The Open Door
A Found Duet Novella
By Laurelin Paige
1001 Dark Nights
The Open Door
A Found Duet Novella
By Laurelin Paige
1001 Dark Nights
Copyright 2019 Laurelin Paige
ISBN: 978-1-948050-98-2
Foreword: Copyright 2014 M. J. Rose
Published by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.
Book Description
The Open Door by Laurelin Paige
A Found Duet Novella
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Laurelin Paige comes a new story in her Found Duet series…
I knew JC was trouble the minute I laid eyes on him.
Breaking every rule in my club. I never forget how he made me feel that night. With all the women in that room, all those bodies on display, but his eyes were only on me.
Of course I married him. Now years have passed. Kids have been born. We’re still in love as always, and the sex is still fantastic...
And yet, it’s also not. Like many who’ve been married for a while, I long for the high intensity of those days of the past.
I’ve heard rumors for years about the Open Door. An ultra-exclusive voyeur’s paradise. A place to participate in—or watch—any kind of display you can imagine.
My husband’s eyes would still be on me. And maybe other eyes too. If that’s what we want.
So when an invitation to come play arrives, how could we turn it down?
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
About Laurelin Paige
With millions of books sold, Laurelin Paige is the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Fixed Trilogy. She's a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn't seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Killing Eve and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn't do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.
You can connect with Laurelin on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LaurelinPaige or on twitter @laurelinpaige. You can also visit her website, www.laurelinpaige.com, to sign up for e-mails about new releases.
Also From Laurelin Paige
Click to purchase
Slay Series
Slay One: Rivalry
Slay Two: Ruin
Slay Three: Revenge – coming soon
Slay Four: Rising – coming soon
The Fixed Series
Fixed on You
Found in You
Forever with You
Hudson
Falling Under You: A Fixed Trilogy Novella (1001 Dark Nights)
Chandler
Dirty, Filthy Fix: A Fixed Trilogy Novella (1001 Dark Nights)
Fixed Forever
Dirty Universe
Dirty Filthy Rich Boys
Dirty Filthy Rich Men
Dirty Filthy Rich Love
Dirty, Sexy Player
Dirty Sexy Games
Sweet Liar
Sweet Fate
Found Duet
Free Me
Find Me
First and Last
First Touch
Last Kiss
Hollywood Heat
Sex Symbol
Star Struck
One More Time
Close
Co-Written Works:
Written with Sierra Simone:
Porn Star
Hot Cop
Written with Kayti McGee:
Miss Match
Love Struck
MisTaken: A Novella
Dedication
Dedicated to all those kinky women who are still madly in love after being married for more than a minute.
Discover 1001 Dark Nights
Click here to explore
COLLECTION ONE
FOREVER WICKED by Shayla Black
CRIMSON TWILIGHT by Heather Graham
CAPTURED IN SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
SILENT BITE: A SCANGUARDS WEDDING by Tina Folsom
DUNGEON GAMES by Lexi Blake
AZAGOTH by Larissa Ione
NEED YOU NOW by Lisa Renee Jones
SHOW ME, BABY by Cherise Sinclair
ROPED IN by Lorelei James
TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
CARESS OF DARKNESS by Julie Kenner
COLLECTION TWO
WICKED WOLF by Carrie Ann Ryan
WHEN IRISH EYES ARE HAUNTING by Heather Graham
EASY WITH YOU by Kristen Proby
MASTER OF FREEDOM by Cherise Sinclair
CARESS OF PLEASURE by Julie Kenner
ADORED by Lexi Blake
HADES by Larissa Ione
RAVAGED by Elisabeth Naughton
DREAM OF YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout
STRIPPED DOWN by Lorelei James
RAGE/KILLIAN by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright
DRAGON KING by Donna Grant
PURE WICKED by Shayla Black
HARD AS STEEL by Laura Kaye
STROKE OF MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
ALL HALLOWS EVE by Heather Graham
KISS THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
DARING HER LOVE by Melissa Foster
TEASED by Rebecca Zanetti
THE PROMISE OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
COLLECTION THREE
HIDDEN INK by Carrie Ann Ryan
BLOOD ON THE BAYOU by Heather Graham
SEARCHING FOR MINE by Jennifer Probst
DANCE OF DESIRE by Christopher Rice
ROUGH RHYTHM by Tessa Bailey
DEVOTED by Lexi Blake
Z by Larissa Ione
FALLING UNDER YOU by Laurelin Paige
EASY FOR KEEPS by Kristen Proby
UNCHAINED by Elisabeth Naughton
HARD TO SERVE by Laura Kaye
DRAGON FEVER by Donna Grant
KAYDEN/SIMON by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright
STRUNG UP by Lorelei James
MIDNIGHT UNTAMED by Lara Adrian
TRICKED by Rebecca Zanetti
DIRTY WICKED by Shayla Black
THE ONLY ONE by Lauren Blakely
SWEET SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
COLLECTION FOUR
ROCK CHICK REAWAKENING by Kristen Ashley
ADORING INK by Carrie Ann Ryan
SWEET RIVALRY by K. Bromberg
SHADE'S LADY by Joanna Wylde
RAZR by Larissa Ione
ARRANGED by Lexi Blake
TANGLED by Rebecca Zanetti
HOLD ME by J. Kenner
SOMEHOW, SOME WAY by Jennifer Probst
TOO CLOSE TO CALL by Tessa Bailey
HUNTED by Elisabeth Naughton
EYES ON YOU by Laura Kaye
BLADE by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright
DRAGON BURN by Donna Grant
TRIPPED
OUT by Lorelei James
STUD FINDER by Lauren Blakely
MIDNIGHT UNLEASHED by Lara Adrian
HALLOW BE THE HAUNT by Heather Graham
DIRTY FILTHY FIX by Laurelin Paige
THE BED MATE by Kendall Ryan
NIGHT GAMES by CD Reiss
NO RESERVATIONS by Kristen Proby
DAWN OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
COLLECTION FIVE
BLAZE ERUPTING by Rebecca Zanetti
ROUGH RIDE by Kristen Ashley
HAWKYN by Larissa Ione
RIDE DIRTY by Laura Kaye
ROME’S CHANCE by Joanna Wylde
THE MARRIAGE ARRANGEMENT by Jennifer Probst
SURRENDER by Elisabeth Naughton
INKED NIGHTS by Carrie Ann Ryan
ENVY by Rachel Van Dyken
PROTECTED by Lexi Blake
THE PRINCE by Jennifer L. Armentrout
PLEASE ME by J. Kenner
WOUND TIGHT by Lorelei James
STRONG by Kylie Scott
DRAGON NIGHT by Donna Grant
TEMPTING BROOKE by Kristen Proby
HAUNTED BE THE HOLIDAYS by Heather Graham
CONTROL by K. Bromberg
HUNKY HEARTBREAKER by Kendall Ryan
THE DARKEST CAPTIVE by Gena Showalter
Also from 1001 Dark Nights:
TAME ME by J. Kenner
THE SURRENDER GATE By Christopher Rice
SERVICING THE TARGET By Cherise Sinclair
TEMPT ME by J. Kenner
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Table of Contents
Book Description
About Laurelin Paige
Also from Laurelin Paige
Dedication
Discover 1001 Dark Nights
Foreword
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Six
Discover More Laurelin Paige
An excerpt from Slay One by Laurelin Paige
Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights
Special Thanks
One Thousand and One Dark Nights
Once upon a time, in the future…
I was a student fascinated with stories and learning.
I studied philosophy, poetry, history, the occult, and
the art and science of love and magic. I had a vast
library at my father’s home and collected thousands
of volumes of fantastic tales.
I learned all about ancient races and bygone
times. About myths and legends and dreams of all
people through the millennium. And the more I read
the stronger my imagination grew until I discovered
that I was able to travel into the stories... to actually
become part of them.
I wish I could say that I listened to my teacher
and respected my gift, as I ought to have. If I had, I
would not be telling you this tale now.
But I was foolhardy and confused, showing off
with bravery.
One afternoon, curious about the myth of the
Arabian Nights, I traveled back to ancient Persia to
see for myself if it was true that every day Shahryar
(Persian: شهريار, “king”) married a new virgin, and then
sent yesterday's wife to be beheaded. It was written
and I had read, that by the time he met Scheherazade,
the vizier's daughter, he’d killed one thousand
women.
Something went wrong with my efforts. I arrived
in the midst of the story and somehow exchanged
places with Scheherazade – a phenomena that had
never occurred before and that still to this day, I
cannot explain.
Now I am trapped in that ancient past. I have
taken on Scheherazade’s life and the only way I can
protect myself and stay alive is to do what she did to
protect herself and stay alive.
Every night the King calls for me and listens as I spin tales.
And when the evening ends and dawn breaks, I stop at a
point that leaves him breathless and yearning for more.
And so the King spares my life for one more day, so that
he might hear the rest of my dark tale.
As soon as I finish a story... I begin a new
one... like the one that you, dear reader, have before
you now.
Chapter One
Interested?
The subject line in the email my husband had forwarded was intriguing, to say the least. When the notification popped up on my phone, I felt the pull to read it right away.
But Braden needed a diaper change, Jake was kicking at the door of his bedroom where he was currently in time out, and I’d just discovered Theo had found a black marker. The kid desperately needed a bath and my hallway now needed a new paint job.
I pocketed my phone, balanced the baby on my hip, and let out a slow breath while I counted to ten before ushering Theo to the nursery with me.
Motherhood wasn’t always this hectic, I reminded myself. Today was only chaotic because JC was out of town working on one of his investment projects, and the nanny didn’t work on Sundays. While both my husband and I worked full time, we were really hands-on with our parenting. Sundays and Mondays were our weekends. Neither of us worked on these days, for the most part, and we only brought the nanny in when absolutely necessary. When JC had told me on Saturday that he needed to extend his trip in Chicago for another day, I’d considered calling Ruth to help out but decided against it. I could handle three boys under six on my own for a little while, couldn’t I?
The answer was yes. But it definitely took every last drop of my energy. Even running a summer Friday night shift at The Sky Launch, the night club I co-managed, was easier than this.
“It’s worth it,” I told Braden as I laid him down on the changing table. I even meant it.
Mostly.
It was another two hours before I had the kids clean, fed, and settled enough to look at my phone. I shifted a sleeping Braden off my breast and into a position where I had a hand to use. Then I went to my notifications and opened the email JC had sent earlier.
Besides the tantalizing subject line, all that was inside the message was a website link along with a username and password. I clicked on the link and awkwardly entered the information he’d provided with my free hand―my non-dominant hand, hence the awkward.
I blinked at the bold red headline that popped up: Welcome to The Open Door.
My breath hitched when I recognized what exactly The Open Door was. I’d heard of it before, it came up from time to time in social situations, especially ones that included the richest of the rich and the cream of the crop of socialites. Honestly, I’d thought the thing was a hoax, a lavish fantasy that sprung from the heads of bored housewives and restless entrepreneurs. A super hush-hush, organized, weekly sex party hosted by the elite of New York City? Total fairytale. Who wouldn’t want to believe that existed?
But here seemed to be proof that it wasn’t just an elaborate rumor.
A thrill ran down my spine, and my pulse sped up. This was sensational. Scandalous, even. With this email, I’d become privy to a secret society. Even if we never did anything with that information
―because, seriously, why would we―how could it not be exciting?
But then I read through the rest of the information on my screen, a list of dates and locations as well as terms and instructions, and realized that this wasn’t just a cool bit of gossip that my husband had stumbled upon. It was an invitation. An invitation that JC had accepted when he set up an account. And based on what I was reading about the benefits of membership, the fees to join had been outrageous.
Sure, we could afford it. JC was born of means and his passion for investing in promising start-up companies had paid off well. We weren’t big spenders, generally―our tastes and needs were more simple than extravagant―but the money was there when and if we wanted it. So it wasn’t the cost that was giving me anxiety.
It was the simple fact that my husband, the man who had seemingly been happy with what happened in our bedroom for the last eight years, had signed us both up for a sex club.
A sex club!
A place for swingers and orgies and kink.
I wasn’t a prude―not since I’d met JC, anyway―but I was a one-man kind of woman. And, while we sometimes used butt plugs and vibrators and handcuffs in the privacy of our own love nest, I’d never needed or wanted anything more extreme.
When did JC start wanting it? And why hadn’t he ever said anything to me? Was he totally bored with me? Had breastfeeding and a C-section and not enough time in the gym destroyed my body? Was I no longer desirable?
Was I not enough?
After all I gave to the man, I better be e-fucking-nough. I worked hard, mothered his kids, put dinners on the table, put out on a very regular basis. Maybe not as regularly as when we’d been childless, but come on. What did he expect? We had three fucking kids. I barely had time to brush my teeth, let alone be sexy. He was lucky I ever had the energy to spread my legs. I was as good as reality gets.
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