The Bound Bride

by Anne Lawrence

  “You do, don’t you?”

  “Yes. I want to stay with you.”

  Oliver kissed her brow and reached for his phone again. She could hear him speaking to Jeff. He was giving him instructions to see Cassandra home.

  It was the last thing that she wanted.

  He had her by the arm and was leading her towards the door.

  “What are you—?”

  “Jeff will see you home.”

  “But I don’t want….”

  “To go home? Humor me. It’ll be worth it.”

  They were in the hallway and entering the elevator as Cassandra tied to protest.

  “No. I can stay. I’m… you paid for this. Right?”

  The elevator doors opened and closed without either of them stepping into the car.

  “I did. And I think you’re the one.”

  Cassandra basked in the words even as she failed to understand them.

  “The one?” she repeated. “Okay. Okay. So why—?”

  He took her hand in his and kissed it softly.

  “Because I have to prepare. Can you give me the time I need?”

  She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

  “Time? What are you—?”

  He folded her close. She could feel him not wanting to let her go. But he did when the elevator doors opened again. He guided her inside and pressed his body to the doors that longed to close.

  “What are you saying?” she managed to ask.

  Oliver reached for his phone again with a smile.

  “Jeff is waiting.”

  How had it gone so wrong?

  “But I—”

  Oliver caressed her face.

  “Jeff will see for that you stay safe. Just wait. I’ll be along soon.”

  Was it a promise or the brush off? Cassandra didn’t know which way was up or down.

  “You—”

  He met her lips again. Cassandra tried to pull more of his kiss closer, but he broke away. But not before kissing her eyes. Oliver was already on his way back to the room. He turned to her with an expression of discovery. Of triumph.

  “Just wait. A day. Three tops. I’ll come for you, Cassie.”

  And he was gone as the doors finally closed. Cassandra slumped to ground. How could she not be disappointed? Yet she was so excited.

  Chapter Ten

  “Oliver? Really?”

  It was a gray, spired domicile just an hour from the city. Oliver had been eyeing it for years. He had a deposit on the space that no one could ever rival. It was placed in the hope that one day he would find the mate to share the space. The person that needed saving. The bridesmaid.

  Faye lightly punched Oliver’s arm as he surveyed the home that was finally, officially, his. It was a castle concealed from peering eyes. With its indoor pool and grand view to trees that flourished in the summer and melted into red and yellow rainbows in the fall, it seemed the perfect spot to make Cassandra happy. He could already picture her leaning over the stone patio with a glass of wine and without a care in the world. She would find endless hours of enjoyment in the game room, clearing the library shelves to fill her open mind. And the kitchen? He imagined her trying her hand at all sorts of gourmet dishes. And if she failed, they’d simply order out.

  It wasn’t about the food.

  It was about keeping her away from the world of LeaseALady.com. She didn’t belong there. And despite her sexy talk, she wasn’t meant for eyes that had only one thing in mind.

  Oliver had a whole world at the wait it his imagination.

  Faye followed him into the great room. It was a high-ceilinged affair with deep couches and a fireplace. Oliver walked about the furniture and rubbed a bit of dust away from the surface of an end table.

  Nothing would collect dust here.

  Faye fell to one of the cream colored couches and lifted her arms over his her head.

  “It is fabulous,” she said. “But what was wrong with the penthouse?”

  He had dwelled for too many years in a series of sterile rooms that were near enough to the office to allow him to sleep in until the last possible moment. That was how much he cared about his job. He’d rather wake each day in the cold dark to feel her by his side and know that she was warm as he braved the country setting for the urban landscape. And she would be waiting for his inevitable return. Then they would…

  He was getting ahead of himself. He had to make her understand what this was. And he’d have to be calculated and careful before laying all of his cards on the table.

  “Ollie?”

  He turned back to Faye and fell to her side with a satisfied sigh.

  “It’s perfect. It’s what we want. What we need.”

  In his mind, they were already a couple.

  Faye tugged at his collar.

  “And you’re so sure.”

  He looked to Faye with what he hoped was only certainty in his eyes. He was sure. She was the one. She wanted what he’d always longed to offer. He’d give her what she hadn’t even dreamed of. But he’d still have to be careful in his approach. She needed to be dazzled, enticed. Lulled. Once she was secure, he’d show her that she would never be unsafe again.

  “I’m sure.”

  Faye left the couch and walked about the large, airy room. Oliver thought he caught a trace of jealousy in her eyes.

  “You want one, too?” he asked with a moan.

  Faye laughed.

  “I do, Ollie. Just a little summer place away from the noise. Think I’ve earned it.”

  She had. And then some. Faye was loyal to the point of absurdity. And she knew things.

  She knew why he was doing this.

  Faye sat beside him again and rubbed his neck.

  “Have I earned it?” she asked.

  Oliver nodded.

  “Nice. But in good time, right?”

  She knew him too well.

  “Right,” he said. “And you’ll make her feel welcome?”

  Faye’s fingers left his skin. She examined her nails for the dirt concealed underneath. Oliver knew that he was there. But it didn’t matter. This had to be done.

  “You will play nice. Right, Faye?”

  She’d have to be a presence. And his belief in Cassandra aside, someone in his corner would come in handy. Faye wouldn’t leave him now.

  Right?

  “Faye?”

  She brushed her hands against her slacks. Faye was used to him. Used to flights of fancy that always translated into errors she excused with a promise of paying the bill so that he could move on to the next thing. The better thing. The best thing.

  He was pretty sure he had it now.

  “We good, Faye?”

  She rubbed her hands together and pressed he palms to her thighs.

  “If it’s what you want, Oliie.”

  He thanked her with a quick kiss to her cheek. He left her side and strutted about the room. She’d be happy here. How could she not be? He’d see to her every desire and show her things she’d never even thought of. And he’d rest easy with Cassie at his side. It was perfect. It was fate.

  “Ollie?”

  Oliver murmured the softest of replies. He had already made contact with Mary Lynn Masters’. The arrangement would have to be presented to Cassandra carefully. Despite her obvious eagerness to kiss him and more, laying everything on the line invited the very real possibility of turning her off when it came to his grand scheme. Let it read enticing but vague. Getting her here was the first step. But only the first step. He was confident in his ability to have her back at his side. After that, he would have to stay on his toes to keep her from leaving. There would come a day, there had to, when she would realize his true intentions. And even if she was in the throes of ecstasy, constantly showered with gifts, she might still bolt. He hoped that she’d be contented enough to not make that move. But if the tide turned the other way, Oliver had a contingency plan.

  “Ollie?”

  He looked to Faye. She wasn�
�t privy to every detail, but he knew she had an inkling of all that he was cooking up. Oliver didn’t bother to ask her if she approved. Not because he didn’t value her opinion. She was the person he trusted most. He kept the specifics under his vest because he was fairly certain that she would poke every hole imaginable in the plan. He knew that Faye had no desire to hurt him. But she’d known him long enough and well enough to tell it like it was. Right now, Oliver didn’t want her brand of reality intruding on his fantasy.

  Faye was on her feet. She lightly took his hand.

  “I’m not gonna ask you if you realize what you’re getting yourself into. I think you get that. Get the risk.”

  “Yes. And I—”

  “And I’m just going to say one thing.”

  Here it came. Despite his stealth, she would rattle off at least one item on the longest of laundry lists. Oliver stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared her down.

  “Fine. Let’s hear it.”

  She took a deep breath before she spoke.

  “You like this woman. I mean, I can see it. You wouldn’t go to all this trouble if you didn’t. And I’m guessing the feeling’s mutual. Otherwise you wouldn’t even try.

  Faye was stating the obvious.

  “But?”

  He was waiting for the other shoe to crash down.

  “But she’s… I mean… she’s not in danger. It’s not like how it was with—”

  He raised his hand. Faye quickly fell silent.

  “Don’t speak her name. Not ever. Especially not here.”

  “Fine. Fine. Sorry.”

  Oliver moved to the bar and poured himself a tall scotch without the rocks. He drank quickly and wiped his mouth. For a second, the house fell away. He was back on dark, littered streets. Looking. Fearing what he would find. Devastated when the truth finally hit his eyes. It wouldn’t happen again. His plan and the house would see to that.

  Faye took him by the arm, and he could feel her stare burrowing into his profile.

  “Look at me, Ollie.”

  She was the subordinate. He held the purse strings and the power. Still, Oliver did as he was told.

  “Well?” he asked.

  “I’ll say it again. She is not in danger.”

  Really? Cassandra had opted to sell her presence to the highest bidder. And she wasn’t in some kind of danger?

  “That’s for me to decide.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Two days had gone by. If Cassandra had had any doubts that he was pleased by the job she’d done, they vanished when she logged into her LeaseALady account and saw her pending earnings. Three thousand dollars for some drinks and the first act of Tosca. Cassandra would have to pay taxes on it, but she’d worry about that later. For now, she planned to pay at least one month’s rent and dial down some of her credit card debt. It was a start. Once she had a handle on that, she’d deal with the consequences, federal and state. But at this moment, she was just waiting to hear from Oliver Chambers.

  He had promised that he’d come for her. As Jeff had driven her home, Cassandra was already on her phone, scanning her email. She expected word from him before Jeff even deposited her on her doorstep. But nothing came. She sank deeper into the backseat, her head spinning.

  “Here we are,” Jeff had said.

  Cassandra was frozen as Jeff held her door open. Why had Oliver sent her away? Despite his word, Cassandra had her doubts. Maybe it was all part of some sick game he indulged in whenever he was bored, when the mood struck him. She imagined him returning to the room, polishing off the wine, and dialing up another girl. She’d arrive in the blink of an eye and laugh at the bridesmaid who aspired to impossible heights. She could hear Oliver’s laughter mingling with that of the fantasy girl. No. No he wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t be that cold.

  Could he?

  “Hey? You okay?”

  Cassandra finally turned her head to Jeff. He held out his hand and led her to the stoop. She grasped the railing out of fear that she would collapse in a heap of crimson chiffon. Jeff steadied her with his strong arms and eased her to the steps.

  “Take a sec,” he said. “He has that effect on people.”

  She looked up at Jeff and hunted the hidden meaning. What had Oliver Chambers done to him? Cassandra caught sight of the tattoo about Jeff’s wrists, just concealed under his jacket. Another look at his face told Cassandra that he must have come from the wrong side of the tracks. She could see him wearing skater boy clothes and a perpetual sneer. Oliver chanced upon him and offered him a way out. Had Oliver been anyone else, Jeff would have laughed in his face. Maybe he would have tried to strike him for good measure. But she knew that Jeff hadn’t done that. He had been intrigued to the point where he agreed to everything Oliver proposed. Jeff probably hadn’t envisioned a future of chauffeuring Oliver Chambers to any destination that appealed in a given moment. But here Jeff was. And he didn’t look any worse for the wear.

  “Does he?” Cassandra finally asked.

  Jeff removed his cap and sat at her side.

  “He’s really a good guy. Once you get to know him. A little strange? Sure. But who isn’t?”

  Cassandra liked Jeff. He was honest. Direct.

  In some ways he was everything Oliver wasn’t.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  Jeff nodded and smoothed his hands thought his fine blonde hair.

  “Does he… does he do this kind of thing a lot?”

  “Buy girls for the night. Absolutely.”

  Cassandra suddenly felt foolish. Of course he did. He could have whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it, with a simple snap of his slender fingers. Was it possible that he couldn’t seal the deal? Did he ply the others with wine and music only to hide himself away in a rented room and beat himself up for the one failure that cut the deepest?

  No. It didn’t ring true.

  “But,” Jeff started, “I don’t usually see them home. He gives them cab fare for that. And I take him home.”

  That was more like it.

  “So… so this is…”

  “Different? You bet.”

  Cassandra took some comfort in Jeff’s words. Oliver obviously had something to do that he didn’t want her privy to. At least not just yet. But his planning would be a more pleasurable affair if he knew she was under the protection of someone he trusted. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted. She wanted Oliver. Wanted him near again.

  But she’d take what she could get.

  She started to her feet, and Jeff saw her all the way to her door. Cassandra rifled through her clutch and finally found her key. As she turned it in the knob, she looked back to see Jeff smiling.

  “Do… do you want to come in?”

  He was nice to look at, but Cassandra’s interests were elsewhere. She wanted to get him comfortable and buzzed in an effort to learn the history of Oliver Chambers. She thought she saw Jeff about to take her up on the offer when his phone buzzed. Jeff’s smile stiffened as he texted a quick reply.

  “Who is that?” she asked.

  “Who do you think?”

  Oliver knew that she was with Jeff. And he wanted to make sure that she was home in one piece. Cassandra took it as a compliment and leaned against the doorframe.

  “What are you telling him?”

  Jeff finished his text with a smile.

  “All there is to tell. You’re home. Safe. He’ll be glad to hear it.”

  Glad to hear it. So he was concerned. Still interested. She started to voice her invitation to Jeff again when he bowed and told her to get some rest.

  “Why?” Cassandra asked.

  “Because he’ll be glad to hear that, too. Not gonna make me a liar. Are you?”

  No. Cassandra was nearly inside her apartment when he gripped the door.

  “Stay here. Okay?”

  It was polite. But it was still a demand.

  “I—”

  “Just hang tight. He’ll make contact. He always does.”

  A
nd Jeff winked as he turned for the staircase.

  Two days since any contact from Oliver. Or even Jeff. She checked her phone and her email every five minutes. When she slept, she dreamt of Oliver appearing and taking her back to the Empire and fulfilling all of the desires that she had felt, that they had both felt, in that room. When her eyes opened, he still wasn’t there. Cassandra continuously turned to her side and clutched the pillow that she wanted to be him tighter.

  Where was he?

  Cassandra started a pot of coffee. Her wants and needs were focused on Oliver. And she was grateful for the money. But what if that was it? It from him or anyone else who might desire her services via LeaseALady? She had no other callers. 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? What happened?”

  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’s promise.

  “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.