Firstly, I need to set the record straight about a mistake that I have since realised that I made in chapter six. Although P.T. Selbit (the man largely credited with inventing 'sawing a woman in half') did publicly offer a weekly wage to Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst to be sawn in half, they did not actually accept his offer. In many ways, I feel better thinking that they had sense enough to not get involved with it! My point still remains the same though. The resulting publicity from the offer firmly cemented the illusion in audiences minds as an attack against those 'troublesome' women of the suffrage movement.

I apologise for the error - I know people are enjoying the bits of history etc that I'm putting in this story. I'll try to keep them as acurate as possible, but of course when it comes to history, sources can be wrong, misleading, misinterpreted etc. I may go back and correct the chapter, for the sake of accuracy.

By the way, the chapter title is '#1 Crush', (ie 'number one crush') named after the Garbage song, but FFN dropped the '#' when I uploaded it!

But on with this chapter! And I hope you enjoy it.

Myrtle


Chapter Eight: #1 Crush

Emily

Another week soon went by, and when Monday morning arrived, it was time for us all to start working on the new show. I waited until Katie texted me to say that she was in the theatre, before heading down there myself. It was another precaution that Naomi had insisted on so that we didn't get seen together while moving through the hotel. Everyone else was already assembled when I arrived. It was my first time in the larger theatre. I felt suddenly quite daunted by the size of the stage, and the amount of seats all facing towards it. Seeing that we were all together, Naomi led the way through to the backstage rehearsal area.

"So" she began with enthusiasm once we were all seated. "The first thing we need to do is to plan how the show all fits together. We have a lot of different elements, but they need to come together as a whole."

Soon we were all in deep discussion about the show. Cook and Naomi had worked out most of the tricks that would go into the show, but their ideas on how to present it, and how it would all fit together were still rather vague. As before, they were both keen to listen to any ideas either Katie or I put forward.

"I've been thinking" said Katie after a while. "You need to start off with something really big, you know? Something spectacular. Like, make an elephant appear or something."

Naomi chuckled.

"Katie, you do realise that magic's not real, right?" Her default setting of sarcasm was firmly in place. "We can't just make an elephant appear. We actually need to HAVE an elephant, in order to do that!"

Katie rolled her eyes and tutted at Naomi's tone.

"I know that! Can't you get one?"

Naomi stared at her incredulous.

"Yeah, maybe we can catch one, eh Cook? Everyone knows that elephants are native to the Nevada desert!" Katie bristled at Naomi's derision. Signs were beginning to show that tempers were getting short. Our progress throughout the morning had been slow, and Naomi seemed to be getting a little tetchy.

"I meant from a zoo or something" said Katie sulkily. "Well if not an elephant, then a lion or a tiger maybe. The Mirage hotel has some white ones. They would look great in a magic show. Can't you borrow them?"

Naomi let out a hollow laugh.

"Yeah, the white would contrast so beautifully with my blood, as they mauled me to death." She threw her hands up in a defeated gesture.

"You've heard of Siegfried and Roy, right?" Pitched in Cook. Katie and I both nodded. "Those white tigers are theirs. They used to produce them in their show, until one of them mauled Roy, live on stage a few years back."

Katie and I stared in awed silence at him. I remembered hearing something about it on the news a while back.

"It killed him?" Asked Katie.

"Nah, he's still alive, but it left him in pretty bad shape" answered Cook.

"No live animals" said Naomi firmly. "Definitely nothing that's wild and lethal. There's a reason they say 'never work with children or animals'. Both are unpredictable."

"Well making a rabbit appear is hardly the effect I was thinking of" said Katie with a shrug. Naomi shook her head.

"At least a rabbit can't kill you if it's in a temper, but they're still unpredictable. I used to make one appear at the end of my kids show - I would show a box empty, then a rabbit appeared in it. One day, it had diarrhoea." She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the memory. "I didn't even realise 'til I'd lifted it out. It took me ages to clean out the box afterwards - I'll never know how one little rabbit can create so much shit."

We all chuckled at the image, and some of the tension seemed to lift.

"We need a break" announced Cook, getting to his feet. "I'll go get us some coffees."

"I'll give you a hand" said Katie, following Cook as he made his way out of the theatre.

An awkward silence fell as Naomi and I were left alone. She picked up her notebook that she had been scribbling in all morning, and poured over it. I watched her as her eyes darted over the page. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but a few loose strands fell across her face. She bit her bottom lip absently. I suppressed a sigh as I watched her. I was pretty confused by Naomi's mixed signals. Our night out together had been really great. She had really started to relax around me, particularly in the club. But just as I was wondering where things might be heading between us, she started trying to set me up with another girl. That had really thrown me. So I danced with Chloe, just like Naomi suggested. But since Naomi had pushed me towards Chloe, how come I kept getting the distinct feeling that she was jealous about her? In the taxi, and the next day at the pool she had sounded almost surly when she mentioned her. And I am positive that Naomi checked me out when I stripped down to my bikini. Not to mention the definite... something between us as we said goodnight to each other after the club. It was all very contradictory. She is one frustrating woman.

Unlike Chloe. Chloe is bubbly, fun and not afraid to show that she's interested in me. I had spent time with her on a couple of occasions since meeting her. I had fun with her, but I knew that things weren't going to go very far between us. For a start, she didn't live in Las Vegas. She told me that she lived in L.A., but often made the short flight to Vegas for her work. She left for home on Sunday, but had promised to call me the next time she was in town. I must admit, I had breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that I wasn't likely to bump into her around every corner. That could have caused some awkward questions from Katie's direction. I already felt uncomfortable enough, having Chloe thinking that my name is Katie. When we first met up, I kept looking over my shoulder in a panic whenever she called me that, as though I expected my sister to be fuming her way towards us. It had taken me nearly half an hour to settle down and get used to it. But since Chloe is obviously interested in me - unlike a certain blonde I could mention, who seemed intent on staying aloof - I saw no harm in having a good time with her. I was just going to have to forget about having any feelings beyond friendship for Naomi.

As Cook and Katie strolled back into the room with some coffees, I realised that Naomi and I had sat in silence throughout their whole absence.

"I forgot to mention" began Cook as he sat back down. "I've got to go back to England for a bit." Naomi looked up at him sharply.

"What? When?"

Cook shrugged, unconcerned.

"End of the week. There's some papers to sign, and I need to show some I.D. before I can get my dosh. I won't be gone long." At the mention of money, Katie's interest was caught. She looked questioningly at Cook. A broad grin spread across his face. "I'm a wealthy man, now!" He explained. "I came into some money when my mum died." He waved away our condolences before we could properly form them into a sentence. "Nah, don't worry about it, I'm not cut up over her death. It's the nicest thing she's ever done for me."

Katie and I exchanged a stricken look over Cook's offhand manner.

"Cook's mother was Ruth Byatt" added Naomi, providing us with all the missing information in those last two words. Cook nodded serenely.

"So, you're the missing heir?" Asked Katie. Naomi and Cook looked askance at her. "It was all over the news" Katie explained. "She left everything to her son, but no-one had seen him for years. The lawyers have been trying to track you down for ages!"

Cook spread his arms wide in an open gesture.

"That's me. I guess that part of the news didn't reach the States."

"So how much money was there?" Asked Katie. I spotted an eye-roll from Naomi at her words, but I didn't say anything. I knew Katie wasn't as money-mad as she sometimes appeared, but Naomi had obviously already made up her mind about that.

"Enough for us all to have a BIG night out, my treat!" Announced Cook. Katie beamed at him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Asked Naomi with an exaggerated sigh. "The twins can't go out together!"

Cook leapt dramatically to his feet.

"One last time can't hurt!" He declared. Naomi shook her head forcefully. "The show's three months away yet!" Cook persisted. "We'll shove a wig on one of them." Katie picked up on the suggestion immediately.

"Yeah, I could wear a wig!"

Naomi rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"No, that'll draw just as much attention!"

She was fighting a losing battle. Katie and Cook were so determined for us all to have one final night out together, that they kept wearing away at her until she eventually agreed.

"For fuck's sake, Okay!" She said at last. "Katie, wear a wig. I'll have a word with Panda to sort it out properly. But nothing too conspicuous!"

Katie was no longer listening. As soon as Naomi had agreed, Cook and Katie launched into a babble of chatter, both talking at once, about where exactly our night was going to take us. I glanced across at Naomi and caught her eye. We shared a knowing smile over the other two's excitement, our first real contact of the day with each other. Then the moment was gone as Naomi's business-like attitude descended once more.

"Well if you're swanning off home soon, don't you think we should get on with the show?" She asked pointedly. Katie and Cook both fell silent, before regaining their chairs and attempting to look ready for work.

"Who'll be the bear?" Asked Katie suddenly. Three sets of eyes stared confusedly at her. "In the show!" She added. "If Cook's gone for a few days, who's gonna be the bear that appears in the show?"

"It's not exactly highly trained work" said Naomi with a wry smile. "No offence to Cook, but it's just someone dicking about in a bear suit. I'll get one of the stage hands to fill in."

Cook clutched his heart in mock indignation.

"Am I so easily replaced?" He asked in a wounded tone. Naomi chuckled at him. "No, you twat. Just the bit in the bear costume."

"How come you're not in the show more?" I asked Cook. It was something that I had been wondering about for a while, and this seemed like as good a moment as any to ask. Naomi and Cook referred to themselves as partners, yet their existing show had only Naomi's name officially attached.

"'Cause I'm not swanky enough" said Cook with a shrug. "I'm too rough around the edges to be taken seriously, but Naomi here has the polish. She can talk proper, and stuff." There was no rancour behind his words, just a clear stating of how he saw things. I chuckled at his description of himself, but I could see the wisdom of what he had said. Cook was a very talented magician, but he lacked a certain finesse that was expected of stage performers in Vegas.

"But we could use that 'rough around the edges' persona somehow, in the new show" I stated, as an idea occurred to me. Naomi leaned forward, giving me her full attention. I had seen Cook using his skills before the show to warm up the crowd. His natural charm quickly won people over. I felt sure that could be useful. "You could get someone on stage, and pick their pockets - but let the audience see what you're doing."

"Yeah, I get it" said Naomi, giving me a warm smile. It sent a slight shiver down my spine. "Get some posh guy on stage and nick all his stuff - chuck it to Katie or something, so that the audience can see. The audience are laughing, but the guy on stage can't see why."

Cook bellowed with alacritous laughter.

"Emilo, that's a fucking ace idea!"

"You have to give the stuff back" added Naomi with a smirk.


Ready for our night out, I headed back to the theatre to meet the others. Katie had gone down earlier to meet Panda, so that they could pick out a wig together. As Panda was also free tonight, Cook had invited her too. I walked into the theatre and came to an abrupt halt as I took in Katie's appearance.

"Well, what do you think?" Asked Katie as I gaped at her. I wasn't sure what to say. I felt certain that this wasn't exactly what Naomi had in mind. Before I had a chance to gather my thoughts, a wolf-whistle behind me announced Cook's arrival.

"What the actual fuck!" Announced Naomi's. I chanced a peek at her. She looked stunned at the sight of Katie, dressed in her usual bordering-on-slutty clothes, but now also sporting a bottle-blonde beehive hairdo. It was gigantic - an eagle could quite happily have nested in it. Katie struck an elaborate pose.

"What do you think?" She asked again, clearly very pleased with herself. "I saw this one and just had to wear it!"

"Jesus Fucking Christ, Katie! I said inconspicuous!" Huffed Naomi. "That hairdo's bigger than you!"

Katie just shrugged, unconcerned.

"I don't DO inconspicuous" she said with authority. Naomi looked set to argue further, but Katie wasn't prepared to listen. She marched up to Cook and held her arm out to link with his. "Shall we?" She asked, with a last look around at the rest of us. Naomi shook her head in exasperation, but followed out after Katie and Cook, mumbling her complaints to Panda instead.

As we all walked along The Strip, Cook was in his element. Just him and four women together perfectly suited his ego. I felt sure that he thought of us as his harem. He walked in the centre of our group, one arm around Katie's shoulders and one arm around Panda's shoulders, having already been shrugged off by Naomi. He led the way towards what he declared to be the best steak-house in Vegas.

"Now listen up, ladies. You're money's no good here, alright? Everything is on the Cookie Monster tonight - food, booze, prostitutes. Whatever you want."

"Thanks Cookie!" Said Panda. "But you can have my prostitute if you like - I'm not bothered."

Cook was true to his word. We had a great meal, along with plenty of wine - or in Cook's case, beer - all paid for by him. Then he took us on to a nightclub, again insisting that any drinks were on him. Since he hadn't got a hold of his inheritance yet, I assumed he must be dipping into his own savings for the night. There was no arguing with him though - if he saw one of us heading towards the bar, he followed quickly after and insisted on picking up the tab.

Since this was his night, he had tried his hardest to persuade us to go to a strip club, but the suggestion had been shot down in flames.

"There's no way I'm having some skanky slut waving her arse in my face!" Katie had insisted. Cook turned his pleas to Naomi, Panda and myself in turn, but to no avail, so we headed to a more regular night spot instead. Once again, I saw that Cook and Naomi seemed to know every doorman in town. We never had to queue to get in anywhere. They must have made it their business to get to know a lot of people in Vegas. I remarked on it to Naomi, as the two of us sank into seats in a comparatively quiet part of the nightclub. Cook, Panda and Katie had headed straight for the dance floor, but since Naomi didn't seem keen for dancing, I decided to keep her company for a while.

"That's how Vegas works" she answered. "It's all about who you know. We've spent loads of time getting to know the right people since we got here. The sort of people that might recommend our show to the tourists." She shrugged casually. "It may sound a bit mercenary, but there's no harm in being nice to people, is there?" I nodded my agreement. Naomi and Cook could certainly be charming when they wanted to be, but it always felt sincere.

I glanced across the dance floor and chuckled at the sight of Katie dancing her heart out. Her eyes constantly darted across the faces of the men nearby, watching for any sign that she had their interest. Seriously, I don't think my sister knows the meaning of the word 'inconspicuous'. Naomi had given up trying to persuade Katie not to draw a crowd. Just as well, really. Saying that to Katie was like telling Jordan to stay away from the press. Eventually realising that I was watching her, Katie beckoned me over to join her. At first I resisted, preferring to remain near Naomi. But Katie was not to be denied, and soon marched over to make her entreaties face to face.

"Go ahead" said Naomi, with a wave of her hand. I felt a little hurt by her offhand indifference to me, so I followed Katie back onto the dance floor.

We strutted our stuff for quite some time. Panda was dancing too, but her movements were way too erratic to allow anyone very close to her. Cook spent some time jumping wildly up and down alongside us, before going off on his usual pursuit of - as he so elegantly informed us - a fanny-forage. Naomi resolutely ignored our requests to join us. Some time later, I spotted her entangled in a passionate clinch with some random girl. I told myself that I didn't give a flying fuck what she did with who, and turned back towards Katie.

But some time later, I found myself seeking out that familiar blonde hair. I had lost track of Naomi's movements, and anxiously wanted to know where she was. Just to make sure she's okay, I kidded myself. But a search of the club didn't produce any information, and the unhappy realisation that she had probably left with the random girl began to take root. By that time, I was too drunk to deny that the burning sensation in the pit of my stomach was jealousy. I hated the idea of Naomi spending the night with some slut. Suddenly, I was sick of the sight of the club, of Katie, and everything else. I just wanted to go back to my room by myself and mope. There was no more denying it - I had a huge crush on Naomi.


I am also currently working on a little one-shot smutty follow up to Best Served Cold. Watch out for that coming soon, probably next week. And since there's nothing even vaguely resembling a plot to it, I think I'd better give it an 'M' rating!

Oh, and the rabbit anecdote? That happened to me last December. Not an experience that I would like to repeat any time soon!

Anyway, let me know what you think!