Thanks once again for the reviews! It's nice to see that there is some speculation going on already. But don't forget: this is a story about magic and illusion - all is not necessarily as it seems... Yes, I really did use such a cheesy line. But hey, I'm a magician. Cheese is expected - it's like, the law, or something.

You may remember Naomi's outfit described in the last chapter as being: 'an odd looking patchwork ensemble, with each patch a different colour'. Now who on earth could design an outfit such as that...?

On with the story:


Chapter Three: The Small Print

Naomi

"Blondie, would you sit down? You're making me nervous" growled Cook as I paced restlessly backwards and forwards. I rolled my eyes at him and carried on pacing. It was almost time for our meeting with Mr Tomone, and I didn't feel capable of sitting still. We were in the small waiting area outside his office, waiting for him to return. My eyes darted around at our assembled group. Myself and Cook were to be the main speakers. Cook was fidgeting awkwardly with the tie around his neck that I had made him wear. I couldn't really blame him: I felt uncharacteristically smart and incredibly uncomfortable in my own navy suit. The twins were also present. Katie had suggested that the two of them join us at the meeting, and I had readily agreed. They may not know much about magic, but they had both been good company over the last few days. Katie was brash, outspoken, and quite simply a refreshing antidote to the overly polite people we usually met through working at the hotel. As for Emily, well I have to admit that she remains something of a mystery to me. She's a lot quieter than Katie, and doesn't give much about herself away, but she's clearly very smart, and has a keen sense of humour. Having the two of them present was about more than just company though. The extra couple of bodies made us look more like a serious troupe of performers. More like 'Naomi Campbell and Company', rather than 'Naomi Campbell and her slightly scruffy best mate'.

Katie and Emily had both dressed smartly, at my request. Well, Katie was bordering on the side of slutty, almost spilling out of a very tight dress, but there was no harm in that. Especially if Mr Tomone liked it. I was all for using every advantage at our disposal. My own navy skirt was shorter than I would usually wear, though next to Katie I looked positively conservative.

There were another couple of people waiting in the room with us. Two men, both in very expensive looking three piece suits. I vaguely recognised both as being involved in the running of the hotel. They were probably here for the same meeting.

The door to the waiting area opened, and Mr Tomone walked through the room before disappearing into his office. I hoped that he wouldn't keep us waiting too much longer - I was getting more nervous by the minute.

"Was that him?" Whispered Katie. I nodded. "He's very young for a hotel manager. And cute." A wry smile appeared on her face.

"Yeah, he is pretty young" said Cook, ignoring the second part of Katie's statement. "Got to be some sort of necrophilia involved there."

I stared with a look of disgust at Cook. I glanced across at Emily and noticed that she had a similar expression on her face.

"Necrophilia?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yeah! Well, that's usually how it works isn't it? Not what you know, but who you know."

I frowned at him, completely lost by his logic. Emily suddenly started giggling.

"I think you mean nepotism, Cook" she told him. Cook just shrugged.

"S'all the same thing, isn't it?"

"No Cook, not exactly" I told him, starting to chuckle myself. Emily's laughter was infectious. I was even starting to feel a little bit more relaxed.

A buzz on the intercom brought the swirl of butterflies back to my stomach. Nadine spoke into it, before gesturing for us to go in. I stood up, glanced around at our assembled crew, and led the way into the office. The two suits also followed us into the room. The office was quite large. One side of it was completely dominated by ceiling to floor windows, providing plenty of natural light. There was a huge desk just in front of the window, but it was towards a more casual area of the room that Mr Tomone gestured us all to. Several comfy armchairs were arranged around a coffee table. Everyone sat down.

"Nice to see you again Miss Campbell" Said Mr Tomone in his customary friendly tone.

"Naomi" I answered, with my warmest smile firmly in place. "And this is Cook, Katie and Emily. Cook you may remember is my business partner, and these two ladies will be my assistants in the show."

Mr Tomone looked appraisingly around at the group. He shook hands with everyone, before settling back into his seat. He introduced the other two men, and more handshakes followed.

"So, you've hired your assistants already? That shows confidence" said Mr Tomone. I inclined my head and smiled.

"Well, the chance to have twins in the magic show was too good an opportunity to miss" I explained. "Besides, they're such talented dancers." Mentally, I kicked myself for not actually having verified that fact before now. Everything had just moved along so quickly since Tuesday. Still, it's not as if we've signed any contract with them yet. There are still plenty of details to work out.

"And such beautiful ladies, of course" added Mr Tomone. I glanced to my left, and noticed Katie surreptitiously rearranging her cleavage so that it was even more enhanced than before. I caught Emily's eye and she gave me a smirk, clearly amused at her sister's actions. I found myself winking at her, before mentally giving myself a shake: we were here for business, after all.

"We have some wonderful ideas for a show, Mr Tomone" I began, before launching in to our rehearsed spiel. Cook and I had spent as much time as possible over the last few days trying to put a show together - at least on paper. It hadn't proved as difficult as I had originally thought. Cook and I have been friends for quite some time, and have often talked about the kind of show we would love to put on. Many a late night has been spent discussing illusions, methods and presentations. Whenever something had really ignited our magical passion, we hammered out the details until it was a workable trick - albeit just in theory. The last few days had been spent deciding which of our ideas should go into such a show and become a working illusion. Cook and I did our best to outline what we considered to be the key features of our planned spectacle. Mr Tomone sat back in his chair, formed his fingers into a pyramid, and gave us his full attention.

"So, there we go" I said uncertainly, as we reached the end of our speech. Mr Tomone took a deep breath, before staring at the two suits. Neither had spoken much at all so far - both were clearly looking to take their lead from Mr Tomone. As his eyes drifted back towards me, I swallowed nervously.

"That certainly sounds like a good show, Naomi" he said with a smile. I felt myself relaxing a little. "But it lacks a certain... je ne se quoi, no? What I mean is, it needs an ending. A big finale, that leaves everybody breathless."

Shit.

He was right - of course he was. I knew it, and Cook knew it, but the one thing that we had never been able to figure out was the big 'WOW' to end with. We had come up with plenty of suggestions, but just couldn't agree on anything between us. In the end we had decided to just not bring it up in the meeting, and decide on the finale later. So much for that idea. I took a deep breath, and glanced around the room for inspiration. Instead, all I saw was three sets of curious eyes looking at me for an answer.

"Well" I began slowly. "It needs to be something a little bit different." There was a jug of cold water and some plastic cups on the coffee table. I poured myself some water, and took a much needed sip. My movements were leisurely, simply to stall for time. "We have a couple of ideas in mind."

"Like...?" Prompted Mr Tomone, leaning forward in his seat. Okay, it was go-for-broke time. I took another sip of my water, and studiously avoided looking at Cook.

"Like the bullet-catch trick" I stated firmly. I heard a sharp intake of breath from Cook, but I chose to ignore it. I wasn't going to let his silly superstitions ruin our shot at the big time. I watched carefully as Mr Tomone's eyebrows rose skywards. He was impressed. A silence descended on the whole room, everyone's attention hanging on me. I took that as my signal to elaborate. "A gun is fired at the magician, but the magician remains unhurt." I heard a stifled noise from Cook. I glared at him, willing him to stay silent. He just shrugged, but mercifully stayed quiet. I continued. "The magician then shows that they have in fact caught the bullet that was just fired at them. It's dramatic, it has a real sense of danger - it's perfect." I stared around the room, taking in the effect of my words. The twins, the two suits and Mr Tomone were all looking at me with various expressions of consideration. Cook wouldn't meet my gaze. At length, Mr Tomone grinned broadly at me.

"Yes, that sounds like an amazing ending to a wonderful show. That will certainly have everyone talking about the fabulous magic show at The Garda Resort!"

I breathed a sigh of relief. We had his interest, there was no doubt about that. We had done our best to sell the show, all we could do now was wait to see what the outcome was.

"You will you still need to fulfil your current contract, while you rehearse the new show" said Mr Tomone. I nodded.

"Not a problem" I insisted. I knew that it wouldn't be. Cook and I still spent a lot of time rehearsing the current show, even though it was no longer necessary. We would easily spend that time working instead on the new show. It would be time-consuming, fitting it around performing, but doable.

Shortly afterwards, our meeting came to an end. Mr Tomone was interested in the show, but was not going to commit to anything just yet. He told us that there were other acts to consider before they could make a firm decision. There were handshakes all round again, before our group of four trouped out of the office and headed for the elevators.

"Wow, the show sounds amazing!" said Katie.

"You really sold it to them" added Emily. I grinned at them both as I pressed the button for the elevator. My grin faltered slightly as I noticed that Cook's jaw was firmly set. As soon as we were safely ensconced in the elevator, he rounded on me.

"The bullet-catch, Naomi? The fucking bullet-catch? Are you totally fucking insane?"

The twins shared a startled look at Cook's reaction.

"It sounds great" insisted Katie. "You know - exciting, dangerous..."

Cook let out a hollow laugh at her words.

"Oh, it's fucking dangerous alright."

"No it isn't" I argued. "There's a magician I know in California that has a great way to..."

"There's a fucking CURSE on the bullet-catch, Naomi!" Cook stepped closer to me and did his best to stare me down. I rolled my eyes at him and stepped out of the now open lift doors. The other three followed.

"A curse?" asked Katie, not even trying to hide her amusement.

"Of course not! There's no such thing as a curse, just a lot of silly superstition." I stared at Cook, willing him to see reason. "Look, you saw what happened in there. We need a big finale to reel them in. The bullet-catch is perfect!"

Cook folded his arms across his chest and shook his head.

"You can forget it. I'm not firing a loaded gun at you" he said with resolution.

"I will" chipped in Katie. She said it so casually, with a little shrug of her shoulders. "I'd happily fire a gun at you."

Emily suddenly started giggling. Once again, it had me joining in immediately. The casual way that Katie had just offered to fire a deadly weapon at me was so comical that I had to laugh. Soon, Katie joined in with the laughter, but Cook remained unaffected by it.

"You'll regret it" he said simply. "I just hope you're still alive to regret it." He stalked away from the three of us, as we stood there chuckling in the elevator foyer.

"So why's it supposed to be cursed?" Asked Emily suddenly, eyeing me closely. I sighed.

"Well, it has gone wrong a lot of times." The twins both inhaled sharply and stared at me with wide eyes. "Some magicians have died doing it - quite a few, in fact. But that was years ago. They were using doctored guns that could break, or they relied on someone else to switch the bullet for a blank. This guy in California has worked out a new method that's safe."

Katie stared thoughtfully at me for a moment. I could see that she was thinking something through, and I soon found out what.

"So, if it did go wrong..." she began slowly. "...And I accidentally shot you, could I end up being charged with murder?"

"I'll sign a waiver" I answered with a chuckle. This girl's priorities were palpably obvious. I glanced at my watch and realised that it was nearly time for me to start getting ready for the afternoon show. I just hoped that Cook hadn't gone off in a sulk somewhere.

"I've got to go" I told the twins.

"Let's go out tonight" insisted Katie. "To celebrate how well the meeting went!" She looked happy at the prospect of a night out. I hesitated for a moment. I really didn't want everyone in Vegas to see the twins together. But, I reasoned that we still had a long way to go until opening night. Whoever saw the two of them now would probably not remember by the time we come to perform the show. Besides, I can hardly start laying down rules about not going out in public together before they've even signed a contract. In truth, I don't think they've even realised that such a thing would have to be part of the deal. In all honesty, I'm not looking forward to explaining that bit to them.

"Okay" I answered.

"Great. I'll text you later."

With that, Emily and Katie left, and I turned my steps towards the theatre.


After the show, Cook came as usual into my dressing room. When I got back to the theatre earlier he had been there, but not in the mood for conversation. He had kept his head down in preparations for the show, not indulging in his usual banter. Now though, his trademark grin was back in place.

"There were some hot women in the audience today!" He said with a wink. "Are we going out tonight? I feel like getting my dick wet."

"Katie suggested we go out with them tonight."

Cook's eyes lit up at that news.

"Yeah, I'm up for that!"

I chuckled at his enthusiasm. I could see that Cook was enjoying hanging out with the two of them as much as I was. He was probably going to spend the whole night trying to impress them. I was hardly any better: our little 'Three Card Monte' display the other day was a well rehearsed routine. It was true that Cook used to use it to fleece the tourists in New York. It was also true that most casinos would throw us out if they saw us doing it. But my big show of standing in front of the security camera was just for effect. The pit bosses in this hotel knew me and Cook well. They were well aware that Cook wouldn't use Three Card Monte to fleece people in his own back-yard. The only time he uses it in The Garda Resort is when he's trying to impress girls. Standing in front of the security camera was just a little added touch to make it seem like we were doing something illicit. Hey, we're magicians! And one thing you have to know about magicians is that things are never the way they seem to be. That's the one thing that makes magic unique - we are actually trying to fool you. We will never do exactly what you think we are doing - or more importantly, what we say we are doing.

"Do you fancy going out for a burger first?" I asked. Cook nodded.

"Sounds good to me, Blondie. Usual place?"

"Yeah. Look, about the bullet-catch..."

Cook held a hand up to silence me.

"I'm sorry if I overreacted earlier, but it's a dangerous trick. You can't mess about with shit like that, Naomi."

He said it calmly, and I could tell that he had been thinking about the impact the trick's mention had caused in the meeting earlier. He seemed willing to listen to what I had to say.

"I know, but this friend of mine in L.A. has worked out a great method. It's safe."

"Why don't you tell me about it over dinner" insisted Cook.

"Sure. You go ahead - I've still got some stuff to tidy away."

Cook agreed, and wandered off in the direction of our favourite burger bar. I headed back out into the theatre to pack the rest of my gear away.


As I was leaving the theatre, I bumped into Pandora Moon. Panda worked in the costume department for the Fantasy show. She was a talented designer, but was largely overlooked in that regard. Instead, her job usually entailed the sewing on of endless amounts of sequins. Cook and I had made friends with Panda straight away. Cook in particular was fascinated by her work, although that probably had more to do with the dancers that she dressed. She often had to make last minute repairs to costumes while they were being worn, which had Cook seething with jealousy. As a favour, Panda had designed my own show costume for me. It wasn't really what I would have chosen, but it certainly pleased the top brass of the hotel.

"Hi Naomi!" Bubbled Panda. "I heard you and Cookie had a meeting with that well lush manager today. How'd you get on?"

"Yeah, okay I think. I just hope we get a show out of it."

Panda grinned at me.

"Yeah, I hope so!" She nodded, and gave me a big thumbs up. "Let me know if you want any costumes doing for it as well."

"Thanks Panda. I was going to..." My sentence trailed away as I spotted the aforementioned 'lush manager' approaching. He normally didn't venture down into the actual theatres. I tried to stop myself from thinking that he was here to tell me already that they were wanting to hire our act. "Mr Tomone!" I gushed, with more enthusiasm than I wanted to show.

"Naomi!" He grinned broadly at me. "I wanted to tell you that I..." His eyes darted immediately over to Panda. "Oh, I er..." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hello there."

"This is Panda, from the costume department" I explained, gesturing in her direction. Mr Tomone offered his hand, which Panda eagerly shook. I noticed that Mr Tomone didn't drop her hand afterwards.

"Hello, Panda" he said. Panda blushed immediately at being addressed so warmly by someone so high up within the hotel. "I'm Thomas."

I gaped at him. Normally, Mr Tomone was every inch the level headed business manager, but one glance at Panda and that facade was gone. Mentally, I filed that under 'useful information'. But Mr Tomone was here for a reason, and I wanted to get back to that. I cleared my throat loudly. It had the desired effect, snapping Mr Tomone back into the present moment.

"Oh, yes! Naomi, I wanted to talk to you." I nodded, to show that I was listening. Mr Tomone carried on. "I forgot to mention it in the meeting earlier. I'm sure you're already aware though. The new headline act that we book: you are aware that it will be a four-wall deal, aren't you?"

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, FUCK!

"Yes of course" I lied smoothly. Mr Tomone grinned broadly at me.

"Good. I'm afraid in this current climate, it's the only way that we can do it. Especially if we go with an unknown act such as yourself." I found myself nodding along with him, while my head got lost in other thoughts. "You do have the funds, don't you?" Asked Mr Tomone.

"Oh yes, definitely!" Hell, what's another lie on top of the last one? Okay, so that last lie was a bit of a whopper, but who's keeping check?

"Well like I said, we'll be in touch as soon as we make a decision" said Mr Tomone. He turned his attention to Panda, and immediately fell into conversation with her. I stumbled away from them, needing to get my head around what he had just told me. How could I have been so stupid? How could I not have thought of this sooner? Of course the only way we had a shot at this deal was because they were four-walling the theatre. Four walling has become an all too common practice in Vegas over the last few years. Basically, it means that instead of hiring an act for a set fee, the hotel rents out the 'four walls' of the theatre to the producer of the show - which in this case was me and Cook. In other words, the act has to pay for everything. Rent of the theatre, advertising - even the hire of the theatre staff. All of that would have to come out of mine and Cook's pocket. On the plus side, 100 percent of the ticket revenue would be ours to take away. But filling a 1500 seat venue was no easy task, and the onus to do so would be entirely on our shoulders. An uneasy feeling settled deep in the pit of my stomach. I had saved up money over the years, but that was to pay for the show itself. Illusions were not cheap things to buy - but hiring a theatre? Where the hell was that kind of money supposed to come from?


So I have chosen to ignore the fact that Penn & Teller currently end their Vegas show with 'The Bullet Catch' trick. In this story, it is something that no-one else is doing.

Let me know what you think!