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From: Magi <baner1@earthlink.net>
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Subject: {ASSM} "Pete" A Young Man's Story  Chapter 57
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Date: Sun,  6 Jun 2004 21:10:02 -0400
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CHAPTER 57

Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas

Kristen's face was expressionless. She looked at me, glanced at Karen,
then back at me, and said, "Hello Pete!"
"Uhh, hi Kristen. What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you. I..."
Kristen's voice trailed off, and she stared oddly at me. The silence
grew awkwardly long before she pushed by me and went to Karen. She
stood, looking down at her for a few seconds; then her face seemed to
cloud up, and she asked Karen, "Has he told you that he loves you,
yet?"

A lot of things were going through my mind. Somehow, I'd almost
forgotten how beautiful Kristen is, and I have to admit, seeing her
brought back memories that stirred me. But then I looked at Karen.
Her face showed that she was at least surprised, if not stunned. She
shrank a little into the couch; then she stammered, "Uhh, yes... I
mean, No, not really. I, uhh..."
Suddenly I was angry. Kristen had no right to behave this way. I said,
"Kristen, stop it!" I stepped between them and pulled Karen to her
feet. I started to put my arm around her, but she seemed to have
gathered herself together. She pulled away from me, and stood in front
of Kristen.
It was strange seeing the two of them together. Kristen is five inches
taller than Karen and she was glaring down at her like some kind of
goddess staring at a mere mortal.
But Karen had her jaw set, and her fists were clenched.
In a voice much quieter than I would have expected, she said,
"Kristen, it's none of your business what Pete said to me. You had
your chance with him. Now it's my turn."
What occurred next, happened so quickly I had no time to react.
Kristen turned to me and said, "Is this little bitch the reason you
wouldn't marry me?" Then she turned back to Karen and without warning,
pushed her, hard! That caused Karen to stagger back and fall onto the
couch.
I started toward Karen to see if she was okay, but, suddenly, a
blurred female figure hurtled through the open doorway and slammed
into Kristen. They both hit the floor, but Jan recovered almost
instantly, and she quickly scrambled on top of Kristen. She had one
hand on Kristen's throat while she held the index finger of her other
hand in Kristen's face. She leaned close to her, and in a menacing
voice, she said, "Don't you push my friend, you cunt!"
I almost burst out laughing. Jan is even smaller than Karen, and she
looked like an angry little tiger sitting on top of Kristen, who was
opening and closing her mouth in disbelief, even as she tried to get
up.
Then there was more confusion, as Bob ran in, picked Jan up around the
waist like a sack of potatoes, and said, "Dammit Jan, I told you when
we came here this time, no more fighting!" He carried her, squirming
and kicking, to the doorway, where he stopped and said, "Sorry, Pete.
We were coming to see if you'd join us for dinner tonight. If you need
us, we'll be in our room."
He pulled the door closed, and the three of us looked at each other.
It had all happened so fast, we were in mild shock.
Karen was trying to untangle herself from the pillows on the couch, so
I helped her to her feet; then I went to Kristen. She was still
sitting on the floor, looking at the closed door, and she asked, "Who
the hell was that?"
Even rumpled, she still looked beautiful. Without thinking, I reached
down and patted down a shock of her hair that was sticking up. 
When I touched her, she looked at me, then at Karen. Suddenly, she
started to cry, and tried to hug my legs. But I held her arms, and
said, "Kristen, no!"
I don't know how long we would have stood like that. It was Karen who
finally said, "Pete, I'm going next door. Figure out what you want to
do here, and let me know what you decide."
I reached over and caught Karen's arm. "There's nothing to decide. I'm
here with you, and Kristen owes you an apology."
The expression on Karen's face was sad, but kind of hopeful, as she
said, "Well, talk it out with her, and come and get me when you
finish."
She started for the door, but Kristen stopped her with, "No Karen,
please don't leave. He's right. I'm sorry for barging in, and please
forgive me for pushing you. When I saw Pete, I couldn't --"
She stopped talking for a minute, and she and Karen looked at each
other. Karen had been glaring at Kristen, but her face slowly softened
before she came over and stood next to me. She looked down and quietly
asked, "Okay Kristen, what's going on?"
Kristen got up and shook herself; then she said, "I need to talk with
both of you."
We all sat down to catch our breath, and Kristen started talking.
"Karen, you know that Pete and I were together for quite a while. If I
had my way, we'd still be together, but it didn't happen, and I'll
leave it to Pete to tell you why. But Tomaso insists that I keep a
'squeaky-clean' image. So when we were here at New Year's, for career
and safety reasons, I intimated that Pete and I were married. I never
actually said that we were, but I let people believe that we were,
because I want to concentrate on my career, and I didn't want to be
bothered by people asking for dates, et cetera.
"Well, something happened today that you may see in the tabloids, and
possibly even in the real newspapers.
"Joe Little has been phoning me a lot. Tomaso doesn't like him, so
he's warned me to stay away from him, but Joe's a charming guy, and
I've been lonesome. So when he'd call, I'd spend time on the phone
with him.
"Our gig this weekend was canceled, so I flew home. I talk with Amy
every day and I know that Pete was here with you, and I must tell you,
it bothered me. So when Joe called this morning and asked me to have
breakfast with him, I agreed. We were on the patio at the Polo Lounge.
"I got up to use the restroom. When I came back, there was a girl at
the table and she was screaming at him. I think she was his
girlfriend. They argued for a minute, and she slapped him. He hit her
back, and a real fight started. Suddenly, some photographers showed up
and started taking pictures of them, so I ducked out and grabbed a
cab. I don't know how long the photographers had been there, or if
they got any shots of me. I was wearing a hat and sunglasses, but you
never know. I called Tomaso and told him what happened. He said that
being seen with a guy with Joe's reputation was bad for my career. He
suggested I come here, and see if you would say that the two of us had
been together all weekend."
It took a few seconds for this to sink in, and I looked at Karen.
She looked back at me for a minute; then she started laughing and
shaking her head. She said, "Pete, I knew this weekend would be
interesting -- I just didn't realize how interesting. Okay, Kristen,
what do you need from him?"
"I need to be seen with him tonight, and we have to act like we're
together. It has to be in a public place, and the press has to be
there."
"How do you make that happen?"
"We have a way; but first, I need it to be okay with you two. Will you
do it?"
Still smiling, Karen said, "Okay Kristen, you can borrow him for a
while. This is so bizarre; I can't wait to see what happens next. But
there is a condition. This 'act' will not go into the bedroom."
"No problem. These floors are off-limits to the press, and once we get
up here, he's all yours."
"So, you want me to stay in my room until this sham is over?"
"No, absolutely not. We have a plan for that."
I said, "Hey! Wait a minute! Do I have a say in this? This will take
the whole evening, and who is this 'we' you mention?"
I was starting to say something else, when Kristen broke in. Her face
was kind of sober as she said, "Pete, this could be important to my
career. If you go along with it, I have arranged an extra day for you
guys. Tell me you'll play along, and I tell you what it is."
Karen looked at me, shrugged, and nodded. So I said, "Okay. We'll do
it. What's next?"
Kristen reached for the cell phone hanging on her belt, and pushed a
button. Then she said, "I know it's cutting into your trip, so I
talked with both of your parents today, and they said that, if you
agreed to go along with this, you could take Tuesday off too. If you
do, I've arranged a room and dinner for you at the Four Seasons Hotel
in LA."
Karen and I looked at each other with surprise and anticipation. The
Four Seasons Hotel is a fabulous place that is so expensive that only
the rich stay there. Even the basic rooms run hundreds of dollars a
night. I'd heard that there are no prices on the dinner menu. A TV
food guy said about the place, "If you have to ask about the price,
you can't afford to eat there."
Karen and I both nodded enthusiastically, and I asked, "So what do we
do about tonight?"
"We should know about that any minute now."
Karen had been hugging me to her, and Kristen put her hand on her arm
and said, "Karen, please let me apologize again."
Karen started to reply, but there was a knock on the door. I headed
for it, but Kristen beat me to it and pulled it open.
Suddenly, I knew who the 'we' was, because Amy walked in with some
papers in one hand and a cell phone in the other. She smiled at Karen
and I, and said, "Hi guys." Then she turned to Kristen and said,
"Okay, here's the deal. There's a possibility that someone has seen
Pete and Karen together. So tonight, you and Pete will stick as close
as possible, but we'll all go to the stage show together, so everyone
will think we're all friends. I got a guy I met when we were here over
New Year's, to bring a buddy along, and act as dates for Karen and I.
They work here; they know what's going on, and they know how to keep
their mouths shut. So Karen and I will come along with our 'dates,'
and it'll look like we're all friends. I had the hotel marketing
people notify the press that after dinner we were going to see Mason
Barlow in the main showroom. So the press will be all over us."
Incredulous, I said, "You told them we'd be here to see the main show?
What's the magician going to do if he sees us?"
"He's already seen me. I went to his quarters and talked with him.
When I knocked on his door, I thought he was going to have a heart
attack. He kept looking around for you. I told him that Kristen and
you were going to be in the audience tonight, and to acknowledge her
from the stage. I said that if he didn't, I was going to send you over
to break his jaw again."
"You What!"
"Relax, I'm kidding about the last part. He's a business man, and his
early shows have not been selling out lately, so when he found out
that Kristen would be here, he not only agreed to introduce her, he
wants her to do a song. We figured he would, so I brought along some
of her arrangements. The hotel has been notified, and will be talking
about a 'surprise guest' in tonight's show, on both radio and TV
today. We're going to have a press briefing before the show, and we
made a bunch of show tickets available to the press, so there should
be a full house at the early show."
I was thinking about it already, but Karen beat me to it by asking,
"What if they ask her to come back for the late show?"
Amy grinned and glanced over at Kristen. Then she winked. "I already
talked to the hotel about it. The first show is free. If she has to
come back for the second show, it's going to cost them."
Incredulous all over again, I asked, "You got this all handled today?"
"Sure. When Kristen told me what happened with Joe, I talked with
Tomaso. Then I got on the phone and got most of it handled before we
left LA. I took care of the rest when we got here."
"But how did you know what Karen and I would do when you asked us to
go along with things?"
"Because I know you both. You're smart enough to see how important
this is to her, and good-hearted enough to care, so I was pretty sure
you would help us."
I stood there shaking my head, until Kristen laughed out loud, went to
Amy, and hugged her. Then she turned to me and said, "See why I pay
her the big bucks?"
Amy grinned. Then she sobered a little and said, "Wait, guys. There's
more. Regardless of what happens tonight, we have to deal with
tomorrow. We came here in one of the Mariani airplanes, but now that
the press knows we're here, we can't leave that way. So I sent the
plane home. When we get ready to leave, the press is still going to be
around, so we'll all have to go back in the Cessna. The only clothes
we brought are what we're wearing, our makeup and our dresses. So
luggage won't be a problem."
I was a little disappointed. This was supposed to be a weekend for
Karen and I, and it was turning into a circus. So I asked, "Do you and
Kristen have a room here?"
"Yes, we're right down the hall."
"Could I talk to Karen for a few minutes?"
Amy looked at her watch. "Of course. It's almost four. The first
performance starts at seven. You and Kristen should be at the press
suite around six, so we have to start to get ready now. But you have
plenty of time. Do you have the outfit she got you at New Year's, with
you?"
I nodded.
"Good, please wear it." 
"Are you going to be there?"
"Yes. Karen and I will wander in a minute or two after you guys. As a
matter of fact, give me a minute with Karen."
They stuck their heads together and started talking about what they
were wearing, so I went to Kristen.
I wanted to say something to her, but I didn't know where to start. I
guess she didn't either, so we just stood there looking at each other.
Finally, I admitted, "I miss you."
"I miss you too. And I still love you."
My heart jumped, and I wanted to take her in my arms. But I knew what
it would lead to, so I had to change the subject. I said, "You said
that your last performance was canceled. How come?"
"Tomaso wanted to go to the funeral."
"What funeral? Who died?"
"I'm sorry; I thought you knew. Lu Huan passed away last week."
The news hit me like a blow to the stomach. I couldn't breathe; I
couldn't talk; I gaped at Kristen. This was the first time anyone I'd
personally known had died. The thought of that beautiful, mysterious
looking girl being gone was impossible to believe. I could see her
standing in the restaurant when I first met her, and I remembered how
fantastic she looked. I tried to recall what she looked like when she
was laying beneath me as we made love. I could see her face, framed by
her long, silky black hair, and those coal black eyes of hers that
seemed to look right through me. But when I tried to remember more,
the loss began to overwhelm me, and I had to force myself to think of
something else.
A giggle brought me back to the present, as Amy and Karen walked
together to the door. Amy left, and as Karen came back, Kristen stuck
out her hand to her, and said, "Thanks."
Karen nodded and shook it.
Kristen smiled at me, and said, "See you in a while," then, "Oh, by
the way. Our 'dinner' tonight is going to have to be a quick one, so
I'm having some food sent up." She waggled her fingers at us, and both
girls left.
Karen stared silently at the door for a minute. Then she turned to me
and said, "Pete, make love to me."
It floored me for a minute, but I guessed at what the problem was, and
I took her in my arms and kissed her. It was a long kiss, and she held
me so tightly I'm sure her arms must have ached. After that, I held
her close to me; and she hugged me more. When she started to relax, I
pulled her away and said, "It's over between Kristen and me. I'm with
you now."
Her eyes were bright with tears when she said, "Oh Pete, how could you
be? Those girls are both so beautiful and talented, I feel like a kid,
next to them."
"Because you're beautiful and talented too, and I'm not in love with
them like I am with you."
She hugged me tightly, but her only other response was a nod.
Karen had already showered, so I grabbed the bathroom. As I let the
water cascade over me, I couldn't help but think of Lu. I began to
picture her beautiful face and flawless body. It pained me to think
that she was gone, and I wondered what Tomaso was going through.
I put on the clothes that Kristen bought me, and when I came out of
the bathroom, Karen smiled her approval. "Wow, that's a beautiful
outfit; you look great. If Amy hadn't told me how cute my 'date' is
tonight, I might really be upset, letting you go out looking like
that."
I grinned back, "Just remember one thing, lady. This is all for show!
If I see that guy touching anything he shouldn't, he'll end up with
his arm in a sling."
She giggled and started pulling things out of her suitcase. Then she
said, "Go into the living room and relax. I want to rewash, and
blow-dry my hair. I want to look beautiful for my date."
I stuck my tongue out at her as she ran into the bathroom.
The food arrived just then, so I went into the living room and sat
down to eat. I couldn't get the thought of Lu's passing, out of my
mind. I don't know how long I was sitting there thinking about her,
but it took me a few seconds to realize the phone was ringing.
When I answered, an excited Jan said, "Pete, that was Kristen Baker,
wasn't it?"
Without thinking, I answered, "Uhh, yeah."
"Holy Shit! I knew I'd seen you before. You and she were here over New
Year's, weren't you? We were too, and I saw you in the newspapers;
they said that you two were married!"
I was starting to worry. I didn't know how far Kristen wanted to carry
this. So I said, "Jan, I'm on the other line. Let me call you right
back."
I sat, thinking about what to do. If Jan began telling people what
went on between the three of us, it could be a problem. I wanted to
ask Kristen how she wanted me to handle this. I would have to tell her
what happened, but I knew that Amy would find out about it, and for
some reason, I didn't want her to know.
I took a chance and dialed Kristen's room. To my relief, she answered.
I took a deep breath and said, "Hi, I need to talk to you. Is Amy
there?"
"No, she's downstairs taking care of something. What's up?"
I told her what happened with Jan last night. I told her how it
started, and I tried to explain that Karen's part in it, was
experimentation.
She surprised me by saying that she understood.
I said, "You do?"
"Yes Pete, I do. If you remember, I went through a similar thing with
Della."
"So, what would you like me to do about Jan?"
"Give me her room number; I'll handle it."
I gave it to her. Then I asked, "Um, does Amy need to know about
this?"
She didn't answer for a minute. Then she said, "No," and hung up.
Karen came into the living room wearing a simple little black dress
and high heels. She looked fantastic! She's such a down-to-earth
person; it's easy to forget that she comes from money. I'm no expert
in these matters, but that little dress fit and hung so well, I would
bet it cost a lot. But whatever it cost, the total package was
amazing.
She saw the way I was staring at her, and it looked like she blushed!
She looked so cute I wanted to hug her, but I didn't want to muss her,
so I whistled instead.
Then I asked, "Are you going to be okay with what's going to go on
tonight?"
"Yes, Amy has told me what to expect. For tonight, she and I are going
to be window dressing for you and Kristen. I know it's an unusual
situation, but to tell the truth, it sounds like fun and I'm excited
to be a part of it. But I can tell from the way Kristen acts, that
she's still in love with you, and it makes me wonder why you and she
aren't still together."
"She wants things from me that I can't give her."
"Like what?"
"She wants marriage and a family. Hell, Karen, I'm not ready for
that."
"You're right; you are too young. But not by much, and if you wanted
it enough, you might make it work."
Karen sat down to eat, and I thought about what she said. It had been
tough leaving Kristen, but it hadn't been as hard as I thought it
would be. Although she never showed that side of herself to me, I saw
how her aggressive personality affected others, and I often wondered
how long it would be, before it became a problem between us.
Then I looked at sweet, unassuming Karen, and my heart was filled with
affection. Here was a girl I could be with for a long time. She was
genuine, pretty, and I knew she liked me a lot. I wanted to tell her
how much she meant to me, but now, wasn't the right time, so I said,
"I, uhh, guess I didn't want it enough."

* * * * *

Around five-thirty, the phone rang, and Kristen asked me to come to
her room. Karen was sitting at the dressing table putting finishing
touches on her make-up. She winked at me, and said, "Have fun, but
behave yourself." Then she air-kissed me, and I left.
Kristen was stunning in a shimmering green gown that showed a lot of
cleavage. She had obviously spent some time in a tanning salon, and
her skin practically glowed. Her shining black hair was hanging past
her shoulders, and when she looked at me with her coal black eyes, I
almost went numb. The girl was beyond beautiful; she was spectacular!
She could see how affected I was. She did a slow, complete turn, and
asked me, "What do you think?"
I wanted to tell her that she was more beautiful than I had ever seen
her, and I was tempted to rush to her and take her in my arms. But I
was afraid I would never be able to let her go. So I said, "You're
gorgeous, Kristen. Uhh, shouldn't we be going?"
A dark look crossed her face, but she grabbed my arm, and we headed
for the door.
While we were waiting for the elevator, I asked, "Did you get hold of
Jan?"
"Yup, it's handled."
"What did you say?"
"I told her that you and I had an 'understanding' about other sex
partners, and I asked her not to say anything to anyone."
"How did she respond?"
"She wouldn't promise me that she wouldn't say anything until I
mentioned that you and Karen were only seventeen, and still in high
school. And when I casually asked her if she knew anything about the
statutory rape penalties in Nevada, she quickly agreed to keep things
quiet. However, I did have to agree to get her seats for tonight's
show."
We got off the elevator and went to the pressroom. When we got to the
door, we stopped and Kristen straightened my shirt. I looked for a
sign of nervousness, but she was as calm as could be. This is what she
loved. It was what she was born for, and I felt a tug at my heart.
Again, I realized that I had done right by letting her go. I would
never have been able to compete with this kind of life, and that idea
made me a little sad.
When we stepped inside, the room was suddenly filled with camera
flashes, and people started crowding around us. They tried to separate
us so they could get at Kristen, but she held tightly to my arm even
while she began to answer questions.
"Why are you in Vegas?"
"I had a few days off, so we came here to relax and have some fun."
"When did you get here?"
"We got here yesterday morning."
"Who's with you?"
"Pete and I, our sister Amy, and Karen Gilroy, a friend of ours."
The questions went on for a while. They seemed to know that a friend
of Tomaso had passed away, and why the performance was canceled, so
most of the questions were about upcoming performances, and any
possible record deals. Kristen would always answer, "Gee, you'll have
to ask Amy about that."
A female reporter asked me, "Hey Pete! We haven't heard from you yet."
I was about to say something, when Amy and Karen came in. Strangely,
about half of the press, including the woman reporter who'd been
curious about me, went right to Amy, and started bombarding her with
questions.
The remaining reporters were talking with Kristen, when a pretty girl
in her late twenties, whom I recognized from local TV, pushed her way
through, and a guy pointed a TV camera at Kristen. The girl introduced
herself, and started asking Kristen some of the same questions the
reporters had. I tried to back away so Kristen would have the floor,
but she held tightly to my arm. After a few moments, the interviewer
turned to me and asked, "Pete, how about telling us a little about
you?"
Suddenly on the spot, I stammered, "I uhh, let Kristen's voice do the
talking in our family."
"Oh, come on, Pete, talk to us. Tell us about your family. Where are
you from, what do you do?"
I was trying to think of a way to answer her, when Kristen stepped
between us and said, "Thank you, that's all for now," as she pulled me
away.
A few more reporters started toward us, but she held up her hand to
ward them off, and we started toward the door. On the way, I noticed
that there were still a number of people around Amy and Karen.
I said to Kristen, "How do they know who she is?"
Kristen grinned. We stopped at the door, and she said, "Listen
closely."
The press would ask some questions, and Amy would answer some of them,
but several times she said, "I'll check with Mister Stone and we'll
get back to you."
We continued outside, and caught the elevator back to our room. I let
us in, and as soon as the door closed behind us, Kristen was in my
arms. She tried to kiss me, and it took everything I had not to kiss
her back. I said, "No Kristen, I can't," and I went to the door,
opened it, and turned the safety lock around, so that the door would
stand open slightly.
When I turned back to her, Kristen said, "Are you really that much in
love with Karen?"
I said, "Kristen, when you and I were together, I think we were both
learning. We did some stuff with Della, and later, you set that thing
up with Amy. But I was faithful to you until Lu. And I can't tell you
how much I regret what I did. It wasn't fair to you; it wasn't right,
and I promised myself I would never cheat like that again.
"Am I in love with Karen? I think so. I know that I sure like her a
lot. But I still have feelings for you, and I also love Amy and even
Tammy. You each have a special place in my heart.
"Kristen, you have to realize something. I'm only seventeen!"
Then I held up my hand, and said, "I know, I know! That excuse is
wearing thin. But it's the truth! I can't give you what you want right
now."
Kristen's eyes were brimming with tears.
I wanted badly to hold her and tell her it would all be okay. But I
knew that leading her on wouldn't be fair, so I said, "So, tell me
about Amy. Why do the press people all know her, and who is this
'Stone' guy?"
Kristen dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. She knew I had changed the
subject, and she stared at me for a few seconds before she answered.
"Amy has come a long way in a short time. She is so smart it's scary.
Within the entertainment group, she's as famous as I am. She handles
me, Tomaso, and also a new country-western singer named Breane. She's
cut some deals for us that are the talk of the industry."
"What! How does she know how to do that?"
"Tomaso got her started. He showed her what we needed, and gave her
some pointers. She figured out the rest by herself."
"When does she do all this?"
"She does some of it early in the morning and some after school. Her
assistant handles the stuff that comes up during the day, but she
approves it first."
"Her assistant?"
"Yes, she has a full time assistant with an office and everything.
It's called the 'Stone Talent Agency'. It's in Ben Sander's building.
Ben helped her set it up."
"Ben gave her an office!"
"Heck no! She pays a lot for it. I wasn't kidding when I said I give
her big bucks. We all do! And she's worth every penny. If she wanted
to, she could have as many clients as she wants. But I think the three
of us are all she can handle right now."
"You mean to tell me that there are other performers who are willing
to pay a high school girl to take care of their affairs?"
"Breane, Tomaso, and I, all know she's in high school, but nobody else
does. She lets people think that she's the 'front girl' for a guy
named Alex Stone. You've probably forgotten, but Amy's real last name
is Stone. Alex was her father. Whenever she doesn't want to answer a
question, she says that she has to check with 'Mr. Stone." But there
is no Mr. Stone. She used to like a TV show called 'Remington Steele,'
and I think that's where she got the idea. Ben and your dad helped her
be decreed an 'emancipated minor'. She signs all the checks, as 'A
Stone', and she makes all the deals. She wanted to call it the Baker
Agency, but your dad and Ben thought it would be better for her to
keep her real last name."
I was in mental shock. It suddenly seemed like the whole world was
passing me by. Kristen and Amy both have careers; Karen is talking
about college, and I don't have a clue about anything.
Right then, Amy and Karen came into the room. Amy said, "C'mon Kris,
you and Pete have to get seated." 
So Kristen and I went down to the main showroom. But instead of going
through the lobby, we went through a back door, to a large, center
booth facing the stage. We were barely seated when the doors opened
and people came flooding in. The room was almost full when Amy and
Karen joined us.
They were each on the arm of a good-looking guy. The one Amy was with
seemed vaguely familiar. When they got to our booth, he stuck out his
hand and said, "Hi Pete." Then I remembered; he was 'Jim,' one of the
guys Amy hung with when we were here before. He introduced the guy
with Karen, as 'Frank'. He's not much taller than Karen is, but he's
well built, and seemed very happy to be here. It was a little
disturbing, seeing the girl I was with, standing arm-in-arm with
another guy.
Amy and Jim slid in next to me on one side, and Karen and Frank got in
next to Kristen. I noticed the way was looking at Karen, and it was
obvious that he was enthralled with her. At one point, I leaned to Amy
and whispered, "Does he know this is not for real?"
She grinned widely, and whispered back, "No! Jim said he could be
trusted, but I thought it might be fun if we let him think for a
while, that it was a real date."
Surprised, and a little annoyed, I asked, "WHY!"
She answered, "The girls and I thought it would be fun to watch you
squirm for a change."

* * * * *

Mason's show was pretty much the same as it was at New Year's. After
the first effect, he held the microphone and talked to the audience
for a minute. I noticed he kept looked toward us, but having been on
this stage, I knew how hard it was for a performer to see someone in
the audience, when the spotlight is on you. It wasn't until the house
lights came on, so he could pick a girl from the audience to help with
the act, that he spotted Kristen. Then his eyes met mine, and he
stared at me for a second or two.
After his big ending, he stepped back on the stage, thanked the
audience for coming, and said, "You may have heard that a special
guest is with us tonight. Let's have her come on stage and say hello
to everyone!"
The spotlight hit Kristen, and she stood up to a big hand of applause.
She made her way to the stage, where she shook hands with Mason, and
they talked for a little while. He rather casually asked her a
question that I was sure he was told to ask. He asked her when she got
to Vegas, and who she was with. She answered, "My guy and I, and some
friends of ours got here Friday morning. We came here to relax and see
some shows."
"Are you going to give us a song tonight?"
"Sure, I'll be happy to." 
She stepped to the front of the stage.
I'd seen her on stage before, but I think if I saw her a hundred
times, I would still be stunned. She's beautiful in person, but when
she's on stage, she positively glows. Her dark hair and eyes, against
her lightly tanned skin seem to create an aura about her. When the
house lights dimmed and the spotlight was directly on her, some people
in the audience actually gasped.
She started into her signature song, "Stardust," and people began to
applaud even before it was over. The applause continued through the
ending, and went on until she nodded to the orchestra and another tune
started. She went to the edge of the stage, looked directly at me, and
started singing "My Guy". It was a revised version of "My Girl" that I
hadn't heard from her before. She made it hauntingly beautiful.
Shortly after it started, a mini spotlight pointed at me, and stayed
there until the song was over.
I'm not sure what Kristen was doing. She was aware that Karen was
sitting there, and I can't imagine that she would make a play for me
in front of her, so I guessed that there was another motive. I decided
to play along. As the song came to a close, I stood up and blew her a
kiss.
After the music stopped completely, she returned the kiss amid
tremendous applause.
A guy came to our table even before the applause was over, and
motioned for Amy to come with him. She whispered something to Jim,
winked at us, then got up and followed him.
Kristen disappeared behind the stage curtain with Mason Barlow. As the
audience filed out of the room, Jim leaned in and said, "Amy said to
go to Pete's room. She and Kristen will meet us there."
As we headed out of the room, I tried to catch Karen's eye. I wanted
to see how she felt about how I acted with Kristen, but Frank was all
over her, and she seemed to be enjoying herself.
When we got to the room, Karen opened the door with her key card. Then
she asked everyone to wait a minute outside of the door, and she
slipped inside. I guessed she probably wanted to straighten things up
a bit. However, Frank looked confused, and kept looking, first at the
door, then at me. Finally, he leaned toward me and asked, "Is this
your room?"
"Uh huh."
"What's she doing in there?"
"Straightening up, I guess."
"Why is she straightening up your room?"
"Oh, you know women. They like to see things neat and orderly."
There was a snort, and I looked at Jim. He had his head turned away,
and was trying to keep from laughing.
With great timing, Karen opened the door. Sure enough, the place had
been tidied up, so we all went in.
I tried to corner Karen. I wanted to see if she was okay with what had
gone on in the showroom, but Frank beat me to her. It looked like he
was questioning her as to why she had straightened up the place. I
couldn't hear what she said, but he just shrugged. Then he tried to
put his arm around her. She hesitated for a second, and glanced at me.
Then she seemed to grin a little, and she snuggled up against him.
For the second time today, I felt an emotional punch in the gut.
First, Lu's death, and now, this.
How could she do this?
She knew that what Kristen and I were doing was just for show. Did she
really like this guy?
I must have had an awful look on my face, because she suddenly pushed
away from Frank and said, "I'll be right back."
Then she came over to me, took me by the hand, and much to both
Frank's, and my surprise, she led me into the bedroom and closed the
door.
She had a huge grin on her face.
She hugged me and said, "Don't look so bothered; I'm only teasing. But
Pete, do you really like me that much?"
"Of course I do! I'm crazy about you! Say the word, and I'll stop this
whole sham right now."
She kissed me long and hard, and when she broke away, her eyes were
moist. But the smile returned as she said, "No, this is too important
to Kristen."
She turned to leave, but when she got to the door she stopped and
winked. "Besides, Frank is kind of cute, and I'm having too much fun."
When we opened the door to the living room, Kristen and Amy had just
come in. Amy said to Frank and Jim, "Excuse us a minute guys; we need
to talk to Karen and Pete for a minute," while she herded us back to
the bedroom.
"Okay guys, plans have changed. There is no second show here tonight,
but the Desert Dunes Casino wants Kristen to sing at both performances
in their main showroom tomorrow, and Tomaso and the full crew is going
to be here Monday, to do their complete show."
I asked, "They're going to replace the existing show?"
"Yes. Kristen will be a featured performer tomorrow. Then, for
President's Day only, she and Tomaso will do their whole show.
Attendance has been poor at their shows lately; they think that names
like Tomaso and Kristen will spark renewed interest in their casino."
"So, what should Karen and I do?"
"It's sort of up to you guys. I think we have the 'Joe Little' thing
covered, and Kristen and I won't be returning with you, so you have
several choices. You can stay until Monday afternoon; then you can fly
home and spend Monday night and all day Tuesday at Four Seasons. Or,
you can stay here through Tuesday. The only problem is, while you're
here, Pete still has to pretend he's with Kristen."
I looked at Karen. "What would you like to do?"
She thought for minute. Then she asked Amy, "Is everyone free
tonight?"
"Yes, we can do anything we want."
"Can we go out together, as a group?"
"Sure. Kristen's not that well known yet, and the last time we were
here, Jim took me to some great places where we can hang out, have
some fun, and maybe dance a little."
"Well, I've never been to Vegas with people my own age. I'd like to
get something decent to eat, and I'd love to go dancing. But Frank
should be told what's going on."
Kristen had been standing quietly, listening to Amy. She stepped
forward and took Karen's hands. She said, "Thank you, Karen. I
appreciate what you're doing. No matter what happens, I promise to
remember that he's here with you, not me."
Karen smiled at her. "Okay, but just remember, if you get out of line,
I'll call in Jan, my bodyguard."
Kristen laughed, put her arm around Karen, and said, "Okay, I've been
warned. Now let's go in and tell the guys what's happening."
They walked together into the living room. Then Kristen excused
herself to go to her room and change clothes. Amy went to Frank and
told him what was going on.
When she finished, Frank looked at Karen and I. You could tell he was
disappointed. He said, "Well, I'm glad I could help," and he started
for the door.
Karen went to him and said, "Wait a minute. Pete is my guy, but I need
a friend for tonight, and I'd like it to be you?" 
It was almost comical, the way he jumped at the chance, and I felt a
little sorry for him. But it also made me look again at Karen. I have
always considered her as being very pretty, but in the company of two
killer girls like Kristen and Amy, she indeed didn't stand out.
Or did she?
Karen has an indefinable air about her. She's 'approachable'.
Strangers have no trouble talking to her. And that doesn't happen with
either Kristen or Amy.

We decided to get something to eat in the one of the hotel's many
restaurants. Anywhere else in the country, it would be considered a
nice restaurant. But in the opulence of Las Vegas, it was called a
'coffee shop.'
As we waited for the hostess to arrange a table for us, I had a chance
to study the girls.
I noticed that a number of people were staring at Kristen when we came
in. I thought at first that it was because they recognized her, but it
didn't seem to be that. It was simply because she's so striking.
She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail, and she was wearing
low-cut cargo pants and a stretch top that left her midriff bare. She
has great posture, and with her dark eyes, and jet black hair, she
looked absolutely gorgeous.
Standing alongside of her is Amy. Same height, equally great body, and
every bit as pretty. But without the startling look that Kristen has,
unless you look into her eyes. Once you get over how pretty she is,
she has a way of looking at you that makes you think it would be hard
to put something over on her.
Then there is Karen. At 5' 2", she's much shorter than the other
girls, and her body is not as spectacular. But she's also very pretty,
and I noticed that she was growing increasingly more comfortable being
around the two other girls.
Then something else struck me!
Frank is only three or four inches taller that Karen is, and standing
together like they were, they made a very cute couple. I had an
instant pang of jealousy, and I made a mental note to try to pay
special attention to her tonight.
After dinner, we decided to go to one of the lounges. There was a band
playing that Jim knew, and he showed us to a quiet booth at the side
of the lounge that was partially hidden by some fake palm trees. He
and Frank are both over twenty-one, and he ordered wine coolers for
the girls and beer for us. The music was soft and very danceable, so
we all spent a lot of time on the dance floor.
I have to admit that it was wonderful holding Kristen in my arms, but
I was being careful not to be too intimate, until I looked over at
Frank and Karen. He was holding her tightly. She had her head on his
shoulder, and had her eyes closed.
Then I looked at Amy and Jim. He's around six feet tall, and they were
dancing and laughing. They looked like a happy couple, and I said to
Kristen, "They spent some time together after I left after New Year's,
didn't they?"
Kristen answered, "Not really; Amy was very busy. I think they had
coffee a couple times, is all. But she did say that he called her at
home once or twice. He seems like a nice guy."
They are really a handsome couple, and I was thinking about how they
looked together, when the song ended, and the band took a break.
When we got back to the table, I happened to glance at my watch. It
was almost eleven thirty, and when Frank saw me looking at it, he
said, "Hey, I have an idea. Some dancers that Jim and I know are in a
show that just opened. It's at 'Casey's' -- that's a small club just
off the strip -- and it's supposed to be pretty hot. The show starts
at midnight, so if we leave now, we should get there in time. I know
the bouncer, and he won't bother checking IDs."
Jim looked at Frank, and said, "Uhh, Frank, that show is supposed to
be pretty raunchy."
It was Karen who cried, "Oh Great! I've heard about those sexy shows.
I want to go see it."
So we all piled into an old Chevy that belonged to Jim and drove to a
kind of seedy looking bar, in a strip center a little off the main
road. It seemed crowded, and when we got to the door, there was a sign
saying that there was a twenty-dollar cover charge. Frank said
something to a huge guy standing there with a toothpick sticking out
of his mouth. He looked us over, shrugged and motioned us inside.
The place was pretty big inside, but it was nothing like the fancy
hotels on the strip. It smelled like cigarette smoke and stale beer.
The fluorescent light fixtures were missing some bulbs, but even in
the dim light, though, I could see that most of the people were
dressed in jeans. Some of the guys were wearing cowboy hats, and
others were wearing baseball caps. About half of those were turned
backwards. I felt something alongside me, and when I looked, I saw
Karen. I smiled to myself. Frank was holding her hand, but she was
pressed tightly against me, and she was looking around with an uneasy
expression on her face.
There was a stage towards the back, with a curtain across it. The
curtain had the words, "Caseys! Where the locals come to keep abreast
of things," emblazoned on it. Below the word 'abreast' hung two pink
balloons, with bright red nipples painted on them.
Frank pushed two tables together, and Kristen and I sat down. Karen
sat next to me on one side, with Frank next to her. Jim and Amy sat
next to Kristen.
Without asking, a blonde waitress brought us two pitchers of beer and
some glasses. She was dressed in short-shorts and her huge tits were
trying to leap out of a man's shirt that was mostly unbuttoned, and
tied above her waist. When she set the beer and glasses down, she
looked at Karen, and raised an eyebrow. Then she said to Frank, "Hi
baby."
Frank looked kind of sheepish, and he said, "Hi Faith. I didn't know
you were working tonight."
She went, "Humph!" and stalked off.
The girls all grinned at each other, and Jim sat there with his face
in his hands, shaking his head.
But Frank wasn't fazed. He got up and poured us all a beer. Then he
raised his glass to the bouncer, who nodded, and gave us thumbs up.
Frank whispered, "I sneak him and his buddies into the shows at the
Miracle once in a while."

The rest of the night was interesting, to say the least. A couple of
things happened I would remember for a long time.

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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