The Dead Don't Speak Read Free Page B

Coke."
    Simon mixed three drinks, opting for a rum and diet for himself. He'd made his selection. Another high-five would be waiting for Chris.
    Chris was still watching on the monitor. When he saw that Simon's drink matched the curvy girl's beverage, he knew. Simon had picked her. It was a code they'd worked out over a year ago. The blonde was now fair game, a game Chris was willing to try his hand at. He left the dressing room.
    Moments later Chris entered the Green Room. He went to the bar without acknowledging anyone in the room and fixed himself a drink, whiskey and water.
    "Who's that?" the blonde asked.
    Simon inwardly rolled his eyes. It would go straight to Chris's head that his little “man of mystery” move had worked. At least it had worked on this girl.
    "Oh, him?" Simon said. "That's my manager, Chris. He's the quiet type."
    "Your manager," the blonde repeated.
    "Go talk to him. He’s a fascinating man," Simon said.
    "What about you?" the blonde said.
    "I will be quite entertained with..." Simon looked at the curvy girl with his eyebrows raised.
    "Cassandra," she blushed.
    The blond girl sensed her loss to Cassandra and made her way to Chris. He was leaning on the bar, facing the wall. The blonde set her drink beside his and backed up to the bar facing the opposite way. She leaned back to speak but Chris pre-empted her with, "Sorry about him."
    "What was that?"
    "Simon. I'm sorry about him. He isn't always big on manners."
    "He was fine," she said, surprised.
    "Did he even get your name?" Chris said.
    She shook her head, blond strands swaying.
    "What is it?"
    "Charlotte."
    "A fine city."
    "I've never been," she said.
    "If you get a chance, you should. Fantastic weather, a lot of history."
    Charlotte turned from Chris to better fix a contemptuous glare on Cassandra. He saw this but thought she was looking at Simon.
    If the two stood next to each other, Simon and Chris, one would think they came from opposite ends of the gene pool. Simon was tall, had classic good looks and enough charisma to win a presidential election. Chris, on the other hand, was short and rounder.
    "So Charlotte, where are you from?" Chris asked.
    "Denver."
    Meanwhile Simon led Cassandra to the red velvet couch that sat against the wall facing the door. The two seated themselves tightly together, Simon's arm was around Cassandra, and he was jabbering about something while the girl smiled and nodded.
    "I've been to Denver."
    "Yeah?" Charlotte said, uninterested.
    "Yes. Back in oh-five. We did a few shows there." It wasn't true.
    Charlotte perked up a little, "Did you like it?"
    "I liked it fine. Thin air though."
    "All the tourists say that. You get used to it." The way she said it, tourists were synonymous with scum.
    Charlotte was still glaring at Cassandra. Chris decided if he was going to salvage this night he'd have to go for broke.
    "Know what would piss him off?" Chris said.
    "What? Piss who off?"
    "Simon over there, with that little fat girl. It'd really piss him off if we started making out right now. I mean really going at it. Fall on the floor, the works."
    "You serious?" Charlotte stopped glaring long enough to smirk at Chris.
    "No."
    *****
     
    Daphne Carter sat behind her large mahogany desk at the Versailles Resort and Casino, poring over a computer screen. It was kind of late and her eyes were starting to glaze over. Footsteps clacked in the hall beyond the door. Daphne looked up. The footsteps passed but her eyes stayed on the door. She stood slowly and flexed her legs. She reached up and dug the palms of her hands into her eyes, forcing the weariness from them.
    The numbers were trending down. Soon her ass would be in a sling and she needed a plan for recovery. CFO's of failing companies didn't get to keep their jobs. Sure, she could go back to Entertainment, probably at another hotel. She'd been good at that. But no one likes to fail, and Daphne Carter willed away the shudder that crept up her spine at the thought.
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