Saturday Night Special by Mari Carr Page B

You’re a good-looking guy. You’ve got your own business. I mean, it’s your taxi, right?”
    Johnny nodded. “Yeah. I’m an independent businessman.”
    Just not a successful one , Aaron thought. He figured that explained why Johnny was able to close down Jacko’s every night rather than work.
    Riley rested her cheek on her hand. “You know, Johnny. I’ve been wondering. How come you don’t do impersonation work? You’ve got this Wayne Newton look down pat.”
    “I can’t sing.”
    “What?” Aaron asked.
    “I’m tone deaf. Can’t sing a note.”
    Aaron rubbed his face wearily and wondered how he got here. Two days ago he’d been hanging out in his own apartment in Baltimore, minding his own business and watching baseball on the television. One phone call from Keira later, he was all the way across the country, sitting in a Vegas dive with a tone deaf Wayne Newton look-alike, looking for Trev and a stripper and to top it all off, he was now married to Riley Collins.
    Glancing over at his new wife, he grinned. Aside from the fact he was in Vegas, this night with her wasn’t all that different than a thousand other nights he’d spent in her presence. The woman had a knack for finding trouble and still landing on her feet.
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    “Wow,” he heard her say, “that sucks. But do you have to be able to sing? Can’t you just lip-synch?”
    Johnny shrugged. “It’s not just the singing. I, um…” He lowered his voice and Aaron found himself leaning closer to hear his next words. “I’ve got terrible stage fright. Can’t get up in front of people without shitting in my pants.”
    “Oh.” Riley turned to face Aaron and mouthed the letters TMI . He fought back a grin at her joke as she twisted back to Johnny. “Listen, Johnny,” she said, grabbing a fresh napkin and asking the bartender for a pen. “This is my cell phone number. If Bella should come home, would you call me? We’re really pretty anxious to find Trev.”
    Johnny’s face darkened as she said Trevor’s name. “Oh, I’ll call you,” he assured her. “Right after I plow the fucker over with my cab.”
    Riley sighed. “Truth be told, Johnny, I think your plans for Trev might be kinder than his wife’s when she finds out he cheated on her.”
    Johnny perked up at her comment. “Really?”
    She nodded.
    “Then I’ll make sure not to kill him with my cab. Want to make sure he’s alive to get the wife’s treatment too.”
    Riley laughed. “You’re a heartless bastard, Johnny.”
    He smiled at her. “And you’re not so bad for a tourist, Riley. Even if you do know fuck-all about Wayne Newton.”
    Aaron added his goodbyes to the mix and tugged Riley out of the bar. He’d never been so happy to be outside in the fresh, clean air.
    “Ew,” Riley said, scrunching up her nose. “We stink.”
    “Stale smoke and beer. What do you say we go back to the hotel and take a shower together? I’ll even let you suck my cock.”
    She laughed. “Gee thanks, sugar. Actually that doesn’t sound like such a bad plan.
    The shower part,” she clarified.
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    “Hey, you’re the one who promised to make up the fact we just spent an hour longer in that dive than we needed to.”
    “Johnny was distraught. We couldn’t leave him like that.”
    Aaron sort of thought they could. The man had been three sheets to the wind and he wasn’t sure Johnny was even going to remember talking to them come morning.
    “There you two are!” a loud voice said from behind them.
    Aaron turned, surprised to find Bubbles jiggling her way across the parking lot toward them. He wondered if she realized her spandex top really wasn’t a suitable replacement for a bra.
    “Hey, Bubbles. What are you doing here?” Riley asked.
    “I figured you guys would come looking for Johnny. I’ve been waiting out here almost an hour. I was just about to give up. Time is money, you know. Thought maybe you’d chickened out. Were you in there