Free Dark Frame by Iris Blaire Page B

that route.”
    Evan winces.
    “ For real? You need to get over him. Like now. Aren’t there decent looking guys at Harvard?”
    Evan rolls her eyes.
    My phone starts buzzing on my lap. I look down.
    Dallas.
    Speak of the devil. I forgot to call him back. Whoops.
    “ I gotta take this,” I say, standing up.
    “ Who is it?” Evan asks, but I don’t respond. Of course I don’t respond, because if I told her, she’d be right over my shoulder, listening to my every word.
    I duck into a nearby hallway and put the phone to my ear, “Whattup.”
    “ Britain. You didn’t call me back.”
    “ Sorry, sorry. It’s been kind of a circus trying to direct everyone. All the guys are dipshits, you know? You were the only one who wasn’t a special snowflake.”
    “ Whip them into shape. I believe in you,” he says.
    I smile. Damn him and Evan for breaking up.
    “ Listen,” he says. “I called you earlier because I had just gotten off the phone with A.J. Harrison.”
    And then he tells me his news.
    “ Britain? You there?”
    I finally gather myself just enough to respond.
    “ No fucking way.”

Chapter Five
    Evan
     
    Britain wants to take a few sample shots of me to see how the lighting is in the manor. Also, it gives us both a chance to explore the place.
    She’s been acting strange since she got off her call. She told me it was just an AA assistant letting her know their flight was on time so far, but I have a really hard time believing her.
    Whatever it was, she doesn’t want to talk about it.
    “ How’s your underwear?” she asks as we duck out of dinner early and make our way up the stairs.
    “ Black lace and matching. Come on, Brit. I always wear nice underwear every time I’m doing anything for EPE.”
    I’m about to mention that I know she likes to pull stunts on me like when she made Dallas and I shoot in the back of her car, but even thinking about it sparks way too many emotions.
    Walking through the second floor hallway, I see my name on one of the doors. Too bad I won’t actually have time to use my room. I’d love to spend time in this weird place simply for the sake of curiosity.
    “ Whoa, whoa!” Britain says, stopping me and turning toward a portrait on the wall. She starts giggling like a school girl. “Apparently I was too distracted to see this when I came up earlier.”
    I feel bile rise in my throat. “Oh my god, is that— bestiality ?”
    “ That is way too weird for my tastes.”
    “ You think?” I hiss, a shiver running down my spine. A Halloween launch issue and now this—EPE is getting a bit too fetishy under the reigns of Amora Acquisitions.
    Thank God I am ducking out now.
    We make our way to the third floor, trying our best to not stop at any more creepy photos. The chandeliers above give off just enough light to allow us to see where we’re going but not enough to relieve us of all the creepy, shadowy corners.
    I moan and shake out my hands.
    “ Dude, chill out,” Britain hisses, but even she is whispering, like she’s afraid some ghoul is going to overhear us.
    Britain breaks the eerie silence by telling me about EPE’s newest male model, Jaime, and how he’s from her past.
    “ Wait. Jaime. The Jaime?”
    “ God,” she says. “You and Delilah have really good memories.”
    “ Oh my God, Brit.” I place both of my hands on her shoulders to stop her. “Screw with him!”
    She looks at me like I’m from Mars. “What the hell are you talking about?”
    I sigh, thinking of a way to explain. Britain’s the kind of girl that never toyed with power. She simply demanded it—at least, for as long as I’ve known her. I pinch the bridge of my nose and shut my eyes, trying to think of everything Britain told me about Jaime. “This is the guy that embarrassed the shit out of you when he tried to kiss you in front of everyone at that party…”
    “ Because he wanted to prove to an entire group of people that I had never been kissed before….”
    “ And if you