"It's the end for us all," the cameraman grumbled.
"We're doomed." The makeup artist sniffed and wiped tears from her face.
"The Vampire Apocalypse," Gordon muttered, then took another swig of Blissky.
Good God, no wonder the director and crew had jumped on that case of Blardonnay. "Get a grip, guys," Gregori told them. "Just because Corky posted a video that looks like vampires getting their heads cut off and turning to dust, that doesn't mean any mortals will believe it."
"Right," Gordon sneered. "Because mortals are always making home videos where they cut each other's heads off."
"If you look at the comments, a lot of people are calling it a hoax," Gregori said.
"It only takes one mortal with one stake to do me in," the boom operator mumbled.
"We're doomed!" The makeup artist collapsed on the floor, clutching an empty bottle of Blardonnay. "Doomed!"
"No, we're not! You guys got the official memo from Roman, right?" Gregori asked. Roman Draganesti was not only his boss and CEO of Romatech Industries, he was also Coven Master of East Coast Vampires. "He wants everyone to remain calm and go about your lives in a normal manner."
"Yeah, we know." Gordon upended his Blissky bottle, then scowled when he discovered it was empty. "That's why we all showed up for work today."
"We should be looking for some caves to hide in," the cameraman grumbled, then his eyes lit up. "I know! We could hide in mausoleums."
"Right." The boom operator scoffed. "Mortals would never think about looking for us in a graveyard."
"We're doomed - "
"Enough!" Gregori interrupted the makeup artist. "Chillax, people. It's going to be all right. Roman's got a strategy meeting tonight with a bunch of Coven Masters."
"Do they have a plan?" Pennington asked.
"I'm sure they'll come up with something." Gregori didn't know much about the situation except that Roman and the head of MacKay Security and Investigation, Angus MacKay, had spent the last two nights discussing the matter with Sean Whelan - CIA operative, newly turned vampire, and Roman's father-in-law. "The best thing for us to do is to behave normally and not bring any attention to ourselves. Just go to work, go home, drink your blood from bottles, and no one will ever suspect you're a vampire."
"That's easy for you to say," Gordon grumbled. "You and your buddies have security guards to watch over you during the day. We do our death-sleep in apartments that mortals could break into."
"We're doomed!" the makeup girl cried.
Gregori loosened his tie as he considered. Corky's damned video was probably inciting panic all over the vampire world. And the more the Vamps panicked, the bigger the chance that one of them would do something really stupid that made the problem even worse. They needed to feel safe.
He retrieved his smart phone from his jacket pocket. "I'll tell you what. I'll ask Angus MacKay to send a day guard here. We'll turn the building into an emergency shelter. Then Vamps can do their death-sleep here, knowing they'll be safe and protected."
Gordon jumped to his feet and swayed a little. "Are you serious? You can do that?"
"Of course." Gregori smiled. "I'll make the arrangements, so hurry up and announce it on air."
"Great!" Gordon dashed out of the studio.
The makeup artist eased to her feet and gave Gregori a shaky smile. "Thank you."
"Not a problem." Gregori selected Angus's number on his Droid while the rest of the crew thanked him. "Let's get ready for another try at the commercial, okay?"
"Yes, sir!" the boom operator shouted with a grin.
Pennington put on a new shirt, while the makeup girl applied new powder and lipstick to Simone.
Gregori breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they'd get the commercial done after all. Angus's phone sent him to voice mail, so he left a short message explaining the need to turn DVN into an emergency shelter for frightened Vamps.
"Excuse me."
Gregori glanced up from a quick look through his e-mail to see Pennington standing nearby. "Yes?"
"I'd like to thank you for keeping us all safe tonight."
"Glad to help."
Pennington shoved his long blond hair over his shoulders. "And I'd like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to star in a commercial."
"No problem." Gregori didn't want to remind the model that he was the talent agency's eighth choice, and he wouldn't be here at all if Simone hadn't sent the first seven guys packing.
Pennington sidled up closer. "What I mean is I'd like to thank you . . . personally."
Yikes. Gregori stepped back. "No thanks. Sorry."
"But you're g*y, right? I mean, you dress so well, and you were so nice and sensitive to . . . her." Pennington wrinkled his nose at Simone.
"A straight guy can't be nice?" Gregori muttered.
Simone snorted while the makeup girl brushed her hair. "Why do you continue with this charade, mon ami? You refused to have sex with me. You must be g*y."
His mouth dropped open. The crew started whispering, latching on to this tasty morsel of gossip. Shit. "Simone, have you been spreading rumors about me?"
"No, of course not." She waved a hand dramatically. "I know how much you enjoy your reputation as a young playboy. But really, mon ami, you should stop acting so cowardly and admit the truth. You'll feel much better for it."
Cowardly? He reached into his pocket for a stress ball. Dammit, he'd left them all at the office.
It was true that he'd rejected Simone without giving her much of a reason, but it hadn't seemed diplomatic at the time to be honest. He simply wasn't attracted to her. And he wasn't gung-ho over the prospect of being lover number five hundred and sixty-three. Simone actually kept count in her journal. Along with a rating from one to ten.
She'd shown him the journal several times. It was rare, she'd pointed out, for a man to score over a five. That was why she was burdened with the sad task of trying out hundreds in order to find a few who were worthy.
He'd let her down as gently as possible since he needed to stay friendly with the celebrities of the vampire world so he could be successful in his career. And right now, success meant getting the damned commercial recorded. That meant he couldn't afford to insult Simone or Pennington, who was still regarding him with a hopeful smile. Damn, the bull crap he put up with for his job.
"I - " His Droid vibrated. Thank God. "I've got to take this. Excuse me." He paced across the studio. "Hey, Angus. Excellent timing. So do you have a day guard you can send?"
"Aye," Angus replied. "I asked Robby and some of the lads to teleport over there and leave Rajiv."
"Great. Thanks, dude."
"We're just about done here with our plan of action. Talk to you soon." Angus hung up.
They had a plan. Excellent! Gregori smiled as he pocketed his phone.
Gordon rushed back into the studio. "We aired the announcement. Vamps are already teleporting into the lobby."
"How many can you take in?" Gregori asked.
"Sly thinks we can take in hundreds," Gordon referred to Sylvester, the station manager. "We have six large studios and an enormous basement."
"Great!" Gregori gave everyone a thumbs-up. "You'll all be safe with Rajiv watching out for you. He's a were-tiger who can shift whenever he wants."
"A were-tiger?" The makeup artist's eyes grew wide. "Oh my. He sounds so . . ."
"Sexy," Pennington whispered.
Gregori winced. At least the Vamps would be dead during the day, so Rajiv wouldn't have to fight off a bunch of advances. He slapped his hands together. "So now that everybody's happy, how about we get this commercial done?"
The crew shouted a victory cheer.
"Places!" Gordon shouted, and everyone scurried into position on or off set. "Let's do it, people! Mark it."
"Take number seventy-two." A crew member clapped the sticks together on the slate.
Simone lounged on the ivory satin settee and leaned toward Pennington. Her eyes burned with hot passion. "I have a hunger that cannot be denied."
Pennington flipped his hair back to expose his neck. "Take me. My body, my blood - I'm all yours."
She ripped open his shirt. One of the buttons popped off and hit her in the eye.