Undercover Heat (24 page)

“God damn it, Harvey! Pay attention!”

The foursome huddled in the booth behind him. They talked softly through the sides of their mouths, and eyes darted in every direction. They were up to something. Making plans. And damn it, she was going to find out what.

“How dare that man slap me with a lawsuit." Layla grumbled, drumming her long red nails against her arm. “Libel and slander. Do you know he’s asking for an amount more than the damn settlement itself?”

“You wanted to play dirty.”

“He can’t sue me for selling stories that are true. At least, I don’t think he can.”

“He’s Ty, fucking, Hollister. He can do whatever he wants.”

“Well now it’s about what I want.” She snagged his tie and dragged him halfway across the table, meeting him nose to nose. “Look, money or not, I can still have the satisfaction of wrecking his life. And you’re going to do everything in your power to help me.”

Harvey eyed her in her purple irises. As much as he wanted her, he was beginning to regret working for her. He’d only seen half the money he had coming, he hadn’t gotten laid, and he was sick of waiting around just so he’d have a chance with this macadamia nut. This lean, blonde, tanned, hot macadamia nut. “Okay,” he croaked and freed himself from her grasp. “So what do you wanna do?”

“Now is the time we use the trump card.” She glanced over her shoulder then back at Harvey. “You have to get us into that gala.”

“What? How am I supposed to do that?”

“I have faith in you.” Harvey gulped when he felt her foot wedge itself right in his crotch. Whatever she was doing with her toes, made him way more motivated about the situation. “You game, Harvey?”

“Huh?” he stammered. ‘Um, what, well yeah.”

“Perfect.” She gave him a wicked wink. “Then it’s time for a dramatic conclusion, don’t you thin
k?”

Chapter Sixteen

“How hard can it be to pick out a blue dress?” Carrie mumbled to herself then jumped up on the bed in her Plaza suite. Even from this vantage point, the situation looked hopeless. Discarded dresses, in various shades of blue, covered every available space, and matching shoes had been kicked off in elimination. The bed was the last place she could stand with
out trampling priceless fabric.

An aquamarine number lay neatly across the pillow, still on the hanger. Carrie almost felt sorry for it. It looked short and drafty and not at all her style. It would probably meet the same fate as the rest of them, scattered on the bedroom floor.
Pulling the dress over her head, she waded through the mess to the full-length mirror. She rolled her eyes before peeling it off and tossing it on top of the p
ile.

Nothing like waiting until the last minute.
It had been three hours since she had locked herself in here with a rack-full of wardrobe choices for the big gala, that was now half that amount of time away. At least her search was limited to just one color. In every event since the show’s inception, she had worn blue, or a least a variation. Earl said it symbolized cosmic intervention and fate, which inspired him to write “Undercover Heat’ in the first place. Secretly, she thought he just had a fetish for the color on her. Either way, it didn’t bother her. At this moment, it wasn’t the color that was the problem anyway.

She went back to the rack and pulled out a midnight blue gown that had more fabric than the others put together. Rhinestones adorned the bodice and speckled the full length flowing skirt. She checked the tag and smiled. Oscar de
l
a Rent
a
had always been her favorite designer. She should have tried it on in the first place.

Her skin chilled with cool friction as the elegant fabric slipped over her. It felt light and sexy, and it hugged her in all the right places. Even the zipper cooperated. She breathed a sigh of relief and stepped in front of the mirror.

She turned sideways and studied her profile.
For days, she ping-ponged between incredible delight in a second chance at being a mother and scared to death of the repercussions. Keeping it to herself made it seem almost hypothetical. But now she’d see Ty for the first time since finding out, and the world would be watching. Anxiety over the news won out over her elation. A knock on the bedroom door startled her. “Come in,” she called, and smiled when she saw her fathe
r gazing at her in the doorway.

“Darling,” he said with a chuckle in his voice. “You look like a princess.”

“You think so? I was worried that you’d have a problem with it being strapless.”

“If you had something to cover you, I’d like it even more. But tonight I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. After all, you are the leading lady.”

Carrie turned and looked her father in the eyes. They held a softness that normally wasn’t there. A sense of compassion or understanding that compelled Carrie to take his hand. “Is something wrong?” she asked. “You look like you want to tell me something.”

He looked at her a moment, before sitting down on the bed. His gaze fixed on the floor, and his hands folded in his lap. “Look Carrie Ann, I know how much you’ve been through, and how much you’ve dealt with over the years. I mean your illness and your mother, and of course, him,” he said with a growl. “I just want you to know that I am prou
d of how you pulled through it.
”

“Thank you, Daddy.”

He took a deep breath and lifted his eyes to hers. “I’m proud of you. And it will be a privilege to be by your side tonight.”

Carrie sat down next to him and rested her hand on his shoulder. “It means a lot to me to have you there. Really.”

“I can’t tell you how happy I am, that after tonight this whole nightmare will be over, and we can all go back to our live
s.”

“Yes well-
”

“And we’ll never have to lay eyes on Ty Hollister again.”

“Excuse me,” Lizzie knocked on the doorframe then stepped into the room with a small briefcase in her hand. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No!” Carrie said, pushing herself off the bed.
“Dad and I were just chatting.”

“Wow what a dress!” Lizzie came closer to touch the fabric. “This is beaut
iful. I love the color. It’s so...
blue.”

“That’s supp
osed to be the point, I think.”

“God, and with your hair.” She put her hand over her heart and bit her lip. “I wish Mom could see you right now.”

“Well, I guess I should go try on my tuxedo.” The Deacon kissed them both on the cheeks and headed for the door. “You girls have fun playing dress up.”

Lizzie frowned. “Looks like I missed the best part.”

“Not really
,
” Carrie said. “Most of the zippers wouldn’t even go halfway up.” She went back to the mirror and wound her hair around her fingers. Up was definitely the way to go. She turned left and then right, pulling soft tendrils down her cheek. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Lizzie still staring over her shoulder. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I don’t know.” Her sister shrugged. “I guess I’m just impressed by you. I mean here you are, off to a ball where literally the whole world will be watching your every move. I remember a time when a stubborn zipper sent you on a month long fast. Or to bed for a week. But
here you are. Solid as a rock.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Carrie slid her hand over her gown. Her sister was right. This was a high pressure situation that would have crushed her like bramble had it been five years ago.

“So, you're going to talk to him?”

Carrie moved around Lizzie and grabbed the robe off the bed. If this was another not-so-subtle attempt to pump her for info about Ty, she wasn’t interested. Especially when she had to deal with the rest of the world’s nosiness in a few short h
ours. “Talk to him about what?’

“Oh please,” Lizzie scoffed. “Are you really going to try and pretend our conversation the other day didn’t happen? Are you pregnant or not?”

“Well-
”

“And don’t bother lying about it, because I can already tell.”

“There’s no way you can tell this early!”

“Of course not. That is, unless her sister drags it out of her.” Lizzie propped the pillows against the headboard and plopped down on the bed. “So congratulations are in order?”

The calm in her sister’s eyes made her all the more agitated. Now was not the time or the place. Later, after tonight, she would have this conversation. At this moment, however, she was happy to keep the secret where it was safe. To herself. “Look Lizzie, the woman who’s doing my hair and makeup will be here in a few minutes. I don’t have time for all of this.”

“Fine
.
” Lizzie frowned then maneuvered off the bed. “I should go get ready myself. But first, aren’t you going to open the box?”

“What box?”

“This one.” Lizzie brought the briefcase from the dresser and set it on the bed. “Some guy just delivered it. I think the man with him was a police officer.”

Carrie set the box on the dresser and took a closer look. There were no markings, but she knew from experience that was for safety sake. “It’s probably from Earl. Usually the network arranges to loan expensive jewelry for big-time events.”

“Really?” Lizzie’s eyes opened wide. “Well in that case open it.”

Carrie unfastened the latch and popped the top open. Inside lay a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings.

“Wow!” Lizzie put a hand over her mouth. “I’ve never seen diamonds that big. And all of them put together on two earrings. No wonder they sent a sniper to deliver it.”

Carrie pushed around the velvet fabric looking for an accompanying note. “Earl probably made an arrangement with Harry Winston or something. Was there a card o
r something that came with it?”

“No,” Lizzie said. “Why? Should there be?”

She bit her lip. Unless things had changed in the half decade she’d been out of the loop, the stores always supplied at least a note of appreciation. Not that she needed the gesture, but knowing who to thank would be nice. “Well, it doesn’t matter. Whoever’s gems I’m wearing will step forward a
nd claim them sooner or later.”

“Let’s hope later.” Lizzie held an earring to the lamplight. “I have to admit, this is like Cinderella. Getting dressed up heading to the ball.”

Carrie waited until Lizzie left, before heading into the dressing room to retrieve her suitcase. Inside, tucked under her shoes was a small velvet bag, tightly bound with a draw string. In one hand she held the
earrings
while she freed the necklace from the pouch with the other. A perfect match.

Maybe Earl wasn’t the one she should be thanking.

***

“Wow, look at all those photographers.”

Ty took one last gulp of his bourbon and glanced out the tinted window of the stretch limousine. Stacey leaned across him with her boobs in his lap, and her eyes squinted against the constant camera flashes.

“I told you this would be a circus
,
” Manny mumbled, adjusting the lapels of his tuxedo. “I guess that makes you the ring leader.”

“God, I hope I look okay
,
” Stacey said. “I told my mom to look for me on the entertainment news.” She sat up straight in her seat and smoothed her crimson dress over her. “What do you think guys? Do I do I look okay?”

Ty glanced at the brunette bombshell next to him. The dress looked like someone ran a red paint brush over her, rather than her wearing an actual garment. It barely covered her ass when she sat down. Normally, he wouldn’t mind a woman who did a little advertising, but tonight it only reminded him of how uninterested he really was. “You look great,” he said and winked.

“And you smell incredible,” Manny added over his martini glass.

“Well if you like this, you should
see what I have on underneath.”

Ty raised his brow and glanced at his friend. Stacey was on board with the whole platonic arrangement with him, but that hadn’t stopped her from hitting on Manny since the moment they picked her up. He wasn’t sure if it was attempt to make him jealous, or if she was genuinely interested in the guy. Either way it was highly amusing to watch, and Manny didn’t seem to have any complaints either.

“So what’s the plan when we get out?” Stacey said when they pulled up to the curb. “Pose for the paparazzi? Wave at the fans?”

“And keep moving
,
” Manny warned. “The faster we get inside, the faster we’re out of camera shot.”

The driver opened the car door, unleashing the crowd into a fury of cheers. People screamed and clamored over the velvet ropes, reaching out with pens and papers, and cell phones,
waiting to get their pictures.

“Ty over her
e
!”

“Just one picture!”

“Mar
ry me, Jax Sinclair!”

Flash bulbs lit up the night sky like mid-day, so much so, that Ty was tempted to pull out his tinted Oakley’s. The December chill was replaced with July warmth, thanks to gigantic space heaters so high-end fashion wouldn’t be hidden by pesky winter jackets. People screamed, some even cried. Chanting, running, jumping. Ty had been on a million red carpets, but this was sheer madness. This was
fandom at a most fevered pitch.

“God Damn!” Manny yelled over the hiss of camera shudders. “It’s like the fucking Academy Awards. It’s crazy!”

“Smile and wave, pal
,
” Ty said. “Just smile and wave.” He took Stacey’s hand and guided her between the clumps of guests that had formed along the way. He patted backs and kissed cheeks, the whole time wit
h one eye on the arrivals.

Odds were Earl had put her in a blue dress. He had some sort of weird fetish about it, which Ty tried like hell not to think about. He loved the color on her. There was nothing like peeling it off of her, with her looking at him
with the same color eyes.

“I think, they think we make a good couple
,
” Stacy murmured in his ear. She slid her arm around him and gave him a little hug.

“We cer
tainly look the part don’t we?”

“Hey Ty,” Manny yelled over his shoulder. “Keep moving up the line. Carrie’s limo just pulled up.”

Ty turned toward the white stretch limousine that idled at the curb. The driver walked around and opened the door, while the crowd waited with cameras poised. At first Lizzie emerged with her father and Earl, followed by a tall burly man he assumed was there for security’s sake. Finally, the driver reached back inside, and Carr
ie stepped out onto the carpet.

Just as Ty suspected. A knockout in midnight blue.

The crowd seemed to agree, given the sudden barrage of catcalls. A few over-zealous men lurched forward, pushing the rope to its limits. It took all of Ty’s nerve not to barrel down there and throttle them.