Compounding Traumas (Artemis University #6) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,22
face wasn’t so bad?”
The one that made me laugh was about halfway down.
“You idiots are all going to be banned from all Cherrywood Resorts after bashing the OWNER. She said very clearly she BOUGHT the company she got those elite vamps kicked out of. That’s Cherrywood Resorts. That’s why she’s so tight with the dragon royals, idiots. She’s the main owner, and they went in with her to take that huge corporation over and make bank.”
The comments went from bitchy and catty to blowing up with shock and outrage. What was there to be outraged about? Did I blow a fuse when people I didn’t like owned companies? What was being pissed about any of it going to do?
“Oh, we’ve got our first death threat,” I sang, tapping on the comment and handing it over.
“‘If someone just kills the bitch, we can get back to the way our community was and all this crazy will cool. Who inherits this and whatever else she has if she’s finally gone? Seriously, let’s just shoot her already,’” Mel read, steam about coming out of her ears. “Fuckhead. Yeah, all this crazy of pushing to respect women and fair folk. It’s disgusting that has to be pushed and wasn’t always the case.”
I grunted a response and pulled out one of the books I was reading for my high school classes. I was almost done with the ones I had enrolled in for the summer—British & World Literature, Microsoft Office 2, Earth Science, US History, Personal Finance—and I was getting a jump on the four I had left.
Not matter what anyone said about the allowances given to unknowns, I still thought one of the councils would make a move if they knew I didn’t have my high school diploma. Professor White seemed to agree with me as she was tutoring me in Latin II, and had even talked with the school on my behalf.
People weren’t meant to fly through the classes as I was, but after she assured them I was diligently studying under her guidance and other tutelage, they allowed me to take so many classes in the summer. I understood given I’d taken so many already that year, and even before that, but now I had the last four ready to start by the end of July.
Summer break my arse.
I got a couple of chapters done while my mane was dealt with, which shocked me given what was going on behind me. Then again, I was desperate for any distraction and chance for a break. Plus, I simply loved reading.
“Gentlemen, you were all lovely, and I thank you for your time,” the photographer said loudly, snapping me back to the present. “Are you ready for the lingerie shoot on the hotel beds, hon?”
I was about to answer, “No, but I’m doing it anyways,” but a deep growl and scary chuffing caught everyone’s attention. I saw people turning in Hudson’s direction, but didn’t look myself.
He realized what he was doing and cleared his throat. “Did you say you got a fucking death threat?”
Oh, so you’re going with that being the reason, huh? Okay, whatever, possessive dragon. I’m not yours anymore. Grief swarmed me fast. You never respected me enough for me to be yours.
I ignored him, standing and focusing on the photographer. “Let’s not keep everyone waiting since I know you have the other models to do as well.”
He glanced between Hudson and me as if dying to ask or know what that truly was, but then seemed to think better of it. Smart man. He gestured for me to follow him, explaining his people had already set up in the room.
They’d plotted them well and remembered my rules about not showing my ass in a thong, along with the others. I started wearing a lace baby doll chemise, standing in the doorway of the balcony with a mug—seeming to be coffee, but I couldn’t drink that. They’d done my hair in sexy tousled bedhead, and the setting was like I had rolled out of bed to have my coffee and was drawn into the gorgeous view.
Easy to be the model for.
Next was a matching bra and panty set with garters and stockings. It was a thong, so I was lying on the plush bed with rose petals all over it. It was along the lines of a pinup model shot, but the bra didn’t show nipples, and from that angle, it was no more than a swimsuit showed.