Adventures of Hollywood Jim Ch. 49

"Oh, no way..." I said to myself as I peered around a corner.

It was Laura Croft.

I hadn't seen her in a long time. The last time I'd been here was during the Triple Threat Tour, but that was such a production I didn't have any time for someone like her. Now she was apparently back. Her hair was auburn colored now, and she wore a simple, but chic, red dress and equally chic sunglasses.

I wonder if I should try a meet and greet?

As she stood by a mannequin and talked on her cellphone I tried to casually walk over. As I got close to her, she turned towards me and slid her glasses down. Then her eyes lit up.

"I'll call you back, I just saw someone." She said "Jim...?"

"I guess you recognized me." I said

"How could I forget you." She said with a smile before hugging me. "Wow, how long has it been?"

"Oh, gotta be a year." I said "maybe more."

"Are you here for CinemaCon?"

"Uh-huh, I'm with Artists Unlimited now."

"Oh, that's so cool! I'm so happy for you." She said in that almost Jackie Kennedy tone of voice she had.

"What about you? You're still modeling?"

"Sometimes, I'm on Holly's TV show did you know that?"

Outside the store there was a small crowd gathering. And Laura started to notice.

"I think they're here for you." She said to me

"You think so?"

She nodded before laughing.

"Uh, do you have any time later, maybe for dinner?" I asked

"I've got a better idea, come over to the Palms."

"Oh, the Playboy Club again?"

"No! No! Not that place!" she laughed and smiled, obviously knowing what happened the last time we were there "No, Rojo, it's a bar at the Palms. We're gonna meet there after Holly's show, we can have drinks there and I'll introduce you to Holly and everyone else."

"OK, cool. I'll be at CinemaCon most of the evening, see you later on then."

Laura hugged me again and added a quick kiss on the cheek for effect.

"I can't wait." She whispered

CinemaCon's base of operations was Caesar's Palace and Jeff had me back and forth getting shots of our "family of stars" as it were. After awhile he generously gave me a free pass to wander about the convention getting shots where I could and soak up the atmosphere which was perfect for me. I was checking my watch, counting down the time until I met Laura.

Finally I got the green light to take off and I was on my way.

I grabbed a cab and headed for the Palms. Once I found Rojo I felt my heart sink a little as there was a line to get in and I had no way of contacting Laura that I knew of to let her know I'd arrived, and I knew that just saying I was meeting someone wasn't gonna work! I walked towards the doorway just to get a glimpse and was promptly stopped by an enormous bouncer (they must love guys like me) whose glare said a mouthful.

"Get in line, motherfu...I'll be damned! Mr. Hollywood!" he said with a deep laugh

"Whoa! Z-Man!"

To my surprise it was Zachary "Z-Man" Lincoln. I'd known him from my high school days where he was a star on the football team. We'd last met on the Triple Threat Tour in New York when he was a bodyguard for Britney Spears.

His bear-like grip hadn't changed a bit even though he'd put on a few pounds.

"What're you doing out here?" he asked amidst the sounds from the bar.

"Doing my job at CinemaCon, you're a bouncer now?"

"Director of security, thank you very much!" he corrected as he showed a security badge "They just put me on the door on nights like this."

"Sweet gig."

"You said it, you meeting someone here?"

"Yes, girl named Laura Croft."

"Ah, say no more." He said as he unhooked the velvet rope to the groans of the others in line "Have fun, man. We gotta catch up soon, buddy."

"I owe you a beer." I said

"No, I owe YOU."

"What do you mean?"

"The Super Bowl, or have you forgotten that?"

"Which one?"

"Aw, come on man! When the Packers beat the Steelers, remember?"

"Oh come on, that was a long time ago."

"Hey, I always pay when I lose, remember that."

"OK, we'll settle that later, I got a lady waiting for me in there."

We shook hands and I went inside.

Rojo was a pretty swanky place as I looked around for Laura. The drinks seemed to flow pretty steadily. Walking from a table was another well-dressed man in a grey suit. He passed by me then we both seemed to stop and turn around to face each other.

"I know you from somewhere." he said to me "It was that club in L.A."

I stared at him, unsure what to say, because he looked familiar to me too.

"Red Light District, Derek's place." He continued "Derek Adams."

"Yes, I know him but I'm not sure I know you." I said hesitantly, his face did look familiar.

"Bobby Hitchcock, I ran the place before Derek sold it."

Now he sounded familiar!

"Jesus! Yes! I remember you now!"

Bobby Hitchcock was Derek's "second in command" as it were when he was bouncing between Red Light and the Eagle and he was a capable manager who was the right guy but at the wrong time for Derek who sold Red Light not long after Bobby arrived.

"Nice place huh?" he said as he looked around "it's all mine."

"Yours?" I said stunned

"Uh-huh, I manage the place, knowing Derek has its perks you know."

"Whoa, it sure does."

"Hey, I gotta put out some fires, let's have a drink later." He said as he went towards the kitchen.

What were the chances of all this happening? I looked around and had to wonder how I'd ever gotten where I am now. I was in a high class Las Vegas club; people gravitated towards me and valued me as a friend. There were still times it seemed like a crazy dream.

A tap on my shoulder only added to things. I turned and there was Laura. Now she had on a strapless black dress that showed off her beautiful chest.

"Hey, handsome!" she said as she kissed me on the cheek

"Hiya, gorgeous." I replied

"My, my, my, look at you!" She said as she admired my new khaki colored suit with classic white shirt underneath. "You look so nice! Come on, you've got to meet Holly and Angel." She said as she took my hand.

Laura led me to a booth near the back where two blondes sat sipping drinks.

"Hey, this is Jim!" Laura said happily

"Hi, Jim! I'm Holly Madison." She said as she extended her hand "this is Angel Porrino."

Holly had a simple blue silk blouse and flashed that classic smile of hers. She had such an old-school pinup girl look to her. Angel had on a hot pink t-shirt with glitter accents and looked super cute with her straight blonde hair.

"Hi, Jim! Good to meet you!" she said in that perky voice of hers.

"Josh is supposed to be here in a bit." Laura said as we sat down

Laura immediately started to tell how we'd met through Bridget Marquandt long ago.

"That's right! She told me all about you. It was like right after I moved out of the mansion."

"If you don't mind my asking, what's Bridget up to lately?" I asked

"She's out in LA, always has something going on." Holly replied

"I always got the feeling she can never sit still." Angel said "kinda like Roman now that I think of it." she said looking at Angel

"Roman's her little boy." Laura added

"He's my little guy." Angel added in that singsong tone she often had.

A round of drinks arrived. The girls all had their multi flavored martinis and I stuck to my Jack and water (a Corona seemed wrong for this place). Holly eagerly talked up Peepshow and how Angel would fill in for her the next week.

"Oh, it's so cool doing that show." Angel said happily

"How's CinemaCon been?" Laura asked

"Oh, man! It's tough not to get star struck being there." I started "I mean, I gotta a job to do and all but one minute I'm snapping a photo and I turn around and there's like Megan Fox coming up behind me. Then I see that guy from the Green Lantern movie walk by. Then Clint Eastwood is up onstage, it's unreal."

"Wow! That's incredible!" Holly said with an excited look on her face "I don't know what I'd do if I was there, I'd probably be the same way."

"I'd just turn into some blabbering idiot!" Angel said making everyone laugh.

Holly turned and saw their friend Josh walking up, looking concerned.

"You are NOT gonna believe what I just saw." He said as he sat down

"What?"

"Jayde is on her way here."

Holly's eyes bugged out and Angel's face dropped

"Oh, shit." Laura said

"Who's Jayde?" I asked

"Jayde Nicole." Holly said with an edge to her voice "Let's just say that we're NOT friends."

"I had a big fight with her." Angel added "I don't want to risk my career again with that bitch around."

"Maybe we oughta split?" Josh said.

We all looked at one another.

Then I heard a loud "click" in my brain and saw Bobby near the door.

"Uh, I've got an idea." I said "Stay here and give me like 10 minutes."

I quickly got up from the table and headed for the main entrance where Zach still was.

"Hey, Z."

"Hey, what's up?

"How'd you like to pay off your football debt with no money?"

He looked at me, his eyes narrowed.

"Oh-kay, what do I have to do?"

"A girl named Jayde Nicole is gonna come here in a few minutes and try to get in. I'll be over there, when she does, tell her she's not on the guest list, if she complains, call me over."

"I can't do that!"

"Trust me, you'll be OK."

Before he could answer I headed for where Bobby was.

"Hitch, need a favor from you."

"You got it, what?"

"I'm with Holly and Angel over there." I said and pointed to their table "an old enemy of theirs is about to show up and I need you to back me up on what I'm gonna do."

Bobby looked unsure of my plan

"It's not violent or illegal." I assured him. "Let me put it this way...names are sometimes left off of guest lists, if you know what I mean?"

"Ah..." he said with a smile "...and invitations sometimes get...lost...in the mail?"

"Yes, it's such a hassle when that happens isn't it?"

"Oh, yes...it's a tremendous hassle." He continued "especially when it happens to someone you have, uh, less than warm regards for."

We both smiled and nodded.

"Let's not forget how new employees don't always know the ins and outs of Vegas."

"True, it's a big problem."

"And especially when it's a new club manager, like me." I said with a smile.

Bobby now knew what my plan was.

"I think I hear my phone ringing." He said as he wandered off.

I quickly went back to our table.

"All set, just wait here." I said to the girls who all wondered what I had in mind.

And right on cue, I felt my phone buzz and the caller ID showed Zach's name.

I took a deep breath and straightened my suit as I went over to the door. Near the entryway were several shelves with wine bottle on them. I took out my IPhone and clicked on the video camera, then carefully placed it on the shelf so it had a clear view of the doorway.

Stage one complete!

Now I went to the doorway where I saw Zach in a heated conversation with a busty, brunette haired beauty, who at the moment was anything but.

"What do you mean I'm not on the guest list? I come here every fuckin' night!" she screamed "Don't you know who I am?"

"I know you're not on the list." Zach said firmly to her in his commanding voice.

"Hey! Hey! There's no need for that tone of voice, ma'am." I said calmly as I arrived.

"Who are you?" she sneered at me

"I'm the manager here tonight." I said

"Where the fuck is Bobby Hitchcock? He knows me! He knows all my girls here!" She yelled as she pointed out the crew of equally pretty girls with her, all of whom seemed to be part of a traveling club.

"Mr. Hitchcock has the night off. And I think you need to chill out Miss..." I continued calmly

"Jayde Nicole! I'm here every fucking night!" she screamed "I'm always on the guest list! Bobby knows me and knows I could get you fired in a second!"

The people who had calmly waited to get in were starting to get restless.

"Chill out, bitch!" someone yelled

"We ain't on the guest list either!" another yelled, provoking laughter from all.

"I really think you need to calm down." I continued in my calm rational voice "Our list is very long, this is a very popular nightclub you're not the first to be left off, you know."

"Don't you know who I am?" She continued screaming

"Yes, I do!" now I was the one yelling "And you'd be best to move on, and now!"

I now turned to Zach

"Thank you, Zachary. You do your job well."

Zach crossed his enormous arms and gave her the same ferocious look he'd previously used on opposing football teams long ago. Jayde and her crew looked stunned and started to walk off to the delight of those in line. She was still screaming as I walked away smiling. I casually retrieved my phone and slid it into my pocket.

Stage two complete!

As I went back to the table, Bobby passed by again.

"I hereby resign as manger of Rojo." I said to him in a sly tone as he passed.

"I'll send a round of drinks as a farewell gift." Bobby coolly replied the same way as he passed me.

As I rejoined my companions, I was smiling

"Jayde will be no problem to us the rest of the night." I said

They looked confused

"What do you mean?" Laura finally asked

I smiled, and then pulled out my phone.

"Revenge is sometimes sweet." I said as I replayed the video of Laura being refused entry.

Everyone began laughing. Holly and Angel both put their hands to their mouths.

"Look at her!" Holly said

"Suck on that one, bitch!" Angel said triumphantly

Laura gripped my arm and put her head on my shoulder.

I looked at her and she nodded her approval.

"Here's to Jim!" Josh said raising his glass as Bobby's round of drinks arrived, everyone else did the same.

"Our hero!" Angel said smiling widely at me as they all cheered.

Mission accomplished.

Holly and Josh seemed to dominate the conversation from then on. Laura sat close to me and she had the most beautiful perfume on. We were still replaying the video of Jayde and Angel was enjoying it more and more. When Laura excused herself, Angel slid over into her spot and watched the video again with me close to her. She was rather tiny but had a beautiful chest. I couldn't believe she was already a mom. She still looked like a high school girl.

"Thank you so much, Jim." She said "Everything that happened with her really shook me up bad. This really makes me feel better."

"Aw, no need to thank me. I was in this situation a lot myself when I was younger, believe me, I know the feeling and it hurts."

She smiled widely at me

"You're a sweet guy." She said

Holly was watching us

"Uh-oh, someone's made a love connection." Josh said as we all laughed, I was blushing through my laughter.

Laura returned now

"What'd I miss?" she asked excitedly "What'd I miss?"

"Angel's making a love connection." Holly said

"Oh, my..." Laura replied in that Jackie-O voice.

After many more drinks, we were giddy with laughter and I was starting to feel sleepy.

"OK...I'm gonna call it a night, kiddies." I said

Holly looked at her watch.

"Oh my god I didn't realize how late it was!" she said

It was well after 1AM, close to closing time.

"Guess we were all on Vegas time." I said

Laura and Angel stumbled slightly as they stood up

"Want me to walk you to your car, ladies?" I said

"Yes, good idea, you can be my bodyguard." Angel said

"OK, let's go."

"I'll call you, Jim." Laura said as she kissed me

"It was so good to meet you, Jim!" Holly said with an equally cute kiss "I'll have to call you, too. You'll have to see my show." She said as she left with Laura.

As we walked to the parking areas, Angel softly held my hand and we looked kinda cute together. We reached her car, a black Audi A8. As she clicked off the alarm she turned and held me in her arms as we leaned against her car.

"You're a sweet guy, Jim...and I really love what you did."

"Oh, uh, just being...what's the word?" I pondered

Angel leaned in and kissed me, she felt so incredibly soft to kiss and I could hear her soft breaths amidst the sounds of the garage.

"...A sweet guy." She said as she softly touched my crotch. "...that's the word you were looking for."

She opened the door and slid behind the wheel.

"See you soon, babe." She said as she started up the sleek machine and silently pulled away.

I had to wonder what had just happened, I looked at my phone and smiled.

"And to think I almost got rid of this phone." I said to myself.

As I rode back to Aria, my phone buzzed with an incoming text message, it was from Hitch.

"Good job keeping the riff-raff out. I owe u a beer." It said

I made it back to my room at Aria and was asleep before I hit the pillow.

It's a good thing I remembered to shut the drapes before I left as I had a screaming hangover when I woke up.

"Thank you, Angel." I mumbled

Just then my cellphone loudly rang

As I mumbled out a hello I heard Derek Adams voice

"Hey! Hollywood! How's Vegas treating you?"

"Ugh, right now very hard in the temporal lobe."

He laughed.

"That means you're having fun." He laughed

"OK, so to what do I owe the pleasure of your call at this time of the morning...or is it afternoon?" I said as I looked around for my watch.

"Well I heard a juicy rumor here."

"Oh?" I mumbled as I yawned "Do tell."

"Something about a girl named Jayde Nicole being tossed out of Rojo before she even got in."

"Huh?" I said as I bolted upright, making my head throb.

"Yep, story got all the way down here to TMZ."

"How is that possible?"

"Aw, who knows." He said "But I do need to ask you this...was that you working the door?"

I didn't know what to say in response, Derek laughed heartily

"I knew it! I knew it!" he laughed "Dude, I've wanted to do that for years every time she came to my place!"

"How do you know it was me?"

"Hey, I have my ways of knowing! Enjoy your moment of fame, pal! Bye!"

I guess he knows what he's talking about.

The Vegas strip looked beautiful, once my head stopped throbbing.

Another call came in from Hitch.

"Hey, can't talk long but the REAL manager of Rojo called. And he was mad as hell."

Uh-oh, I thought. Now I was terrified I might've cost Bobby his job.

"Jesus Bobby, I hope you're not in trouble because if it's my fault..."

"Oh, on the contrary, get this! He's just mad he couldn't be here to see it himself. He said he's wanted to do that to her for the longest time!" he laughed "He went away for the weekend just to get away from her because he knew with the CinemaCon people in town she'd be a total bitch to him and everyone else."

"Wow, uh, okay I guess my idea was a good one." I said, relieved.

"You bet it was, you won't be able to do it again but it was fun while it lasted. Come on by tonight and I'll buy you dinner. You deserve it Jim."

I breathed a sigh of relief

"OK, I'll tell Angel and Holly."

"Bring them too, they've always been real sweethearts to everyone here." He said quickly "I'll see you soon, bye"

As I was finishing a rare room service breakfast and idly scanning the TV channels, my cellphone rang again.

I hope it's not TMZ

It wasn't, it was Laura.

"Hey, sweetie good morning." She purred

"Hiya, doll face."

"Feeling OK this morning?"

"Sure, just enjoying room service."

"Aw, wish I could be there." She said in that low sexy tone of hers "I'd certainly give you something good enough to eat."

"Oh, I'll bet you would." I chuckled

"Are you working today?" she asked

"No, the convention wrapped up and unfortunately I'll be heading home."

"Aw, too bad..." she said regretfully

"I'm sorry, guess that's showbiz."

"Well, promise you'll be back soon?"

"You got it. I know Bobby owes us all a dinner so we'll have to all get together next time."

"Awesome! OK, babe...you take care of yourself."