Shattered (closed)

[wideeyedone]

Lily smirked at the interloper but just gave him her the cold shoulder. She turned back to Gerald. When she felt a hand grab her ass, she grabbed the offending hand and twisted. She knew just how to take care of herself.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton continued to dance when the man moved between him and Lily. He saw the smile on her face and knew she was ok. then he saw Lily grab someone's arm and twist. Thornton moved quickly and grabbed the guy by the throat. Gerald lifted the guy off the floor by his throat, and turned to Lily, "are you ok?" When Thornton realized Lily was ok, he threw the man violently to the floor.

Thornton then walked over to the man and stood over him. "Learn how to treat a lady scum. If you don't, you could end up dead in an alley somewhere." Thornton then turned back to Lily. "Would you like to continue dancing, or would you like to move back to the bar?"

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily shuddered as she watched Thornton manhandle the idiot that had grabbed her.

They made their way back to the bar. "What is it with men and grabbing women... showgirls, strippers, waittresses, girls in a nightclub." She held her arms across her chest. The bar was crowded and the music was even louder. She held Thornton's arm as he lead them through the crowd.

 

[NewGame8]

"Fortunately Lily, it is not all men that feel it is there right to put there hands on a beautiful woman. The ones who do usually are not capable of initiating a true interaction with a woman, so, they try to grab... thinking that is what women want."

He patted her hand on his arm. He led her back to the bar, which was now quite crowded. He looked at Lily. Can I get you another drink, or are you ready to call it an evening?"

 

[wideeyedone]

"Just a soda. I have had enough to drink." Lily felt better after wetting her throat. "I know a great place near here.... if you want to grab a bite."Lily offered leaning in close so she could be heard over the din of the music.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton called the bartender over and got Lily a soda and got himself a water. He walked back to Lily and handed her the soda and clinked her glass. "Here is to a great relationship.... working relationship that is." he took a drink from the water. He heard Lily mention a place to gt something to eat and nodded to her. "That sounds like a great idea." As she walked past him heading toward the door, he placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her until she was in front of him and then he followed her out the door.

Once outside, he asked her, "can we walk or do we need to drive My driver is waiting in the parking lot and can take us, but I would be happy to walk if it is nearby."

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily pointed down the street. " It is just around the corner, an all night diner. The Showgirls at the Chelsea eat here after they get off work. Pancakes and hashed browns before they go home to be soccer moms and college students. You can recognize them by their tight buns and stage make up even though they are wearing sweats or jeans."

Lily lead him down to the dinner. There were several booths open. Lily settled into the corner booth. She hadn't been to Bif's diner since she was a little girl. Her foster parents used to bring her to see her mother's friends every few months. But as she grew older, so did the showgirls and they moved on.

Lily ordered an order of crisp hashed browns and a large chocolate milk. The perfect food for late night.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton followed Lily's lead and walked with her to the diner. He was amazed at how much she knew about the town.... not just the large casinos... all of it. She knew the casinos, the clubs, the people, and even the all night diner where the showgirls stopped to get something to eat after they performed.

He slid into the booth across from Lily. "You are amazing. Is there anything about Vegas that you don't know?" Thornton ordered a cup of coffee, black. "So, there girls leave the club and come here before they go home. Why wouldn't they just get something to eat at the Chelsea instead of coming here? That would allow them to get home earlier."

Thornton thought back to Cassie. She had never mentioned this. She had not talked about going to a diner after work with all of her cast members. Of course, she did not have family to get home to, so, she probably enjoyed the additional time with the girls... at least when she wasn't with him.

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily shrugged off the compliment.

"I was born here. My father was a small time gambler, my mother died when I was a young teenager. My foster parents lived down the street from here and sometimes, Mr. Jensen and I would come for midnight pancakes or hashed browns."

The waitress arrived with their orders. Lily took a sip of her chocolate milk and the sweet taste on her tongue and the smell of the diner was almost enough to make her feel as if she had traveled back in time. She could smell the stage make up the girls were all wearing and the hint of aquanet hairspray. Her mother was smiling at her, laughing, talking about how she was going to land her new fellow.

Lily shook of the memory. "They don't eat at the Chelsea because they would have to wash off all of their make up and take their hair down. It is part of the rules they have to keep. They aren't allowed to be seen by guests in street clothes with their stage make up on. It ruins the mystique."

She sprinkled her hashed browns with pepper. "I am interested in learning more about Vegas history. I had several customers that were Vegas old timers. They love to share what they know about the city."

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton smiled at Lily as he looked around.

"That is something that I have always regretted. As long as I have been here, I have never taken the time to really get to know Vegas. I always relied on others to have their pulse on the city, and I just kept my fingers on the pulse of the business. Sometimes I wish I had more knowledge of the city."

He sat across from Lily and made eye contact with her. There was something about her that had him captivated. It was odd, and he couldn't figure it out, but there was something about her.

"What would you say that if once or twice a week you took me out on the town... any time of the day or night and gave me a lesson on Vegas? I think it would help me to do my job better and it would help to improve business."

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily smiled. "If we become the place to go if you want to really experience Vegas, it will give an edge to the Chelsea. I would love to show you around Vegas. There are lots of cool secrets I will be letting the concierge staff in on and showing you around will be good for me as I get the training manuals together."

She returned her attention to her chocolate milk and hashed browns. As the clock approached one a.m, several carloads of showgirls arrived just as Lily had described. Their hair in tight buns, stage make up and sparkles on, but dressed in jeans zipped up hoodies, or sweats.

Lily wanted to see his reaction to them. She wanted to see if she saw anything in his face if one of them looked anything like her mother.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton smiled at Lily when she agreed to show him around Vegas. In addition to getting to know the Vegas he had never experienced, he would get an opportunity to watch Lily at work. He would get to keep an eye on her and make sure that she was totally committed to the Chelsea. There was also the fact that he would be in the company of a beautiful woman.

While they sat there he noticed a parade of women that began to enter the diner. All of them had their hair done up. All of them in their makeup. All of them looking beautiful. All of them making him think of Cassie. His smile disappeared. Seeing the women made him sad.... it made him miss Cassie. He felt uneasy. Thornton did not like to feel this way in public. He could not show weakness.

Thornton stood up. He placed a $50 bill on the table. "I have had enough for tonight. I am going to head home. I will give you a ride back to the Chelsea."

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily allowed Thornton to take her back to the casino. His driver took them back and Lily found herself with little to say. She knew she had to tread carefully.

She watched the city slide by, even though it was late, the strip never really looks dark. She watched the lights and the crowds.

She found herself touched by the sorrow of the loss of her mother. She sipped in slow, deep breaths and thought about work.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton rode in silence. What he had just witnessed did not make him happy. It made him miss Cassie more than he ever had. Right now he was angry with Lily for taking him there. He knew that Lily had no way of knowing about Cassie and what she had meant to him, but he was angry with her just the same.

When they pulled up in front of the Chelsea, he did not turn to face Lily. He looked straight ahead and said, "Goodnight Ms. Bristol. I will be in the office early tomorrow even though it is Saturday. If you want to discuss any of your ideas, or if you have a plan for showing my YOUR Vegas, stop by at any time. I have no set appointments."

Thornton continued to look straight ahead. When he got into one of these moods he knew the only thing that would snap him out of it was work, so he would be in the office in only a few hours.

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily smirked as she watched Thornton stride into the casino. He was unsettled by seeing the showgirls. Good. It had been like ripping open a scar for her to go that diner, but it was worth it to make Thornton squirm. She casually strolled to the elevator and then her suite.

The suite was too new to feel like home. But then Lily hadn't really felt at home since her mother had died. She opened her suitcase and thumbed through the photo album she had tucked away. Her mother was gorgeous, in jeans and a t shirt or in sequins and feathers. Gorgeous. Lily curled up on the bed with the photo album clutched to her chest.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton slowly strolled through the lobby. he looked around at all that was his, and wondered if it was all worth it..... after all, it cost him Cassie. He watched Lily get on the elevator and go to her suite. Thornton them walked to the elevator for the upper floors and pushed the button. When the doors opened, he got on, put his key to the penthouse into the slot and rode to the top.

When he got off, he walked into the bedroom and undressed. After doing so he walked to the window and looked out on Vegas.... all of the lights. Since Cassie was not here to enjoy it, he decided that he was going to own as much of this as he could. He would do whatever he had to to gain more power.. and the wealth that came with it.

He walked back to the bed and climbed in. he did not sleep well, however. The image of Cassie at the diner filled his dreams. It prevented a good night sleep. At 5 am he decided to get up and start the day.

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily slept fitfully. She dreamed of her mother and she dreampt of the night she died. She saw the police lights. Her neighbor made sure she didn't see her mother's body. When the social worker took her to pack her things she saw the pills spilled on the floor and her mother's lipsticks and make up thrown on the floor.

Lily woke up gasping. It was early, around six. Lily dressed in slim fitting dark jeans and a white silk blouse. She wore a pair of low heels. She tied back her hair. She made her way to her new office. Phelps had cleared out his stuff. Lily added a few pieces of art glass and a plant but not any pictures.

Lily sat on the floor, adding to her database of sights and dining in Vegas. There was a knock at her door. It was Gina the young woman who had been at the front desk when Lily walked past.

"Ms. Bristol, I have a customer that is insisting on seeing a manager." Lily nodded and got up off of the floor.

Lily recognized the young movie star leaning agianst the counter. He looked at her over his aviator sunglasses.
"I don't want to talk to some girl that works here part time.... I want the fucking manager." He was obviously intoxicated.

Lily just offered him her best smile. "I am Lily Bristol. I am the front end manager. What can I do for you?"

He looked at her with disdain. "My frends and I... we have money to burn. We need the best suite in the place and this girl here... tells me that there isn't anything as luxe as I would like available..."

Lily straightened her shoulder. She went to the computer and looked at what suites were available.
"Gina was correct. I can put you in a three bedroom suite on the tenth floor. One of the premier suites should be available the day after tomorrow."

Matt Breyer almost growled. "Fine damn it. This is unbelievable." He looked at her exasperated. "I swear, if I wasn't dating one of your showgirls, I would be going down the strip. This is total bullshit."

Lily did the usual. She offered comps. She had the bar in the suite stocked with premium liquor and had tickets to a high dollar fight arranged to Matt Breyer and his friends. Then she headed back to her office. She kicked off her heels and sat back on the floor and went to work.

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton dressed in a suit like he did on every day that he was in work. He rode the elevator from the penthouse down to the lobby. The whole way down all he could think about was Cassie. This seemed to be a common occurrence since Lily Bristol arrived. He couldn't figure it out, but she conjured up memories of Cassie. As he exited the elevator he noticed Lily engaged with someone at the front desk. He heard the person raising his voice, and saw Lily dealing with it in a calm manner; after which, she returned to her office. Thornton knew he could never deal with front-end issues. He would have thrown the punk out of the hotel, and that would not be good for business.

Thornton walked over toward the front desk to get a look at the person with whom Lily had been speaking, and then he went toward Lily's office. He knocked on the door and stood in the entryway. He looked down at Lily on the floor. "Good morning Ms. Bristol. What was that snot-nosed punk's problem? And, by the way, if the desk in here isn't to your liking, we can get you a new/ better one. You don't have to sit on the floor."

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily looked up at Thornton amused. "There is nothing wrong with the desk. I just like to sit on the floor. It's comfortable and I am doing some data entry." She stood and brushed off her jeans even though there wasn't a speck on them. "That punk is a movie star. A very hot one at the moment. He wanted a more "luxe" suite than what was available. I got him a bar upgrade for the suite and some fight tickets. He is fine. He is just a drunk, spoiled rich boy. He is dating one of our showgirls according to him."

Lily went to her desk and grabbed a blue folder. "One of the reasons people come to Vegas is to get married. It is becoming a locale for destination weddings and not just quickie chapels. I put together some numbers to look at a high end wedding venue as well as getting an in house jeweler in the casino. A lot of engagement rings are bought in Vegas. Our concierge staff could direct guests to our jeweler. I was thinking someone local, someone who has made rings for the rat pack and necklaces for Debbie Reynolds. Old school Vegas tradition but with timeless style."

Inside the folder were numbers as well as a dossier on a local Vegas jeweler and some suggestions about the wedding venue.

Then Lily went back to the floor, sitting indian style in front of the computer. She twisted her long hair up in her fingers and them stuck her pencil through it keeping it in place.

"I am also going to look for different uniforms for the front desk staff as well as the lounge cocktail waitresses in the lobby. I will keep you posted."

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton watched Lily move around her office and was amazed at how knowledgeable she was about the workings of Vegas. She was convincing him that he spent way too much time in the office and not enough time getting to know what the people wanted in a Vegas hotel casino. "So, tell me Ms. Bristol. The store that is just off the lobby that I never see anyone in... would that be an appropriate location for the jewelry store; or do you have another location in mind."

As he waited for the answer to his question he looked through the blue folder that Lily had handed him and examined the numbers. He was extremely impressed with the work that Lily was doing already. He knew he made the right choice when he hired her, and he was starting believe that her talents were going to be under-utilized simply concentrating on the front end of the business.

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily smiled at Thornton's suggestion. "That is exactly what I had in mind, but it will need to be refurbished. A fine jewlery store will need a vault and windows sell jewelery, it also needs to be lit just right, to that the diamonds shine but that it is soothing and comfortable."

Lily kept typing as she talked. Her nails clicked on the keys quickly.

"As for the wedding venue, we need to look for several spaces, one for intimate weddings, one for a larger wedding and then one exclusive high end venue."

She looked up at Thornton. "Did I do something wrong last night? On the ride home, I felt like I had offended you in some way."

 

[NewGame8]

Thornton became more and more impressed with Lily as he listened to her. It seemed that her mind was always working, and she was extremely intelligent. He liked where she was going with her ideas, and, eventually, he could see her moving up the ladder in his organization.... rapidly.

"No, Ms. Bristol. You did nothing wrong last night. You took me somewhere I have never been, and it told showed me how little I know about things in this city... things I should be more aware of. It also brought back memories of....." His voice trailed off. He did not share personal thoughts with others let alone employees.. even if they were part of his management team.

"Let's just say that taking me there brought back very good, and very bad memories."

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily smiled up at Thornton.

"I am planning on beginning concierge school in about a week. I have let the hospitality department at the university know that we are hiring. I also have been looking for candidates inhouse."

Lily closed her laptop and stood. "I want to go and walk around. I get my best ideas when I can see what is going on in person."

 

[NewGame8]

"You have impressed me very much in a short time Ms. Bristol. I like your ideas, and I like your commitment. I believe you will be very successful here at the Chelsea." He stepped aside and let her walk past him. He followed her out onto the floor, and then headed to the bank of elevators. He did not say anything else to her.

Thornton rode the elevator to the Executive offices level. When he got off the elevator, everyone jumped... as if they were trying to impress him. That was another thing that was intriguing about Lily Bristol. She did not act as if she was trying to impress him. She acted as if she was on a mission. He wasn't quite sure what that mission was, but she certainly seemed to be on one.

He walked into his office and sat behind his desk. There were several messages sitting by his phone. None of them seemed to be too important, but Thornton did not believe in putting things off, so, he returned the calls. A couple were just confirming travel plans for a trip he was taking to Atlantic City the next month to give a speech to help the casino industry there. He wondered why he was making these calls and not his secretary. There was one call to the governor's aid about a golf outing that the Chelsea had offered to sponsor, and the final call went to a banker friend who was wondering when Thornton was going to be borrowing more money to make improvements to the Chelsea. Thornton told him it might be soon.

After finishing his calls,which took almost two hours, he got up from his desk, walked past his secretary and said, "I will be back in a couple of hours." He walked to the elevator and rode down to the lobby. He walked to Lily Bristol's office and saw that she was back from her walk-about. He poked his head in the door, "I want you to take me to a restaurant that you believe has a theme that we should have in the Chelsea. I want to start making some moves and we can do it over lunch."

 

[wideeyedone]

Lily had been looking over personnel files when Thornton arrived in her door. She had to think on her feet. Restaraunts to bring to the Chelsea. Hip? No. The problem with hip was that trends died fast and there was nothing more repulsive to the consumer than a trend that had passed its prime.

"I have just the place." Lily said with a half smile. She grabbed her bag and a small notepad.

They left together and she gave his driver a slip of paper with the address.

She was taking him to a classic Vegas eatery that had been around since the gangsters. Charlie's was still owned by the original owner and his son, but they wanted to sell out. Lily could envision the restaruant being dismantled and reassembled inside the Chelsea. A taste of classic Vegas. Sitting in a chair that Sinatra sat in.

Charlie's son John met them at the door. John was in his sixties and had known Lily since she was a little girl.

"Lily! I am so glad to see you. How is your dad?" He asked and then winced when he saw her face harden. "We have a great table for you."

He lead them to a corner booth, the leather seating reaching high enough to give a couple privacy. Dark wood. White linen. Shining silver.

"I propose we go old school, Mr. Thornton. Let's leave hip to Planet Hollywood."