I have a rare weekend update for you, due to a particularly quiet weekend, workwise.
We have a Naomily date that's not really a date, date coming up in this chapter. I hope you enjoy.
Myrtle
Chapter Six: City Of Blinding Lights
Emily
It was Tuesday morning, exactly two weeks since we first met Naomi and Cook. Their show had been given the go ahead, and they had got the money to fund it – although Katie and I were still in the dark about how they managed that. Katie and I were due to meet with them to discuss if we were going to come onboard. I wandered into the deserted theatre and noticed that I was a few minutes early for our meeting. I had left the motel alone this morning, wanting to get some breakfast before meeting the others. Katie had been impossible to stir, first thing. She had gone out on the town last night with Naomi and Cook, but I had already promised to do a shift at a bar. I was disappointed to miss it: we've had a few nights out with them through the last week, and we've always had a good time. Cook was always on the pull. It was great fun to watch him at work - when it wasn't directed at me or Katie, that is. He knows what he wants, and pursues it relentlessly. His chat-up lines are bold and direct, and more often than not earn Cook a hefty slap. But he quickly shrugs any such setbacks off, and moves on to the next target. Cook is a man who plays the averages: he doesn't mind the slaps and the rejections, because sooner or later, he gets what he is after.
Less fun to watch on our nights out was Naomi. I had twice more seen her get off with some random guy, and soon afterwards she was nowhere to be found. Cook seemed convinced that she had gone home with the random. I had to admit that it seemed the most likely explanation. I couldn't help feeling just a little jealous - I felt like Naomi and I had made a connection on our first night out. But since she's clearly straight, I won't bother wasting any time pining for her.
"You won't believe what happened last night!" The voice of my sister brought me out of my reflections. She walked into the theatre looking dramatically around her to see if we were alone. For the moment we were. She sat down next to me and leaned conspiratorially closer. "Naomi..."
"Who'd she get off with this time?" I asked dryly, not really wanting to hear it but knowing that I would do anyway. Before Katie had a chance to answer me, Naomi herself walked into the theatre, deep in conversation with Cook. They stopped talking when they saw us and gave us a friendly greeting. Katie crossed her arms in front of her and stared at Naomi as though willing her to explain herself.
"What?" Asked Naomi with a shrug. She slumped heavily down into a seat nearby. "What?" She asked more insistently, when Katie made no answer.
"What the fuck was that, last night?" Asked Katie, arching an eyebrow imperiously. Naomi gave another shrug, clearly in no mood to offer explanations.
"What happened?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
"Well, our resident magician here..." Katie gave a theatrical nod in Naomi's direction. "...was on the pull again, but she should have gone to Specsavers, because she ended up snogging a girl." Katie announced it as though it was the most shocking piece of gossip imaginable. I tried my hardest not to gape at this new development. Naomi rolled her eyes and looked thoroughly bored with the conversation.
"So? What's wrong with that?" She asked. "It's the twenty-first century, Katie. Bigotry is SO old fashioned."
"I'm not a bigot!" Declared Katie quickly. "I just didn't think you were a lezzer, that's all."
"I'm not" said Naomi simply. "I just happen to like women as well as men." Katie stared at her.
"So you're bi?"
Naomi rolled her eyes again.
"Yes, Katie. If you absolutely feel the need to label me, then yes, I'm bisexual."
"So how does that work?" Asked Katie frowning.
"It doesn't 'work', it's just how I am" answered Naomi shortly. "I either fancy someone, or I don't. Whether they're male or female doesn't really seem to come into it."
I stared between the two of them as their conversation progressed, trying not to show any emotion. I couldn't help wondering why Naomi hadn't mentioned this to me when we talked about my sexuality. Okay, so not everyone is open about things like that (I'm certainly not) but Naomi didn't seem fazed by it coming out now. And one glance at Cook told me that this wasn't new information to him. I felt a little hurt that she hadn't at least mentioned it.
"So... have you always known?" Asked Katie, not ready to let this drop just yet.
"I don't know" said Naomi casually. "I didn't always know what to call it, but I guess I've always liked both sexes. I suppose I didn't think much of it until I was about thirteen. That's when I saw Shakespeare In Love - and I just couldn't decide if I fancied Joseph Fiennes or Gwyneth Paltrow more." She rose to her feet, effectively drawing a line under the conversation. "Come on. Let's go through to our rehearsal space. It's easier to talk through there."
Katie looked like she had more questions to ask, but she let it be. She stood up, and followed Cook as he walked to the backstage area. I took my chance to have a quiet word with Naomi. I placed my hand on her arm as she started to move off, and instead she stood still waiting until the other two were out of earshot.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked quietly, trying not to sound hurt. "When you told me you knew I'm gay?" She wouldn't meet my eyes.
"I don't know, I just... we weren't talking about me, that was about you." Finally, she looked up to meet my gaze, and I saw that she looked a little contrite. "I'm sorry" she muttered awkwardly. I just shrugged and indicated that we should follow after the others. I wasn't really sure why I was bothered that she hadn't told me.
We followed after Cook, and found ourselves in a room that looked a bit like a dance studio, with hard-wood floors, and ceiling-high mirrors all along one wall. Four hard plastic chairs had been set out, and we all took a seat.
"So the show's got the go-ahead" began Naomi. "We met with the hotel management yesterday to sort out the details. It's full steam ahead, and we open in three months time."
"Three months, is that enough time?" I asked. Naomi nodded thoughtfully.
"It makes things pretty tight, but we should be ready by then, if we all work hard. The only thing to sort out now, is if you two are going to join our little troupe?" She looked expectantly at the two of us. It was high time I spoke up.
"Listen, I don't really want to be a performer…" I began uncertainly. Naomi had me anticipated.
"So let Katie do most of it. You'll just be there to be the double a couple of times. Katie can be the one acting as my assistant for most of the show. The idea is that no-one knows there's two of you."
I nodded, feeling slightly happier about that. It sounded like I wouldn't really have too much focus on me during the show.
"We still get two salaries though, right?" Demanded Katie.
"Yes of course" answered Naomi quickly. "We'll pay a fair wage for the two of you, but it's probably better if we just have one of you actually on the payroll officially."
Naomi's words suddenly shone a light on things for me. I had felt from the start that Katie and I hadn't been given the full story about what our involvement in the show would entail, but something now seemed obvious to me.
"One of us is going to have to stay completely hidden, aren't we?" I asked. Naomi's eyes met mine, the guilty expression on her face was unmistakeable. "Off stage, as well as on it" I added. Naomi sighed slightly.
"Yes, that'll have to be part of the deal." I opened my mouth to say more, but Naomi beat me to it. "Not completely hidden" she added quickly. "I mean, you can both go out, just not… at the same time." Her eyes drifted downwards on the last words, as she realised how restricting that sounded.
"What, ever?" Asked Katie.
"Well it depends on where you are" added Cook, joining in to the conversation for the first time. "You could both be out, just as long as you weren't together."
"At least until the show opens, that is" said Naomi awkwardly. "Then you'd have to be really careful that you both don't get seen. There'll be loads of media interest then and…"
"Media interest?" Asked Katie. I rolled my eyes, as a familiar sinking feeling descended. I knew fine well that Katie could be quite easily won over by that. Naomi and Cook clearly saw that too, and launched into extensive tales of publicity interviews and such like. Katie's eyes shone with excitement. "Well, just staying out of sight won't be too hard, will it?"
Shit.
That was easy enough for Katie to say, but I knew the truth: it was me that this little clause would have the biggest impact on. Katie always got her way. If we were both wanting to go out at the same time, she would never be the one to sit quietly at home and let me go out.
The conversation carried on a short while longer. Naomi and Cook did their best to sell their proposition to us. Katie was very keen. This was the sort of chance she had been dreaming of, and I could see that she had no intention of letting it go. I had my reservations, but who was I to stand in the way of Katie's dreams? In the end, I knew I didn't really have a choice. As usual, Katie's will would carry through. I had to admit that the salary they were offering us was generous. They had also talked the hotel management into letting us have a room each at the hotel. The thought of no more sleeping in the bath tub was definitely a draw. So we agreed to the deal, and Naomi promised to have a formal contract drawn up soon. Seeing our keenness to move out of the Motel, she offered to help us move out of there the following morning. Katie and I readily agreed.
"Excellent!" Said Naomi, once everything was settled. "We can start on rehearsals next week." Cook nodded his agreement. Katie and I stood up to leave, since the other two had an afternoon show to prepare for. Naomi also stood up and cleared her throat awkwardly.
"So Emily, I can get some tickets for a show tomorrow night, if you fancy it?"
"Yeah, sounds good" I answered with a grin. I had hoped that Naomi would remember her promise for the two of us to see a show together. "We could make a night of it if you like – get a meal somewhere? My treat."
I agreed, trying to suppress a shiver of excitement at the thought of Naomi – now not as straight as I originally thought she was – asking me out for dinner.
The next evening, a light tap on my hotel room door announced the arrival of my date. Then I gave myself a mental check: Naomi hadn't called this a date, I shouldn't let my imagination run away with me. Besides, if Naomi's antics during our previous nights out were anything to go by, she liked to sleep around. I wasn't necessarily looking for some huge commitment, but I wanted something that could last for more than one night. I cast a quick glance at my reflection: I had dressed carefully for the evening, in a strappy, summery dress, with a thin cardigan to cover my shoulders. The cardigan wasn't for when we were outside – the scorching desert heat only relented a little after sun-down. It was for crossing through the hotel casinos, which always felt chilly. I had read in a guide book that oxygen was pumped into the casinos along with the air-conditioning, in order to keep people awake – and gambling. Every care is taken in Vegas to keep people parting with their money. That's why you can never find a clock in the casinos. They don't want their customers keeping track of the time.
I slipped on my shoes, and opened the door. Naomi was there to greet me with a warm smile. I tried not to grin at the obvious way that Naomi's eyes darted appraisingly over my whole figure. She's not the only one who can see when she's being checked out, I though smugly. Speaking of which, I did my best to check her out as unobtrusively as I could. She looked casually beautiful in skinny jeans and a pretty top. Her hair was still straightened, as it was for her shows.
"You look great" said Naomi, her eyes finally meeting mine, after lingering over my curves. "Shall we go?" I agreed, and followed Naomi as she led the way towards the elevators.
A short walk from the hotel later, and Naomi and I walked into The Cathouse Restaurant at The Luxor Hotel. We were shown to our table and sat down on the black leather seats in near darkness. Naomi ordered a bottle of wine then we both peered hopelessly at the menu.
"It's a bit of an odd place" said Naomi apologetically. "But the food really is great."
When the waitress returned with our drinks she offered us the use of a flashlight to see the menu. We ordered, then I settled back in my seat to take in my surroundings. 'Odd' was certainly a word that sprang to mind. Huge chandeliers hung from the ceiling, emitting nothing beyond a pale glow. Electric-blue lights shone from the walls and the ceiling, creating an eerie shimmer to the room. We were seated in a booth of high–backed leather sofas, situated near one wall. Further up the wall, there appeared to be a small room set back from the dining area and covered by a glass wall. As I watched, a light went on inside. It was a small dressing room, and a woman in nothing but bra, knickers and stockings sat there elegantly applying her make-up, seemingly oblivious to the restaurant. I glanced at Naomi, who just shrugged.
"Typical of Vegas, right?" She said. "They have to use sex to sell everything – even the food. This place is designed to look like some sort of European Bordello. Still…" She glanced over to the figure behind the glass, "…It's not a bad view, is it?" I giggled, and started to feel a little more relaxed.
After a really excellent meal, and a bottle of wine between us, Naomi led the way out of The Luxor. We ambled along The Strip, before crossing over to The MGM Hotel. We went inside and made our way to the theatre. Naomi had got tickets for Cirque du Soleil's 'Kà'. She handed over our tickets, and we were soon sat down anticipating the show.
"You can't really come to Vegas without seeing a 'Cirque' show" explained Naomi. "They're such a big spectacle. I thought you'd like this one, because it's about imperial twins. Their land is thrown into war, and they get separated, not knowing if the other is alive or dead. The story is about their struggle to find each other again." She lapsed into silence as the theatre descended into darkness.
The show was breathtaking. They used music, costumes, acrobatics, clowning, and all sorts of things to tell the story. I felt immersed in the action, as the actors moved not just on stage, but amongst the audience as well. The stage itself had been a moving platform, tilting as needed to be a sheer rock face in one scene, or a sandy beach in another.
"What did you think?" Asked Naomi as she led the way out of the theatre.
"That was… wow!" Was the best response I could manage. Naomi laughed at my lack of vocabulary.
Soon we were sat in a bar with a couple of drinks, as we discussed the show.
"You must get inspired by watching stuff like that" I asked.
"Yeah, of course" said Naomi. Her eyes were shining with enthusiasm. "Anything like that inspires me, you know? Shows me what I can do to push things further. Magic's a completely different media, but the magic is just one part of it. The best magic shows use music, drama, comedy, storytelling… basically, all different theatrical techniques to enhance the effect."
I stared at her as she spoke. She had such passion for her subject, that it was infectious. I wanted to find out what had her so captivated by magic. I wanted to see if I could discover that passion for myself, in something that I had previously dismissed as being just for kids.
"So how come there aren't more women in magic?" I asked. Naomi frowned.
"I'm not sure, really. I guess it's got this appearance of being about silly tricks – puzzles, and stuff. It's mainly men that like that kind of stuff – computer games, things like that. But when you scratch the surface of magic, it's so much more than that. The puzzle – the method – isn't really what's important."
"It's not?" I asked. Naomi shook her head firmly.
"No, not really. There'll always be hobbyist magicians, who want to know how it's all done – want to look for more ingenious methods all the time. But for an audience, as long as they don't suspect how it's done, the method doesn't really matter at all. If I fool you with something, it doesn't matter if I've done it with state-of-the–art computer equipment, or a bit of thread and some sticky tape, because you will never see the method." I nodded, trying to follow what she was saying. I could easily picture her having many a long conversation with Cook about things just like this.
"But magic's quite sexist as well, really. I guess that puts a lot of women off" she continued. "For years, women weren't even allowed in magic clubs. And magic's stayed still for a lot of years – it's still pretty sexist really, when you think about it."
"What do you mean?" I asked with a small smile. Naomi grinned back at me, clearly enjoying my interest in her subject.
"Think of almost any big magic illusion that you've seen on TV: you see women sawn in half, you see them split into pieces, you see them put in a box while the magician pierces them with swords. The woman – the assistant – is always on the receiving end of all this violence from the usually male magician."
I snorted with laughter at that. Naomi looked amused at my reaction.
"I'm serious" she argued. "It may not always be obvious, but a lot of magic tricks at least have the vibe that magicians don't like women." I frowned as I thought back over every TV magic special that I'd ever seen. Were they really all like that? Naomi continued. "It was in the 1920's that sawing a woman in half was first performed. It became so popular because it was seen as a statement against the suffragette movement."
"Really?" Naomi nodded fervently.
"Yes. The guy who invented it offered to pay the daughters of Emmeline Pankhurst – leader of the suffrage movement in England – to be his assistants. They were involved in the suffrage movement too. The offer led to a lot of publicity for the illusion."
I chuckled at this quite unexpected piece of information. Naomi suddenly blushed.
"Sorry, I tend to go on a bit too much. You should stop me when I get going like that!"
"Don't be silly" I argued. "It's interesting." We both lapsed into silence for a moment, before Naomi changed the subject.
"So how do you like Vegas so far?" She asked. I thought about that for a moment.
"It's growing on me" I answered. Naomi grinned. "You like it?" She nodded.
"Yeah, I love it. There's always something going on here. It doesn't matter what time it is, you'll always find something to do. And it caters to every budget, whether that's shops, shows, restaurants. It has expensive restaurants with real Picasso's on the wall for the mega rich, it's got $10 buffets for those on a budget, and everything in between, no matter what cuisine you're looking for. People say it's like Blackpool, but that's bullshit. We never do things on this scale in England, it's just so… huge!" She paused, and took a thoughtful sip of her drink. "Did you know that the Sphinx outside the Luxor is actually bigger than the real one in Egypt? Of course the real one isn't made of polystyrene, but…" I laughed at that. I watched as Naomi hastily downed the rest of her drink. I felt a little disappointed at her sudden haste – I didn't really want our evening to end just yet. "Why don't we go on somewhere?" She asked, as though reading my mind. "It seems too early to go back to the hotel yet. We could go on to a club maybe?" I grinned at her and nodded. Right in that moment I felt ready to follow Naomi wherever she wanted to lead.
Ooh, that sounds like one of them at least is a little smitten!
Let me know what you think!
