Claimed for the Master's Pleasure (Guilty Pleasures #5)(9)
“Jesus, lady, you should hear yourself.” Jake shook his head and chuckled. “You’re a grown woman. You don’t need your parents’ permission anymore. When you’ve been inside a casino, that’s when you can make those kind of judgments, and not before.”
“I’ve just seen the inside of yours, and I didn’t like it.”
“You’ve seen jack shit, lady.” She heard the annoyance in his voice.
He took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself as the limo pulled up outside her home. Jake turned in his seat and looked at her. His pale blue eyes were piercing in their intensity. “Lia, I truly liked your father, and out of respect for him, I’m gonna look once more at the paperwork, to see if there’s anything I can do to cut your losses. On one condition, mind.”
“Which is?”
“That you have dinner with me tonight at the casino restaurant. I’ll show you around. It’ll give you a better understanding as to why your father spent so much time there.”
Had Jake Benetti just given her a lifeline? Maybe she’d made him realize that actions had consequences. The cynic inside her knew it would probably amount to nothing, yet she’d be a fool to turn him down. After all, it was only dinner. It wasn’t like he was making a pass. The guy hardly looked at her. From the photograph he’d shown her in the office, her father seemed to actually like him. Perhaps she should give him a chance.
Realizing for the first time that he might be trying to help her, she answered matter-of-factly, “Dinner will be good.” Without another word, she started to slip from the car.
He touched her arm, briefly halting her progress. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
When she reached her front door, she turned and looked. A flash of silver glinted in the sunlight as the stretch limo disappeared around the corner. A small thread of hope seemed to be drawing them together. She had to admit Jake Benetti was an extremely good looking and charismatic man, but she still didn’t like or trust him.
Chapter Six
Later that evening
When his driver turned the car onto Mount Drive, the street where Lia lived, Jake had to admit he was looking forward to seeing her again.
He shook his head. Goddamn it, who was he kidding. He’d barely thought of anything else. The entire day he’d relived their meeting over and over in his head. It was a wonder he’d managed to do any work. Madeline had noticed that he’d had something on his mind, but then she never did miss a trick.
Jake felt his pulse quicken as the car drew to a halt outside her home. He desperately needed to see her again. Did she really look like Hannah, or had he just imagined it all?
The brick-faced, double-fronted property looked imposing, very much like the home owned by Jeff Bridges in the film Arlington Road. Pretty, white-painted windows sat on either side of a neat porch with white marble pillars, while the well-groomed yard gently sloped down to the road. Fred Constantine had done well for himself, considering he’d only run a grocery store. For a moment he wondered why the guy had bet so heavily and lost it all. Whatever, he’d left a shitload of debt for his daughter to clean up.
Anyway, for some reason he didn’t yet understand himself, he’d offered Lia a lifeline. He had to do something. Knowing that he had the power to take everything she owned made him feel guilty as hell. If there was any way to salvage some of her inheritance, then he would.
Jake shook his head as he stepped from the car. See what had happened by becoming emotionally involved? Fred Constantine had been a friend. By meeting his daughter face-to-face to ease the situation, he’d humanized the debt. This was something he’d never done before.
“Wait here. I’ll just be a few minutes, Tony,” he instructed his driver as he began walking up the drive. The porch light cast a soft, homely glow over the ground, guiding his way. The small stones crunched satisfyingly under his shoes. It was a nice feeling, one that brought back happy memories of when Hannah was still alive. His thoughts drifted to their home out in Summerlin. Their property sat high on a ridge with breathtaking views over Vegas. He hadn’t set foot there since Hannah died. He preferred to live in his penthouse suite, conveniently located on the fiftieth floor of his casino. Occasionally, he’d send one of his men over to the house, to check that everything was okay. He just hadn’t had the heart to sell it. Not when they’d shared so many wonderful, precious times together. Three years ago the house had been mothballed along with his life.
No sooner had he rang the bell than Lia opened the door. She wore a bathrobe and a towel wrapped around her head. He hadn’t been dreaming. Lia still looked like Hannah—every dammed beautiful inch of her.
Her chin jutted out defensively. “I know I’m running a little late, but before you say anything, I worked for an extra hour today to make up for the time I was in your office. My boss wasn’t very impressed with me, so I offered to take the last aerobics class of the day.”
“If it’s my fault, then I can’t complain.”
“Good.” For a moment she just stood there looking at him. “I really should make you wait outside, considering you want to take this house away from me, but I just can’t be bothered fighting any more. It’s bad for my emotional constitution.”
She led the way to the living room. “Take a seat. There’s some of father’s liquor on the coffee table. He was a bourbon man, in moderation, of course. Help yourself.”