"It's sooo good to be back in the real world!" Jessica Wakefield exclaimed as she plunged her fork into a steaming dish of sweet-and-sour pork. The exquisite flavors danced on her tongue, and she closed her eyes in near ecstasy. It had been ages since she'd eaten anything that even
resembled food, let alone tasted like it.
The nightmare is finally over, Jessica thought. She opened her eyes and looked across the table. There sat Vince Klee, the drop-dead gorgeous movie star who had been number one in her fantasies ever since she'd seen him in his first movie,
Vicious Rumors. Now her fantasies were coming true--she was actually having dinner with him at an exotic Cuban-Chinese restaurant in New York City! With her twin sister, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth's boyfriend, Tom Watts, sharing the table, it was almost like a double date.
Here I am with the hottest guy in the hottest city, Jessica thought.
Great food, great people--now this is what I call therapy!From boot camp to Manhattan--it still didn't feel real. Grimly Jessica wondered if she was just dreaming. Maybe at midnight her red platform shoes would turn into combat boots and glitzy Manhattan would suddenly transform into steaming, swampy upstate Florida. The thought made her shudder. She'd rather be a pumpkin any day of the week than go back to
that place.
Enlisting at the Florida Specialized Security Academy had seemed like a great idea at first. Promising top-notch training in martial arts, weapons, and surveillance, the program seemed tailor-made for Jessica, who had been convinced that a career as a bodyguard to celebrities like Vince Klee was her calling. The opportunity to wear a slinky black cat suit and live dangerously at the same time was simply the icing on the cake as far as Jessica was concerned.
But while it had seemed perfect in the brochure, the program itself turned out to be far from perfect. Jessica had quickly made an enemy in cruel Sergeant Vanessa T. Pruitt, who'd challenged her to a boxing match. She'd accepted without blinking--until she found out that Pruneface Pruitt had once held a Golden Gloves title. Terrified, Jessica had been certain that she'd leave FSSA on a stretcher. But in the end Jessica's friends and barrack mates--Sunshine Harris, Bev Vernon, and Annette Polanco--had snuck lead weights into her boxing gloves to beef up her punch.
She had won the match and regained her dignity but lost nearly everything else. Someone had finked on the four of them to FSSA Commander Phipps, and they'd all been expelled dishonorably from the academy. The balances of the thirty-five-hundred-dollar scholarships they'd each received had to be returned on the spot.
Jessica bit her lip and speared a forkful of
ensalada de aguacate, a simple but delicious avocado salad. Her mind raced over the events of the last few days. After she had been discharged, Jessica had hopped on the first plane to New York, desperate to see Elizabeth. She'd landed early that Sunday morning, but she still was reluctant to explain the horrors of boot camp. There were far more enticing things to focus on--Vince Klee, for example, his knee not even two inches from Jessica's own.
"So, Jess, what exactly happened out there?" Elizabeth asked, her brow creased with concern. Jessica knew that look well--she'd seen it on her twin's face countless times.
From their thick blond hair and blue-green eyes to their slender figures, Jessica and Elizabeth were mirror images of each other. But while they looked identical, they were total opposites on the inside. Elizabeth, always cautious and sensible, was a real worrywart--especially when it came to her sister. Jessica, on the other hand, was impulsive and liked taking risks, which usually resulted in lectures from her twin. Jessica found this one part touching, three parts annoying. Sure, her spontaneous nature had
occasionally led her into tricky situations, but at least she was a free spirit!
Free spirit. Jessica scoffed, avoiding her sister's intense gaze. Right now she felt more like a total failure. She had to admit this was one of those
occasional spontaneous decisions that had turned into a huge disaster. But she wasn't about to go into it, especially not in front of Vince Klee. Sounding like a total failure on their first date--well, even if it wasn't
really a date, it was at least a practice round--wouldn't impress a sexy star like him. And besides, Jessica didn't think Elizabeth would react too well to the truth about how bad her experience had really been.
"Hello?" Elizabeth waved a hand in front of Jessica's face. "Jessica, what's up?"
You don't want to know, Jessica thought. She pasted what she hoped was a dreamy smile on her lips. "Sorry--I was just thinking back to . . . some of the good times I had," she lied. The truth was, she'd have preferred spending the summer stuffing envelopes for the Sweet Valley University admissions office. At least then she wouldn't have had the opportunity to get her brain mashed into mousse. Plus she'd have actually gotten to wear a different outfit every day.
"So, you had fun?" Tom asked. He shoveled a forkful of yellow rice and red beans into his mouth.
"Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration." Jessica laughed--a bit louder than she'd intended. "The kind of training you have to do to become a bodyguard isn't exactly a walk in the park, but . . . it was a, um, a learning experience," she finished lamely.
OK, at least I'm telling the truth now, she reasoned.
I did
learn something--if you can't take the heat, don't even go near
the kitchen!"You've got a lot of guts, Jessica," Vince broke in, his dark eyes warm with respect. "That's pretty hard-core stuff. I wouldn't want to mess with you. I might get myself killed."
Jessica flashed Vince a sultry look, her lids half closed. "You're right," she purred. "I may look fragile, but if I were you, I wouldn't mess with me either. I've got some pretty serious muscles!"
"I can see that," Vince replied, looking Jessica over approvingly.
She felt a warm tingle at the base of her spine.
With his jet-black hair, strong jaw, and dimpled chin, Vince could practically melt her with one glance. His eyes were unforgettable--deep brown, almost black, but flecked with gold. He was even more handsome in person than on the big screen. A whole lot more down-to-earth too--more than Jessica would have thought, considering how successful he was.
