“Alex, Sandra will outlive all of us, and I’m not late. I’m so sorry I’m ugly, but you’ll make me handsome like you always do, right?” Drew grins at her and then winks. She ignores him and points to the chair.

“Drew, where are your manners? Aren’t you going to introduce me?” Alex nods her head my way and smiles.

“Sorry. Dora, Alex. Alex, Dora.” He laughs as we both roll our eyes.

“Hi, I’m Alex, short for Alexandria. I make the monsters look pretty, which isn’t easy. It’s good to meet you. Why are you are hanging around with this one? There really are no words to explain him, but I guess you know that.”

“Nice to meet you, Alex. I’m Dora, short for Pandora, and I don’t know why I am either, except for the fact he feeds me.” We both laugh when Drew scoffs.

“Nice. I love the fact you’re both ganging up on me. You better hurry, Alex. Sandra will be by soon to check up on me.”

“Have a seat, Dora.” Alex points to the empty chair beside Drew. “I have to go to work, but we must chat later.” She grins wickedly as Drew groans while closing his eyes … but not before he winks at me.

It doesn’t take Alex long to make Drew “handsome,” and we move to the green tent, which is wardrobe. Rows of swimwear line one wall and then gauzy cover-ups line another. A willowy man is in charge and flips through the clothes like he’s disgusted at what he sees.

“Ah, Drew, so glad you could join us,” the man says. I look around, but there’s no one else in the tent. “Here are the changes for this morning. Turquoise pair first. Chop, chop. Time is flying as we speak.”

To my surprise, Drew undresses and pulls on the trunks, which fit him like they were custom fitted. Duh, of course they would totally fit, Dora. Can’t have too tight or baggy drawers on one of the world’s top models.

“And who is this little hottie?” I feel like I’m being undressed as the man scans me up and down.

“She’s with me, Bernard, and don’t get any ideas. She’s not in the biz.” Drew puts his arm around me as if to solidify his statement.

“She has a wild look about her—untamed hair and pure skin. Watch out, someone might snatch her up.” I decide I’m not a fan of this guy, and I sense the feeling is mutual with Drew.

“We’re out of here.” Drew waits as I go first and then follows me.

“God, I loathe that man, and if he comes within ten feet of you, scream, seriously.” Drew sounds serious and I wonder what Bernard has done to deserve his hatred.

We make our way down hand-in-hand toward the water, where the majority of people are hanging out.

“Here’s Drew, Sandra,” a voice calls, making the crowd turn their heads to watch us until we reach them. I feel like I’m under a microscope, and it’s not a good feeling.

“Great, Drew. Get your ass over here and let’s get started. Dora, have a seat beside me.” Sandra points to an empty chair. I let go of Drew’s hand and do as I’m told.

“Okay, ready. These are just Drew pics. I just got a call the bitch prima donna is running late so we’ll get started without her.”

The next few hours are full of excitement as I watch what at first appeared to be a chaotic mess completely transform into a well-oiled machine. Drew is a natural, and between shots he jokes with the crew. I can tell he likes all of them and the feeling seems to be mutual.

“Oh, shit. The twat-monster approaches,” Sandra mumbles.

I turn to see a face and body that I’ve seen many times. Angela Paige is beautiful, and she knows it. She wears self-confidence like a coat. Her attire is the scantest of bikinis. I wonder why she’s wearing anything at all. She’s tall, long-legged and blonde, which she swears in every article I’ve read is her real color. She’s looking straight ahead, and people move out of her way as she makes her way toward the shoot. I realize her gaze is fixed on one person, and it’s Drew. Drew is talking to one of the other male models, and he turns when he hears all the murmurs.

When Angela makes eye-contact with the object of her attention, she breaks into a breathtaking smile and seductively saunters up to him and—I can’t believe my eyes—she kisses him like they’re all alone on this beach. The crowd swells around them, and I can’t see Drew’s reaction. I’m overcome with jealousy. The green-eyed monster is definitely bubbling up inside me. There have always been rumors in the tabloids that they secretly had a thing for each other. Of course, each one has vehemently denied them, but my mom always says where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. I feel like running away, but I sit in the seat with what I hope is a neutral look on my face.

Sandra jumps to her feet and yells for everyone to take their marks, and they all scramble to do her bidding. I spy Drew talking to the cameraman. Angela is having a young girl put color on her lips. How thoughtful of her to wait until she kissed Drew so he wouldn’t have to remove it from his lips.

The rest of the shoot is a blur. No longer is it exciting. I feel like I’m watching two people madly in love. My hands start to hurt, and I look down to see them pale white, clenching the sides of the chair. The umbrella that’s attached to my chair is no longer keeping me shaded, and I decide I’m going back to the hotel, even if I have to walk back alone.

“Take five,” Sandra yells, almost bursting my eardrums.

Drew walks away from Angela and makes his way to me with a worried expression on his face.

“Dora, are you okay? You’re getting a little sun,” he says, reaching up and angling the umbrella so I’m in the shade again.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Great, I sound so stiff and formal that he looks at me strangely.

“You don’t sound fine,” he replies, stroking my cheek.

“I guess I’m just tired.”

“I’m tired too,” a sultry voice from behind Drew says. “Who is this little person? Did you finally get an assistant like I told you to?” Angela moves beside Drew and lays her head against his shoulder, looking at me like I’m insignificant. She proves it by moving between us and putting her hand up to his cheek. “Sweetie, I think we should go over to the tent and get some refreshments and talk about our next session. I’m not turning red, am I? I put maximum sunscreen on, and I wouldn’t want this body to get burned.” She’s standing so close to him that I want to drag her by her bottle-colored hair and beat the crap out of her.

“You go and I’ll be there in a minute.” Drew moves around her and leans down to me.

“Okay, but don’t be too long. I haven’t seen you in days, and we need to catch up.” She doesn’t look back, but walks toward the tent as if she’s walking down a runway.

“I’ll bring you something back to drink, okay?” Drew kisses my cheek and then follows Angela like a little puppy dog.

That seals it. I’m leaving. I don’t belong in this world. I watch as he catches up with her and the perfect-looking couple strolls into the tent together. I grab my bag and make my getaway. Luckily, when I reach the top of the sand dune, limos are lined up waiting to shuttle people back to the hotel. I snag the one we came in. I say, “Hotel, please,” as I settle in and he takes me there without question. I ask him to wait for me, as I need to grab my things before heading to the airport. He doesn’t bat an eye, just nods his head.

The maid has been busy. Our hotel room looks immaculate. I quickly stuff all of my things into the carry-on bag. With tear-filled eyes, I leave, taking a long ride to the airport.