Beauty Blooming [Bonding Camp 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (2 page)

Last weekend was what had really gotten her interested in somehow conveying to the partners she was ready. Rachel had watched the way Morgan had acted with Grace, the new girl who was supposed to be an intern at the firm for the summer. Rachel had seen them together a few times, even in Morgan’s private suite. What amazed her was the way Morgan looked at the small, blonde woman. There was love in his eyes. Rachel had never seen Morgan have that look or seen him act as he had with any other woman. He looked relaxed and in love. And even when Grace challenged him with her words, which was never done—with Morgan no one could win the battle—even then, the softness of love blurred his rough edges and he didn’t look so imposing and scary.

If Grace and Morgan could become so close so quickly, there had to be something to “bonding.” Rachel knew about the sex. About how they shared and paired up into groups of three or four all together at one time. She had seen the goings on a few times when she had been called to bring drinks or snacks, even towels at times. Seeing them all touching, kissing and moaning caused Rachel to grow hot all the way to her core, even though she couldn’t bring herself to tell them how it turned her on. Usually it caused her to be so ignited, she’d have to go to her room and touch herself just to douse the flame.

She’d been here a little over a year and hadn’t dated once. The compound was remote, and even though she had time off once in a while, she didn’t feel like traveling into town to meet anyone. She’d come up here from Tennessee, hoping to just get away from home, and she’d fallen in love with the place as soon as she’d arrived. But she needed to come out of her cocoon. After all, she was twenty-six, and she had found that lately she was craving some male attention. She wasn’t a virgin, but all she had experienced so far was basically fumbling in the dark. She wanted someone to show her just how to enjoy her body, and she knew the partners of the firm could do just that.

So, beginning tomorrow, she was going to experience bonding camp and embark on a new part of her life. A part of her life that included a sensual appreciation of her body and how much enjoyment it could bring. If she could keep herself from shaking like a leaf, that is.

Rachel turned from the window and started toward the dining room. She had a lot to do to prepare for the arrival of the guests for bonding camp this weekend. The phone rang, stopping her before she left the kitchen. She snatched the cordless handset and continued to the dining room. “Hello?” She bent to open the lower cabinet doors of the sideboard to remove a fresh linen tablecloth.

“Rachel? Hello, this is Justice.” His voice was mellow and pleasant. “How are you today?”

She stood, the tablecloth in one hand, the other hand clutching the handset of the phone. Immediately the palm of her hand grew sweaty against the plastic of the handset. “I’m fine. What can I do for you today?” Her tummy trembled. She was in no way afraid of him, but hearing his voice and knowing what was going to transpire between the two of them tomorrow instantly turned her into a ball of nerves.

“I just wanted to touch base with you about our arrival tomorrow. Rodgers has informed me that you would like to join us during this bonding camp, is that right?”

“Um, yes, if that’s okay.” She laid the tablecloth across the back of a dining chair, afraid her hand, which was now as sweaty as the one holding the phone, would soil it. “If there’s a problem, we could postpone—”

“No, let’s not postpone anything. I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to have you complete bonding camp, and this is the perfect time.” His voice was still very calm and relaxed. “I wanted to assure you we’ll be totally up front with you, and you have nothing to worry about. Rodgers just called me a few minutes ago and let me know you’re a little nervous and we may have to seduce you a bit but that you definitely wanted to be included in our experiences this weekend.”

Rachel tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s right. I asked him to let you know I may need a little urging though. I really don’t have that much experience with men. I think I told you that when you hired me and I signed the agreement.”

Justice chuckled into the phone. “I remember. Don’t you worry. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

“So,” she said, “just so I know for sure, how many will be attending? I need to get the rooms ready.” That wasn’t all she wanted to know. She wanted to be sure she knew exactly who was coming so she could prepare herself.

“I will arrive some time tomorrow morning, and Morgan said he would be there by noon. There is someone attending that you haven’t met yet. Lauren hired him a while back, and we’ve kept him pretty busy since he joined us here at the firm. He is available this weekend, though, and has agreed to attend bonding camp. Lauren wanted to be present for his bonding, but that’s just not going to work for her this weekend.”

“I’m sorry to hear she can’t make it. Will Ms. White be coming?” Good grief, was she going to be the only woman at the compound? Missy had left for a long weekend, so Rachel was the only female in residence.

“No, Crystal is still busy, so she won’t be able to make it either. That’s why your request comes at such a good time.” The sound of papers being shuffled issued through the phone. “Our newest associate is Joseph Brown. He’s a nice young man and actually your age. I think you two will get along just fine. I want to thank you for helping us out with this, Rachel, and I’m looking forward to this weekend.”

“I’m glad to help, but like I said, Justice, I’m a little nervous.” A little was an understatement.

“You’ll be fine. You know all of us except for Joe. We’ll take good care of you. Oh, by the way, Joe will be arriving tonight around eight. Is that all right?”

She blinked. “Sure, um, I’ll have his room ready. Will he require dinner?”

“I’ll find out and have Rhonda give you a call so you have a head’s up. I must go, but I’ll see you in the morning. Have a nice evening, Rachel.” The line went dead.

Rachel held the phone out from her ear and stared at it. Joseph Brown, arriving tonight. A man she would soon have sex with, a man she’d never met before.

She laid the handset on the dining room table and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. In a few hours, her life was going to change drastically. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to feel a smile on her lips.

Joseph Brown couldn’t stop grinning.

Here he was, riding in a long black car, on his way to the firm’s compound to attend bonding camp. He’d read through the agenda Rhonda, the head secretary at the firm, had given him, and he was pumped. This weekend was going to be a treat, and he needed the weekend getaway.

Since Lauren had hired him a couple of months ago, the partners had kept him extremely busy. He loved it. Interviewing clients, getting all the particulars of the cases documented, and researching whatever they asked him to research, Joe hadn’t had much time for himself. He wished he could have attended bonding camp last weekend, but he’d had too much work to do, so he’d spent his weekend at the office, trying to make a good impression. He knew they held a bonding camp last weekend for the new intern, Grace, and that was fine. He could wait. Now the wait was over, and he was excited. Not only because he was getting the opportunity to get to know Justice and Morgan better but also because from what he’d heard, bonding camp was a time to actually bond with the people he worked with. He looked forward to it. He wanted to be a part of the firm for a very long time, and he hoped this weekend cemented their relationship.

The landscape whizzed by as the driver sped along the country road. When the car had stopped by the apartment to pick him up, Joe wouldn’t let the driver carry his bags. The driver, Jack, had insisted, but that wasn’t how Joe was raised. He had always done things for himself, his parents teaching him to take care of himself so that when he was grown, he wouldn’t have to depend on anyone and could stand on his own two feet. He supposed it came from his way of life on the farm back in Indiana. Do for yourself, and you won’t want for anything. So, Joe had introduced himself to Jack, asked him to open the trunk, and stowed his bags away inside before they left the city.

Joe had wanted to ride in the front with Jack but as a driver, Jack had insisted he ride in the back and enjoy the scenery on the way. And he was enjoying it. They had entered the countryside almost an hour ago, and the woods were beautiful. “Hey, Jack,” he said, tapping the seat in front of him. “How much farther?”

Jack glanced over his shoulder. “We’ll be pulling onto the property in about ten minutes.”

Joe grinned. He couldn’t wait. He’d been aching to get out of the city and back into the outdoors. When he had told his parents he wanted to be a lawyer, they had long discussions about him taking over the farm and the pros and cons of getting into a line of work his parents weren’t familiar with. It had taken a while, but he had convinced them to let him make his own way in the world. He’d taken a lot of flack from his friends back home. They had always called him the “surfer boy” because of the way he looked. With his sun-bleached hair and his perpetual tan from working outside on the farm to his solid biceps, he didn’t look the part of farm boy or lawyer. He didn’t care. He was who he was, and that’s all there was to it.

When he had left home for college, his mother had cried. He soothed her by calling home often and visiting when he could. His father was proud of him, he could tell from the look on his face whenever he came home from school. And it pleased Joe to know that even though he wasn’t going to carry on the family business, his parents were proud of the fact he was making his own way. Getting the job at Cane, Moss, and White had been the icing on the cake. He loved what he was doing, loved the research and all the paperwork included with it, and hoped one day to accompany one of the partners into court. That day would come, he was sure of it. One thing he wasn’t short on was confidence.

Jack turned the car into a driveway and slowly weaved through the trees as they climbed a slight rise.

Joe leaned forward, straining to see. “Is this it?”

“Yes, this is the compound. It’s pretty secluded and a wonderful place to spend some time.” Jack glanced back and smiled at him. “I’m sure you’ll like it here. Everyone always comes away with a smile on their face.”

“Have you spent time here?”

“Of course. Most everyone who works at the firm or for the partners spends time here once in a while.”

Joe sat back, amazed at his unbelievable good fortune of landing this job.

Jack pulled the car up in front of a large house that had the look of a cabin but a bit more formal. He shut off the ignition and turned sideways to look at Joe. “We’re here.”

Joe couldn’t wipe the grin from his face. “Thanks for the ride, Jack.” He opened the door before Jack could get out and do it for him.

“A pleasure.”

Both men got out of the car and walked to the trunk to retrieve Joe’s bags. A slight breeze rustled the pine trees that surrounded the house, sounding vaguely like whispering. Joe sucked in a deep breath, the scent of the forest filling his lungs.

“You must be Mr. Brown.” A man walked down the sidewalk coming from the house.

Joe turned toward him. “That sounds pretty formal. You can call me ‘Joe.’” He offered his hand as the man approached.

“Rodgers.” He smiled and squeezed Joe’s hand once before letting go. “Welcome to the compound. I’ll get your bags.” He dipped to the side of Joe, reaching for his suitcase.

Joe managed to beat him to it, picking up the suitcase and slinging his backpack over his other shoulder. “That’s okay. I can get it. Just point me in the direction I need to go.”

Rodgers shrugged. “If you insist. I’m not going to argue with you.” He turned back toward the house. “Follow me.”

“Hey, Jack,” Joe said, turning toward the driver. “It was nice meeting you. Hope to see you again soon.”

Jack slammed the trunk lid shut. “It was a pleasure meeting you, too, Joe. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon. I’ll probably be driving you back on Sunday.” He gave Joe a salute then walked around the car and slid in behind the wheel. When he pulled away, he beeped the horn twice and waved before turning back into the tree-lined lane that led him back to the main road.

Joe shifted the backpack and trotted up the sidewalk, trying to catch up with Rodgers who was almost to the front door already. “Wait up!” Joe caught up just as he was opening the front door.

Rodgers glanced back at him as he entered the house. “There’s no need to be in a hurry. Everything is pretty laid-back around here. As long as you are where you’re supposed to be close to the time you’re supposed to be there, no one cares if you’re a little late. There’s a schedule, but it’s more of a set of guidelines than something you have to punch a time clock over.” He stepped into the foyer.

Joe followed, placing his suitcase on the floor. “I don’t like to be late.” He let his gaze travel over the foyer. “This place is nice.”

“Yes, it is. Let me show you to your room.” Rodgers walked forward then turned down a hallway to the right. “After you get settled in, I can take you on a tour, if you like.”

Joe followed him, suitcase in hand again. “That would be great. To be honest with you, this is sort of a minivacation for me. I’d really like to take a look around the place.”

Rodgers opened a door on the right. “I guarantee when you leave here, you’ll be more relaxed then when you arrived.” He turned to face him. “This will be your room during your stay. Feel free to make it your own.”