Shattered (closed)

[NewGame8]

"Ms. Bristol, you seem to have all of the answers. I am not sure if that is a bad thing or a good thing. It tells me that either you are very good, or you have something up your sleeve and you are trying to slide in to take advantage of me in some way."

He took another sip of wine and stared at Lily. Then he saw it again. He wasn't sure who, but there was someone that Lily reminded him of. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He was feeling something that he very rarely felt..... unsure.

"Ms. Bristol, I am going to give you that suite, and I am going to start you out at $125,000. You will give your two weeks notice to the Grecian tomorrow. By the end of your first week here I want your proposal on my desk. Do you want that in writing or is my handshake good enough for you." He looked right at here. He did not smile. After all, this was business not pleasure.

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily offered him her hand. "A handshake for now, but I will sign the contract when your legal department gets it ready."

Lily paused a few moments and took a few bites of her dinner.

"I don't have all the answers, Mr. Thornton, but I wouldn't ask for something without knowing why I requested it."

She blinked a few times, her eyes were stinging with tears and she couldn't explain it except that she kept thinking of her mother.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton didn't touch his food. He looked at Lily Bristol and tried to figure out just who it was she reminded him of. It was starting to bother him. Thornton was a man who always had the answers and any uncertainty drove him crazy.

"Ms. Bristol, I expect that you will have all of the answers to the questions I ask of you. I am hiring you because I think you have a great deal of potential, and I am always looking for someone who can help me grow my business. When I ask you a question I will not always expect an immediate answer, but I expect the response in a timely fashion. I can hire anyone not to give me the answers. I am hiring you because I think you can provide me with what I need."

He hesitated for a second. "Ms. Bristol, when would you like to move into the suite? I will make sure it is ready for you."

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily nodded at his directives.
"If I could move in in a week, that would be perfect. It will allow me to tie up any loose ends at the Grecian."

Lily tugged her fingers through her hair a little nervously.
"I will be more than ready to start in two weeks." Lily offered him her hand. "Thank you for the lovely dinner, Mr. Thornton and the opportunity."

Lily excused herself from the table and did her best to calmly walk out of the restaraunt focused on good posture and a confident stride, but once she was in the elevator the tears began to streak down her face. She had finally made it inside the den of the monster that had destroyed her mother.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton shook Lily's hand and watched as she walked away. After she was out of sight, he motioned for the waiter and handed him a $100 bill. He rode the elevator down and went into his office. He sat behind his desk and picked up the phone. He called his personal assistant and had him make the arrangements for the suite for Lily Bristol. He hung up the phone and sat back.

While he sat there thinking about the hiring of Lily Bristol, Thornton's thoughts drifted to Cassie Hall. He wasn't sure why, but she was suddenly on his mind. He missed her. She was the only one who every really understood him. She was the only one he ever cared about, and he had pushed her away. It was the one thing in life he regretted.

 

[wideeyedone]

The next day, Lily gave her notice to the Grecian. Mr. Delgado was disappointed but not surprised, when he had snagged Lily to be a hostess for high rollers she was a desk clerk at the Stardust. He knew that she was a natural and that someday she would be running someone's casino, but he had three sons that were in line to run his casino.

He didn't make Lily work out her notice, he had her help train her replacement and he gave her a generous bonus. Lily packed her belongings in two suitcases and just a few boxes. After growing up in foster care she didn't have many relics fo childhood and she had learned to travel light.

She arrived at the Chelsea a week later ready to move in. She checked in with Thornton's assistant expecting to get the keys to her room.

 

[NewGame8]

When Lily checked in with Thornton's assistant he informed her that Thornton wanted to meet with her. He led her to Thornton's outer office while he went in to see if Thornton could meet with her. Moments later the assistant returned and told Lily that she would be able to go into the office in a couple of minutes.

Thornton called down to the front desk manager and told him to come up to his office right away. He wanted to see how Lily Bristol would act in a real situation, not just in hypothetical situations. Thornton called his secretary and asked her to bring Lily in. When she sat down, he said to her, "I know you came here thinking you were just going to move in to your suite. You will move into the suite, but not right now. I have a little task for you to complete. The front desk manager is on his way up. I want you to relieve him of his duties. It will be your first official act."

Thornton looked at Lily. "Would you like to do it with me in the room or without me in the room?"

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily was dressed in slim fitting jeans, sandals and a modest teal summer top. Her hair was in a ponytail. She looked like a college student. When Thornton told her her first assignment she wished she had dressed differently.

"I have no preference if you stay or go. But I need to know the terms of his dismissal. Does he get notice? Is he getting severance or a chance for a demotion?" She took her hair down as she asked and rummaged in her suitcase for a blazer to go over her top while she waited for an answer.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton looked at Lily. His face was expressionless, but it was hard for him to hide his disappointment. He was certain that Lily would take the lead, and it turned out that he was wrong. "Ms. Bristol, my instructions were for you to relieve him of his duties. I will support any decision you make, and any conditions you set on the dismissal. You are the one that led me to believe that he was not doing an adequate job, so, I want him gone."

Thornton decided he was going to stay and watch the event. He had offered her the opportunity to do it alone, but now he wanted to see her carry it out. The phone rang.. Thornton picked it up and said, "Ok, send him in, and also make sure that Ms. Bristol's suite is ready for her."

The front desk manager walked in and saw Lily sitting in front of Thornton's desk. He seemed confused about what was going on. Thornton motioned for him to have a seat. "Ms. Bristol..."

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily looked at the front desk manager directly as he sat.

"Mr. Phelps, it is time to make some changes at the Chelsea. You will no longer be the front desk manager. I know this may seem like a sudden decision, but it wasn't made lightly. If you are interested in working for this organization in a different capacity, there are some options in other parts of the organization, if you are ready to embrace a new endeavor, know you will do so with a good reference. This business is ever changing." She was charming but firm. Mr. Phelps stammered that he would head to HR. Lily picked up the phone on Thornton's desk and asked for HR. She told the person on the other end, that Phelps was to be placed at Paradise, a less affluent casino in the Thornton empire. He was to manage a bar there, since he had been very successful doing that earlier in his career.

She looked to Thornton after she hung up the phone. "Do you have any other tasks for me?"

 

[NewGame8]

"Tell me Ms. Bristol, why is it that you seem so angry after you complete the tasks I have given you; be they hypothetical or real? Is this how you are going to respond to every assignment you are given? I believe that you have a great deal of talent, and that you can be a terrific asset; however, confrontation is not what I am looking for."

He did not wait for a response. He picked up the phone and told the secretary to inform his personal assistant that Ms. Bristol was ready to be shown to her suite. He then stood up and headed for the back door to his office; the one that led to his private elevator.

"Good luck getting yourself established in your new home," he said over his shoulder.

 

[wideeyedone]

"Mr. Thornton, I am not angry. I am just direct. You caught me off guard today on purpose. I know what your intentions are, but I don't like games." She picked up her bag and followed the assistant to her new home.

The suite was lovely. She quickly unpacked her bag into her dresser. She placed her books upon the shelves. She tucked away her few personal items. Then she was ready to go exploring the Chelsea. She wanted to know exactly what the customers of the Chelsea would experience.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton got onto his private elevator and rode it to his penthouse suite. He took off his suit jacket and looked out the window over the strip. He felt good about hiring Lily Bristol, but he wasn't sure about her attitude. Part of it had to do with the fact that he was not accustomed to employees that were willing to stand up for themselves.

He called his personal assistant and told him he could have the rest of the day off. Thornton decided that he was going to go out for a while tonight. He was going to go off-premises. He wasn't sure where yet, but he wanted to have a good time. He headed toward his room and began to undress. He started the shower and stepped in... enjoying the hot water.

 

[wideeyedone]

Most of the staff did not know her well, so Lily was treated just like a VIP customer. She was hoping to find some candidates for her concierge program. She sat in the cocktail lounge in the hotel lobby and ordered a whiskey sour. The cocktail waitress was personable and professional. The drink was mixed well. Lily texted herself notes. She asked the waitress where she could go for a fun night of dancing. The cocktail waitress offered a few suggestions, one of them being a nightclub in the casino. Lily took note of her name. She was attractive and already somewhat knowledgable. That was a start.

Then Lily decided to play a few hands of blackjack. The dealer was good natured and efficient, the pit boss seemed on his game. Lily wasn't hungry but she watched operations at the high end Japanese restaraunt. It seemed like service was stellar but the restaraunt was half empty. She made note to look into adding restaraunt reservations at check in.

Lily wandered the corridors of the Chelsea making note of any areas that needed repair or sprucing. There were a few potted trees that looked as if they needed to be put out of their misery. The pool area was particularly lovely. Lily knew she would put this part of the hotel to use, a few early morning laps always cleared her head.

She stayed away from the theater. She knew them well, she had often been smuggled into the dressing area when Cassie didn't have a babysitter. She would sit with the costume mistress while her mom glimmered on stage. It was too painful to examine that area.

Lily decided to leave the Casino and walk the strip for a little bit. The strip was always busy and it was easy to get lost in the crowd. She wanted to be lost in the crowd.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton got out of the shower and dressed for the evening. He got on his elevator and rode down to the lobby. He walked slowly through the lobby and then ventured out onto the casino floor. He observed a number of table games sitting empty with dealers awaiting customers. He wondered whether it was a staffing issue or if it was a reduction in customers in the casino.

He took out his cell phone and called his driver. He told him to meet him at the main entrance. Thornton continued to stroll through the casino and then headed back out through the lobby. He got into the limo and told the driver to take him somewhere that the music was loud and the people were fun.

The driver pulled up in front of the Fire. Thornton got out and headed inside. He paid the cover charge that they were charging all males, and walked toward the bar. As he moved through the light crowd, several people that he did not know said hello to him. This was not unusual. Whenever Thornton went out in public he was recognized, and there were always people who thought they might have a chance of getting a job by saying hello to him.

Thornton sat down and ordered the Knot neat. He looked around and to see what was going on. He was not accustomed to being out this early in the evening, and now he knew why. There were very few people here. "Oh well," he thought. I am sure it will pick up later. He swallowed his drink and ordered another one. This one he took his time and sipped as he looked around the club, and the clientele.

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily made her way down the strip, it was still early but she decided to go into one of the nightclubs that the waitress had suggested. She was ushered into the Fire by the attendant at the door. She wasn't charged a cover and she was handed a voucher for a free drink.

She went to the far end of the bar and ordered another whiskey sour. She took a sip and did her best to relax. She was a little at a loss, she was so used to working all the time. It was hard to just be.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton enjoyed being out without an entourage. All too often he was surrounded by a group of people, and most of them he could care less about. It felt good to be out on his own. He made small talk with the bartender; asking questions about business, the clientele, and what problems tended to arise in the club.

He also chatted with several of the patrons; both men and women. Nothing serious, just passing the time. While chatting with the people he continued to look around the club. Then he saw a familiar face. It was Lily Bristol. He called the bartender over and sent her a drink. When the bartender pointed at him, he simply raised his glass in her direction.

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily smiled and raised her glass to Thornton. She offered him a smile and then picked up her drink. She made her way over to him.

"A cocktail waittress in the lobby bar reccomended this place to me. She seemed very knowledgable about Vegas and was very personable. I watched her interact with men and women, she was the perfect mix of alluring but never innapropriately flirty. She is my first candidate for the concierge program."

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton watched Lily walk toward him. As she passed by a group of men, they all turned their heads and watched her make her way to Thornton. He listened to her talk about the waitress and the concierge program. "Ms. Bristol, I appreciate your wanting to get started on the implementation of your plan; however, we are off premises, and we are out socially... at least I am anyway."

He took a sip of his drink. "I would love to talk to you about the concierge program. I would also love to talk to you about a club like this at the Chelsea. If I have waitresses in house recommending this place... why not keep the people to ourselves? We will talk first thing tomorrow. For now, enjoy yourself and forget about work for a little while."

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily smiled as she settled into the seat next to Thornton. "I am not very good at not working. I will do my best to let work rest into tomorrow." She took a long sip of her drink. "My suite is lovely. It has a pretty view and the furnishings are very nice."

Lily smoothed a stray lock of hair behind her ear nervously. A gesture she had had since childhood. One she had learned from her mother.

 

[NewGame8]

"Ms. Bristol, you need to understand that through relaxation you can get a better understanding of what your business needs. When I go off property I take in the whole experience. I try to see what they have that is good, and figure out if it is something I would like to have at the Chelsea. So, you see... I combine business with pleasure, but I do not dwell on the business."

He watched Lily tuck the strand of hair behind her ear and it hit him. He knew just who it was that she reminded him of.... it was Cassie. Was that why he had been so open to what Lily had said in the interview.. because there was something that in the back of his mind reminded him of Cassie? This however, was not something in the back of his mind... this was something that Cassie always did. Then he thought for a second... there are probably millions of women who do that. He was engrossed in thoughts of Cassie.

While he was thinking of Cassie a man walked up to Gerald Thornton and grabbed his arm.. asking him why he was not at one of his own places. Thornton went off on him. "If I wanted to be there I would, but I decided to come out here to have a good time with some great company until some little asshole decided to grab my arm and interrupt my good time. Now get the hell away from me before I do something you will terribly regret," he shouted.

After the man walked away with several bouncers at his side, Thornton turned to Lily. "I am really sorry. He surprised me. I wasn't expecting anyone to come up and touch me."

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily did her best not to jump when Thornton began yelling at the intruding fellow. She took some slow, deep breaths but she knew her cheeks were still flushed. She watched as Thornton collected himself.

"It is all right. " Lily downed the last of her drink. The dance floor was beginning to fill. The DJ was filling the room with music. The bass was so loud that Lily could feel the pounding through the floor. She began to tap her fingers on the counter, her nails clicking in time to the music.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton watched Lily tap her fingers on the bar. This is what the Chelsea needed.... a club that attracted an upbeat crowd. The place was getting more and more crowded by the minute. The bartenders were going crazy trying to serve the customers. The atmosphere was positive and fun.

Then he caught himself. He was doing what he had chastised Lily for. He reached out and took Lily's hand from the bar. "Come Ms. Bristol. The music is to good to just sit here. Let's dance and celebrate the start of a great working relationship."

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily looked a little surprised but her smile lit up her face. "If we are going to dance, then you have to call me Lily. Atleast for tonight." The dancefloor was full and they were pressed together. Lily moved with ease. She had learned to dance with her mother. The DJ as good and Lily made a mental note to try to steal him for The Chelsea.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton began to dance with Lily. He was more than able to hold his own on the dance floor. The crowd forced them into close proximity... closer than he had intended when he had asked her to dance. He was not upset, however, being on the dance floor with a beautiful woman was not a bad thing.

They moved well together.... periodically their bodies brushed against each other. He smiled at Lily as the danced.... she moved so well. Several men took notice of the way she moved. Then, one stepped between Lily and Thornton. Thornton laughed, but did nothing... yet.