"Not in the mood?" Vanda looked aghast. "But leopard guy was so hot. And I loved that cowboy with the sexy pants."
"Those were chaps," Darcy clarified. And they were indeed sexy when the cowboy forgot to wear his trousers underneath. At some point, while she was getting whiplashed with the flying fringe of Cowboy's chaps, she'd realized how easily she had forgiven Austin. The only explanation she could come up with was that she still loved him very much. Too much to just give up.
"Well, I was definitely in the mood." Vanda fanned herself. "Cowboy was packing quite a sixshooter."
"Yeah." Darcy grimaced. "I was afraid he'd have an accidental discharge."
Vanda laughed. "And that firefighter guy—wow! I've never seen such a long hose."
"Enough!" Gregori growled. "I really don't want these mental images. It's bad enough that…"
"What?" Darcy asked.
"Nothing. I'm glad the ladies enjoyed themselves."
"Me, too." Darcy nodded. After their makeover, the ladies had looked young and beautiful. It had been wonderful at the club, watching them realize how attractive they still were. And how much power they could still wield over men.
Gregori crossed his arms, frowning. "If you ever want to go there again, I'll drop you off and come back later."
"You didn't enjoy it?" Vanda asked.
He snorted. "The cowboy asked me for my phone number."
Darcy choked, trying not to laugh. "Poor Gregori. Too sexy for your own good."
He glowered at her. "And now you want to use me as man bait? This was not part of my job description."
"But it's the only way to test the next qualifier," Darcy insisted. "Qualification number seven states that the Sexiest Man on Earth has to like women."
"That was my idea." Vanda smoothed back her wet purple hair. "That's why I get to do the judging tonight."
"And qualification number eight says he must know how to please a woman," Darcy continued.
"Vanda will verify that, too."
"Yes." She sighed. "It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it."
Gregori looked appalled. "You're going to make out with all six guys? In front of the cameras?"
"Don't worry." Vanda adjusted her bikini top so her purple bat tattoo could be seen. "I won't do anything too shocking."
"No nudity," Darcy warned her. Sheesh, Sly was going to love this episode. She only hoped Austin would refuse to get in the hot tub with Vanda. The thought of Vanda making a move on him was too awful to contemplate. But surely, Austin would refuse to cooperate. After all, he was supposed to get eliminated tonight.
Maggie walked across the lit pool area until she reached them. "The men are ready and waiting in the greenhouse."
"They're all wearing swimsuits?" Darcy asked. "And their anklets?"
"Yes. And they drew numbers to see who would go first."
"Who is first?" Vanda asked.
"Otto." Maggie grimaced. "He's wearing an itsy-bitsy bikini. And he's oiled his skin up. He said he wanted his bulges to glisten in the moonlight."
Darcy groaned.
Vanda grinned. "I'm ready."
"I'm not." Gregori sank in the water up to his chin.
"Let's get started." Darcy cued the cameramen.
Maggie walked back to the greenhouse where she'd release the men one at a time. The pool lay between the greenhouse and the hot tub. A patio chair had been positioned on each side of the pool.
Maggie opened the glass French doors to the greenhouse. Otto appeared in the opening, his massive body swallowing up the entire space.
"That's our cue." Darcy climbed out of the hot tub. With a groan, Gregori did the same. Darcy sauntered to the patio chair on the south side of the pool. Gregori headed to the chair on the north side. The cameras followed their progress.
It was a bit embarrassing, she had to admit. Here she was in a revealing bikini, dripping water as she walked, just to see if she could catch a man's attention. And all of this would be seen on international vampire television.
Poor Gregori. This could be really embarrassing for him.
Otto strode across the terrace. As soon as he realized the cameras had turned to him, he paused to strike a pose.
"Ya, I am pumped up for tonight." He turned his back to the cameras to show off more bulges. Then he pivoted to the side to show off his biceps.
Darcy grew tired of watching and sat in the patio chair. She waved at Gregori on the other side of the pool. He sat and scowled at her. The purpose of this exercise was to test each man's sexual preference. When the contestant left the greenhouse, he would either look in Darcy's direction or Gregori's. Unfortunately, Otto was too in love with himself to notice either of them.
Finally, Otto ran out of poses and strode around the pool. He stopped in front of Darcy. "You vant de Otto, ya?"
"Oh, yeah." Darcy pointed at Vanda. "But she wants you first."
"Ya, de ladies have to vait deir turn." Otto chuckled as he strolled toward the hot tub. He jumped in, sloshing water over the side. "De Otto has arrived to pump you up."
It wasn't long before Vanda was personally checking out Otto's bulges. Darcy turned her chair to the side to keep from seeing more than she wanted. Gregori drew her attention when he pretended to be choking himself and gagging.
"My bulges are growing, ya?" Otto announced with his booming voice. "It is time to play in de Otto zone."
"Cut!" Darcy jumped to her feet. "That's enough, Otto."
"Bye, Otto." Vanda retreated to the far side of the hot tub.
Otto climbed out and passed by Darcy on his way back to the greenhouse. She gazed at the sky to avoid seeing any bulges that had recently occurred. Then, she lowered herself into the hot tub to warm up.
Vanda grinned. "I believe Otto passed the test."
Darcy nodded. And the other ladies, who were watching this on the television in their parlor, would most likely agree.
Gregori sat on the edge of the hot tub and dangled his feet in the water. "How can you stand that guy? He's so full of himself."
Vanda shrugged. "I've seen worse."
"But I thought you ladies were only interested in vampire sex," Gregori said.
"True." Vanda smoothed back her hair. "But I'm working on the theory that a Vamp would have to be good at sex in order to project good sex in his mind."
Darcy had never engaged in vampire sex, but she wondered if it was possible with Austin. After all, he did have psychic powers.
Gregori motioned toward the greenhouse. The next contestant was standing in the doorway. "It's showtime again." He stood and strode back to his chair on the north side of the pool.
Darcy strolled toward her chair. Her steps slowed when she realized Pierre from Brussels wasn't looking at her. She cast a warning glance at Gregori. He was lounging in his patio chair, gazing at the stars, completely oblivious to the fact that he'd acquired a new admirer.
Pierre crossed the terrace, then headed north around the pool. Gregori sat up with a jerk and gave Darcy a murderous look.
She winced and mouthed the word, "Sorry."
Pierre stopped next to Gregori and murmured something. Even across the pool, Darcy could see how red Gregori's face was. Pierre completed his walk toward the hot tub and stepped in. Vanda talked to him for a while. Then, she shook hands with him. He headed back to the greenhouse, circling the pool to the north.
Gregori saw him coming and dove into the pool. His teeth were chattering by the time he joined Darcy and Vanda in the hot tub. "That pool is freezing." He sank into the hot water up to his chin and closed his eyes.
"Looks like I'll have to eliminate Pierre," Vanda said. "What a shame. He was so cute."
Darcy cursed silently. Only two men could be eliminated tonight, and she had hoped it would be both the CIA men. "What did he say to you, Gregori?"
Gregori opened one eye to glare at her. "The incident will never be spoken of again."
"Poor Gregori." Vanda grinned. "I told you you looked sexy."
Reginald from Manchester was the third contestant to depart for the pool. When he returned to the greenhouse, dripping wet, Maggie handed him a towel and asked him to go downstairs and put on dry clothes for the orchid ceremony. Austin noticed the British vampire was surprisingly scrawny.
The guy must have been wearing a lot of padding under his clothes.
"Number four?" Maggie asked.
"That's me." Austin joined her at the French doors.
"You'll go around the pool to the hot tub," Maggie instructed. "After you talk to Vanda for a while, you'll come back here. Understand?"
"Yes." And I get myself eliminated, too.
"Okay, they're ready." Maggie opened the door.
As Austin walked across the terrace, he took in the scene. The host was headed toward a chair on one side of the pool, and Darcy was on the other side. His mouth dropped open. Holy hot mama.
Her little red bikini was wet and molded to her body. Her nipples had puckered from the cool night air. The bikini bottom was tied on each hip, the strings dangling and begging to be unraveled. Her skin was pale under the moonlight. She looked too fragile to touch, yet so alluring, he knew he'd never keep his hands off her.
Her eyes met his. There was such a sad longing in her eyes, it tore at his heart. Her gaze dipped over his body, then returned to his face. The longing in her eyes turned more intense, more desperate.
She wanted him, too. If he didn't get off this show soon, he'd lose all resistance. Even now, his body was succumbing. His groin was swelling. His heart was pulling him toward her.
He had to stop this. Now. He dove into the pool and let the icy water douse his desire. He crossed the pool and climbed out. He shivered, his skin pebbling with goose flesh.
Vanda watched him from the spa. "Come in. You look cold."
He rubbed his hands over his arms. He ought to refuse. Wouldn't that get him eliminated? "No thanks."
"Don't you want to warm up?" Vanda floated across the tub and paused next to his feet. She plucked her tiny microphone off her bikini top and tossed it into the swimming pool. "Oops. How clumsy of me. Now, no one will hear me talking about the night you and Darcy heated up the hot tub."
Austin tensed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Vanda smiled. "It was recorded on camera. They played it the other night on DVN."
Austin's mouth fell open. His make-out session with Darcy had been aired on vampire television? He glanced back at Darcy. She was standing by the pool, her expression wary.
"Don't worry," Vanda continued. "No one knows it was Darcy. Besides you and me, that is. Most people think it was Lady Pamela or Cora Lee since they both have long blond hair. But I recognized Darcy's dress when you tossed it into the pool."
"Did you tell anyone?"
"No." She scooted back across the tub. "At least, not yet. Why don't you sit down for a while?"
Was she threatening to expose Darcy? Austin wasn't sure, but he didn't want to take any chances. So, he stepped into the hot tub and settled on the seat across from Vanda.
She smiled. "Isn't that better?" She glanced past him and winced. "Oh, dear. Darcy's glaring at you now." Vanda swooshed across the water to sit next to him. "Shall we make her jealous?"
"I'd rather not."
"Right. No need to, actually. She was lost the minute she saw you at auditions. She called you Apollo, the sun god." Vanda ran a finger along his jaw.
Austin slid down the seat. "I don't want to upset her."
Vanda glanced over her shoulder. "Too late. She looks really pissed."
Austin crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you want from me?"
Vanda rested an elbow on the edge of the spa and studied him. "I want to know if you really care about her."
After a pause, he decided there was no harm in confessing the truth. "I'm in love with her."
"Ah." Vanda propped her chin on her hand. "On the recording, it looked more like lust. Are you sure you're feeling love?"
"I'm sure." Unfortunately. He'd tried to bury his feelings, but they continued to grow and deepen in spite of everything.
"Darcy has suffered too much. She deserves to be happy."
Austin arched a brow. "Are you claiming to care about her?"
"Yes. Does that surprise you?"
He took a deep breath. A week ago, he wouldn't have believed vampires could feel compassion or loyalty for each other, but they clearly did. They seemed to feel everything just as deeply as when they were alive. I am human—Darcy's words came back to him. "I've been having to readjust my thinking."
"She deserves the best. She has the soul of an angel." A corner of Vanda's mouth lifted. "Unlike me."
"Are you admitting that you're evil?"
Her smile widened. "Some would say I am."
"What have you done? Committed murder?" He said it nonchalantly, but he was dead serious.
Her smile faded. "I prefer to call it administering justice."
He narrowed his eyes. "Would you ever harm an innocent?"
"No," she replied easily. "Would you?"
"No."
She moved closer. "Then don't ever hurt Darcy."
Austin caught the implied threat in her voice. "I don't want to, but it's not that simple."
"You claim to love her. She loves you. Sounds simple to me."
"No, it's… complicated. My job is important—"
"More important than Darcy?"
"No. But I shouldn't allow myself to be in a position where I have to choose." Sheesh, and he shouldn't be in a position where he was discussing matters of the heart with a vampire.
"If you love her, there's only one choice."
"It's not that easy. I would have to give up everything. My life—my beliefs would all change."
"And you're not ready to do that?"
Could he do it? Turn his back on the Stake-Out team and the CIA? Join Darcy and live among the vampires? He'd be considered a traitor by his country. He'd have a tough time even getting a decent job.
"I've had a difficult life." Vanda gazed at the stars. "I've seen terrible things. Concentration camps, torture, death. Unbelievable human cruelty. There were times when I begged God for the courage to end it all. I couldn't bear to see more horror."
"I'm sorry." And he wasn't just saying it. He was actually feeling compassion for these vampires.
Vanda sat up and looked at him. "I would endure it all again a thousand times over if it would bring my little sister back to life." Tears glimmered in her eyes. "She was so clever and full of life. She would have been like Darcy if she'd survived."
Austin nodded, his own eyes tearing up.
Vanda floated toward him. "There is nothing more sacred than love. Don't let it slip away from you."
It felt like a tear had ripped through the darkness to reveal a light, and Austin could finally see.
"You're not at all evil, are you?" None of these modern-day Vamps were truly evil.
"We all do the best we can with the lot given us."
Austin stood. "I wish you well, then." He strode back toward Darcy. She gave him a furious look, then turned her back.
"We need to talk," he said quietly, aware that the cameras were on them. He continued on to the greenhouse.
Maggie gave him a towel. "Please get dressed for the orchid ceremony in the foyer."
He trudged toward the stairwell. No wonder Darcy was mad. He had a sinking feeling he would not get eliminated tonight.
CHAPTER 20
Darcy accompanied Vanda back to the servants' parlor to see what the other ladies thought about the night's competition. Unfortunately, they all agreed with Vanda, so it looked like her hope of eliminating both CIA agents
was dashed. Vanda changed into dry clothes, gathered two black orchids from the fridge, and then, the ladies strolled to the foyer for the ceremony.
Princess Joanna stumbled when one of her stiletto heels snagged on the thick hallway carpet. "God's wounds, a lady could break her neck in these slippers."
"You'll get better with practice." Darcy reached out to steady her. "You all look wonderful."
"Thank you." The princess looked elegant in her expensive black dress adorned at the neck with a strand of pearls.
"At first, I felt completely naked without my corset," Cora Lee announced. "But now, I just love it.
For the first time in over a hundred years, I can actually breathe."
Cora Lee and Lady Pamela had both opted for a youthful style—satin hip-hugger pants and cropped, sparkly halter tops.
Princess Joanna frowned at them. "You two should be ashamed. You are showing too much flesh."
"It is evil." Maria Consuela's dress reached her ankles.
Lady Pamela shrugged. "My old gowns displayed most of my bosom, and no one objected to that."
"But to reveal one's navel—it is ungodly." Maria Consuela twisted her rosary in her hands. "I have never seen my navel."
"What?" Darcy asked. "But when you take a bath—"
"I bathe in a shift as any proper lady should."
"Oh." Darcy realized she might have the ladies wearing modern clothes, but some of their ideas still remained archaic.
The ladies entered the foyer. The men had all changed into suits. Gregori strode forward to welcome the ladies, while the six contestants remained on the landing of the staircase.
Darcy glanced briefly at Austin. His broad shoulders looked so good in a suit. Unlike Reginald, he needed no padding in his clothes. Light from the chandelier picked up the golden highlights in his hair. It looked like he'd toweled it dry quickly, but the disheveled result only made him look sexier. His eyes met hers, and she looked away. She was not going to forgive him so easily this time. He'd told her he would get eliminated tonight, but then, he'd climbed into the hot tub with Vanda. And since Vanda had thrown away her mike, Darcy had no idea what they'd talked about. She'd had to stop filming afterward to get Vanda a new mike.
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