Page 41 of Bling

“Give me just a minute please,” he said as he pulled out his phone and began typing.

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of a monstrous jet.

“Here we are, Miss Alvarado,” he said with a wink.

On the plane, Garrett pulled out a tablet and set it in front of her. “I’m connecting you with a woman who trains celebrities on how to handle cameras and the red carpet. It didn’t occur to me before now to get you some expert advice. I apologize.”

Isabelle looked at him, bewildered.

“First lesson is to keep either a very neutral expression or a smile on your face at all times, Miss Alvarado.”

Isabelle jerked her head down to see a stern-looking woman with an air of sophistication looking back at her.

“If you show fear, confusion, or any other negative emotion, the cameras will pick up on it, and the reporters and paparazzi will devour you for lunch. We don’t want that. Pay careful attention because we have less than two hours to get you ready. Honestly, Garrett, you should be ashamed of yourself, dumping this poor girl in the deep end like this.”

Isabelle’s eyes went wide. Was it really going to be that bad?

The woman sighed. “I’m sorry, dear. I’m scaring you. It’s really not that bad, and if you didn’t have it in you, you wouldn’t be working for the likes of Garrett Oliver, so let’s get started, shall we?”

• • •

Garrett gripped Isabelle’s hand as they rode in the limo from the airport to the convention center. The woman he’d hired to coach her through her first red carpet had done a lot to put her at ease, but he could still sense her nervousness.

“You’re going to do fine.”

She gave him a tense nod.

“We’re here, Sir,” his driver said. “Looks like four cars ahead of us.”

Garrett gave his driver a nod and slid his hand from Isabelle’s grasp so he could wrap his arm around her.

It was fifteen minutes before it was their turn to step out and make the lengthy walk. Compared to Hollywood events, the red carpet here was relatively short, but it would still take another ten minutes for them to get inside and away from the cameras.

He held his hand out for Isabelle and helped her from the car. He could feel her shaking as he tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and let his face go neutral. Immediately, the cameras turned their attention to him, and reporters shouted questions. One of a select group of reporters chosen to be on the carpet conducting official interviews stopped them, but he politely told her he wasn’t taking questions tonight.

At the photo wall, photographers called for them to turn this way and that, and they dutifully complied.

“Mr. Oliver, is it true you’re considering mass layoffs within your company? How can the president count on you as an economic advisor when your own house isn’t in order?”

Beside him, he felt Isabelle stiffen. He’d walked the carpet enough to know how to pretend he didn’t hear a question, so he did just that and listened for another reporter he could respond to.

“Who is your date wearing?” someone shouted.

“It’s made by the incomparable Jasmine Darlington,” he said with a smile. “Isn’t she gorgeous?” Without warning, he leaned in close to Isabelle who was facing him and pressed a kiss to her lips.

A gasp escaped her as their lips connected, but Isabelle played along and returned his kiss as cameras flashed. The kiss worked and reporters began shouting questions about who his date was. Instead of answering anymore, he gave a curt nod to the staffer controlling traffic on the carpet and someone escorted them from the photo wall into the lobby where no cameras were allowed.

“You used me to get out of answering that question,” Isabelle accused.

He thought about playing dumb but knew he wouldn’t get away with it. “That wasn’t my intention. But answering that question would have led to a dozen others as would not answering anything at all. It’s better not to get into it with the press out there so I answered something harmless that I knew would take their minds off of it for a minute.”

“Is it true? Are you still considering mass layoffs?” she asked.

Garrett shook his head. “Absolutely not. I’m not even sure where that information would have come from, which is why I didn’t want to answer it.”

She huffed. “Well, I don’t like being used.”

“That’s not what you said this weekend.” He knew it was a mistake as soon as the words were out.

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