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

Standing in the middle of the street, he leaned back against his Mustang, and lifted his gaze to the impressive double-fronted façade of the property. Lia Constantine’s family home looked exactly the same as he remembered when he’d picked her up for that wonderful evening, just one month ago. Almost, that was, save for the large sold sign that stood in the middle of the lawn. From what the realtor had just told him, he’d missed her by just a day.
    He slowly walked up the drive, hearing the gravel crunch beneath his shoes. It had sounded so comforting the first time he’d been here. Now as he peered through the windows into the empty interior, a cold chill settled around his heart. Lia had gone.
    He’d left it too long before contacting her again.
    Each time he entered his apartment he thought of her. He could still picture her in the entrance vestibule of his home, totally compliant. The soft swell of her breasts, and the way they’d heaved in excitement as he’d ripped that pretty little black cocktail dress from her trembling body. The way she’d felt in his arms as he’d explored her soft, feminine skin for the first time. Fuck, she was hot.
    He’d left it far too long. He should have called her earlier. Much earlier.
    Jake stooped down and scooped a handful of earth into his hand. The soil was parched and dry, just like his heart. The only living woman who could reach him was Lia, and now she’d gone. He threw the desert back on the ground in disgust, and then made his way back to the car.
    Shit, he’d left it far too long.
    Don’t kick yourself. It’s a two-way street, buddy.
    Why hadn’t she told him she was leaving? She could so easily have contacted him. After all, she still owed Arabian Nights Casino a serious amount of money. Instead she’d left without so much as a forwarding address. Goddamn it, his shareholders would bust his balls for this.
    As he slid behind the wheel of the Mustang, Jake wondered if she’d planned this all along. Had she deliberately seduced him that night? She was everything he desired in a woman, and more. She’d been just perfect. Like a siren, she’d lured him to his fate. He’d given her nearly fifty thousand bucks in casino chips, too, and she’d taken the lot. Fuck, he wouldn’t be the first man to fall for a pretty face, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last.
    Feeling like a fool, Jake fired the engine into life, and maneuvered the Mustang away from the curb. Lia Constantine was not going to disappear so easily. Not when she still owed him a cool million bucks.
    Lia had underestimated him. He had contacts everywhere. He would track her down and make sure she paid him back—one way or another.

Chapter Fourteen

    The unrelenting noise of the airport swirled around Lia as she waited for her flight to be called. Everything was happening at breakneck speed. The offer of a dream job in Florida had kick-started her life again. A new beginning was just what she’d needed after all the anguish of the past year. Her best friend Monica had encouraged her. “Go for it, honey. Life’s not a rehearsal. You have too many bad memories here in Vegas. Time for a fresh start, girl.”
    In her heart Lia knew her friend was right. For the past few weeks she’d been waiting for a call from Jake that never came. Jake Benetti would never contact her now. On one level this was good. She hoped he’d written off the million bucks that she still owed him. On another level she was disappointed. She’d really enjoyed their night of hot sex together, and longed to hear his sexy, gravelly voice again. In the end, pragmatism had won through, and she’d decided a clean break well away from Vegas was her best option. Although it saddened her to do so, she’d reluctantly put the Constantine family home up for sale.
    Instead of focusing on the past, it was time to start living in the present. What could be better than being employed as a senior fitness instructor on a cruise ship? A