Looking alarmed, he leaned forward. “You can’t walk around the city alone at night. We’ll either go in my car or I’ll walk you.”
She reached for his hand and gave him an affectionate squeeze. “There’s usually a taxi out front. I’ll take one.”
“Is hiding where you live part of the Goth persona?”
“Mystery is part of my allure.” She winked at him and finished her tart. There was a taxi available. He opened the door for her and handed the driver several bills. It was an awkward moment, and when he leaned close to kiss her, she grabbed his shoulders and kissed him with the same passion she’d shown that afternoon. “I’ll call you as soon as I come home from Mallorca.”
She entered the taxi and pulled the door closed before Alejandro could respond. “Please turn at the corner. I only live a few blocks away, but we can take the long way.” She didn’t know what type of car Alejandro owned, but no one followed. She’d definitely call him, although she was torn about what to say. He’d soon expect to learn her last name and where she lived. She couldn’t blame him if he felt he’d been tricked. But if she hadn’t been hiding her identity, they’d never have met, and it was so nice to escape the tedious fame that brought out all the paparazzi leeches. Maybe a trip to Mallorca would be all she’d need to find a way to set everything right.
Fatima let herself into Ana’s condo on Monday morning. She went into the kitchen, set down her shopping bag and tied on her apron. “Are you here, Ana?”
Ana met her with the kittens in hand. “Good morning. Do you like cats?”
Fatima took a step back. “Not really, but it looks as though they’re already here.” She was old enough to be Ana’s mother and behaved more like a favorite aunt than an employee.
Ana put the kittens down, and they raced away. “I put their cat box and food and water in the guest bathroom. I’ll shut them in there so they won’t be in your way. If I can catch them.”
Fatima heated water for tea and opened the refrigerator to store the fresh fruits and vegetables she’d bought that morning. “That’s a good idea. The vacuum cleaner will probably terrify them.”
Ana tightened the belt on her robe and leaned back against the counter. “How was your vacation?”
“It was good. Bruno is happy as long as he can fish, but my sister and her family always have problems, and I can’t help them when they ignore my advice. We stayed only a couple of days with them, thank goodness. It was a good trip though. I found some new ways to prepare fish.”
Ana had always found Fatima’s advice valuable, even if her own sister didn’t. “I could use some advice too.” She told her about the presents that kept arriving. “I can’t imagine who it is.”
“Sounds as though someone’s fallen in love with you.” Fatima took a new sponge from the drawer and wet it to wipe the tile counters.
“It would be nice if it were someone I’d met, rather than someone who’s fixated on a cologne ad from a billboard.”
“You meet people all the time. Maybe you quickly forgot him, and he’s too shy to sign his name.” She rinsed the sponge. “I don’t see a single stray crumb. Didn’t you cook anything for yourself while I was away?”
“Some soup, I think. I ate out and bought salads to bring home. Now I need to catch the cats and get dressed.”
“Just leave them for now. They aren’t causing any trouble yet.”
“Not yet,” Ana echoed. She needed a lot more advice on what she should do with Alejandro, but she hated to admit how much trouble she’d gotten herself into on her own.
Paul Perez had been Ana’s agent for several years, and while he worked diligently to guide her career, she was often a step ahead of him, and his usual impish smile was absent that day. “You should have told me about Ignacio Belmonte’s interest in you before the contract arrived in the mail.”
She smoothed her short skirt over her knees. “I doubt anything will come of it.”
“Well, I don’t. Belmonte seems sincere. Do you realize what starring in an Almodóvar film would do for your career?”
“It’s a small part with only a few lines, and Belmonte plans to hide who I am, so how’s that going to help me?”
Paul left his desk to walk to the window flooding his handsomely furnished office with morning light. At five-seven, he had to look up at Ana, but he took care never to stand beside her. He was slim with curly dark brown hair, wide-set hazel eyes and a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee. He was always attractively dressed, today in a well-tailored gray suit. People understood he was serious when he spoke, but Ana continually caused him unnecessary stress.
“The part could lead to something more, another film, or a lucrative endorsement contract. You need to look past the present at what might come next. We’re always building, Ana. You must remember that.”
“Yes, Paul, always building, I understand. I’m doing the Galen Salazar’s shoot on Mallorca this week. His last show won a lot of praise, and his new fashions should be equally good.”
“That’s just it!” Paul emphasized. “You can’t rest on merely being ‘equally good’. You must always be better than your last shoot. Acting brings a whole new dimension to your career. We should have pursued this ourselves. Please sign the contract, and I’ll return a copy to Belmonte and keep yours here in our files.”
He sat down and pushed the contract toward her. “You’re twenty-four with maybe another ten years to model. What do you plan to do then, marry and have triplets?”
Ana signed the contract and handed it to him. “I never think about getting married, but I’ll survive, Paul. You needn’t worry about me.”
“I’ll worry anyway. Your affair with Miguel Aragon did wonders for your career.”