Danielle Steel - the Wedding (2000)

She got up and put a pot of coffee on, and then she called the police, the FBI, the security firm that covered Carmen's house, and eventually she met with all of them at Carmen's, and Allegra was satisfied that everything possible was being done to protect her. She had contacted both of her favorite bodyguards, Bill Frank and Gayle Watels, who had retired from the LAPD SWAT team, and fortunately both of them were free and had agreed to work with Carmen for a while. They were going to the awards ceremony with her that night, and Carmen was relieved to know she'd be so well protected. Allegra had sent Gayle to Fred Hayman for a dress, which was no easy task, since it had to conceal her holster, and all of her weapons. But the ladies at Fred Hayman were used to unusual assignments.

Allegra managed to get home at four-fifteen, while the hairdresser and makeup artist worked with Carmen, and she barely had time to shower and do her own hair, and slip into the long, slinky black dress she had bought to wear for the occasion. It was quiet and discreet, but beautifully cut and very striking. It had been designed by Ferre, and had a fabulous white organdy coat covering it, and she wore the pearl and diamond earrings her father had bought her for her twenty-fifth birthday. Her long, silky blond hair was piled high on her head, in gently cascading rolls and curls, and she looked sexy and sensuous when Alan Carr arrived, looking breathtaking in a new Armani tuxedo. He was wearing a white silk shirt with a narrow collar and no tie, and his dark hair was slicked back. He looked even better than he had in his last half dozen pictures.

Wow! he said, before she could say the same. She had a slit in her dress all the way up one leg that revealed a pair of black lacy stockings, and she was wearing high-heeled black satin sandals. Am I supposed to behave myself with you looking like that? he asked, pretending to be incredulous, and she laughed as she kissed him. He could smell her perfume on her neck and in her hair, and as he had before, he asked himself why he had never tried to rekindle their old flame in recent years. He was beginning to think their time had come again, and to hell with Brandon Edwards.

Thank you, sir. You look very handsome yourself, she said, admiring him with genuine affection. You really do look good, you know.

You're not supposed to look so surprised, he said, chuckling. It's not polite.

I just forget how good-looking you are sometimes. I kind of think of you the way I do Scott you know, just a big kid, in ripped jeans and dirty sneakers.

You're breaking my heart. Just shut up. I love the way you look, he said admiringly, his voice suddenly soft, his eyes filled with something she hadn't seen since they were fourteen, and she knew she wasn't ready to see again. She just pretended not to notice. Shall we go? he asked, as she picked up a small black evening bag with a pearl-and-rhinestone clasp. Everything about the way she looked was perfect. And they made a staggeringly handsome couple. She also knew that being with him meant that they would be constantly hounded by the press. They would want to know who she was, and whether or not to start a flood of new rumors about his love life.

I told Carmen we'd pick her up, Allegra explained to him as they left and walked out to the waiting limo. It was a stretch, and she had no doubt they'd all fit. Alan leased it, with the driver, on a yearly basis. It was part of his current contract. Is that all right?

I guess. I'm not nominated tonight, so I'm in no hurry to get there. Hell, maybe you and I should just take off and go somewhere else. You look too good to waste on all those clods, and all those assholes from the tabloids.

Now, now, be a good boy, she scolded him, and he kissed her neck, but it was only playful.

See how well behaved I am, never mess a girl's hair. I've been trained by experts. He looked extremely handsome as he handed her into the car, and she smiled as he slid in beside her.

You know, half the women in America would give their right arms, and their left, to be sitting here next to you. I really am a lucky girl, aren't I? She grinned and he laughed, and had the grace to look embarrassed.

Don't be a jerk, Al. I'm a lucky guy. You really look great tonight.

Wait till you meet Carmen. She's absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.

She can't hold a candle to you, my friend, he said gallantly, but they both looked stunned when they reached her house and Carmen stepped into the driveway. She was flanked on either side by the bodyguards Allegra had hired for her. Bill looked like a wall in a tuxedo, and Gayle looked deceptively demure in a very good-looking bronze sequined dress that set off her coppery hair and her figure, and the matching jacket completely concealed both guns she was wearing, a Walther PPK .380 and a Derringer .38 Special. But it was Carmen who took their breath away and literally shocked Alan into silence. She was wearing a skintight red peau de soie dress with a high neck, long sleeves, and it showed off every inch of her flawless figure. Like Allegra's, it had a high slit, which showed off her legendary legs, and when she turned, there appeared to be almost no back to the dress, and you could see her creamy skin all the way to her shapely bottom. Her silvery-blond hair was pulled straight back into an elegant bun, and she not only looked incredibly sexy, but she also managed to look somewhat distinguished. She looked like a very sexy version of a very young Grace Kelly.

Wow! Allegra said for both of them. You look fabulous.

Do you like it? Carmen looked like a kid as she grinned at them, and she was mortified when she blushed as Allegra introduced her to Alan. I'm really honored to meet you, she said, almost choking on her words, and he shook her hand and assured her that he had always wanted to meet her too. He said that Allegra had said nothing but nice things about her, and Carmen smiled up at her attorney with gratitude and pleasure. I guess she lied to you then. I'm a big pain in the neck sometimes, she grinned and they all laughed.

It's the nature of the business, Alan excused her easily as the two bodyguards took the seats facing them, on either side of the television set and the bar. Allegra nicked on the TV as they drove away, so they could see who was arriving at the awards, and just before they arrived, she saw her parents. Her mother was wearing a dark green velvet dress and she looked very pretty as the Steinbergs smiled at the reporters. The announcer explained who they were to the viewers at home, just as the limousine stopped at Michael Guiness's apartment. He was waiting for them and he hurried out, greeted everyone, and jumped into the front seat next to the driver. He and Alan had worked on a picture once, and Allegra introduced him to Carmen and her bodyguards, as they took off toward the Hilton.

I've never been to the Golden Globes before, Michael said, excited to be going with them. He was scarcely older than Carmen, but less sophisticated, and a lot less of a name than she was. In some ways, Allegra thought to herself, Carmen should have been Alan's date. But that would have been a story the tabloids would go wild with.

As they approached the Hilton, they got into the long line of limousines, waiting to disgorge their glittering passengers, like little bits of sparkling bait set out to excite the sharks patrolling the waters. Hundreds of reporters were lined up four or five deep, holding cameras, and extending microphones and tape recorders, trying to get just a moment, a glimpse, a word, with an important person. And inside, the crowds were even worse, there reporters and cameramen had been allowed to set up small areas in which to interview the nominees or any publicity hungry actor or actress who would give them a few minutes. And beyond them were lines of fans, banked against the walls, until the enormous lobby shrank to a tiny trail allowing people to trickle through to the grand ballroom. And once inside, there was every major and minor television and movie star anyone had ever seen, read or heard about. It was an extraordinary group, and even among the fans outside, there was an atmosphere of wild anticipation. As each limousine drew up, and a new face appeared, fans screamed their names or cheered, and dozens of reporters lunged forward in the light of a hundred flashing cameras.