FrankenDom Read Online Free PDF Page B

there was quite a bit of turbulence.”
    “Ah. You’re forgiven then.”
    I smiled. “Well that’s a relief.”
    “Don’t let it happen again, though,” he added. “I’ll expect you to eat nutritious
     meals at regular intervals.”
    My eyes widened. “I didn’t realize my eating habits were subject to your approval.”
    In the middle of buttering his own bread, Colin paused to stare at me like I’d just
     spewed a stream of profanities.
    Julian’s eyes narrowed again. “You didn’t, eh?”
    Unnerved, I set my bread without taking a bite. So much for choosing my battles. I
     was missing something here, but God only knew what. Once again, we seemed to be playing
     a game and I was the only player who didn’t know the rules.
    It occurred to me that I really knew very little about Julian Kilmartin. Long-standing
     hero worship aside, he was a stranger to me.
    When both of them continued to study me as if trying to identify some new species,
     I grew uncomfortable. “What?”
    “You didn’t read your contracts, did you, Rachel?”
    Julian’s rumbling drawl sent a shiver of awareness up my spine, and I could have sworn
     I heard a silent you naughty girl tacked on at the end. Good Lord, spending so much time on this side of the Atlantic
     had really stiffened his British accent. Five years ago I’d have found it thrilling,
     but right now it made him even more a stranger.
    “Of course I did,” I said dismissively. I’d skimmed the employment contract, anyway.
     The non-disclosure and personal conduct agreements, I’d signed with barely a glance.
     I would never betray any employer, much less Julian Kilmartin, and conducting myself
     professionally was a point of pride with me.
    The fingertips of his right hand tapped on the table, rolling from pinkie to index
     finger in time with the ticking of the wall clock. Again. And again. And again.
    “Hmmm, and now you’re lying.”
    I bit my lips, feeling my pulse quicken and my bones go a little bit rubbery. How
     did he know? Had I agreed to something I shouldn’t have? Even more alarming, why was
     I excited to be caught in a half-truth?
    I strove for calm. “What does it matter?”
    “If you’d read your contracts, my dear,” he said, his expression as keenly enigmatic
     as any Bond villain’s, “you wouldn’t have to ask that question.”
    The lights flickered, and I twitched nervously.
    “Have no fear, my dear Rachel. We have extensive backup power systems if the winds
     become too strong to safely operate the turbine.”
    “I wasn’t worried,” I lied, “but thanks for the reassurance.”
    “Mr. Price emailed your contract copies last night. Did you download them?”
    “Yes, but—”
    “Good girl.”
    His praise set my teeth on edge. “I’m not a girl.”
    As if I hadn’t spoken, he continued, “Your assignment for this evening then, Rachel,
     is to study your contracts, particularly your personal conduct agreement, and decide
     whether or not you wish to honor them. You’re not legally bound to do so, and if you
     wish to leave, Dirk will return you to the airport as soon as the roads are passable.
     It’s entirely up to you.”
    My breath jammed in my throat. He wanted me to leave ?
    “If, however, you decide to fulfill the terms of your contracts, I’ll quiz you over
     the content of your personal conduct agreement during breakfast tomorrow and for every
     question you answer incorrectly, there will be consequences you won’t enjoy. I will
     also expect you to have written out one hundred times, I will never sign any document without reading every word first . Handwriting, not typing. You’ll find all the necessary writing supplies in your
     desk.”
    I gaped at him. “You’re kidding right?”
    “Rachel, if you’d read your personal conduct agreement, you would know beyond a shadow
     of a doubt that I do not kid about personal assignments.”
    “Maybe you didn’t get the memo, Dr. Kilmartin, but I’m not a medical