5
A BACK ROOM AT THE EMPEROR CASINO. DEBBIE IS IN LINE WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER WAITRESSES, ALL SIMILARLY DRESSED. AN OLDER WOMAN IS ADDRESSING THEM.
WOMAN – So we’re short a hostess for tomorrow night. Would any of you girls like to step in?
DEBBIE (WHISPERING TO THE GIRL ALONGSIDE SIDE HER) – What’s a hostess do?
NEIGHBOURING GIRL (WHISPERING BACK) – The idea is you go from table to table. The house identifies the punters that are betting big. You flirt with them; get them to hang around for longer, spend more. It’s better money, and you get out of uniform into a nice dress, but the men treat you like meat. I think some of the girls run some extras for them too, outside of the club, if you know what I mean. Seriously, you don’t wanna do it.
DEBBIE PUTS UP HER HAND TO VOLUNTEER.
-
THAT NIGHT, IN THE MAIN ROOM OF THE CASINO. DEBBIE IS WALKING AMONGST THE GAMING TABLES. SHE IS WEARING A FULL LENGTH RED SATIN GOWN. IT HAS A COWL NECK WITH A TIGHTLY FITTED BODICE, CREATED BY A LATTICE OF BROAD RIBBONS WHICH CRISS CROSS HER OTHERWISE BARE BACK AND ARE TIED IN A BOW AT THE TOP OF THE FLARED SKIRT. SHE WEARS A SMALL EARPIECE HIDDEN BELOW HER HAIR, WHICH SHE WEARS LONG, FALLING ASYMMETRICALLY IN FINGER CURLS OVER ONE SHOULDER. SHE SPIES FRANKIE DI LUCA, THE MAFIA DRUG DEALER, ON ONE OF THE TABLES AND MAKES HER WAY OVER TO SIT AT A VACANT STOOL NEXT TO HIM. EN ROUTE SHE GESTURES TOWARDS A CCTV MONITOR TO INDICATE THAT HER EARPIECE ISNT WORKING. SHE NODS AT THE CROUPIER TO DEAL HER IN AND STUDIOUSLY IGNORES FRANKIE, WAITING FOR HIM TO SPEAK FIRST.
FRANKIE (GESTURING TO ONE OF THE WAITRESSES) – Can I get another scotch here? – HE NODS TOWARDS DEBBIE – Maybe something for the lady?
DEBBIE (SMILING) – Thank you. White wine.
FRANKIE – I haven’t seen you in here before. You one of the hostesses here?
DEBBIE – Uh huh.
FRANKIE – So you’re trying to get me to spend all my cash here huh?
DEBBIE – No, that is, I mean…I get tired of smooching up to all the creepy old guys in here who spend all the money. I saw the seat next to you was free and though it would make a change to talk to someone that, well, was a little closer to my age…
FRANKIE (GRINNING) – That’s ok, baby. The names Frankie, by the way…
DEBBIE – Debbie – SHE HOLDS OUT HER HAND, WHICH FRANKIE TAKES, AND KISSES.
A CASINO SECURITY MAN ARRIVES AND SAYS SOMETHING TO DEBBIE. SHE SHAKES HER HEAD, AND HE TAKES HER HAND, TRYING TO MAKE HER LEAVE HER SEAT. FRANKIE INTERVENES.
FRANKIE (TO THE SECURITY GUARD) – Hey, listen, fella. You tell your boss Chenghao that she’s with Frankie, and that if he doesn’t want to upset the arrangement we have, she’ll stay with Frankie.
THE SECURITY GUARD LEAVES.
FRANKIE (SMILING SMUGLY AT DEBBIE) – You know, I’m kinda getting sick of this place for the night. Whaddya say you and I go someplace else?
-
A SEEDY BAR IN DOWNTOWN LA, IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE FOLLOWING MORNING. DEBBIE IS SITTING ALONE AT A BOOTH, FACING THE DOOR, LOOKING ANXIOUS. SHE IS STILL WEARING HER RED HOSTESS DRESS. MARK WALKS INTO THE BAR AND SITS OPPOSITE DEBBIE.
MARK – You OK? I was worried, you calling this late at night.
DEBBIE – Yeah. Though you took your time getting here. I’ve been fighting off those creeps for the last hour. SHE NODS TOWARDS A GROUP OF MEN STOOD AT THE BAR, LOOKING BACK TOWARDS HER AND MARK. SHE LOWERS HER VOICE. Listen. I didn’t think this should wait ‘til morning. I met Frankie Di Luca tonight at the casino. Got him to take me out for dinner. SHE SMILES.
MARK – Okayyyy…. Go on.
DEBBIE – He left his phone on the table when he went to the john. I managed to get a look through his texts. Took some photographs. Whaddya think?
SHE HANDS MARK HER PHONE. HE STUDIES IT FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN LOOKS BACK UP, ANIMATEDLY.
MARK – Looks to me like he’s arranging a delivery at the casino for tomorrow night.
DEBBIE – Yeah, that’s what I thought.
MARK WHISTLES QUIETLY THROUGH HIS TEETH – This is great work, Debs. Let me think. I can cover the casino tomorrow – get some evidence of the goods arriving. Can you keep an eye on Frankie?
DEBBIE – That’s easy. SHE GRINS – I’m having dinner with him again tomorrow.
MARK LOOKS AT HER ASKANCE.
DEBBIE (ROLLING HER EYES UPWARDS) – Well, nobody else around here is offering are they? SHE GRINS AGAIN
MARK – Seriously, you need to be careful, Debbie. Here, take this. HE LOOKS AROUND BEFORE PASSING ACROSS A SMALL .22 PISTOL. DEBBIE PUTS IT IN HER CLUTCH.
MARK – C’mon. I’ll give you a lift home.
DEBBIE GETS UP FROM THE BOOTH AND WALKS TOWARDS THE DOOR, MARK FOLLOWING.
MARK (SUDDENLY) Wait!
DEBBIE SPINS AROUND, CONCERNED – What?
MARK (GRINNING) Oh, you know….just wanted to say. That dress. Looks good on you.
DEBBIE STARES AT MARK, EYES NARROWED, WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING AND THEN TURNS BACK AROUND AND SMILES TO HERSELF QUIETLY AS THEY LEAVE THE BAR.
-
“And cut!”
At the call from our director I turned back around again and waited a moment until Ryan caught me up. He looked at me questioningly.
“What?”
“That wasn’t in the script was it?”
“What wasn’t?” he tried to look innocent.
“That last line about the dress.”
He smiled and shrugged, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
-
THE FOLLOWING EVENING. AN UPMARKET COCKTAIL BAR IN CENTRAL LA. WELL DRESSED COUPLES TALK QUIETLY, SOME DANCING TO A SMOOTH JAZZ TRIO PLAYING IN THE CORNER OF THE BAR. FRANKIE IS SITTING AT A TABLE FOR TWO, DRINKING COFFEE AFTER A MEAL. DEBBIE RETURNS TO THE TABLE HAVING FRESHENED UP. SHE IS WEARING TOWERING HEELS AND A SHORT, STRAPLESS, BODYCON DRESS IN A VIVID GREEN AND RED JUNGLE PRINT WHICH MATCHES HER GLOSSY NAILS AND LIPS. HER HAIR HAS BEEN SET IN AN ELABORATE UPDO. THE CAMERA TRACKS HER AS SHE WALKS BACK TO FRANKIE. SHE SITS, AND GLANCES ANXIOUSLY AT HER PHONE. FRANKIE LOOKS AT HER, A COLD SMILE FORMING ON HIS LIPS.
FRANKIE – He’s not going to call, you know.
DEBBIE (ALARMED) – Who isn’t?
FRANKIE – Your boss. Mark Ryman. That’s who you’re with, isn’t it?
DEBBIE MAKES A START TO LEAVE THE TABLE, BUT FRANKIE GRABS HER HAND AND PULLS HER BACK INTO HER SEAT. WITH HIS OTHER HAND, HE REACHES UNDER THE TABLE. DEBBIE FLINCHES.
FRANKIE – In case you’re wondering, that’s a 45 on your thigh. Shame, I thought I might have been caressing it with something else later tonight…
DEBBIE MOVES TO TRY TO SLAP HIM, BUT AGAIN HE CATCHES HER HAND.
FRANKIE – Don’t try anything stupid, bitch.
DEBBIE – What have you done with Mark?
FRANKIE – He’s been taken care of. As will you, in due course. Now come with me and don’t make a scene, or you’ll find yourself with a bullet in your back.
Comments
Pretty exciting
Like all story-in-a-story writing, it gets hard to keep everything straight. And it is especially hard when only seeing a chapter at a time. I had to go back and reread the previous chapter to get back into the storyline. I like how you have used the italicized capitalized bits to help identify the "movie" parts as different from the "real life" part.
>>> Kay
Thanks for commenting Kay.
Thanks for commenting Kay.
Yes, it’s tricky to keep the distinction between “movie” and “real life” clear and easy to follow, even more so when the lead character can at different times be known as Dave, Sue, Paul or Debbie!
Glad the caps and italics help.
Sue
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