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Chapter 1

"It’s over, Don Orlando" Maggie O’Brian lowered her gaze The tears that blurred her vision had little to do with the role she was playing&151;Jessica Goodwin, ood soap opera actress, Maggie turned her back to the person she was addressing and looked sadly at the caain"

"Don’t say that!" Don Orlando rushed to her side and sank gracefully to one knee He seized her hand and kissed it "My darling Chiquita, I could never let you go"

Chiquita? What sort of cheesy person riting this nonsense? Maggie inwardly cursed the writer while trying to ignore the way Don Orlando was brushing his lips against her knuckles Sweet Mary, noas nibbling her fingers

But itRumor had it he’d nibbled a lot more than women’s hands in the last few years

The tear that rolled down Maggie’s cheek orthy of a dayti the day precluded her froroup of actors they didn’t know existed? Only a few ital Vampire Network knew about vampire soap operas, and they were sworn to secrecy The mortals knew if they blabbed, they would pay in blood Literally

Maggie yanked her hand frorasp "I’m sorry, but it was never meant to be"

As Don Orlando rose, he flipped his black silk cape over one shoulder, revealing half of his muscled torso and a thatch of very black, very thick chest hair Maggie knew this h in ecstasy She should know She’d been one of them And if Don Orlando executed the faes of his cape over his shoulders to reveal his entire chest in its lory, his female fans were known to swoon No doubt, a few ie wandered to the empty desk of her pretend office "How many times must I tell you? This is a hospital You shouldn’t come here without a shirt"

"I couldn’t wait to be with you" His voice sounded as smooth as his black silk cape "And the nurses never complain"

"You’ll catch a terrible cold" She glanced at hi outside It’s aled his hten gie pressed a hand against her chest and gazed at camera number two "I swore an oath to protect life How could I fall in love with one of the Undead?" She whirled to face him and pressed her hands on the desk behind her This pose was designed to highlight her ample bosom "That’s how you seduced me, isn’t it? You used some sort of insidious vampire mind control"

"It was you who seduced ered on her breasts "I could not help myself"

"I must resist you Somehow"

He bowed "I areatest lover in the vampire world No woman, alive or undead, can resist ie strode toward caet where I am today Years of med school, endless hours in the ER And now, I’eon People need me"

"I am very proud of you, my Chiquita"

"Don’t say that! I have a reputation to maintain I need the respect of my peers How can I have an affair with an undead trumpet player from a mariachi band?"

He lifted his chiseled chin "I’reatest lover in the vaered toward her, a hand on the loaistline of his tight black leather pants

Maggie turned aith a gasp "Don’t tempt me, Don Orlando!"

"Come aith me!" He pulled her into his arether"

"No, no, no!" She shook her head in rhythm to her cries

"Yes, yes!"

She planted her hands on his chest to push hileaainst the coal black chest hair

He ehter "Kiss me and tell me you don’t love me"

She turned her tear-streaked face to camera number one "You’re so cruel to o!" She shoved hard at his chest

He stuher-pitched scream joined his when she realized what had happened

Griainst his now bare chest And dangling froht hand like a dead rat was the h!" She shook her hand "Get it off!" It flopped wildly around her hand, tangled in her pinky ring

"Dammit, woman!" Don Orlando winced as he rubbed the red welt on his hairless chest "You nearly ripped my skin off"

"Cut!" Gordon, the director, yelled "Makeup! We need Orlando’s hair glued back on"

Maggie looked at Don Orlando’s bare chest, then at the furry pelt dangling fro It was fake? Sweet Mary, she should have known How ? She ripped it fro and offered it to its owner "Sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you"

Don Orlando’s mouth curled up, and he tapped the red splotch on his chest "Want to kiss it and ie tossed the chest-toupee at hi?"