Enticed:A Dangerous Connection (Secrets) by Melody Carlson Read Free Book Online

all, and I will succeed.

… [CHAPTER 5]………………
    M om is dirty and exhausted and almost two hours late when she comes home from work. She explains to me that she had to fix a flat tire on the side of the freeway. “No one even stopped to help,” she says angrily as she plods down the hall to her room.
    “That’s terrible,” I say.
    “I’m beat.” She pauses by her door. “I’m going to take a shower and just crash for a while. And don’t worry about dinner. I’ll just fix something later.”
    “I made spaghetti. There’s leftovers in the fridge.”
    She gives me a weary nod. “Thanks, honey. You’re a good girl.”
    I feel so sorry for her as she goes into her room. It’s like nothing is going right for her these days. More than ever, I want to get this modeling job. I want to start bringing home money to help out with expenses. Somehow I must convince Marcia and Bryce that I am really the girl for the job. I’ve got to make them believe in me.
    Once again, I’m checking my e-mail and Facebook, curious to see if any of the other agencies have responded to my portfolio. To my dismay, no one besides TMA has replied. But then I remember what they said about how they like to jump in before others get the chance. And really, that seems smart. If I ran a modeling agency, I think I’d do the same thing.
    I’ve been avoiding Michelle these past couple of days. Not that I’ve purposely ignored her calls, but when I noticed she’d called, I didn’t call her back. And when she texted me, I texted her back but tried to sound busy and preoccupied. Finally, it’s about nine and she calls and, feeling guilty, I answer.
    “Hey, Michelle, what’s up?”
    “What’s up is that you’re already starting to act like a snobby supermodel. What’s the deal anyway?”
    “I’m sorry. I’ve just been busy.”
    “Busy doing what?”
    So I explain that I have an appointment with TMA tomorrow. I tell her I have to be ready for it. I even throw in the bit about Mom and her flat tire. I’m not even sure why. Maybe I want her to feel sorry for me. After all, Michelle lives in a pretty nice house in a secure neighborhood. Shouldn’t she have a little sympathy for someone like me?
    “Even so, it feels like you’re pushing me aside, Simi. Like you’ve already moved into your new life of being a model. Like you don’t even need me anymore.”
    “I’m sorry, Michelle. You know that’s not true. You’re my best friend. I’ll always need you. It’s just that I really need to do this, too.” Now I decide to get really honest with her. “Mom and I are barely making it on her salary, and now she’s worried she’ll get laid off. And you know my dad doesn’t help out a bit. So if I can get modeling work, it might be our way out of this.”
    “Oh … yeah … I guess I never thought of it like that.”
    “That’s because you have normal parents, Michelle. Sometimes I think you don’t know how lucky you are.”
    “Yeah … maybe so.”
    “Anyway, if you think about it, why don’t you pray for me tomorrow. Pray that the people at TMA really like me. Pray that I get this job.” I tell her about how they have this campaign where they want “good” girls. “I mean, I got the impression they wanted to be sure I’d made a purity pledge or something.”
    “Seriously?”
    “Maybe it’s for a church or Christian organization.”
    “I suppose that’s encouraging.” She laughs. “Well, unless this organization is looking for virgins to sacrifice. You know, like they plan to throw you into a volcano to appease some pagan god or something.”
    I can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, right. I’m sure that’s what this is all about.”
    She asks me what I’m wearing and I tell her that I plan to wear my choir dress. “It’s kind of like an LBD.”
    “A what?”
    “A little black dress,” I explain.
    “Oh … I get it. Yeah, I guess that will look nice.” And now she suggests some accessories that I