by Jenna Payne
“Thanks for showing up so fast. I was getting nervous.”
He squeezed her shoulder and smiled slightly.
“Are you sure you are alright Laura? That was a close call.” he asked.
“I will be fine. They didn’t get a chance to hurt me. These guys should be safe to have dinner with?” she asked.
“Yes, they were checked out when they signed in. Very rich, but they have no history of anything but civil behavior,” he told her. Laura smiled and thanked him again before going to change her clothes.
Laura looked herself over one last time before leaving the staff area. She always kept a good dress in her locker just in case something came up that required it. A red, modest dress to her knees with black heels and a black half jacket. She thought she looked good. It showed off her voluptuous figure without showing a lot of skin or looking trashy. She had put her hair up on the sides and fluffed it out in the back, liking the fall of her auburn locks. She took a deep breath and went out to meet the men who had saved her.
*****
Three of a Kind
Laura was led into the luxurious dining area by the maître’ d whose name was Gerard. He gave her condolences for her ordeal as she saw the two men stand as they approached her table.
“Thank you Gerard. I appreciate it. I will be alright,” she told him.
Laura was welcomed to the table by the two great looking men and after assuring them she was fine they ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon. She had never tasted it before and found it to be delicious. She sipped it and made small talk with the men. As usual, her over developed people skills were working in good order and they were almost easy to figure out.
Both men exuded a confidence and control that was obvious to her. They spoke of travels and places they had been, yet they did so without really saying much about themselves. Most clients at the casinos, especially the high rollers, could not wait to brag about who they were and what they did. These two told engaging stories without the bragging. This made them very interesting to her.
“So Laura tell us, how did you end up working a casino job in Vegas? You seem more the sort to be running it,” Jack asked casually.
“I was raised in northern California and once I finished my associates degree I realized I was bored. Vegas seemed like a good place for excitement and possibilities. Not to mention casinos are great places to people watch. You can learn so much just by watching what is going on around you,” she told them with a smile and a shrug. They both nodded and smiled as dinner was served.
“So what do you see around us here, my dear?” Brock asked before tasting the grilled veal. Laura took a bite of her Chilean sea bass (recommended by Brock) before answering. She had never tasted anything like it but kept the surprise off of her face. She could see that these two read people as easy as she did.
“Well Brock, two tables that way,” she tilted her head to the left, “the couple have never been in a place so fancy and are not sure how to act. Two tables that way,” Laura tilted her head to the right, “the man is cheating on his date and she has not picked up on it yet. It is pretty standard behavior here in Vegas,” she said. Both men looked surprised and glanced over without being obvious about it.
“How can you tell?” Jack asked curiously as he took a break from devouring his lobster tail.
“Well, mostly because he glances up nervously every time a pretty waitress goes by the table. He does not recognize her and relaxes. His poor date knows something is wrong, but has not figured out what it is yet,” she told them. They seemed impressed.
“Nice, did you notice the table to the right of the cheater?” Brock asked. Laura’s eyes flicked to them and away. It was two men, neither looked particularly comfortable, but they were shoveling down their food as if in a hurry. Their clothes were knock off suits and one of them had not shaved for a few days. She finished another bite of her food and took a sip of the amazing champagne and considered.
“They are like the first couple I mentioned. I don’t think they have been here before,” she decided out loud, her voice trailing off. As soon as she said it, it seemed off but she could not say how.
“I think that that is only part of it. I would guess they have realized they cannot afford such a meal. They probably realized after sitting down but did not want to be embarrassed by saying so to anyone,” Brock said thoughtfully. Another glance and Laura could see what he meant and noticed something else.
“They are a couple too. I hope it doesn’t end badly for them. They go good together,” she finished.
Her two dinner companions had not noticed that part of it and she felt like she had redeemed herself from her first decision about the couple. They were interrupted then when she saw her boss, the owner of the Casino Florence, coming towards their table. She began standing.
“Please, stay seated Miss Ranger,” he said.
She had never actually met him. She had only seen him when he was pointed out by the other employees of the casino. He was a short thin man who was obviously very aware of the affect his presence had on people. His mustached face showed confidence and control, like her companions, but it appeared less easy for him. He looked down at the three of them with a smile.
“I just wanted to apologize Miss Ranger for the treatment you were subjected to earlier. I have seen the security footage and I was appalled. I hope those men receive the full punishment they deserve,” he said formally to her as he ran a hand through his thick, black hair.
“Thank you Mr. Lander, that is nice of you to come and see me. I am glad these gentlemen were there to keep things from going too far,” she said.
“As am I. I wanted to let you know Miss Ranger that I am allotting you the next week off, with pay, due to the trauma you went through today. I hope nothing like that ever happens again and we are upping our security background checks to help ensure that very thing,” he told Laura to her surprise, she had never heard of that being done. Lander was well known for being a tightwad and she wondered why he would do such a thing. Lander turned to her table mates.
“I have comped the week for you gentlemen in repayment for coming to the rescue of my employee. You have done the Casino Florence a great service and it is very much appreciated,” he told Brock and Jack. They both murmured appreciation for his kindness and Mr. Landers said his goodbyes and left. They all glanced at each other. The men seemed surprised as well.
“That was interesting, I wonder what prompted that,” Jack said, almost as a challenge.
Laura smiled and glanced around the room. She realized many of the other diners had been watching the exchange.
“Public relations, I am thinking. I like how he had us remain seated so he could look down on us. It is strange though, from everything I have heard of him it is out of character,” she said thoughtfully.
They both nodded.
“It is,” Brock said. “I would wager there has been some news coverage so the need for PR might be higher than we know. It would look bad if one of his employees was assaulted and he did nothing for her,” Brock finished.
That made sense to Laura.
“We, however, believe you deserve the time off with pay. You are a lovely person Miss Ranger and we were glad to be of service, even if we hadn’t got the week on the house,” Jack said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Brock laughed easily.
“Off course. In fact, if you have nothing else you would want to do with your time off, perhaps you would like to join us this week. We are just taking it easy and seeing some art exhibits that are in town. I would be glad of your company; don’t you think Jack?”
Jack nodded, giving her a wink.
“Indeed Brock. We are like three of a kind, and it would be a shame if we did not get to know each other better. What do you say Laura, would you like to knock about with a couple of bachelors? I can promise nothing will happen without your approval, it is not our style,” he promised her.
Laura’s heart fluttered a little. Her two
gallant rescuers wanted to spend their time with her! That alone would have been enticing, but there was something else about them that she could not put her finger on and she wanted to.
“That would be lovely gentlemen. First you save me, then you wine and dine me, now this. I would be foolish to turn down such an invitation,” she told them, trying to sound formal. “Honestly you have both been wonderful and helped me relax after those idiots in the private rooms. You don’t have to do this you know?” She wanted to let them know it was not expected of them.
“We know,” Brock told her and reached over to squeeze her hand. “You are excellent company and we could use someone to hang out with. It was a scary, if fortuitous event, that allowed us to meet. I felt it right away and would like to get to know you better. You are a courageous and smart woman Laura Ranger, don’t let anyone tell you differently,” he said to her and she felt a blush come on. She usually had better control than that but he surprised her and the look in his eyes was entrancing.
She glanced over at Jack and saw a similar look. Life just got interesting, she thought to herself. Then as they finished their meal Brock paid for the gay couple’s dinner as well. Interesting indeed.
*****
Games Are Afoot
Laura awoke and slowly opened her eyes. Daylight streamed through the shabby curtains of her run down little apartment. She sighed and smiled slightly. It had been an amazing night. First assaulted, then treated like a princess by those two men who were not quite what they seemed. It was going to be an interesting day she decided as she got up, sitting on the edge of her little twin bed.
She stood up and stretched her hands above her head breathing deeply. Laura held that position for five deep breaths and then slowly lowered them for five more. Shaking out her arms she felt awake and ready for the day. Her morning routine that never failed to have her alert and in a good frame of mind. Drinking some water, she headed for the shower.
Laura had been talked into having a drink after leaving Brock and Jack by her friend and fellow waitress Mandy. She had wanted to know all the details of what happened. Word had spread so Laura had downplayed it. Mandy had been envious of her time with the two rich men, and had gotten the scoop on them.
Brock Wainright was known as a generous billionaire who had inherited his father’s European airplane company. He spent little time actually running the company, opting instead to let others do that while he traveled the world and pursued philanthropic endeavors.
Jack Norton was his best friend since childhood and they were known to do everything together. It matched the little bit they had talked about at dinner so Laura had been pleased to hear it confirmed. Mandy always got her gossip right on the money.
Laura finished her shower, and wrapped in a towel she dried her hair. She then picked out clothes for the day. Since it was summer in Vegas it would be hot so she dressed accordingly. It had not sounded like they would be spending much time in the Casino. Art galleries and local sightseeing had been what Jack and Brock had spoken about.
Laura dressed in one of the few sets of good casual clothes she had and thought it would look fine for a day “knocking about”. She did not want to appear as a complete bum in front of the wealthy men. She hoped, someday, to be able to shop to her hearts content, but that day was a long ways off.
A loose, blue, silk blouse went over her white silk camisole with a knee length red skirt and low heeled sandals. She turned in the mirror to make sure everything looked right and smiled. She was proud of her voluptuous figure and did not mind showing it off from time to time. She did try to not be too over the top about it though.
She went into the little kitchen, poured a glass of juice and decided to switch to her bigger purse. She dumped out the smaller one and saw a little plastic box. She had forgot about her tip box. Jason from security had given it to her when she was leaving. It was her box from the VIP room.
She opened it with a grin and saw the guys who tried to assault her had tipped her before they got so drunk. Two twenties and a handful of change. Change? She thought to herself. Paying for a VIP room and tipping with change. Who does that?
Drunk idiots she answered herself with a chuckle as she pushed the change around the bottom of the box. She frowned and pulled out something that she had first thought was a penny. It was about the same size as a penny, but after holding it under the light she thought it was brass. There was some kind of European writing on it. One of those guys had drunkenly given her a keepsake. She knew a lot of people kept old coins and things in their pocket for good luck and figured that is what it was. She put it in her own pocket for luck and then she dumped the rest into her savings jar, putting it up on the high shelf. Her plan was to keep her tips as a savings until she had enough for a car. She figured she was halfway there. It was the fourth jar she was filling up.
Turning on the television she drank her juice. She was meeting the gentlemen for lunch and planned on going to the police station first. Watching the news, she was surprised to see her problem in the VIP room mentioned. Brock had been right about Mr. Lander and PR. It was chilling news to hear the crime mentioned on the news. Especially the ending.
“As we reported last night three men assaulted a waitress at the Casino Florence. According to hotel staff they became drunk and disorderly, but were apprehended immediately due to the security cameras the hotel has in place. They were stopped in time to prevent any physical harm to the young woman and were handed over to the police. At least that was as of last night. A report just came in that the three suspects have escaped the police and are at large.
“Martin O’Malley, the Las Vegas Police spokeperson, stated that the local police and Nevada State Patrol have spent the night searching for them to no avail. They are asking the public to keep an eyes out for these men.”
Laura saw the photos of the three men flash up on the screen with a phone number on the bottom. She quickly grabbed a pen and wrote it down.
“If you see them call this number, but do not approach as they are considered dangerous. The speculation now is why was there no word of this last night? They waited until this morning to alert the public, these suspects could be anywhere by now. We will keep you updated as more news comes to us,” the woman finished.
Laura felt herself tremble slightly. There was no reason for the bad guys to come after her, but she felt scared none the less. She picked up her phone and dialed the police department. She told the desk sergeant who she was and was asked to hold. Within a minute she heard a woman’s voice.
“Hello, Miss Ranger. I am Detective Avery. Is everything okay?” She asked. Her voice sounded concerned.
“I am fine but I just saw on the news that the men who attacked me are out, what is going on?” she asked. Trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. There was a heavy sigh on the other end.
“I had been informed that you were already contacted. I just came in and was handed your case when it hit the news. The previous detective is no longer on the case. Do you think you are in danger? I can send someone over if you want?” she asked.
Laura was not sure.
“Well I don’t know why they would come after me. I just cut them off and they got mad about it. Do you think I need protection? I was supposed to head down to the station to fill out some report about the incident,” she told the detective.
“You haven’t filled out a report?” Laura could hear a muttered curse on the other side of the line. “I was not informed of that either. Why don’t you come on in, fill out the report? I will try and gather everything I can on what is going on to be able to judge better what needs to be done next. You have my deepest apologies for what occurred last night and for not being told when they escaped. I honestly don’t see them doing anything but getting as far away as they can, so you should be safe,” the woman told her.
Laura was calming down from the initial fear and realized she was being stupid. Of course those guys were long gone by now. Staying behind would be s
tupid, even for idiots like them. Laura thanked her and told her she would be in. After hanging up she put her things back in her bigger purse and quickly left to go to the station. It was not too far from her house so it did not take long, and she did not see any sign of the three men.
Once there she talked to the detective and found out there had been a mix up in booking and the three men had not been processed. They discovered it and went looking for them immediately, but somehow they were no longer in the building. They could not even be found on the security footage of the precinct after the time they first arrived. The detective still thought they would have left town as fast as they could, but she was going to continue to investigate and discover how they got away, and more importantly where they went. Laura was even more convinced that the guys took off, although she did not think they were quite the idiots she thought they were before. They had to be pretty sneaky to just slip out of the precinct after being arrested.
Laura left the precinct and was surprised to find Brock waiting for her out front. He looked devastatingly handsome in light slacks and a tank top with a loose open shirt over it. The day was getting hot outside.
“Are you okay?” he asked her taking her hands. She felt a warmth that had nothing to do with the sunshine and smiled at him.
“I am fine Brock. You are very kind to come all the way down here to check on me,” she told him, and then filled him in on the basics of what was going on. He was more concerned than before but did not come out and say it. She could tell by the way he was glancing around.
“I agree with the detective. There is no reason for them to stay in town,” she said confidently. He shrugged.
“That depends why they were here in the first place. You are probably right though. Ready for lunch?” he asked and she realized what time it was and that she was starving.