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."
Lorali just smiled and began her warm
ups.
Kim hissed to Dani, "I'm going to kill that
man. He never told me he was with that bitch. I'm going to just--"
then she sighed in frustration and started her stretches.
About an hour later, Al came in for his
inspection. Dani noticed he always loosened his tie when he came
in, and wondered why. His eyes were far away as he put his feet on
the seat back. "Go ahead."
One by one, they paraded and he either nodded
or didn't say anything.
Lorali breezed out on the stage. He studied
her.
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."
Lorali just smiled and began her warm
ups.
Kim hissed to Dani, "I'm going to kill that
man. He never told me he was with that bitch. I'm going to just--"
then she sighed in frustration and started her stretches.
About an hour later, Al came in for his
inspection. Dani noticed he always loosened his tie when he came
in, and wondered why. His eyes were far away as he put his feet on
the seat back. "Go ahead."
One by one, they paraded and he either nodded
or didn't say anything.
Lorali breezed out on the stage. He studied
her.
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