Thanks. And then, hating herself for it, she added, I'm sorry you won't be there.

You'll have fun anyway. I guess Alan Carr is a better date for that kind of thing than I am. At least he knows who he's talking to. I don't. Just make sure he behaves, and tell him you're my girl, Allie. No funny stuff, he said, and she smiled, faintly mollified again. He meant well, and he loved her, he just didn't get how important the awards ceremonies were to her. They were her life, they were important to her family, and to her business.

I'll miss you. And just for the record, I'd rather be going with you than Alan.

I'll try to make it next year, baby, I promise. He even sounded as though he meant it.

All right, she said, wishing he were there in bed with her. At least that was one area where she never felt the differences, but only the similarities, between them. Sexually, they got on extremely well. And eventually, the rest would probably smooth out too. Divorces were never easy. Have a nice time with the girls, sweetheart. And tell them I miss them.

I will. Talk to you tomorrow. I'll look for you on the news tonight. But she laughed at him. She'd be the last person he'd see. She wasn't a nominee, or a presenter, she was just one of the insignificant masses as far as the news cameras were concerned, unless they caught a glimpse of her as one of her parents won, or maybe Carmen. But they narrowed in pretty tight for the shots of the winners. The only thing that might attract attention to her was being Alan Carr's date, but as a relative unknown, she doubted if even that would get her on camera. She seriously doubted that Brandon would see her.

They hung up after that, and she felt better after talking to him. Sometimes he just didn't understand her milieu, and he'd been slow at sorting his life out, but he was a great guy, and she was always having to explain to everyone that she really loved him. It was a shame they didn't see his virtues as clearly as she did.

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.

Just watching it seemed to terrify Carmen Connors. She had been to the Golden Globes the year before, but this year, as one of the nominees, she knew that the press would be even more anxious to devour her. And having had a death threat only the night before, she was even more unnerved by the attention and the crowds and the cameras.

Are you okay? Allegra asked her, looking motherly.

I'm fine, she said in barely more than a whisper.

Let Bill and me get out first, Gayle explained, then Michael, and then you. We'll be between you and the cameras at first, she said calmly, exuding a sense of protection just in the way she said it.

We'll bring up the rear, Allegra reassured her, but she also knew that the attention on Alan would be extreme. It might deflect some of the attention from Carmen, but it would attract more reporters to them too. There was simply no way of avoiding the press here. There were hundreds of people waiting for them, possibly as many as a thousand. We're right here, Carmen. You just have to get inside the hall. After that you'll be fine. There were plenty of other stars there to distract them, Allegra reminded her gently.

You'll get used to it, kid, Alan said, gently touching Carmen's arm. There was a sweetness to her that he liked, and a vulnerability he hadn't seen in years, but that had great appeal to him. Most of the actresses he knew were pretty hardened.

I don't think I'll ever get used to it, Carmen said softly, looking up at him with big gentle blue eyes, and he almost wanted to put his arms around her, except that he knew he'd have shocked her.

You'll be okay, Alan said calmly. Nothing's going to happen to you. I get those threats all the time. They're just nuts. They never follow through. He said it with complete confidence, which was not exactly what the FBI had said that afternoon. They said most of the threats that were acted on were usually preceded by some kind of explanation, like the one she'd gotten in the mail: the belief that she was cheating on this man, and that she owed something to him, although she was sure that she didn't even know him. They agreed with Alan that most threats were simply a weak cry from confused, ineffective people, but there was always the rare one who did what he promised to, and caused a real disaster. The police and the FBI had both recommended that she be careful for a while, and try to stay away from advertised or expected appearances, or highly public places. Tonight's appearance was exactly what she shouldn't do, but on the other hand, going to the Golden Globe Awards was part of her business, and she knew that. She was trying to make the best of it, but Allegra could see that she was scared stiff, as Carmen reached unconsciously for Alan's hand and squeezed it, although she scarcely knew him. I'm right here, he said quietly, holding her arm, and helping her out to Bill and Gayle, her bodyguards, and Michael, waiting for her on the sidewalk. Alan never took his eyes off her, nor did Allegra. The effect was almost instantaneous as a hundred reporters lunged toward her and the crowd began screaming her name at the top of their voices. Allegra had never seen anything like it. It was almost like a wave that seized them, as they looked at her, and she and Alan both found themselves wondering when the last time was that Hollywood had produced a star with as much charisma as Carmen.