"I'll call the Pizza Parlor," Annelie offered. "They have the most divine supersize pizzas. Hurry back, because they're quick."
Carolyn promised and walked back toward the garage. At the corner of the house, she turned around with a grin and wrinkled her nose. "Just hold the anchovies, okay?"
Chapter Six
The hotel was buzzing with activity. Marble floors, white and golden walls, and blue furniture gave a luxurious impression. Located not far from Disney World, it was full of Maddox fans of all ages and from all walks of life instead of the usual families and senior citizens this weekend.
Jem walked in front of the group of Key Line women who had just stepped out of the airport shuttle. Several bellboys handled their luggage.
"I'm glad Gregory decided to come a day early," Jem said, turning to face Annelie. "This is a madhouse! Do you see him anywhere?"
Annelie rose on her toes, trying to find Gregory's tall, lanky form in the crowd of people. Relieved to see him standing by the desk, she waved him over. "Greg, great to see you. What's going on here? I thought if we came a day early we could avoid all this."
Gregory ushered them to the side of the check-in counter. Pulling Annelie aside, he lowered his voice. "I've taken care of most of the details. However, we have a bit of a problem."
"Shoot."
"We had to do some rearranging. The hotel doesn't have any vacancies, as you know, and we wanted to keep all the stars and your personal guests on the same floor."
"So, give me the bottom line."
"Carolyn Black arrived here last night."
"Carolyn?" Annelie felt blood receding from her cheeks. The actress had already left yesterday when Annelie came home from work. She had assumed Carolyn was back at Jared's place.
"It gets worse. They put her in the Presidential Suite."
"What are you talking about? We reserved that months ago."
"They seem to be under the impression that she's your personal guest."
Annelie stifled a gasp. The nerve of the woman was monumental. Was this her way of paying Annelie back for not giving her the reading last week? Very nice, after I made her welcome in my home! "Well, tell them she's not."
Gregory lifted an eyebrow. "See all these people? They know she's here. And not just that, they think she's your last-minute celebrity speaker. Do you really want to have her thrown out of your room in front of a legion of fans?"
Annelie muttered a rare expletive. Carolyn had backed them into a corner with expert ease. "What do you mean they think she's a speaker?"
Gregory opened a copy of the Orlando Sentinel he had tucked under one arm. On the front page of the entertainment section was a photo of Carolyn looking like a goddess. The article next to it was headlined Carolyn Black to Speak at Maddox Convention.
Annelie couldn't believe her eyes. "When did you know about this?"
Gregory looked embarrassed. "There was a lot of chatter on the message boards, but I didn't think anything of it. You know how the rumors have been."
"Yes, rumors circulated by Grey Parker," Annelie hissed. "This must have been his idea. A huge publicity stunt."
"It's working." Gregory swept a glance around the lobby. "And now that the story has hit the papers, it'll be everywhere by registration time. This explains the last-minute surge in ticket sales."
"We'll have to give her the stage," Annelie concluded. Unbelievable.
"And you won't have a room unless you want to share with one of the staff," Gregory pointed out. "But most of theirs are full."
Annelie's mind ran riot. "I'm going to kill Grey Parker."
"That won't get you comfortable accommodations." In a tentative tone, he said, "The Presidential Suite has four bedrooms."
"You want me to ask Carolyn Black if I can camp in the suite she stole from me? You must be joking."
"You can take my room," he offered. "I can get something at a Motel 6 down the road."
Annelie took a deep, steadying breath. "That won't be necessary. I'll sort this out with her."
She willed herself to calm down and think rationally. Perhaps she could turn this disaster to her advantage. No one could deny the presence of Carolyn Black would attract media. It would generate a lot of extra exposure for Diana Maddox, even if it did mean Carolyn's name was associated more emphatically with the character.
"There's one more thing," Gregory said, looking like a man eating his last meal before execution.
"Yes." Annelie eyed him with unease. Could this get any worse?
"Sylvia Goodman is here too."
"Here? Do you mean in town, or here at the hotel?" Annelie groaned inwardly.
"She's at the hotel and she has convention tickets. I think she was hoping to steal the show."
Annelie smiled. In a mess like this what else could one do? "Well, she was just outplayed. We all were."
***
Taking a deep breath to calm down, Annelie knocked on the door to the Presidential Suite. After a moment's silence she heard rapid steps from inside. As Carolyn opened the door, the actress's smile was in place.
"Annelie! So you've arrived. Please come in." Gesturing for Annelie to enter, Carolyn looked every bit the gracious hostess.
In the suite I booked. Annelie was fuming. "I see you've made yourself comfortable," she murmured between gritted teeth. "How did you persuade them to let you into the Presidential Suite?" She walked inside, placing her briefcase on the floor to stake her own claim.
"I merely assumed it was a mistake on your part to not invite me to the convention." Carolyn's eyes grew wide in mock disbelief. "When I told them who I was, and that I was your personal guest, they scrambled to accommodate me."
"I bet. Nothing like a little name-dropping, right?"
Looking around, Annelie was impressed with the accommodations. The Presidential Suite was luxurious. Complimentary fruit, chocolate, and champagne were displayed in the living room, and everything they could possibly need was either there or just a phone call away. She looked through the open doors leading into large bedrooms, each with a king-size bed.
"I'm sorry for any misunderstanding, but you're not my personal guest, so you'll just have to get another room."
"And we both know there are no vacancies at the hotel. I have nowhere to go."
Setting the stakes, are we, Carolyn? "There are other hotels nearby."
"They're full too. Not even a motel room in sight, I'm afraid." Carolyn probably knew better than to sound triumphant. Instead she had the good taste to pretend to be regretful.
Annelie moved past the other woman, their shoulders brushing, and walked over to the panoramic window. She could smell Carolyn's musk-and-sandalwood perfume, so familiar by now. Refusing to let her body react, she stood by the window for a moment, faking an interest in the view over Orlando while she gathered herself.
Eventually she pivoted, pressing her lips to a fine line. "The reservation is in my name." She was surprised at the ice in her voice. "I could have you thrown out."
"You wouldn't do that." Carolyn's smoky, velvety voice wrapped around Annelie. "You wouldn't humiliate me like that."
Damn you. "You placed all your bets on my benevolence. I resent being taken advantage of." The constriction in Annelie's throat made it hard to speak. "This is a clever plan. No doubt Parker masterminded it."
"He did what you should've done. He informed me of the convention, and we agreed I should be here. The fans want me here."
"The fans are here to meet some of the stars and try to find out who'll play Maddox. Not necessarily you."
"That's bull." Carolyn's face darkened. "You weren't here when I arrived yesterday. The way the fans received me in the lobby says it all. They see me as Maddox. No one else, and certainly not a silicone-enhanced starlet."