Chapter 14

Canyon lit a cigarette, and he watched Lolly the way a cat watches a mouse as she made her way towards him, a tray of food in her hand. When she got to him, he lifted an eyebrow and leaned forward so that he could whisper into her ear.

"He's inside. Watch your way with me. Don't let him get too close. We'll nail him sooner or later but not today."

"I've heard you, Canny," she whispered. "I'll handle him."

"Are you sure? Because if he tries anything with you, I won't hesitate to fix you," the threat in his voice was unmistakable.

Lolly, with a calm, remote look, nodded at him. Then Canyon straightened, turned the door handle, and let her in. Vince was behind his desk, a cigar hung limply from his lips, his hand was locked behind his head, and his back leaned hard into the chairs. His eyes instantly became alight as Lolly entered.

He removed the cigar from his lip and grinned at her as she walked towards him, but his smile bounced off her. This was strange, he thought. Most of the girls who come into his office always return his smile either with a blush or with a flutter of the lashes but not this one. It was as if he was smiling at a wall.

"Blondie! There you are. I was beginning to think you won't bring my meal on time," he said, leaning back and forcing himself to relax.

Lolly smiled faintly, but it disappeared, and Vince was quick to notice this. She settled the tray on the desk and arranged the plates. Vince watches her slow but deft movements, and he became aware of her hands. The long tapering fingers and the narrow back of her hands were sensual. The thoughts of those hands moving over his body made him swallow hard.

"How is it going at the restaurant?"

"It's alright, I guess," she answered stiffly.

Vince frowned. He expected her to say more, but none of this happened. What's wrong with this chick? Can't she see he owned this goddamn casino? At least, he deserved a smile but not this coldness as if she had been chipped from an iceberg. One way or the other, he had to get some words out of the mouth of this beautiful sphinx standing before him.

"Blondie! What do you think of my casino?"

She straightened and stared at him, intently.

"I think it's alright," she said.

Vince shifted in his chair, and he lifted his left eyebrow as he regarded her face in a searching stare. He studied her eyes, ears, her complexion, contours of her body, the way any farmer will look at any cattle he is thinking of buying. Something was up, he decided. There was something about her that meets the eye. She looked as if she was trying to hide something from him.

He looked at her again, and it suddenly occurred to him that all this might be a pretense, a way of her telling him she was not cheap, whereas she was no way different from the other girls that had come into his office. Who knows? He thought even she might have the hots for him.

There was only one way to find out. Vince got up from his seat, and he sauntered towards her like a leopard stalking a goat. He saw her lift her well-shaped eyebrow at him, and he could see that the calm expression on her face had changed to that of a cautious, vigilant one. Just a few steps to reach her, she took three graceful steps to the door.

"It's alright!" Vince mumbled. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Then don't come closer," Lolly whispered so faintly that if he had not been close to her, he wouldn't have heard what she had said. Vince hesitated. His heart was pounding, and he could feel the sweats rolling off him, but this was due to a weird feeling of fear and excitement. He had never done this to any of the girls working in the casino, and he had drawn a firm line against something like this, and now, in less than two minutes, he was about to cross that line.

"Please! Don't come closer," she said in a quiet voice, but he heard her all right. The plea in her voice told him to go back to his meal, which was getting cold on his desk and pretended that nothing happened, but the frightened, sensual look on her face and the uneven rise and fall of her breasts pushed him beyond control. He knew that look. He'll be damned if he lets this opportunity slip him by.

Vince covered the distance between them and grabbed her to his chest. He was so fast that she did not see him coming. Shocked, she opened her mouth to scream, but he clamped his callused palm over it.

"Shush kitty!" he whispered "If you scream, I'll fix you. This is my world, and I rule. So don't act funny. Just go with the flow." he bent his head to kiss her, but she turned her head with a grimace.

"Why fool around now? Don't you think we ought to be smart about this?" she said impatiently, not looking at him. These few words hit him in the belly like a punch, and it killed all the sexual tensions inside of him. He stared at her face blandly, but she was looking at the opposite wall. We’ve got to be smart about this? he told himself, what the hell did she mean by the word we? and smart about what?

Nonplussed, he released her and walked slowly back to his desk, and he regarded her as she straightened the lines of her uniform, which consisted of a cream-colored, tight-fitting jacket and white satin pants. Satisfied, she gave him a little smile and slid out of the room. Vince was bewildered. Why would she smile at him like that? What does she mean? He thought that smile must mean something. He took out his cigar, set it alight with a gold lighter, and inhaled the smoke. Then he began to think hard and fast.

As Lolly stepped out of the room, Canyon, who had been pacing around the corridor, turned on her sharply, and he pointed an accusing finger at her.

"Twenty goddamn minutes wasted in there. What I've you been up to with that baboon?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all! Don't forget the precautions." Lolly said in a low fierce voice, motioning him to keep quiet.

Canyon ignored her. Damn the precautions, he thought. His face was purple with rage and jealousy, and he was breathing heavily.

"I told you today is not the day to nail him. Did he touch you? did he put his filthy hands on you?"

She shook her head wildly.

"I bluffed him off, Canny! I bluffed him off," She was afraid of what he might do to if she told him the whole truth. Her words seem to make him relax a bit.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, frowning.

"Canyon! Don't be crazy with jealousy! I can't allow an ape like him to put our plans in jeopardy, and please, let me go. He might come out anytime."

He thought about what she heard said and drew in a long, slow breath.

"Well! that's alright," Canyon said, convinced. "You stay clear of him for now, alright?" he said, and he crushed her to his chest and kissed her hard on his lips. Then he released her.

"Now go!" he pushed her away from him towards the elevator, and he watched her press the elevator button, and the door swished open, and he watched her slid inside it, and it took her away. Frustrated, he moved to the office door entrance and stood there, his face hard and dangerous.

****************

A few weeks later, Vince called Canyon into his office.

"Sit down, Canny!" Vince said, grinning at him as he waved him to the chair. "I've got something to tell you."

Canyon, despite himself, was incredibly stupendous, and it showed on his face as he lowered himself into the client's chair. This was the first time his short temper boss would grin at him like this. He watched his boss take out a thick Cuban cigar from a platinum case, set light to it, and fed it to his mouth.

"Canny! I've got something to tell you," he said as he blew out thick smoke "The answer you give to me will decide whether to go ahead with what I want to do to you or not."

Canny stiffened, and he had a sudden feeling of danger. Though the expression on his face remained calm, the words of Vince had flicked him like a whip. He wanted to glance at the shelf where he had hidden the camcorder, but he dare not. He was sure Vince had discovered the camcorder. With what Vince had said, denying that fact will only make him stupid. Who was he kidding? That he could pull off a stunt like owning a casino on his own? I was so stupid to have listened to that greedy bitch, he told himself.

"Listen!" Vince continued. "Just tell me the truth. No beating about the bush. Just the damn truth. What will you do to own my casino?"

The question hit Canyon in the chest like a block of concrete, and it made him swallowed hard but yet, he stilled himself.

"I don't understand you, boss!" Canyon forced the words out of his mouth. His hands felt so cold and moist.

"C'mon, Canny. Between you and me; What will you do to own my casino?"

Canyon thought about the question for a moment. If he tells Vince that the casino meant nothing to him, it would make like him look less ambitious; as if he does not give a damn about what happens to the casino; if he told Vince he could do anything to have the casino, his boss might see this as a sign of greediness and might be scared of power tussle. Either way, he was fixed. Since his boss had already gotten a whiff of the camcorder, then it was better to say his mind and get this over it.

"I'll do anything to get this casino, and I mean anything! if this casino goes down, I go down with it."

Vince regarded him for a moment, then he smiled.

"Good answer, Canny! I am pleased!"

Canyon looked startled. What does that mean? He asked himself. What came next shocked him.

"Canny! You're traveling to Las Vegas this night. I've completed my casino over there. I want you to do the grand opening for me. I'm tied up here. So I need you to go there and fix things up. Next month, I'll hand this casino over to you. You deserved it, Canny."

Canyon felt his body turned hot, then cold, so cold like the Siberian wind. There were sweats on his face now, and he breathed heavily. You big fool, he told himself, control yourself. You're tough and mean; deal with this.

"Er….er….boss," he said, trying to keep the expression on his face deadpan. "I don't know what to say. I mean, this is so sudden for me."

"Nothing is sudden, Canny. I've completed my casino in Las Vegas, and I'm divorcing my wife two weeks to this time. I can't stick around Miami city. I can't let people look at me as a failure or a loser who can't handle his damn relationship. I don't play with my personality, and I don't want some damn fools to rubbish me. So I'm getting the hell out of Miami. I can't control two casinos. Shuttling between Miami and Vegas will be too hot for me. So I'm handling Prima casino over to you. You deserved it. It's the least I could do to repay you for all your help. In a few weeks, you're going to own this place. So what do you think?"

Canyon rubbed his hand over his sweating face. He was thinking of the camcorder. Vince had made everything so easy for him. Since his boss was handling over the casino to him, the idea of blackmail now sounds so stupid and rash. Lolly's idea was just a waste of time. While he was planning for the downfall of his boss, his boss, on the other hand, was planning his greatness. Damn! he thought, I should be ashamed of myself. He turned to Vince and saw him staring directly at him.

"I feel so honored, boss," he said, grinning sheepishly. "I've always dreamed of owning a casino, and you've made my dream come true."

Vince beamed.

"That's alright. It's just a token. Don't say anymore, or you're going to make me cry. This is how we are going to do this. I want you to go home, pack a few clothes and some essentials, and go to Miami airport. A chopper will be waiting to take you to Vegas. The grand opening will hold tomorrow morning, and you'll back in Miami the next day. I hope this is arrangement is alright with you?"

He grinned. "Definitely boss. I can take off anytime."

Vince nodded. "Alright!" he checked his Rolex watch, "The time is past eight. The chopper will be ready by ten. Think you'll be able to make it?"

Canyon beamed. That was enough time to do all he wanted. "I'll be able, boss."

"Good! I think you should go home now. I wouldn't want you to keep the pilot waiting."

Canyon rose to his feet with a suppressed excitement.

"You've made my day, boss," he said, and he gave Vince a curt nod and bounce out of the office. He would have been shocked if he had to look back to see the evil smile on Vince's lips as he watched him go.

Vince relaxed into his chair, took out a cigar from a platinum case, bit off the end, lit it, and puffed out smoke. Then he waited for precisely thirty minutes. Satisfied, he leaned forward and flicked the intercom switch on.

"Connect me to Jeff," he told the operator on the casino switchboard, then he waited. There were the usual clicks and pops, then a brittle voice said, "I'm here, Mr. Montreal."

"Good," Vince said. "Now listen. I want you to tell one of the guards to tell Miss Lolly Moore to come to my office at once. She works in a restaurant. Tell her it's very urgent. The only person I want to see is Miss Lolly Moore. No one must go through that damn lift except Miss Lolly Moore. No one! Even if it is my mother. If anyone gives you trouble, don't hesitate to alert the guards. Okay?"

Jeff's voice sounded like a hammer beating on an anvil as he said, "Yes! Mr. Montreal."

Then Vince leaned into his chair and grinned wickedly. He had gotten rid of the tiger. It was time to fix the tigress.

**************

Lolly was inside the kitchen, waiting to take the clients' orders in the restaurant, when a big hunk of beef in a black uniform with an AK-47 cradled in his hands came and stood at the doorway of the kitchen. His eyes surveyed all the girls in the casino uniform, then he said in a cold, hard voice.

"Lolly Moore in here?"

Lolly, who had seen the guard, stiffened to attention.

"I'm Lolly Moore," she said in a quiet voice.

"Mr. Montreal wants to see you, pronto," he said, and he went away.

Lolly nodded and swallowed hard. What is this all about? She was aware that the other girls were eyeing her with jaded interest as she made her way out of the kitchen to the gambling hall and then to the lift, which was to convey her to Vince's office. She got there, and the doorman smiled at her.

"Are you Miss Lolly Moore?"

"Yeah!" she replied to him, and he smiled at her, pressed the lift button, the door slid open, and she got in. As she was whisked to the top floor, she felt her heart pounding, but because she knew Canyon would be there to defend her in case anything happens, she brushed the fear away. The lift door swished open, and she stepped out. Then she stopped abruptly.

Canyon was not there!

There was no sign of him. She looks around the small corridor, but she saw no one. This was a baffler. Ever since the day she had begun work at the casino, this was the first time Canyon would be missing from his duty of standing at Vince's door, and she remembered how she had warned him to always be at the entrance door no matter what. She drew in a long slow breath and lifted her head high. Whatever comes her way, she would face it. She moved towards the door and tapped lightly on it with her knuckles. Then she heard Vince's voice.

"Come in, Blondie"

She turned the handle and entered the office. Vince was behind his desk; a cigar gripped hard between his teeth, a book in his hand. He saw her and dropped the text on the desk; then, he smiled at her broadly.

"Hey! Blondie! Come in," he said. "Have a seat; I won't bite ya."

Lolly moved further into the room, but she did not move to go for any of the chairs. Her face was white, and her hands were clammy with sweats. Something was wrong! She could feel it. As she looked into the eyes of Vince, she saw a jeering amusement there, as if he knew everything about her. Where was Canny? She thought angrily. Where was he when she needed him most?

Vince studied her face for a moment; then he smiled at her.

"You know? you nearly got me fooled the first time you entered my office."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" he said crookedly. "Okay, let me put this way. You want me, admit it."

Lolly shook her head savagely. "I don't want you, and I could never want you." There was steel in her voice, but Vince ignored it.

"Don't be stupid, Blondie. I knew you wanted me the first day you set your eyes on me. I know the looks, and I've seen it on every girl that works in this casino. The only difference between you and them is that you are so good at faking it. You've got that look on your face for a long time now, but you've been hiding it. I'm not that dumb. I know the difference between real and real fake. And you, Blondie, are a real fake."

Lolly could feel something crawling up her spine. She had the feeling he was still going to say more but was still waiting for the right time. She did not know the worst was yet to come. The only thing she could do was to pretend she did not understand everything he had been saying.

"I still don't get you, Mr. Montreal."

Vince regarded her for a moment and drew a long, slow breath.

"Alright! If you don't want me, why would you tell me, in your own words that day when I tried to kiss you, that we should be smart about this? Why would you tell me that?"

Lolly shrugged indifferently.

"That's simple! I knew that was the only thing I could say that will make you stop what you're doing."

"Liar!" he said and smiled. "What about that smile you gave to me before you slipped away?"

"That also means nothing."

Vince shook his head.

"You're a cold liar. How could you lie this way to me? I've got a way with women, and I know when a woman has got the hots for me. You've got the hots for me, but you've been faking it, and that ends today, no more faking anymore." and he rose from his seat and moved towards her. Seeing the wild look on his face, she began to back away but moving like a striking snake, he caught her hand and pulled her to himself.

"Admit it, you've been faking it," he said to her frightened face, "Just as the way you've been faking it with Canyon."

Lolly shudders and stiffen, and she tore herself away from him with a strangled scream.

Vince regarded her face. Her face was now chalked white, and she looked as if she was going to faint.

"Go on, lie to me, you don't know Canyon?" he went on.

"You must be crazy, there's nothing between Canyon and me," she replied to him, and her voice sounded as if she was speaking through locked teeth.

"You tell lies more than even Pinocchio did," he said, smiling at her, and he reminded her of a vicious, hungry wolf. "That day that you resisted my kiss you after you went out, I put my ear against the keyhole." He dug his finger into his right ear and grinned. "I heard everything you and Canyon said. Everything! That was when I knew both of you were lovers. You and Canyon were planning to set me up. I did a hard thinking and a little digging around my office, and I found something." he dipped his hand inside his pockets and brought out a miniature camcorder. "This is what you wanted to use to fix me. I don't know how both of you had planned to fix me with this gadget, but whatever it might be, it would have worked only if Canyon had kept his jealousy rage in check. He was the one who blew up all your plans. If you are still adamant that I am lying against you, I would gladly take this to the police. I'll leave them to handle you and Canyon. Imagine a beautiful woman like you in prison; all your beauty ate away by hunger and depression; what a sight that would be."

Lolly's face had turned the color of bleached bones, and she seems to be trembling. She knew there was no way out of this. Canyon jealously had nailed them. Maybe, if she put the whole blame on Canyon, then maybe Vince would let her go. So, she played the last card she knew she had.

"I did not want to go ahead with his plan in the first place," she said with a straight face and a little dignity. "But Canny forced it on me. You see, he wanted the casino, and he was ready to do anything to get it. If I did not support him or go ahead with the plan, he would kill me."

Vince moistened his lips with his tongue.

"I don't care about, Canyon. I'll deal with him later." his eyes roved over her, and she knew at once what he was thinking. "I want you, Blondie. Come here."

Lolly thought of Canyon and what he would do to her, and she shoved him away and bolted towards the door. But Vince, who had seen the intentions in her eyes, ran after her, and he caught her before she could turn the door handle. He dragged her away from the door and towards his desk.

"Calm down, Blondie," he said harshly, looking at her face which was clammy with sweats. "we're alone here, and I don't see any reason why we can't get along intimately? I've gotten rid of Canyon for the moment, so don't worry about him."

But Lolly surprised him. Her hand flashed towards his face, and the room erupted with a sound that an open hand makes when it slaps flesh. Vince felt the side of his face burning, and it added more to his excitement.

"I was expecting that," he said huskily. "It's called sexual frustration." and he caught her wrist, jerked her to his body, twisted her arm behind her, and crushed his mouth on hers. For a long moment, she remained rigid, not fighting him off, but her lips, hard and unyielding, then she suddenly relaxed against him, her arms slid up and around his neck.

***************

Canyon, a feeling of excitement running through him, drove like a mad man through the heavy traffic to his apartment building in 15 street, Ocean Drive. When he got there, he killed the engine of the car and tumbled out. He entered his apartment building, flew up the stairs, then got to his apartment door. He brought out a key, inserted it into the keyhole, turned the handle, and ease open the door, and he went into his bedroom.

He moved towards his closet and jerked open the door. He snatched few clothes from its hanger and threw them on the bed. Then he reached for a Louis Vuitton duffel bag, unzip it, and flung it on the bed. He crossed the room to the dressing table, jerked open the drawer, and snatched up the essential articles he always kept there; a cordless shaver, toothbrush, shaving cream, and his brass knuckles. He moved back to the bed, threw all the items in his hand into the duffel bag, and crammed the bag with the clothes on the bed.

He was breathing heavily, and his collar was a wet rag. He checked his strap watch. It was exactly twenty minutes to nine. There was still time to make it to the airport. He took off his sweat, soaked clothes, and walked naked into the bathroom. God! Prima casino would be mine! He thought as he turned on the hot shower tap, waited a moment, and stepped under the hot spray.

A few minutes later, he stepped out and crossed the room to his closet. He found a clean, white shirt and struggled into it, found a pair of black slacks, and slid into them. He moved towards his shoe rack and settled for black loafers. Then he crossed the room to the closet, selected a black hat, and place it on his head.

Satisfied, he picked up the duffel bag and went out of the room to where he had parked his car. He threw the duffel at the back seat, slid under the wheels, gunned the engine, and edged the car into the heavy stream of traffic on the highway. As he drove on the busy highway, which led to the airport, he remembered something, and he slammed his feet hard on the brakes. In his haste, he had forgotten to tell Lolly before he had left the casino that he was going away on a two-day trip, and most importantly, he wanted her to come with him. The thought of leaving Lolly alone for two days frightened him more than anything. Knowing the kind of woman she was, his mind would never be at rest in Vegas. She was a woman who needed severe monitoring. Damn it! he thought, how could I've been so stupid.

He glanced at the clock on the dashboard, and it showed; 9:00. There was still time, he told himself. He turned the car around from the airport road and back to the highway that led to the casino. He drove fast and hard, and luckily, the traffic was in his favor, and he got to the casino at exactly 9:25. He parked the car across the streets facing the casino, then stepped out of it. He walked towards the entrance, saluted the doorman, strode into the gambling hall, moved past it, and entered the restaurant. He looked over the busy, rowdy room, but there was no sign of Lolly. Sweats beaded on his forehead as he checked his wristwatch. It was 9:30. Where the hell was Lolly? He moved towards one of the girls who was wiping a well-polished counter with a swab, and he leaned over.

"Hey! Do you know where I can find Lolly?"

The girl, with an oval face and a chestnut hair recognizing Canyon, bowed slightly.

"There are so many girls here, Mr. Fox. Could you describe her?"

"Tall, big blue eyes, ash-blond hair, and very attractive."

The girl flashed Canyon a smile.

"I think I know who you are talking about. One of the guards came in here looking for her. Says she's wanted by Mr. Montreal, and by the look of things, I think it's very urgent. The urgency showed on his face."

Canyon felt as if he had received an iron fist punch in his belly. It wasn't her words that sent a cold chill through his body; it was the jeering look in her eyes and the way her mouth had sneered the terms to him, as if to say "what business would a man like Mr. Montreal have with a beautiful woman like Lolly?" Figure it out. A cold, sick rage seized Canyon. He turned away and went out of the restaurant towards the elevator to take him to Vince's office. He got there, and Jeff, the liftman, saluted him.

"Anybody up there with the boss?" he asked in a forced casual voice.

"Yes, sir! Miss Moore is with Mr. Montreal. The boss says nobody should come up there until he says so."

Canyon thought about this, and at that moment, he put two and two together, and his face became hard like chiseled marble, and he seemed fit to murder anyone.

The liftman noticed this sudden change on his face, and he ran a dry tongue over dryer lips. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he remembered the instruction Mr. Montreal had given to him: No one must use the lift! No one! But surely, Mr. Montreal would not object to seeing his right-hand man, he thought stupidly, and looking at Canyon's face, he knew it would be a total waste of time telling this Goliath of a man that he could not allow him to use the lift. When he spoke, he spoke like a man pleading with a hitman not to shoot him.

"I know it's against Mr. Montreal's order, but surely if you want to go up there, I wouldn't think of stopping you."

"You just dare!" Canyon snarled at him as he pressed the lift button, "I'll wring your neck of your body, you old sack." he brushed past him and entered the lift. Inside the lift, Canyon kept telling himself that he got this all wrong and that Lolly was just having the usual conversation with Vince, but with what the girl in the restaurant had told him and the liftman too, he knew he was kidding himself.

The door slid open, and he stepped out of it. Then as he walked briskly towards the office door, he heard moaning sounds coming out of the room, and he came to an abrupt stop and listened. There! It was getting louder now, and it sounded as if someone was in pain. Hearing it made his nerves jumpy. Without thinking, he moved towards the door, turned the handle, and entered the office.

The sight that greeted him turned him sick to the stomach.

Vince was mother naked and was thrusting hard into a woman who had her back on his desk. The woman had ash-blond hair, and her white, longs legs encircled Vince's waist.

As Canyon blundered out of office in a rage, a disgusting taste of bile in his mouth, he knew the ash-blond hair belonged to no other person than Lolly.