Page 25 of Into the Woods

Camille popped up over my shoulder, a wicked grin on her crimson lips. “Didn’t I say you’d look gorgeous as fuck by the time I was done with you, B?” Without hesitation, she reached around me and adjusted the top and my boobs to form even more cleavage.

“Cami,” I whined, twisting away.

Camille’s hazel eyes sparkled as she spun away with a swish of her long blonde hair. It hung in loose waves that hinted she’d just rolled out of bed but that I knew for a fact had taken her damn near an hour to perfect.

“Time for shoes,” Cami murmured, disappearing into my closet.

I shot one last look at my reflection, at the top and skinny jeans that looked painted on my body while also making it look like I actually had an ass. Well, a small ass. Between the outfit and the makeup—smoky eyeshadow with a pop of glitter on the lids and a deep berry lip color staining my mouth—I looked ready to hit up the hottest club in Paris.

Or a biker bar.

Honestly, it could’ve gone either way.

But the point was, I didn’t look like little Rebecca Whittier, the girl who always did what people expected and rarely made waves.

No, now I looked like Bex. Category five Hurricane Bex.

“These!” Cami declared, marching out of my closet with a pair of black stiletto ankle boots with silver buckles. My aunt Celeste, Cami’s mom, had bought them for me last Christmas, and I’d worn them only once.

I was usually a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. I lived in Converse sneakers. So I was pretty damn skeptical about the pointy-toed boots with the four-inch heels that could take out someone’s eye if wielded as a weapon.

“I don’t know, Cam.” I hesitated, wondering how comfortable those shoes would be to dance in. They looked like I’d need to spend at least a week breaking them in. “Can’t I just wear—”

Camille held up a finger with a pointed gold nail, her brows lifting. “Uh-uh, B. You are not going to Frisson in sneakers. I forbid it. I told Alex that the girl I was bringing for his cousin was just as hot as me.”

My nose wrinkled. “I think I’m regretting asking for your help.”

Cami’s face softened into a pout I knew well. “Bex, come on. You know Alex’s dad is weird. He can’t go out unless he brings his brother, too.”

“Because that’s not alarming,” I muttered, wondering what kind of person needed pity dates set up by their dad.

Cami waved a hand, dismissing my concern. “Trust me, girl, you have nothing to worry about. I showed you pics of Eric, and he’s yummy.”

I mean, she wasn’t wrong. I made a grumbly sort of noise, ceding the point.

Cami grinned, shrugging. “If it makes you feel better, you can find some other sexy Parisian boy you wanna hook up with, and I’ll be the filling in an Alex and Eric sandwich.”

“By all means,” I said with a teasing grin. “I don’t want to get in your way.”

She tipped her head back and giggled. “Bex, please. I’ll elbow you out of the way myself if you try to clam jam me.”

A laugh burst from me. “What?”

Cami’s grin stretched wider, showing the dimples in her cheeks. “You know. Clam jam. Twat swat. Damn up my beaver.”

“Please stop,” I begged, my sides aching from laughing.

“Have I mentioned how glad I am that you finally moved here?” She threw her arms around me in a crushing hug.

Cami pulled back and moved to the mirror to touch up her own makeup, leaving me to tug on my shoes.

Still focused on the mirror, Cami smacked her now-glossy lips together before pursing them into a smirk and meeting my eyes in the mirror. “Let’s go fuck shit up, Bex.”

* * *

When Cami had first suggested the blind date, I’d balked. Especially when she’d told me that the date was being facilitated by the guy’s dad. I mean, what kind of guy needed Daddy’s help getting a date?

I’d felt bad for Alex, thinking how embarrassing it must be to have going out with his girlfriend be dependent on his younger sibling coming along. That was why I’d said yes—for Cami. So that she and Alex could have fun, even if it meant I’d be stuck in a dark booth at the back of the club, sipping a mocktail while Cami and her stupidly gorgeous boyfriend grinded together on the dance floor.

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