The Bound Bride (2 page)

That didn’t sound horrible. Cassandra would even be up for sticking around for the beer.

“Cass, come on. It’s like a… like a housekeeper who can engage in topics
he’s
interested in. Bet a lot of these guys would dig a girl who knows her Rembrandts!”

Or else they just wanted a good meal. Cassandra wasn’t the world’s best cook, but she could follow a recipe and present something edible. And kids? If they were sweet, she was sold. So…

“Cass?”

She smiled at Iris and took a deep breath as she decided to sign up.

Chapter Three

Cassandra took the elevator to the fourteenth floor and stepped into an ultra-modern reception area. Everything was stainless steel and floor to ceiling windows. It was blinding. She looked at the main desk and saw LeaseALady in emerald green letters. Like her eyes. She’d take it as a sign that she was doing the right thing.

With Iris’s help, she had navigated to the page that invited her to log in or register. It was easier with her laptop.

First, she had to create a username.

She started to key in her full name. Cassandra Dodd. When she clicked, she found that it was already taken. What were the odds?
Another
Cassandra was in equally dire straits.

“Maybe add your birthdate?” Iris suggested.

Cassandra obeyed. Also taken.

“Seriously?” Cassandra said. She started to close the laptop.

“Don’t be so quick to give up, Cass. We just need to be a little more… creative.”

“Creative… how?”

Iris pondered the issue and suddenly snapped her fingers.

“Stripper name!”

“Stripper—”

“Quick! First pet!”

Cassandra’s first pet and
only
pet had been a goldfish she’d won at a school fair. She called it Trixie. Her dad never missed a chance to catch a
Honeymooners
rerun.

“Oooh,” Iris said. “I already like where this is going. Street where you were born?”

“Carol Drive.”

“Oh
that
is great! Do it!”

Cassandra slowly keyed in
Trixie Carol
and waited for the site to search through its list of members. She and Iris held their collective breath. When they made it to the password screen, they cried out together and slapped hands.

“Yes!” Cassandra said.

“We’re in business now, baby!”

She created a password and was taken to the profile page. At first it was a blank slate requiring her personal details. Age, location, interests. And there was a faceless head framed in light blue that awaited her image. She stared to push the computer from her lap.

“What’s wrong?” Iris asked.

“I… can’t do this, Iris. I mean… if
my picture’s
up there… then
anyone
can see it.”

She thought of her father. She doubted that
he
would spend his free time searching for another wife. He was barely interested in the one he already had. Then again…

“No, Iris. This isn’t—”

Iris took hold of the computer with a roll of her eyes.

“
This
is a way out from under.”

“I
get
that. But… but Iris…”

“Spit it out, Cass.”

Iris was nothing if not eager to get to Point A and hurry along to Point B.

“If… if I
actually
do this. And then… say I get a shot at something… legitimate…”

Iris clicked on
About Us
. A window popped up listing the
legitimacy
of the site. All members, contractors
and
customers, were carefully screened, underwent criminal background checks, drug screenings, STD tests. Even the smallest red flag meant that acceptance was denied. And even once an individual was on board, if health was compromised, charges filed, or if
the rules
of the site were violated in any way, it was kicked to the curb time.

“See?” Iris said. “This is
totally
safe.”

As usual, Iris was missing the point.

“I get that. But what I’m saying is that… that if I do this and then get a… a
professional
break… then this is going to come back to haunt me. Big time.”

Cassandra had images of landing a job at MoMA. She was reveling in a six figure salary and splurging on a new wardrobe before her first day. She saw herself smiling at new coworkers who would soon be friends. She saw
them
hold their phones and their tablets before her eyes. Her image under the name
Trixie Carol
. She saw all of them showing her the door before her foot was even
in
.

“Cass, you can’t think about tomorrow. It might not even come.”

“Wow, Iris. Thanks.”

“I’m not… I’m just saying that you can’t worry about what hasn’t even happened yet. Maybe you
are
creating a past that’s gonna come back to haunt you. Or maybe you’ll actually
meet
someone who’s gonna give you that
professional break
.”

Huh. Cassandra hadn’t thought of
that
. The men who used this site were likely
not
like her father. These had to be jet setters and corporate raiders too busy to date because they spent all their free hours dreaming up ways to make even
more
money. Where to donate that money. The arts were always popular when someone wanted to extend a charitable hand. One dinner with the right philanthropist might be all that she needed.

“Cass?”

Iris waited as Cassandra took the computer and started to craft the girl who would be Trixie Carol.

Like Cassandra, she was twenty-three, lived in New York, and enjoyed art, film, and the occasional trip to the opera. And classic sitcoms.

“Nice,” Iris said with a laugh.

“You really think so?”

“Oh yeah. Add your beverage of choice, and we have the
ideal
woman.”

Why not? She keyed in the word
beer
.

Next came a questionnaire. It seemed an endless list. Cassandra groaned at the sight of it and left the couch.

“No way,” Iris said. “You’re not giving up
now
are you?”

Cassandra tossed Iris a beer and opened another for herself. She took a quick chug and settled at her friend’s side.

“Just needed to steel myself for the task at hand.”

Iris gently punched her shoulder and they hunkered down to see what the questions would tell them about Cassandra.

A lot of them were of the
yes/no
variety. Did she have a college degree? Yes. Was she currently employed? No. Did she enjoy three course meals at five star restaurants? Yes. Was she fond of outdoor activities like rock climbing and kayaking? Where was the
absolutely not
option?

When she reached the end, there was a space for Cassandra to write a brief paragraph in response to the question
why did she want to become a Leased Lady
?

Here Cassandra stopped and was stumped. Not because she didn’t know the answer. She was desperate for a quick buck and Iris, like always, was looking out for her. But she knew it wasn’t the
right
answer. She should say something about wanting to ease a lonely spirit or make a difference or broaden her horizons by meeting new people. In some ways,
that
was also true. But LeaseALady.com was the last place she expected to be doing it.

“Well, Cass?”

Iris was anxiously waiting for
whatever
she would write.

Cassandra’s hands lingered above the keyboard, and she thought hard. She remembered something that Dr. Wyatt, her favorite professor from the days when she was going to be a great writer, had once said.

Make your case and make it brief
.

No doubt other girls who wanted to be
Ladies
wrote
novels
in an effort to advance their causes. Whoever screened the applications was probably bored by the third sentence. Cassandra wouldn’t make that mistake.

And she typed the following.

I want a chance.

It said it all. Yet she hoped it was cryptic enough to invite more questions. She looked to Iris for reassurance.

“Awesome, Cass. Now up.”

“What?”

“On your feet, girl.”

Iris dragged Cassandra to the wall and positioned Cassandra against the white background.

“What are you—?”

“You have to send a pic. Or else they won’t consider you.”

“Like
this
?”

“Just pull your hair back.”

“Iris, I—”

“You have good skin, nice teeth—”

“No.”

“But we’re almost—”

“I said I wanted a
chance
. I won’t
have one if—”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Cass. You’re pretty.”

Iris always said that. And maybe in the days when her dark hair shined and her green eyes glittered, it was even true. But not now. Not when she was a just a step away from the gutter.

“Iris—”

“It’ll be different, Cass. Who knows
who
you’ll land if you keep it real.”

The prospect was terrifying, but at least it wouldn’t lead to any promises she couldn’t keep. Cassandra smoothed her face and tucked her hair behind the ears. She managed a smile, and Iris snapped the shot. With one email, the image made its way to Cassandra’s laptop, and she uploaded.

Once the sadly smiling image was in place, Cassandra clicked
submit
.

“Now what?” Cassandra asked.

“Now you wait.”

She awoke the next morning with a wicked hangover. She couldn’t remember just when Iris had left, but she was definitely gone. Cassandra stumbled to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She took a quick hit of Listerine and swirled it around her mouth before spitting it into the sink. She made her way back to the couch and went to her email. She was expecting to see nothing but spam and reminders about upcoming payments that she had no hope of making. As usual, they were there.

But there was also something else.

An unread message from LeaseALady.com.

Cassandra held her breath and opened the email. It seemed to take forever to load. She was bracing herself for a
thanks for your interest, but after reviewing you application, we regret to inform you…

It was anything
but
.

Dear Ms. Carol,

Greetings! We think you are an exciting new candidate for our team. We would like to schedule an appointment at our NYC location to discuss your application further
.
Please contact Mary Lynn Masters to set up an interview. Looking forward to meeting you!

It was signed LeaseALady.com Support. Cassandra reread the message three times. It wasn’t a done deal, but at least it was a
chance
.

She’d take it.

Cassandra called Iris with the good news. She called Mary Lynn Masters and set up an appointment for the next day. This day was spent selecting the right outfit, and for the first night in months, she didn’t drink herself to sleep. She needed her head clear if she was going to make it from candidate to contractor.