Framed and Hung by Alexis Fleming

our butts off last night getting this ready for the photos.’
    Rachel grabbed a stack of plates and started to set them around the first table, righting the wine glasses as she went. ‘Um, are you sure Jake didn’t do it? I mean, you’re screwing with his head right now. Look at what happened to your bed. You made it and someone had definitely been sleeping on it.’
    ‘No, I don’t believe it was Jake.’ She shook her head. ‘No, he’s not that juvenile.’
    Rachel shrugged. ‘Men play funny games when they think with their cocks.’
    A splutter of laughter caught Zoe unawares. ‘I can’t believe you said that.’
    ‘Well, there’s no doubt he’s being led around by his — ’ She stopped when Zoe held up a finger. ‘Just saying… Anyway, why are you so certain Jake didn’t do this in a fit of sexually frustrated pique?’
    Grabbing the cutlery, Zoe quickly sorted out enough for each table. ‘We had dinner together and then he was with me in my room for some time after — ’
    Rachel punched a fist into the air above her. ‘Hah, you finally put the guy out of his misery. No more frustrated Jake.’
    ‘No, I didn’t. We didn’t.’
    She slammed another collection of cutlery on the next table. ‘I wish to God we had, because then I wouldn’t be feeling so damn frustrated,’ she mumbled half under her breath as she sorted the knives from the forks.
    ‘Hah, I told you this wanting to always be in control would backfire on you one day.’ Rachel burst out laughing. ‘Oh, how the mighty have fallen. So, you ready to let go a little now, my friend? Hmm?’
    ‘None of your business, friend ,’ Zoe quipped, struggling for another topic to divert Rachel. ‘Forget me. What are you doing here so early? Thought I told you to have the morning off seeing we worked late last night.’
    Rachel shrugged and turned aside to deal with the next pile of plates.
    ‘Come on, girlfriend, give. What happened? I thought you had a hot date last night. I had visions of you lounging in bed this morning with the man of the moment.’
    ‘Things didn’t work out how I expected. Here we are, right in the middle of — ’
    ‘I think I get the picture. Don’t fill in the details. You’ll just make me more frustrated than I am right now.’
    ‘Hey, you want to hear what happened or not?’
    ‘So get on with it.’ Zoe pulled out a chair and plopped herself down at the table Rachel was working on.
    ‘As I was saying…’ Rachel cast her a haughty look down her nose, her lips twitching as if about to burst into laughter. ‘Right in the middle of things, my friend got called out and I was left high and dry. Literally .’
    Zoe frowned. ‘You didn’t say what he did for a living. Fireman? Paramedic? Cop?’
    Rachel grimaced. ‘You are never going to believe me when I tell you.’
    ‘Argg… So tell me already,’ Zoe demanded.
    ‘He’s an undertaker. Well, a funeral employee, anyway. He got called out to pick up a body.’ She shuddered. ‘I wish I’d known before we…you know. Eww, can you imagine where those hands have been?’
    Zoe couldn’t help herself. She put her head down on the table and chuckled. Then the chuckles turned into a loud burst of laughter. ‘Oh my God, I don’t believe it. Now there are two of us frustrated as hell.’
    Jake paused outside the Garden Room, listening to the women’s banter. He grinned. Sooo…our Zoe just happens to be a little frustrated, eh? If I have to go through it, it’s only fair she should, too. Now what to do about it?
    Pasting an innocent expression on his face, he sauntered into the Garden Room. ‘Morning, ladies. What are…’ He stopped and stared around. ‘Um, okay, I’ll bite. What was wrong with how the room looked last night? I thought it was pretty fantastic.’
    Zoe turned a scowl on him. ‘Just tell me you didn’t sneak back here last night and rearrange everything just to screw me over.’
    What the — ‘Lady, if I wanted to screw you, it