Goddess of Vengeance - Jackie Collins [74]
It wasn’t long before she landed a job at Caesars Palace, dancing in the chorus of a big flashy show. Dancing, and sometimes showing her breasts while attired in a fantastic showgirl costume of sequins and feathers. Her breasts were real and quite something. A 36C with rosebud nipples. Men lusted after her perfect breasts.
Peggy was no virgin. She’d been having sex with boys since she was thirteen. She knew what men wanted, and she was prepared to let them beg for it.
She met Joe Piscarelli at a party. Twelve years older than her and dashingly handsome in a gangster kind of way, girls swooned over Joe. But not Peggy. She played hard to get until he was begging her to move in with him. Eventually she did so, and it was blissful for a while, until she discovered that Joe possessed a vile temper which sometimes exploded into violent rage, and when that happened Peggy ran away to stay with one of her girlfriends.
It was on just such an occasion that she’d encountered Gino Santangelo. Gino was an older man, but he was full of charisma and powerful vibes. Everyone knew Gino in Vegas, he was kind of a legend. And quite a ladies’ man.
Peggy slept with him. Once. It was a night to remember.
The next day she was back in Joe’s bed. And two weeks after that she was on her way to Akramshar with the King.
But Peggy had never forgotten her one night of lust with Gino Santangelo. And seeing him again all these years later – even though he was now an old man – she couldn’t stop remembering their night of unbridled passion.
It was a memory she cherished.
* * *
Satisfied with his image, Armand added solid gold cufflinks, an onyx and diamond masculine-style bracelet, and on his other wrist a two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar diamond-encrusted watch.
At last he was ready for his meeting. A meeting that would change his life. He was sick of New York, the clubs, the women, the social events. He needed change.
Vegas had so much to offer, it was his kind of town.
And soon he would own it.
Chapter Twenty-Six
‘I’m starving,’ Max whined to Bobby as he exited the bath-room on the plane.
She knew she sounded needy, but she simply couldn’t help herself: she had a strong urge to take her frustration out on someone.
‘How can you be hungry?’ Bobby questioned, eager to get back to Denver. ‘There’s a whole buffet laid out.’
‘I feel like a hamburger,’ Max insisted. ‘Can we go to the Hard Rock when we land?’
‘Sorry, kiddo,’ Bobby said. ‘I’m busy. Gino’s in town, call him when we get there, he’ll take you.’
‘Oh,’ she said scornfully. ‘I really want to go get a burger with my grandfather.’
‘Might I remind you, your grandfather is one of the greatest men you’ll ever come across,’ Bobby said, frowning. ‘He practically invented Vegas, so you should try listening to his stories sometime; maybe you’d learn something.’
‘Why are you being so mean to me?’ Max asked, her eyes filling with tears.
‘Who’s being mean? Not me.’
‘Yes, you are,’ she said fiercely. ‘You’re like ignoring me.’
Bobby shook his head in exasperation. ‘What’s up with you today? How come you’re acting like a spoiled little kid?’
‘I am so not,’ she said crossly. ‘It’s you and whatshername.’
‘Her name is Denver,’ Bobby said sternly. ‘And you might try being a bit nicer to her.’
‘Why’s that?’ Max demanded, narrowing her eyes. ‘Are you planning on marrying her or something?’
As soon as she said it, she wished she hadn’t. The last person she wanted to alienate was Bobby. She was hoping he’d forget what she’d just said, hug her and act all big brotherly. Why couldn’t he do that?
Instead he threw her a hard-ass look and returned to his seat, whereupon Gitta made the announcement that they would be landing in fifteen minutes, and everyone should please buckle up.
Max slunk back to her seat, her mind racing. What was Billy doing? Was he out and about shagging some other unsuspecting female simply because he could?
Being a movie star meant getting laid anytime you wanted. And she should’ve known that. Coming