Free The Bound Bride by Anne Lawrence Page A

Three thousand dollars might be all she’d ever have to show from this risky idea.
    There was a knock on her door. Cassandra undid the latch without looking to see who was on the other side.
    Let it be Oliver.
    It was Iris.
    “Cass! What gives? I’ve been calling and calling and…. hey. You okay?”
    Cassandra fought the urge to burst into tears. She was glad for the friendly face. Yet she hoped for another set of eyes in her midst. That Iris wasn’t Oliver was enough to make her nearly lose her footing. But she recovered to a point where she beckoned Iris inside. Relief watched over her exhausted frame as she fell to the couch.
    “Cass? Whathappened?”
    She had to tell someone.
    She laid out the scene from the hotel to the opera and back again. Iris barely breathed as Cassandra relayed the tale. She ended the story on Jeff’s departure and Oliver’spromise.
    “ And ?” Iris demanded. “Has he called?”
    Here came the anticlimax.
    “No calls. No emails. Nothing.”
    Cassandra hung her head and pressed her hands to her temples. She closed her eyes in the hope that the darkness would stop the spinning in her soul. It only intensified the sensation, and Cassandra shot up. She hit the cushions with a sigh. Iris drew nearer and held Cassandra closer.
    “It’s just two days, Cass. Give him a chance. He’ll call. He’ll come. He’s obviously interested.”
    She wanted to believe that. She clung to the idea that he was simply making other plans and…
    Cassandra forgot her own troubles as she noticed a mark on Iris’s throat. She turned down her friend’s collar and saw the beginnings or the end of a bruise.
    “Iris. What is that ?”
    Iris pulled the fabric away from Cassandra’s touch and did up her buttons.
    “Oh that? Nothing. Adam likes to get a little rough. But he’s worth a touch of pain.”
    Cassandra wanted to believe Iris. Who was she to call pleasure into question when all she had was silence? She longed to hear Oliver’s voice on the other end of her phone or the ding of an incoming email. It was the latter that filled the room. She fell to the coffee table and checked her inbox.
    The message wascourtesy of Oliver by way of LeaseALady.
     
    Hi, Trixie Carol .
    You’ve been leased! Your previous companion requests the pleasure of your company at his private penthouse. Dinner and drinks. Nothing you don’t want. Everything you do. Congratulations and enjoy!
    LeaseALady.com Support
     
    Cassandra jumped up with a cry of joy as she rushed to her closet. She couldn’t do the bridesmaid’s dress again. But maybe she didn’t have to. Maybe she’d tease him with jeans and a simple gray tee. On some level, she knew he’d like it.
    “Your boy wonder?” Iris asked.
    Cassandra nodded without words as she started to dress for her date. She could think of nothing but seeing him again. She had a million questions. What was he planning, why did he want her ? She saw Iris sharing in her joy and remembered the bruise. Cassandra’s hair was barely fixed above her head when she took her friend by the hand.
    “Iris, you sure you’re okay?”
    Iris laughed and pulled Cassandra into a hug.
    “Totally, Cass. Where you headed?”
    Before she could answer, a horn honked just below her window. Cassandra peered through the blinds and saw Jeff stepping out of the car. He waved up at her with his hat in his hand.
    “Wow!” Iris said. “See! He’s still pulling out all the stops.”
    When Iris was right, she was right.

 
     
    Chapter Twelve
     
     
    Jeff made small talk as Cassandra fidgeted in the back seat. She didn’t really care about a midnight showing of Dementia 13 that saw a member of the audience flail and foam about the mouth until paramedics had to be called in. Jeff’s colorful story contained no details as to whether the girl lived or died.
    At this moment, Cassandra was only concerned about her own fate.
    She leaned against the back of Jeff’s seat.
    “How is he?” she asked.
    Jeff