Claimed for the Master's Pleasure (Guilty Pleasures #5)(10)

“I’m fine,” he said as she walked quickly from the room. Even from behind she reminded him so much of Hannah. Goddamn it, her ass swayed so f*cking sexily.

Jake turned his attention to less provocative thoughts, and studied his surroundings. The room was conservatively furnished. Modest, even. That figured. Fred Constantine was a regular guy.

On the walls hung a selection of family portraits. Many depicted Lia as she was growing up. She was certainly a cute kid, who had grown into a beautiful woman.

Taking pride of place on the mantelpiece were two large, framed photographs. He immediately recognized Fred Constantine, with a woman. He guessed from the striking resemblance to Lia that it was her mother. The other photograph looked strangely familiar. He picked it up and studied the man. He looked to be a similar age to himself, mid- to late-thirties.

“That’s Joe.” Without realizing it, Lia had walked up behind him. She took the photograph from him and placed it back down on the shelf. Her fingers lingered on the gilt frame. “He was my fiancé. We were both involved in a bad car crash. It was a head-on collision. He died. That’s why I moved back in with dad. With a broken leg and pelvis, and all the emotional trauma, I just couldn’t cope.”

That was it. Jake recalled that the guy’s picture had been all over the papers and the local news. Her father had never mentioned it. It must have been Fred Constantine’s way of separating his two lives.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he eventually said. “It must have been a hard blow.”

“It was, and still is.” Lia lifted her chin and held his gaze. She was obviously a proud woman. He saw the emotion welling in her green eyes. “But as someone who’s never known pain, Mr. Benetti, you couldn’t possibly hope to understand what it’s like.” Her words were harsh and designed to hurt.

“Oh, believe me, I know all about pain,” he answered bitterly.

“Oh?”

“My wife died three years ago. I miss her like hell. She meant the world to me.” For some reason he found it easy to open up to her. Why? He never spoke about Hannah’s death even to his closest friends. Maybe he just wanted to prove that he’d had a heart—once.

Lia nodded. “I’m sorry for your loss. I shouldn’t have said what I did. It was thoughtless of me.” She placed her hand on his. “Perhaps we do have something in common after all.”

Their eyes connected. They were strangers, but their pain and trauma bound them together like nothing else could. “Maybe we’ll be best friends by the end of the week,” he quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

Lia smiled, such a pretty smile. “I wouldn’t go as far as that, Mr. Benetti, but it’s a start. Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“I’ve said too much already,” he answered quietly. The empathy they briefly shared quickly disappeared with his darkening mood.

Lia didn’t seem to take offense. Instead she just said softly, “Still hurts, huh?”

She led the way out to the hallway and picked up a black purse from the stand. It matched the simple black cocktail dress that she wore. Jake had to admit she looked stunning. Her gorgeous blonde hair flowed freely around her shoulders and cascaded down the middle of her back. Matching silver jewelry adorned her wrist, ankle, and neck. It was a very classy combination.

“Shall we go, Mr. Benetti?”

He held open the front door, and she stepped through, invading his space with her presence, overwhelming him with her sensual perfume. “Lia, we’re going to be having dinner together. Can’t you call me Jake?”

She looked at him covertly as they walked toward the waiting car. “Very well, just so long as you’re genuine about helping me with my father’s debt.”

“I’ll do all I can, Lia. When you get to know me better, you’ll understand that I don’t make false promises.”

Tony held the limo door open for her. “Good evening, ma’am.”

“Thank you. Good evening.”

Jake watched her slide effortlessly into the car, her long, slim legs crossing neatly at the ankle as she made herself comfortable. He’d always admired elegance in a woman, and Lia had it in spades.

Tony moved around the car and opened the passenger door for him before taking the driver’s seat once more. By the end of the evening, Jake hoped to give Lia a better understanding of casinos.





Chapter Seven



Arabian Nights Casino looked so different at night. Even Lia had to admit it had a certain visual appeal. When their driver eventually drew the limo up outside, the casino complex seemed to come to life with neon lights, palm trees, and fountains decorating the lush garden area.

Tony brought the huge stretch limo to a halt under a cream canopy. It was a different entrance to the one she’d walked through that morning. She guessed Jake was trying his utmost to impress her. He’d already surprised her once tonight with the admission that his wife had died. This gave her a far better understanding of the man. Now she knew why he barely smiled. She’d visited the depths of despair more than once herself, after Joe’s tragic death. Had it not been for the long counseling sessions with her psychiatrist, Dr. Harper, she might still be there.

A large number of people milled about as Tony opened the limo door and they stepped out onto the lush red carpet. Lia felt like a movie star turning up to receive her Oscar. She wondered if that had been Jake’s intention all along, because it certainly gave her a thrill as a doorman in an immaculate, crisp black uniform ushered her inside the glamorous interior. She felt as though she were an A-list celebrity, or even royalty. Brass, chrome, and glass glinted brilliantly from the sea of lights all around them as they swept inside.