His Contract: Legally Bound, Book 1 Read Online Free Page A

thing their boss was focused directly on Lilly. It meant Gabe’s eye roll at the use of his and Cassie’s last names went by unnoticed.
    “There’s a great deal of information to sort through,” Forrester added. “I have a feeling your knack for detail will be a valuable asset.”
    “Of course,” she replied. It was the first time he’d acknowledged her skills. This was going to be her trial run, a chance for her to prove she’d been worth hiring. “Thank you, Mr. Forrester. I won’t let you down.”
    “See that you don’t. I have a meeting now, and I’m sure you’re all eager to get started.”
    Forrester left the room without another word. Gabe rubbed his hands together.
    “Get your game faces on, ladies,” he said. “We’re going to the suitcases.”
    Cassie narrowed her eyes at him. “The line is ‘the mattresses’, Gabe.”
    “Suitcases, mattresses, potato, potahto.”
    There was pure joy on his face at Cassie’s scowl. Intentionally screwing up movie lines was Gabe’s favorite way of irritating her.
    Lilly shook her head and reached for the file.
    They were still sitting there hours later. Gabe leaned back in his chair and stretched. “I’m starving. You two want to grab some lunch from that new Italian place?”
    “Has the paint even dried at this one yet?” Cassie asked with a shake of her head. “You’ve really missed your calling as a mob-movie-obsessed food critic.”
    “You ladies know I’m a slut for innovative cuisine.”
    “Dirty fucking slut.”
    Lilly winced, suddenly nauseous. She took a shaky breath and stared at the floor.
    Cassie moved in front of her, making a show of reaching for her purse. “Why don’t you go ahead and get a table, Gabe. We just need to freshen up. Meet you there in a bit.” When he’d left the room, she bent down next to Lilly’s chair. “What happened?”
    “Nothing.” There were a lot of things Cassie knew about her past. The word that had been used to demean and humiliate her wasn’t one of them.
    Cassie didn’t budge. “Damien hasn’t tried to find you again, has he?”
    Lilly’s stomach lurched, the same way it did last November when Damien’s name appeared in her personal inbox for the first time in months. Staring at the message as if it were something poisonous, she’d deleted it without reading, then immediately ditched her account and opened a new one. She made sure he was blocked on Facebook, checking her privacy settings for the umpteenth time. And even though she’d changed her phone number once already, she did it again. Cassie was the one who found her in the office bathroom afterward, splashing water over her tearstained cheeks.
    The simple question of “Who was he?” had opened the floodgates.
    She’d given Cassie the highlights, needing to confess it to someone . Cassie hadn’t known the lofty expectations Lilly had grown up with, and hoped her new friend wouldn’t judge her too hard for her failure.
    She hadn’t said a word, only dried Lilly’s tears and told her she understood. Now Cassie was the single person who knew why Lilly hadn’t taken the bar, and exactly what she and Damien Brooks were to one another.
    “No,” Lilly admitted quietly. “Not since the email on my birthday.”
    “Okay. Just checking.” Cassie stood and nodded toward the door. “You want to eat? Italian does sound good.”
    “I’m not hungry.”
    “I’ll grab you something and stash it in the fridge?”
    Lilly nodded and forced a smile until Cassie reluctantly left the room. Then she took a deep breath and went back to work.

Chapter Four
    Jack had just gotten home Thursday afternoon when his phone rang. He answered, not bothering with a greeting.
    “Not planning on chickening out, are you?” Patrick asked.
    He’d hoped Patrick would forget about his nefarious Friday night plans for him.
    It didn’t look like that was working out.
    “I guess not. What the hell am I supposed to wear, anyway?”
    “It’s not the senior