According to many people, Allegra Scott’s life was something most people could only dream about. Daughter to William Scott, CEO and co-founder of Scott Oil Int., and Aurora Di Luca, a former Italian topmodel and actress, Allegra’s life was set out the minute she was born. Being the heiress of her father’s imperium, she was bound to once follow her fathers’ footsteps. Allegra’s childhood was a serie of attending private schools, playing tennis and horseback riding with other children of her status and spending Christmas in Aspen and the summer holidays on the Scott’s mansion down at the Hamptons. When Allegra turned 21, she met the boy who she was destined to marry someday. Calvin Blackwell was the only son of Richard Blackwell, William’s eldest friend and vice president of Scott Oil Int.

Calvin knew the very first moment that he laid eyes on Allegra that she was the one for him. How odd it may sound to you that an 23 year old could possibly knew anything about love, Calvin was very mature for his age and once he was certain about something, or in this case about someone, his opinion was made and would never change.
Calvin invited Allegra to all the well-known high-society polo matches and dined with her twice every week at Matizze, one of the most expensive restaurants in New York. Calvin and Allegra talked about everything on these nights and they shared their first kiss together after they dined there. Since then, their romance started to bloom and Allegra was deeply in love. She admired Calvin for his excellent taste in food and wine, his love for his family and for his analytical mind. Calvin loved Allegra for her natural beauty, her enchanting smile and her fabulous body.

The news of Allegra and Calvin soon reached the ears of both families and from that moment, their two mothers were planning Allegra and Calvin’s wedding step by step. They agreed that this wedding should be thé wedding of the century and forced the two yougsters to see eachother even more. After two years of dating, Calvin proposed to Allegra on the 4th of July at the Hamptons during an evening walk on the beach. Allegra ofcourse said yes and when she had kissed him and hugged him, they went back to the house to announce their engagement. That specific night was the night when Allegra lost her virginty to Calvin. After drinking champagne and toasting on the excellent news, they went upstairs. He had been dying to sleep with Allegra for nearly three years now and his practice with random girls while he was on college sure made him feel very confident.

Obviously, Calvin made sure no one knew anything about his already busy sex life. But with his experience, he showed Allegra how she could please him the most. After their first night together, they couldn’t get enough about eachother and almost every evening they had sex. They sent eachother dirty text messages during the day and when Calvin got home to Allegra’s appartment at night, she already was waiting for him, wearing either a sexy lingerie set or nothing at all. Calvin was extremely pleased to see how much she desired him. It was a boost for his ego to know she was willing to do anything he wanted. He had her right where he wanted her to be and to his satisfaction Allegra never complained.

Yet there were this sporadic moments where Allegra was lying wide awake at night, wondering if there was something bigger waiting for her out there. She loved Calvin deeply and could say he made her happy and took care of her. But it was in Allegra’s nature to be restless. And on lonely moments she wished she’d be a completely different person, living with a completely different person...

Allegra grabbed her black Chanel purse and checked her appearance one last time in the mirror that hung in her office. Since she’d graduated from Columbia University as a Master in Behavorial Psychology, Allegra had worked at Johnson & Johnson, one of the best psychology practices in New York. She loved every minute of her work and always was thrilled when she’d been able to help a patient. Allegra’s office was situated in the left corner of the building and she mostly worked with children and young adults. It was already 06.30 pm and she knew she was late for a special meeting with her boss, Jake Johnson. He had sent her an email where he had said he wanted to discuss further plans with her. Ofcourse, that made Allegra very curious and she noticed that her handpalms were a little bit sweaty on her way to Mr. Johnson’s office. She knocked politely and when she had heard him saying ‘yes’, she entered the white and beige coloured room and close the dark wooden door behind her.

“Allegra, so good to see you again.” Mr Johnson said, taking off his glasses and walking towards her.

“Thank you Mr Johnson, how are you?” Allegra asked, placing herself on a cream coloured leather couch.

“I’m fine, thank you for asking. Now, I do think you’re a bit curious to hear what this is all about?”

Allegra nodded her head in agreement and smiled. Jake Johnson was a brilliant psychologist and she always had seen him as some kind of mentor. She watched him closely as he sat down across her.

“Actually yes, that’s correct. I’ve been searching in my head why you’d want to speak to me but I cannot come up with any good answer.” Allegra admitted.

“Well; let us say I have an offer for you that will look excellent on your professional resumé.”

Allegra shook her head a little bit and waited for Mr. Johnson to proceed.

“Kenneth Crear, a good friend of mine, is looking for a psychologist for a tv show.”

“You want me to work on a televison show?”

“One of his clients, a certain Mr Nick Carter, is trying to bring his very dysfunctional siblings back together. They all suffered from their parents’ divorce, the sins of fame and right now the eldest son is willing to do anything to ha ve a real family again.”

“Nick Carter, as is one of the member’s of the Backstreet Boys?”

Jake Johnson nodded his head and was surprised Allegra knew their music.

“Yes. I immediately thought of you, I sincerely believe you’re the best psychologist I have working here and I want to give you this special opportunity.”

“But...?”

He smiled and knew Allegra all too well.

“But unfortunately, the show is being filmed in Los Angeles, and i honestly can’t tell you know how long it will take to film everything. Kenneth wants you there if any of the Carter kids needs to talk about their emotions.”

“I honestly don’t know what to say. I really would like to do this, but I have a wedding coming up and...”

“I’m aware of that Allegra. So I’d like to ask you to think about this tonight, discuss it with Calvin and your parents. And let me know something tomorrow morning?”

Allegra nodded her head and shook Mr. Johnson hand, a clear sign that this meeting was over. Closing the door behind her, she sighed as she searched for the keys of her black Porsche Cayenne. Allegra sure was excited about the opportunity that Mr. Johnson had given her, but she knew all too well that her fiancé wouldn’t be too pleased about this.

When she was on her way to her elderly house, she called Calvin to see if he was already there, and maybe to find out how he felt about her going to California for at least a couple of months.

“Hello sweetheart. How are you? Are you on your way yet?”

She smiled as she thought about him. He’d be probably sitting on the back porch, drinking a single malt scotch.
“Yes. I believe I’ll be there in about 30 minutes or so. I had this late meeting with my boss.”

“Oh. And what news did he have to say? Are you becoming a partner at Johnson & Johnson?”

“Eh, not exactly. Jake kind of offered me a professional chance I really can’t let go.”

“Really? Oh sweetheart, I’m happy for you? What’s it about?”

“Well, if I accept this, I’ll be helping this celebrity family with their emotional problems. They’re having a television show and I have to be there when they need to have a ‘psych’ talk. And it’s in Los Angeles.”

Allegra waited for Calvin to say something, but he remained silent.”

“Calvin, are you still there?”

“Yes, of course. I just didn’t expect you to fly across the country for something silly like this.”

“It’s not silly, and it will be a major boost for my career. But if you don’t want me to do this, then I’ll politely decline the offer.”

Allegra silently sighed and shook her head. Why did he always have to be so negative about her work? Not to mention the fact he wasn’t keen about Allegra travelling to Los Angeles.

“Look, I’ll be home soon, maybe we can discuss this later tonight.”

Not wanting to continue the conversation by phone, she said goodbye and drove towards her parent’s house. Arriving there, she shut the engine down, and grabbed her purse and her notebook. When Allegra entered the house, she picked up the familiar smell of vanilla cookies, home made by their housemaid Annie. Kissing her father on the check and giving her mother a hug, Allegra sat down next to Calvin and the first course was served immediately. She asked about the out and abouts of her mother and listened to her father and Calvin discuss a problem at work. Allegra still felt the disappointment of her father and thought back on the evening she had turned down the proposal of becoming artistic director at Scott Oil Int. Allegra knew in her heart that one way or the other, she once would follow her father but until now, she just wasn’t ready to do that.

After dinner, she took a bottle of red Romanée Conti wine and two glasses and searched for Calvin in the backyard. She eventually found him sitting at their famous pond, watching Koi fishes swimming around.

“You want a glass of wine too?” Allegra asked, sitting down next to him on the dark wooden bench and he nodded his head.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier on the phone.” He stated firmly.

Allegra grew silent and when she poured the wine into te glasses. It was a cloudless night and Allegra could easily see the stars above them twinkling. She turned her attention back to her future husband and noticed he was watching the same stars too.

“What exactly should you do there in Los Angeles? And where will you live?”

“I just have to be there for this dysfunctional family, providing them with my psychological guidance when they need it. That’s all. And I guess I’ll be staying at daddy’s house there for the time being. When I can go home again, I will. I promise I won’t stay there any longer than needed.”

“I won’t say I’m happy about this but I do know that if I tell you not to do it, you’ll be sad. And that’s not something I want. I want to see you happy honey, so...” His voice trailed off and Allegra was anxious to know what Calvin would say next.

“...so I guess you need to do this. Just promise me you’ll keep in touch with me and with your parents.”

Allegra bursted out in a loud ‘woohoo’ and flew around Calvin’s neck. He held her close while she thanked him for letting her go and heard all of her promises. The happy couple kissed eachother in the moonlight and stayed in the garden for another half hour. Then they returned to the mansion and rejoined Allegra’s parents in the library where Allegra informed them on her next professional challenge. She knew she could always call Dr. Johnson and she whispered into Calvin’s ear that she’d do exactly that.

Searching for her cellphone, a smile grew on her face as Allegra thought about how long it had been since she had last visited Los Angeles. It was one of her favourite cities and she always loved to be there. It was so different than New York, the sun was always shining, you could always wear cute dresses and most importantly, the beach and the ocean were never far away.

“Allegra? Is something wrong?” Dr Johnson spoke and brought Allegra back to reality.

“No no, ofcourse not. I just wanted to say that I’ll be hapy to accept your offer.”

“Really? How wonderful! I’ll call Kenneth right now to tell him you have accepted the offer and we’ll talk about the details tomorrow.”

“That sounds terrific. Thank you again and I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Dr Johnson hung up and Allegra made a little victory dance in the hall. She felt so ready to bring this opportunity to a good end.

The next day, Allegra woke up around 7 am and stepped carefully out of bed, not wanting to wake Calvin just yet. Turning on the shower, the first thoughts that came slipping into her mind were about her new assignment. She was eager to know more about the job and after she had picked out her work outfit for today, a light grey shirtdress with a beige leather belt with matching beige stiletto heel, she quickly dressed herself up, putting on some mat foundation, nude coloured lipstick and deepblack mascara. She picked up her silver Ralph Lauren tote bag and wrote a small letter to Calvin, wishing him a good day and that she’d call him as soon as she knew the specifics about her assignment.

Walking outside, she breathed in the cool morning air and stepped inside her Porsche Cayenne. The drive to the city was unusually quiet compared to other days and she enjoyed listening to Mark Schwaller’s morning radio show ‘Hello New York!’. Allegra parke dher car on her private parking space and walked inside her office around 9 am. Taking some early mailings from her secretary Annie, she sat down into her office chair and went through the mail. A patient of her, Mr. Peterson, had been admitted to a psychological hospital because he was walking naked through his neighbourhood, calling out for God. Allegra made a mental to visit Mr Peterson before she left for LA and after she had spoken to an intern about how to deal with patients becoming physicall, she finally was on her way to Dr Johnson’s office.

Allegra knocked on the door shortly and she heard a loud ‘Yes’. Inhaling deeply, she walked inside and closed the door behind her. Dr Johnson and another man were looking at her and she resisted the urge of running off. Although she was a professional psychologist, Allegra suffered from being watched by people she hardly knew.

“Allegra, please let me introduce you to the man you’ll be working for. Kenneth, this is Allegra Scott, our finest psychologist we have out here.”

Allegra smiled and shook Mr. Crear’s hand. They all sat down and she noticed that Mr. Crear was observing her closely.

“Allegra, Kenneth and I were just finishing up about the specifics of your assignment. But I think it would be better if Kenneth here gives you an up to date on this.”

Allegra nodded her head and turned her body and her attention towards Kenneth Crear. He had sincere brown eyes and gave a very sereen impression.

“Thanks Jake. First, I’d like to see how pleased I am to finally meet you Mrs. Scott. Jake here has told me a lot about you and he and I immediately thought of you when I contacted him about the job.”

Allegra smiled again. “Thank you for that compliment. But I must say Mr Crear, that it’s Ms. Scott, not Mrs Scott.”

Kenneth Crear seemed to be suprised on Allegra’s remark and exchanged a look with Jake Johnson.

“Please forgive me so. Now, how soon can you fly out to LA?”

“As soon as you need me too.”

Kenneth laughed and nodded positively.

“Okay. Then I’d say that you start packing your things, because I have a flight scheduled for you, that leaves New York tonight at 8pm.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

Allegra shook her head and smiled a tiny bit nervously. If she left tonight for LA, she had like a gazillion things to take care off. Packing the most necessary things, seeing her parents, even finding time to catch Calvin at his work.

“Allegra, are you okay?”

“Yeah, sure, I’m fine. Just thinking already on what I needed to do before leaving to LA.”

Kenneth smiled and found her an amazing young woman. Ofcourse he had heard who she was but John had also told him that Allegra wanted to live her life as normally as possible. John believed she was fed up with the many narrow minded rich people that had surrounded Allegra since she was born. Kenneth had once met Allegra’s father and to Kenneth, he seemed a respectable man who must love his daughter deeply. Allegra Scott was charming, sweet and beautiful. A deadly combination for every still single man.

“If this is too soon for you to leave, we can always reschedule you on another flight.”

But Allegra shook her head once more.

“No. I’ll be fine. But I do think I need to take the rest of day off...” She said with a glannce to her boss, who nodded and smiled.

“Here. I’ve made a map that contains tons of information on every member of the Carter family and their background. Do I need to make reservations at a hotel for you?”

“That won’t be necessary, my father owns a house in LA, so I’ll be staying there.”

“Good. I guess everything’s settled then. Ms. Scott, thank you again for willing to ‘guide’ the Carter family through this television show. It means a lot to them.”

Allegra smiled and thanked him too. After saying goodbye to both Kenneth Crear and Dr. Johnson, Allegra left his office and searched for Annie. She found her secretary talking to Peter, another psychologist who worked for Dr. Johnson. Annie gave her the impression that Annie was interested in everything Peter said, which was quite amusing.

“Annie? If you don’t mind, there are some important things I’d like to discuss with you.”

Allegra said and tossed both of them a smile. Annie’s cheeks immdiately flustered pink and Peter just nodded his head, walking away promptly.

Sitting down again in her chair, Allegra invited Annie to sit down as well.

“This evening I’ll be leaving for Los Angeles for quite some time.”

“Oh, yes, I had heard a rumor you were asked to work with a celebrity.”

“Really?” Allegra frowned her eyebrows. How rumors could fly so easily...

“Anyway, I won’t have time to check up on Mr Peterson, so I’d like you to go with Peter to see how he’s doing and to inform him why I’m not here. Next, I need you to cancel all my appointments and meetings. Don’t give my phone number to anyone, I expect to be pretty busy in LA. Thirdly,” she noticed Annie scribling everything down she said, “I want you to order a car that will be waiting for me when I arrive there. I leave here at 8pm so I’m going to be in LA at 5pm today.”

Pausing for a minute, Allegra thought of anything else that mattered.

“I guess that’s it. By the way, I had no idea you liked Mr. Wilkins.”

Annie’s cheeks flustered pink once again and Allegra laughed.

“I think it’s wonderful Annie. I really think you’d make a great couple.”

Annie’s eyes lit up and after she’d wished Allegra a safe flight, she left Allegra’s office.

Most of the afternoon consisted out of packing some clothes, purses, shoes and her toiletry. She had called her parents and her mother had promised she’d fly over in two weeks. Without any luck, she tried to call Calvin up at work, but he was always in meeting, or away.

Allegra had left five messages for him and had sent him a little gift, hoping that it would satisfy him a bit. When it was nearly five o’ clock, she closed her appartment door behind her and went downstairs with her private elevator. A white XL limousine was waiting outside and the bellboy quickly tucked her luggage away in the trunk. She stepped inside the car and on her way to JFK’ airport, she quickly made a few more work related call to Annie, Peter Wilkins and a befriended psychiatrist at Memorial Hospital.

At the airport, she checked in and after walking through the tax free shops, which bored her quickly enough, Allegra ordered a bottle of Voss mineral water and a pasta salad. She’d figured she’d would be exhausted once she arrived at the Scott’s LA mansion and knowing she would face some long weeks, a goodnight sleep would do her good. Around seven thirty, Allegra could finally go on board of the plane and once she was settled in her business seat, she tucked up the map Kenneth Crear had given her. She was curious to read about her future patients’s history and never noticed the plane taking off.

To her first impression, Leslie Carter seemed to be the one who would need her help mostly. All the other Carter kids somehow had managed to saty in touch with eachother, but according to the files, Leslie lived in Canada for over three years now, without any family contact. Allegra could only imagine how lonely she’d been over the years.

Next, there were the twins, Angel and Aaron. Both aged 20, they were the youngest member sof the family and as far as Allegra could tell from the reports in front of her, they really didn’t had any heavy issues going on. Allegra supposed it would be easy to work with them.

The two eldest Carter kids, respectively BJ (short for Bobbie Jean) and Nickolas (known as Nick) seemed to be most alike. From the moment she read Nick’s file, she knew that he was in some serious trouble. His DUI arrest, hurricane relationships with models and socialites, not being able to control his temper, boy, Allegra would have her hands full on this one.

BJ was the one who would need Allegra’s even more than Leslie. She read Nick’s description of BJ’s character and it was no suprise to her that she could not forget the day her parents had split up. Accordingg to copies of several law files, the divorce between Robert and Jane Carter had been ugly as hell. Jane, not the world’s leading role mother, had reacted on her inner pain by assaulting Robert’s new girlfriend and even ran off with a lot of money Aaron had earned with his music and performances.

Allegra’s mind was spinning around with every piece of information she had of the Carter clan until now and she was happy when she finally set foot on Californian grounds. As expected, a limousine was waiting for her right outside the arrival terminal and once she had collected her luggage, Allegra happily stepped inside, laying her head down on the cool leather. She put her cellphone back on but there still was no word at all from Calvin, which meant he either was furious she had left so soon or he was already fallen asleep.

Little did she know that Calvin was actually at a stripclub with friends, enjoying the curves of his favourite stripper Candy. He was happy that Allegra was out of sight, it meant that he could have random sex with either Candy or his personal assistant Petra, a former Russian model that somehow had made it to being his PA. Calvin loved Allegra, but he missed the craziness he had with his mistresses and so he could and would not ever give up on that.

Arriving at the mansion at last, she let her bags fall down on the floor and breathed in the familiar smell of lavender and vanilla. She quickly did a check up on teh house and after she had changed into a dark blue pair of shorts and a white tank top, she sat down on a teak chair nearby the pool. She could see the lights of the city beneath her and sometimes even heard the cars passing by on Sunset Boulevard.

A glass of Chardonnay in her hand, she made a promise to herself that night that, no matter what, she would enjoy this time alone and that she’d try as hard as she could to discover her identity. To LA, she was just another shrink, and not Allegra Scott, desirable heiress to a phenomenal fortune.

Allegra slept through the entire night and woke up at 10 am on Saturday. She was grateful that she had arrived on a Friday, which meant she had two days for shopping, relaxing in the sun, planning her wedding and maybe even find some time to meet up with Kenneth Crear. Not wanting to get out of bed just yet, she turned her body around so she was lying on her stomach and listened to the birds outside. It felt so good to be here, even though she had a hectic schedule to follow both on professional and privat level, she remembered she really had to call the wedding planner her soon to be mother-in-law had hired.

If it had been Allegra’s choice, she would’ve done everything by herself, but Mrs. Blackwell was a true nosey parker and she had expressed how Allegra really needed to have a wedding planner. And the wedding planner Mrs. Blackwell had picked out, was one of kind. Joan Kindle was a woman who couldn’t accept ‘no’ for an answer, even though Allegra totally disagreed with her opinion. Groaning about that unpleasant vision, she stepped out of bed and put on a robe. Grabbing her cell with her downstairs, she dialed Joan Kindle’s number and set her phone on the counter.

“Allegra Scott! It’s about time you contact me!” Joan’s high voice screamed through the phone and through Allegra’s mind.

“Hi Joan. I’m sorry. I’ve just been really busy. I just wanted to let you know I’m in LA right now.”

“In LA? No, that’s unacceptable. You should come back right away. You still have to make a decision on the flowers, the caterer, what kind of desert you want, and the table linen.”

“I’m aware of that,” Allegra said, leaning on the counter, playing absentmindely with a lock of her hair.

“But I was thinking, why don’t you e-mail me some of those great ideas you have on all of this. I really trust in your opinion since you know so much about it.”

Allegra could almost feel the woman smile with the fake compliment she had given. It wasn’t Allegra’s style to be dishonest, but with Joan Kindle she made an exception. She just wasn’t in the mood for the woman to drag on about all these unimportant things. She didn’t care at all which colours the flowers had.

“Well, I suppose I can do that. But you have to give me your word you’ll soon let me know about your decisions.”

“I will. I promise. Now, I really need to go now. I have a lot of things to do today and the sooner you can e-mail me your suggestions, the sooner I can respond on it.”

After another ten minutes of talking about complete rubbish, Allegra could finally make an end to this dreaded conversation and sighed deeply. Why on earth did I ever let Jean talk me into this? She thought to herself as she ran her hands through her hair. Sitting on one of the barchairs, doing some introspection, Allegra’s stomach begin to groan, a clear signal she needed to dress herself and go grocery shopping. Although there were always the basics of food available, she needed to get soda, water, bread, sandwich filling, pasta, some chicken, fruit and veggies... Come to think of it, she actually needed a lot, so before heading towards her bathroom, she scribbled everything she needed on a piece of paper.

Standing in her bedroom, she opened her suitcase and put everything away in her dressing. Looking outside the window one more time to see what kind of weather it was, she opted to go for a white empire dress from Ralph Lauren with matching white square-toe loafers. Whenever she could, Allegra opted to wear shoes without high heals, or even better, sandals or flip flops. Going through her purses, Allegra picked out her much adored white Spectator bag and went downstairs once again, to gather her cell, wallet, shopping list and car keys. There were several cars available and knowing she would buy a lot today, she chose the black Range Rover Sport. Allegra walked to the garage and unlocked the vehicle, stepping inside. She always loved riding around with this car, it made her feel like she was on top of the world. Starting up the engine, Allegra pressed a small button that opened the entrance gate and slowly drove off the property.

Searching through the GPS for the most nearby grocery store, she decided to go for Whole Foods Market and set course to Santa Monica Boulevard. It took Allegra almost an hour to get everything she needed, mostly because she saw so much that she liked to eat or drink. After paying, she loaded the shopping bags into the trunk of the car and after returning the shopping cart, she returned home. She was singin along with ‘Man,I Feel Like A Woman’ from Shania Twain when her cell went off.

Turning the music volume down, she answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Hi Allegra. How are you?”

“I’m good Mr Crear, thank you. And you?”

“Very good. Listen, are you busy at the moment?”

“I’m just on my way back home. I just finished grocery shopping and I have to put everything away. Why?”

“Well, we have started shooting some early bonus footage today and I was wondering if you’d like to come around and meet everyone. This way, I think, it’s easier for you when you start on Monday.”

Allegra considered him for a moment and then nodded her head. Kenneth was right, if she met everyone now, they would feel just a little bit more comfortable around her and vice versa.

“That sounds good to me Kenneth. Can you text me the address of the house within a couple of minutes? I’m almost home and when I have storaged everything, I’ll be on my way.”

“Very well. I’ll, or even better, we’ll see you soon then.”

The call finished and Allegra made her way to her house. She dragged all her bags inside the litchen and put the groceries all away neatly. While she was busy doing exactly that, a message came in on her cellphone and after she had closed the fridge, she once again stepped inside her car and set the address into her GPS. Driving through the Hollywood Hills, she admired the views it gave her on the extensiveness of Los Angeles. So different than New York, but almost just as big.

It wasn’t so easy to find the residence where, according to the files, the Carter family would live. Allegra had been on the wrong track for at least three times, and began to feel a little bit desperate.

I’m a decent woman with a professional degree, why is it so hard to find my way if I even have the help of a GPS system? Allegra said to herself, driving back the direction she came from. And then she finally noticed this little street. Well, you couldn’t possible say it was a street, more an alley. Looking into the car mirror to see if there were any other vehicles approaching, she parked teh car and stepped outside. It was better if she went to see if this was the right way than driving into it and then noticing that she was wrong again. Solar Drive, she read on the streetname tag and smiled. She’d finally found it. She climbed quickly back into the jeep and turned left into the small passage, watching the road carefully. There were no houses whatsoever here and she began to wonder if Kenneth was pulling a practical joke on her. However, the minute that specific thought had crossed her mind, she saw the road go open and became aware of the villa that was standing there in all its natural grandeur.


Killing the engine, she breathed in deeply once before grabbing her purse. Closing the car with an automatic button, she walked down the stone path to what seemed to be the front door. Raising her hand towards the doorbell; the large wooden door all of the sudden flew open and Aaron Carter was standing in front of Allegra.

“What’s up honey? Didn’t thought my man Chaz would set me up on such a hot date. Man, where did ya come from?”Aaron said, looking at Allegra with pure lust in his eyes.

Allegra just stood there, stunned on how this kid spoke to her like that. Her mouth fell open and she had, maybe for the first time ever in her life, no idea what to say or how to react. Aaron, on the other hand, misread her silence and figured she was in total awe for him. Stepping outside the house, he walked with the confidence young people have towards Allegra.

“So, okay, I know you’re all into me and everything, but really, I’m just a man of flesh and blood.”

Aaron must have thought that this last part of his sentence was extremely funny because he bursted out in laughter.

Regaining her composure, Allegra cleared her throat and tossed Aaron a polite smile.

“It’s very nice to meet you at last Aaron. My name is Allegra, and the manager of your brother has asked me to help you through this television show. I’ll be your family’s psychologist during the show.”

She could tell Aaron was shocked and embarrassed on how he had approached her. Allegra figured this was already a good lesson for him to learn.

“I’m so sorry. God, I’ve been a complete idiot right?”

Allegra nodded her head. “Yes, you have. But you know what, I’ll let it off for once. Just remember you can’t expect every girl to fall in love with you.”

Aaron gave Allegra a tiny nod and then he smiled again.

“Maybe I can make it up to you just a little bit and show you around the house?”

Before Allegra could respond, she noticed Kenneth stepping outside as well behind Aaron. His eyes were twinkling and that told Allegra he had heard the first encounter between Aaron and her. She waved to him and smiled. It was a big help for her he would be here as much as he could.

“Good day there Allegra. Welcome to the ‘House Of Carters’!

He stuck out his left hand and Allegra took it. With Aaron behind them, Kenneth helped her inside the house and she followed him and Aaron towards the main room of the house, which served as the living room. Allegra couldn’t help but to be in awe for this house. Build out of stone and old wood, it gave her the instant feeling of protection, a feeling she hadn’t felt in a very long time. She admired the artwork that was hung up casually around the walls, and pondered on how every room would look like. She’d always been a huge fan of architecture and art history and in her free time, Allegra tried to read into architectural magazines and books, imprinting the variety of building styles.

Knowing she wasn’t here for the interior, she focussed her attention back onto the persons into the living room. She noticed Aaron standing next to a very tall brunette, and she assumed this was Angel. Twins had the unaware urge to stick together whenever someone unknown trespassed their territory.

“Alright you guys, can I have your attention please! As you all know by now, this television show won’t be easy to shoot and you all have a lot of issues going on. That’s why I have invited Miss Scott to be your emotional support during the show. She’s a very good, and licensed, psychologist but she’s only here if you need to talk to her.”

Kenneth paused for a minute and glanced around the room. He knew Nick and BJ were downstairs by the pool and he was grateful for that. Now Allegra had a chance to meet up with Leslie, Angel and Aaron. It would be hard for them to open up to her but he really hoped they would. It was a chance for them to find some peace within themselves and according to Jake, Allegra was the perfect person to help them.

“Angel, Leslie and Aaron, I really hope you’ll give Miss Scott a chance here. Leslie, sweetie, I’m gonna find your Nick and BJ. Will you give Miss Scott something to drink?”
Leslie nodded her head and after Kenneth had given Allegra an encouring nod, he walked away to find the other two siblings.

“The kitchen is right here, so if you’d like to follow me…” Leslie said and Allegra smiled to her. It wasn’t so hard to see how fragile she was and she moved along behind Leslie. Through the corner of her eyes, she noticed that both Angel and Aaron stepped into the kitchen as well.

“Are you really a psychologist?” Angel asked, staring at her perfectly manicured fingernails.

Allegra, taking the glass of water from Leslie, nodded her head.

“Yes I am. Does that give you an odd feeling?”

Angel threw her a look and then shrugged her shoulders.
“I don’t know, I mean, we already have done the whole shrink thing and it didn’t work out that good.”

“I understand. But I’m not a shrink, I’m a psychologist. I’m not here to analyze everything all of you say or do. I’m only here of you ever need to talk to someone.”

“I have 2 sisters and 2 brother I can talk to. I don’t think we need a person we don’t know nothing about tell everything about us.”

So she’s not too thrilled about me being here. Mmm; nevertheless, I have to show her she can trust me.

“Fair enough. I’d do the same thing if I was in your shoes right now. So go ahead, ask me anything. I promise to answer every question.”

The kids seemed to be considering Allegra’s words for a moment and then Leslie spoke up.

“Where you’re from? You don’t have a Californian accent.”

“True. I’m from New York and I live and work there. Kenneth happens to be close friends with my boss and that’s how I got here.”

“Where are you staying?” Angel asked, intrigued now by the fact Allegra flew across the country for them.

“Let’s just say I have access to a house here. I’ll be staying there during the time you need me.”

“Well, you were driving one hell of a car. I take it you’re rich.” Aaron casually said and tossed Allegra another smile.

Before she could answer his question, Kenneth returned.

“I spoke to Nick for a moment, and if it is okay with you, he’d like to talk to you in private for a moment. BJ actually isn’t feeling too well and we thought it would be best if you two met another day.”

Allegra nodded her head and said goodbye to Aaron, Leslie and Angel before she followed Kenneth outside.

“Nick is waiting downstairs for you by the pool. I’ll give you guys a moment to meet and discuss some things. If there’s anything, just call and I’ll be right over.”

Allegra nodded her head and then walked down the stone staircase that led to the pool area. She recognized Nick the minute she saw him and Allegra felt weird for a moment, standing in front of an A list celebrity. Most of her friends were celebrities just like Nick, and she was used to their way of living and their extraordinary demandings, but felt, well, shy. She assumed he was just like them. Spoiled, off track and broken inside.

“Hello Allegra, I’m Nick. It’s so nice to meet you!” Nick said, walking over to Allegra, shaking her hand. He had a calm, soothing voice, and he seemed to be relaxed. More relaxed than his siblings anyway.

“Hello Nick. It’s good to meet you too.”

Nick offered her a wooden chair with creamy beige cushions and after they both had taken their seats Allegra spoke out first.

“So, I guess you want to discuss some things with me about this show and perhaps your family too?”
Nick nodded his head and licked his lips, a gesture Allegra had read about.

“Yep, that’s true. I just wanted to say first how glad I am that you were willing to work with us. I should warn you though, my brother and sisters can be a huge pain in the ass.”

Allegra laughed softly and nodded her head as well.
“You agree with me?”

“Well, let’s just say my introduction with them was kind of harsh.”

Nick’s eyes grew a little bit darker and concern filled his facial expression.

“Have they bothered you already?”

“No no, it’s just that I could sense a lot of hostility in Angel. She’s clearly not used to talk to a woman who’s not impressed by her. Leslie’s just shy at the moment, but I’ve read her file and I’d expected her to act this way.”

“You do seem to read them well. Angel indeed has her flaws such as being demanding and always wanting to be in the centre of attention. Her and Aaron are actually alike. Speaking of him, what are your thoughts on him?”

“Well, you can obviously tell he’s quite shattered by the divorce you all went through. He acts like a macho, thinking every girl will throw herself at his feet.”

“He thought about you that way didn’t he?”

Allegra was surprised by Nick’s comment and only nodded her head. In reaction to this, Nick shook his head and went through his hair with his hands.

“I’m so sorry about that. Erm, Aaron tries to look a lot like me. That’s why he’s acting the way he’s doing right now.”

“And why does he want to look like you? Don’t get me wrong here Nick, but I think he’s capable enough of setting down his own personality.”

“I’ve been into some, erm, intense relationships in the past and you know, he’s eight years younger than me, he’s living a life kids dream of and he wants to date a beautiful woman too, doing stupid stuff like I used to do.”

Allegra felt this was a tender spot for Nick to talk about and decided wisely to change on another, more safe, subject.

“I understand. Now, how do you see me working with all of you? Should I only come around on specific dates or do you want to meet somewhere else than this house?”

Nick considered her words for a moment, trying to find the best solution for everyone.

“I don’t want to be nosey or anything like that, but where do you stay here? I mean, it wouldn’t be fair for you if you live like an hour away or something. Even though gasoline is still cheap, I wouldn’t want you to be stuck in traffic every time you come to us.”

Nick’s obvious care for her wellbeing touched Allegra and she smiled.

“Actually, my dad owns a house here in LA, not that far from here. So I don’t suppose I’ll be stuck in traffic a lot, it’s also located here in the hills.”

Nick seemed surprised by that and she was grateful Kenneth hadn’t mentioned who she really was. She knew that, if she wanted the Carter kids to trust her completely, she’d to open up too, she just wasn’t sure yet on how she should do that.

“Good. Okay, then I suggest you come and see this week how everything goes. I think it’s good that you meet the crew and that you can see us in action.

“That sounds perfect to me.”

Allegra and Nick smiled at each other and she looked around.

“I must say though, this house is amazing. I don’t know how you found this, but it’s absolutely breathtaking.”

“You think? Yeah, it’s good for all of us to live in a real house again and it’s big enough for the five of us. I think it’s important we all can have our own private spot.”

A loud scream above somewhere above them interrupted Nick and Allegra’s conversation and Nick stood up.

“I guess I can better go up and see what’s going on.”

“Of course. I’m gonna try to find Kenneth and then I’ll leave you, I think that’s for the best.”

Nick seemed to hesitate to say something but then nodded his head and let her go first on their way up. Arriving back into the living room, they both saw immediately what was going on: Angel was running after Leslie with a large knife in her right had, screaming she’d kill her. Allegra was stunned on how Angel acted and knew this girl needed a firm hand and some real discipline. It was unbelievable how childish she was.

“Okay! Can somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on?” Nick raised his voice and yelled so loud everyone calmed down within seconds.

“Angel Charisma Carter! Put that knife down and apologise to Leslie, now!”

Angel pouted her lips and Allegra feared for a moment that Nick would give in. But she soon found out he made sure they would listen to him. Angel did indeed let the knife down on a sidetable and she, although it was not more than a whisper, apologised to her sister.

“Now, dare I ask why you’re acting so stupid?”

“Nick, she was eating up my lasagne, the one I had bought yesterday!” Angel sort of whined.

“So? Is that a valid reason that you run after your sister with a knife?”

Angel, now very quiet, shook her head and looked down to the floor.

“I’m gonna let Allegra out of the house. Please try to be civil to each other in the meantime.”

Allegra followed Nick until they were outside the front door.

“Are you okay?” She immediately asked. She sympathized with him. She had no brothers or sisters herself, and Allegra could only imagine what was running through his mind right now.

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. It was just frightening to see that evil look in her eyes.”

“Listen, why don’t I talk to all of them individually, starting from tomorrow? I just need your help to figure out how and where I should talk to them.”

Nick tossed her a smile and nodded his head.

“Let me give you my cellphone number, okay? If you think you found a perfect spot for me to talk to them, just let me know.”

Allegra pulled a pen out of her purse and scribbled down her number onto the back of her shopping list.

“Thanks. For everything. I’m so glad there’s someone here who can give them professional advice.”

Allegra now returned the smile. “It’s nothing, really. I better go so you can go back inside.”

Nick nodded his head and after they said goodbye, Allegra walked back to he car. She watched Nick go back inside the house and sighed. She had wanted to tell him he could call her day or night. It wasn’t something she used to say to someone she hardly knew, but after seeing how dysfunctional his family really was, she felt almost obligated to let him know he could always talk to her. If she was in his shoes, she would be happy if someone was that concerned about her.

Putting the car in gear, she drove off to her house, a safe spot without any lunatic running around, with the Carter kids on her mind. She was determined to show them the right directions in life and was willing to do anything for it. This was what she lived for, helping people in any way she possibly could. She had forgotten to say goodbye to Kenneth, but figured that was the last thing on her mind right now. Feeling incredibly tired, she stripped off her clothes and pulled on a short and a tank top, grabbing a bottle of wine with her and went upstairs to her desk, starting to write out a detailed plan for every Carter kids individually. She worked without a break until 11 pm when a new message on her cell pulled her out of her books and her laptop.

Reading it, she smiled.

“Just wanted to say thank you again for your help and I hope you have a wonderful night. Nick.”

A month had already gone by since Allegra had met the entire Carter family. So much had happened lately, that Allegra sometimes needed to sit down and take some time for herself. She was almost 24/7 at the villa where Nick and his siblings were living and she had helped all of them coming to terms with difficulties on their love lives, career wise and even with their own family. She had watched Leslie open up towards Nick and it was a true pleasure to see the two of them hanging out on the terrace of around the outside pool. Leslie had even asked Nick to help her writing and recording some new songs.

Angel had been ice-cold to her the first two weeks. When the girl finally understood Allegra was no threat to her family, she had changed from being a difficult teenager into an admiring and charming young woman. Allegra had even accompanied her to one of her many photo shoots and she was very impressed how professional Angel really was. Those days were completely exhausting, being ten hours on just one set. Allegra always took out some late night Chinese food and treated herself and Angel on a good manicure and pedicure when a photo shoot had to stop unexpected for a few hours.

In BJ, she had found a new friend and the two young women accepted their different views on life, friendship and love. Thanks to the devotion and patience of Allegra, BJ had gone through an immense make over. She swore off alcohol, only drinking one or two glasses when the entire family was lounging outside after dinner. Not only did she look better, not drinking meant that BJ was far more tolerable than before. Leslie and Angel now found it great to actually talk to their big sister and getting useful advice on how to handle their boyfriends. BJ talked about her fears and worries to Nick, who now really understood how his sister had felt all these years.

Aaron was being such a cutie to her. Allegra knew he was totally crazy about her and that he fantasized about taking her out to diner or going dancing in a club. And although Allegra always had kept a distance between herself and Aaron, she feared the day when she had no choice to break his bubble. There was no chance whatsoever that she would ever go out on a date with Aaron. She wanted him to find a girl of his own age, someone serious but also fun to be with… An idea had been inside Allegra’s head for quite a while now, thinking about inviting her 19 year old cousin over to L.A. Maybe the two of them got along well. It was risk, but Allegra was willing to take it.

And then there was Nick of course.

Nick had become her partner in crime, her sidekick, best buddy, or whatever other name that you could use to describe the magic between them. They got along so good; it was sometimes scary to see how alike they were. They both loved rock songs and oldies, couldn’t stand fake people and liars and they went walking with Layla, Nick’s dog, every morning. It was then, between 6 am and 8 am, that they shared the intimacy only couples truly in love experienced. She sat in between Nick’s tall legs, resting against his chest, either opening her heart even further to him or just staying quiet and enjoying his presence. He had found out pretty soon she was engaged and had made her swear she would never ever lie to him again about anything. She knew Nick didn’t like Calvin. He refused to tell her why, Nick just told her every once and a while she could ‘so much better.’ After she had explained why she hadn’t mentioned Calvin or her upcoming marriage, she and Nick hit it off and spent mostly of their spare time together.

It was another early morning and Allegra saw Nick jogging up the path at Coldwater Canyon with two Starbucks coffee cups. He was wearing a dark blue pair of sweat pants and a plain white t-shirt. His hair was a mess, he had been going out last night and when Allegra had met him here at the parking lot, she had to try her best for not laughing by the way he looked.

“One house blend black coffee, no sugar or milk” He said, offering her the cup. She took it and smiled, waiting for him to sit down again behind her.

“How was your night out? Did you have fun?” Allegra asked, taking a sip from her coffee, patting Layla with her free hand. She had been at the villa last night when Nick’s date had arrived and she had been surprised to see he actually dated a girl like that. The fake blonde woman had been wearing a dress so short you could nearly see her panties underneath it. It was vulgar to say the least and she had been wondering why Nick chose girls like her to go out with. The girl had been arrogant the minute she had walked inside the house and had nearly thrown herself on Nick when he met her in the living room.

“Yeah, it was all right. We went eating at Yamashiro, and then Shandee wanted to go clubbing.”

Allegra frowned her eyebrows. “What about you? Did you want to go clubbing?”

Nick breathed in deeply and rested his head against Allegra’s long silky hair. Why was she suddenly so interested in what he did or wanted to do?

“I don’t know. I guess. Why do you wanna know anyway?”

He felt Allegra’s body moving until she was facing him. Sitting on her knees, the early morning breeze played with the loose ends of her hair, like it was dancing around her face. The almost same blue eyes like his torn deeply inside his soul.

“Because I honestly think you can do so much better than Shandee. And judging by the tone of your voice, it seems to me you didn’t have that great night as you keep pretending it was.”

“Come on Alli, don’t go off like that. Isn’t it my own choice who I date or who I go out with?”

Her body fell a bit and she sighed.

“Of course you do. She’s just so….” Allegra’s voice trailed off while she placed her attention on Coldwater Canyon again.

“She’s what?” Nick couldn’t help but smile.

“Nothing. Never mind. I’m sorry; I shouldn’t press my opinion on you. It’s your life, do whatever you want with it.”

Standing up, she breathed in and tried to put the tears away. Why was she offended anyway by Nick’s choice in women? He was absolutely right; it wasn’t her place to judge him at all.

His soothing, strong and muscular arms wrapped her against him.

“What’s going in there in your head babygirl?” Nick asked with a soft tone, almost whispering.

She couldn’t help but start sobbing against his t-shirt. Her heart was screaming for his touch, longing for the kiss she needed so much. Maybe it was because she only had heard Calvin three times since she’d arrived in LA, or maybe it was because she really felt lonely out here, truth was that she desired Nick Carter. She found him so handsome when he was talking to people and he didn’t notice her watching him. She thought he was by far the cutest guy she had ever met and the more time they spent together, the more she was falling for him.

And for this Allegra hated herself. She was angry at herself for allowing these almost forbidden feelings to catch her. How could she long for another man when she should be only thinking about her fiancé? Every second spent with Nick was a second more away from Calvin, but to admit all that out loud wasn’t something she was ready for. Instead she chose to keep quiet, hoping everything would just blow away by time.

But now, feeling more insecure than ever, fighting her feelings and emotions, she felt she was losing the only battle she could never win.

“I can’t do this anymore Nick. I’m sorry. I have to go.”

Refusing to look up at him, she started walking back to her car. Tears of unspoken amorosity burned into her eyes. She heard Nick’s voice, calling something out behind her but she didn’t understand it. Now running like she was on fire, she tried to find her car keys in one of the pockets on her sweater. Reaching for them, she tripped over a branch of a tree and lost control. Tumbling down the hill, she screamed for Nick, fanatically searching for something she could hold on to. Finally her hands found a loose off shout and with all of her power she held on to it. Inhaling fastly, she looked up, searching for Nick. She saw him running down the hill towards her, once and a while yelling to Layla she had to stay put.






“Jesus Christ, are you okay?” Bending down his knees, Nick wrapped his arms around Allegra. She scared the hell out of him when he saw her tumbling down the hill. Hoping she had nothing serious, he quickly checked her eyes, face and body. He noticed some nasty cuts on her hands and one on her cheek. A big bruise was located just above her left temple and without hesitation he placed his lips on it, giving her forehead a gentle kiss. He felt her trembling, and he knew she had to calm down a bit.

“What do you say? I’ll bring you back to my car and I’ll drive you to your place okay? I’ll ask BJ to come around and collect your car for you.”

Allegra opened her mouth to say something against his decision but the look in his eyes told her she better kept still. He was acting a bit strange. Nick was almost always laughing or joking around, and now he was quiet and extremely calm. He helped her getting up and they slowly walked up the hill again, Nick making sure that he supported Allegra where he could. Layla was barking once and a while, wagging her tail when she was walking back and forth the path on top of the hill. When they finally arrived back at Nick’s car, he opened the passenger’s front door and helped Allegra inside. He hadn’t said a word to her since he had said he would take her back home and Allegra was getting worried he was more upset with her than she originally thought.

Nick switched the engine on and when he was driving to Allegra’s house, he took her hand in his right one. He needed the contact with her. He still didn’t understood why she was acting strange all of a sudden but he figured it had to do something with him. Little did he know that he was actually right this time. Allegra once and a while instructed him in which direction he should drive and about thirty minutes later they arrived at the Scott’s mansion. Nick whistled through his teeth at the sight of the enormous house and killed the engine of his car when he had parked it not far away from the main entrance door.

Allegra took her keys and opened the door, leading him into a large hall with white marble tiles on the floor. She took off her shoes and walked deeper into the house, falling down onto one of the many beige colored couches. Nick followed her suit and sat down next to her, pulling her legs onto his lap. He glanced at her body and wondered again why a woman as gorgeous as she was, would marry a creep like Calvin Blackwell?

“I think I’m gonna take a shower… Do you mind waiting here for a minute?” Allegra asked, opening her eyes again. Their eyes locked and she felt her body freeze. She sat up and got closer to Nick, taking his hands in hers. Her breathing increased with every breath she took and her nerves were playing a nasty game with her head. Not a word was said between them.

“Forgive me for doing this but I have no other choice…” she whispered more to herself than to Nick and moved her face close to his, placing a kiss on his lips. The shock that went through them was undeniable and she flashed her eyes open, staring into his. And within those few seconds she understood completely how he felt and he finally realized what she’s been hiding from all along.

Allegra felt his hands pulling her body onto his lap and she sighed softly when he parted her lips with his tongue. He tasted like a man should taste: slightly erotic, mellifluous and with moments fiery. Her hands swirled around his neck, subconsciously playing with the downy little hairs that were located there. She felt his hands running up her body slowly, making her want him even more. His thumbs kneaded her breast delicately through the thin fabric of her plain white tank top. Allegra felt Nick’s heartbeat racing and a soft smile spread across her lips, feeling even more wanted now she knew what effect she had on him.

The almost blurting sound of the doorbell threw them apart and the two of them sat there, staring blankly at each other, trying to understand what just had happened.

Allegra finally cleared her throat, trying to get the huge lump away, and got off Nick’s lap.

“I think I have to open that door.” She stated, suppressing the tornado of mixed feelings that ran through her mind and body.

She walked to her door and opened it almost like a zombie and saw Angel standing there.

The girl frowned her brows at the sight of her friend and wondered what had happened. BJ had called her, telling her she needed to go to Allegra’s house, that there had been some sort of accident and that Nick wanted someone to go and collect Allegra’s car. Seeing the bruise on Allegra’s head, already turning blue and she became a little worried. Allegra always was the calm one, never doing anything even remotely risky and now the woman had fallen down a hill!

“Hi. BJ has send me, she had to go to a last minute appointment. Is Nick here?”

Allegra finally gave her a weak smile and nodded.

“Yes he is. Come in, he’s in the living room.”

Angel stepped inside and admired Allegra’s taste in interior design. The marble floors; the imposing wooden staircase, probably leading to a first floor with incredible bedrooms and bathrooms. She noticed the fluffy white carpets, the antique chairs and saw a glimpse of a magazine look-a-like country kitchen. Her brother rose up to his feet when she walked into the living room and she noticed he was slightly nervous.

“BJ couldn’t come?”

“No. She had to go somewhere last minute and Aaron was still snoring loudly when I left the house. Leslie wasn’t home, she stayed over at her boyfriend.”

“You haven’t brought any camera crew with you?”

“Nope. Figured this was a private matter people don’t need to know about.”

“Thanks Angel. You’re a lifesaver.” Nick smiled and breathed out.

He glanced over at Allegra and felt his heartbeat rising again. Damn it, why did this happen? No, even better, why did hé let this happen? She was engaged to be married and he knew he had to stay away from her. Sure, if she would’ve been single, he would’ve definitely made a move. It was easy to admit that she had quite an effect on him. God, how did he enjoy their morning walks together, the moments she was resting against his chest, and especially the fact that he was able to be a normal person around her. She listened to him and gave him advice if he asked for it.

“No worries. So, where’s the car parked?”

“Ehm, her car is parked at Coldwater Canyon. And Angel, could you take Layla with you back home? I think she’s starving and I don’t think there’s any dog food in this house.”

Angel laughed and nodded her head. She could sense there was something Nick had to talk about with Allegra and that he wanted it to be private. So it was better she left. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t any of her business.

Allegra stood up and said she was going to get a shower. Nick nodded his head and while she went upstairs, he let Angel out of the house.

“Nick? Don’t get mad or anything, but if you need to talk, I’m always here.” Angel stated, looking at her brother.

Nick sighed and tossed her a smile. It was a sweet thing from Angel to let him know she was there for him but it was already clear for him that what had happened with Allegra would be a one time thingy only. Nothing like that would ever happen again.

“Thanks sweetie. But I’m fine, I promise. Look, I will be here until you get back and then we’ll leave together, okay? Maybe grab a cup of coffee together or lunch…”

“Sounds great Nick, but I have a photo shoot to attend. And this one is big, it might lead me to a cosmetics contract.”

“Waw Angel, sounds like this is serious. Tell me everything about it when you have time, okay?”

His sister nodded her head and took Allegra’s car keys and got into the cab Nick had ordered. When the car was driving off the driveway, he went inside Allegra’s house again and closed the door. Knowing the two of them needed to talk, pronto, he walked up the stairs, searching for Allegra’s bedroom. At the end of the hallway, he found her, sitting on her big bed, staring at her feet. He leaned against the door mould and looked at how beautiful she really was,only wearing a robe. She took his breath away and he wanted to kiss those lips again. Wrong Carter, stop thinking like that.

She looked up and tossed him half a smile.

“Can I come in?”

Allegra nodded her head and patted on the empty spot beside her. Nick walked in and placed himself next to her.

“So…. There’s just one question I have: why?” Nick stated, glancing at how she looked.

“I made a mistake in kissing you and I’m sorry I did it. I never meant to put you in this position.”

“Is that all there is?”

Allegra turned her face and rose her eyebrows.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you always say how in love you are and how Calvin makes you happy but there you were, climbing on my lap, kissing me. Alli, aren’t you fooling yourself here?”

Now she became mad. Mad because deep down she knew he was right. Mad about herself for everything that had happened. Mad about the way her parents had practically forced her to be with Calvin.

“Fooling myself? Do I hear that right? If I’m correct, you did a pretty good job yourself fooling only yourself when you were dating Miss Hilton.”

It struck a nerve that she mentioned Paris. He had opened up to her about that relationship completely, giving her every detail on what had happened exactly and now Allegra was so low to say something like that?

“I don’t think it’s any of you goddamn business to judge me Allegra. I made mistakes in the past, but at least I was smart enough to realize it before it was too late.”

Nick stood up and walked out of her bedroom. Having a bad temper, Nick was furious on how childish she acted. How could she, betraying him like that after all the confessions he had made?

Her hand grabbed his to stop him and he turned around. Tears were floating down her cheeks onto her robe and she looked so fragile.

“I’m sorry. That was way out of line.” Allegra apologized and gazed up. Just those steamy five minutes had made a mess out of everything.

Nick sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

“Come here.” He said softly and pulled her near in a hug. A part of the robe fell down of her shoulder when they pulled apart and he admired the bronze skin.

“I don’t regret it Alli, you blew my mind away. But I won’t come between you and your fiancé. It’s you who needs to decide how you feel.”

She nodded and trembled.

“Stay with me Nick. Don’t leave me alone, I can’t be alone. I made up my mind. I have been thinking about Calvin every single day and I know that I won’t ever feel the way about him as I do about you. I’m just not ready to face the world, him or my parents. I have to cancel the wedding. I feel like I’m making a huge fool out of myself, and that I have to justify the feelings I have for you. I’ve been fighting a battle the past month and I have lost it.”

Allegra told him everything he needed to hear.

“I just want to keep it quiet. I need to be completely sure about this before we expose this. You and I both know what the media is like. On top of that I have to deal with my mother and father, two people I don’t want to let down.”

Nick nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead. He was lucky enough that he had met her and he knew she was right about keeping it low.

“Okay, let’s make a deal. When you’ll leave LA when the show’s over I want you to tell me your final decision. Whatever it is, I won’t say a word about it. Let’s use this time we have to find out if we really are meant to be. If it’s not, than I won’t ever regret it.”

Allegra smiled through her tears and threw her arms around him. She had no idea what she was doing but it felt so right. A heavy weight had fell off her shoulders. Like Nick had said, time would tell what would lay ahead of them.