Charlotte Bennardo - Blonde Ops A Novel

I chuckled. “Although Candace put Kevin in his place.”

Sophie punched my arm. “ Ms. Worthington!”

“Candace, Ms. Worthington, who cares?”

“Do you live under a rock? That’s Candace Worthington. Supermodel? Reality show host?”

Then it clicked.

Oh yeah.

Former supermodel. The bitchy cohost of such quality TV viewing as You Want Me to Wear That? And, Did You Get Dressed in the Dark? Oh yeah. And the star of that scandal when she flipped out on a designer boutique owner who tried to sell her an imitation bag. She brought TV cameras, cops, and state and federal investigators and ended up uncovering a multibillion dollar counterfeiting operation. No one crossed her.

And now she was my new boss.

No.

No no no ! No buona fortuna!

“This really isn’t going to be good,” I said.

Sophie gave me a slow, sad nod. “You bet your Gucci.”

TRICKS AND TIPS FOR THE EDGE-Y GIRL

Even if you’re clawing your way up the corporate ladder, your business suit needs some glam: a pin, a scarf, a sparkling top, a vibrant color. Fight like a man, but look like a woman!

6

When Kevin emerged from Candace’s—no, Parker’s—office, he was dazzled and frazzled—and called me over with a finger snap

“Candace wants you to go to the hotel with agents Ortiz, Nelson, and Case, and show them where her room is, and then—”

“I don’t know where Candace’s room is,” I cut him off. I didn’t—and no one snapped their fingers at me.

“ Candace is staying in Parker’s suite. Candace is in charge of Edge . Candace is now your boss, so you’d best make her happy.”

Candace had better not think she was going to be both boss and guardian. Not. Happening.

“What about Parker?”

Kevin’s arrogant face went soft with worry. “She’s still in the hospital.”

“Which one?” I demanded.

Back came the sneer. “Candace didn’t say.”

Candace had all the answers, didn’t she? Except the ones that I wanted. Mom and Dad would have something to say about this—I didn’t care how busy they were. I opened my mouth to protest, but Kevin had already waved over Ortiz and Nelson and the new Suit, Case.

I’d play along for now, but as soon as I got a second alone, Mom was getting an SOS call.

Varon stood close by, looking absolutely perfect; not a hair mussed, nor a wrinkle in his perfectly coordinated ensemble, not even a shiny nose although it was warm.

“You coming too?” I asked him.

A patronizing smile. “Ms. Worthington needs me here,” he said, as if I should have known better than to ask.

So much for trying to be friendly. Or helpful. As soon as I deposited the Skulking Suits at the Hotel Beatrici, they’d be on their own.

We drove the short distance in silence. When we pulled up, three porters hurried down to the car. They struggled to unload Candace’s luggage—a dozen blood-red leather cases of varying sizes, each piece monogrammed with an oversized cream-colored C and secured with shiny gold locks. I watched them steer their unwieldy carts up a side ramp and into the lobby.

Case checked in at the desk while I waited off to the side, sneaking surreptitious looks at Ortiz and Nelson. Ortiz looked like she was in pretty rough shape. I guessed that she’d been driving the car. That meant that Parker was on the passenger side—the “Death Seat,” my driver’s ed teacher called it. Ortiz caught me looking at her and the corners of her mouth twitched, like she was fighting a small smile.

Finished with the concierge, Case motioned us over, but when I tried to follow, he held up a hand. “You can go back to the office. We’re good on our own from here.”

“You sure?” Not that I was really interested in helping them, but if Candace and I were sharing a suite and they were moving her in, I didn’t want them touching any of my stuff.

“We’re good,” he said. “We need to clear the area for Mrs. Jennings’s arrival. No one who isn’t personally approved by us gets inside the perimeter.”

Perimeter, checkpoints, surveillance—lots of security. I understood that. Theresa Jennings was the First Lady, and Parker, who was supposed to be hosting her, had been in an accident. That didn’t look good. Still, my room was up there and I wasn’t an outsider. “But—”

Case frowned so fiercely his eyebrows disappeared below his shades and the fight went out of me. I’d bide my time. I still had to locate Parker and tell Mom what happened. I’d never responded to her e-mail. As I left the hotel, I tapped her number into my new phone.

Ring … ring …

“Cici Jackson, leave me a message…”

Leave a message? Why wasn’t her ear glued to the phone like it always was whenever I saw her? What should I say?

Hey Mom, Parker got into a car accident. Have you heard from her? Because I haven’t. I know I promised no hacking, but I may need to break that promise to find out what’s going on. But no worries. Candace Worthington is looking after me. You know, Candace- You-Want-Me-to-Wear-That? Worthington. You must have seen her on TV once or twice. Well, gotta run! Have to escort the Secret Service around Rome! Ciao!

Nope. That wasn’t voice mail or text message material.

“Hey, Mom! Got your e-mail, my new number should show up on your phone. Call me when you have a sec!”

End call.

Around the city, bells tolled. It was noon and I was starved. I passed shop after shop, searching for a place to snag some food, ducking into what looked like a deli.

When it was my turn to order at the counter, I pulled out my wallet, still full of American dollars. Damn. I hadn’t exchanged them for euros yet. Looking up into the eyes of a rotund man with a kindly face I held up a $20.

“No euros,” I said. God, did I sound pathetic.

“ Si. Dollars.”

Yep, those were American dollars. One last, longing look at the scrumptious buffet behind the counter, then dropping my head down in disappointment, I turned to go, but he tapped the glass with his huge fingers to get my attention.

“What you want, bella ?”

My stomach growled, not afraid to embarrass me. “Um…” I scanned the case and pointed to a puffy, shiny topped bun.

He nodded. “ Carla! Una brioche! ”

Carla bustled behind him and handed him a small cup and the brioche, nestled in waxed paper. She’d split it in half and stuffed it with something that looked like ice cream.

Reaching under the counter, pulled two small cookies from the showcase and stuck them into the ice cream. It was almost too pretty to eat. Seeing my surprise, he put a finger to his lips.

“Shhh!” He winked at me, handing over the bounty.

“ Grazie! ”

As I walked, I savored first the delicate crumble of the cookies as they melted on my tongue, then the ice cream as it burst out of the flaky brioche. I licked my fingers, not wanting to waste a precious morsel.

My sweet reprieve didn’t last long. When I got back to the office, it was as if I’d stepped into one of the lower circles of hell. My pit stop had given Case ample time to get back ahead of me, and now he had everyone in the office lined up.

Kevin saw me, scowled, and gave me a dressing-down glare. “And where have you been?”

“I was at the hotel with Ortiz, Nelson, and Case, remember?” Well, I was . I didn’t think that stopping to eat counted as blowing off work. Just because the majority of the staff counted every calorie didn’t mean I was going to follow their example. I smiled sweetly and directed my attention to Case. At least I knew his attitude came from being official.