Bowles, Jan - Claimed for the Master's Pleasure [Guilty Pleasures 5] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (14 page)

“Lia, for fuck’s sake, stop talking.” His eyes held hers, a piercing stare. “If you interrupt me again, I’ll put you across my knee and give you a bare ass spanking right this minute.”

The idea of Jake administering a bare ass spanking made her squirm on the sofa. He was incredibly strong, and his hands were large.

“Why, Lia, I do believe you’d like me to spank you.”

She petulantly folded her arms across her chest, and slumped back in the sofa. As she looked at him, she raised her eyebrows. “You’re mistaken.”

Jake grinned. “No, I’m not.” He shook his head in irritation. “But that’s beside the point. I’ve decided to forget about the money, and I want you to do the same.”

“You mean you don’t want it back?” She found it hard to believe what he was saying. Surely there had to be a catch?

“No. Listen, princess. I’m a gambling man, and life is all about chance. So I’m gonna lay my cards on the table.” He stroked a hand down the side of her face, and possessively tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I like you, Lia. Truth be known I more than like you, yet I’ve put you in this impossible situation. The money will always come between us. Therefore, I’m writing it off.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he placed the tip of his index finger to her lips. “Shhh, I’m sorry I’ve put you in this situation. I don’t want to force you to be with me, but by using the money as a bargaining tool, that’s exactly what I’ve done. So, when I leave for work in a couple of hours’ time, you have a decision to make. Stay or leave, it’s entirely up to you. I’d like you to stay because you want to. You’re right, princess. I’ve got an attitude problem all right, and need to learn how to treat a lady,” he quoted the exact words she’d used when she hadn’t realized he was there.

“So all your talk about having me arrested. That was just a bluff, right?”

Jake gently stroked the side of her face. “When I saw you at the airport ready to fly to Florida, I knew I had to do something. I wanted to be with you. So I acted irrationally and selfishly by using the money to make you come back with me.”

Lia could certainly understand his motivation, even if she couldn’t condone his method. Sometimes, snap decisions had to be made. She guessed Jake’s personality had spurred him into action. After all he was a gambling man. His cool blue eyes held hers. She felt their connection tenfold.

Christ, he wants me. This beautiful guy sitting beside me actually wants me. He doesn’t care about the money. How wonderful is that?

“But I waited for you, Jake. When you didn’t call I thought—”

“I know, I know, princess. I’ve been a selfish prick and I’m sorry, but I had to work everything through first. Things were complicated. I couldn’t get you out of my head. Everything about you drove me crazy, princess. Your eyes, your hair, the way you smell. Everything. It’s because of you that I managed to return here at all. I’ve been living in limbo for three years. That’s no life for a man like Jake Benetti. I want another chance at love, Lia, but only if you want it, too. I don’t want to force you to be here against your will. And from what you were mumbling out in the kitchen, that’s exactly how you feel.”

Now
she
felt guilty. He wanted to move on. He wanted a new start in life and she did, too. “Jake, I’m sorry you overheard me talking, but that’s all it was, talk. I guess I felt trapped, especially as I didn’t know what you wanted from me. But let’s be honest, you can’t just write off a million bucks.”

“The money’s not important, Lia. What’s important is a fresh chance, at a new relationship. Think of it this way. Your father lost twice that amount over the years at the tables. I really think I’ve had every dime owed me.”

“Jake, I don’t know what to say. I—”

“Don’t say anything just yet.” He held her hands in his, before gently kissing her lips. “We’re on the same wavelength, Lia. You must know that. We have the same sexual tastes, and we connect on an emotional level, too. We’ve both lost someone we loved, so we understand grief better than just about anyone. We each know how the other feels, princess.” He pulled her into his arms and she snuggled against his bare chest. “Let’s leave it as an open invitation, Lia. That way there’s no pressure.” He stroked his fingers through her hair, soothing her senses as she listened to his steady, comforting heartbeat. “The odds of you still being here when I return home tonight are fifty-fifty. Those are exactly my kinda odds.”

Chapter Twenty

The powerful headlights of the Mustang guided Jake back up the winding ridge road to the house he’d once loved. A house he could love again if Lia were to share it with him. Throughout the day at the casino, his thoughts kept returning to her. Would she still be there when he finally walked through the front door? He hoped more than anything else in the world that she would.

Finally, he turned the car onto the gravel driveway and killed the lights. His heart sunk as he stared at his home. Not a single interior light showed. There was no indication whatsoever of life. Was Lia inside? One thought alone kept him positive. Perhaps she was enjoying the night view of Vegas from the living area. Maybe that was why the place was in total darkness.

He slid from the car and strode to the front door. When he stepped over the threshold, the alarm began to sound. In that instant he knew she wasn’t there. It was a bitter blow to find she’d left, and his heart broke. Like a wild, untamed bird, as soon as she could, she’d fled the nest. The only consolation was he’d set her free himself.

As he wandered aimlessly around the large, silent rooms, he could only blame himself. He’d acted badly toward her, and even his words of affection early this morning hadn’t convinced her to stay.

Jake thought of all the wonderful things that he’d wanted to share with her. All the plans he’d been making were now of no importance. Lia had set him free from the shackles of his past, but she clearly didn’t want to be involved in his future.

His life lay empty before him. Long, lonely days stretched into infinity. All he had left was work, but that wasn’t enough to keep body and soul together.

He walked into the master suite. There was nothing of hers left in the room. Her clothes and personal effects had gone. There was not even a note to say good-bye. Jake sat on a chair and pulled off his boots. He tossed them carelessly aside and then began removing the rest of his clothes. He’d have a shower and then prepare himself a TV dinner.

Life fucking sucks.

“Boy, oh boy,” he murmured out loud. He shook his head, reluctantly smiling at the irony of it all.

Perhaps he’d misjudged Lia after all. He shook his head again. He’d been convinced they were on the same wavelength, but she obviously didn’t think so. How he longed to see her beautiful smiling face again.

The odds of her staying had been fifty-fifty. Early this morning when he’d spoken with her, he would have laid bets on her being here when he got home. It just went to show how unpredictable women were.

Jake turned on the shower and stepped under the fast-flowing water. He chose a colder setting than normal to clear his head. After five minutes of enduring the agonizingly cold torrent, he toweled himself dry, and changed into some casual clothes.

“Guess I’m eating alone,” he murmured dejectedly at his reflection in the mirror. He ran his hand through his damp hair and grimaced. “Serves you right, prick. You tried to force the lady to be with you, when she clearly didn’t want to.”

Jake entered the kitchen, and began rummaging through the freezer, trying to find something to eat. He wasn’t remotely hungry. Everything looked unappetizing, especially with the knowledge that he would be eating alone. In the end, he pulled out a pepperoni pizza. Not the haute cuisine he was used to eating in the casino restaurant, but something he could at least manage to prepare for himself.

Just as he was about to close the freezer door, a shadow fell across him. When he peered over his shoulder, Lia stood just a few feet from him. A look of pure surprise must have been etched on his face, because the blood froze in his veins.

“Lia!”

She wore a long white robe buttoned up at the front and a pair of gold sandals. He’d never seen such a vision of feminine beauty. Lia hadn’t left him. She wanted to be with him. His heart soared. She’d stayed because she wanted to share her life with him.

His gaze slowly drifted down her gorgeous body and the thin material covering it. Her breasts rose and fell enticingly, and her nipples were hard and protruded. Like only a woman could, she’d deliberately hidden from him to make her entrance far more dramatic. He could tell from her breathing that she was as horny as hell.

“If it pleases you, Sir, I have already prepared you something to eat.”

“Come here, slave.” Jake closed the freezer door and leaned back against it. He stared into her beautiful green eyes, losing himself in their multicolored depths. When she was within reach he stroked his hand up her arm, feeling the tiny tremors that racked through her body. It made him want her even more. He cupped her chin and angled her face to his. He kissed her lips, pressing his body against hers, letting her feel his hard cock straining between them. He cupped her buttocks, lifting her slightly, and forcing her pussy against his erect prick. The way she clung to his shoulders and her breathy cries sent even more blood pulsing to his groin.

“You minx,” he whispered against her ear as he threaded his fingers in to her silky blonde hair. “You wanted me to think you weren’t here. You’re such a naughty, naughty girl. This deception can’t go unpunished.” He grazed his lips against her forehead, reveling in her womanly scent. She intoxicated him. He breathed deeply, savoring the moment.

“Do I please you, Sir?” Her breathy words made him want to be inside her.

“Oh, yes, you please me.” He loved it when she was submissive. He stared down into her eyes. “Your presence pleases me, slave, but you are late. Lateness will not be tolerated, and must be disciplined. Now go to the bedroom and wait for me there.” He watched her hurry from the kitchen. “I will be along shortly,” he called after her.

“Yes, Sir, thank you, Sir.”

When he was left alone, he selected a decent champagne from his collection. He placed it in the refrigerator. Later, they would celebrate their new life together, but first, Lia required a little correction from her Master. It was something they both needed in their lives to feel truly complete.

At the top of the stairs, Jake entered his secret lair. The place where he kept all his implements of sexual desire and torture. He carefully selected several items that would enhance their evening together.

As he entered the bedroom, he stripped off his T-shirt, and cast it to the floor. Lia sat on the bed, looking a little wary. Her fantasies may have fuelled the desire for his punishment, but now that it was actually about to happen, it was different matter entirely.

“Take off your robe, slave,” he ordered her. She complied immediately and without question. That simple act of submission turned him on even more, making his cock strain against his pants.

When she was completely naked and standing in front of him, he spoke. “You must understand that deceiving your Master is not acceptable.”

“Yes, Sir, I’m sorry, Sir. It won’t happen again.”

“You led me to believe that you’d left your Master for good, and that made me very unhappy.”

“I couldn’t leave you, Sir. I’m sorry I upset you, but I wanted it to be a surprise.” His heart embraced the words that spilled from her lips, and his spirit soared.

“It was certainly that, my slave, but you realize you can’t go unpunished?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Jake sat on the bed. “Now lie across my knees. I’m going to give you a bare ass spanking for deceiving me.”

Lia did as he demanded, lying across his thighs, her bare butt lifted high in the air, her head almost touching the floor. He placed his left arm around her waist and secured her legs to the floor with his own. He palmed a hand over her beautiful, peachy ass. “It’s a shame your Master has to redden such sexy, creamy globes, but you know you deserve it.”