by Simon Archer
At six o’clock, I was sitting in the living room of Theo’s house, waiting for Kennedi to come out of the bedroom. Bev had taken her to get ready an hour ago, and I hadn’t seen either one since. Theo sat across from me, sipping a whiskey.
“Are you sure you don’t want a drink? A man in a tux should have a drink in his hand. It’ll get you through having to wear a get-up like that,” he joked.
“You’re just hilarious tonight!” I teased with a smile.
“Suit yourself!” Theo leaned back in his chair and took a long sip. When he put his glass down, he asked, “do you think there is a purpose to having you attend this event?”
“I’m sure there is,” I mused. “I don’t know what it is yet, but I plan to find out.”
“Be careful.”
“I will be careful. And I will also eat as much of their high-priced food as I can just because!” I added to lighten the mood.
“Bring me back some!” Theo laughed and took a drink of his whiskey. “Speaking of rich-people stuff, I put a bottle of wine in the loft for you. It was the one that Omnicorp errand boy left when he came with that referral cash. I’m a whiskey man, no need for wine.”
I raised an eyebrow in mock surprise. “No, you?” I laughed.
“I know, you wouldn’t know it by looking at me,” Theo got out before busting up laughing with me. When his laughter subsided enough for him to speak again, he said, “I put a corkscrew in there for you too. I could just imagine what you’d come up with trying to open a bottle without one.” He was laughing again.
“You have plenty of tools in the barn. I would have figured something out!” My side was starting to hurt from laughing so hard.
“Well, gentlemen, here she is!” Bev said happily as she entered the living room. She looked at the two of us laughing and just shook her head slowly and rolled her eyes.
Kennedi walked in right behind her. Both Theo and I stood up. She was a sight. She had the blue dress on and had put her heels on already. Half her hair was swept up in a loose twist with pieces falling out to frame her face.
“Bev helped me with my hair since I haven’t learned much about it yet. Will it do like this?” Kennedy asked me.
“It is as perfect as you could ask for,” I told her and turned to Bev. “Thank you for your help.”
“We had a great time. I don’t have a daughter, and Theo and I have no use for fancy clothes, so this was fun!” she exclaimed.
“Are you ready?” Kennedi asked me.
“I am. Why?” I asked.
“The car is coming up the drive,” she informed me
“Let me guess,” I said, pointing to her ears. “Cat-hearing?”
Everyone chuckled, and Kennedi and I headed to the door.
A few moments after a silver Buick SUV pulled up, a stout, red-haired gentleman who looked like his suit was a size too small greeted us. He had a kind face that broke into a smile the instant he climbed out of the car.
“Good evening, Mr. Clark, Miss Kennedi,” he said happily. “My name is Rob. I’m happy to be transporting you this evening. Right this way, please.” He opened the door to the backseat and held his hand out for Kennedi. Once she was in the car, he stepped aside to allow room for me to follow. After I was comfortable on the heated leather seat, Rob closed the door and returned to the driver's seat.
During the ride to the Red Lion Hotel and Casino where the party was being held, I pulled the pin out and gave it to Kennedi. I handed her the box and sat back.
“What is this?” she asked, puzzled.
“Something I think you’ll enjoy,” I answered.
She opened the box and unwrapped the pin. I had found out that it was made with diamonds instead of crystals and was excited to see her reaction. Her mouth dropped open when she saw it.
“When did you get this?” she gasped. “It’s so beautiful.”
“When I went in to pick up our clothes,” I told her. “Here, let me help you put it on.”
I leaned over and took the pin from her. I placed it near her neckline at an angle so that the shaft of the sword was towards her shoulder and the blade angled down. It was a perfect accessory for the dress she had on.
“I absolutely love it! Thank you so much!” she gushed. She scooted over in the seat and weaved her arm through mine. She laid her head on my shoulder, started purring, and stayed that way until we reached our destination.
When we pulled up to the casino at six-fifty-five, Kennedi looked up at me without taking her head off my shoulder and smiled at me like I was her entire world. The car had stopped, and all I could think about was staying right there with her, smiling like that.
Unfortunately, our young driver opened the door and stepped aside, where he stood like a statue until we exited the car. Then he walked us into the casino which was a fury of flashing lights, cocktail waitresses, and money-spending patrons. We took an immediate left and were led to a bank of elevators. We took one to the eleventh floor, and when we got off the elevator, Rob led us down a long hallway to a large set of glass double doors. A tall doorman with zero expression on his face had them open by the time we reached them, and our escort saw us in before he turned around and left.
There were about forty guests inside the giant event room. On the far side of the room was a row of windows overlooking the desert behind the casino. It was just after sunset, and the sky still showed hints of orange. It would’ve been breathtaking if we were here with a different crowd.
A bar was set up to the left of the door, and multiple sitting areas had been arranged with high-backed leather chairs and coffee tables made of stone and iron. Twinkle lights were strung in a crisscross pattern across the ceiling and wrapped around four pillars, one in each corner of the room. The lights had been dimmed, and free-standing candelabras that, without the candles would’ve looked like coat racks were littered about the room, casting shadows that gave the place an eerie feel.
The room was teeming with men in tuxedos and women in high-priced formal gowns milling around, holding champagne flutes. Alan Graves saw Kennedi and me and waved from the back of the room. A tall man followed him as he made his way through the crowd to greet us. I recognized him as Henry Blackwell, the man Kennedi had pointed out at the Sagebrush Bar and Grill when we’d been there. As he neared, I felt Kennedi slip her hand into mine and squeeze tight. Her expression was normal, but I could tell she was nervous about being around anyone from Omnicorp.
“Clark, Kennedi, you made it,” Alan proclaimed with a smile. “I’m so happy to have you here.”
“Hello, Alan. Thank you for the invitation,” I returned his greeting and looked at Henry, waiting for an introduction.
Alan followed my gaze and politely introduced us. “I’d like you to meet Henry Blackwell. Henry oversees our marketing division at Omni.”
I felt Kennedi squeeze my hand even harder. She nodded in Henry’s direction but didn’t offer her hand to shake.
“It’s nice to meet you, Henry,” I said for both of us and looked back at Alan. “What are we celebrating with this regal event?”
“We are celebrating you, my dear man!” Alan smiled and waved his hand, motioning to the room as a whole. “These fine men and women are among the most wealthy who attended your match. They are also those who lost the most money betting against you.”
“They always appreciate meeting the champion they will be betting on next,” Henry spoke for the first time. “Shall we start the introduction?”
“Yes! Let’s get started!” Alan clapped his hands together with excitement. “First, would either of you like a drink?”
“I’ll take a scotch on the rocks and champagne for Kennedi.” I nodded at her to get her approval on the drink order. She just smiled and nodded back.
Alan snapped his fingers over his head, and almost instantly, a cat girl appeared carrying a tray of champagne. Alan handed one to Kennedi and instructed the cat girl, “Get this gentleman a scotch on the rocks and bring it to the center tab
le.”
Both Alan and Henry turned and walked ahead of us. We followed them to a seating area at the back of the room, near the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“You’re awfully quiet, Kennedi,” Henry observed. “Tell me, where were you made?”
Kennedi sat down in one of the high-backed chairs, crossed her legs and put her hands on the chair arms, palms down. She sounded confident when she said, “I was made in Arizona, at the Chandler location.”
“Ah, yes. We just remodeled that store. How did you end up in Nevada?” Henry pried.
I sat down in the chair next to Kennedi and jumped in before Kennedi could reply. “She was headed for recycling when she fell off the back of a truck and was held as a slave by a sleazy pawnshop owner without being purchased. So, I bought her. Yes, she has a defect. No, we don’t care about it.”
Kennedi smiled over at me and added, “Now that we have that out of the way, tell me Henry, aren’t your offices in Utah? What brings you to Elko?”
I watched as Henry squirmed in his seat momentarily. He had not expected to lose control of the conversation. He regained his composure and answered, “I am simply here for the entertainment.” He nodded in my direction.
Alan had been circling the sitting area to take the chair next to Henry. He joined the conversation at last with, “why don’t you care about her defect?”
“So quickly the subjects bounce back on themselves,” I said flatly. “She is superb just the way she is.”
“Ah, but how would you know the difference?” Henry asked. “I took the liberty to check our registry, and it didn’t show that you’ve ever purchased a CG that didn’t have a defect.”
Kennedi slid forward in her seat and sat up tall. “He knows because I’ve told him what the differences are,” she said, looking Henry square in the eyes. She cracked a half-smile that, if they had known her at all, would realize was dripping with disdain. “Why the interest in my being defective?”
“You know very well we are not fans of having defective products in the marketplace, Kennedi. It’s bad for business,” Henry answered coldly.
I’d had enough of Kennedi being put on the spot and referred to as a mindless product. I stood up and addressed both Alan and Henry. “Either this line of questioning is over, or we will kindly show ourselves out. I wouldn’t have been able to win that match if it hadn’t been for Kennedi’s help. You should be thanking her, not worrying about your company image,” I spat out as I looked back and forth at them. “Tell me, gentleman, will we be leaving now?”
“No, no. Come, sit back down. We mean no disrespect. We are just not used to our clients being satisfied customers when their purchases are not as expected. Consider the topic dropped,” Alan answered, shooting a warning look over at Henry.
“Good. Oh, and you don’t have to worry about that. I knew she had a defect when I bought her,” I retorted.
“Ok, then!” Alan did his best to sound jovial again just as the cat girl he’d given the order to arrived with our drinks. “Let’s get you introduced to your fans!”
Alan and Henry both stood up and started clapping loudly. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Henry called out to the room.
“Ladies and Gentlemen!” Alan repeated. It took about twenty seconds to calm the room noise before they continued.
“As you all know, we have a new champion!” Alan started excitedly, which I was sure was an act. “Well, you’ll be happy to know that he is here with us tonight!”
Henry added, “Now I know you’ve lost a lot of money because of this man, but let me assure you, you will be getting it all back this week!”
“So, I am proud to introduce to you, the underdog from Antarctica, the brain with the brawn, your Platform champion, Clark Watkins!” Alan shouted exaggeratedly.
“Antarctica?” I mouthed to Alan.
“Just go with it. They eat that shit up,” Alan whispered back.
I grabbed Kennedi’s hand and stood up, pulling her to stand beside me. I waved and nodded to several random people in the crowd. Almost immediately, a line started to form in front of me. For the next twenty minutes, I shook hands with several dozen people as Alan and Henry introduced them, most of whom jokingly blamed me for losing their money and showed confidence in my success for the next match. Most were polite enough to acknowledge Kennedi, especially the men. As soon as they were done examining me close up, they would slowly filter throughout the room again to continue the conversations they were having before Alan had introduced me.
The last person in line was a gentleman who looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was dressed in a tuxedo, just like every other man there, but had a different air about him. He stood confident, and when he shook my hand, he looked me in the eye instead of examining me like a trophy to be polished.
“Hi Clark, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Charlie Lindy,” he politely introduced himself as Alan and Henry had been swept up in other conversations that had led them away from the seating area. “This is my wife, Leah.” He put his arm around the slender brunette standing beside him. Like he did, Leah stood with confidence. They were both missing the sense of arrogance I’d gotten from everyone else I’d met.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” I replied.
Leah nodded at me but immediately turned her attention to Kennedi. “Kennedi, isn’t it?” she asked before I had a chance to introduce her. “I’m Leah. May I steal you away? Let’s let the men gab while we talk about more important things.” Her tone made it clear she was in a socially playful mood.
Kennedi looked at me and smiled, so I let go of her hand and watched as Leah led her away to two chairs tucked in a corner with a candelabra behind them. Once they were settled, I turned my attention back to Charlie.
“Charlie, please have a seat,” I motioned to Kennedi’s empty chair. “What is it you do?” I couldn’t put my finger on why exactly, but I instantly liked him.
“I’m in the hospitality industry, hotels and the like,” he answered, taking his seat. “I hear you have a good many talents, Clark. Fixing things and staying away from needles primarily.”
“You weren’t at the match?” I was surprised, but at the same time, he didn’t seem like the type to be hanging around in underground stadiums. I would have ventured to guess that events like the Platform would bore him.
“No, I wasn’t. I will be attending the next one, however. I haven’t heard this much buzz about a new champion in a very long time,” Charlie informed me.
“If you weren’t there, why are you here?” I asked, sidestepping etiquette. “To be perfectly blunt, you don’t seem to be cut from the same holier-than-thou cloth as most of the people I’ve met tonight.”
Charlie chuckled, almost to himself, and said, “It’s good business to know what your clientele likes. Also, my wife heard about Kennedi and has been dying to meet her.”
“How did she hear about Kennedi?” I asked, a little caution creeping into my voice.
“She’s part of several organizations with some of the other women here. They kept talking about the CG that was guarding the ready-room instead of serving them their overpriced drinks. My wife has never appreciated the way most cat girls are treated by the people you see here. She has also never met one that was protective instead of subservient. You see, she is a fan of strong women who can think for themselves and prefers to surround herself with them whenever possible,” Charlie explained, his tone designed to put me at ease. He sat back in his chair and grinned. “Looks to me like Kennedi isn’t the only protective one around here.” He tipped his head in my direction.
“I’ll give you that,” I conceded without offering further detail.
“So, what is it that you do, Mister Watkins?” Charlie asked. “Other than make tens of thousands of dollars staying away from needles.”
“My work depends on where I’m at. I travel a lot, usually to places that have the best camping, hiking, and climbing. Whatever work needs to be done where I am at the time is usually wh
at you’ll find me doing.” I figured that was a vague enough answer to satisfy his curiosity while not volunteering too much information. I liked him, but liking and trusting were two different things.
Charlie took a moment to process what I had said before nodding his head in approval. “So, you don’t want me to know too much about you other than you work your way from place to place, huh?” he asked, calling my play without being rude.
I had to smile. Charlie was no nitwit.
“I understand,” he said. “With the company in this room, I wouldn’t volunteer much either. How about this, would you and Kennedi like to meet Leah and me for dinner the day after tomorrow? I know a great place, and Leah would be in love with the idea.”
He saw my hesitation and added, “Here, let’s get the women back over here and let them decide.” He waited a moment until Leah looked over at him and then waved at them to come back. We both watched as Leah finished whatever she was telling Kennedi, and the two of them stood and walked back to our seating area.
Charlie and I stood when they approached. Kennedi came around to stand beside me and had an enormous smile on her face. Leah looked blissfully happy as well.
“Leah, I’ve invited Clark and Kennedi to dinner the day after tomorrow. Does that work for you?” Charlie asked his wife.
“Yes!” Leah exclaimed. She clapped her hands and looked as though she was trying not to squeal like girls do when they are happy about something. “Kennedi, oh please say you’ll come! We will have an amazing time!” she almost pleaded.
Kennedi reacted the same as Leah had. “Absolutely! We would love to!” she spoke for both of us.
I saw Charlie notice that Kennedi hadn’t consulted me before accepting the invite and smiled. He offered me his hand to shake. “Good then, day after tomorrow it is. I will send a car to pick you up at eight.” As he shook my hand, he leaned to the side and whispered jokingly, “I see you like strong women as well.”
All I could do was smile and nod as he was not wrong. Leah hugged Kennedi, and then she and her husband walked away. We watched as they left the party.
I was about to ask Kennedi about her conversation with Leah when Alan and Henry showed up.