Pick Your Pleasure
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Authors: Jayne Rylon
Pick Your Pleasure
Jayne Rylon
Pick Your Pleasure
Jayne Rylon
Published by Jayne Rylon
Copyright 2012 Jayne Rylon
Edited by Chloe Vale
ePub ISBN: 978-0-9888124-0-6
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Dedication
For my brother, Kolin, and his friends, who texted from a
bar in NYC with a great (I hope) idea for my next book…
Also to Lexi Blake for encouraging me to experiment. I
appreciate all your help in getting me off the ground and the fact that you
accept payment for your shared wisdom in the tender of sexy pictures of men.
None of this would have been possible without Chloe Vale.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
To find out more about how
Pick Your Pleasure
works, please visit JayneRylon.com.
Table of Contents
Jayne Recommends
A Dom Is Forever
by Lexi Blake
1A - Underground
“It’s been a pleasure,” Linley
Lane lied.
She pasted on her diplomatic
smile as she allowed her date to buss her cheek and politely shake her hand as
they parted ways on the red carpet of the valet portico outside L’Etoile.
Another miserable date.
That was probably harsh. It had
been blah.
Make that at least sixty-two in
a row. Or was it sixty-three?
Sure, Paolo had given her eyes
plenty to feast on during the dinner they’d shared. His intelligence, along
with genuine Italian features, olive skin, and his sexy accent should have been
enough to make any woman swoon. Plus, his family’s shipping empire ensured his
interest had more to do with her personally than the fortune she’d amassed by
building her application development business from the ground up.
But there simply hadn’t been any
chemistry between them.
Not a single firework.
Or even a spark.
Not a glimmer of lust had
fluttered her stomach when he’d dusted a kiss over her knuckles before dessert.
It hadn’t taken her more than a moment’s hesitation to decline his offer of
after-dinner drinks—at his place, or hers, or the ritzy hotel across the
street.
Hell, the fact that she’d
entertained the notion even that long when he didn’t have the
it
factor she searched for could only
mean she was getting desperate.
Finding a guy was hell when the
most attractive thing about you seemed to be the hundreds of millions you’d
banked by being savvy, refusing to quit, and working your ass off. She’d waited
so long to get in the game, focused on work instead of socializing, that she
admitted she probably didn’t know how to date like most women her age.
By thirty-three, she should have
some skills, know how to take a man home for a night of fun, or play the
seductress in a drawn-out affair. Instead, she probably conducted her
rendezvous more like interviews for a mate.
On paper, her recent dates
looked like perfect matches. And not a single one of them had given her any
sort of zing.
Success hadn’t come without
roadblocks. If nothing else, she’d learned to problem solve like a beast. She
needed a new approach.
Time for Plan B.
Drawing her pre-release
prototype phone—which had been issued by the testing team of a leading cell
manufacturer—from her purse, she traced the symbol that would quick dial Henry as
she approached her car.
“Everything all right, Linley?”
Her head of security answered before the damn thing had even buzzed once. “Your
date…?”
“It’s a bust. Nothing’s wrong
other than my old-maid status.” She sighed. That certainly wouldn’t cause her personal
injury unless she gouged her eyes out or died of sexual starvation. Her
security detail got nervous when she insisted they stay at home, so what she
was going to ask next would probably blow the top of his head off. She didn’t
care. “Henry?”
“Yeah.” His gruff response made
it clear he understood he wasn’t going to like this call.
“Tell me the name and address of
the club you visit when you need something…adventurous.”
“Linley?” He tried to pull his
silent-but-strong-type bullshit on her. Fooling her would take more than that.
“Do you really think I’d hire
you without snooping into your private life at least half as much as you did
into mine?” She laughed.
“I wouldn’t respect you if you
hadn’t.” He grunted. “But I thought you had more tact than to mention my
playground after all these years. Why don’t I come over and we can discuss—?”
“No.” She knew he didn’t intend
it as a come on. They’d worked together for nearly a decade. They didn’t have
the spark either, though her head bodyguard could make any number of women
praise the male gender. “You’re not going to sway me. Just give me the damn
information, and don’t butt in.”
“You’re serious?” He paused, as
if he was holding the phone away from his face so she wouldn’t catch his
cursing.
“Will I be safe there?” She
doubted he’d visit a place where women weren’t respected.
“Damn it, Linley.” He blew out a
puff of air then reconsidered. “Yes. No one will hurt you at Underground. There
are rules. I’ll call the owner—”
“No. I want to go to a place
where no one knows who I am. Somewhere I can be a random woman out to have fun
and hook up.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Just for tonight. Let me
have that.”
“You won’t be able to get in if
I don’t pull a few strings,” he insisted. “Usually a member has to apply for a
trial then escort a new recruit.”
“Fine. Do whatever it takes.
Will my car be okay there? Or should I go home and take a taxi?” She triggered
the ignition of her Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione with a new phone app they were
working the bugs out of, loving the roar of the engine. If they could get it to
work on something as finicky as her car, they could make it work for everyone.
She tossed her cell to the bucket seat beside her as it automatically flipped
to hands-free mode.
“You can park in the subterranean
garage. Your baby will have good company down there. The club takes all types,
Linley.” Henry’s resigned report accompanied the tapping of keys. “I’m sending
a navigation map to your car now. I’ve already texted the owner to let him know
you’re on your way.”
“Thanks, Henry.” She drummed her
fingers on the steering wheel. No backing out now.
“You know, you
can
change your mind. Or just go to have
a couple of drinks. If it’s not for you, head out. Call me if you’d like me to
come get you.” His offer muted when he must have covered the receiver with his
hand for a bit. A murmured apology caught her attention.
“You’ve got someone with you
tonight,” she whispered. Jealousy turned her an unattractive shade of green.
Not for his hot body, but for the ease with which he was able to find women to
keep him company. The power of her position often intimidated men and kept them
from approaching her. “Sorry, Henry. I shouldn’t have bothered you on your
night off. You take so few.”
“It’s fine.” His warm voice made
his smile evident even over the phone. “You deserve to blow off some steam,
too. Hope you realize how much
fun
you could be in for. Almost wish I could see your face...”
“I’m not a prude, you know.” She
snorted.
“You’ve never been to a place
like Underground before.” He seemed so smug, she doubled her determination to
prove him wrong.
“I can handle myself.” If she
weren’t zipping along the highway ramp, she might have crossed her arms over
her chest.
“I know you can. That’s the only
thing that convinced me to make this connection for you.” Henry probably rolled
his eyes like he did when he thought she couldn’t see. “I only have a job if
you’re around, kid.”
She laughed. “Always the
practical one. Thanks, Henry. Get back to your
friend
.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He paused before
disconnecting. “You’re going to have the wild night you’re craving, boss.
Just...pick your pleasures wisely.”
Before she could ask what he
meant by that, he’d severed the connection, probably to dive beneath the covers
with his woman of the moment again. Too bad there hadn’t ever been any sparks
between her and Henry. Loyal, handsome, and funny—he’d make someone a kickass
husband someday.
If he ever decided to settle
down.
Linley shook her head. It hadn’t
been until the last year or so that the idea of meeting a man and maybe having
a family had taken center stage in her mind. All through her twenties, she’d
focused on building her empire. And now that she ruled her own world, she’d
found it could be lonely at the top.
She glanced at the glowing line
in her customized dash. Only three more miles to the club. Shifting gears, she
set her baby to cruise while she drew her diamond necklace over her head then
shook off her matching bangle. The silk scarf she’d dressed up her black
bandage dress with came next. She tucked the valuables in the special safe in
the glove box then ruffled her hair, loosening the long waves from the updo
she’d pinned them into.
Smudging her makeup a bit added
a smoky haze around her steel-gray eyes. “You’ll do,” she told herself.
Heartbeat steady, breathing slow
and deep, she turned into the discreet garage her car instructed her to occupy.
A man in a suit met her at the booth. He waited patiently with his hands folded
in front of his waist as she parked in the spot he indicated.
When she slid from her car, he
approached.
“Ms. Lane.” He nodded.
“Good evening.” She pretended
she had clandestine interludes with strangers who knew her all the time. It was
either that or kick start her encounter on an awkward footing.
Losing this thrill, the
anticipation of a reckless moment, didn’t interest her. Not when she’d fought
so long to find it. Had running her own company turned her into an adrenaline
junky? Maybe.
Tonight she’d find a rush one
way or another.
“Henry spoke well of you.” The gentleman
didn’t lead her into the building just yet. “We have high standards here at
Underground. Please understand that there are rules you will need to follow if
I take you farther.”
“And they are?” She refused to
fidget, meeting his assessing gaze head on.
“If you had agreed straight off,
without asking, I’d have sent you home. So, congratulations. You’re off on the
right foot.” His mouth tipped up at one corner. “Inside there is a lot
of…variety. Judgment has no place here. If what you’re shown is not the
pleasure you seek, keep going. Pick something else. No one is to be demeaned
for their selection.”
“Of course.” She nodded. What
kind of asshole did they think she was anyway?
“At Underground, all that
matters is the moment. Don’t ask questions. Who? What? Why? Irrelevant. People
come here to escape. We can guarantee you that no one is married, or at least
not present without the consent of their spouse. Our screening ensures this as
well as the health of our members. Henry forwarded me your files. You’re
clear.”