Drop Dead Gorgeous Read Online Free PDF

every night since he’d met her. He thought of the first time he’d seen her.   
    He was sitting in the makeup chair backstage before a fashion show at the Wiltern Theater. Primarily a print model, he didn’t often do shows, but he was later glad he’d chosen to do this one.
    He faced the women’s side of the dressing area. Several were changing – trying on clothes before the show to make sure they fit properly. He paid no attention to them just as they would pay no attention to him when it came time for him to change in the open backstage area.
    What did catch his interest was the dark-haired woman standing with a small group of models. She was obviously not a model as she was several inches shorter than the other women, even in high-heeled boots. And she had more pronounced curves than the other women. Her snug black skirt and red sweater showed them to perfection.
    “You’re straight, aren’t you?” Maxwell, the hairdresser, asked as he began working on Derek’s hair.
    “Yeah.”
    “I see you’re watching the girls change. Kinda pervy.”
    “Actually, I was watching the woman in the red sweater. Do you know who she is?”
    “Crimson.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Her sweater is crimson, and yes, her name’s Clara Devereux. She’s the runway booker at Beacon.”
    “Monica’s friend. I mean, I’ve heard Monica mention her. Monica’s my agent.”
    “I can see the appeal. She has great hair, although I’d layer it a little.”
    “I like it just like it is.” It was thick and glossy, just past her shoulders, and begged to be touched – brushed back to expose her neck.
    “And she could stand to lose ten pounds.”
    “Oh, I disagree.” He studied her body – the word “womanly” came to mind. She was full-breasted with rounded hips and a delicate waist.
    “If I were straight, I probably would too. Straight men like to squeeze things and she’s definitely got things to squeeze.”
    “Yeah.” He imagined his hands cupping her delicious behind, pulling her to him.
    “I hate to burst your horny little bubble, but she’s dating the owner of Beacon.”
    Suddenly his mind’s eye saw someone else’s hands on her, and the fantasy came to a screeching halt.
    “Really? Is it serious?” he asked. Please say no.
    “Yes. I think they live together.”
    Damn. “Well, I can still look.”
    And he did. He stared, actually.
    Clara gave hugs to the women in her circle and left.
    Every time Derek hit the stage that night, his eyes scanned the audience for the crimson sweater, but the room was too big and the lights were too bright. He couldn’t see much beyond the first few rows.
    He didn’t see her again for months – not until the day on the beach, but he thought of her often and how beautiful she’d looked in that sweater.
     
    Derek opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. It was dusk. He wondered if he’d ever get used to how suddenly he fell into his daytime rest. It didn’t feel like falling asleep. He wasn’t groggy or sleepy first, searching for a comfortable position. He felt the adrenaline and then everything was just gone. He remembered thinking of Clara backstage at the fashion show and then he was here looking at the ceiling nine hours later.
    He got up and focused his energy on the overhead light and TV, and both came on. He kept the TV on CNN so he could keep up with the world. Terence said it was a good sign that he was interested in what was going on. Some new vampires didn’t make it because they were so consumed with depression – hatred for what they had become. Derek had felt that way for the first month or so, but he slowly became more engaged with the living, especially since he’d begun following Clara. It gave him a reason to get up at night, even if he had no real hope of ever being with her again.
    But everything had changed last night. He thought of the look in her eyes when she’d come to in his arms. She felt the same way he did. He believed she might love him.