Carolyn stirred slightly. "Good night, Annie. Sleep tight."
"You too."
Chapter Ten
Jazz music seemed to come out of nowhere. Carolyn stirred, unsure of where she was until she managed to open her eyes and see blond hair cascading across the pillow next to her. Lifting her gaze further, she looked at Annelie's relaxed face, realizing she was still asleep.
"Annelie." Carolyn gently rubbed the naked shoulder next to her. "Annie, your alarm clock says it's time to get up."
Slowly ice blue eyes opened, and the head next to her turned. "Carolyn?"
"Yeah, time to wake up."
Obviously still half-asleep, Annelie rolled toward Carolyn and wrapped a slender arm around her waist. "Good morning."
"Good morning." Carolyn's heart raced as she inhaled Annelie's sweet scent. Unable to resist, she buried her face against her neck, amazed at the softness. "Did you sleep well?"
"Very well. And you?" Annelie whispered, stroking her hands up and down Carolyn's back.
"Dead to the world. I don't even remember dreaming."
Annelie rose on one elbow and looked down at Carolyn. "You look rested," she murmured. "You look wonderful."
"You're beautiful any time of day, but I don't think I've ever seen you look this way." Carolyn traced Annelie's face with soft fingertips. "No makeup, no jewelry…just you."
Annelie smiled faintly and placed a gentle kiss on Carolyn's forehead. "Time to get up, I'm afraid. I have meetings all day."
Carolyn glanced at the alarm clock again. "Seven o'clock…I guess I should go home and change before I meet Grey. He wants to go over some business details with me."
Annelie stood up and stretched. Looking at Carolyn, she hesitated. "Want to have lunch today? There's a nice restaurant a block from the office."
Carolyn smiled broadly and rose from the bed. "I'd love to. What time?"
Walking up to Carolyn, Annelie wrapped her arms around her. "How about one o'clock?" She kissed the top of Carolyn's head. "You want to hear something silly? I was about to suggest dinner tonight… but suddenly I didn't think I could wait that long."
"That's not silly," Carolyn objected. "So, do you want to have dinner tonight?"
"Yes. We need to talk more, don't you agree?"
"I do. And I want to look at you. I can't seem to get enough of that."
Placing her fingertips under Carolyn's chin, Annelie tipped her head back. She leaned down, kissing her with more tenderness than passion. "We promised to go slow," she murmured. "Is this slow enough, Carolyn?"
Wrapping her arms around Annelie's slender waist, Carolyn rubbed her cheek against her silky tank top after returning the soft kiss. She was still stunned at how Annelie filled her with equal parts of passion, joy, and fear. "Yes, this is slow enough for me."
***
"So you're meeting Carolyn Black for lunch?" Margo asked while she poured them another cup of tea. She glanced at Annelie. "Is that why you're blushing, girlie?"
Annelie dropped the Sweet'n Low dispenser dangerously close to the cup. "What?" She fiddled with the sweeteners before managing to add one to her tea.
"Aw, come on, Annelie. I've known you all your life. You practically bounce in here, cheeks flushed, eyes aglow…I'm not blind."
"And certainly not subtle in your approach," Annelie smirked. "All right. I'm silly enough to be giddy about having lunch with Carolyn."
Margo studied her, making Annelie smile sheepishly. "Want to talk about it?" She raised an eyebrow.
Annelie had worked hard all morning and already finished a productive meeting with her associates. On a small break with Margo in her office, she leaned back against the couch and kicked off her pumps.
"She's all wrong for me," Annelie confessed, "but I can't stop thinking about her. I simply want to be around her as much as I can."
"Are you in love?"
Annelie's heart stopped, only to race a second later, pumping color to her cheeks. "I guess I am."
"I thought Carolyn Black was straight."
"So did I. And she. Now we're both confused." Tracing the rim of her cup with a finger, Annelie sighed before continuing. "She says she's falling for me. We talked all of yesterday evening, and she was very blunt, making no excuses. Still, I'm afraid. I just don't know if I can trust her. Her reputation isn't exactly encouraging."
"It's a reputation, not a universal truth. Whatever she did in the past—we know nothing about her motivation, and she certainly didn't do any of it toward you."
"I know."
"We can all change. Things can happen in our lives that change everything. You of all people should know that, Annelie." Margo's voice was soft. "You won all that money, and it was the start of your new life."
Annelie knew the other woman was right. Margo had been with her every step of the way, even long before she began creating a new life for herself. "I've known Carolyn for about a month and have become good at spotting when she's in her professional skin and when she's just herself. Last Saturday after the convention, as well as last night, she was herself. She let down her guard with me in a way that took courage."
"You must be important to her."
Annelie sipped her tea. "I believe I am. She stayed the night, and the way she fit in my arms…" She could feel herself blush and was unable to stop a smile. "And before you ask, no, nothing happened."
"Oh, girlie, you've got it bad." Margo returned the smile, cupping Annelie's chin. "I swear, if I thought for a second Carolyn had a hidden agenda, I wouldn't say this. I've seen people circle you like predators, out for your money, influence, or your endorsement for whatever product they're hustling. I don't believe she's one of them. Seeing her come here, practically straight from the airport, gave me the impression very little else but you mattered to her."
Annelie's eyes widened at Margo's candid words. The Irishwoman was not easily fooled, and to hear her speak this openly about Carolyn meant a lot.
"Anyway, I have no idea where this is going," Annelie confessed, "but I know I'm not about to let her slip away from me. I've dreamed about getting to know her for years. Now that I'm starting to, she's everything I thought and more."
"Then go to lunch with her, talk to her, and learn who she really is."
"I will." Annelie glanced at her watch. "I've got a few more things to do, and then I'm out of here for an hour or so."
Margo drank the last of her tea and winked as she set the cup down. "Have fun."
***
Grey Parker rushed through the reception area, greeting Carolyn as soon as she stepped inside the door.
"There you are!" He beamed before turning to his assistant. "Camilla. Bring us some coffee and those chocolate biscotti, please."
Guiding Carolyn into his office, the balding agent grinned at her. "So, sweetheart, I'm taking the best care of you possible. I had Camilla work out the details yesterday. She printed your schedule for the three films and the conventions. You'll be busy the next three years, darling, but not to worry. It's a comfortable pace. You start preparing to shoot Dying for Fame in about two weeks." He pulled out a chair for Carolyn.
"Have you gotten the script yet? Any news of who's going to play Erica Becker and Gordon Fisher?"
"I've got it all under control. Chatted up Greg Horton, of course. You'll all get your scripts Friday at the big press conference at the Pierre." He handed Carolyn a document. "Here's the schedule for that, by the way. Starts at two o'clock on the dot, and the media will get a chance to talk to you, Harvey Davidson, and Helen St. Cyr."
"I was hoping for Helen and Harvey." Carolyn smiled broadly. "Will we do individual interviews or a joint session?"