Dani was first to the pool area at noon, and she thought Kim must have been waylaid by Tony somewhere along the way. It seemed as if Kim had found a wonderful lover, and Dani was glad for her.
And, before Dani left her room, she wrote a note of apology to Teeny, telling the man how sorry she was about hurting him.
The day was a typical hot scorching one, complete with blow dryer type wind. Spreading out one of the hotel's beach towels, she sat on a chaise in the shade of an awning. As she closed her eyes, fatigue overtook her, as she thought of last night. She must find a way to make it up to Teeny. A note just wasn't enough. Maybe a gift of some sort. She'd have to think about it.
She was almost asleep before her cell phone rang. "Yes," she said drowsily.
"Mmmm, you thought I was kidding about the binoculars?"
She laughed. "I wouldn't put it past you."
"Okay, so I don't have binoculars. What color is your bikini?"
"How do you know I have a bikini on?"
"There's some talk in the casino about the knockout redhead sunning by the pool in a bikini."
"You're lying to me now."
"So, I'm waiting."
"It's pink. I bought it yesterday."
"And how much does it show?"
"What area?"
His voice grew softer. "Every area. Talk to me."
"Well, the top is a bit low cut, not as much as the costumes we wear. And the bottom isn't too bad. Just a bit low cut."
"No hair anywhere I assume."
"Just on my head," she laughed.
"I like that," he whispered.
And, looking down, she watched her nipples tighten and react to his voice. The heavy feeling was back intensely now, and she shifted in her seat.
He continued, "When you get back to your room, I want you to strip down and watch yourself. Like last night. You remember?"
How could she forget? It was the only time she'd touched herself like that, ever.
Kim approached and the phone went dead in her ear.
Her friend had a wide smile on her face. Shaking out her towel, she dragged her chair into the sun. "I'm Italian," she said, "I never burn."
"I wish I could say that," Dani said, as she looked down at her fair skin. "So, how was your evening? You hardly talked at breakfast."
"Oh, that's because he's going back today. To Atlantic City. Damn it anyway, I finally find someone I really like and he's got to live way across the country. But he promised to be back in a week or two."
"So what's he like?"
"Girl, he is soooo bad," she said with another big smile.
"What do you mean?"
"Hard to explain. You'll know one if you meet one. You look at him and your body reacts."
Dani thought for a minute. "You mean, like over the phone?"
Kim watched her now, and her smile grew wider. "Playing...I can see Al doing that. What a stud that guy is, I swear. I just never knew anyone who went out with him. What does he say that gets you hot?"
Embarrassed now, Dani wasn't sure what to say. "Well, I don't know if I get hot exactly, it's just hard to describe." Her phone rang then, thankfully interrupting the conversation.
He said, "Come to the penthouse when you're done chatting. I need to talk to you about something." And the phone went dead before she could even say yes.
She went on talking with Kim about the routines, Tony and different people in the casino. No mention was made about Teeny's eye, although Dani thought her friend knew about it. They had drinks, Dani her usual whiskey and Kim a vodka tonic.
The sun was low in the sky as they finished up and she walked up the back stairs to the penthouse elevator wearing her short robe and sandals. She brushed her hair on the way up, using the elevator mirrors to make sure she looked all right.
Walking into his den, she spotted him staring at the view from the picture windows. He turned, and said, "I hear you had a bad night."
His tie was askew, and he looked worried.
"I never remember much when that happens. I guess I can only say what Kim told me today. It is what it is. I can't help it." Her throat was tightening and she found she couldn't continue.
"I know," he said gently, "I wasn't blaming you. We just need to figure out what the hell to do about it."
She shrugged. Then her eyes roved to his desk. "They took pictures of us?" she asked him.
"You're getting to be quite famous," he said, as he strolled up and stood in front of her. "Nice robe. Let me see what's under there."
Her face flushed, as he slowly pulled at the sash. Her robe dropped to the floor and she felt naked under his gaze.
"I knew I liked pink for a reason," he whispered, as his blue-grey eyes held hers.
The heavy feeling was back, and she thought it was like an itch needing a scratch. "I'm glad you like it," she said awkwardly.
His hands pushed her heavy hair away from her face, and roved to the outside of her arms, then to her hands. He brought them up to his lips and kissed each one. Slowly, carefully, his hands moved to the back of her neck, and he drew her closer. Looking down at her now, his eyes roamed her face before he said, "Do you know how beautiful you are?"
She shook her head. Her eyes were languid now as she gazed up at him.
He groaned deep in his throat, as his mouth came down on her neck, kissing the length of it, whispering in her ear intelligible sounds, before his lips finally reached her own.
Kissing her hard, roughly, his tongue roved her mouth, searching, probing, and his breath caught as she sucked it hungrily. She leaned into him, against him, and felt his hardness grow.
"That's for you," he whispered urgently in her ear, "only for you. Do you understand?"
Nodding, and as his lips roved her neck, she brought her hands on his hard buttocks. Instinctively she pushed herself against him, and felt his sharp intake of breath again.
But then he sighed and pulled her gently away from him. "I apologize," he said, as he ran a hand through his hair, "I am sorry." He bent down, picked up her robe and handed it to her. "Have you been to your suite yet?"
Wondering if she'd done something wrong, she donned the robe and said, "No. I suppose I should change before dinner."
He smiled down at her. "You have a surprise waiting there. And, why don't you come up here for dinner? I promise to be good."
Nodding, she said nothing as she walked back towards the elevator.
And his breath came out in a long sigh as he watched her go.
Before he left Vegas, Tony came to see Al.
"So, we went over the figures from the casino, but not her figure," Tony said with a grin as the two sat having a drink.
"You saw it," Al said from his favorite chair, "you tell me."
"I only have eyes for Kim. Never met a girl like her before. Beauty, brains, sense of humor, killer body and she comes like there's no tomorrow. I can just look at her and she comes. Tight little pussy too."
Al laughed. "We'll have to fly you in more often."
"I'd appreciate it. So," he said, swirling his scotch, "how about Dani? She's got the orgasm thing going on?"
Smiling, Al replied, "I'm sure she does. But that's private between the two of us."
Tony sniffed. "Told Kim I'd call her every day. Hate to get tied down, but I'm nuts about her already."
"It will only get worse my friend."
Dani came in her room, and two dozen red roses greeted her. She smelled them and admired their beautiful color. The card said simply, "call me."
So she punched in Al's number. "Thank you," She said as he answered, "they are so lovely."
"Not as lovely as you are. So, did you do the mirror thing yet?"
She looked towards the bathroom. "Yes," she lied, "I've already done it."
"Wear something comfortable tonight. It's just you and me."
And he rang off.
Shucking off her robe and bikini, she showered and washed her hair.
Then standing in front
of the mirror, she wondered what he wanted her to do. Her body looked the same, it hadn't changed. She ran a hand over her breast, and the nipple puckered in response. Maybe that was it, she thought, watching herself. But she just ended up frowning, and went to decide what to wear.
She came to dinner at six o'clock promptly. He always noticed things like that. Walking up to him, she kissed him on the cheek quickly then went to look at the view. The sun was setting and the sky color held a vibrant pink hue. Like her cheeks, he thought as he watched her. She wore simple jeans and her Welcome to Vegas t-shirt and sandals.
Might as well say it, he thought. "Dani, I wanted to talk to you about the performance."
Whirling around to face him, she said, "Did you not like it?"
He smiled. "Of course I liked it. Everyone in town liked it. That's what we're here to discuss."
She looked disappointed then. "All right. Let's discuss."
Again, Dani sat in his favorite chair. He sat across from her. "How would you like to do that routine at every eleven o'clock showing?"
"The hair flipping wild one?" she asked in confusion.
"That would be it. I liked it. And so did everyone else. It had this raw sexual appeal. I think it would be good for the casino. But," he added, "I don't want you to feel like you have to do this. It's really up to you."
She thought for a minute.
"Can I get you a drink?"
"Yes, please."
He poured them both a drink and sat back down.
"I guess I could do it. But won't the other girls be upset?"
"Not when I increase their salaries, they won't. Any other questions?"
"Should I work with Nat on it?"
"That's a good question. It might take the spark out of it. Let me talk to him, and we'll let you know."
Nodding, she took a drink of her whiskey.
A waiter from one of his restaurants brought dinner. He'd ordered her favorite, filet mignon, baked potato, salad, green beans and lots of rolls and butter. She said very little during dinner, and he thought she might still be thinking about the routine.
"Dani," he said, while she was polishing off a cheesecake, "last night, did you say you went to the cafeteria before bedtime?"
She nodded.
"What did you eat? I have a doctor friend who said the nightmares might be caused by eating too much before bedtime."
"Well, I had a brownie. A cheesecake. Some stuff like pie, I'm not sure what it's called. Then chocolate chip cookies."
He laughed. "Well tonight, don't gorge yourself like that." Then he grew serious. "We need to get rid of the bad dreams. You should only have good dreams in your life, Dani."
She looked at him gratefully, and finished her dessert.
Al clicked in a CD of romantic tunes, before he stood by her and held out his hand. "Shall we?"
She was so lithe in his arms, so graceful, as he pulled her tighter and the music rolled on. Resting her head on his chest, she sighed, and he was instantly hard.
His hands roved her backside, pushed her up against his hardness, and he couldn't stop himself from groaning as he kissed her sweet neck. Her hair smelled faintly of roses, and her skin, jasmine. He lost himself in her, immersed himself, feeling her hair, her soft skin and her quick response.
Yes, she was responsive, this woman, so much so he had to hold himself back, always. Now, he brought one hand up to her breast and felt her nipple contract. "That's what I mean," he whispered in her ear, "when you're looking at yourself, see what I see."
She made a soft sound, before she unzipped her jeans.
"No--" he began.
"Yes, please," she urged, as she pulled his hand between her legs.
His fingers felt the soft lace there, slid along it then moved it away. She made another faint sound. He caressed, then moved inside of her wetness, but realized he could only get one of his fingers in her. "Oh God," he whispered, "you've never been with anyone before, have you?"
He was having a hard time controlling himself, as she continued making the sounds, ignoring his question, and he felt her contracting around his finger as she gasped. "The feeling," she whispered against his cheek, "it's almost gone..." and she contracted again, closing her eyes as he pulled back to look at her.
His fingers moved to her bud, rolling it around, massaging it, and she gasped, pressing against him. She stiffened, crying out, and he waited seconds until she was done, and moved his hand to her back. Holding her, he gazed at her long flowing curly red hair, pink cheeks and lips, now slightly parted. "Beautiful," he whispered, still staring at her, "just fucking beautiful."
Chapter 10
Dani slept for a while, after a guard walked her to her suite, but then she was awake at four o'clock in the morning. This often happened to her, and she didn't know why. She thought about Al and the night before and she grew warm with the memories. She understood now about the needs Kim often talked about.
Finally, she gave up and dressed in a shirt, jeans and sandals. Smiling at the roses, she went out to roam the casino.
Robert saw her first. He clicked and zoomed in with his camera. "She's on the move. Wonder if I should call Scaletti. Damn, she's foxy."
Les leaned over and said, "Wasn't that just for the screaming episodes?"
"Well," Robert said finally, "I'll just follow her around. Not a hard assignment." The three of them sitting in surveillance laughed at that.
She stopped by the restroom about an hour later to see if Nola was there, but someone else was on duty. And there was a woman with a blue uniform with no pockets. The woman washed her hands and arms. "I feel like a junkie for Christ sake," she said disgustedly.
Dani walked up and looked at her arms, which were bruised all the way to her upper arm. "What happened?"
The woman snorted. "I work in soft count. The boxes do it to me. You know, the pull. Hey, don't you work here? I'm Linda."
Flashing her a smile, Dani said, "Yes. I'm a dancer who can't sleep."
"Want to get something to eat? I was just going down to the cafeteria."
"Sure."
While she ate a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, fruit and coffee, Dani got to know the count team. Linda, the woman in the restroom, was pretty, around twenty-five with dark hair, Maude was an older lady with grey hair, Freddy and Michael looked oriental to her, around thirty, maybe Vietnamese, but she felt too shy to ask them.
Linda said, "Ugh, what a day. Did you see that woman at the end of zone five?"
Laughing, Freddy said, "She kept insisting we were changing the machines so she'd lose."
"So," Dani said between bites, "what do you think is the best part of your job?"
"Probably getting a paycheck," Maude said with a frown.
She noticed Michael wasn't talking, just sat shoveling food in his mouth. He looked angry.
"The best part is noon, when we get to go home," Freddy said, and he added, "so Dani, what's the best part of your job?"
She sat back and wiped her mouth. "Well, so far it's been the women. They're really friendly. And I love the music. I've always wanted to dance. Kim and I went to Chez Vous the other night. It was really fun."
"That's where I know you from," Maude said enthusiastically, "you were in the papers." Then she paused and lit a cigarette. "Are you Scaletti's girlfriend or what?"
Dani gave her the thousand watt smile. "Or what."
They all laughed.
When Dani walked by the cage on the main floor, she saw Marie. "Hey," she called to her, "what's going on?"
Marie came out the door to see her. "A little change of scenery for me. The hours are killing me though. Four to twelve. Hard to get up that early."
"So, do you like it?" Dani asked dubiously.
"It's different. I've spent five years backstage, so it's nice to be on the floor for a change, working with the customers."
She added, "I wondered how you did after the wild dance. Any leg cramps or anything?"
"No, thanks,
" Dani said warmly, surprised the woman would remember. "I'm drinking my water. But Al wants me to do the wild dance at the eleven o'clock show from now on."
"Really? Wow. It did generate publicity, that's for sure. I'm surprised you don't have geek stalkers coming out of the woodwork."
Dani smiled. "No, nothing yet."
"We had one for a while. He was after one of the girls. That's why Al's so protective of us...I mean them, now."
"What happened?"
"The guy kept sending the dancer notes, found out her suite number, showed up one time, pushed his way into her room and roughed her up pretty bad. I thought Al would have a stroke or something. He put his best men on it. They found him. Never heard from the guy after that. Plus the word was out on the street. Don't mess with Scaletti's girls."
Worried now, and wondering if he would be mad at her for roaming around the casino in the early morning, Dani said good-bye to Marie after hugging her.
Meanwhile, Robert in surveillance was busy snapping still photos of Dani in the lunchroom, walking on the floor of the casino, chatting with Marie at the cage, and entering her room again.
She and Kim spoke later in the morning on the way to the stage.
"Did he call you yet?" Dani asked her.
"Yes, he called four times since we said good-bye yesterday."
"Think the long distance thing will work?"
But a voice interrupted. "Why sweetie, you all talking about Tony?"
They turned back to see Lorali following them.
"Yeah," Kim replied, flinging her towel over her shoulder, "what of it?"
"He's such a ladies man, wouldn't you say?" Lorali said sweetly. "And he loves to be waited on, if you know what I mean. Why, I was just with him the other night, when he first got here."
As they reached the stage, Kim angrily threw her towel on a rack. "Really?" she said icily, staring at Lorali. "Well guess what? You weren't with him the night after that, or when he left town."
Romance in Vegas - Showgirl! Page 8