Claimed for the Master's Pleasure (Guilty Pleasures #5)(28)
Lia flicked on a light as she entered the kitchen. A huge, stainless steel refrigerator stood against one wall, while all around her lay beautifully finished appliances, slotted between black granite counters, and solid oak cupboards.
After a few seconds, Lia found what she was looking for. She filled a glass with chilled water from the fridge dispenser, and swallowed several large gulps before leaving the tumbler on the drainer. As she leaned against the granite work surface she noticed the large, ornate clock on the kitchen wall. It was four in the morning. Just what was she going to do for the next hour, day, or even month?
Lia stretched and yawned, then commented loudly.
“Goddamn it. What the hell am I doing here?”
Then she remembered the hot sex she’d just had with Jake, and laughed out loud. “Guess it’s not all bad. But boy, does that guy have one serious attitude problem.” The nerve of the man, demanding she be his sex slave, until the house was sold and her debt repaid. She’d given him a month to contact her, but she’d heard nothing from him. Then, almost unbelievably, just as she was about to catch her flight to Florida, he’d turned up at the airport.
“The arrogance of the guy,” she muttered to herself.
As Lia made her way back through the large living area, she was drawn once more to the incredible view. She stopped and stared, drinking in the scene. Her thoughts tumbled from her lips. “You may have a wonderful home, Mr. Fancy Casino Owner, but you need a lesson in how to treat a lady.”
“Care to teach me?” Jake’s gruff voice growled through the darkness.
A scream left her lips, and she spun in his direction. She could just make out his masculine shape, almost hidden by shadow. His eyes mischievously glinted from the moonlight streaming through the window. He switched on a lamp, flooding the room in soft light. Jake wore just a pair of black sweatpants. His chest was naked, and temptingly sexy. “Jake, I—I thought you’d driven into Vegas.”
“I couldn’t sleep. I’m sorry if I startled you, but the views are more spectacular with the lights off. I guessed you didn’t see me when you went through to the kitchen. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have said what you did.”
Lia swallowed hard. She’d said some unkind things about him. True, but unkind all the same. “You heard?”
“Yes.”
Her and her big mouth. “What are you going to do?” she asked nervously, fearing the punishment he may administer for her disrespectful talk.
Jake tapped a finger against his lips in quiet contemplation as he watched her squirm. His eyes penetrated her from head to toe, making an intense shiver travel down her spine. “Nothing for now.”
“Oh?” Her brows knitted together. “I thought you might want to discipline me.”
“I’m minded to, princess, but I’m feeling benevolent at the moment.” Jake patted the empty seat beside him. “Come over here, Lia. We need to talk.”
Slightly wary, she walked across and joined him on the leather sofa. “Talk? What do you want to talk about, Jake? Can’t it wait? It’s four in the morning.”
“This million bucks you owe me.”
Lia felt her shoulders stiffen. “Oh, that again,” she said in a derisory tone. “I know all about the money, Jake. I’ll pay you back as soon as I have the check from the house sale. You know that.”
“That’s precisely the reaction I was afraid of—”
“I can’t do any more until then. I’m—”
Jake placed a hand on her arm. “If you’ll just let me speak, Lia. I think I may have the solution.”
“We already know what the solution is, Jake. I pay you the money, and then we go our separate—”
“Lia, for f*ck’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.