Page 6 of Act of Passion

Edee slid up alongside Brooke and peered out the window as well. “It’s like its own city. It’shuge!”

It was, and it wasbeautiful.

Brooke smiled. “I really don’t understand how we got thislucky.”

The girls had won an all-expenses-paid trip to Egypt yet neither one could remember entering to win said trip. Despite explaining as much to the travel agency that had sent them all the information, they were still awarded the trip. Since it coincided with them finishing grad school, the women had given in and decided to make the trip a celebration. It wasn’t as if they could afford something so lavish any othertime.

No.

The two had busted their butts working odd jobs while going to school full time in order to get their master’s degrees. They had big plans and good jobs lined up. Of course, they’d just be starting out in their chosen fields but still, it was the path they’d always talked about. They’d made it a reality and it looked as if the universe was rewarding them for theirefforts.

The limo pulled under the giant fully lit sign for the resort, and Brooke and Edee shared a look before bursting into an excited fit of giggles. They hugged each other and then squealed some more. It didn’t matter how silly it was. They’d been best friends for years and were on the adventure of theirlifetimes.

Brooke twisted in the seat. “I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around this all beingreal.”

“You and me both, sista,” said Edee, pushing her long dark red hair behind her ears, her white dress was short, barely covering everything she had. “If we’re dreaming, do me a favor and don’t wake meup.”

“Deal. Do the same for me, okay?” Brooke sat back in the seat and smoothed down her royal-blue dress. “Operation Have a Good Time has officiallycommenced.”

Edee winked, her blue gaze holding a glimmer of mischief. “Funny, I could have sworn it was a mission to get youlaid.”

“Stop,” said Brooke, pushing her friendlightly.

Edee liked to joke about Brooke’s missing sex life. Brooke had spent so much time focused on studying and working various odd jobs that men just hadn’t been something she’d been able to schedule in—and she loved herschedules.

Edee was far more of a free spirit. She wasn’t exactly extremely experienced in the ways of men either, but came off as being worldly on the matter. The woman just naturally oozed sex appeal. All Brooke oozed was awkwardness around the opposite sex. And she always went from fine one second to two left feet thenext.

Brooke found comfort in computers and anything technology related. Human interactions tended to be something she avoided. Thankfully, Edee had become something of a spokesperson for Brooke. How they’d become friends was still a mystery. They were almost total opposites when it came to their personalities. Though, under all the siren qualities, Edee was a giant science nerd. It surprised everyone who mether.

Looks-wise, the woman didn’t have a lot in common except for their height. They were nearly matched in height, with Edee standing just a smidge taller at five-ten. Edee had skin that at times Brooke could swear was translucent, it was so pale. And Brooke’s skin was sun-kissed with a natural glow. Edee’s eyes were a deep blue and Brooke’s were olive green. Both had long hair, though Brooke’s was brown and had slight curl on the ends, where Edee’s was dark red andstraight.

When they’d met their freshman year of high school, they’d just hit it off from the word go. Edee had taken Brooke under her wing socially and Brooke had appreciated it. Edee loved to get lost in music and dancing, and Brooke always found comfort in cross-country andswimming.

Edee eyed her. “Are you ready forthis?”

“I am,” she said and then bit her lower lip. “At least I’m pretty sure I am. I’m ready for us to have fun. We’ve done nothing but study and work for years. We’ve earned this,right?”

Edee put an arm around her. “You worked your butt off. I was not as dedicated to it all as you. And I was fired from different jobs too many times to count. You worked the same three jobs for sixyears.”

“In your defense, how many of your bosses were total douchebags who thought hiring you meant you’d be offering them specialfavors?”

She groaned. “Too many to count. That’s it. I’m going to find a super-rich Egyptian guy and use him as my sex slave before he buys me a palace or something and makes me hiswife.”

Brooke laughed hard as the limo pulled to a stop in front of the luxuryresort.

Edee snorted. “Was it the bit about making him my sex slave that was so hard to believe or the part about apalace?”

“Neither. The you being married was the hysterical part,” said Brooke. It was true, Edee always talked about how she hated the idea of ever getting married. And the woman never committed to any level of a relationship with a man. She dated and that was it. No boyfriends, no specialsomeone.

Edee grinned. “Yeah, I threw that in to make you worry less about my actions for the next twoweeks.”

“Good luck with that,” said Brooke as the limo driver opened the back door. He put his hand out to her and she took it—instantaneously feeling cold and empty inside. She’d felt the same thing when he’d helped her into the limo at the airport. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now that it was happening again, she jerked her hand fromhis.

He reached for Edee. Brooke nearly knocked his hand away from her friend but didn’t. She was being ridiculous. The man had been nothing but professional and nice to them since greeting them at the airport. He’d even had a sign with their names on it that looked professionally done. Nothandwritten.

Edee took his hand and her gaze narrowed slightly before she pressed a smile to her face. She eased close to Brooke and they stepped back as men from the resort appeared and spoke with their driver. Neither of the women spoke Arabic despite their best efforts to study a guidebook with helpful phrases and tips. Turns out there were different forms of Arabic spoken in different regions—as if learning the basics from one wasn’t hardenough.

The men from the resort took their bags and smiled at her. All were pleasant to look at, yet there was something that felt…off. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it wasthere.

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