Privilege 5 - Pure Sin by Kate Brian Read Free Book Online

apartment looked like. Maybe she'd spend the summer in Paris and have it redecorated. She could hire the finest designers in Europe and have furniture flown in from Italy and Spain and--

    "It was very nice meeting you. I only wish it could have been under other circumstances," Mr. Jessup said, offering his hand again as he slipped his briefcase off the table.

    "Nice to meet you, t--"

    Ariana's voice died in her throat. Her eyes had just fallen on the top half of the folded newspaper sticking out of Mr. Jessup's bag. Instantly, her vision clouded over and her head went light. She grabbed the back of her chair to keep from going down. She'd lived through these episodes before, but never had one come on so fast. Never so unexpectedly. Alarmed, Ariana clung to the chair for dear life and gasped, feeling as if she was about to drown.

    It couldn't be. It just couldn't be.

    "Miss Covington?" Mr. Jessup's hand was on her arm. "Miss Covington, are you all right?"

    Breathe, Ariana. Just breathe.

    In, one . . . two . . . three . . .

    Out, one . . . two . . . three . . .

    In, one . . . two . . . three . . .

    Out, one . . . two . . . three . . .

    In, one . . . two . . . three . . .

    Out, one . . . two . . . three . . .

    "Here. Have some more water," Mr. Jessup was saying.

    Ariana sat down hard in her chair and closed her eyes. Mr. Jessup pressed the water glass into her hand, but she couldn't find the power to move it to her mouth. She rocked back and forward, back and forward, trying to wipe the image from her mind.

    "Miss Covington? Please, drink." He sounded panicked, and somehow that brought Ariana back to herself. Just slightly.

    She lifted the water to her lips and gulped it this time. She felt the cold liquid sluice down her throat, coating her stomach and cooling her insides, and concentrated on those sensations. When the glass was empty, she closed her eyes and drew in one, large breath.

    "Are you okay?" Mr. Jessup asked again. "Should I call the paramedics?"

    "I'm fine. I'm sorry. I think I just . . ." She pressed her eyes closed tightly, trying to keep herself from looking at the paper again. Trying to come up with a reasonable excuse for her odd behavior. "I just realized the reality of it all," she rambled. "I just can't believe this is happening."

    And then she could no longer stop herself. She opened her eyes and looked right at the folded newspaper. Right at the brightly colored photo.

    It was. It was. It was her. "Can I see that?" she blurted. "The newspaper?"

    Mr. Jessup's brow knit deeply, clearly baffled.

    "Sometimes it helps if I focus on something else for a minute," Ariana explained impatiently. Her fingers itched to snatch the page, so she lifted her butt from the chair and sat down on her hands.

    "Of course." Mr. Jessup placed the paper on the table in front of her. Ariana released her hands and spread it out flat on the glass. Splashed across the sports page was a huge, full-color photo of a girl, chasing a soccer ball across a bright green field in a gray and blue Georgetown jersey. Ariana gritted her teeth as she read the caption.

    Georgetown freshman phenom Reed Brennan takes the ball upfield in the Hoyas' routing of William and Mary yesterday at North Kehoe Field.

    Ariana clenched her teeth. And clenched. And clenched. It was all she could do to keep from screaming and tearing her hair out.

    Reed Brennan in the flesh. Reed Brennan happy and healthy and sane. Reed Brennan, a freshman in college, while Ariana was two years behind, stuck pretending to be a high school junior. While Ariana should have been two years ahead.

    "Miss Covington?" Mr. Jessup said tentatively.

    Ariana blinked. The image of Reed had disappeared inside her fist. She had crumpled the entire front page in her fingers without even realizing it.

    Taking a deep breath, Ariana told herself to stop. Stop, stop, stop. Everything was on the line right here, right now. And she was not going to let Reed Brennan screw up