Free Pick Your Pleasure by Jayne Rylon

she
hadn’t stared at the menagerie before her.
    “It’s nice to see this place
through your eyes, Linley.” Chase draped an arm around her shoulder, drawing
her to his chest. She gladly snuggled up to the shelter he provided while she
continued to scan the crowd of liberated pleasure seekers.
    This is what she’d been missing.
Here she could cut straight to the heart of the matter without bogging herself
down in the politics of a boyfriend or the image she had to uphold.
    “How so?” She finally found her
voice. Could she give something back to the man promising to erase her failures
and replace them with something steamy? Something life-altering. A no-strings
release.
    “Maybe I’ve become jaded.” He
sighed, accepting her caress on his shoulder and onto the plane of his chest.
Touching him was a decadent indulgence. Granting him some solace was a bonus.
“I sometimes forget about these simple pleasures in my haste to enjoy…the rest.”
    “What else is there?” She didn’t
realize she nibbled on her bottom lip until he pried it from between her teeth
with the pad of his thumb, soothing the sting.
    “Ah.” From a gorgeous server in
skin-tight lace, Chase accepted his drink. Expensive whiskey, if the rich amber
tone and hint of oak was any indication. She did the same with her glass of
wine, grateful to have something to wet her throat with. “Well, you’ve seen
most of the ground floor. The dining area and the fireside lounge plus the
ballroom. There’s also a library with a piano I’d love to play for you
sometime. And a game room, the vanilla variety—pool, darts, cards. All ways for
people to meet someone they might like to sink down a level or two with.”
    She nodded, laying her head on
his shoulder between sips of her wine. He didn’t discourage her affection, so
she went one step farther, resting her hand on his thigh. Damn he was hard all
over. And hot. Her fingers explored the seam of his tailored slacks.
    After letting her roam, he began
to reciprocate. First by stroking her hair, running his fingers through the
mussed tresses. Then he drew swirls along her spine, humming as he reached the
swell of her ass.
    “What happens once there’s a
connection?” The huskiness of her murmur surprised her.
    “Then it’s time to go farther
underground. The entrance to Downstairs is at the other end of this room. See
the gold railing over there?” He gestured with his tumbler.
    When she followed the line, she
noticed an ornate balustrade at the top of a wide marble staircase. Every once
in a while, a couple—or more—would drift down it and disappear. Less
frequently, probably since the night was young, someone would emerge. Their
sleepy, satisfied smiles told her all she needed to know.
    “Most people refer to it as stooping to your level .” He chuckled.
    “That’s terrible.” She buried
her face in the crook of his neck for an instant. Long enough to breathe deep,
getting drunk on him.
    “Much more of that and we’ll be
breaking the no-sex-on-the-Underground-floor rule.” Chase swiped her empty
glass from her hand. He set it, along with his, on a side table then asked her
to dance.
    The music seemed to change from
song to song, the mix as eclectic as the gathering gyrating to its beat. She
knew this one. The Wanted’s “Glad You Came” seemed appropriate.
    “So are you?” Chase stared into
her eyes as he tucked her to his chest and began to rock. During the faster
sections, the graceful swing of his hips advertised just how much rhythm he
had, and that he knew how to put his body to good use.
    “Hmm?” She blinked, starting to
lose herself in the place, the moment, and the man.
    “Happy to be here?” Before
permitting her to respond, he stacked the deck way in his favor by leaning
closer and pressing his mouth to hers. His kiss was like him—intense yet
subtle. Sophisticated. Delicious.
    Invigorating.
    For the first time since she’d
bought Lane Technology’s largest