Romance in Vegas - Showgirl!

by Nancy Fornataro

  "I suppose. But I've never been in love..." her words trailed off as she realized she was about to tell him she'd never had sex with anyone, which she didn't want to reveal. "I am experienced, though," she began lying again, "really, for my age."

  He came around the counter, and stood in front of her as she spun around. "How do you feel about me?"

  His arms were just too tempting, and she watched his muscles move there as she ran her hands over them. "I'm not sure what you want me to say."

  As hand drew her chin up, he gazed into her eyes heatedly, his eyes almost all blue now. "I love you, Dani. I've loved you from the first moment I set eyes on you. And I hope one day, you will love me back."

  And, with that, he walked back into the kitchen to check his dinner.

  She slept fitfully that Sunday night, tossed and turned until four in the morning, when she finally gave up and went on the patio. It was warm this morning, and she sat on a chaise lounge.

  Their dinner had been delicious, steak was her favorite, the corn was perfect and she'd finished almost the entire au gratin side dish by herself.

  The conversation was light, all about work and people, before they watched a movie in the den. They snuggled on the wrap around sofa, with his arm on her shoulder and her hand on his thigh.

  Only at bedtime did he touch her with his raw sexuality. He led her to the downstairs bedroom where she'd napped that day.

  Running his hands down her hair, he drew her close to him, with his hands on her buttocks. He pressed against her, as his mouth came down hard on hers. Then drawing back, he looked down at her and whispered, "That's the way I like to see you...just kissed, with your lips red and tempting." He buried his face in her neck, nuzzled her, whispering, "Bellissimo."

  But he sighed and pulled back, ran a hand through his hair. "Good night, Dani."

  Now, she just sat and thought of him for hours.

  Robert came in early on Monday, as Leroy was sick, so he was forced to almost pull a double shift. He clocked in at eight at night then went up to surveillance. He watched all cameras now, as well as Dani's special camera. However, after half an hour, he saw Scaletti drop her off at her suite door with a quick kiss on the cheek. "Damn, she looks good in shorts," he said to himself.

  But forty-five minutes later, he saw the other dancer with the long black hair come to Dani's suite and knock on the door. The two left, both dressed in sequin mini dresses and heels. "Oh, shit," he said, picking up the phone.

  He thought Scaletti sounded happy and relaxed as he said, "Yes?"

  Damn, he thought, I'm raining on his parade big time now. "Um, sir, she's leaving the building. Just wanted to let you know."

  "What?"

  "Yes, sir. She and the other one with long black hair--"

  "Kim."

  "Yeah. Well they looked dressed for clubbing and I just thought--"

  "Say again?"

  "You know, mini dresses. Maybe they're going to Chez or something."

  Scaletti cursed in his ear and rang off.

  "Don't blame the messenger," Robert muttered.

  They rode along in Kim's Porche. "So, where to sugar?"

  "I don't really know. You decide."

  "Okay, it'll be Monty's then. A little DJ music for us. Gotta take advantage of our nights off."

  They arrived at the place by The Strip a few minutes later. Kim threw the keys at the valet, who seemed to know her, and they went inside.

  The inside reminded Dani of Chez Vous. It was loud and the crowd was boisterous and dancing.

  They sat for a while, after ordering drinks. Dani was surprised they'd even serve her, but no one asked for her license, so she just sipped her whiskey.

  "Well," Kim said, "how was it?" She looked at Dani expectantly, with her eyebrows raised.

  Dani didn't know what to say. Did she love him? Is this what love was like? A longing? A physical thing? "Let me think," she said slowly, "he said 'bella'."

  "Okay, he thinks you're beautiful. What else?"

  "Um, he said, 'bellissimo.'"

  "Wow, hot Italian. That means wonderful experience."

  "And he said 'ti amo' also."

  Kim looked dreamy. "Wow, that means I love you. All Italian words. What a hunk he is, I swear. So, do you love him?"

  Dani drained her drink and ordered another one. "He actually asked me that."

  "God," Kim said irritably, "this is like pulling teeth. What did you tell him? Yes, hopefully?"

  "I told him I didn't know."

  Kim groaned, and sipped her drink. Dani's drink arrived and she drank half before she realized what she was doing.

  "Well," Kim asked, "do you love him or what?"

  "I don't know."

  Dani wanted to ask Kim what love was, but she didn't know how. Just then, a young man asked her to dance.

  They stayed at Monty's for about two hours, steadily drinking and dancing. Dani never noticed the owner making phone calls, the photographers lurking in the background, or even notice the eager looks from all the men.

  Kim finally said, "Hey, sugar. We'd better go. I called the limo from the casino to take us back. Whee, I'm just feeling too, too good right now to even drive."

  "Where?" Al shouted. "Where the hell is that? Who owns it?"

  The limo driver said calmly, "Sir, it's a little dive off The Strip. Don't know who owns it. They have a DJ and like that. A dancing place."

  Al let out a string of curses in his ear before he hung up.

  And the driver, opening the door for the two young ladies, not only checked them out surreptitiously, but realized they were drunk indeed, as they giggled and squealed from the back seat all the way back.

  Robert followed the two women with his camera. They were doubled over with laughter on the elevator, and he grinned at the sight. Dani got off at two, and weaved her way down the hallway, giving her room card a four time try before she was able to enter. Then he saw Scaletti striding down the hallway from the opposite direction, and the look on the man's face almost scared him.

  Dani lay on the bed, with the room spinning sickeningly. She turned on her side. It didn't help. To make matters worse, someone knocked on the door. Her arms tried valiantly to lift her body up before she plunked back on the bed again.

  Somehow, Al was in the room, standing in front of her now. "Have fun?" he asked in an icy voice.

  "Yes," she said weakly, "I'm just a bit tired."

  But if the spinning wasn't bad enough, now she was sick to her stomach. She retched but nothing came out.

  "Oh, boy," she heard him say, as he lifted her up. Soon, she was at the toilet bowl, retching for real, bringing up nothing but whiskey. She hadn't ordered dinner from room service as Al told her to.

  He held her forehead until she was done, and he lifted her back to the bed again. Soon, she felt a cool cloth on her forehead. She smiled faintly. "Soooo nice to me," she breathed.

  "It's a dirty job but someone has to do it," he replied dryly, sitting on the bed next to her. "What on earth made you two go to a dive bar tonight?"

  "Kim. She said we'd go dancing. Sounded like fun. Lots of lights popping."

  "Photographers," he groaned. "Can't wait to see what they'll have to offer tomorrow morning."

  She smiled up at him. "I do love you."

  "Right. You're drunk right now. Tell me that when you're sober and I'll believe it."

  "But I do," she insisted, "will you call me?"

  He laughed. "Call you what?"

  "On the phone I mean. I like your voice. It's sexy."

  "I might consider it. You'll have to promise to take me to Monty's with you next time, though."

  "You got it, babe," she whispered, before she fell asleep.

  He had to hold himself back from laughing loudly. She was just so damn funny.

  The next morning, Lefty brought in the newspaper at eight o'clock like he usually did.

  "No comments forthcoming?" Al asked him.

  "Boss," Lefty began, "I don
't think you want to look at those."

  "Have to take the bad with the good, my friend." Al pulled out the first one. Entertainment section said, 'Where was Scaletti?' The second one said, 'This Woman can Dance...Alone.' And the third, an even worse, 'Scorned Dani Dances at Clubs to Forget.'

  "What happened, boss?" Lefty asked him, sitting across from him at the desk.

  Al rubbed his face, looking at the pictures of Dani dancing wildly with a man, her hair fanning out as she crouched, and one picture had even caught her in a spin. "She's young. Kim's been around the block a few times. It's not too bad of a combination, under certain circumstances. I think they both just were carried away."

  He sighed. "I need to know she loves me, Lefty. And not just when she's in a drunken stupor either. She needs to come to me with love in her heart."

  His eyes took on a far away look as he searched the skyline. "I never had this problem with Clarice. I was always confident in her love, secure in her love. She never questioned or second guessed me..." his voice trailed off.

  Lefty just sat, nodding.

  Chapter 13

  Al stopped at the cage just before nine-thirty. "How's it going?" he asked Marie.

  She stepped outside to talk to him. "Nothing yet. Vito's been around a lot, which I don't mind at all."

  He smiled at her. "Good. Nothing to report?"

  "No. I'd let you know right away, Al."

  In surveillance, they had just finished watching the soft count, and Robert's eyes were blurry. He rubbed them, and shook his head. "Les, can you order us some coffee? I'm dying here."

  He offhandedly watched Vito open the deposit and recount it. Nothing unusual, he thought as his eyes strayed to other monitors.

  Earlier that morning, about nine, he'd watched Dani carefully open her door, and jump as it slammed shut. Then, she'd made her way carefully down the hallway. "Poor baby," he'd said to himself. He'd had hangovers too.

  Al walked into the theater, loosened his tie which he felt constantly choked by, and sat in his usual seat. The women came out one by one, flashing him big smiles, striding along, and he smiled. Until Dani came out. He thought she actually looked a bit green around the gills and he had to fight to keep a straight face. She weaved a bit, before he said, "You look a bit unsteady today, Miss Dani. Will you be all right for the show tonight?"

  She gave him a quick dirty look, then spun and walked to the edge of the stage. Then he couldn't suppress his smile as Kim also weaved across the stage. But he said nothing, just tried to cover his mouth with one hand.

  Lunchtime brought Dani and Kim, just staring warily at the lunches on their plate they'd picked to eat. "Maybe some fruit?" Dani asked weakly.

  Kim lit a cigarette. "I'm never drinking again. Not me. Never again, Sugar."

  The pull team joined them, Maude, Linda, Freddy and Michael.

  Dani asked them, "So, did you find out who's stealing yet?"

  "Like we really have time for that," Maude said, pushing back her gray hair as she lit a cigarette.

  Michael was quickly eating his scrambled eggs.

  Dani asked him, "How about you, Michael? What do you think?"

  "I think Scaletti should get off my fucking back and look to his General Manager."

  They all looked at each other in amazement.

  "Mike," Freddy said patiently, "what are you talking about?"

  "Figure it this way," Michael continued, "he's the only one with pockets in there. And he's the only one who counts and recounts the deposits. I'm tellin' you it's him. He's probably been ripping Scaletti off for years."

  "No way," Linda said emphatically, smoothing her dark hair, "with what he makes? I don't think so."

  Michael stared at her heatedly. "Dumb bitch."

  "Mike," Freddy said, punching his arm, "apologize."

  But, Linda was checking out her arm bruises again, and seemed to be impervious to the abuse.

  "You look nice with eye make-up," Dani told her. "I really like that smoky look; maybe you could show me how you do it."

  "Hey, thanks," Linda said. "Anytime. That's a real compliment coming from you."

  "It's the truth," Dani said with a warm smile.

  Teeny sat watching Dani with the team, and he'd noticed her, day after day, making friends in the casino from the change girls to the cage cashiers, to the pull team and security guards. He really thought she had made more connections within the casino that he even had on the outside. She had flair, style, that certain something that people warmed up to. He liked her a lot, and wished his boss would get his head up out of his ass and make his move with Dani before someone else did.

  In a bar in downtown Vegas, Lorali sealed the deal with the somewhat disheveled man in front of her. "Clean yourself up. Here's a hundred. When you've done the thing, get out fast, or I don't know you at all. Got it?"

  He eyed the hundred dollar bill hungrily, then nodded and grabbed it.

  She knew he needed the money. She also knew he wouldn't clean himself up with it. He just needed gambling money. She added, "And if you don't do the thing tonight, like I told you to do, I'll send Scaletti's men after you. Are we clear on that?" Her eyes narrowed to slits.

  He nodded nervously, and stuffed the bill in his pocket.

  After the second rehearsal, Dani walked into her suite, weary and still nauseated. She munched on some crackers for a minute and felt better. At least housekeeping had come in and cleaned up the remnants of last night. She drank ice water thirstily, before she saw the new red roses they delivered in her absence. Inhaling their fragrance, she looked at the card. It was blank.

  Wondering what that meant, she punched up his number.

  "Yes?" he said impatiently.

  She was silent for a few seconds. "I just wanted to apologize to you and thank you for your help last night."

  "You sure you'll be all right for the performances tonight?"

  Hearing concern in his voice, she said with more confidence than she felt, "Of course. Rehearsals went well. I'll be fine."

  "You know we can always ax the wild dance at eleven if you aren't feeling up to it."

  "No, really. I'm fine."

  "All right," he said shortly, "see you after the show." And the phone went dead in her ear.

  The nine o'clock show went well, and was now almost as crowded as the eleven 'wild dance' showing.

  Dani sat talking to Kim between shows. They were both still in costume and sat carefully on two stools.

  Kim asked her, "So what did you guys do yesterday?"

  "Oh, we went for a hike on the hiking trail up there. Really pretty, we saw a lot of birds. So, when is Tony coming back?"

  Kim smiled widely. "Tomorrow."

  "Serious?"

  "Yeah. I did Al a little favor a while back and I think he's repaying me. Although, rolling forward, I'm still not sure if it will work or not. That's a lot of distance."

  "Well, there's always the phone sex thing." Not that Dani knew anything about it, but she'd heard it mentioned.

  Kim looked thoughtful. "Guess it would be better than nothing." Her phone rang. "It's him," she said, as she walked around the corner into the hallway.

  "Can I help you?" she said in a sweet voice.

  "I need you," he said simply.

  "Oh, baby. You've got it bad," she joked.

  "I'm serious. Move here. I'll support you."

  "Right. Get serious."

  "I am serious."

  "I don't know, I've got some payback to do with you and you also owe me."

  "What do I owe you?"

  "A good session of sex."

  "We had that last time."

  "I want another one."

  "Okay," he sighed, "I'll just have to hit you over the head and carry you on the plane with me then."

  "Caveman."

  "Bitch."

  "Now we're getting somewhere."

  The eleven o'clock showing started as usual with the dancers posing, arms up, then winding down the staircase. />
  As they lined up in back of her, Dani posed then flipped off her shoes. The audience hooted at that, and again when she threw her gloves backstage along with her headdress.

  She began her wild dance, but as she twirled, something appeared at the corner of her vision field.

  As she stopped, arms up, a man came up from the audience and quickly toppled her down on the floor. She heard a cracking noise as she fell, along with shouts and pandemonium.

  Al couldn't believe his eyes at first, and sat frozen for seconds along with everyone in the theater. "Guards!" he finally yelled, as he ran towards the stage.

  As she sprinted in the same direction, Candy shouted into her lapel radio, "Two-forty in theater, assistance needed!"

  Instinctively, she drew an impression of the man as he ran offstage, "Foot pursuit, theater," she yelled, as she zigzagged past the dancers clustering around Dani, "five-eight, weight 180, black jacket, headed towards rear exit." She grew breathless then, but kept going and pounded her way out the back exit.

  "No you don't, banana brain, you don't run out on us," she muttered to herself, as she picked up her pace, and sprinted over a box onto the dumpster, then over the fence, where the man had run. She saw a flash of black flip around the corner towards the street.

  Finally almost catching up with him, she yelled, "Freeze, asshole!" But he just kept running. With relief, she saw Matt heading towards them from the street. The man was trapped now. She drew her gun. "You call LVPD?" she asked Matt.

  "Yeah, base called right away."

  "Well," she said, gun still trained on him, turning him around, "guess we'll just wait right here, won't we dick-brain?"

  Dani gazed at the top of the burgundy curtain. She couldn't breathe. Wheezing, she finally took some air in her lungs. Faces appeared in front of her, Adriene, Kim, Al, in a strange procession, in and out, she heard vague noises, clicks, and saw badges, guns.