Code Red Lipstick by Sarah Sky Page A

ever seen. He was Prince Charming-style handsomeand he knew it, but Jamie beat him hands down.
    No contest.
    She shrugged. “It’s not a problem.”
    â€œI’m heading out on the town again tonight if you’re interested,” he said. “A whole gang of us are going out. The clubs are great around here. Much better than London.”
    Yikes. Was he hitting on her?
    â€œEr, I can’t, I’m sorry,” she said, “but thanks anyway.”
    â€œOf course, I forgot. You’re off the menu.” He winked as he walked off. “For now.”
    Eeugh. He was good-looking but a creep. Sara, the other model from Primus, didn’t seem to mind. He was chatting her up now. Sara obviously didn’t find his massive ego a deal-breaker. Jessica turned around and spotted Camille in the corner, talking to the photographer and a stylist. How could she get rid of the limpet before the whole day was wasted? Camille had picked up her and Sara from the hotel at five thirty a.m. and taken them both to a series of non-stop castings. Jessica was walking for Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Chanel tomorrow, which was great for her agency but bad news for her. It meant she couldn’t follow up any new leads when she was stuck in so many shows. They were pretty much back to back.
    Camille’s eyes followed her as she shuffled to the changing room. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was Nathan’s plant. Camille was hardly subtle; she’d barely let her out of her sight all morning. Jessica crossed her hands as assistants lifted the dress over her head. She shrugged on a white robe and fastened the belt tightly. She went to get her clothes from the rail but Sara stepped in her way.
    â€œI’d like my ciggies back,” she said tightly.
    Sara was trying to give up smoking and had asked Jessica to hide a packet in her handbag that morning, before Jessica had seriously annoyed her by landing so many shows. Sara was only walking for Alexander McQueen.
    â€œNo. I’m doing you a favour,” Jessica said. “It’s a filthy habit and you know it.”
    Sara glared at her, crossing her arms. Even when she frowned, she was stunning, with spiky black hair and amethyst eyes that blazed with anger.
    â€œJessica’s right,” Margurita murmured. “Smoking’s a terrible idea, Sara, particularly for a model. It’ll age your skin. Why jeopardize your chances now that the famous five are out of the picture? I’m certainly not going to.”
    Sara spun around. “You know them?”
    â€œWe belonged to the same agency, but they never had anything to do with me.” Margurita shook her long, dark mane. “Not even at the Emerald Ball.”
    She’d captured Jessica’s interest now. “You were there? I saw the photos. It looked amazing.”
    â€œIt was,” Margurita said dreamily. “The hottest men in Hollywood turned up. I had two great snogs.”
    â€œWhat about the famous five?” Sara asked. “How many snogs did they have?”
    Margurita snorted. “I wouldn’t know. They stayed behind a VIP cordon, drinking magnums of Cristal all night. They even had assistants who kept everyone away. They only let a chosen few get through if the girls thought they were famous enough to speak to. People were actually queuing up, asking for permission to meet them. Tyler thought it was hilarious and tried to sneak in a few ‘civilians’, but she got caught.”
    â€œNo way!” Sara said. “I can’t wait till I’m famous and can make people queue up to talk to me in clubs. It would be too cool.”
    Jessica rolled her eyes. Sara was soooo shallow.
    â€œWell, people aren’t queuing up to see them now,” Margurita said cattily.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Jessica demanded.
    Margurita looked over her shoulder at the assistants who were arranging gowns on a rail. She