The Starlight Club 6: Double Seven Page 9

  Red wanted Richie in Vegas and not in Queens, but because of the shootout with Carlos’s gang, he didn’t object. Red wanted Richie in Vegas because he was better than anyone in the business at spotting a card sharp and someone who was an experienced dice switcher. He was the only man Red knew who could spot a marked deck or weighted dice the moment the cards were dealt or the dice were thrown. Red understood that although Richie was unavailable for a while, he was still fortunate that one of his two Vegas casinos was open for business during renovation, but the second property wasn't open yet due to having been torn down and was being rebuilt from the ground up.

  Richie interrupted Red’s thoughts with a question. “What was that you just said?” Red asked.

  “I need Rene Dumas’s address. I’m gonna stop there and get JoAnne some clothes. She’s taken hardly anything with her and besides, after what she’s been through, I’d like to do something nice for her.”

  Red picked up on it right away. He could tell Richie was soft on the girl. “Do you have something to write with?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Write this address down.” After giving Richie the address, he asked him, “Do you have enough dough to pay for her clothing?”

  “Well, that’s the favor I was going to ask you. I had planned on asking you if I could put the clothing on your tab and pay you back when I get paid, but Bull gave me a piece of the action we got from the people we met recently.”

  “Don’t worry about spending the money Bull gave you. Buy her the clothes and tell Marco to put it on my tab. Consider it a bonus for the job you did in Kansas City. And let Marco know that he and his wife are invited to the party in the fall. Let him know that he’ll be receiving a formal invitation with the time and date on it and when he gets the invitation to put the date aside ‘cause I want them to come.”

  “Okay, boss. Oh, and, Red?”

  “What?”

  “Thanks.”

  During the drive back to Queens, JoAnne stole glances at Richie. JoAnne was too frightened to have looked at Joey’s friends after they arrived at the house because she knew that her brother’s friends were hard men and because of that, she tried to stay out of their way and not to interact with them. Their father died when they were still children and Joey, being the older brother, tried his best to look after his little sister. It wasn’t always easy. As a child, JoAnne wore braces and she didn’t have any nice dresses to wear like her classmates did. So the kids in her class made fun of her and Joey always tried to protect and defend her from being abused by the school kids. He took more beatings than he gave, but he never backed away from a fight and his sister loved him for it. He was her protector then and it was only when she left Queens and ran away with Brian that Joey felt helpless and disappointed. He knew that JoAnne ran away without telling anyone because Brian promised that they’d get married, have a home and kids…at least that was what he told her. Sure, Brian rented a home and made her a lot of promises, but that was all it was, a lot of empty promises. She was alone with no friends and no family other than a brother in Queens. She found herself with a man she thought she loved, but over time, she began to hate him. JoAnne discovered she was prisoner in a home that would never be hers and she was living with a drug dealer who was using the product he was selling. What could she do? Nothing. She could do nothing, nothing that is, until she received a glimmer of hope in the phone call from Joey, telling her that he was coming to see her.

  Richie could feel JoAnne staring at him from the passenger’s seat, but he kept his eye on the road until she finally spoke to him.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  Richie acted as if he didn’t understand her question, but he knew exactly what she was asking. He decided that he wasn’t going to pussyfoot around. He was always an action guy and because he had feelings for this woman, he wasn’t about to change who he was. He decided to throw caution to the wind and just level with the girl. Richie turned to face her. “You want to know why I’m showing an interest in you. Is that what you’re asking?”

  JoAnne was a little taken back by Richie’s direct answer to her question. “Yes. I’d like to know why. You see, my brother Joey always protected me. I had no one else; he was all I had. When you volunteered to take me to Queens instead of Joey, you surprised me.”

  “Joey couldn’t take you because he had a job to do in Vegas, and somebody had to take you…and I guess that’s why I volunteered for the job.”

  “I'd like to know why you volunteered to take me.”

  Richie pulled the car off of the highway and onto the shoulder of the road and stopped the car. He turned and looked at her and he noticed that her eyes were wide open and misty as if she were about to cry.

  “Look, kid. I saw what that bum put you through. A nice gal like you didn’t deserve to be treated like that. I felt bad for you, you know — being all-alone with nobody to protect you, nobody you could go to for help or advice. I kinda found myself thinking a lot about you and what it would be like if you were mine instead of that creep you were with. I thought about how I could make your life a lot better and how maybe if we got a chance, we could get to know one another better. Look, JoAnne, I went out with a lot of women in my time. But there wasn’t one of them that I would ever take home to meet Momma, if you know what I mean, except maybe you.”

  Hearing those words caused the tears to start rolling down JoAnne’s face again.

  “Hey! What are all those tears for?”

  “It’s what you said. No one has ever said such kind things to me before.”

  Richie pulled her toward him, and she didn’t resist. He didn’t try to kiss her; he just held her close, knowing that she needed the security of his embrace. He held her for what seemed like many minutes but could be measured in heartbeats. Until she pulled away from him and looked into his eyes, searching to see if they were telling lies. But all she could see was the sincerity in them. She relaxed and put her hand behind his head and pulled it close to hers. When their lips met, a spark ignited the fire that had been simmering deep in her bosom for such a long time. And she found herself melting in his tender embrace until she felt that she was a part of him and they were now one. Richie moved her away and put the car in drive. After driving for another fifteen minutes, he spotted a motel. “Come on; let’s get a room for the night.”

  He reached over and pulled her close and he whispered, “Tonight, we’re only going to need one room.”

  She looked at him and nodded. “One room sounds fine to me.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  After a light continental breakfast, Richie and JoAnne were back on the road and Richie figured they would be in New York City by mid-afternoon. Five hours later, Richie parked the car in a garage on Broadway near the address Red had given him. They took the elevator to the sixth floor and when the door opened, they were facing a group of letters that spelled RENÉ DUMAS. Red had telephoned Marco earlier that morning to let him know that Richie would be stopping by to buy some clothes for a lady and to put whatever they bought on his tab. While they were on the phone, Red invited Marco and his wife Karen to the party he was throwing in the fall at the Starlight Club.

  Marco spotted the couple as soon as they walked in and he walked over to greet them personally.

  “You must be Richard.” Richie’s brow furrowed when Marco mentioned his name. Marco laughed. “Red called earlier and told me you’d be dropping by. It’s a pleasure to meet the both of you. How may I help you?”

  Richie pointed to JoAnne. “This young lady needs a few nice dresses. Red is throwing one of his extravaganzas at the Starlight Club and I want JoAnne to be the prettiest girl there. So I wanted her to pick out a few nice evening dresses and some everyday clothes and make sure you include all of the accessories. Like I said, I want her to look spectacular.”

  Marco excused himself for a moment and walked over to a desk by a door to the showroom. He picked something up from the desk and then he walked back to them.

/>   “Sorry about that, but I wanted to get a checklist pad so JoAnne could check off the items she’s interested in.” Marco handed JoAnne the pad and a pencil. “Now please follow me to the showroom where the two of you will get a chance to look over our latest fashions. What I need you to do, JoAnne, is to check off the dresses that interest you and leave the rest to me.”

  “Wait a minute, Marco. Red told me to tell you that he’s throwing a party in the fall and he’s invited you and your wife to it.”

  Marco dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “Red invited me himself when he called this morning. But thanks for remembering. Now follow me. JoAnne has to pick out some dresses.”

  A short while later, JoAnne sat entranced, watching a bevy of beautiful models walking past her, each wearing a Renè Dumas original creation. Richie was reminded of when Trenchie told him about the day he was released from prison after serving a ten-year sentence and he came here with his future wife, Mary. Trenchie never said much and he never ever talked about his personal life, but he got such a kick out of watching the models strutting along the walkway, demonstrating Marco’s creations to him and Mary, that he said it was better than going to a Broadway show. Richie was feeling that excitement now. Guys like Richie made and lost fortunes and never batted an eye over it. He had a pocket full of money now and he’d spend all of it if it meant giving JoAnne a good time. Keep in mind that Marco’s creations cost the buyer anywhere from six hundred dollars to three thousand dollars a dress at a time when the average person was paid about sixty-five dollars a week. Marco knew that Richie was just a soldier in Red’s mob, so he didn’t intend to charge him the full retail price. Instead, he’d wait to see what outfits JoAnne chose and then he’d adjust the price accordingly. But he was also aware that Red’s soldiers made three and four times what the average guy made working his ass off in a factory. As the models were passing by, demonstrating their dresses to JoAnne, Richie motioned for Marco to follow him to a spot near the door where no one could hear them talking.

  “Marco, do you have anyone who could do something with JoAnne’s hair and maybe apply some makeup? The kid’s been though a lot lately and she deserves the best you can do for her.”

  Marco smiled and patted Richie gently on his arm. “Sure, Richie. I’ll have Gloria, our makeup specialist, apply the makeup. She’s the best in the business. And don’t worry about her hair; we’ll do something with that too. Now go back and enjoy the show and leave everything to Marco.”

  A few minutes after Richie sat comfortably down on the leather lounge, a pretty secretary brought him some espresso and biscotti. Richie was about to put some sugar in the coffee, but another woman said, “Would you prefer some black Sambuca in your coffee instead?”

  Richie nodded and raised his cup. “Black Sambuca sounds perfect right about now. Thanks.”

  The two women smiled sweetly and glided away. Richie thought to himself as he watched the two women walk back to their stations, Man, Marco sure has an elegant operation going here and he’s probably making a small fortune and it’s all legit. I just wonder what all this elegance is gonna cost me?

  When the models completed their walk through and JoAnne had marked on the little pad the creations she liked, she handed it to Marco, who studied what she had chosen carefully.

  “Hmm, the blue #3 and the green #7. Good choices, JoAnne. Now come with me. It’s time for you to be the model of the moment.”

  JoAnne looked at Richie for some assistance, but he just shrugged his shoulders. “You better go with Marco and do like he says, JoAnne.”

  Marco took her by the hand and led her to a dressing room behind the walkway in the showroom. Approximately twenty-five minutes later, JoAnne walked onto the walkway in the blue sleeveless gown that reached the floor. Her hair was swept back into a bun and it was enhanced by the makeup that was applied tastefully to her face. Before JoAnne left Queens with Brian, she always followed a regular hair maintenance routine and she was always fastidious with her makeup. That all changed since living with Brian. In fact, just the opposite occurred. She no longer wanted to look desirable and pretty. Instead, she unconsciously tried to hide her beauty by no longer applying makeup or fussing with her hair. Richie was determined to change all that. Today was the first day of the rest of JoAnne’s life and Richie was the one who would see that from now on she had the best life could offer her.

  The curtain opened and JoAnne walked out onto the walkway, looking like a vision of beauty. Richie knew that she was pretty but seeing her all dressed up with her hair swept back and with makeup on, she took his breath away. Richie forgot himself and clapped his hands.

  “You look beautiful, JoAnne,” he said as she walked toward him.

  “Do you like the way this dress looks on me?” she asked.

  “Yeah, it looks great; now go put on the other one and let me see how that one looks on you.”

  She left him and walked back to the dressing room. A few minutes later, she walked back out, only this time, she wore the green gown, and this one looked great on her too.

  “Which one do you like, Richie?”

  “Gee, I don’t know. They both look great on you. When I saw the blue one on you, I figured that was the one to buy, but after seeing you in the emerald green dress, I’m confused. I can’t make up my mind, which one looks better on you. Well, you know what I do when I’m buying something and I can’t make up my mind which item to buy?”

  “No. What do you do?” she asked, wondering what he’d say.

  “The only thing to do is to buy both dresses.”

  He looked at Marco and told him to wrap both dresses up and to include the accessories she wore with the dresses. When Marco handed Richie the invoice for the clothes, which included not only the two dresses and accessories, but also the clothes she’d need for every day, Richie looked at the bottom line and didn’t bat an eyelash when he saw the price. Marco had reduced the price on the two dresses by forty percent and even with that discount, the bill came to forty-eight hundred dollars. Richie smiled because he thought it would cost a lot more than this. He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope and he counted out forty-eight hundred dollars and he handed the cash to Marco. But Marco shook his head. “Red told me to put the bill on his tab so you don’t owe me a dime.”

  Marco was about to bring the invoice to his office, but Richie stopped him.

  “Since I saved a ton of dough, I’d like to leave a tip for the models and the makeup girl and anyone else back there that helped us out today.”

  Marco shook his head. “That’s their job, Richie. You don’t have to tip them. They don’t expect a tip.”

  “I don’t care, Marco. That’s not the way I work. Get them out here, I can’t leave without showing them my gratitude.”

  Marco shrugged and a short while later, he returned with the girls trailing behind him. Richie looked them all in the eye as he scanned the faces of the beautiful women standing before him.

  “Ladies, I just wanted to thank you for making this a memorable day for JoAnne and me.” There were four models, a makeup girl, and the girl who fixed JoAnne’s hair. He handed each of them a hundred-dollar bill, which considering the average guy made sixty-five bucks a week, was a complete surprise to the girls. Even the rich people who came in never left them a tip, so the girls were more than appreciative when they saw Ben Franklin’s picture on the bills he handed them. Even Marco was impressed with the cavalier attitude Red’s men had toward money. It was easy come, easy go with the wise guys, only this time around, Richie Fingers was motivated to put away some of the big bucks he made with Red for a house and a future with JoAnne.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Red allowed JoAnne to stay in the house he owned in Corona Heights. This was the house Red usually kept vacant for important guests who flew in from out of town. The house was sumptuously decorated as befitting the stature of his guests. From the outside, the house looked like any of the houses lining the block, but inside o
f the house from the basement to the gutted attic, everything reeked of money. Red spared no expense on this house. This was where Larry Bernstein, the president of Columbia Pictures, and his vice president and legal council, John A. Morgenstein, stayed the first time they came east to attend one of Big Red Fortunato’s elaborate parties. They were neither disappointed in the house nor the party at the fabulous Starlight Club. And this was where JoAnne would be staying for the time being. As soon as she walked into the house, she fell in love with it.

  “Oh, Richie, this house is beautiful. I can live in it forever.”

  Richie smiled indulgently. “Don’t get too attached to it because your stay here is only temporary. I’m gonna try to get something near Trenchie’s place over in College Point. I hear he has a swell apartment that Mary loves. Maybe later, we’ll take a ride there and see them. Are you up for it?”

  “Yes, I am. You know, Richie. Since the day you came into my life, everything is happening for the better. And…I never did thank you properly for the wonderful time I had when you took me to Renè Dumas to buy me all those wonderful clothes. But the way you spend money, I worry about you.”

  Richie waved his hand in dismissal. “I didn’t spend a dime this time. But you’re right, I always made a lot of money and it usually slipped out from between my fingers. Money came and money went and I never worried about it. I know how to make money, JoAnne; the trouble is, I never knew how to keep it. But since I’ve met you, I’m motivated to make a lot more money, only now I aim to keep most of it instead of throwing it away on wild parties and reckless spending. I want you to have a great life and I’m determined to be the guy that makes sure you get it, so don’t worry about anything. Right now, I’m determined to save a lot of money and buy us the nicer things in life.”