Romantic Times by Christina Skye

Author:Christina Skye
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: vegas, mobster, romantic times, rt booklovers
Publisher: 13Thirty Books

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Backstage before Opening Night is nerve-wracking. It was nervous-time right after the hotel opened, and it would be butterflies again tonight, as the McGuire Sisters opened for Johnny Carson.

Carson came out and did a noticeably blue joke. “I had a girlfriend in high school who had an angora sweater. We were parked on Lovers’ Lane once. We were there for quite a while,” said Carson, as he adjusted his cuffs, a tic he often incorporated into his act. “When her head came back up, it looked like a chicken had exploded in my lap.”

Louis The Lip laughed nervously from the back of the packed room; he was assessing how this racy material was going over with the crowd, after he had bragged about the wholesome shows at the Excelsior.

Seguing smoothly, Carson went on more innocently, “You know the sound a sheep makes when it explodes?” He looked expectantly around the room; no one responded. “Sis Boom B-a-a-a-h.” He punctuated the sheep sound punchline with the boy-next-door smile that millions would come to know and love during Carson’s years on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, 4,531 episodes that commenced in 1962. Johnny was still “the Great Carson-I” from Iowa and Nebraska in spirit, the little boy who wanted to be a magician when he grew up.

The McGuire Sisters were pros. They were prepared, as always. Phyllis, however, was particularly jittery, because she knew that Sam “Momo” Giancana was there. She liked Sam very much. She also liked Dan Rowan very much, but not in the same way. Phyllis was concerned. The paths of the two men must not cross. She would do everything she could to keep Sam in the dark about any other suitors. She knew intuitively that Sam was territorial and possessive.

Rowan was everything that Giancana was not. He was handsome, six foot two inches with dark wavy hair. Smart. Charming. A war hero. Sam was just stubby little Sam. Phyllis knew that a puppy could turn on its master and rip its throat out if the pup were mistreated. Sam’s puppy-dog-like devotion to her could go south if she misbehaved. She would have to be on her best behavior.

Lately, Phyllis had been misbehaving, most of the time with Dan Rowan. She had personally invited the handsome half of the comedy duo to come see the sisters open for Carson. “Why bother going through our manager?” she said to Dorothy and Christine. “I’ll just pop over to the Sands. Rowan and Martin hang out there. I’ll see if I can deliver the message personally. They’ll be more likely to come if I ask them myself. Maybe I can float the idea of teaming up for a future show.”

Phyllis had been successful in more ways than one. Perhaps a bit too successful for her own future good.

Just then, the very handsome man she was thinking about, knocked on her dressing room door.

“Are you decent?” a pleasant male voice asked.

“As decent as I’m likely to get,” answered Phyllis with a small laugh, letting the questioner make up his own mind.

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