What Happened in Vegas...
-o-o-o-o-o-
"So, any results yet?"
"We only just got here," she whined.
"You got here two nights ago, on Thursday, right?"
"And then two hours later, VENOM had their test run of that machine. So Matt spent the whole next day watching for trouble. I went through two tanks of gas just cruising the strip in Thunderhawk. So you can't blame me for that."
"And last night? Between the time Bruce and I were summoned and we arrived?"
She blinked at him. "Oh, like he's going to think of anything besides thwarting VENOM. They were running amok last night and there was nothing we could do but track them and come up with a plan and wait for you two to get here." She turned and slumped over Gator's front seat. "Well, I suppose you could technically say I slept with him last night. I fell asleep on the couch in his hotel room at the Desert Paradise."
"Sorry...you're right. I have to blame VENOM for ruining things. They're good at that."
"You should have seen the mess at the casino! And T-Bob was hilarious."
"I heard the reports that came in. It sounds like it was pan-de-monium." He stretched out the syllables for effect. Dusty grabbed a bottle of water from the small cooler in the back of Gator. He didn't open it, but sat there thinking, peeling the label off of the plastic. "But in that two hours after you first arrived, did Matt even look at you?"
"Well, I suppose. He told me I looked lovely." She got up off of the seat and did a little twirl.
"That's a start. What were you wearing?"
"I had on this pretty mauvy-pink dress. Neckline like this..." She drew it with her fingers over her uniform. "Hemline about here."
Dusty gaped in disbelief. "That's a dress you wear to parent-teacher conferences, Gloria. Not a dress you wear to seduce a man in Vegas."
She toyed with the edge of her glove. "Well I didn't want to come across as too obvious. Besides, I don't really have any sexy dresses. It's not really my thing."
Dusty patted her on the shoulder. "Hey, you're here for a week. When this is all cleared up, let's go get something that doesn't say 'could I type some letters for you, boss?', okay?"
"All right, but nothing slutty." She leaned through the door of Gator to grab a bottle of water. Cracking the seal, she looked up at the cloudless sky. The day was already growing noticeably warmer. "Why not just hire a call girl? This really isn't me."
"Because that's not what he needs. It's not about the sex, Gloria. He needs to feel loved too, and you can do that for him. He likes you." He looked over at her, feeling a pang of guilt for being a part of setting her up like this. It hadn't been his idea in the first place, but he agreed with the others. "You love him too, don't you?"
"What's not to love about him? He's smart, he's brave, he's good-looking, he's a nice guy, he's...well you know him."
"Then don't be afraid of that."
She smiled faintly. "You're right."
"Hey, we're all counting on you. Think of it as a mission. It's your job to unwind him."
She nodded, and Dusty walked over to Rhino. "I'm going to take a nap. I didn't get much sleep last night. Wake me up when the others start heading back." He climbed into the back section and closed the door behind him, leaving Gloria leaning against Gator.
She sighed and sat down into what little shade the Jeep cast. The guys were right. Matt had been pretty stressed out lately, and not just from chasing VENOM around the world. One of his companies had gone belly-up after a crippling change in the market, while three others were struggling against a sudden round of socialist regulations imposed by the European Union. On top of it all was the anniversary of his wife's death many years ago.
Scott had been the one to talk him into a vacation, and when Matt had invited her for company, she had jumped at the chance. And when the team found out, several of them had set her up to be more than just company, Dusty amongst them—Dusty, her closest friend on the team. He was right though. She shouldn't be afraid of any feelings for Matt. She had always ignored them, dismissing any romantic thoughts as inappropriate or unprofessional. But now, she had the team's blessing and was being encouraged to embrace them. She had to stop being afraid of any personal desires.
She reminisced about sleeping in his hotel room, waking up this morning to find Matt in his robe and pajamas asking her what she wanted for breakfast. He had even thrown a blanket over her at some point in the night. It was as if she was family. Dusty probably was right. She did need something else to wear, and she needed to stop acting like one of his agents and Scott's big sister...once the mission was over.
She sighed. "Why couldn't I have smiled seductively and said 'you' instead of 'do they have waffles on the menu?'"
-o-o-o-o-o-
Saturday afternoon was spent with other PNA operatives, cleaning up the mess VENOM had made in Vegas. Bruce went missing, but was soon found—asleep in Rhino's cab. "Poor guy," Dusty sympathized. "He told me he'd not even gotten to bed last night when his watch went off."
Matt convinced Dusty and Bruce to stay an extra couple nights in Las Vegas before driving back to Boulder Hill. And so after they had checked into the Desert Paradise Hotel, the four of them went out sightseeing and gambling along the strip, enjoying the bustle and excitement of the city on a typical Saturday night.
Dusty was pleased to see Gloria wearing something much less sugary than the dress she had described to him that morning. This one was tight and black, clinging to her figure from the mock turtleneck at the top to the knee-length hemline below. The feathery bracelet on her wrist was a nice touch too, and he kept getting the urge to play with it himself. Gloria stayed close to Matt, sitting next to him in the restaurant booth, leaning on his shoulder when at the blackjack table, taking his arm whenever they walked somewhere.
Sunday morning, Scott and T-Bob were collected from the houseboat on Lake Mead and then Gloria and Matt went for a round of golf at a nearby resort. The other two agents hung out at the hotel pool with Scott and the robot. Bruce had out a sketchbook and kept busy drafting engineering plans and diagrams as he sunned himself. And after a while, he had T-Bob over and was popping out various panels, contemplating the circuitry. "Bruce, I thought we were on vacation today," Dusty commented.
"I am," he said, and went right back to poking around inside of T-Bob.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Matt had arranged for tickets at a show Sunday night that he thought they would all enjoy. "It will be quite the night out—your last night in Vegas," he explained when Dusty and Bruce showed up at his hotel room, puzzled about the tuxedos that had just been delivered to their doors.
And when Bruce showed up in the hotel lobby with Gloria on his arm, they knew this would really be a night to remember.
Dusty was just as amazed as Matt was, even though he had already seen the gown she had bought that afternoon. Instead of "lovely," Matt found her "fabulous" this time.
Gloria wore a long deep purple gown suspended by two thin straps over her shoulders, balanced by a deeply plunging neckline. Dark lipstick had replaced the soft pink shade she usually wore. The length of her hair was pulled up by a rhinestone-trimmed comb, accentuating her bared shoulders and neck. And despite being unused to high-heeled shoes, she walked just fine in them.
"How could anyone resist that?" Dusty whispered to himself. Tonight was going to be the night. She looked perfect...classy and available and just...perfect.
"I didn't even recognize her at first.. I thought that perhaps since a tuxedo was delivered, they were delivering dates for us as well," Bruce teased, which made Gloria laugh.
"Hmmm...that would be a good idea, now, wouldn't it?" mused Dusty.
"T-Bob has a crush on one of the slot machines downstairs," blurted Scott. "He could take her out."
"I do not!" the robot denied quickly. He primped the bowtie that someone had affixed to what would be his throat. "She's just a nice girl that I have lots in common with."
"You'll have to introduce us to your new girlfriend," said Matt.
"She's not my girlfriend. Just someone I like a lot. Besides, I can't take her out. She works here 24-7 and can't leave."
They had dinner one of the hotel restaurants, and then took a couple of taxis down to the theater. As predicted, they all enjoyed the song and dance and entertainment extravaganza. T-Bob naturally was bored, but Scott loved it. The six of them had a private box, and Scott spent the show leaning on the edge of it marveling at everything, from the costumes of the dancers to the fantastic light show to the magician's tricks.
When intermission came Bruce went with Scott down to the snack bar to get some popcorn, while Dusty went to find the bar for a drink. He hoped that perhaps Gloria would have a moment alone with Matt—a meaningful moment. But when he returned ten minutes later, she was sitting there with T-Bob and Scott, munching popcorn.
Dusty set down his drink and excused himself again, going to find the men's room before the second half of the show began.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Dusty paused as he exited the restroom, caught by the sound of a small gasp and thud, seemingly coming from the service corridor around the corner.
He listened closely and heard...something...but could not identify what. Furtively, he took a few steps in that direction and turned to look toward the access doors.
What he saw next brought the world to a stop. There in the dim corridor, silhouetted by the warm glow of the exit sign, was the reason for Gloria's lack of success. Matt had Bruce pinned against the corridor wall at the wrists. They were kissing.
When his heart began to beat again, Dusty slipped away silently and headed back to the box, trembling from the shock.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Gloria and Dusty sat in the casino bar, trying to still themselves with several rounds of cocktails. Gloria had gotten a bit tipsy and Dusty had decided to take up smoking.
"Oh God!" Gloria suddenly gasped, sitting up straight in shock.
"What?"
"I suddenly realized something! Bruce knew! He was in on the whole plot to get me with Matt!" She moaned and buried her face in her hands.
Dusty slapped his palm to his forehead. "He was. He didn't agree with the rest of us, but he knew about it."
"I just want to die of embarrassment right now," Gloria sobbed.
"Ugh...talk about a spy in our midst. He probably told Matt."
"Of course he told Matt. You would have told him, wouldn't you? They probably had a good laugh over it and decided what to do. I feel so stupid now. Here I am flirting with him and they're probably thinking 'silly girl' in the back of their heads. 'She thinks she has a chance.' And I thought I had a chance. Did you see how he was looking at me tonight? And last night I even got my hand into his back pocket, and he didn't pull it out. Why did I ever let you boys ever talk me into this?" She grabbed her drink and downed the rest.
"You feel stupid? I feel stupid. Matt probably just felt sorry for you. He must have known you were talked into it. It's not like we had much of a choice but to get you to do our dirty work."
"Well that's certainly changed."
Dusty thought for a moment, and then booed her, realizing what she meant.
She sighed with resolve. "Well, at least I have a nice dress to wear to parties now." She looked down at herself, making a quick check to see that she was still nicely arranged. "You think it's sexy, don't you?"
"It's damn sexy."
Her tone changed. "He said I looked fabulous."
"Don't you mean ~fabulous~?" Dusty added with an effeminate flair.
Gloria broke into a peal of giggles. Noting that her glass was empty of all but ice, she waved to the bartender and flipped up two fingers. The bartender nodded and in a few minutes was over with a another couple of cosmopolitans.
"Hey, tell my date she looks sexy," Dusty told the bartender.
"I wanted to say that already, before you asked me to," he said with a wink as he placed the fresh drinks on the table and collected the empty glasses. "I just didn't want to get punched."
"I won't punch you, so go ahead."
The bartender set down his tray, took Gloria's hand, and kissed it as he gazed into her eyes. "You look very sexy, and I shall go home tonight and weep that you are in the arms of another man," he said slowly, passionately, in his eastern European accent.
Gloria blushed, fighting the urge to melt into a pool of deep purple Italian satin and vodka.
The bartender sighed melodramatically, then picked up his tray and returned to the bar.
Dusty looked over at her again. Her cheeks were flushed and the smile now seemed a permanent fixture. Beautiful, tipsy Gloria. The first time he'd met her, she was bent over an engine wearing baggy coveralls and a smear of engine grease across her cheek. The second time she was putting everyone to shame on a racetrack. The third time she was beating the stuffing out of a martial arts dummy. Was this really the same woman? He picked up his drink and raised it in a toast. "To Matt's loss."
Gloria picked up her glass to match. "To Matt's loss...and Bruce's gain."
They clinked the rims together and drank.
Gloria put her elbow onto the table and leaned her head into her hand. "So, are we going to tell the others?"
Dusty shook his head. "I don't think so. It's their secret and I'm not going to be the one to reveal it."
"Not even Alex? He's the one who started this whole thing about getting me together with Matt."
"Naw. I think we should just move on as if you didn't succeed and I didn't look down the corridor at the theater."
"What if he brings it up again? Wants me to try again."
"Hmmm...who knows? I suppose we could just not go along with it." Dusty reached for the package of cigarettes again and fumbled one out. And while trying to light it, he found Gloria staring at him, her blue eyes luminous. "Yes?" he drawled, comically flopping his head to look over at her.
"Want to make Matt's loss your gain?"
The unlit cigarette fell from his fingers as his heart stopped for the second time that night.
"Gloria?" he coughed. "Did you just...? Are you..."
She nodded. "C'mon. Let's go back to the hotel," she said sweetly.
"Gloria, you know we can't."
"I could with Matt? But not with you?"
"That was different. You know that." Dusty sighed, taking her hand.
She pouted.
His head reeled. Part of him was shocked she would consider it. Part of him wanted to seize her suggestion. Part of him wanted to forget this whole night had ever happened. Part of him wished it would go on forever. Beautiful, tipsy Gloria was gazing at him with those perfect blue eyes of hers, and it was all he could do to keep from falling into them.
"You're right. We should go back to the hotel."
Gathering his wits, he kissed her on the cheek and told her to wait. He left the table and paid their tab. Then holding out his hand to her, led her out of the casino.
She clung to his arm, smiling and giggling, clearly excited by the prospect of what was about to happen. The doorman hailed a cab for them. A gaudy green one pulled up and the doorman assisted Gloria inside. Dusty walked to the driver's side and prepaid the fare, instructing the cabbie: "Take her back to the Desert Paradise Hotel. Thanks." He tapped his hand twice on the door and the driver was off.
A puzzled Gloria stared back at him through the taxi's rear window as he remained beneath the casino awning. Her blue eyes were wide and threatening to fill with tears.
He shoved his hands into his tuxedo pockets and sighed. "Sorry Gloria. You may hate me now, but I know you'll forgive me in the morning."
He began to walk the wide sidewalk northwards along the strip, the slow route back to the hotel. His earlier prediction had been right. It had been a night to remember. "Poor Gloria," he wheezed. They had gotten her all worked up, ready to jump into a relationship with Matt. She had been at the starting line, engine revved, excitement and adrenaline filling the air, waiting for the starting lights. And suddenly the race had been called off.
Dusty winced. She was the kind of girl that would latch on a project and always follow through. No wonder she had propositioned him.
He walked on, the midnight rainbow of the city glowing all around him advertising a garden of earthly delights. The city teetered precariously between heaven and hell, just like his feelings. "I forgive myself now," he sighed painfully, "but I know I'll hate myself when I wake up alone in the morning."
-o-o-o-o-o-
M.A.S.K. and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of DIC Enterprises, Inc and Kenner Toys. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.