Picture Perfectby Camille Dixon
Publication Date: March 26th 2013
On the outside, Devin Thompson looks like he has it all - charm, good looks, and a scholarship every art major at Sanhope would kill for. But on the inside, he’s dying. His family is falling apart, his grades are dropping, and his girlfriend just dumped him for his hockey team rival, who also happens to be his younger brother. Not to mention he hasn’t been able to snap a decent picture for his senior portfolio in weeks. But when a sultry redhead with fire burning in her eyes struts across his path, he thinks he may have finally found his muse…
Angela “Angel” Davis learned early on that life never offers any hand-outs. And she’s getting burned out. Between juggling her nights as an exotic dancer at a men’s private club and struggling to keep up with her elementary education courses during the day, she barely has time to think of the future. Not that she wants to. The future implies planning, and Angel is no stranger to broken dreams. Then she meets Devin, a man who’s so wrong for her, yet she can’t seem to stay away from.
When Devin offers to take her on as his private model, Angel finds the cash hard to refuse. Each has something the other desperately needs, and neither one is willing to walk away. As their professional relationship spirals out of control into something more, they learn sometimes the wrong person can be the only right person, and that life - and people - are rarely picture perfect.
EXCERPT!
I looked back at Erik,who seemed totally clueless. Glancing at my watch for the umpteenth time, Ipolished off my Jack-and-Coke, nearly gagging at the watered-down coke, andstarted to get up. “I’m going to find a restroom.”
“Wait!” Erik frantically motioned for me to sit. “You haven’t seenthe best part.”
“Oh, I think I have,” I grumbled, pushing up out of my seat anywaywhen the music abruptly died and the lights dimmed to barely nothing. Cursing,I hesitated, unable to see much until my eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness.A smoky blue light was growing beneath the curtain, at the center of the stage,illuminating the silhouette of yet another girl. Tired of the same old shit, Iwas about to turn my back in search of a bathroom when the first strands of aclassic jazz tune came through the speakers, a welcome contrast to the mindlessdrone of the past half hour that left my ears ringing.
As the vocals began, the light intensified, revealing a woman withnaturally colored skin and long curling hair that looked like fire. The darkauburn hue was brought out by the complimentary green of the stage lights -probably on purpose, I noted to my inner artist’s satisfaction - and when thegirl turned to look at the audience, I froze where I was, halfway risen from myseat.
Where was all the overdone makeup? She had cosmetics on, but itwas natural-looking, enhancing her features and her fiery beauty rather thandetracting from it. She was elegant and beautiful, in an old Hollywood pinupgirl kind of way, just like Marilyn Monroe. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Ididn’t want to.
Erik grinned as I plopped back down in my seat, a little stunned.“Worth the wait, huh?” Erik yelled.
“Who is she?”
“They always save her for last. She’s a house favorite. Her stagename is Angel."
Angel. It sounded too sweet for the sultrygoddess lighting up the whole stage - hell, the whole room - with her sensualmoves that while conservative, seemed twice as erotic as what the girls who hadcome before her had done. They were smoother, like what you’d see when watchinga trained dancer, like a ballerina or a ballroom dancer. I’d expected a namelike Venus or Hera or something worthy of this goddess’s undeniable power overmen.
AUTHOR BIO!!
I'm a Southern girl who's spent the last few years freezing my toosh off up north. Except for the snow, things are pretty good. I love sunshine, sweet tea, and romances that touch my heart. A lifelong romantic, I found my own prince charming at an online dating site. Six months later, he asked me to marry him. Picture Perfect is my debut novel.
