Johnny shows up at the Haunted Star's grand reopening. He's not alone. There's a tall, dyed blonde on his arm, the kind of girl who looks trashy in spite of the expensive dress that Lulu is sure Johnny bought for her. So Johnny brought a call girl, or his mob moll, or whatever. Lulu shouldn't care. At least he didn't bring his crazy father.
But the truth is that Lulu has been so bored, so restless lately, so filled with longing for adventure, that even the sound of Anthony Zacchara calling her "Loo-loo" in his most ridiculous, threatening voice, isn't unappealing.
Lulu's been drinking champagne all evening and her head feels permanently fuzzy, which is probably why she's being so silly. She can't take her eyes off of Johnny, and it's not like there aren't other, more important, high rollers she should be playing hostess to. When Johnny's date leaves, presumably for the bathroom, Lulu can't help herself. She goes over and joins him at one of the blackjack tables.
He stands when he sees her, leaving his chips on the table. "I'll be back," he tells the dealer. "And all of my winnings had better be intact when I return." He flashes a smooth, frightening smile at the hapless young man.
"Yes, sir."
"I hope you didn't just threaten one of my employees." Lulu tries to sound disapproving.
"Of course not," Johnny says, and why does his grin always have to climb inside of her like that?
"Are you having fun?" she asks him.
"I'm having a great time," he says. "I always enjoy games of chance."
And Lulu giggles. "That's because your life is a game of chance." She doesn't know why she's laughing, because it's true.
"I guess so." Johnny hands are moving as they talk, jerking about as if he doesn't know what to do with them. Lulu lets her eyes drops, watches them for a moment. It's so awkward. All she wants is for him to touch her.
"Where's Dante?" Johnny asks suddenly, as if he has read Lulu's mind, as if he knows how easily she's forgotten her boyfriend, the supposed love of her life.
"He's at work."
Johnny's eyes flash dark, judgmental, and then they're clear again, and Lulu wonders if she only imagined the change in expression. "He should be here. This is your big night. He can't even take off one night to see your casino open?"
"Yeah, well." Lulu shrugs. She doesn't know what to say. "He's never liked the Haunted Star."
Johnny looks around. "It's beautiful, Lulu. I can hardly believe it's the same place." He looks back at her, smiling. "There are a lot of memories here."
Lulu can almost hear the sound of Johnny playing the piano. She can almost feel his lips on her skin the first time that they made love.
"Johnny!" The girlfriend of the hour is back and starts tugging on his arm. "Come on, Johnny, let's play."
He gives Lulu one more twisted smile. "I'll try not to win too much money. I kind of like the owner."
"Don't worry. The house always wins," Lulu says as he turns away. And she hopes it's true. She desperately needs this reopening to be successful, for something to go right in her life. Her father and Nikolas are gone, Dante is always working, Lucky has relapsed, and Johnny… Johnny is a game she should never play again. But gambling is addictive and Lulu doesn't know how long she can stay away from the table.