Authors: Wyborn Senna
The New Elvis (26 page)
Tobias came over. “I’ve let security know we’re on our way.”
Tom patted Tobias on the shoulder. “Good.”
Marilyn bit her lip. “Are you sure we need it?”
Tobias rolled his eyes, and Tom laughed.
“Mare,” Tom said, “do you have any idea how many reporters are going to be at Bouchon at The Venetian to meet Ryan in person?”
“As many as can afford a fifty-dollar plate of French cuisine,” Tobias quipped. “Unless you want the Grand Plateau, which is a lobster and sixteen oysters and ten mussels and eight shrimp and eight clam, plus crab when it’s in season for a hundred and ten bucks.”
Everyone stared at him.
“What? I checked the menu online. Tom booked exclusive use of the restaurant and courtyard. There’s standing room for a hundred and fifty people and seating for half that number, if they want to eat with us.”
“You know Cecil Bertrand’s going to show,” Pia said as she joined them, looking fabulous in a red gown slit up the side to her thigh. “Hell, even Alastair Neville might fly in from London.”
Logan and Ryan came over and joined the circle.
Marilyn stared hard at the marble floor beneath her feet, but her gaze wasn’t focused. “And if he was mad at me before, he’s going to be even angrier now.”
Tobias gave her a hug. “Tom and I already thought of that. We gave pictures of everyone who still works at
Flash
to the security team we have in place at the restaurant. Anyone who makes a sudden move is going to be tackled from all sides. And everyone has to show a press pass, so that rules out the thugs who’ve already hurt you trying to slide in, because our guys know a fake ID when they see it. You know how airport security tightened up after 9/11, and the skies have been safe from terrorists since then? Homeland Security ain’t got nothing on our team. They’re the best. Trust us, Marilyn. Forewarned is forearmed.”
“If those guys show up, they are
dead
,” Tom said, and he looked like he meant it.
Marilyn thought about it. When she and Tom had asked Logan how he’d come to live with his uncle in Vegas, and they heard about what he’d been through, they understood why he had stopped talking. Selective mutism had robbed him of a quality life for too long, and living in fear was no longer an option. If Logan could face the future with confidence, so could she.
As though Logan had read her mind, he approached her and took her hand.
“The past is the past. You’ve got to let it go.”
She looked down at his hand, then into his eyes. “You’ve got a deal.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were out in front of the LVH on South Paradise Road, climbing into stretch limos like it was something they did every day.
“You know I love you,” Tom told Marilyn as he helped lift her gown so she wouldn’t step on it as she got into their ride.
She turned to look back at him, her eyes glinting with good humor.
“How much do you think Alastair Neville would pay to sleep with me now?”
Wyborn Senna has a Masters in Professional Writing degree from USC and is published by the fierce, fabulous, fantastic Full Fathom Five Digital. Senna currently holds a 9-to-5 job in the entertainment industry and lives in Burbank, California…but her story doesn’t start there. Born in Buffalo and raised in Amherst, New York, Senna pecked out her first novel at the age of eleven, and eventually fell headlong into roles as editor of the school newspaper and yearbook, while also embracing Gleeky activities such as singing and acting. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Journalism/Mass Communication from St. Bonaventure University in New York, she worked at the
Olean Times Herald
, Ellis Advertising, and Studio Arena Theater. Senna then headed west to Los Angeles where she studied at the University of Southern California under writing great Tommy Thompson, started the ManUSCript newsletter for the graduate writing program, and co-founded the USC Playwrights Guild. While writing for The
San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune
and doll magazines such as
Barbie Bazaar
and
Miller’s
, Senna sold the Virginia Stewart Barbie collection on Ebay for an unprecedented $77,500 to a private collector, and then went on to publish three identification guides for Barbie’s little sister, Kelly. A compilation of the guides identifying over 800 dolls and outfits is due for release, but Senna’s writing interests aren’t solely focused on dolls. In addition to
Bury Me With Barbie
(inspired by angry collectors who wanted her to break the Stewart collection into lots), her involvement in the entertainment industry inspired
Porter’s Fortune
, and her interest in Adam Lambert’s soaring musical career, looks, and talent inspired
The New Elvis
.
Visit Wyborn on:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Full Fathom Five Digital is an imprint of Full Fathom Five
The New Elvis
Copyright © 2014 by Marsha McLaughlin Radford
All rights reserved.
No part of this text may be used or reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in review, without written permission from the publisher.
For information visit Full Fathom Five Digital, a division of Full Fathom Five LLC, at
www.fullfathomfive.com
Cover design by Anna Grigoriu
ISBN 978-1-63370-037-6
Second Edition