House of Pleasure, Deborah Court [great books of all time TXT] 📗

lost to you forever. This is the only condition. This house loves its owner. It's like a living  creature that only exists to please and serve you while it can get jealous if you're starting to get too involved with someone. It happened to me once when I started to fall in love with one of my lovers - a young lawyer, John Conrad. I am sure you'll have met him by now.

The house made me choose, and I decided to stay here, ending the affair before I could get too emotional about it. Considering my unhappy marriage, this condition was easy for me to fulfill. I wanted to be alone, so the arrangement was perfect for me. I'm not so sure about you, a young woman who will most likely fall in love at some point. But it will be your decision alone.

Good-bye, Jane. I'll be in a happier place when you read this, so be merry and enjoy your new home. If you have a wish, simply speak it out loud. You will be surprised, I promise.

 

With love,

Beatrice

 

Jane dropped the letter to the table and stared out of the window into the garden. It was as beautiful as the house, and well-kept. She had no doubt that Aunt Beatrice had spent far too much time here. Obviously she'd been a very lonely woman who got a bit strange in her later years; yet her letter seemed to be written by someone who had a very quick and sharp mind.

Well, although she was quite sure that something like a house that fulfilled its owner's wishes wasn't possible, she felt that there was some mystery about this mansion. And she was very determined to find out what it was about this place that had kept her aunt so intrigued that she never wanted to leave it again.

If you have a wish, simply speak it out loud. She read the sentence again and smiled to herself. Apparently Beatrice had been very fond of fairy tales. "Ridiculous," she murmured. "

Laying down the letter on the table, she decided to try it out, proving once and for all that her aunt had just invented all these stories about a magic house - probably without being aware that they were just a delusion.

"Hello, my lovely new house," she said into the silence of the room, choosing the first ideas that came to her mind. "This salon looks a bit barren, how about decorating it with some flowers? A glass of champagne would be nice, too. Oh, and I'd like to have a really handsome man here to serve me. While he's at it, he could give me a nice hard massage. My back hurts like hell after the long drive today." She gave an amused little laughter, turning to the photography on the mantelpiece.

"Now how's that, Aunt Beatrice? Not bad for a beginner, what do you think?"

In the blink of an eye, she was lying on one of the brocade settees along the wall, face down on a sheet of cream-colored silk. A bubbling glass of champagne stood on a small table beside her. When she turned her head to the side, she saw that the room was filled with hundreds of roses in pastel colors, emanating a wonderful, intoxicating scent. They were white roses, yellow roses, peach roses, all neatly arranged in crystal vases that were placed on every piece of furniture.

A light breeze from an open window grazed her skin, and she suddenly realized that she was completely naked. With a small outcry of surprise, she wrapped herself in the silken sheet and sat up on the settee.

She gasped when she felt warm, long fingers on her shoulders, and the caress of a hand large enough that it could only belong to a man.

"The muscles of your neck are so tight, Mistress," a deep voice said. Jane slightly turned and looked up to look into the face of a stunning young man. He wore a servant's livery that looked like a costume from a Regency period movie, and his long, chocolate brown hair was bound at the nape of his neck. His light blue eyes gave a great contrast to his tanned skin, and his lush, full lips were slightly opened. They seemed to have been made for kissing. Without realizing, Jane moistened her own lips with her tongue, watching this irresistible mouth.

"Who are you?" she managed to whisper, unable to do anything but stare at him.

Smiling, he bowed down and gently pushed her back onto the settee, kneeling down beside her.

"My name is Sean," he said. "I'm here to help you relieve some tension." His warm silken voice felt like a caress on her skin. Closing her eyes when his hands touched her again, she gave in, accepting this situation despite the impossibility of what had happened to her. A soft sigh escaped her as she felt him pour a warm, sweetly scented oil over her back. Without her even noticing, he had pulled down the sheet, exposing her naked body. When he began to knead the muscles of her back, she moaned with pleasure. His strong fingers working her flesh felt heavenly.

"That's right," he said. "Relax, beautiful Mistress. I'll take care of you now."

*****

Chapter Two

Two years later …

 

Luke Thomas led a life beyond even his own wildest dreams.  As Hollywood's most sought-after action hero, he knew he was the fantasy object of many women - he never tired of hearing them tell him so. He was tall, blond, handsome and broad-shouldered, and had perfected the smoldering look that drove women insane. He was constantly in the public eye, surrounded by beautiful women, adoring fans and the ever-present paparazzi.

Since conquering Hollywood by storm, he had finally become rich and famous. Now all the women he met wanted him - actresses, supermodels or just fans who flew out to L.A. with the sole hope of meeting him just once. His daily habits were well-known,