Wanting to groan out loud at the manipulative woman in front of her, Annelie clenched her fists. "You're forcing my hand and I don't like it."
"I have to! You're making a mistake if you think anyone else can portray Maddox the way I can. You're blinded by the talk of money, investments, marketing…You have to listen to your heart, and then you'll know what the right course of action is."
Carolyn's voice lost its animated tone. Her eyes turned bluer than Annelie had ever seen them as the actress seemed to speak from the heart. "You know the stories about Maddox better than most. You discovered Delia Carlton and published her books. Don't let any Hollywood moguls run over you. Trust your instincts." Carolyn paused, raising a hand as if to touch Annelie, but lowered it again. "Then, if you still can see someone like Goodman in the role…I guess there's nothing I can do about that."
She's reading my mind. Annelie studied the expression on Carolyn's beautiful face for a few more seconds. Was she acting? Was that impassioned plea just part of her diva routine?
"You've left us with little choice but to put you onstage tomorrow," she said stiffly. "People in the hotel think you're the main event."
"Yes. They do. And you hate me for it." Sorrow was hidden in the other woman's stubborn voice.
Wincing, Annelie shook her head. "I don't hate you." How could I? Annelie pulled herself together, keeping her voice matter of fact. "We have to share the suite. Which one is free?"
"Excuse me? Oh, you mean which bedroom? I'm in the one to the far right."
Annelie chose a room to the left, placing her briefcase on the bed inside. She dialed the front desk and asked for someone to bring her luggage up. As she glanced over her shoulder, she studied Carolyn through the open door. The actress looked a little weary, she thought, as she walked back out into the living room. Standing just behind Carolyn, she watched as street lights began to light up, drawing dotted lines in the distance. Suddenly Carolyn's conniving actions seemed temporarily unimportant.
"What's wrong?" Annelie kept her voice low, as if speaking softly would make the question less intrusive.
"I'm fine…I…" The other woman seemed at a loss for words. "An angel walking over my grave, that's all. Suddenly I'm nervous as hell."
There was a brief silence after the rare admission.
"You're betting the role of a lifetime, as well as your immediate future, on one card. Seeing all these fans downstairs, rooting for you, made you think this would work out."
Carolyn pivoted quickly, almost losing her balance. Annelie automatically reached out and steadied her, putting both hands on the actress's shoulders. Her palms tingled instantly, making her shudder.
"You're right." Carolyn sounded surprised. "That's exactly it. How did you know? And why are you being nice when you're so mad at me?"
Annelie lowered her hands, letting them slide down Carolyn's bare arms before clasping them behind her back. Why did I do that? Like a caress, for heaven's sake!
"I'm trying very hard to distinguish between our professional relationship and…" She swallowed hard, not wanting to show just how conflicted she was. "…and a potential friendship. You're skating on thin ice. I don't like being manipulated, especially by someone I've begun to actually…"
Annelie stopped short of admitting just how much she'd started to like Carolyn. Right now, she thought she could detect the vulnerable private person behind the diva persona, but…How can I be sure? She could be acting her little calculating heart out right now. Still, there's that haunted expression in her eyes. Can a person fake that?
"As I said before, we have to put you onstage since we can't disappoint the fans," Annelie continued, smiling faintly. Feeling tired, she was suddenly desperate to lighten the mood. She was still upset, and she knew it shone through as she lifted a hand in a dismissive gesture. "There'll be a question-and-answer session tonight."
"I'll be there. What will be expected of me? I mean, by the fans."
Refraining from a curt reply to hide the tremor in her voice, Annelie pulled herself together. "Just go out there and be the star. Let's be honest, Carolyn—you do that so well."
***
It was quite the entrance. Carefully orchestrated and with finesse, Sylvia Goodman sashayed into the hotel restaurant, her long blond hair in perfect ruffled waves. Glancing around the room, she let her publicist speak to the head waiter.
"Never mind. I see her!" Sylvia suddenly exclaimed, homing in on Annelie sitting alone at a table in the corner. "Ms. Peterson! How delightful to meet you."
A tad on the theatrical side. "Ms. Goodman, it's great to finally meet you too." Annelie extended a hand and was not surprised that Sylvia's grip was loose and quick. "What a surprise to find you here at the Maddox convention. I understand you've bought tickets to all events."
"I sure have." The breathless voice, normally high pitched, was toned down to a level Annelie guessed was supposed to be sultry.
No doubt the voice coach had been listening to Carolyn on the audiobooks. The result was as if the young actress did some sort of strange impersonation. Surely she doesn't think it sounds sexy? Realizing she was not being fair, Annelie tried to gauge the eager starlet from an objective standpoint.
Sylvia Goodman's body had clearly been sculpted by Hollywood's, or perhaps Fifth Avenue's, best plastic surgeons. Her breasts were not too big, but just right for her slender frame. Her bottom was high and firm, with no excess weight in sight. The tight-fitting jacket and skirt, over a blouse with a plunging neckline, left very little to Annelie's imagination. Creamy white skin glimmered, and she wore Obsession, a perfume that would soon give Annelie a headache.
"Please sit down. I've ordered already." Because you're twenty minutes late.
Sylvia ordered a salad and water, only pushing the food around when it arrived. Instead the actress focused all her attention on Annelie. Speaking about Diana Maddox's character, she sounded knowledgeable, obviously well read on the subject.
"I believe the actress who'll portray Maddox needs to do extensive research as a criminal investigator. I've got a friend in Seattle who dates a police officer. He put me in contact with their investigation unit, and I spent two days with them. All the guys there were so attentive and helpful."
Somehow Annelie found it hard to concentrate. Wondering briefly how much Sylvia could have picked up being admired by male cops, she tried to picture her as Maddox. With the right makeup, the younger woman could perhaps look the part, but the voice was all wrong. Too bright, too breathless, and not at all like the dark, velvet huskiness Annelie associated with the tough character in Delia's books. She sounds nothing like Carolyn. She may be younger, perhaps even more beautiful, in a smooth, wrinkle-free kind of way. But she's not right. Leaning back in her chair, Annelie let Sylvia continue with her interpretation of the role.
"I think Maddox should be sexier than she was in the audiobooks. No critique on your judgment when choosing actors, but Maddox is a tough woman in a man's world. She needs to play on her femininity more."
Was Sylvia suggesting Maddox should flaunt herself among her male colleagues? Oh, God. One of the things that had attracted Annelie to Delia's novels was the self-assurance of Maddox, her what-you-see-is-what-you-get attitude, which fell apart when her attraction to Erica Becker became apparent. She was not a tease, and Maddox surely didn't flaunt herself to anybody.