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Odelia had put her suitcase on the bed and had been in the process of unpacking but that would have to wait until later. First dinner, and hopefully meeting some of the people that had arrived after they had. In fact she couldn’t wait to meet them all. Emerald had been part of the welcoming committee, along with her husband Pete, but they hadn’t seen the others yet.

“So how do I look?” asked Chase as he paraded in front of her.

She lifted an eyebrow.“I thought you didn’t care what people thought of you?”

“Well, I care a little,” he said with a grin.

He’d donned an ivory dinner jacket, blue twill shirt with invisible stripe, purple tie with little pink fishes and his best chestnut brogues.

“You look very Hollywood,” she said.

He struck a pose.“Hey. That’s what we’re all here for.”

She studied herself in the mirror. She’d decided to wear her little black dress with her favorite black pumps. When in doubt, black never fails.

“How about me?” she asked as she twirled around.

“In a word: stunning,” he said as he studied her with abject admiration.

“Don’t you think I overdid it on the mascara?”

“Honey, there’s no such thing as too much mascara.”

“You don’t know what mascara is, do you?”

“Not a clue.”

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek.“You’re adorable.”

She clutched her faux Louis Vuitton clutch under her arm, and headed for the door, but Chase blocked her with a wolfish grin.“We still have time.”

She laughed a throaty laugh, placed a finger on his chest and pushed.“Later, gator. Wouldn’t want to be late for Emerald’s dinner party, would we?”

“How about a little late?” he said huskily.

She tsk-tsked gently and whispered,“Later you can take all of this…” She gestured to the little black dress. “… off.”

“Can’t wait,” he growled.

The moment they walked out into the hall, doors to the left and right of them disgorged more participants for Emerald’s weekend getaway. To her left, Odelia recognized the gorgeous Kimberlee Cruz and a young man with a buzz cut who presumably was her boyfriend. To the right the always elegant Alina Isman emerged from her room, a swish in her step and a regal expression on her face, accompanied by the famous Reinhart Berg?, the rock star.

Oh, boy, Odelia thought, before taking a deep breath, plastering her best smile onto her face, and greeting first Alina and then Kimberlee. Introductions were exchanged, and the men flocked together while the women did the same.

“So a reporter, huh?” said Alina. “I thought Emerald outlawed reporters?”

“She made an exception for my boss, who’s an old friend,” Odelia explained. “But then he couldn’t make it so he sent me—with Emerald’s permission, of course.”

“I just hope you won’t write all kinds of saucy things about us when we’re drunk in the sauna and making fools of ourselves,” said the fifty-something actress with a kittenish laugh.

Alina looked stunning, as usual: her alabaster skin, accentuated by bright red lipstick, and those amazing piercing green eyes. Her long reddish hair framed her face and her slender form was clad in a green chiffon designer dress. In spite of her age, the woman was simply… glowing.

Kimberlee, the youngest, likewise looked amazing. She was a round-faced young woman, only twenty-five, but with the acting chops of a much older person, courtesy of her early start in the business. She was the rising star and had been dubbed the new Emerald—a fact that hadn’t escaped the real Emerald’s attention, who’d even gone so far as to practically hand her crown to Kimberlee in a double interview forVanity Fair last year.

“I think it’s great that you’re here,” said Kimberlee in her trademark raspy voice. “Give us a sense of reality. It’s so easy to get lost in Emerald’s world, as she’s such a superstar, and a reporter present will keep us all from doing silly things like fawn over Queen Emerald and lie at her feet.” She laughed.

“And give away all of our deepest, darkest secrets,” Alina added.

“Frankly I don’t worry about that,” said Kimberlee. “At this point I feel I’ve got nothing to hide—I’ve spilled all of my secrets, deep, dark and otherwise.”

“Oh, have you now,” said Alina, giving her colleague a knowing look.

Kimberlee laughed.“Well, maybe notall of my secrets. A girl has to keep a few up her sleeve, right? Keep the mystery?”

Odelia wondered what those secrets could be. But then she reminded herself she wasn’t here as a representative of theNational Enquirer orStar.

They descended a sweeping marble staircase, Alina’s finely manicured fingers lightly touching the gilt balustrade. On the wall, a life-size portrait of Emerald hung, posing on a throne as if she were the Queen of England.

“Oh, now will you look at that!” Alina exclaimed.

“That wasn’t there last year, was it?” said Kimberlee.

“The Queen of Hollywood. A little presumptuous, don’t you think?”

“Well, she is the Queen, isn’t she?”

“Or was.”

Both women laughed at some joke Odelia wasn’t privy to.

“Don’t mind us,” said Alina quickly, hooking her arm in Odelia’s. “We’re just making fun.”

“Of Emerald?” asked Odelia.