Bowles, Jan - Claimed for the Master's Pleasure [Guilty Pleasures 5] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) by Jan Bowles Read Free Book Online

that to happen. So I played it cool.
    “Eleven years ago, I bought my first casino, which I still own. It’s small compared to Arabian Nights, and doesn’t generate anything like the nine-figure turnover we have here. It has a special place in my heart. I employed several top designers to bring the intimacy of that much smaller club here, using some clever design and lighting. You’ll see the effect when I take you through to the tables later on. I wanted to bring the elegance of yesteryear back to casinos. Nostalgia to a bygone era is what draws my customers back, over and over again. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but there’s plenty of other, shall we say, less refined casinos they can go to if that’s what they want. The ones you refer to as seedy, Lia.” He laughed.
    Lia looked around the stunning restaurant. Crystal chandeliers dripped from the ceiling. Soft lighting filtered across their table with a warm, ambient glow. It gave a feeling of high-society opulence, so popular in the nineteen twenties and thirties. Lia recognized the design of the restaurant was from the Art Deco period. A far cry from the soulless slots she’d seen earlier that day.
    “To be honest, Jake, I’m impressed. Sophisticated dining isn’t what I expected to find here.”
    “Lia, I think you’re beginning to see that people who frequent casinos are not just coming for the gambling. They’re coming for so much more.”
    Their waiter, Brad, returned. “May I take your order now, ma’am?”
    “Yes. There’s such a wonderful selection, but I’ve finally decided on the scallops with mushrooms, and green salad.” He took her order, scribbling words on a small pad with dizzying speed, and then turned his attention to Jake.
    “And, Mr. Benetti. Are you ready to order, sir?”
    “Brad, I’ll have the pan-seared rib eye with artichokes, and ask Louisa to bring me a bourbon on the rocks. May I offer you a drink, Lia?”
    “A white wine, if I may. Thank you, Jake.”
    When they were left alone once more, Lia fiddled with her bracelet, slipping the charms one by one through her fingers. The atmosphere changed as a well-known singer took to the podium in the corner of the room. Once he’d settled himself at the grand piano, he began singing.
    She glanced at Jake. He seemed mesmerized by her jewelry. His gaze settled on the bracelet around her wrist and then focused on the matching piece around her neck. Then his eyes burned into hers, holding her captive. A faint smile touched his lips, and for the first time it reached his eyes.
    Oh my God, he knows. He knows. He’s recognized the significance and symbolism of my charms. Christ.
    Jake knew exactly what they represented. Lia swallowed hard. Heaven help her. Jake was a player in more ways than one.

Chapter Eight

    Jake put his hands together and clapped appreciatively as Mickey Day finished his heart-warming rendition of “Me and Mrs. Jones.” They’d just finished their coffee after a thoroughly enjoyable dinner. Mickey Day, the renowned singer, was a favorite with the lady customers at Arabian Nights, and he’d sung especially well tonight.
    As the applause continued, Jake let his gaze slide once more to Lia’s svelte wrist, and the pretty bracelet adorning it. The charms appeared perfectly innocent in isolation, but combined with the BDSM emblem that was also replicated on her necklace and ankle chain, they left him in no doubt that Lia liked her sex served hot. He still couldn’t believe it had taken him nearly an hour to notice the significance of the jewelry she wore, especially as he and Hannah were heavily into the same scene during the seven years they were married. It just went to show how out of the loop he’d become. In the last three years he’d barely had a sexual thought, but now he could think of nothing else. Like a switch had been thrown, his cock now stood to rampant attention every time he so much as looked at Lia. For the first time in the three