Dark Frame (20 page)

“
You were in this small red bikini and I thought I was going to hell because you were underage and I couldn’t keep my dick down long enough to get out of the pool.”

My giggle turns into a soft moan as he pulls his fingers out again to circle my clit.

“
I must have gotten off five times that night.” His hand cups my breast over my sweater. “Thinking about peeling off that wet bikini, warming your perfect breasts with my mouth.” The pressure on my clit increases. “You writhing beneath me as I tasted your sweet pussy for the first time.”

I release a strangled whimper as I come, bucking against his hand. He claps his free hand over my mouth and holds me roughly against him until my shuddering ceases, and then chuckles against my ear. “Did you like that story?”

“
Why did you always act like all you wanted to do was pester and torture me, then?” I gasp.

“
Because, Brit, I couldn’t let myself openly toy with the idea of being with you.”

“
Because I was young?”

“
You were my best friend’s sister and always off limits.” He plants a soft kiss against my throat and pulls his hand from beneath my dress. “Plus, you were too good for me. You’ve always been too good for me.”

I’m about to argue—to tell him how wrong he is—when I see Dallas and Evan walk into the theatre. I snap my legs together and pull down my dress. “I have to tell them.”

“
About the pictures?” Jaime sighs and releases his grip on me. “Go on.”

I stumble when I stand, legs still wobbly from just getting off. When I make my way downstairs, I notice that they’ve both been through hair and makeup again and are wearing robes. Evan looks so sexed up that she practically glows. When she sees me, she wrinkles her nose. “Was that weird for you?”

“
What?” Then I realize what she means. “Oh.” I wave my hand in front of my face dismissively. “It’s not like I didn’t hear you every day in May… in the shower, in your room, on the couch, in the pool.”

Evan bites her lip, and I swear Dallas blushes. Some AA goon tells us to be quiet in the audience, and I flip him the bird, even though it’s dark and I’m sure he didn’t see me.

“
Did the photos turn out good?” she asks me.

I scratch my head. “About that.”

“
Oh, no.”

“
It’s nothing like that. They turned out great. Fucking amazing. So amazing, in fact, that I’m not ready to give them up to AA when I know how crazy and invasive they are.” I shrug. “Who’s to say they won’t just take the pictures, use the smuttiest ones, and not even give me credit? Or hire me back?”

Evan furrows her eyebrows and whispers, “So what are you going to do? Leave the magazine for good?”

I’m about to respond when A.J. barks, “Rylan! About damn time.” He looks to one of his cronies and points to Evan and Dallas. “Get her and the boy upstairs and prep them on the set. I’ll be up in a few.”

The AA crew member ushers Dallas and Evan upstairs. I follow them reluctantly, watching their clasped hands swing back and forth in front of me.

Jaime joins us when we’re upstairs, along with several other models, including Delilah and Adam. It seems like everyone is antsy to discover what A.J. has planned for the dream couple, or maybe hoping to get a glimpse of the two of them having sex. Evan and I never got to finish our conversation. The photos I took were supposed to relieve her and Dallas from having sex in front of A.J.

I never thought that through. Maybe if I would have realized this earlier, I wouldn’t have made the hasty decision to not give up the pictures.

I hurry to Evan and Dallas and whisper my concerns.

“
Don’t worry about it,” Evan tells me confidently. “I have this handled.”

She looks relaxed. Hell, they both look relaxed. Maybe after getting over the initial stage fright of performing in front of an audience, they both realized it wasn’t so bad.

Still, that doesn’t seem like Evan.

My phone buzzes in the pocket of my dress. I pull it out and read the screen.

Cameron?

“
Be right back,” I tell Jaime, slipping into the dining room and hitting accept.

“
Hey, you,” I say.

“
Sweet, I wasn’t sure if you were going to pick up. How are you doing? You’re in Boston right now, yeah?”

“
Yeah.”

“
I saw the update online. What did you tell Mom and Dad?”

“
Photography convention,” I say coolly.

“
And they bought that? Wow.”

“
You know they’re going to find out eventually.”

“
And
you
know that when they do, they’ll freeze all of your assets.”

“
I don’t use them anyway.” I think about my inheritance that became available to me when I turned eighteen. I haven’t touched a penny of it. Then again, I’ve always had the magazine. If my parents find out after I’ve been fired, I’ll have nothing.

“
Anyway, I was calling to let you know that our new photo touch-up software just became available for beta testers. I wanted to send you a copy.”

“
Awesome!” Hopefully, after all of this EPE stuff blows over, I’ll have something to photograph. I give him the address of the house, and then I say, “So what was your reaction when Jaime told you he was hired for the magazine?”

There’s silence on the other end for a brief moment before Cameron says, “Excuse me?”

“
Jaime,” I repeat. “He told you that he had gotten the gig with my magazine, right?”

“
Britain,” Cameron says slowly. “I haven’t spoken to Jaime in years—since you started college.”

“
What? Why?”

“
No one told you?”

My stomach twists painfully. “Told me what?”

“
Dad fired him, Brit. He was embezzling money.”

I lean against the wall to keep myself standing. “What?”

“
It’s a huge story—I don’t have the time to explain it now. I really thought you knew. Just do me a favor—fire that fucker’s ass. And stay away from him, Brit. I mean it.”

“
Yeah, yeah okay. Hey, I gotta go. But thanks for the software… and you, know, getting me up to date on everything.”

“
Love yah, kid.”

The second I hang up the phone, my eyes burn with tears of anger. I breathe deeply through my nose in attempt to calm myself.

Jaime fucked my family over years ago, and I never knew about it. How did I not know about it?

I feel so betrayed. Even though I shouldn’t. There wasn’t romance between us, not really. He initiated his usual game. It was me who decided to finally play along.

I wipe my eyes and straighten my dress, heading out into the foyer.

Dallas’s and Evan’s set is the foyer staircase. The other models find seats on the stone floor. I stand next to Jaime in the corner, trying to remain calm, like nothing’s wrong. The last thing I can handle right now is confronting him during this shoot. It’s like the atmosphere around me is seconds away from exploding.

“
Who was that?” Jaime asks.

“
Cameron,” I respond blatantly, waiting for his reaction. He says nothing, but his expression turns stiff.

Evan and Dallas stand on the staircase. They whisper feverishly back and forth to each other as the crew builds up the lighting around them, and the photographer adjusts his camera. Finally A.J. enters the room holding his iPad in front of him and carrying a loud conversation on his Bluetooth.

What a douche.

When he finishes, he waves his hand at Dallas and Evan. “Strip,” he says bluntly.

They both pull off their robes, dressed similarly to how they were earlier before our secret shoot.

“
What are we doing?” Evan asks.

“
All the way. Strip all the way, all clothes off.” A crew member opens a folding director’s chair for A.J., and he takes a seat.

Evan crosses her arms over her push-up bra. “What. Are. We. Doing?” she enunciates.

A.J. sighs impatiently. “Who’s in charge, here?”

“
I don’t really care who’s in charge, Mr. Harrison,” Evan says dryly. “I have always known the agenda of my director and photographer. That’s how I prepare to model.”

“
Fine!” A.J. barks. “You’re going to get on all fours on those stairs and spread your slutty little cheeks for Mr. Whitley. Is that enough of an
agenda
for you?”

Everyone in the entire hall falls silent, except for Jaime, who whispers, “Oh,
fuck
.”

My mouth falls open. Dallas’s expression instantly shifts from complacence to rage. In fact, the only unsurprised expression in the whole room belongs to Evan, who keeps her calm demeanor and her hand pressed to Dallas’s chest, like she’s urging him to do nothing drastic.

Like punch A.J. Harrison square in the jaw.

Evan sighs, “Well then, Mr. Harrison.” Slowly she bends over and picks her robe off the steps, tossing it over her shoulder. “I have an agenda for you as well.”

She struts her way right up to the director’s chair and leans in close to his face.

“
Blow me.”

Chapter Eleven

Evan

I’ve never fallen asleep in a library before. Then again, given all of last week’s distraction, I practically live here in order to get caught up in all my classes.

Well, here and the lab.

I wake to someone gently pushing on my shoulder. Before I open my eyes, I know where I am. I know I’ve fallen asleep on top of my cellular regulations textbook and drooled all over the open page.

My eyes flutter open. Dallas kneels next to me, biting his lip and looking like he’s about to bust up laughing.

“
Eff off,” I mumble, pushing him away and sitting up. I look down at the wet page of my textbook and blink, my eyes finally focusing. “Eww.”

“
You look kind of adorable when you’re drooling everywhere.”

I rub my eyes, glancing at my phone next to my book. Seven text messages. “How’d you find me?” I slur.

“
Took me a few hours, but I finally managed. Luckily I got an early enough start.” His eyes sadden, and it dawns on me what he’s saying.

“
You’re leaving,” I say.

He nods solemnly.

Our last conversation was an argument. There was no yelling involved, but a storm brewed between us as I refused to let him give up his research for me.

You’re going to Costa Rica. This isn’t a discussion.

I need to be with you, Evan. I can’t get over the fact that I almost lost you.

Fine, then. If it makes it easier, you don’t have me yet. You don’t have me until you go back and finish your work—what you love. You’re almost done. Don’t give up on your dream because of a girl.

You’re not just a girl.

You know what I mean.

And you’ll wait? You’ll swear on your life.

You know I will, Dallas.

He traces my hands as they rest in my lap. “I’m sorry that I came here and got you fired.”

I snort. “You can’t be serious. I would have gotten fired anyway. He would have tried to make me have sex with someone else. You know that. Plus, Britain said that nearly the entire team has dropped from the magazine. Everyone was thinking the same thing. It was destined to crumble.”

This doesn’t seem to comfort him. His eyes grow deeper—more intense. “That money, Evan. You needed it.”

“
I’m going to be fine.” I reach out, my knuckles gently brushing his cheek. “Trust me. Don’t worry.”

When he leans in, I inhale. He smells like spice and rain. Before he can kiss me, I press a finger against his lips.

“
Kiss me when you come home,” I tell him, even though it kills me. “Kiss me when there is nothing else keeping us apart.”

He defies me, gently kissing the side of my finger. He pulls back and tells me, “I’m not saying goodbye.”

“
Don’t,” I say.

He stands, and as he leaves, he reaches down, hand brushing the back of my neck. A shiver trickles down my spine.

I don’t watch him leave the library.

Instead, with newly found determination, I turn the page of my textbook. I glance over at my planner. Thumbing through it, I find May 27
^th
of next year and write across the entire rectangle one word.

DALLAS.

And then I uncap my highlighter.

Evan

Seven Months Later

Waiting for Dallas at the airport is the most self-conscious I’ve ever been.

I realize now, standing right before security in jeans, my glasses, a zip-up Harvard sweatshirt, and the keys to our new Cambridge apartment tucked in my pocket, that over the past year and a half we’ve been separated more than we’ve been together.

This terrifies me.

It terrifies me because I might be more in love with him now than when he left back in October. I don’t know why. Maybe I’ve just built up a fantasy of the perfect man in my head because I’m delusional and can’t remember what it’s like to really be with him.

And maybe it’s not the same for him.

We’ve had a handful of Skype calls. Even fewer phone calls. His means of communicating with me in the field were next to nothing, and when I was able to talk with him when he was back in California, he sounded anxious, stressed, and overloaded with work. Maybe our time apart made him realize how trivial our romance is compared to a career. Maybe this is the last summer I’ll ever spend with him.

You’re thinking too much
,
Evan.

His flight is delayed. I go pee and get a coffee, realizing coffee is a terrible idea with my jitters, but I can’t help it because coffee reminds me too much of him, and I’m about to lose my mind before finally—finally—I see him at the end of the hall.