loose knot at the top of her neck. Reaching down, she adjusted her panties that had ridden upward a little, and smiled again at the material. The thong she had picked out matched with her bra, and she decided to keep her spicy lingerie on. She liked the way it made her feel, and after the night she’d had, she needed a bit of a boost.

  Leaning towards the bathroom countertop, she started to wash her face. Using coconut-scented cleanser, she rubbed the layers of shadow and eyeliner from her eyes and rinsed off the slippery lather. Staring at herself in the mirror again, she was content with the clean face looking back at her. She smoothed the remaining stray dark brown waves of her hair against her head and slipped them behind her ears. She decided to spoil herself a bit and took the bottle of rose-scented lotion, applying the faintly pink cream into her left hand and massaging it along her body, neck, and face. Her fair skin absorbed it like a sponge, and she rubbed it in every inch of her body until she was sure she smelled faintly of roses all over. Putting her arm up to her nose, she inhaled the delicate, faint floral notes and calmly grinned. She felt a lot better already.

  She turned off the light in the bathroom and headed over to her closet, investigating the hangers and folded shirts and pants that rested there. She pulled a bright white tank top out and pulled it on, noting that she could faintly make out the silhouette and pattern of her bra. Frowning, she threw on a black open sweater that tied in the front like a robe to solve the issue. She looked around and selected a blue pair of pyjama bottoms made of soft flannel with a plaid pattern. She shrugged as she pulled them up and tied the tie. Yanking on her sweater and letting it hang loose around her body, she gave the room a quick examination before grabbing her slippers and switching off the light.

  She threw on the black sheepskin slippers in the hallway and instantly remembered that she had promised to bring popcorn. Walking into her kitchen, she stared angrily at her keys lying harmlessly on the counter, and swiped it up. She grabbed a few bags of microwave popcorn and Ryan’s backup key to her apartment door. Noticing the fridge, she popped it open, and grabbed a bottle of peppermint Schnapps. Satisfied, she turned off all the lights and headed out her door.

  Chapter 4

  Locking it behind her, she walked the two feet across the shabby maroon-carpeted, poorly-lit hallway and gripped the handle on Ryan’s door. Letting herself in, she shouted out a hello as she closed the door behind her, locking it out of habit.

  “Hey,” Ryan responded as he hit the pause button on the video game controller he was holding. Turning around to look at her, he rested one arm over the back of the couch and cracked a smirk. “You look festive,” he offered, and felt his stomach do those familiar flutters and turns.

  She smiled at him softly and revealed her full hands and explained, “I’m going to leave these in the kitchen.” She turned into the small tile lined room and placed her things on the counter. Putting his key back into the leftmost drawer with the rest of his keys, pens, light bulbs, rubber bands, and other odds and ends, she mentioned to him as he entered, “It was a really smart idea to give each other a copy of our keys.”

  Ryan leaned on the kitchen door frame, still taking her in; she looked cute in her pyjamas. “I know, right? You’ve saved my ass a billion times by having mine,” he concurred and walked over to the oven, pulling out a big pizza box. “So, you hungry? I got the one with just about everything on it.”

  “Yeah, I’m starving. I haven’t eaten hardly anything since breakfast,” Katie’s mouth salivated as the smell of the pizza filled the kitchen. Her stomach growled and she eyes were glued on the pizza box in almost a predatory way. She eyes darted back to Ryan and asked almost timidly, “So is that hot chocolate still up for grabs? I brought some great stuff for it, if you want some.” She motioned to the bottle of Schnapps and grinned at him.

  Ryan’s face lit up. This woman somehow must have been reading his mind. “Great call! I just ran out of the butterscotch stuff I usually put in mine,” he grabbed for the bottle. “I’ll make us some right away. How strong do you like it?”

  “Go to town with the booze,” Katie mumbled glumly, “I desperately need it.” She popped open his fridge and pulled out the milk, placing it on the counter next to the stove. Resting back against the counter, she crossed her arms around below her chest and nodded her approval at the huge mugs Ryan pulled down from his cupboard.

  “That bad, huh?” Ryan laughed, grabbing the sugar and cocoa powder. “So spit it out, what happened with Patrick, or whatever? I thought you guys were suppose to be going out for dinner tonight” he probed, now beginning to heat lots of milk in a saucepan.

  Katie took the milk and put it away as she began to explain, “He was a total asshole, really. I went to his place first and we had a few glasses of wine with cheese and crackers before we headed out. It was sort of okay, and we were chatting, but then he got really weird and awkward. He kept glaring at my chest and it made me uncomfortable.” Ryan raised his eyebrow and put away the cocoa and the sugar. “Well, to his defence, you did look really good.” He recoiled a little when he realized what he had just said, and turned around quickly back to the stove, questioning further, “Uh, so then what happened?”

  Chapter 5

  The compliment took Katie by surprise, but briefly smirked and continued, “So then when we got up to leave, he out of the blue shoved me against the wall and mauled my neck, among other things. I gave him a wrist to the nose, threw him off, and told him what he could go do with himself before I bolted out.”

  Ryan mouth dropped at her, whisking the deep brown liquid in the pan, impressed. “Wow! You decked him?! Did he bleed?”

  Katie shook her head and smiled, “No, unfortunately. I just struck him hard enough to stun him. He was pretty strong, it was kind of scary…” her voice trailed off as she stared blankly into space, remembering the incident.

  “Holy shit, what an asshole! I’d kill him!” Ryan’s brown eyes smoked as he gripped the handle of the pan. Katie was such a kind girl, and he shuddered as his mind ran off without him and imagined what disgusting and horrendous things could have happened to her.

  “It’s ok… I doubt he would have done anything crazy to me. He seemed to be just a forward asshole,” she said dismissively. When he didn’t reply, she leaned over and gripped his shoulder until he looked at her, still slightl
y angry. She smiled and said, “But thanks, Ryan. You’re sweet.”

  Blushing a little, he stammered out another inquiry, “So what are you going to do now? Are you going to give someone else another go?” He tried not to sound bitter as he pulled the now simmering chocolate off the element and switched off the stove.

  “Ha… No, I give up with everything,” Katie breathed out. “I mean it’s been so difficult to meet people since I moved here, but I don’t want to deal with this sort of crazy shit anymore. The previous, like, five guys were totally not dating material, and I’m not into just one-night-stands like they all seemed to be,” her shoulders dropped as she poured the peppermint liqueur into the mugs. “How much do you want?”

  Ryan’s heart stopped a moment at her words and he grinned at her as he replied, “Oh, not too much… yeah, that’s great.” He raised his eyebrows as he stared at the amount she had put in her own cup and looked at her, “So you gonna be alright with all that on your own?”

  Katie rolled her eyes at him as he chuckled and handed her the now full, steaming mug. She gratefully took it and curled her fingers around the brown ceramic. Inhaling the aromatic steam, she almost moaned as she closed her eyes and took a sip, cautiously.

  “Careful,” Ryan warned and took a small sip of his own hot cocoa, watching her intensely. Satisfied with how his tasted, he stopped as he watched her tongue lick her lips and lap up the side of the mug as some hot chocolate dripped down it. Trying to hold back the odd cough in his throat, he felt the familiar twinge in his jeans and immediately turned to grab the pizza box from the oven. “Why don’t you head out to the living room, and throw in the DVD. I’ll be right there with the food and plates and stuff,” he quickly directed, hoping she would agree.

  “Well, let me help you,” she offered. “Here, let me take the pizza,” she placed her mug down and took a few steps over to stand next to him, taking the box from his hands and bending over to put the oven door back up.