The Director Gets a Grip

by Heather Horrocks

  “Was it from the catered food?”

  “That’s the only explanation.”

  “Ilene will be devastated.”

  Blake touched her hand and motioned to her to join him in the hall.

  She followed him out and he led her down the hall. Then he stopped and said, softly, “Perhaps the food was tampered with, just like your tires were.”

  She shook her head. “No one would do that.”

  “Yes,” Blake replied, “Someone would. Someone has.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Maybe to put you behind schedule. I don’t know. But it’s not mere coincidence.”

  She touched his arm for comfort. The thought of someone intentionally harming people was too frightening for her to entertain. “Let’s hope you’re wrong and nothing else happens.”

  The Great Vampire War of 1898

  THE NEXT WEEK, BLAKE SPOKE into his headset. “Ernie, set up the dolly in front of the park bench. Buddy, move the camera to the right side, over by the tree.”

  “You got it, boss,” Ernie responded, then whistled. “Hey, boss, your girl is heading this way.”

  “Not my girl,” he repeated for the hundredth time, but he smiled and glanced at Bianca walking toward them.

  Once they’d recovered from the food poisoning, after about forty-eight horrible hours, the crew seemed to be collaborating to put Blake and Bianca together. They liked romance, he guessed. He certainly wasn’t complaining.

  Because of the cold weather, she was wearing stylish leather snow boots, a calf-length cream coat, soft black lined gloves, and a hat.

  The past week had gone by like a blur. He hadn’t had a chance to press his suit with her as she was desperately trying to get caught up with their shooting schedule. So the crew who hadn’t eaten the buffet had rallied around and put in extra hours until the others were well enough to come back to work, anywhere from two to three days out.

  If someone was deliberately trying to mess with the production schedule, they’d done a great job.

  But, miraculously, once they completed this shot in the park, they’d be on schedule once again. Bianca had told them what a fantastic crew she thought they were, which was good because the cast and crew had put in lots of overtime, too. Instead of twelve-hour days, they’d been putting in sixteen and eighteen hours. And they’d all been falling into bed, grabbing a few hours of exhausted slumber, then waking up the next morning and doing it all over again.

  Now that they were caught up, Blake felt free to begin romancing Bianca again.

  She came to stand before him. “Are you ready for the shot?”

  He looked at the three cameras they’d just placed and nodded. “Give us another five minutes and then the cameramen can step in.”

  Looking at the park bench he’d shown her last week, she said, “Good work, Mr. Gladwell.”

  Her praise pleased him. He looked into her intense blue eyes and a pleased smile spread across his face. “Thank you, Ms. Rossi, ma’am.”

  She smiled at him for a second, then seemed to catch herself. She cleared her throat and turned back into The Director. “Dunstan, get the leads in place.”

  “Will do.” The other man started herding Rachel and Caleb toward the tree where the scene would begin.

  The dolly would smoothly move one camera from the tree and across the space to the park bench. The other two cameras were set up on stationary stands.

  The 2nd A.D., Gabrielle, herded the tourist extras into place and gave them their instructions.

  Blake watched as Bianca sat in her cute little director’s chair and began calling out the sequence of commands that would lead to the action on the set: Roll cameras. Sound. Slate. The slate was clapped, and Dunstan said, “When ready.”

  The extras began moving across the park; couples strolled, and a family with children started a snowball fight.

  Rachel began walking away from the tree, hands in pockets, looking forlorn. The scene immediately before this in the script was when she thought she’d lost her love forever because he had to take a job in another town. She couldn’t leave because of her mother’s poor health, and so she’d gone back to the park bench where they’d first met. Next, after this make-up scene, the actors would switch out clothes in the van and get makeup and hair touch-ups before filming the meeting scene.

  A tear ran down Rachel’s cheek. Blake was always amazed at how the actors could get into character enough to tap into their emotions like that — and without looking all puffy-eyed afterward. That’s why he preferred to work behind the scenes — he didn’t want to have to cry on demand. Heck, he didn’t want to cry at all.

  Caleb hurried behind her, calling out her character’s name.

  Rachel turned toward the sound and quickly wiped the tear away.

  He caught up to her and took her hands. “I can’t let you go.”

  “But—” She didn’t say anymore, but hope bloomed on her face.

  “I’m not taking the job. I’m going to stay here with you. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  And then they were kissing and hugging. He picked her up and twirled her around, then set her laughingly back down on her feet. Then he took her hand and led her to the park bench.

  They’d move the snow around on the bench after this scene so so it didn’t look like the same scene they’d be shooting next.

  Caleb brushed off the bench and they sat, his arm around her shoulder.

  The camera on the dolly moved away and zoomed back.

  “And cut!” Bianca called out happily. “That was perfect!”

  The actors got off the bench, laughing.

  Bianca exclaimed, “This is coming together so well! Good news — with the next scene, which we’ll have done shortly, we’re all caught up. We’ve managed to make up the time that we lost when so many of you got sick!”

  A cheer went up from the crew members.

  The extras were taken back toward the center of the park and given different coats and accessories.

  The meeting scene was also filmed in one take, and Bianca said, “Let’s get back to the studio.”

  Blake happily complied.

  It took them another hour to get all the equipment loaded up and back into its place in the studio.

  He hadn’t seen Bianca since they returned to the studio, and he wished he knew where she was right now.

  She might not want to face the fact that someone was deliberately causing problems, but he couldn’t afford to think like that. He didn’t believe in that many coincidences.

  He wasn’t going to be able to fully relax until after the film was in the can.

  After watching the dailies and celebrating briefly with the cast and crew for being back on schedule, Bianca walked to the doors with Blake and the cinematographer.

  The security guard sitting at the station by the door called after her, “Drive carefully, Ms. Rossi. It’s storming outside.”

  She looked out the windows. Sure enough, it was. There was a good four or five inches of fresh snow on the ground, and more was falling steadily.

  She watched two men rush to their vehicles.

  Bianca hesitated. “I don’t think I should drive in this.”

  Blake shrugged. “My truck has four-wheel drive. I can drive you home, and pick you up tomorrow, if you’d like.”

  She did like his confidence. And his good looks. And even that stupid lifemate buzz that curled her toes whenever she was around him. She ought to stay away from him — but she wanted to get home tonight. “All right. I guess that would be best.”

  She said good night to the security guard, who hurried forward to open the door for her. He clicked the lock in place before heading back to the desk.

  Bianca jogged along behind Blake as best she could, glad that her high heels were in her bag and her snow boots were on her feet.

  She swung up into his tall truck and pulled the door shut against the wind. He swung his long legs in behind the wheel
and shut his door, then turned on the truck and adjusted the vents, though nothing was coming out yet. “It warms up pretty quickly, at least.”

  And about sixty seconds later, warm air did begin to blow out toward her and she placed her hands over the vents. “Thank goodness for warm air.”

  He slipped the truck into four-wheel drive and began to creep forward.

  She laughed. “At this rate, we’ll be home by tomorrow.”

  He chuckled. “But we’ll get there alive.”

  He picked up a little speed, and flipped the windshield wipers to high.

  She began to wonder if this was a good idea. “Maybe we should just turn around and wait out the storm inside.”

  “If you’d like,” he smiled, curling her toes. “But I promise I’ll get you home safely.”

  If she could have blushed, she knew her cheeks would be rosy. “All right.”

  Blake glanced over at her. “While I drive, tell me more about your family.”

  Her family. She couldn’t possibly share their vampire secret with a human, so she said, “My parents are dead.”

  He nodded. “So you told me before.”

  “And I live with my brothers.”

  He smiled, though he held the steering wheel securely and drove carefully, his gaze never shifting from the windshield. “One big happy family?”

  She suddenly decided to tell him what she really was. He would just think she was being silly, anyway. “My family are vampires.”

  He chuckled. “I feel exactly the same way about my family. They’ve built their little business empire on the pain of others.”

  Wow. She hadn’t expected that. Surprised, she smiled. Surely they weren’t really vampires. He definitely wasn’t. “But do they have pointy fangs?”

  He chuckled. “No. They use phlebotomists.”

  “You said your brother works for them?”

  “Yes. Steven has a definite nerd vibe — a scientist and accountant personality. He loves working with Dad in the lab.”

  He grew silent, pensive.

  She nudged him on. “What about you and your father? How do you get along?”

  “We don’t. Dad can sure enough hold a grudge. He’s never forgiven me for going after my dream. I finally just had to accept that it was the cost of doing what I want.”

  “How sad,” she said, thinking of how she’d miss her irritating brothers if they weren’t talking to her. “Don’t you miss them?”

  “Sure I do. But I won’t be held hostage. I wanted to chase after my own success.”

  A flicker of unease slid into her heart. Her prior beau, Thomas, had wanted to marry his success — and eventually had. But Bianca was just being paranoid. Blake was nothing like Thomas. Except they were both good-looking, charming, and attractive to her. And they both exuded the buzz. Well, that wasn’t helping convince her; they obviously had nothing at all in common, she thought tiredly.

  “I think this is Mane Street,” he said. “At least there’s a traffic light here I can almost see. It’s green, I think.”

  “It is green.” She rolled down her window. “There’s no one coming this direction.”

  He rolled his down, as well, and then drove cautiously through the light and on to the street where he’d turn to take her home.

  They rolled their windows back up, laughing as they brushed off the snow and shivered. He turned up the blower on the heater.

  “We’ll get T-shirts that say we survived the Great Moonchuckle Bay Blizzard,” he joked.

  “My parents died during a blizzard,” she let slip, and then wished she hadn’t.

  He glanced over at her. “I’m sorry. You told me before, that it happened in a car crash.”

  He sounded truly interested, as if he cared about her. Could she trust that?

  Could she trust the lifemate buzz that was practically screaming at her?

  She could fall in love with this guy if she wasn’t careful. She could begin to trust that buzz — and him. She decided to give him a chance to at least prove his trustworthiness. “Will you keep a secret if I share it with you?”

  “Of course.”

  Suddenly, she had to tell him the truth. “They did die during a blizzard, in a carriage crash — during the Great Vampire War of 1898.”

  Don’t Play the Love Card

  NOW THAT WAS TOTALLY UNEXPECTED. What kind of game was Bianca playing with him?

  Blake turned onto her road — and then pulled under the same trees that he’d parked beneath before to kiss her for the first time. He left the truck running and turned to her. “The Great Vampire War? I didn’t hear about that one in history class.”

  “Well, you wouldn’t have, now would you?” She was trying not to be sharp, but it had been a long day.

  He was getting impatient. “Bianca, what are you trying to tell me? Just come out and say it.”

  “I did,” she replied patiently. “My family are all vampires. My brothers. And me.”

  “Business vampires, you mean, right? Like my family.” He struggled to understand what she was telling him.

  “No.” She shook her head. “The real kind.”

  “You’re a vampire?” he asked, skeptical. “You’re pulling my leg, right?”

  She shook her head. “Nope.”

  Blake wasn’t sure what to say or do. She was amazing in so many ways, but she wasn’t making much sense at the moment. Her words sounded like she was teasing, but her voice and face said otherwise. But he really didn’t know her well enough to know if she was teasing him or not, or if she was sane or not, for that matter.

  Trying to establish some sort of normalcy, he reached out and took her hand. “Can you feel the pull between us?”

  She nodded. “Oh, yes. Definitely. It’s been driving me crazy.”

  “I don’t understand it. I’ve never felt anything like it before. I just know that I want to be with you all the time. When I’m not, I feel bereft.”

  “Me too,” she admitted.

  “So, you understand that claiming you’re a vampire is a big thing.” Did she need meds? Or was this some big joke?

  “What would it take to convince you?” she asked.

  “Fangs.”

  “Fangs I can do. Mine are much daintier than those of my brothers.” She opened her mouth and tiny fangs snicked down.

  Well, okay then. He raised his hand. “May I?”

  When she nodded, he touched the tip and pulled his finger back. “Sharp.”

  “Yes.”

  Scrambling to reconcile what was going on with what he’d believed all of his life, he said, “And also part of the special effects for your monster movies, no doubt.”

  She huffed in exasperation. “I know it’s unbelievable. And I’ve never told a human before. Ever. And you can’t ever tell. You promised.”

  He barked out a laugh. “If I told anyone what you just told me, they’d think I was crazy.”

  She looked him in the eyes, her gaze serious. “Like you think I’m crazy, right?”

  He raked his hand through his hair. “Are you crazy, Bianca?”

  “I’m crazy about you, Blake.” She sighed. “And I am also a vampire.”

  “You just sighed.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “But vampires don’t need to breathe, right?” He was looking at her as if she was a bug under a glass.

  “We can, even though we don’t need to…”

  “And you go out in the sunlight all the time.”

  “It was one of my uncles who started the rumor that we couldn’t. It helped us fit in with our human neighbors better.”

  “So you drink blood?” The thought made him dizzy and he wondered where this discussion was going to lead.

  “These days, I drink faux blood. They make lots of different flavors. The Merl-O I drink on the set is one kind. I need it about once a week. Other than that, I can eat what I want.”

  “But I thought vampires couldn’t—” He stopped and shook his head. “Another fa
lse rumor?”

  She nodded. “There are a few years of adjustment while you move on from blood to the equivalent of baby food, and then real food.”

  He studied her earnest face. “Let’s say I believe for a few minutes that you’re a vampire. If I kiss you, will you bite me?”

  “I kissed you before, and you didn’t get bitten.”

  He pursed his lips and nodded. “That’s true.”

  “Do you want to be bitten?”

  “Would it kill me?” he asked tentatively.

  Without so much as a pause, she replied, “No. I believe you would find it pleasurable.”

  Slowly, he shook his head. “I’m not ready for that.” He looked at her, wonder in his heart. He thought she was telling the truth. If she was, then that meant the monsters she filmed in her movies could all be real. “You’re a vampire. A real, live vampire.”

  “An unlive one, at least.”

  He leaned in and his lips met hers, his tongue feeling the sharpness of the tips of her fangs.

  He never wanted to let this woman … vampire … whatever she was ... go.

  A vehicle stopped on the road.

  At the rumble of the engine, Bianca pulled back. “It’s my brothers. They want to protect me.”

  “Drat protective brothers everywhere. Not that I blame them.” He breathed in deeply and took hold of the wheel. “I’ll drive you to the house. And perhaps we can continue this conversation tomorrow evening.”

  She smiled at him, a promise in her sapphire eyes.

  “Where is Rachel?” Bianca asked the next morning. “Does she know we’re waiting for her?”

  Dunstan spoke into his headset. A moment later, he said, “She’s not in the cafeteria. No one has seen her on the set since lunch. And she’s not answering her cell phone.”

  Bianca frowned. “Film around her as much as you can,” she instructed the cinematographer. She turned to Dunstan. “Take over.”

  He nodded.

  She motioned to a couple of guys — Blake among them — and said, “Help me find her, please. We can’t afford diva moments.”