Page 47 of Strip Search

“Hit me.”

“See, you’re getting into the casino frame of mind. The bad news is I couldn’t find the company you were thinking of.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

“But there is a company that works with the Zimmerman office in LA. They’re looking for showgirls for a new show based onTravesty.”

“Travesty?”

“It’s the new video game that all the kids are playing. It’s a cross between Clue, Fortnite, and Dance Revolution.”

“Okay,” I said, trying to picture that in my head and failing.

“They’re auditioning all week at the new hotel casino on the Strip, the Odyssey. It’s a video game-themed casino.”

“Really?” I chewed on my bacon. “Can you get me in?”

“For who? Lisa?”

I froze. I couldn’t very well say that it was for me. “Yeah, Lisa.”

“You found her? How is she? How’s her knee?”

I didn’t like to lie, but I was having a hard time digging myself out of this one. “Yup, she’s been bartending and trying to find herself out here. She was stripping at one of the local clubs.”

“Get the fuck out!” Mags screamed.

That was going to get all over the office. It was cheap, but it was going to keep the interest off of me.

“Yeah, so her knee is doing well. I think she’s out here for the time being so I figured why not see if I could get her a job.” I hated lying to Mags, but it was harmless. No one would have to know I went on the audition myself.

“You’re always working,” Mags said. “All right, let me see if they can fit Lisa in. I’ll call you back.”

I was surprised that my hand was shaking when I drained my coffee in one long sip. This was ridiculous. I wasn’t really going to masquerade as my sister at a dance audition. They would know the minute I walked in that I wasn’t her based on the headshots and résumé Zimmerman would fax over. This was just Las Vegas Jackie poking fun at New York Jackie.

Mags called back immediately. “Can you get Lisa there in the next hour?”

I gulped. “Sh-shit. I mean sure.”

“Good. They’ll be going over the combinations to all the dancers then. It’ll take about an hour. Then they’ll give them a half hour to practice and then they’ll start calling the dancers on stage to audition.”

Oh God.

“What kind of dancing are they looking for?” I was shell-shocked, but my mouth went on autopilot, asking the questions I normally would if I was actually sending Lisa.

“Hip-hop, modern, but don’t be surprised if they ask to see a kick line. It is Vegas after all.”

“What can you tell me about the decision-makers?” I murmured, my mind going a million directions at once.

“The casting director is Simi Pierce. Tell Lisa to wear something formfitting. They’re going to want to see her body. And have her wear shorts. They want to see her legs.”

“How do I get to the audition?” I cleared my throat. I had to get my head on straight.

“Pull around the back of the Odyssey casino into the employees’ lot, and tell the guard you’re there to audition forTravesty. Go into stage door C and tell them you’re with the Zimmerman Agency.”

“Got it,” I whispered.

“Break a leg,” Mags said.

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