“Well, maybe I’m stupid, but I want it. And I bet Ian’s got this figured out. Your daylight gig was an accident. The real daylight drug is bound to be much stronger than what you took.” Ray’s eyes were shining with hope. “Don’t you see, Glory? Forget the nightmares. Except as a clue that Ian’s getting us back to being mortal again.”
My stomach dropped like a rock. “Oh, Ray, that is so not happening. Ever.” I laid my hand on his arm. There was another impatient knock on the door and I checked the peephole. Yep, the TV crew stood out there, anxious to get inside. I hesitated, knowing this was our last chance for a private word for hours.
“Ray, please think about this long and hard before you act on it. And, remember, you said you’d tell me before you bought into the daylight deal with Ian.”
“Did I?” Ray smiled and grabbed the doorknob. “I don’t think so, Ms. Independent. But I do owe you an apology. I never should have taken your diet stuff. Not fair to you.” He glanced at Valdez. “I deserved a nightmare and an ass whipping.” He cleared his throat. “Now, let’s do this.”
Before I could respond to that, he opened the door and ushered in the crew, kissing Zia on the cheek and waving to the designers, who were relegated to the hall again.
The next hour went by in a blur as the crew set up the living room and we decided how this would go. Ray got makeup and I got a touch-up. Nathan popped in for a few minutes to change shirts and to meet Zia. There was some chemistry there and I had a feeling the two would be seeing each other again. They exchanged numbers, then Nathan left and filming started.
Zia did her usual intro. She played up Ray’s involvement and made a big deal out of his Grammy nomination again. It was obvious that I was just a necessary evil.
Finally, an assistant brought Melanie in and sat her in the middle of the couch. I headed into the bedroom to change into her dress and accessories with the help of an a ssistant.
This time the dress fit perfectly and the horrible shoulders had been reduced to a manageable level. I actually liked the dress and wished I could have seen the thing in a full-length mirror. Made me wonder if a giant flat screen turned on its side and a webcam . . . Now I was thinking like Ian the inventor. Oh, well, the life of a vampire.
I walked out and saw Ray and Zia flanking Melanie. I did a turn in front of them, enjoying the way the blue skirt flared when I moved. The sheer fabric on the sleeves was now tight enough to show a blue, red and yellow dragon design, between my breasts too.
“Melanie, I just noticed what you were trying to do with the sheer fabric.” I looked up and grinned. “It looks like I have tattoos!”
“That’s right, Glory. What do you think?” Melanie was all smiles.
“Let’s hear from Israel Caine first, Melanie.” Zia turned to Ray. “How do you like it, Ray?”
Ray stood and walked around me. “It’s got a cool, edgy vibe. Love the tattoo thing going on.” He winked at Melanie. “Glory’s always wished she could get a tat, haven’t you, baby?” We’d discussed my cover story. He smiled into the camera. “She’s allergic to the dyes or she would.” He traced a heart over the curve of my breast exposed by the plunging neckline. “She’d put my name right here, wouldn’t you, Glory?”
I gave him a slow smile, well aware of the camera, then heard Valdez rumbling behind me. Tough. I’d warned him to be on his best behavior. Of course, I’d had ample proof that he was an unpredictable man under all that cute Labradoodle fur. So I grabbed Ray’s hand and pulled it to my lips for a playful nip.
“Sure would, love. Don’t you like the blue?”
“Matches your eyes, baby.” Ray put his hands on my waist. “What’s up with this belt?”
“Stars, Ray. Melanie was thinking of you when she made this belt.” I frowned at Valdez when I heard a gagging noise.
“Piling it on a little thick, aren’t you, Mel?” Ray laughed. “I like it, but we’ve got two more dresses to see. Let’s move on. Good job, honey.” He turned his famous smile on Melanie and I heard the clank as her pierced tongue fell out of her mouth and hit her pierced lip, another victim of Israel Caine’s charm.
“Out you go, then, Melanie. Send in Darren next and Glory will change into his dress. You’ll find out the winning design tomorrow night when you see what Glory is wearing when she appears on Israel Caine’s arm at the Grammy awards show.” Zia smiled as Ray settled on the couch again.
I really was fascinated by those sleeves. Tattoos! How cool was that? But I hurried back to the dressing room. I knew time was an issue. Ray had a schedule for us to follow that included stopping at several parties. I pulled off the dress and took the red one that was handed through the door. This time it fit perfectly so maybe it was just as well that I hadn’t lost the three pounds the night before. I slipped on the shoes, which I loved, and the jewelry and walked out. I really felt like a princess in this one.
“Wow, Glory. That one is amazing.” Ray jumped up and walked around me. “Really shows off your new body.” He traced the low-cut bodice, then looked at Darren, who was sitting on the edge of his seat. “You were obviously listening to me on this.”
“Yes, Mr. Caine. You were right. Glory’s got the goods. She should show them off.” Darren coughed when Ray flicked him with a look that should have drawn blood. Obviously Designer Boy had overstepped.
“This jewelry for sale?” Ray toyed with the diamond earrings in my ears. “They’re perfect on you, Glory.”
“Of course, Ray. I can put you in touch with the jeweler after the show.” Zia smiled. “Now, Glory, why don’t you tell me why you’re frowning?”
“Well, I love the dress, the accessories and the way it fits, Darren. But I’m worried about the color. It’s red.”
“You said that was your favorite color.” Darren jumped to his feet. He sat quickly when Valdez growled. Everyone in the room froze at that sound. They all remembered the Butch debacle.
“Yes, it is. But how is it going to look against a red carpet, Darren? What if it’s the wrong shade of red? Or I just kind of disappear into the carpet? Do you see my concern?”
“Good points, Glory.” Zia was thrilled at the controversy. “Well, Darren, what do you have to say to that?”
“I’m sorry, Glory.” Tears filled his eyes, and he wiped them with his sleeve. “I guess I blew it.”
“No, wait.” Ray stopped looking down my front long enough to join the conversation. “Didn’t I tell you, Glory? This year is all about saving the environment and global warming. The carpet isn’t going to be red. It’s going to be green.”
“Seriously?” I turned on him. “You didn’t think to share that little bit of information with me until now?”
Zia had the same reaction. Her comments would have to be censored. “Why didn’t someone notify us? I have a green dress for the stupid event. Now I’m back to square one. Of all the bleep, bleeping foul-ups.” She took a shaky breath. “Okay, people, let’s rewind.” She smiled at Ray. “That’s good drama. We’ll just edit a little bit.”
“Fine. I like the dress, Darren, and it’s definitely still under consideration.” I gave him a thumbs-up.
“Excellent.” Zia clapped her hands. “Now it’s Butch’s turn. Ray, is the dog yours or Glory’s?”
Ray frowned in Valdez’s direction. “Oh, he’s 100 percent Glory’s animal. Why?”
Zia frowned. “He attacked one of the designers during the last shoot. It was, well, traumatic. Glory, that’s not going to happen again, is it?”
I’d already noticed that the entire crew had given Valdez a wide berth since arriving. That had just made him grin and wag his tail. Yeah, Mr. Innocent. “It had better not. Butch won’t be carrying scissors this time, will he?”
“No, no sharp objects at all. Guess the dog thought Butch was going to hurt Glory. Can you imagine? With such a huge prize at stake?” Zia laughed and touched Ray’s hand, then she stood and straightened her purple knit micro-mini dress. Two inches shorter and it wouldn’t have covered her butt at all. Trust me, Ray was noticing.
“Will someone assure Butch that the dog isn’t going to attack him?” She smiled at me. “Glory, let’s play it safe. Could you please put your dog in the bedroom for this part of the shoot? Butch has been under a doctor’s care since that little dustup with your pooch last night. I think it would help if we didn’t have to worry about a repeat.”
I glanced at Valdez. He’d added a lolling tongue and a dumb look to his repertoire. He wasn’t fooling me. If Butch or anyone on the crew—no, make that anyone in the room—even looked at me cross-eyed, he’d go for the jugular and not care who got it on film. I couldn’t blame him. After what Trina had pulled, he was right to be cautious. Unfortunately, he’d be really happy if Ray gave him an excuse to go ballistic.
“Sure, Zia. Valdez can stay in the bedroom, but I have to leave the door ajar. He needs to know he’s in on the action. Otherwise he’ll just bark nonstop and spoil everything. He can get pretty noisy. You don’t want to take that chance, do you?”
“No, of course not.” Zia winced as she settled on the couch again and crossed her long legs. “Honey, have you considered obedience school? Or even, dare I say it, kenneling the creature when you travel?”
Valdez obviously decided to prove he didn’t need to be shuttled off to some pet hotel or school for naughty dogs. He ran up to her, all wagging tail and lolling tongue. In an instant, the model jumped up on the coffee table, screaming at her assistants to “do something.” One picked up a throw pillow, then screeched when Valdez knocked it out of her hands with his wagging tail. That sent the others scurrying into a huddle behind the cameraman. Zia was on her own.
