Read Online Boxed Set: The His Submissive Series Complete Collection (Part One-Part Twelve) by Ava Claire - Free Book Online Page A

familiar with: Rachel Laraby.
    The sound of my chair creaking back met a chorus of others as everyone's attention turned to the front and gawked at the statuesque woman at the hostess desk.
    Rachel Laraby—America's sweetheart since she played a plucky high school dropout alongside George Clooney. From there it was a string of romantic comedies and a sprinkle of indie films to maintain her street credit among the critics.
    But it wasn’t all red carpets and Oscars for Rachel. At twenty-six, she'd been in and out of rehab three, no, four times. Unlike most celebrities that never fully recovered in the public eye, after each stint, Rachel regained the hearts and minds of anyone that set their eyes on her.
    It made sense. She was the perfect Hollywood star with impossibly perfect bone structure paired with bright green eyes and a smile photogenic enough to sell whatever it was tacked on to. Her ebony colored hair was always glossy with the right amount of body. Her curves made her relatable, but she was thin enough that she could wear the hell out of anything. Every woman wanted to be her and every man wanted to take her to bed.
    And she was our client.
    I glanced back at Allegra, the stars in my eyes wearing off and confusion setting in. "Was there a meeting tonight?" I looked down at my outfit. "I can't meet Rachel Laraby wearing this."
    "There is no meeting," Allegra said darkly. "Only trouble."
    "Trouble?” I asked, even more confused. “But I-"
    "Allegra De Luca!" If the flashes of cameras and phones intensifying around us was no indication, there was no mistaking Rachel's signature Southern drawl. "If you don't stand up so I can hug your neck!"
    I'd seen the real thing enough to know the smile Allegra slathered on as she rose to her feet was far from genuine.
    "Rachel," she said, wary edging her voice. "I didn't think we'd be seeing you until tomorrow morning."
    Rachel waved a manicured hand, dismissing that whole notion. "I just had to come and say hello to my favorite woman in Venice!" She spun in a circle and swiped a nearby chair, managing to squeeze the wicker thing between the two of us and completely ignore my existence. Allegra flashed me an apologetic smile and when Rachel lowered her lean frame into the seat, began the pleasantries.
    "Rachel," she began. "This is-"
    "Any friend of Al's is a friend of mine!" Rachel cast a phony smile at me before she flipped her hair and leaned in toward Allegra. "I wanted to ask you about Jacob's new assistant. He's been keeping it so hush hush, so she must be something special."
    "Allow me to introduce Leila Montgomery," Allegra said with a smug glimmer in her eye. "Jacob's lovely new assistant."
    Rachel turned her head so hard I was surprised she didn't get whiplash. She inspected me slowly and from the snort that fell from her lips, I came up wanting.
    "You can't be serious." She jutted a finger in my face, literally inches from my nose. " She's the new assistant?"
    I felt anger sparking all over my body, but I tried to breathe through it. Maybe she didn't mean it as jack ass-y as it came out.
    "Yes," I said placidly. "I'm the new assistant. And, uh, your finger -"
    "Is this some sort of joke?" She gave me a sly smile. "Am I being Punk'd ?"
    "Get your hand out of my face," I growled, nostrils flaring.
    She finally dropped the pointer, but not her shock at someone like Jacob hiring someone like me. For choosing someone like me. I glanced at Allegra and she was clearly struggling to hold her tongue too.
    "Well, maybe after the others he finally went with someone that can do their job." Rachel gave my hand a sympathetic pat. "Someone...bookish."
    "Bookish?" I fired back. I'd had my fill of people judging me by my employer and job title, and celebrity or not, I wasn't gonna lay down and let her trash talk me. "I don't know what your problem is-"
    "Leila," Allegra intervened, trying to diffuse the situation. "Maybe we should-"
    "No," Rachel hissed, raising her nose so high I was