"How are things today, Earl?" she asked, as she passed him on her way to Key Line Publishing.
"Just fine, Ms. Peterson. The wife and I have bought tickets to the Diana Maddox convention."
"I'll see you there, then." Annelie returned his smile. "I hope the two of you have a good time."
"I'm sure we will. My wife adores the books."
"Tell her to keep an eye on our Web page. We're planning a few surprises."
With another wave, Annelie walked through the glass doors leading into the building and down the hall to her beachfront corner office. She greeted her administrative assistant with a smile, then paused to enjoy the view and watch the waves wash onto the sand. Noticing a large envelope sitting on top of her inbox on her desk, she reached for it and instantly recognized the distinctive logotype of a famous photographer, Corazon Perez.
Curious, Annelie opened it and pulled out a set of publicity photos. Suddenly breathless, she had to will her hands not to drop them. Carolyn Black gazed at her from the glossy pictures, her persona radiating off them with a subtle force. A note from Grey Parker was attached to the top photo, again stating Carolyn's interest in the Maddox role.
Annelie had glimpsed Carolyn several times since the actress had begun to use her pool. They rarely conversed, but she had been very aware of the actress's presence.
Reluctantly looking at the first picture, Annelie saw Carolyn dressed in a black, sleeveless turtleneck, resembling a panther. With her hair pulled back from her face in a tight twist that accentuated her features, she exuded both arrogance and danger as she leaned back in an armchair. Carolyn looked almost haunted, which made Annelie wonder what Corazon Perez had said or done to bring out this expression.
The second picture was completely different. With her auburn hair clouding around her shoulder, Carolyn wore a long white caftan made from a thin, lacy fabric. One of its wide sleeves had fallen back a little, revealing her arm up to the elbow. Her makeup was discreet, emphasizing her intense eyes. She smiled faintly, as if privy to a special secret.
The third picture made Annelie gasp inaudibly and sink into her desk chair. Corazon must have used a fan to blow the hair off Carolyn's shoulders, making it flow behind her. At first it looked like she was naked, but when Annelie examined the picture, she saw Carolyn wore a transparent, light tan shirt that fit like a second skin. Small silver threads were woven into the fragile fabric, making Carolyn's skin seem to sparkle. In this picture, the actress focused on something behind the photographer, a dreamy expression in her eyes.
The glamorous pictures bothered Annelie. She rose from her chair and paced over to the window. As she placed a hand on the cool glass and watched the beach fill up with people, she was flooded by inexplicable emotions. She frowned, simply not used to feeling so vulnerable.
Annelie hadn't allowed herself to become involved with anyone the last few years. The last time she let anyone close, the relationship had ended in heartache. So far it had never seemed worth the effort to figure out if someone loved her for her money or for herself. I promised myself not to let it rule my actions. I guess I have.
She recalled Carla, the one who had hurt her the most. The mere thought of the dark-haired girl she'd met at the university made her heart recoil. Though hardened by the sudden transition from being ignored to being fawned over, Annelie had still lowered her guard and let the other woman approach her.
Attending some of the same classes at Barnard, they became close and Annelie began to nourish hope for a future with the exciting brunette. She never admitted to anyone how it broke her heart when she heard by chance of Carla's plan to seduce the "ice queen." When Annelie learned Carla had known about her financial status all along, she had in her wounded state assumed the other woman was a gold digger as well.
Pulling out of the relationship and changing her curriculum, Annelie stayed within the close circle of her study group, never exchanging more than polite words in passing with Carla.
She glanced at the remaining photos of Carolyn Black, but then opened a drawer in her desk and pushed the pictures inside before closing it. Feeling childish about her uncharacteristic behavior, she closed her eyes briefly.
"Annelie? I'm going nuts! Will you take a look at this?" Jem Sanderson burst through the open door to her office. A shock of short brown hair streaked with a few gray strands framed a strongly chiseled face with azure blue eyes and a firm mouth. Waving a thick stack of documents in her right hand, the chief editor of Key Line was obviously agitated. "This is only since yesterday."
"Good morning to you too, Jem," Annelie said, grateful for the interruption. "What's this?"
"E-mails! I'm suddenly getting at least two to three hundred emails every day insisting we use Carolyn Black as Diana Maddox and Helen St. Cyr as her love interest. They're clogging my inbox! I can't work like this."
"Calm down. Let me see." Annelie reached for the documents and began browsing through them. "Oh, my." She read a sample aloud. "I, and every one of my friends who have read the books and listened to the audiobooks, am hoping Carolyn Black will play Diana Maddox in the upcoming movies. After hearing Ms. Black read Maddox's part in the audiobooks, there simply can be no other."
"Amazing, huh?" Jem stated. "How fans can be this devoted and loyal."
Annelie shook her head. "Mind-boggling."
"When will you be seeing Black next?"
"Probably tomorrow. This is a busy week for me, so it'll be the only day I can work from home." Annelie had no plans to mention the audiobook contract termination to her staff, or anyone else, until after the upcoming convention, so she smoothly changed the topic, "Speaking of which, you're not bailing on the luncheon at my house Friday, are you?"
"Of course not! It'll be fun. Did Kitty manage to change her ticket? I'm really looking forward to meeting her and Sam after all this time."
Annelie laughed quietly. "Yes, after nearly strangling me for changing the dates. She'd bought tickets to fly in just after the weekend, and then when I e-mailed her, asking her to come earlier, she had a fit. Only the fact she managed to save several hundred dollars saved my neck."
"Will she be here for the convention too?"
"Yes, she and Sam decided to extend their vacation since they haven't really taken one for the past two years."
Jem nodded, looking pleased. "Good. Maybe we can spend some time with them after the convention."
Annelie agreed.
"I guess I'll go work on a standard reply to the Maddox fans. There's no way I can correspond with them individually." Jem waved, jumped off the chair, and left.
Alone with her thoughts, Annelie sat down at her computer and opened her desk drawer. Glancing down at the envelope with the photos she'd left on top, she sighed inaudibly. Carolyn looked absolutely wonderful in the pictures, almost as irresistible as in real life. Impatient with the direction her thoughts were taking, Annelie pivoted in her chair and gazed at the ocean again.
It was obvious the actress had a large following. Numerous Web sites were dedicated to her long before the audiobooks—now there were hundreds more. Annelie reached under her hair, rubbing at the tension in her neck.
Audiences were only faithful to a degree. If the actress they chose for the Maddox role did her job right, Carolyn Black would soon be forgotten by this part of her fan base, especially if the audiobooks were discontinued in their present form.
She's the one I always saw as Diana Maddox. Annelie made the acknowledgment uneasily. For her, Carolyn was perfect as the headstrong, daring criminal investigator. However, she had to set her personal bias aside and listen to the show business expertise. So far, the marketing experts had suggested three different names of actresses they deemed more suitable than Carolyn—younger, edgier, and less glamorous, definitely less glamorous.