by Alisha Rai
Contents
What's Inside
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
What's Next?
Excerpt from "Risk and Reward"
About the Author
Other Books by Alisha Rai
Playing for a night…or for keeps?
Jewelry designer Tatiana Belikov may have matured enough to curb her impulsive nature, but wickedness is still her best accessory. When family troubles bring her to Las Vegas and face-to-face with the man who knows all her darkest desires, resisting temptation is futile. A night of no-holds-barred sin? Jackpot.
Once Wyatt Caine had nothing to offer Tatiana except his heart, but time has changed his fortunes. Now he’s the king of vice, and the king always gets what he wants. Especially when all he wants is her, all grown up and ready to play every dirty game he can devise.
They ignite like fireworks on the Strip, blazing hot enough to melt the best intentions. But their roll in the sheets turns into a roll of the dice, and when morning comes, Wyatt and Tatiana are left wondering whether to walk away…or go all in.
Game on.
Play With Me
by Alisha Rai
Book One in the Bedroom Games Series
Play With Me
Copyright © 2013 by Alisha Rai
Edited by Sasha Knight
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Chapter One
I want to keep you bound to my bed forever. Black leather ties encircling those dainty wrists, those slender ankles. Stretched wide for me. You’d never be able to escape.
Inhale.
Even if I make a fortune some day, it won’t compare to how rich I feel every time you open your thighs for me.
Exhale.
I love you. Always.
“Ma’am?”
Tatiana Belikov snapped the manila folder in her hands shut, hiding the pile of old and tattered letters she’d made the mistake of skimming—though the words weren’t new to her—while waiting for the receptionist to finish her phone call. She was all too aware of the slight sheen of sweat on her upper lip. She stuffed the folder in her oversized bag as she rose to her feet, her trembling hands making the job more awkward. “Yes. Hi.”
The woman gave her a warm smile. Tatiana didn’t have a vast working knowledge of the hiring practices of rich and powerful men, but television had taught her the waiting area would be guarded by a sexy, slinky shark of a woman. Wyatt’s assistant looked like she should be playing bridge somewhere. “I’m so sorry about that. Now, what can I help you with?”
Your boss and I popped each other’s cherries years ago. Can you please tell him I’m here? She cleared her throat. “I was hoping I could see Mr. Caine.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, I don’t.”
The other woman—Esme Schmidt, her desk tag read—turned away from her computer, her frown genuinely regretful. “I apologize, dear. But Mr. Caine doesn’t see anyone without an appointment. If you’d like to leave a message, I can see that he receives it.”
The waiting room wasn’t packed—only one other person was present, a frowning, shifty-eyed baby boomer clutching two briefcases bulging with documents. Still, Tatiana couldn’t imagine how much work went into running an operation of this size. Showing up with no notice wasn’t the best tactic, but alas, she hadn’t really thought about it until it was too late to call off this crazy venture.
“Can you please give him my name? I know he’ll see me.” She didn’t know that he would listen to her, or even speak with her for very long. But curiosity alone should get her a couple of minutes. A couple of minutes was all she needed.
Maybe not all she wanted. But all she needed.
When the older woman hesitated, Tatiana pushed, injecting equal amounts of charm and confidence into her plea. “We’re friends. He’ll be so disappointed if he knows I left without seeing him. Please.” She clutched the strap of her bag, the letters weighing it down. “Tatiana Belikov.”
The older woman pursed her lips. As she reached for the phone, Tatiana heard her mutter something that sounded like, “It’s your funeral.”
“What now, Esme?”
The low, annoyed voice came through the receiver, too deep and booming to be contained by a small piece of plastic. A small chill ran down her spine. It had been roughly a decade since she'd heard that voice, and it still managed to make her sit up and take notice.
He sounded harder. Tougher. And not happy.
He was about to get even more unhappy.
“There’s a young lady here to see you.”
“Is she on my schedule?”
“No, sir.”
“Then she doesn’t exist.”
Esme cast her a reproachful glance, and Tatiana winced, mouthing, Sorry. She was sorry. She also wasn't budging.
Esme continued. “She says to tell you her name is Tatiana Belikov.”
Tatiana didn’t know what she expected. A laugh. A guffaw. Or worst of all, a “Who?”
Instead, resounding silence greeted the announcement. Tatiana’s breath caught as she waited for…something. Anything.
A creak brought her gaze from the phone to the mahogany double doors leading to what was assuredly the lion’s den.
Back straight, head up. Oh, but her hands. What to do with her stupid, restless hands? Worry urged her to link them together. The stirring of her girlish heart had her longing to twirl her hair.
Her pride took over. She clenched those hands into militant fists.
The door opened wider, revealing a man she barely knew, yet at the same time, knew all too well. He was larger now, a full-grown male instead of the gangly youth she'd known. He wore a solid black suit, harsh against his very white shirt. His tie was bright red, a splash of color that should have been garish but instead added a dash of charm and whimsy to his otherwise stark appearance. He wore the suit well—but then, was there anything he wouldn’t wear well? He still had the physique of the common laborer he’d been, not the executive he was.
Had he been any other man, she would have accused him of posing for her. But he’d never had much vanity about his body, using it as other people did a tool. He moved, placing his large hands on his hips and pushing back his suit jacket, as if to display the trimness of his waist and stomach.
Dear eyeballs, anytime you want to stop eating this guy up with a spoon, that would be good. But it was so damn hard. The man had aged well, and she had never been immune to his appearance. As a bumbling, awkward freshman in high school, she’d drooled every time she’d looked at the hottest senior. Even when they’d broken up, she’d had to battle that tug of attraction.
He could have at least gotten a bald spot. But, no, he had a full head of hair. He’d worn it long when they'd been lovers, as suited a young rebel. Now, the coal-dark strands were cut short. She tightened her fists until her nails cut into the skin of her palms, the better to resist the temptation to see if he still liked a woman running her fingers through th
at cool silk.
His eyes were as dark as his hair, framed by a fringe of lashes so thick he’d been teased into more than one fistfight over whether he wore eyeliner. Those eyes were trained on her, piercing through her thin armor, right into her soul.
“Tatiana Belikov.” His voice was emotionless, as if they were acquaintances meeting at a dinner party, not standing face-to-face for the first time since the finale of their tumultuous relationship.
She raised her chin. She might look delicate, but she was no pansy. “Wyatt.”
He cocked his head. “What a…surprise.”
“Mr. Caine? The young lady said you were friends. Do I need to call someone?”
Her boss’s reaction was disturbing Esme. Tatiana wondered if women frequently had to be bodily removed from Wyatt’s office.
“That won’t be necessary, Esme. I do know her.” His smile was a flash of white in his swarthy skin. “And yes. We’re old friends.”
She shivered, though she wasn’t sure why. The lush, climate-controlled office wasn’t cold. “I apologize for barging in like this so unexpectedly.” He didn’t speak, didn’t rush to reassure her that she wasn’t barging in. She wasn’t sure she expected him to. “I need to speak with you about an important matter.”
Wyatt’s only reaction was a raised black eyebrow. His expression was closed, remote, sardonic. Déjà vu. He’d worn this same face countless times as a teenager. Wyatt had perfected the careless-rebel role back then, which she had sworn, in her dreamy, girlish way, she could see beneath to his squishy, warm heart.
Not that she was fooling herself into thinking she could see anything now. A lot of time had passed, and they were both different people.
“How curious. Of course. Far be it from me to deny a lady.”
Was she the only one who noticed the emphasis on that last word? Wyatt glanced idly around the waiting area, and she followed his gaze to the other occupant in the room. The man sitting on the sofa made no secret of his avid interest in their exchange. “Esme, reschedule this gentleman's appointment to tomorrow.”
The man scowled, transferring his gaze to Wyatt. “What? No. I need to see you today!”
Wyatt gave him a cold look. “You'll reschedule to tomorrow.”
A pang of guilt made Tatiana turn around and peer at the man. “I really am sorry—”
“Well I don’t care if you’re sorry—”
“I think you’re forgetting,” Wyatt cut him off cleanly, with the precision of a surgeon wielding a blade, “who’s here begging a favor from whom, hmm? You want to help dull the memory of how you screwed me over last time we did business? You’ll reschedule. To tomorrow.”
The man opened his mouth, but something he saw in Wyatt’s face made him shut up. Paling, he shook his head, muttering as he fished out a handkerchief and mopped his forehead.
“Come into my office,” Wyatt said to her, his voice smoother, lower.
Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly. She bit her lip. Nerves were making her belly jump.
At least, she hoped it was just nerves. A low-level buzz of caution around this particular shark was a good thing. It would keep her on her toes. Lust would be far more troublesome.
Damn it, Wyatt. If not a bald spot, maybe some chub. Really, is a paunch too much to ask for?
“Tatiana.”
Uttering her name should not make the fine hairs on her arm stand up and salute. It was the way he said it that was magic, all cool command and expectant.
Goddamn it. It wasn’t just nerves.
She resisted the urge to fan herself and took a step toward Wyatt. He shifted and held the door open, waiting for her to precede him.
She walked inside the office, unable to stop herself from adding a twitch of attitude to her ass. A glance over her shoulder proved it was wasted—he was closing the door, his back to her. Her lips compressed. Fine. She would give him some other opportunity to slaver over her still-pert body.
He wasn’t the only one who had aged well. And any minute now, she would stop sounding so freakin’ defensive.
To occupy herself, she glanced around the luxurious office. The cherry desk was huge and uncluttered, save for a sheaf of papers piled on the surface. The chair was plush black leather, and its price tag alone could pay her bills for a month. A wet bar graced one corner of the room; probably de rigueur for a man who owned a casino. The floor-to-ceiling windows that made up the fourth wall showcased a glorious view of Las Vegas.
The walls were a creamy off-white, and while a few tasteful paintings decorated them, there wasn’t a single picture of family or friends. Which made sense, since she knew his mother was dead, his father had barely been more than a sperm donor, and he’d had no other real family growing up. Her quick research of the low-key CEO of Quest Casino had turned up the news he had never married nor had children. According to Wikipedia, at least. A private detective she wasn’t.
“You have a nice office,” she said, in order to break the heavy silence. She turned to find him standing at the door, one hand on the wood as if he were barring others who might try to enter.
Or to keep her from leaving.
He dropped his hand. “Thank you.” Still expressionless.
“The whole place is nice.” Tatiana waved, to encompass the large building she stood in. She supposed, compared to the Mirage or Caesars, Quest was a small entity. However, what the hotel and casino lacked in size, it made up for in exclusivity and class. In the five years since it had been established, it had hosted politicians, heads of state, and millionaires—all of whom were guaranteed discretion and the opportunity to indulge their vices with no commoners about to carry tales. One article she’d read had written, What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but what happens at Quest…no, nothing ever happens at Quest.
Wikipedia was a freaking fountain of information.
“You've played here?”
The question was posed innocently enough, but she thought there was a bite of mockery in it. You have the means to play in my sandbox?
Her spine stiffened. “No. I've never been here before today. I meant it seems nice.”
“Thank you. You don’t live here, I take it.”
“I live in San Francisco now.”
“San Francisco? That’s far from New England.”
“So’s Las Vegas.”
His lip curled. “Touché. But I had no real ties to the East Coast. I’m surprised you were able to leave your beloved family behind.”
The knot between her shoulders seized up. “I see them on the holidays.”
“That’s enough for them? Hmm.”
The rush of defensive words beat in her head, dying to pour out of her mouth. The girl she’d been would have let them spew. The woman she was now had learned some semblance of self-control. “Yes. We miss each other, but I like living out here.” Plus, she had some newly discovered family within a day’s drive, or a short plane ride. Right here in Vegas, even. Coincidence, you’re a cruel bitch.
He stared at her, those black eyes unsettling. “You’re looking well.” His glance was a quick one, up and down her body. Her skin still felt seared.
“Thank you.” She fought the urge to fidget with her clothes. The simple grey sheath dress paired with a dark blazer was her go-to classy outfit for when she needed to disguise her normally artsy style and meet with a client or a gallery owner. She’d needed confidence, though, so she’d added one of her favorite necklaces, multiple strands of coiled, interconnected hammered gold that hung between her breasts. “You are as well. Have to say, I never saw you as a businessman. And running a casino, of all things.”
When they’d broken up, he’d been taking college classes part-time, so though he was three years older, academically he’d still been around her level. Every other spare minute he’d had had been spent working: a bookstore, so he could learn during his breaks; construction, so he could fall back on a trade; a waiter, for the free meals. Not to mention anything else he co
uld get his hands on.
Her physicist parents hadn’t been able to stand that. Tatiana, you need a boy who will put his education first.
“You know how much I like to be unpredictable.”
“How did you get into it?”
He just looked at her.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “If you don’t mind my asking.” She should probably get down to the purpose of her visit, but small talk wasn’t a bad thing. Plus…she was curious. Wildly curious.
Wyatt shrugged. “I came to Vegas with some guys and won a shitload of cash in a poker game.”
She raised her eyebrows, not expecting that.
He tapped the side of his head. “Turns out I have a knack for cards. Used the money to buy into bigger and bigger games. Ended up meeting some people who had more money than me and an interest in investing in a place here in town. It worked out.”
“Yeah, it did. What luck.” And what a deliberate downplay, she was certain, of the amount of work and energy Wyatt had poured into this venture.
“You make your own luck. This city is good for that sort of thing.”
She sure hoped so.
“And what is it you do?”
The question was no doubt a polite response to her own inquiry. Still, she perked up at his interest. “An artist. I design jewelry.”
He cocked his head. “Really? Last I heard you were a bio major. Big change.”
It had been a big change—and Wyatt knew very well she had only been a bio major to please her adoptive parents. “I dropped out of college during the last semester of my senior year,” she said, keeping her voice even. She refused to fall back into that need to prove him wrong about her so-called slavish devotion to her family.
Even if he had been right all those years ago. No nineteen- or twenty-year-old wanted to be told their parents controlled them.
He turned away from her and walked to the wet bar. He poured a glass of amber liquid and swallowed it back in a single gulp. He immediately helped himself to another serving. Well. Maybe he wasn’t quite as cool as he looked.