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The buxom blonde assistant at the Can-Can Club seemed disinclined to let Amanda have her audition. "I don't think you're what the boss has in mind," she told Amanda.
Amanda knocked half the items off her desk with the whip. The assistant jumped back with a shriek. The door to the manager's office opened, and he poked his head out to see what was happening.
"I'm here for my audition," Amanda told him. Her outfit left no doubt about which position she was applying for. Her black leather bustier bordered on obscene if not nearly illegal. She had on leather spike boots, and she wore a variety of metal and leather attachments.
The assistant tried to intervene. A second later she found herself handcuffed to the filing cabinet. Amanda used a riding crop to poke the manager in the chest. She pushed him back into his office. The assistant jumped in fright when the door slammed, and the lock snapped. She looked at Matt with big eyes.
"Uh, sorry about the cuffs," he mumbled, patting his pockets. "I'm afraid she has the only key."
There was a loud crash from the inner office, and a few seconds later the manager screamed. They could hear the sound of shattering glass, and what sounded like furniture breaking. Matt closed his eyes. Was the manager actually crying in there?
He looked over at the assistant who was now fully attentive. She started laughing. Something hit door with a splintering thud, and there was a cry of pain from the office. The assistant had her head buried in her arms. When she looked up, there were tears of laughter streaming down her face. "Where did you find her?" she asked Matt.
"I'd rather not say," he replied, trying to drown out the sounds of the manager's begging coming clearly through the door. The loud crack of Amanda's whip shut him up.
The office was quiet for a few minutes, so Matt banged on the door. "Amanda, give me that handcuff key." The key slipped under the door and Matt uncuffed the assistant, hoping she wouldn't sue them.
A loud electrical zapping sound had the manager screaming, "Lord, have mercy!"
Amanda must be smashing every breakable item in there, Matt thought with awe. It sounded like all hell broke loose. The tearing fabric sounds had him hoping it wasn't coming from the man's clothing. The assistant doubled over, her peals of laughter mingling with the sounds of terror coming through the office door.
There can't be much left to destroy, Matt thought. Sure enough, it grew quiet, then Amanda slipped out the door, closing it behind her. She fluffed her hair, then shimmied as she straightened the top of her bustier with dignity. With an arch look at the assistant she declared, "He said to tell you I got the job, and he's unavailable for the rest of the day." The assistant rushed to shake Amanda's hand.
"What's your stage name? You deserve top billing, honey! You're way better than our last dominatrix. Look- she doesn't even compare to you." The assistant showed Amanda a photo.
"Uh, huh. It's a good thing for him that I came along," she said nodding at the door. "You can call me Brown Sugar. And the man agreed to let Cowgirl try something new. We're a team act, and she's Sady the Sadist."
Amanda sashayed across the room and said to Matt, "You're worthless as a manager. I had to do all my own negotiating, so don't expect a cut of the profits." She waltzed out the door, leaving Matt and the assistant exchanging glances.
"If you don't hear from him by the end of the day, you might want to consider calling 911," Matt suggested with a nod toward the office door.
"Nah, I think I'll let him suffer. See if Brown Sugar gives lessons," she giggled, turning to grab the ringing phone. She answered in a cheery voice.
***
Sady and Amanda put on a jaw dropping show at the Can-Can Club. Amanda wiped out a table of fresh drinks with her whip, but no one complained, at least to her. Sady was grateful she didn't have a G-string wedged up her butt. Compared with Amanda, Sady's outfit was almost tasteful and modest. Amanda had no such qualms. Her philosophy was, "What's the point of having the goods if you can't advertise them?"
The manager would normally have complained about Sady's cheeky shorts substitution, but he wasn't in a position, or inclined, to complain. Whips, riding crops, chains, collars, gags, blinds, handcuffs, shackles... Amanda went all out in making the show believable. They only took on the willing participants and kept it within legal limits for public performances. Meanwhile, CJ looked at the itemized sales receipt and prayed they wouldn't be audited at tax time.
The other performers didn't mind. Sady and Amanda were bringing in shared tips like weed sales at a 70s rock concert. When it was break time Sady went straight to the photo walls in the dressing room. One photo, at least a decade old, was definitely the woman they were seeking.
Sady used her phone to snap a picture. She asked the other girls about it, but none of them recognized the woman in the photo. Well, at least it was a start. Amanda kept the girls chatting, hoping they wouldn't get suspicious of Sady's interest in the photos.
One more round on stage, and they finished for the night. "Well, that wasn't so bad," Matt said as he flagged down a taxi. Sady narrowed her eyes, but kept her mouth shut. Not so bad for whom, she asked herself.
"Was that bordering on a compliment, Stubbles?" Amanda didn't wait for an answer, but continued, "I guess you get to take us gambling tonight. I'm feeling lucky!"
"Me too," Matt told her. "Except mine is all bad! Why can't you go by yourself?"
"An innocent girl from out of town, all by herself in Sin City? I might get taken advantage of," Amanda replied.
"Only in your dreams," he suggested.
"Tough! I'm the invited guest here, and you're the working boy. Although, you weren't doing much work tonight. Sady and I had to carry the load, therefore, you owe us. Right, Sady?" They entered the hotel suite where CJ and Harry were working.
"Yeah, you run along and have a good time," Sady said with a mean little smile at Matt. "I have work to do. My photo- remember?"
"Well, go make yourself presentable enough to be seen with a lady of my distinction," Amanda told Matt with a shove. "I'm not going to one of the sleazy places. We're going high rolling tonight."
"Are you sure you don't need my help?" Matt asked the Knight's in desperation.
“No, we're good,” CJ assured him, her expression mirroring Sady’s. “You make sure Amanda has a good time for all her hard work.”
"She doesn't need me or a casino for that. Just set her up with an open bar," Matt snapped.
"Uh, uh. We owe the lady," Sady interrupted. "Thanks to her efforts we now have another piece of the puzzle. Man up, Meadows, and get moving."
He wandered off, still grumbling and returned dressed in a tuxedo. Sady took a second admiring look and wished she was going. Even CJ whistled at him. Amanda burst his bubble. "You're no James Bond, but I guess you'll do." Matt glanced at her skeptically but wisely kept his mouth shut. Amanda looked like she was ready for a night of clubbing.
"Don't wait up for us. We'll be late... or early, depending on how you look at it," she said as she hauled Matt out the door. He gave one last frantic look behind him, and Sady gave him a little wave of her fingers, mouthing, "Have fun." His impolite response almost got taken off by the closing door.
***
"How did it go?" Harry asked with a chuckle. "I heard about the audition. I take it the show went better."
"Okay," Sady admitted. "I could get used to those tips. But not from those clubs. I didn't realize how many kinky people are fascinated with the idea of domination," she shuddered. "I won't tell you about the requests we received. Let's just say there's no way they're legal... or sanitary. After tonight I'm letting the other girls keep my tips!"
She showed them the picture she'd taken in the dressing room. "It's not much, but it's a place to start. The girls weren't much help, but they probably wouldn't recognize her now. I'll ask around at the club to see if anyone else knows who she is."
"Not necessary, I hope," CJ gave a genuine smile for the first time in days. "We found the necklace today at a pawnshop. The owner was reluctant to help me out... at first. But I persuaded him it was in his best interests to give me a name. Harry had to step out of the shop for a few minutes while I negotiated with the owner," she said with a cough.
Sady looked at Harry. He rubbed his head like he was in pain. She reached over and patted his arm. "Give it up, Harry. We won't rest until this is over, and you know it. You might as well settle down and enjoy the ride."
"Now you've corrupted Morrow's niece," Harry told CJ.
"Stop being a pessimist," CJ scolded him. "It's a learning experience. Sady is widening her horizons that's all. It's good for her job security. Now, back to the necklace. The name of the woman who pawned it is Dawn Fontana."
"The address she gave was a flophouse, and the manager there swears she hasn't been around in weeks. I have good reason to believe him," she grinned, and Harry looked resigned. "So, while I'd like to say you girls are off the hook, maybe you can come up with more information now that we have a name. We had a friend check with the DMV. The name and photo match, but the address is old."
“You were right about her police record, Sady. The reason we didn't get any hits is because her arrests happened before they computerized the records. She's been flying under the radar for quite a while now.”
They all looked up when the door opened. Matt and Amanda entered, and now they both looked cranky. “Back so soon?” CJ asked. “Did you run out of money?”
Matt snorted. “They invited Amanda to exit the casino.”
Amanda gave Matt a dirty look and said, “I was just reaching for my spare cash. Where do they expect a girl who isn't carrying a purse to stash it?”
“I don't think they care, as long she doesn't retrieve it in public,” he snapped.
“Huh! No one was complaining except you, Stubbles. If you hadn't created a scene I'd be down there rolling in the cash. I guess you owe me a couple hundred bucks for the losses I incurred.” Amanda’s head bobbed side to side as she spoke.
“You're lucky you didn't get arrested!” he protested. “And I wasn't making a scene. I was making sure they didn't think I was a willing participant in your floor show.”
“Don't flatter yourself. You wouldn't have any idea where a woman stashes her goods,” she taunted him.
“Considering your outfit there was no need to guess. I'm surprised it didn't fall out on its own!” He looked at the group sitting at the table and flushed. “You know what I mean.” No one said anything. “I'm going to bed,” he stormed.
They looked at Amanda. “Well, the evening wasn't a complete bust,” she said. “I got to ruffle Stubbles, and that's always fun. Sady, make sure you're quiet when you come in. I need my beauty sleep.” She flounced off to bed, leaving them amused and speechless.