Mirin, Christelle - Bonding Camp (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Read online

  Bonding Camp

  When Lauren Brooke’s secret wish to be handcuffed is revealed to her boyfriend’s football buddies, she quickly ends the relationship. Feeling exposed, she’s kept to herself ever since. Until now--until Justice Cane informs her that a requirement of her employment with his law firm is to attend bonding camp.

  Justice Cane’s associates are bonded together, forming a formidable force in the courtroom. Knowing all about their coworkers, including their secrets, creates a favorable work environment. The colleagues are close...very close. Will Lauren bond with them--with Justice--at bonding camp?

  Lauren is cautious, but Justice reassures her with his calm, yet intriguing, way. Not quite sure what she’s getting into, she agrees to attend bonding camp. After all, would bonding with Justice be such a bad thing?

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre

  Length: 20,715 words

  BONDING CAMP

  Christelle Mirin

  MENAGE AND MORE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage and More

  BONDING CAMP

  Copyright © 2011 by Christelle Mirin

  E-book ISBN: 1-61034-059-0

  First E-book Publication: January 2011

  Cover design by Jinger Heaston

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Bonding Camp by Christelle Mirin from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Christelle Mirin’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Mirin’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  For Rhiannon Neeley

  BONDING CAMP

  CHRISTELLE MIRIN

  Copyright © 2011

  Chapter One

  “You’ve got to be kidding.” A ball of dread formed in the pit of Lauren’s stomach, seething hot, molten metal searing her insides until it congealed into a heavy weight, solid and not going away soon. “Is it truly one of the requirements of employment I attend bonding camp?”

  Lauren forced herself not to clench her hands into fists. She focused on keeping them elegantly crossed, one on top of the other, in her lap. It wasn’t easy. She’d heard about these corporate bonding camps, and it wasn’t something she was interested in doing. Lauren wasn’t into getting close to strangers. Sure, you worked with them but that’s what it was—work. Lauren kept her friends close, closer than most, but she kept them private. She had her reasons. That’s why she always kept work and her private life separate. But bonding camp?

  Problem was…she really wanted this job.

  Already chiding herself for the “you’ve got to be kidding” outburst, she waited for Justice Cane’s answer to her question and tried not to fidget. This was her fourth interview with Cane, Moss, and White, but her first with one of the partners. Justice Cane—the name suited his profession, to say the least. She wanted to give the impression of class and elegance, the exact qualities the firm was noted for. They were one of the most prestigious law firms in the Tri-State Area and were known nationally for some high-profile cases. It would only be a stepping stone for her, true, but a reference she would need if she wanted to move on to bigger and better firms in the larger cities. She wanted the name Lauren Brooke to be synonymous with elegance and hard-biting lawyer. A position with Cane, Moss, and White would be the first step toward achieving the distinction.

  “Lauren…may I call you Lauren?” Mr. Cane asked.

  “Of course, Mr. Cane.”

  “Call me Justice. Mr. Cane puts distance between us, and here at Cane, Moss, and White, we like to keep everyone close. A connection of sorts between all of us, partners and associates included. It gives us a combined front when it comes to appearances, and we share a bond, a closeness, while working on sticky cases. It’s the reason we ask our newest associates to attend bonding camp. So they can be brought into the family, so to speak. Be a part of what it means to be one of us.” He leaned back in his chair, his mouth forming an easy smile. “That way we learn your strengths and your weaknesses. What makes you tick. What your passions are…”—he tilted his head—“…so we can handpick associates for specific cases.”

  Lauren swallowed. He had an awesome smile, with dimples included. It was warm and inviting and…

  Don’t go there. She could not allow herself to think of him as anything other than a partner in the firm, therefore her prospective boss. But, dang, this man was the definition of handsome. Dark hair, tan, trim with the hint of muscles beneath the suit, his warm brown eyes sparkled with energy and a bit of daring. The “daring” part was intriguing. Was he daring her?

  “I try to keep my private life and my work life separate. Bonding camp seems so…personal.”

  He threaded his fingers together and rested his hands on his stomach. “You’re right. It does get personal. The exact reason why we require it. We want to know you. Know your limitations. If it’s a problem—”

  “I think I can do it, Mr. Cane…Justice,” she interrupted. “I know I can.” She really wanted this position. If bonding camp is what it took, she’d have to deal with it. Chalk it up to another step toward her goal.

  “Good to hear, Lauren.” Justice sat forward and pulled an appointment book towa
rd him. He flipped through a few pages. “Let’s see…Are you free this weekend?” He picked up a pen and poised it above the book. Looking at her, he raised an eyebrow. “Will that work for you?”

  She took a slow breath in. It was almost as if he were asking her for a date. But she knew he wasn’t. So far, he’d been all business with no hint of attraction to her other than his smile. Then there was that mention of passion…Don’t go there. “This weekend, yes. I’m free,” she managed to say.

  “Good. We’ll schedule a two-day bonding camp for this weekend.” He wrote in the appointment book, finishing with a flourish. Closing the book, he smiled at her. “My secretary will give you the particulars on your way out. I look forward to seeing you this weekend, Lauren.” He stood and extended his right hand.

  She stood and shook his hand. “You’ll be at the bonding camp, then?” she asked, noting the warmth of his palm before she released his hand.

  “Of course. I make it a point to get to know the associates I hire.”

  “I’m hired?” A tickle of excitement threaded through her veins.

  “We’ll attend bonding camp this weekend, and you’ll begin your career here at Cane, Moss, and White the following Monday morning if all goes well.” He tilted his head again, his gaze dropping to her lips, then back to her eyes. “I don’t doubt it will go well.”

  If all goes well. The statement gave her an odd sense of foreboding. Shake it off, girl. Just think of bonding camp as an extended interview.

  She stopped at the secretary’s desk and picked up a booklet titled Cane, Moss, and White ~ Bonding Camp Agenda and made her way to the elevator. She pushed the down button and bit the inside of her lip to keep from impatiently tapping her foot. When the doors opened, she nearly bolted through them into the elevator. Thankfully, it was empty and she didn’t have to deal with fake smiles and nods of people you meet in the elevators. She punched the lobby button once, twice. The doors closed, and the elevator began its descent.

  How was she going to get through this weekend? How was she going to get through the next two days worrying about this weekend? She flipped open the booklet. Okay, so she had to be ready to be picked up at eight a.m. Saturday morning at her residence. Today was Wednesday. She had two days to prepare herself. What to pack? Where was it held? Who else would be there besides herself and Justice Cane? A hundred questions flitted through her mind.

  She closed the booklet, closed her eyes, and heaved a cleansing sigh. She reminded herself again that, no matter what, it was going to be worth it. It would all be worth it in the end.

  * * * *

  Justice sat at his desk and gazed at the closed door of his office.

  The woman was striking.

  It was the only word that came to mind when he thought of Lauren Brooke. She was tall, slim, and well, striking. She would be pure intimidating elegance in the courtroom. After reading her resume, Justice knew she would be an asset to the firm. True, she was older than most lawyers fresh from taking the boards, but at twenty-nine, she projected experience even though she didn’t have any to speak of.

  He relaxed back in his chair, picked up a pen from the desktop, and absently tapped it on the blotter. Lauren had conveyed a professional attitude during the interview, but she seemed a bit…inhibited. She gave him the impression of being closed off and private with her emotions.

  Possibly bonding camp would open her up and show her getting to know people could open doors and create new possibilities. He hoped so. Though they were proud of their portrayal of distinction at the firm, they were also closely tied to each other in their business lives and their personal ones. Friends, and even some lovers, but all who worked at Cane, Moss, and White thought of the firm as their family as well as their livelihood.

  He would like to add Lauren to the family and get to know her…intimately.

  Bonding camp this weekend would show him whether she could open up enough to allow him to. And if she would open up to him, maybe she would open up to the other partners also. But then…he may want to just keep her to himself.

  This weekend would tell.

  Chapter Two

  Lauren stood at her bedroom window, looking down on the street in front of her apartment house. It was seven-thirty a.m., and she was as ready as she was ever going to be. Twirling a set of handcuffs around her fingers, she waited for the car from Cane, Moss, and White to pick her up and take her to bonding camp. Bonding camp. She still couldn’t believe she was going to go through with this.

  According to the manual she was given, the bonding camp was being held at the firm’s private retreat in upstate New York, supposedly one hour from Albany. She wasn’t looking forward to the one-hour car ride. It was that much more time for her nerves to get the better of her. The private retreat sounded very inviting, like a place where you could spend a romantic weekend. Secluded in the woods, the grounds held a main house, a caretaker’s house, and a building especially for meetings and seminars, not to mention the actual bonding camp. The manual also stated any number of prospective associates could be at the scheduled bonding camp along with members of the firm. At least one partner would be in attendance, if not all three.

  The agenda for the first day had schedules for arrival, assignment of rooms, meal times, and private one-on-one meetings with staff of the firm. The meeting schedules would be distributed on arrival at a meet-and-greet brunch at ten a.m.

  She bit the inside of her lip. A car slowed then sped back up to cruise on past her building. She spun the handcuffs, the metal chain in the center jingling. The coolness of the smooth metal of the cuffs didn’t incite her imagination this morning as it normally did. The handcuffs had been a gag gift from Betha, her oldest and best friend, on her last birthday. “Lighten up and get a little kinky,” Betha had said, laughing. “You’re too uptight. I swear, you’ve been this way ever since you and Randy broke up. You used to be fun, Lauren. Now you’re just—”

  “Guarded.” Lauren jumped, realizing she had spoken out loud.

  Well, she had a reason to be guarded. It was the same reason she had broken up with Randy and kept her friends close and private now. There were only three people she truly trusted these days, Betha, Rona, and Carol. All three had been her friends since grade school. They knew each other’s secrets, and none of them had ever told anyone any secret they had shared, even to this day.

  But Randy had told.

  Randy had broadcast it to his buddies, his drinking buddies, that she had asked him to tie her up. She had only asked once, after much soul-searching and wondering if she could trust him, and it had come back to bite her. Randy and his buddies had been watching Monday Night Football, drinking beer like water, and making a mess of the living room. At halftime, Lauren made her way through the mess to gather empty beer cans when one of the boys grabbed her wrist. “Hear you want to be restrained. I’m your man,” he had said, his speech slurred and eyes bleary.

  Lauren’s heart dropped to her feet.

  Then the laughing and taunting began. She grabbed her coat and left. The next morning, she told Randy to leave and not come back.

  She had bared her deepest, most secret desire to him, and he had broadcast it as breaking news.

  She’d never forgive him. So, she didn’t reveal secrets now. Not to anyone.

  Not even Betha.

  Lauren looked down at the handcuffs, the silver sparkling in the morning sun. Betha had heard about her desire and bought the handcuffs. A lot of women had bondage fantasies, Betha had reminded her, and there was no reason to be embarrassed. Handcuffs. As if she’d ever get to use them. Yeah, who can you trust? She opened one and slid it over her wrist. It clicked shut with a small snap. What would it be like to—

  A car horn blasted from below.

  “Shit.” She looked down at the street. A black sedan was double-parked at the curb. “Shit.”

  Scrambling, she grabbed the handcuff key out of the top nightstand drawer and unlocked the cuff. She dropped the key and cuf
fs into the drawer and almost ran from the room.

  What a time for the car to show up…when she was just starting to fantasize.

  * * * *

  Justice waited in the entry hall of the main house, more anxious than he’d ever been for the prospective associates to arrive. This time, there was only one—Lauren Brooke

  Crystal White walked up beside him. “Why are you waiting here?”

  He looked at his partner of ten years. She was petite, with short dark hair that complemented her big, dark eyes. He had enjoyed working with her from the beginning. Smart and sassy, Crystal was a hellion in the courtroom. And, from what he’d heard, in the bedroom, too.

  He slid his arm around her shoulder. “I’m anxious, I guess.”

  She pursed her lips and looked up at him. “This one is intriguing, eh?”

  “Yes. Very.” He turned, taking her with him, and walked in the direction of the dining room. “I think she’d be an asset if she can shed the hard shell encasing her.”

  “Hmm. Hard shell.” Crystal lifted a slim flute of mimosa from the side buffet and handed it to Justice. “You’re good at cracking those. I’m sure you won’t have a problem getting her to loosen up.”

  He took the glass from her. “I hope you’re right. For some reason, I really like this woman. She’s special. I can feel it.”

  “Your guest has arrived, Mr. Cane.” Rodgers, the caretaker, moved to the side of the doorway.