Vamps and the City

"I just hope your boss will understand," Gregori said.

"Yeah." Darcy headed for the door and turned off the lights.

Austin switched to the camera in the hallway. The sound was faint, so he turned the volume on high.

"I thought for sure I'd be able to tell the mortals from the Vamps." Gregori strolled toward the foyer.

"No one can smell them because of the anklets," Darcy said as she walked beside him. "They work like a charm. Even the vampires are wearing placebo ones. That way, when they're all wearing swimsuits, no one will be able to tell who's who."

"Holy anklet." Austin rolled down his sock and examined the anklet. "I thought it might have some kind of homing device, but it looks like it's just a chemical thing to block our smell."

Garret nodded. "I thought those vampires in the limo seemed too... indifferent."

Austin pulled his anklet off. "I'll give this to Emma tomorrow when she comes with the caterer. She can have it analyzed." Of course, without the anklet, he'd smell like a tasty morsel to the vampires.

"Are you sure you want to take that off?" Garrett asked.

"I'll get another one. I'll tell the director I lost mine."

"You mean Miss Darcy? You still think she's human?"

"Yes. I don't know why she's involved with these vampires, but she'll do her best to protect us from getting bit."

Garrett snorted. "You trust her more than I do. You know what the contract said - DVN isn't liable for puncture wounds."

Austin laughed. "I have no intention of getting bit." But he did have a good reason now for seeking out Darcy. And he knew exactly where to find her. The pool house.

As Darcy wandered about the greenhouse, she let the warm humid air caress her face and melt away all the tension that had built over the course of the evening. Shelves like stair steps lined each side of the path, each shelf filled with pots of brightly colored flowers - impatiens, lilies, peonies, and more exotic flowers she didn't recognize.

One side of the greenhouse was devoted to roses. A few climbing roses had been trained to cover an archway that began the path down the rose garden. In the middle, against the wall, a small fountain trickled water into a pool.

Toward the back of the greenhouse, a small tropical area thrived with lemon and banana trees. A stone bench sat under a willowy palm. Darcy sat and eased off her shoes. This would be the ideal setting for testing the next two qualifications - good manners and charming speech.

"Darcy!"

She spotted Maggie coming toward her. "Hi. Did you get the men settled in their rooms?"

"Yes. And I kept the mortals together like you asked."

"Thanks. I don't know how I'd manage without you." As long as she had Maggie's help, Darcy could avoid spending any time with the mortals. Or rather, one mortal in particular.

Maggie stopped next to her. "Actually, that's what I needed to talk to you about. Tomorrow night, I'm supposed to go back to DVN for another audition."

"Oh, that's right." Darcy gave her an encouraging smile. "Don't worry. You'll be great."

Maggie winced. "I'm awfully nervous. I'm going to read opposite Don Orlando. I hope he likes me."

"I - I'm sure he will." Darcy stifled a groan. She hadn't told her friend about Don Orlando's affair with Corky and Tiffany and God knows how many other women. She couldn't stand the thought of destroying Maggie's dream. Maggie was always the optimist who claimed everything happened just as it should. Even though Darcy couldn't agree with that, she hadn't realized until now how much she needed Maggie to believe it. As long as Maggie believed in happy endings, it still seemed possible.

"I think we should film in here tomorrow night." Darcy stood and picked up her shoes.

Maggie walked alongside her. "You want to test the men's good manners here?"

"Yes, I thought - aagh!" Darcy slipped in a puddle of water.

"Are you all right?" Maggie reached out to steady her. "You shouldn't walk in your hose. It's too slippery."

"Yeah, and I'll tear them up, too. Just a minute." Darcy wiggled out of her pantyhose, then stuck them into her shoes. "You know, this is exactly what we need. We'll make a big, muddy puddle in the middle of a path tomorrow night and see how the guys manage to keep the women from muddying their shoes."

"Oh, I like that! It's like that story about Sir Francis Drake putting down a cloak so the queen could walk over it."

"Exactly." Darcy carried her shoes as she walked barefoot. "We can do a whole obstacle course here in the greenhouse. And I think we'll have Lady Pamela conduct the tests. She seems to be the expert on propriety."

Maggie snorted. "That's true."

They exited the greenhouse and stopped by the stairwell. Maggie opened the door. "I'm going to the servants' floor. You want to join us in the parlor?"

"No, I'm tired. Good luck with your audition tomorrow."

"Thanks." Maggie slipped into the stairwell. The heavy door banged shut. Darcy closed her eyes and felt the cool breeze against her face. The first night was over. Time to relax. With a sigh, she headed across the roof to the pool house.

A splash of water drew her attention. There was a man in the pool doing laps, his long, lean body zooming neatly through the water. He exuded the perfect combination of strength and grace. She stepped closer. His back was bare and tanned, his shoulders broad. The muscles in his back and shoulders rippled with each stroke. His legs were long and powerful.

He had to be mortal... Vampires were never that tanned. And nothing this beautiful could last an eternity. Even the most spectacular of sunsets could only last a few moments. For this mortal, this was his moment, the culmination of youth, strength, and grace - all the more beautiful because his zenith was short-lived, and this moment in time was rare.

Darcy's eyes filled with tears. The vampires had it all wrong. They thought they were the beautiful ones because they managed to stay young forever. They didn't realize that an eternity of youth and beauty became cheap when it was stolen, and meaningless when it was the norm.

The man reached the end of the pool and shoved his thick, wet hair back from his face. Darcy caught her breath. Oh God, she should have known it was him. Her shoes slipped from her hand and clattered onto the cement.

He turned toward the noise and smiled at her.

Her knees turned rubbery. He pushed off the edge and swam toward her. She glanced toward the pool house. It would look cowardly if she ran away. But darn it, she'd been so determined to stay away from him.

He stopped and rested a tanned forearm on the tiled edge of the pool. "Hi, Darcy."

Just the sound of Adam saying her name made her feel warm and light, like she could fly to the sun and never be cold again. "Hi."

"The water's great. Want to join me?"

She scoffed. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm wearing a dress."

"Oh, I noticed. I can't take my eyes off of you."

Her face grew warm. "Actually, I need to talk to you about that. You shouldn't look at me, because I'm usually very close to the camera."

He tilted his head, still watching her. "There's no camera now. Just you and me."

"And I have some work to do. Good night." She leaned over to pick up her shoes.

"How does that dress come off? Is there a zipper in the back?"

She jerked straight, forgetting the shoes. "Excuse me?"

"You need to take off the dress to swim."

"I'm not swimming with you. The water's far too cold."

"Oh. In that case..." He planted his palms on the tiled edge. The muscles in his arms and shoulders bunched as he hauled himself out of the water.

Darcy stepped back. Her mouth fell open.

He slowly straightened. Water glistened on his tanned skin. Rivulets sluiced down his body, seeking the easiest path around well-defined pectoral and abdominal muscles. His chest hair lay flat and wet against his chest. It appeared dark brown like the hair on his head. Moisture and darkness had combined to hide the blond highlights that normally made him appear golden as a sun god. Tonight, he looked darker and even more dangerous to her peace of mind.

"We'll find something warmer." He padded to the hot tub.

Speechless, Darcy watched him walk by. His cotton boxer-style swimsuit would never be classified as sexy, but the wet material had glued itself to his body. As he passed by, she became very aware of how low the swimsuit rested on his narrow hips. The material clung to his rump, clearly outlining each buttock and the muscles that flexed with each step he took.

The waistband was so low, she could see two dimples on his lower back. Oh God, that brought his total dimple count up to four. And made her want to examine every inch of him for more.

He stepped into the hot tub and punched a button on the control panel. With a whirring sound, the water began to swirl about. He smiled at her as he settled on a seat. "Feels great."

Steam rose from the water, promising her warmth and comfort, an end to the chill that had tormented her for four long years.

"Come on, Darcy," he spoke quietly.

Oh, God, he was the devil. He knew just how to tempt her and torture her at the same time. She walked slowly toward him. "If I was judging the contest, you would definitely be the winner. But I'm not, so you're wasting your time."

"I don't give a damn about the contest. And time with you is never wasted. Come in, and I'll show you."

She snorted. "Oh, you're good. But there's no purpose for this." Only heartache for wanting something she couldn't have.

"No purpose?" He frowned at her. "What about friendship?"

She laughed. "You just want to be friends? I've heard that one before."

He grinned. "So have I. But I mean it, Darcy. Don't you need someone to talk to?"

How could she confide in a mortal that she lived among vampires? "I'm sorry." She turned to go.

"Wait." He lunged across the spa, causing a wave of hot water to spill over the edge and warm her bare feet. "I need to tell you something. It's about the anklet I'm supposed to wear."

She turned back to him. "What about it?"

"I - I lost it, somehow. Is it important?"

She swallowed. More than important. It was essential for keeping him safe. "I'll make sure you get another one."

"What exactly is it?" His eyes looked wide with innocence.

"Didn't Laszlo tell you?"

Adam shrugged. "Something about pheromones and how we're attracted to each other by our nose."

"That's true." And Adam always smelled wonderful -  warm, healthy, and sexy.

"Come and sit a while." He patted the tile edge of the hot tub. "Soak your feet and relax. It's been a long night."

She found herself smiling. "You don't give up, do you?"

"Not with you." He smiled back. "Look, I'll keep my distance." He floated back to the far side of the tub.

Darcy removed her sparkly jacket and dropped it on a patio chair. "Just for a little while." She sat carefully on the edge making sure she didn't snag the silk sheath on the rough cement. She dangled her feet over the side, but the hot, bubbly water felt so wonderful, she immersed her legs to just below the knees. Her narrow dress rode up to the middle of her thighs.

"Feels good?" he asked softly.

"Yes."

"Did everything go well tonight for the show?"

"Yes."

"Are you sleeping in the pool house?"

What a rascal. "Yes."

"Alone?"

"Yes."

He grinned. "You're very agreeable tonight."

She suppressed a laugh. "Yes." And now, he'd ask to spend the night with her, thinking she would continue to say yes.

"Have you ever been in love?"

She blinked. That had surprised her. "Yes. I suppose." She sighed. "I'm not sure. Maybe I just wanted to be in love."

"Did he love you?"

"He said he did. We were together about a year in college. I thought we were engaged, but - " She shrugged. "Obviously, we disagreed on that."

"He was stupid to let you go."

"I think he was a little too young to commit himself."

Adam snorted. "The guy was stupid."

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

"No. Any man who would let you go has got to be stupid."

"He was just immature."

"That's a nice word for stupid."

Darcy laughed. "Okay, he was stupid." Surprisingly enough, the declaration made her feel great. "So, I guess the big question now is how intelligent are you?"

He smiled slowly, his dimples deepening. "I'm smart enough."

And living in a different world than her, too. She really shouldn't flirt with the poor guy. Unfortunately, he was damned near irresistible. Somehow, she would have to resist.

He moved toward her. His hand curled around the instep of her left foot. "Can I give you a foot massage?"

"N - " The word died in her throat as his strong fingers pressed into the sole of her foot. Oh, boy, was he good. "Yes."

He massaged slow circles down her foot. "Feels good?"

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Yes."

He tugged gently on her toes. "You're doing a great job with the show."