Handbags & Hooligans

by Laina Turner

  “It couldn’t hurt,” said Jesse. “Maybe she has a valid point, Jared.”

  “I know you would do anything to find Ashley, but I’m not sure Presley being a cocktail waitress is the answer,” Jared said to Jesse. “Besides, you know what Cooper will do when he finds out? Oh boy, will he come unglued.”

  “It’s none of Cooper’s business,” I said. “Besides, how would he find out?”

  “I’m sure he has his ways,” Jesse said. “And it’s not like Jared and I would keep it from him. Still, I think this might be worth a try, Jared. It certainly won’t hurt anything and maybe we’d get lucky and find something out.”

  Jared snickered. “Oh, I’m sure Pres and Anna might get lucky.”

  “Well, I think it’s a good idea, and I’m going to call him and tell him we’ll do it.” I stood and walked over to my purse to get my phone. While dialing I added, “You guys don’t need to say anything to Cooper either. It’s none of his business.” I went into the kitchen to have a little privacy, but I could still hear them talking.

  “Cooper is going to flip,” Jared said to Jesse. “He wasn’t happy when he knew she was going on a pseudo date; I can’t even imagine what he’s going to say about this.”

  “I don’t know him the way you do, but like you said, based on his reaction to her date with Sweetie, he is going to flip over this,” Jesse said. “But how will he find out if we don’t tell him? I don’t think Presley is going to.”

  “Trust me, Jesse. He will find out. He seems to know everything—especially where Presley is concerned.”

  After a few moments, I walked back into the room. “I hate to interrupt you guys, especially when I know you’re enjoying talking about me, but it’s all set. Sweetie said Anna and I could start tonight.” The guys were right, Cooper wouldn’t be happy, and he would find out. But it kind of felt nice having the guys talk about Cooper being jealous of Sweetie. It meant he still cared, not that I really had doubts, but it was nice to hear it said.

  “Pres, are you sure you think this is a good idea?” Jared asked.

  “Stop it. Enough about me. What about you and your issue? Besides Ashley, I mean. Cooper said when I took him to the airport that you told him the deal behind the arrest, and that he was going to see what he could do to help.”

  “Yeah. He called Simon, and he was going to check on a few things. Simon knows of this Benigni guy and his family. Simon is supposed to call me today before my shift. The tournament starts tonight, and I know this guy will be in to pressure me. How did everything get to be such a mess?” He rubbed his forehead.

  I rubbed his shoulder. “It will all get figured out. Simon can get these guys off your back. He has quite a persuasive personality, and I’m sure we’ll find Ashley soon, and this will all be over.” I looked at my watch and jumped up. “Speaking of which, Anna and I need to get ready for our shift at The Pink Pony. C’mon guys, help us find something to wear.”

  “Count me out, Pres. I’m not helping my sister pick out clothes, especially to wear to a strip joint.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him. “Fine. Jared, what about you? You going to abandon me, too?”

  “Well, I can’t say this is one of your better ideas, but I can’t have you looking bad. Let’s see what we can find.”

  “I remember passing a secondhand shop when I left to meet Sweetie. It was just a couple of blocks away. Maybe we could find something there?”

  “I wish I would have known this was going to be what we were doing in Vegas; I would have packed my bar clothes,” Anna said.

  We found the resale shop and started searching through the racks for something appropriate for a waitress at The Pink Pony, but not totally sleazy, and I wasn’t sure that would be very easy to find.

  “Hey, Pres, what about this?” Jared said, holding up an outfit. If that little amount of material could be called an outfit.

  “I found one, too. Let’s try them on,” Anna said, excitedly grabbing my hand and leading me toward the back to the fitting room.

  I must have looked apprehensive walking back there because Jared said, “Remember, this was your idea.”

  Didn’t I know it. What had I got myself into?

  We pulled into the parking lot of The Pink Pony. I was more than a little nervous. I wasn’t sure if it was being at a strip club that was making me nervous or the actual waitressing part. I wasn’t the most graceful person. Then the get–up Jared had convinced me to wear didn’t help either. I wasn’t used to showing so much skin, especially if I wasn’t going to be the one drinking. I just had to remember this was all for Jesse and Ashley.

  Opening the car door, I slung my oversized black Juicy Couture purse over my shoulder. Once Anna stepped out, I beeped the locks. She was just as skimpily dressed as I was, but she had an amazing body and the confidence to go with it, so she had nothing to be self conscious about. Jesse had again hitched a ride to work so we could have the car, and I was starting to get my bearings and know where I was while driving in Vegas. It was a pretty cool feeling when you’ve finally figured out that you’re comfortable enough to feel almost at home.

  I pushed the door to the club open, and the darkness enveloped me. After a few seconds when my eyes adjusted, I could see Sweetie behind the bar, so we walked over.

  “We’re ready to start our shift,” I said playfully, hoping my nervousness didn’t show.

  “Hey, doll. Anna. You’re ready, huh? Nervous?”

  “No. Well, maybe, just a little. Does it show?”

  Anna looked around. “I’m not nervous. I think this will be fun.”

  “I know this ain’t your usual gig, but you both will do great. A step up from a lot of our waitresses, if you know what I mean. I don’t mean no disrespect, but many of our waitresses have been in the biz a while. You two are fresh, so you should make a lot of tips. And if anyone tries to get too grabby, you come get me. I’ll set ‘em straight. You don’t need to put up with no bullshit. Follow me. I’ll show you where you can put your stuff and introduce you to some of the other girls.” Sweetie started to walk toward the back. “Just so ya know, I told them you were friends who needed to make some quick cash.”

  “They won’t question that?” I said.

  “Not from me.”

  “What about Michelle? She will know that’s not true.”

  “She knows better than to say anything. I am her big brother, after all.” He smiled.

  A few minutes later, we had met some of the girls, who were all very friendly. Then we were given a quick tour of the layout and how things worked around the bar. It seemed simple. I was starting with just two tables and was ready, or as ready as I would ever be.

  I had a couple of customers and was able to serve them without a hitch. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. I was walking back to the bar to get another round of drinks for one of my tables when I felt my phone started buzzing. I had put it on vibrate. Pulling it out of my waitress apron, I saw it was Jesse, probably calling to check up on my first night. I was sure he thought I had already spilled drinks or broken glasses, and to be honest, I couldn’t blame him for thinking that way. Being graceful was not exactly my forte.

  “Haven’t spilled a drink yet,” I said when I answered, bypassing the normal hello.

  “Presley, she called me.”

  “What?!”

  “She called and left me a voicemail.”

  “Did she say where she was at?” I asked, glad she was calling, as that meant she was alive.

  “No. She said she was fine and to not worry, and she said something else really weird. I don’t know what to make of it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She told me to remember to feed the cat. Do you think that could be secret code?”

  “I didn’t notice a cat when we were at her apartment.”

  “That’s because she doesn’t have one. She is allergic. That’s what I mean; it doesn’t make sense. She called when I was at a table. I took a break and saw her number.
I can’t believe I missed her call.”

  “Jesse, that’s not your fault. At least we know she’s…at least we know she’s okay.”

  “But what about the cat thing? Do you think she was trying to give us a clue as to where she was?”

  “Maybe. Listen, I’ve a got a table yelling for me. Let’s talk about this when we get back. The positive thing is she’s okay.” I was thrilled we knew she wasn’t, well, you know, dead, but we still had no idea where she was, and that was a problem.

  I was starting to get the hang of waitressing. Anna was faring much better than I, but then, she’d waited tables all through college and was experienced. It also seemed to be taking her mind off things, and for that I was grateful. After a while, I was finally finding my groove. It was kind of fun actually, probably because I knew I wouldn’t be doing it for very long. Thank goodness. It was hard work, much harder than retail.

  I was wiping down a table to get it ready for the next patrons when one of the waitresses came over to me. “Do you know Benigni?” she said.

  “Who?” I was startled, and of course I knew who he was; I just didn’t think I should broadcast that and wondered why she was asking me.

  “Benigni. He owns the club. He just walked in and is looking you over hard. He usually doesn’t bother with us waitresses. He is much more interested in the dancers. Especially certain ones, if you get my drift.”

  I looked in his direction and, sure enough, a sinister–looking guy was staring in my direction. Benigni was tall, well over six foot, and skinny. The kind of skinny where his bones seemed to protrude like Ichabod Crane. His suit was obviously expensive—I would bet it was custom made—but it just hung on him. He was just that skinny. And in combination with his dark skin and jet–black hair, it made him look scary. Even if he weren’t a mob guy, he would look scary. Just my luck, he started walking in my direction.

  “Whatever you do, just be nice,” whispered the waitress before she walked away. She couldn’t seem to get away fast enough. She must really not like him or else was very afraid. Her reaction made me nervous, but I wasn’t about to let him see that.

  “So, I see Sweetie hired a couple new girls,” Benigni said to me as he looked over in Anna’s direction.

  I stuck out my hand in an effort to be polite. He looked at me strangely and ignored my hand. I let it drop back to my side. Obviously his employees weren’t good enough to shake hands with.

  “What’s your name?” he said.

  “Presley.”

  “As in Elvis?”

  “Sort of.” I wasn’t about to give this man the background of my name, of how my mom was a diehard Elvis fan and named me after him, and it was a poorly kept family secret. That used to drive me crazy.

  “And your last name?”

  Why the hell did he want to know so much about me? “Thurman. Presley Thurman.”

  He paused a few seconds, and then I could see recognition dawn in his eyes. Dammit. I should have given him a fake last name. How stupid of me. He was definitely putting two and two together, and I wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

  “Don’t tell me you’re Jesse Thurman’s sister?” he said.

  I knew if I denied it he would know I was lying. And that would probably be worse than if I just admitted it. “Yes, I am.”

  “Interesting. So why are you working here? I thought you lived in Chicago.”

  How did he know that? “I came out to visit Jesse and ran into Sweetie and thought it would be a fun way to make some extra money for a while. You know, supplement my stay here.” I was trying to be upbeat about why I was here, but surely he would be able to put enough pieces in place to question my being here.

  “Interesting,” he said again. “Well, enjoy your time here.” He looked like he wanted to say something else but abruptly walked away.

  Interesting was right. This had been too easy. Something didn’t feel right about the conversation.

  Anna walked over to me. “What was that all about?” she asked.

  “That was Benigni, the guy who owns this club and who is putting pressure on Jesse to fix the tournament,” I whispered.

  “What did he want?”

  “Nothing really. It was weird. He knew who I was but didn’t really comment on it other than letting me know he connected me with Jesse.”

  “Hmmm…”

  “Jesse called me. He got a call from Ashley.”

  “He did?” she squealed. “What did she say?”

  “He didn’t get to talk to her. She left a voicemail that didn’t make sense, but listen, let’s chat after our shift. I don’t like the way Benigni is looking at us.”

  He was standing at the bar with Sweetie, definitely looking hard our way. It made me very uncomfortable, and I didn’t want him giving Sweetie a difficult time for hiring us.

  Chapter 13

  So who are we meeting exactly?” I asked Jared, while sitting down at his table and motioning for the waitress. I desperately needed a glass of wine or three. My feet were killing me. It was hard being on your feet running from table to table, especially when wearing four–inch heels. Jared had called and left me a voicemail when I was at my shift at The Pink Pony, saying that as soon as I got off work I had to come here— here being this trendy bar down the street from Jesse’s. Unfortunately, I hadn’t brought a change of clothes, so I had to walk around in my hoochie outfit. Anna still looked chipper, and it was killing me. So not fair.

  “How come you’re feet aren’t killing you?” I grumbled.

  “I was having so much fun I just didn’t think about it. It was like being in college again, and I didn’t think about Jeff once. That made it all worth it.”

  “Jordan Wainwright,” Jared just about squealed in response to my earlier question, he was so excited.

  “Sorry if I’m being slow, but who is Jordan Wainright?”

  “That hunk of adorable flesh coming through the door. That is Jordan Wainright.” Jared stared at the entryway, almost drooling.

  I turned around to see who the object of Jared’s apparent adoration was. He looked familiar, but I didn’t know anyone here in Las Vegas. How could this guy look familiar? He walked closer, and finally it clicked: This very attractive guy walking to our table was none other than the Cher impersonator from last night.

  I said turning to Jared, “Cher? We’re meeting Cher for a drink? You sure didn’t waste much time, did you?”

  “I’ll have you know he called me, thank you very much.”

  “Good job, Jared. I’m proud of you,” Anna said, giving him a high five.

  “Okay, sor–ry,” I teased. “I haven’t seen you this worked up since a few boyfriends ago. What was that dark haired guy’s name. Harry, Henry…”

  “Henry, and the moratorium on not saying his name ever again is still in effect, if you don’t mind. Now shhh, Jordan’s close enough to hear you. Jared stood up to welcome him to the table and shake his hand. “Hi, Jordan. This is Presley and Anna. They were with me last night, but I’m not sure you formally met.”

  “I remember seeing them; I would never forget women this lovely. Good to meet you.” He took my hand and kissed it, then did the same with Anna. The ultimate gentleman, he obviously had the knack of making a girl feel like a princess. Why was it straight guys who acted this way came off as creepy or with ulterior motives? I could never figure that out, but straight or not, it was a nice feeling. Of course, I knew he was just trying to butter me up, probably to get in Jared’s good graces. As if that was at all necessary. Jared was smitten.

  I motioned our waitress over. “Good to meet you, too,” I said. “Can I get you anything?”

  “Ahhh…thanks.” He turned to the waitress. “Glass of merlot, please”

  “Preference on label?” asked the waitress.

  “Surprise me?”

  “Sure thing. The rest of you?”

  “I’ll also take a merlot,” said Jared.

  “Me, too. Anna what are you going to have?”
/>   “I’m in a beer mood. Do you have Fat Bastard?”

  “Yep. I will get these and be right back with your drinks and some waters and snacks.”

  “Fat Bastard? Sounds like some of my ex–boyfriends,” Jordan said.

  “Mine, too.” Jared laughed. “I’ve had that brand before. It’s an inexpensive beer but very good.”

  The waitress brought our drinks, and I took a couple sips, just savoring it, then started to feel relaxation course through my tired body and sore feet. “I sure needed that,” I said.

  “Rough day?” Jordan asked sympathetically.

  “You could say that.”

  “So, what brings you all to Vegas?”

  Jared and I looked at Anna.

  “Go ahead tell him,” she said. “I don’t mind. It’ll be peanuts compared to what I’ll have to deal with when we get home.”

  Jordan looked curious.

  “We came out here for Anna’s wedding,” I said. “The groom developed cold feet.”

  “Sorry to hear that, Anna.”

  “Now the reason we’re still here is because of Presley’s brother,” Jared said. “His girlfriend went missing, and we’re here to help find her.”

  At this I gave Jared a look. That was too much information to share with a virtual stranger. Jared just pretended to ignore me. He was good at doing that.

  “Really?” Jordan said, leaning forward in his chair, seeming to want more information. People loved to gossip.

  “Yes. It’s the strangest thing,” Jared continued, completely oblivious to my dirty looks. “She just was here one day and gone the next.”

  “With no idea as to where she went?”

  “Nope, and that’s not even the weirdest thing. She is an elementary school teacher, and we found out she was also a stripper.” As Jared told the story his voice dropped to a whisper. I was annoyed that he was using my brother’s problems as a conversation piece to pick up guys.

  “Wow, that is surprising. Sometimes you just don’t know people.” He turned to me. “And your brother really had no idea?”