CASINO SHUFFLE (10 page)

“What’s she saying?”

“Thank you, Miss Moon.
 
We’re just down the hall.”
 
Antonio fitted the BlackBerry back into its holster.
 
“She accepted.
 
Stop fussing with your bowtie.”

Antonio stopped at the double doors of the Sachem Suite; nodded greetings to the security officer posted discreetly nearby, and pressed the bell.
 
He turned and made the necessary adjustments to Max’s bowtie as the double doors to the suite clicked open and began to swing inward.
 
The entryway to the suite was empty, the marble tile reflecting the mirror image of the hall chandelier.
 
Antonio ushered Max into the room.
 
Once they had entered the door began to swing closed.

First they saw a bare foot that seemed to barely rest upon the marble.

As the door moved, a bare leg was revealed.

The leg extended from beneath a towel.

The towel was wrapped around the body of Shannon Moon, whose shoulders glistened as vibrantly as the Cristal she swirled in her crystal flute.

She smiled at them.
 
“Hey fellas.”

Max turned to Antonio, flabbergasted.

Antonio explained, simply, “Jacuzzi.”

Chapter Six

“Hey, I know who you are,” said the young actress, staring intently at Max.

Antonio was taken aback.
 
“You know each other?”

Max’s cheeks were ablaze.
 
“What?”

Shannon
was smiling at him.
 
“Everybody knows you…”
 
She finally snapped her fingers.
 
The sudden motion caused her towel to slip.
 
She wrapped her arm around her breasts, pinning the towel in place.
 
“The Lone Ranger!”

Antonio looked at Max.

Max’s head jerked backward.
 
“Ah.
 
Oh.”

Antonio casually outstretched his hand.

Max lifted the white Stetson off his head and shoved it towards Antonio.
 
“The hat,” he said, smoothing down his hair with both hands, “for the tournament.
 
They make us wear hats.”
 
He sneered at the Stetson.
 
“Big hats.”

“I’m
Shannon
.”

Antonio reached out and accepted her flute of champagne.

As she extended her hand to Max, the muscle of her bare shoulder moved.

“
Shannon
,” said Antonio.
 
“This is Max Allen.”

“I’m Max.”
 
It took his hand a long time to reach hers.
 
Once there, it seemed unsure what to do.

She leaned forward.
 
The tops of her breasts glowed in the overhead light.
 
“I’m wet.
 
Sorry.”

Max stared at her.

Antonio asked, “How was the champagne, Miss Moon?”

She raised Max’s hand overhead and ducked beneath it, doing a twirl.
 
“It made me feel woozy!
 
But it was yummy.
 
Can we get a bottle to go with our dinner?”

“Of course, we’re well stocked.”
 
Antonio’s BlackBerry buzzed on his hip.
 
“Pardon me a moment.”
 
He walked a discreet distance and checked the screen.
 
The text was from Mark Ford:
 

Ang Wang trashed room.
 
Prick is loose.
 
Call asap
.

Antonio turned to his guests.
 
“I apologize, but I have to make a rather urgent call.”

Shannon
tilted her head at him.
 
“Bad news.
 
I can tell.
 
Is it about Ang Wang?”

“Who?”
 
Max asked.

“Ang Wang is a paparazzo who has been giving Miss Moon a rather hard time of it, I’m afraid.
 
Not to worry.
 
We have the situation in hand.”

Shannon
nodded.
 
“Good enough.
 
I trust you, Antonio.”

 
He bowed slightly.
 
“And I vow never to lose that trust.
 
I’ll just be over here if you need me.”
 
He dialed the number and turned his back.

Shannon
padded over to the leather sectional and sat down, smoothing the towel over her thighs.
 
She slipped a yellow jellybean between her lips.
 
“Want one?”

“No thanks.”

“So.”
 
She tapped a cigarette from a pack and hung it off her lips.
 
“How long have you been at the casino?”

Max looked for a place to sit down that wasn’t so close to her bare legs.
 
“Oh, I just got here about an hour ago.”
 
He leaned against one of the chairs.

Shannon
laughed, removing the cigarette from her lips.
 
“I mean altogether.
 
How long have you been here with Antonio?”

“Oh!
 
Four or five years, I think.
 
We’re friends.”
 
He pointed to Antonio and then to himself.
 
“Me and him.”

Shannon
touched the cigarette to her lips again.
 
Raised her eyebrows.

“Got a light, Max?”

“No, I don’t smoke.”

She laughed again.
 
“Okay.
 
Can you get
me
a light?”

“Right – I was just going to,” he said, pushing away from the chair, the chair sliding across the parquet floor.
 
Max lost his balance.
 
Stumble-stepped.
 
“Matches?”

“You okay?”

“Yup.
 
Be right back.”
 
Max waved at her and spun around, hurrying towards Antonio.

Antonio said into his BlackBerry.
 
“Hold a moment, Mark.”
 
He retrieved a box of matches from a nearby drawer.
 

“Thanks.”

“The ashtray is on the end table,” Antonio said to Max, and turned back to his conversation.

“Thanks.”
 
Max pivoted and hurried to the sitting room.
 
“Here you go, Miss Moon.”
 
He pushed open the box, pinched out a match and struck it sharply against the side of the box.
 
Several matches jumped free and skittered across the floor.
 
Max looked at them.
 
“I’ll get those.”
 
He bent down to pick them up.
 
The lit match in his hand began to burn his thumb.
 
“Ow.”
 
He shook it out.
 
Picked up the matches.
 
Put them into the matchbox.
 
Selected one.
 
Shut the box.
 
Struck it against the side.
 
“Okay.”

Shannon Moon leaned forward and lit her cigarette.
 
“Thank you.”

“No problem.”
 
He dropped the dead match into the crystal ashtray and slipped the box into his pocket.
 
He glanced at Antonio.
 
Back to the actress.
 
“So.”

“So.”

“I have a big fan of yours.”

Shannon
exhaled smoke.
 
“Huh?”

“It’s her birthday this weekend.
 
Sunday, really.”
 
He blinked, somewhat confused himself.
 
“Sunday is her birthday.
 
She’s your biggest fan.”

“Oh – what’s her name?”

“Trixie.
 
She has all your movies.”

“Which one is her favorite?”

“The one where you’re a princess.
 
You fall in love with that knight – the mean one.”

“Most women who watched that movie fell in the love with the knight.”
 
She shrugged her bare shoulders.
 
“Bad boy syndrome.”

“Did I say it was her birthday?”

“Sunday.”

“Right.
 
I was hoping you could do it for her, but I don’t want to get anybody into trouble.
 
Antonio and me, we’re friends.
 
So if you don’t want to do it just say so.
 
I won’t mind.”

She smoked, exhaled.
 
“Okay, I give.
 
What do you want me to do?”

“An autograph.
 
To Trixie
…something like that.
 
Whatever you want to write.”

“Oh, that’s all?”
 
She adjusted her towel, tugged it up.
 
“I don’t mind.
 
You and Antonio are nice guys.”
 
She held out her hand.

Max reached out and touched her cool skin again.
 
He held his hand there, waiting.

Shannon
grinned.
 
“I was thinking you would give me a pen and paper.”

Max snatched back his hand.
 
“I thought you wanted to get up.
 
Sorry.”

“It was nice.
 
Just no holding hands when my boyfriend shows up.
 
Wow, I didn’t think men could blush anymore.”

“Me neither.
 
I’ll get the paper and pen.”

“It’s cute.”

“Be right back.”
 
He turned and ran towards Antonio.

Antonio held out a silver pen and a piece of paper.
 
“Make sure they take pictures, Mark.
 
I want to know exactly what was broken.
 
No, it doesn’t make sense to me either,” he said into the BlackBerry while looking at Max.

“I’m sweating,” said Max, taking the paper and pen.
 
“Do you have a beach towel in that jacket?”

Antonio handed him a handkerchief.

Max swabbed his forehead and handed it back to the butler.
 
“I’m going back in, cover me.”

Antonio patted him on the shoulder.

Max strode over to the leather sectional.
 
“Found some.”

Shannon
balanced the paper on her thigh as she wrote.
 
She handed it back to Max.
 
“For Trixie.
 
Tell her I said hi.”