Wearing a skimpy white outfit and a huge feather hat on her head, Crystal Bright kept in step with the rest of the dancers on the Las Vegas stage. Danny DeLuca kept watching her from the audience, a grin forming on his face. She knew what he wanted, but she wanted to string him along.

When the music slowed, the dancers made their exit for the next act. Crystal was in the lead, and as soon as she was off-stage, she scurried to her dressing room, where the rest of the dancers joined her. Because it was the last show of the night, she took off her ridiculous costume and put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, just wanting to look normal.

While sitting in front of a mirror to remove the gallons of required makeup, the door to the dressing room opened and Danny DeLuca made his grand entrance.

“Wonderful show! You were all gorgeous up there!” He bent next to Crystal and kissed her cheek. “Especially you, darling. You’re the best.”

She wanted to knock some sense into him, but knew better, so she pasted a smile on her face and raised her voice to a ditzy level. “Oh, you say that to all the girls.” She was far from ditzy, but that’s what Danny wanted-someone to do his dirty work who wouldn’t ask intelligent questions.

Amidst the hubbub of the dressing room, he pulled up a chair and sat beside her. “Did you get the information?”

Crystal leaned closer to the mirror, wiping her eyes with a wet cotton ball. “Sort of, but this takes time.”

“Time? All I’ve given you is time!” The others in the room stared at him, forcing him to sigh and lower his voice. “Look, babe, the Bahamas are calling our name.” He waved his hand through the air, painting the scene with his words. “Can’t you see the blue skies and the white beach? We’d have enough cash to bask on the beach, our every whim satisfied for the rest of our lives if we can blackmail the man. Isn’t that what you want?”

Crystal watched him in the mirror, consciously keeping her voice high. “Sure, sweetie. I want whatever you want, but this takes time. No one is allowed to see the Big Man.”

“I can have the middlemen rubbed out-”

“No.” She turned to face him, her hand on his arm. “I don’t want anyone killed. I have a date with none other than Carmine Pietro tonight.”

Danny sat back, his face pale. “Carmine? The butcher? But he’s not the Big Man!”

“No. I’m working my way up. The Big Man won’t see me until I meet with his underlings, and since I don’t want to give myself away, I have to work in a different way.” She leaned forward and kissed him gently. “See my dilemma, sugar?”

“Yeah, babe.” He stood up, seeming dejected. “Just remember me when you’re on your date.”

“I have these.” She reached into her purse and removed a bottle. “They’re sleeping pills. I’ll tell him what a good time we had, but he’s going to sing before he falls asleep. I don’t need to meet with the Big Man if I get information from Carmine.”

Danny moved away, then blew her a kiss. “And he’s going to hunt you down. It’s been nice knowing you.” He opened the door and walked out.

As soon as he was gone, a man named Jake walked out from behind a dressing partition. “Did he buy it?”

Crystal lowered her voice. “Yep.” She continued to remove her makeup. “Ready to go?”

“Absolutely. You have it all on tape, right?”

She reached into her purse and handed the man a small tape recorder. “Sure do. Think the D.A. will accept it into evidence?”

He kissed her cheek with a grin. “You know I will.”

~~~~~

“You’re quite a girl.” With his crooked nose, one scar across his left cheek and stitches above his eye, Carmine Pietro wasn’t a good-looking man. He would’ve been a looker if he’d never gone into the life of crime.

Crystal made her voice rise again to keep up the façade. “Thank you. So, what do you want to do tonight?” She leaned closer, her low-cut blouse touching his arm, drawing his stare downward.

He finally lifted his eyes, motioning to the bar surrounding them. “You’re looking at it. I have to meet with an associate and it’s going to be a long night.” He gave her cheek a kiss. “Sorry babe, because I know you want me.”

Crystal pasted a smile on her lips and moved closer to his face, trying not to outwardly cringe. “I can wait for you. Anticipation makes it all worthwhile.”

“Want to join me in the meeting?”

Inwardly cheering, she forced herself to frown. “If you want me to, but is it going to be boring, with people just talking?”

“Probably, but if you’re a good girl, we can play games after the meeting’s over. It’s in the penthouse.”

She had to appear dimwitted. “I’m not good at board games.”

He leaned forward and nuzzled her nose with his. “You’re such a typical blonde. No, you know, adult games. You, me, and a bed that plays jazz music and rotates under a mirror on the ceiling.”

She thought for a moment, the light bulb going on over her head at just the right calculated moment. “Oh! Like pin-the-tail on the donkey or the bunny hop! I love those games!”

Carmine shook his head. “Pin-the-tail-sure, babe. Whatever you want to play.”

They waited for a while longer, until the Big Man and his thugs appeared at the table.

“Who’s the dame?” the Big Man asked.

“Girlfriend,” Carmine replied, then leaned closer to the huge man sitting beside him. “And dumber than a block of ice.”

“Good.” The Big Man leaned up, looking past Carmine. “She stays. I want her for my own when the meeting’s over.”

“But she’s into kinky things, and she’s with me,” Carmine answered.

“How kinky?”

“I’m not sure, yet.”

Although she could hear every word, Crystal ignored them and watched the other people in the bar. She couldn’t be happier that they thought she was a dunce, because they’d be the ones to pay, not her.

The group rose from the table and headed toward the elevator. Crystal hung onto Carmine’s arm, putting her head on his shoulder. As he moved his arm to her back, she jiggled her cleavage closer to him, gaining the attention of all the men in the elevator. She had them right where she wanted them.

In the penthouse, she sat on the bed and read a sleazy magazine while doing her nails, trying not to appear interested in the meeting. They talked about money laundering, future murders and embezzlement, all documented with times and dates. With the tape player in her purse, she didn’t have to worry about listening.

The men finally stood, and everyone left except for Carmine and the Big Man. They approached the bed, both raking their eyes over Crystal.

“What’s your name?”

Crystal faced the Big Man, raising her voice and pasting a grin on her face. “You’re done with your meeting already?”

“Sure. Now what’s your name? We have a bet, and the closest to the name gets you for the night.”

“It’s Kacie. Kacie Donnelly.”

“Where you from?”

“Oh, I’m from back east. I was born in Jersey, but my family moved out here when I was in school. Why?”

Crystal knew she’d made a grave error as soon as the words left her mouth. She knew almost nothing about New Jersey, having been born in northern Virginia, her father being the director of the FBI.

The Big Man raised one eyebrow and sat beside her on the bed. “A Jersey girl, huh? What part?”

“Near Philly,” she said. “It was a small town and I doubt you’ve ever heard of it.”

“Try me. I have relatives all over Jersey.”

Crystal swallowed hard, facing the man while searching her brain for a map of New Jersey. “Magnolia.”

The Big Man stepped back and stared at the ceiling. “Magnolia. Hmmm…that’s a new one. Is it near Camden?”

She chuckled. “What isn’t near Camden? It’s actually southeast of Camden.” She’d literally dodged a bullet.

“Well, sweetheart, since your name is Kacie, you win me for the night.” The Big Man stared at Carmine. “Right?”

“But I guessed it would start with a K sound!”

“Yeah, but I’m more powerful. Now scram!”

“Yes, sir.” Carmine lowered his head then started for the door, turning to see Crystal’s face. “Tomorrow night?”

“Sure, sugar!” She blew him a kiss.

Carmine walked out the door with a grin, then the Big Man leaned down to face Crystal. “So how kinky are you?”

She took a deep breath and made sure her voice sounded breathy, but high-pitched. “How kinky do you want me to be?”

“You have no idea.”

“A drink first?”

“Sure.” He stood up and walked to the bar. “What’s your poison?”

Crystal reached into her purse and took out four sleeping pills. “Can you make me a martini?”

“Sure.” He chuckled. “Anything for you.”

“What are you drinking?” She stood from the bed and approached him.

“Oh, I’m just having water. I need to watch my weight.” Tapping his belly, he laughed and made the fat jiggle. He proceeded to make her a martini, and she poured him a glass of water with her back to him, dropping the pills into it. While handing it to him, he accidentally dropped the glass on the floor.

She was dead. She needed a back-up plan. “Hey, you know what would go well with that martini?”

“What’s that?”

“Brownies. Do you have any?”

“No, I’m on a diet.” He watched her with a grin. “But brownies sound good. I’ll have one of my guys get us some.”

“No, I’ll call one of those places near the strip and order some brought up to us.” She leaned closer to him. “They’re fresher that way.”

“Make it quick. I’m feeling-”

She touched her lips to his. “Me too, sugar, but remember, anticipation makes it all worthwhile.”

He licked his lips. “Right.”

Crystal lifted the receiver and made a call. “Hello? Is this the all-night bakery?”

“Are you okay?” Jake answered. “Did the sleeping pills work?”

“No, we need some brownies brought to the penthouse of the Kali hotel right away.”

“You’re in trouble?”

She grinned, keeping her voice high-pitched. “Of course. Thank you so much, more than you think!”

“I understand. I’ll join the guys to protect you.”

She hung up the phone and walked over to the Big Man. He handed the martini to her, but she placed it on the bar, then massaged his back. “You’re so hot. Do you think I can handle you?”

He turned toward her, one eyebrow raised with a smile on his face. “I was wondering the same thing. I hear you’re a dancer on the strip.”

Uh-oh. “Where did you hear that from?”

“Danny DeLuca.”

Crystal stopped rubbing the Big Man’s back.

“Oh, don’t worry. I know what he’s up to, and had both of you investigated. Do you really think he’d take you to the Bahamas?”

“No. I was thinking of double crossing him, actually,” she said, trying to think on her feet.

He turned toward her. “How did you plan to do that?”

“I was hoping I’d get to spend time with you, actually. I wanted to tell you that Danny has plans for turning you in to the District Attorney, and I needed to get you alone to figure out how we’d turn it back on Danny. Do you have any ideas?”

“Well, considering you heard everything in our meeting, I guess I have to trust you. Want to give him false information?”

Crystal grinned. “That would be nice. What did you have in mind?”

He grabbed the hair on the back of her head. “All you have to do is give him the tape recording in your purse.” He leaned closer to her with clenched teeth and narrowed eyes. “It’s all fake.”

“I don’t believe you,” she answered. “Some of it’s past history and I know it.”

The door flew open and six police officers stood in a line, all holding guns while facing the Big Man and Crystal.

While the Big Man still had hold of her hair, he pulled a gun from his pocket and put it up to her head. “Drop your guns or the dame dies.”

Jake walked in and lifted his gun toward the Big Man. “Danny DeLuca sent us, saying you were kidnapping someone.” He glanced at Crystal. “Are you in trouble?”

“Does the gun to my head give you any hints?” she answered, her voice lowered.

He turned to the Big Man. “Frankie Kentrell, you’re under arrest for kidnapping a dancer from the Las Vegas strip. You have the right to remain silent-”

“I’ll shoot!” the Big Man yelled, slamming the gun to her head. “Get out of here, or I’ll shoot!”

“No, you won’t,” Crystal said, then turned toward the District Attorney. “Jake, he doesn’t have any bullets in that gun.”

The Big Man turned the gun to the side and checked. “I don’t?”

“Genius,” she muttered. She grabbed his gun and slammed him against the wall. “I’m a federal agent. I have you saying so many things on tape and don’t believe any of it’s a lie. You’ll have to prove it’s not a lie, and while you’re doing that, we’ll be corroborating the details with our agents all over the nation. You’re going down, Frankie, and I’m going to make sure you do.”

“Let me guess. You’re not Kacie, are you?”

She snorted her laughter. “Sure. You can think of me that way if you want to.”

The other officers cuffed the Big Man while Jake walked to Crystal, pulling her into a big hug. He faced her, then touched his lips to hers. “Tell me, babe. What’s he got that I don’t have?”

“A bigger gun.” She shot him a wink.

~~~~~

“That was nice of the department to send us on a vacation,” Crystal said, looking out over the blue water while sitting on a white beach on the shores of the Bahamas.

“Sure was,” Jake replied. He reached down to the cooler beside him and pulled out a small box. “Happy tenth anniversary.”

She grinned, then answered in a high-pitched voice. “Thanks, sweetheart!” Upon opening the box, she began to laugh. “A necklace with a big gun on it. How thoughtful.”

He leaned up to her. “Does that mean I win your heart now?”

She sat on top of him, smothering him with kisses. “Sure, Jake. I’m all yours.”