What kind of mission did Abigail have in mind that it had to be done in secret? What was she up to? He tossed the stress ball on his desk and turned on his laptop so he could find out more information about her.
He paused halfway into typing her name. What was he doing? Feeding an obsession with her? He needed to stop thinking about her.
He closed the laptop, pulled out his Droid, and called Maggie.
"Hi, Sweetcakes." He leaned back in his chair. "How's the commercial going?"
Maggie groaned. "It's not. Every time Simone moves, something bad happens."
"It's not my fault!" Simone's voice shrieked in the distance.
Maggie sighed. "Gordon and I have stopped for the evening. We decided to rewrite the commercial in a way that keeps Simone as stationary as possible. Can you be here tomorrow night when we shoot it?"
He grabbed the stress ball. "I wish I could, Toots, but something's come up."
"Everyone here is still upset about the Vampire Apocalypse," Maggie said. "The makeup girl keeps saying we're doomed. Can you tell me if Roman has started on the plan yet?"
He squeezed the stress ball. "It'll be all right, Maggie. I met with the president tonight."
"The president? Of the United States?"
"Yep. That's why I couldn't do the commercial."
"Sweet Mary and Joseph! What happened?"
"I'd rather not say just yet, but we're hoping the government will help us out. I'll try to stop by DVN tomorrow night after I'm done babysitting."
"Babysitting?" Maggie asked.
He gave the stress ball another squeeze. "I'm taking the president's daughters to a vampire nightclub."
Maggie laughed. "Once they see how well you can dance, they'll definitely want to help us." There was a pause, then he heard her mutter, "No, Simone, you can't go with them. You have to be here for the commercial."
Gregori winced. Simone had overheard his plans. "Talk to you later, Maggie. Thanks for helping out." He hung up, tossed the stress ball to his other hand, then called his mother. "Hey, Mom. How's everything at the school?"
"Oh, we're fine. Is it true?" his mother asked in a rushed, excited voice. "I heard you have a date!"
The stress ball exploded in his hand. "Shit."
"Excuse me? What was that noise?"
"It's nothing." He tossed the ball in the trash. "It's not a date, Mom. It's a diplomatic mission. And how the hell did you hear about it?"
"You seem a bit agitated, dear. Are you nervous about your date?"
"It's not a date!" He grabbed another stress ball. "I'm as calm as can be. I just have the fate of every Vamp in the world on my shoulders."
"Oh, well, some days are harder than others. So who is the young lady you're dating?"
"I'm not dating! I'm taking the president's daughters on a friendly little outing to prove how trustworthy I am."
His mother made a tsking noise. "I'm not sure if that Madison Tucker is the right girl for you."
"I'm not interested in her. And how did you hear about this?"
"Well, Emma called. And then Olivia called. So are you interested in the other daughter? Shall I come back to Romatech so I can meet her?"
"No. Stay away."
She huffed. "That's not very nice. I just want to meet your new girlfriend."
"I'm not dating!"
"There's no reason to raise your voice."
Gregori took a deep breath and carefully squeezed the stress ball. "I gotta go now, Mom. Important stuff to do. Talk to you later."
"Very well. Have a wonderful time on your date."
He hung up and threw the stress ball across the office. "Important stuff to do." He pulled a bottle of Blissky out his bottom desk drawer and wrenched off the top.
He took a drink and wiped his mouth. "It's not a date."
But you wish it was.
He took another long drink to drown out the foolish voice inside him.
Chapter Ten
Madison's pretty blue eyes widened. "Wow! I haven't seen you look this good in years!"
"Gee, thanks," Abigail muttered as she eyed herself in the mirror. What would Gregori Holstein think of her now? She tugged at the neckline of the black cocktail dress her sister had picked out for her on a whirlwind shopping trip that afternoon. "I still think this is too revealing."
"Will you get off that?" Madison tilted her head, frowning. "But it does need something. Just a minute." She rummaged through her Louis Vuitton suitcase and pulled out a velvet jewelry case. "I should have something here."
Abigail sat on the edge of the bed and winced at how much of her pale legs were showing. She hadn't worn a dress in years. She hadn't taken a day off work in years, either. Mom was always telling her she needed a life, but her mom deserved to live, too.
When she'd explained to her mom that Madison had actually been right and not only were vampires real, but they would be going out with one tonight, her mom had taken the news quite well. In fact, Abigail couldn't recall the last time she'd seen her mother this excited. She'd looked five years younger when she'd seen them off this morning.
So Abigail had decided not to feel guilty for missing work. Or for costing Dad a small fortune. Madison was used to traveling to New York on a private jet, but Abigail had never indulged in the glamorous lifestyle. What was the point? She'd realized years ago in college that having a six-hundred-dollar tote bag wasn't going to help her pass a chemistry exam. And now she worked in a lab where everyone wore white coats. Her colleagues got excited over formulas and life-forms, not the latest trend in the fashion world.
After landing in New York, Josh and Charles had whisked them immediately into a black Suburban limousine and taken them to the Waldorf Astoria, code name Roadhouse. She and Madison were sharing one bedroom of their elegant suite, so the guys could use the other. The agents planned to sleep in shifts so one of them would always be on guard duty.
Abigail sighed. The combined cost of the hotel suite and her dress was more than she earned in a month. She had to admit, though, it had been exciting, running around Manhattan with the paparazzi chasing them and the Secret Service guys guarding them like they were something special.
"This will be perfect!" Madison held up a glittering rhinestone necklace. Her grin faded. "What are you doing sitting? You'll wrinkle your dress."
Abigail returned to the spot in front of the mirror, wobbling on the borrowed high heels. "I'm going to fall over in these things. I'd rather wear the flats I brought."
"Don't be silly. You need the heels. You're a little short, you know." Madison looped the necklace around Abigail's neck and latched it in the back.
Abigail winced. A long string of sparkling rhinestones ended in the valley between her breasts. It was like a flashing billboard that advertised, Look what I've got!
This was crazy. A vampire nightclub? Sexy cocktail dresses? This was nothing like the mission she'd proposed to her dad. That trip would require hiking through rough mountainous terrain. But she supposed this was a safer way to get acquainted with Gregori and his world.
Madison checked her makeup in the mirror, then glanced at Abigail. "You need some lipstick. Here, this color will suit you."
Abigail frowned at herself in the mirror. She'd put on lipstick ten minutes ago, but it was gone. She must have chewed it off. She'd probably poisoned herself just to impress a vampire. An incredibly handsome vampire.
With a groan, she pulled the top off the lipstick tube. She needed to calm down. Relax. He was just a guy. A gorgeous, mysterious guy who happened to be Undead.
She applied the copper-red shade. Great. This would probably remind him of blood. Stop fixating on him! Why would he care what her lips looked like? He'd be a lot more interested in her carotid artery. Or in playing mind games with her and putting her to sleep like he had Madison's dog. And that would really be a shame, because if he ever played games with her, she'd want to be fully awake.
She winced. What on earth was she thinking?
The phone rang and she jumped, smearing the lipstick across her cheek. "Oh no!"
"Don't worry about the phone." Madison checked her mascara. "The guys will pick it up." She looked at Abby and flinched. "Oh my God! What have you done?"
"I slipped."
"Sheesh! I leave you alone for ten seconds and you turn into the Joker!" Madison dug into her cosmetic case. "I'll find a makeup remover pad. Hang on."
A knock sounded at the door. "That was Gregori," Josh announced. "He's down in the lobby."
Abigail's heart lurched.
"We're almost ready," Madison called out as she wiped the lipstick off Abigail's cheek. "Are you nervous about tonight?"
"How'd you ever guess?" Abigail muttered. "Aren't you nervous?"
"No. Not too much. Dad sent the two biggest Secret Service guys to watch over us." She lowered her voice. "Have you seen Josh without his jacket on? Oh my God - "
"Madison, our guards may be strong, but they don't have supernatural powers like the vampires. In fact, I strongly suspect Gregori didn't reveal all his powers. He may have some strange psychic abilities."
Madison shrugged. "Probably so. It's one of those vampire things. Kind of sexy when you think about it." She tossed the dirty makeup remover pad in the trash can.
"Sexy? It's downright dangerous."
"Abby, chill. You heard Dad. If we're unhappy about anything tonight, he'll call the alliance off. Gregori won't dare do anything to upset us. The way I see it, that puts us in the position of power."
Abigail bit her lip. She wouldn't call their position powerful, not when Gregori was the one with the powers.
"It's all about attitude," Madison continued. "I've played hostess at a lot of events, and I've met people from strange countries and cultures. You just smile and act like everything's okay. You can do this."
"Okay." A twinge of guilt pricked at Abigail that she'd never given her sister the respect she deserved. For the past few years, Abigail had congratulated herself for being the one most dedicated to helping Mom. She worked long hours trying to come up with a cure for lupus, while she considered her sister the frivolous party girl.
But now she realized that in her own way, Madison was helping their mother, too. Serving as hostess at state dinners and parties couldn't be easy, and as nervous as she was tonight, Abigail knew it was a job she couldn't manage half as well as her sister.
"Thank you, Madison. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Madison's eyes widened. "Well, I suppose I have my uses." A blush spread over her pretty cheeks. "You like him, don't you?"
"Who?"
Madison gave her a pointed look. "Do you want some alone time with him tonight?"
"Good Lord, no. I'd rather you keep him busy."
Madison smiled as she picked up her small rhinestone-encrusted clutch. "So you do know who."
Abigail grabbed the black pashmina shawl and black beaded clutch she was borrowing from her sister. "He's a vampire." And he's waiting downstairs in the lobby.
On the elevator ride down, Abigail looped the end of her shawl over one shoulder so it covered her from the neck past the bodice of her dress. Beside her, Madison smirked. She was striking in a blue sparkly dress that matched her eyes. In front of them, Josh and Charles stood facing the elevator doors. They wore their usual black suits, and each sported an earpiece and wrist communicator so they could converse with each other.
The elevator doors opened. Josh held the doors and blocked their departure until Charles determined it was safe for them to emerge.
Abigail tensed when she spotted Gregori across the lobby. Wow. Still more handsome than should be legally allowed. Women could have car accidents if they spotted him on the sidewalk. Or they could choke on their food if he wandered past a cafe. He was clearly a menace to society.
She slapped herself mentally. Of course he was a menace. He was a vampire!
He was talking to another man. Both were well dressed in expensive suits, although the new guy was more casual. No tie, and the top buttons of his dress shirt were undone. Was he a vampire, too?
"Oh look." Madison flipped her hair over a shoulder. "Gregori brought a friend. It'll be like a double date."
"It's not a date," Abigail mumbled.
She and her sister accompanied the security guys across the lobby. Gregori's gaze drifted over the guys and Madison, then settled on her. His face remained blank, but there was a growing intensity in his eyes that sent a shiver down her spine. She wobbled on her high heels, and Charles grabbed her elbow. Gregori's gaze shifted to Charles's hand, and his mouth thinned.
Madison switched into hostess mode, beaming a smile at Gregori and extending a hand. "Gregori! How delightful to see you again."
"Madison." He shook her hand, then nodded at Abigail. "How do you do?"
She nodded back. "Good evening." So he didn't intend to shake her hand or even say her name? Abigail squeezed her hands around her clutch, feeling the little beads bite into her fingertips. So what if he wanted to act stiff and formal? It was better this way.
Meanwhile her sister aimed her dazzling smile at the new guy. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Madison Tucker."
"I'm Phineas McKinney." He shook her hand. "Also known as Dr. Phang."