An Evening at the Copa

"Thank you, Sir, here's your ticket," I said politely as I handed the older gentleman the small stub of paper in exchange for his coat.

He very subtly looked up and down my body appraising my curves while handing me his coat. I knew I would have received a much longer, lingering review had his wife not been directly behind him. After the man gave me a very affable smile, his wife looked directly into my eyes and delivered an unmistakable, yet unspoken message of 'Back off, I know your kind' and quickly pulled him away towards the slot machines.

I looked down at my watch, it was almost nine o'clock and my shift was nearly over. I sighed as I hung the man's coat in the designated spot of the large closet and then filed his ticket stub so his coat could easily be retrieved later by the girl who would soon relieve me.

It was a pretty simple job really. I was one of the 'Coat Check Girls' at the Sands Casino in Las Vegas, and trust me, it didn't require much mental ability. It took my boss all of fifteen seconds to explain the job requirements: Give the guest a big flirty smile, get his coat, give him his portion of the ticket stub, and then file our portion of the stub in the Rolodex. A monkey could do my job, but we weren't exactly hired for our intellectual aptitude anyway. My co-workers and I were something pretty to look at when the guests arrived, but the focus was to get them to the casino floor so the Sands Corporation could begin relieving them of their money.

I knew I was destined for greater things, but because I was still in high school, this was a job that I could do after school and on the weekends, that provided extra money that helped my mom support me and my little brother. At first, she was furious when I told her I had lied on the application form saying I was 18. God, she didn't even talk to me for a week! However, when I brought home $11 in tips for just one night's work, she quickly changed her tune.

My boss didn't even look twice at my age on the application form because I had everything he was looking for: I was tall, blonde, big boobs, and I had a pretty smile. As an added bonus, I could hold a coquettish, thirty-second conversation with our guests as I took their coats. That of course, wasn't a job requirement in 1960 Las Vegas, but it did help me get better tips than all of the other girls.

Thank God, Mary is finally here to take over, and she's only five minutes late.

"How are you Doris?" she said, emphasizing every syllable in my name in her usual smug, nasty tone.

Bitch.

"I'm doing wonderful Mary," I purred in a syrupy sweet voice while flashing her my best fake smile, "it's Friday night and the guys are tipping so well sweetie," making a very blatant point of showing her the coins and even some dollar bills in my tip jar. "I know you'll make a lot of money tonight, have a wonderful evening."

She rolled her eyes and gave me another vile look. I tried, probably unsuccessfully, to keep some of the condescension out of my voice as I grabbed my money and garment bag and walked towards the bathroom without giving her a second look. She'll be lucky if she makes a tenth of what I made tonight.

No one likes a bitch.

I proceeded to the bathroom that was just off the coat check area and immediately went into one of the stalls to change out of my simple work uniform and shoes into what I was going to be wearing for the evening. I looked down at my watch, shit. Mary's tardiness had made me late and I didn't have much time.

I opened the garment bag and retrieved my new clothes: A flapper style, short, black sleeveless chiffon cocktail dress. The very sexy little frock had two layers of accordion style pleated chiffons that fell on my upper thighs and the dark black color was the perfect contrast to my long blonde hair. I also purchased a very sexy, red lace, panties and matching bra that would go perfectly with my new dress. I again rummaged through the bag and found my new pair of four inch, beaded ankle cuff, dusty pink, open toe, ankle wrap sandals and expeditiously put them on.

After getting dressed, I stepped out of the bathroom stall and heard the clicking of my heels on the opulent marble floor. Approaching the sink, I quickly checked my look in the mirror. The pins were holding my stylish beehive hairdo up immaculately and I touched up my bright red lipstick that perfectly matched my painted toes and fingernails. No one would have ever guessed I had just completed an eight-hour shift in a stuffy, hot coat room.

My mom thought I was going to my friend Jenny's house to spend the night with her once I finished working. In reality, my plans for the evening were a little different than what I had told her this morning.

Walking past the coat check area, I gave Mary another sweet smile while she took the heavy coat from a man who had just approached her station. I watched as she silently mouthed the word, 'whore' as I walked by.

I gave her another sweet smile and extended my middle finger up to my nose, pretending to scratch a spurious itch. I inwardly smiled upon witnessing the shocked, horrified look on her face after she observed my little finger gesture.

"Doris, you look good enough to eat," exclaimed Jimmy, the evening concierge, as I approached his desk.

"Well, aren't you just full of compliments tonight," I said sexily while handing him my garment bag for safe keeping.

He spoke to me in almost constant sexual innuendoes, but I didn't mind. He was a nice guy who looked out for me and threw me these jobs when he could. Of course, he got his cut, that was just how Las Vegas worked.

"He's in room 1705," Jimmy said, in a hushed tone, making sure no one overheard what he told me.

My eyes widened, "The 17th floor?" My heart suddenly skipping a beat, "You mean in one of the Penthouse Suites?"

"Yeah, I don't know much about him, his people said he wanted someone young and I immediately thought of you. The only other thing they told me was that you needed to ask for Sam."

Jimmy didn't need to say anything else. If he was staying in the Penthouse, then he was a big deal.

"You had better get going, they want you there by 9:30 and that only gives you a couple of minutes," he said while stowing my bag in one of the drawers in his large oak desk.

"Thank you so much for thinking of me Jimmy," I said nervously.

"Relax, you look amazing, and you'll do fine."

I forced the best smile I could and hoped he was right. I turned and proceeded through the casino towards the large bank of elevators. The flashing lights and sounds of the slot machines immediately caught my attention as the gamblers fed them with an almost religious zeal. I could also see and feel the hungry eyes on me as I made my way through the table gaming area. I always received some looks from men in my conservative work uniform. However, this short, little black dress took the lustful gazing and gawking to a whole other level and frankly, I wasn't used to it.

I could hear loud cheers and boos as the gamblers won and lost tens of thousands of dollars playing blackjack, craps, and roulette. The whimsical excitement of people risking their fortunes on games of chance was a very welcome diversion from the nervousness I was feeling.

To be honest, I had only done this three other times before. Through casual conversation, I had told Jimmy a month ago how difficult things were financially for my mother and I. Admittedly, I was aghast when he approached me a couple of days later with his solution to my monetary troubles. Two of the guys he set me up with just wanted to eat dinner and talk with a pretty girl. They were businessmen who were on the road and missed their families and wanted some friendly company to help them deal with the loneliness associated with being so far from home. The other guy wanted much more than just friendly conversation over dinner.

I enjoyed sex and even though I was too busy with work and school to have a steady boyfriend, there were a couple of guys in my high school class that I loved messing around with. This was a very different situation, though. The guys that Jimmy set me up with were much older than me, and being paid too... well, you know. That was still taking some getting used to.

The elevator opened onto the 17th floor and I was almost immediately met by two very large Italian looking men, and even in my heels, they stood a few inches taller than me. They were dressed impeccably in dark pinstriped suits and unlike almost everyone I had passed on the way here; they appeared to be impervious to how I was dressed, or what I looked like.

Were they bodyguards?

"Can I help you Miss?" one of them asked in a calm, even tone.

"Jimmy, the evening concierge sent me. He told me to ask for Sam in room 1705," I said hesitantly, almost of afraid of their impending reaction.

Knowing smiles broke across their faces and for the first time they seemed to notice my appearance and how I was dressed.

"Yeah, of course, follow me," one of the burly guys said, while the other remained at his post outside of the elevator.

They were definitely bodyguards or at least some type of security.

What the hell did Jimmy get me into?

The burly man knocked three times, and then slowly opened the door to the suite and held it for me. Hesitantly, I walked through the door and was immediately met by another large man.

"It's Ok Vinny, she's here to see him," the man standing behind me said just before shutting the door, to presumably return to his post by the elevator.

I couldn't help but feel awed while taking in the views of the massive suite. It had to be twice as large as the small apartment that I shared with my mom and little brother. The suite had a large living room area that had two opulently upholstered brown leather couches with a matching loveseat. Sitting comfortably on the furniture were two other large men who were reading the paper.

While observing the layout of the expansive space, I couldn't help but notice that the men's eyes had been diverted from the periodicals and their subtle yet amorous, attention was now focused on me.

To the left of the living room was a large oak bar with four bar stools. Behind the bar was at least fifty bottles of every type of liquor imaginable. Directly behind the living room area was a kitchen and a large black oak dining room table where a smaller man was sitting in one of the chairs and also reading a newspaper.

"Follow me, Miss," said Vinnie.

Circumspectly, I walked past the two men sitting on the couch while they continued to, not so subtly, sneak glances at me. A few seconds later I was in the back of the suite and standing in front of the large dining room table. The small man lowered his paper and acknowledged my presence.

"You're late doll,' he said, smiling while appraising me from head to toe.

"This is Sam Flood, Miss..." Vinnie said, in a low grumbly tone, until he stopped talking when he realized he didn't know my name.

"I'm Doris and it's nice to meet you, Sam," I said in a smooth, confident inflection that I clearly wasn't feeling.

"Have a seat and Vinny will get you a drink, we still have a couple of minutes before we have to leave."

That immediately made me wonder what was on the agenda for the evening, but I decided to be patient and not ask too many questions.

"I'd love a rum and Coke Vinnie... May I?..." I asked while pointing at the chair beside him.

"Take a load off," he said in a comical, yet somehow ominous tone.

In the seconds that it took to sit down, I made a quick study of Sam. He wasn't a particularly handsome man, but he wasn't necessarily unattractive either. Like the rest of the men in the room, he had olive colored skin reminiscent of Italian ancestry. He had a large nose that seemed to dominate the features of his face and he wore black, horned rimmed glasses that were very much in style this year. He looked to be in his late forties or early fifties and despite the gruff inflection in his voice; he had kind eyes that helped to put me at ease.

After sitting for several seconds, I broke the silence.

"Are you in town on business Sam?"

He was still drinking me in, taking in my form. Notwithstanding, my question startled him slightly and his eyes moved upwards from my breasts until they once again met mine.

"Business and pleasure doll, this is Vegas after all."

I smiled warmly as Vinny placed the drink in front of me. I politely thanked him while Sam continued to inspect me. I took a long sip of my very strong beverage to help settle my nerves. I wasn't sure why, but he struck me as the type of man who did what he wanted and made no apologies for it. That perception had a dual effect that was both frightening and simultaneously arousing because I wasn't used to being in the presence of a man that projected such power.

"And what do you do honey?"

"I work in the casino at night and take college classes during the day."

He looked down at his watch which thankfully ended his questions concerning my background. I had my lie down pretty well about being a college student, but I never liked getting into too many specifics. I reasoned the more detailed of an answer I gave, the greater the risk that my story would fall apart and I'd be discovered for who I really was.

"We had better get going if we are going to make the curtain," he said abruptly.

I quickly finished my drink and stood up with him. The other men in the room immediately began getting themselves ready to leave. In all the excitement, I couldn't help but wonder where he was taking me and what was in store for the rest of the evening.

I walked through the casino on Sam's arm surrounded on all sides by what I was now certain to be his bodyguards. All eyes on the casino floor were now on us and we had to be an intriguing site: A tall, provocatively dressed, young, blonde girl on the arm of a shorter, older Italian man surrounded by five hulking behemoths. The only way we would have drawn more attention to ourselves is if we would have been naked and our hair on fire. I quickly put the embarrassing scene out of my head once I discovered our destination.

Oh My God! We were going to the Copa Room!

The Copa Room at the Sands was the center of the entertainment universe in Las Vegas. All of the prominent movie stars and politicians lined up to get tickets to the Copa to see all of the trendy musical acts and comedians.

I had wanted to go see the entertainers who performed at the Copa for years, but of course, I was too young. Additionally, tickets were incredibly expensive and very difficult to come by. It was almost impossible for the average person to acquire them, even if you could afford them.

Once I realized where Sam was taking me, I was ecstatic and found it almost impossible to contain my excitement. Not only was I going to the Copa, which was something that I had all but given up on, but I was going to get to see Frank Sinatra and the rest of the 'Rat Pack' perform.

Everyone in town knew from reading the various stories in the 'Review Journal' that Frank Sinatra and his friends were in town shooting some movie about eleven friends who were going to rob some Las Vegas casinos. The fact that I was going to be able to watch them perform tonight was like some sort of dream come true and it took several minutes for me to settle myself down from the excitement.

As we approached the box office, I could see from quite a long distance that a very long line that had formed. I securely clung to Sam's arm as I watched people present their tickets to the doormen and others who were trying unsuccessfully to purchase them.

We had only waited a couple of seconds when a man in a very stylish dark suit approached us. I knew that he was one of the executives of the Sands Corporation because I had seen him on the casino floor while I was working, but I didn't know his name. Thankfully, he didn't recognize me.

"Mr. Giancana, we're delighted that you could join us this evening. Would you and your party please follow me."

Giancana? Sam Giancana? Where have I heard that name before?

I quickly pushed that thought out of my mind as we followed the Sands executive up the stairs and into the main foyer. Sam pulled me possessively close to him while I tried to take in my surroundings. The foyer had large beautiful crystal chandeliers and very intricate crown moldings and on the walls were large marquee signs announcing acts that would be performing in the upcoming months.

Our party was met almost immediately by an usher in a dark black tuxedo.

"He's a VIP," the executive said in a voice barely above a whisper.

The usher nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"If you'll please follow me, Sir."

Vinnie and the rest of the entourage remained in the foyer while the usher led Sam and I into the massive Copa Room. My jaw dropped open as I took in the enormous space. There were rows and rows of tables and I knew from newspaper articles that the massive showroom could seat nearly four hundred people. The walls were painted a very stylish color of lime green and were broken up by large wood columns.

People were beginning to file in and the room was very quickly starting to fill up, as our usher led us down to a table that was front row, center stage. Sam pulled my chair out for me so I took my seat and then he moved his seat right next to mine.

Almost immediately, we were met by a pretty cocktail server who asked Sam for our drink order.

"The lady will have a rum and Coke and I'll take a dirty martini," he said nonchalantly, dismissing her with without even really looking at her.

I smiled politely at him after feeling his arm wrap securely around me and pulling me to him, eliminating the space between us.

I gently rubbed his knee, "Thank you so much for bringing me here tonight Sam," I said appreciatively.

He gave me an apprehensive look and I could feel myself inwardly start to tense up.

Shit. I need to act like I've been in the Copa Room dozens of times, not like some star-struck high school student.

"So, just what is it that you do here?" he said, in a suspicious, uneasy tone.

"I'm a cocktail server in the high rollers area," I deadpanned back in a confident, dismissive inflection that I clearly wasn't feeling inside. "The next time I see you there gambling, you had better remember to tip me good," I said with a playful, sensual, flirty smirk.

His solemn face split into a wide grin.

"For you doll, I'd burn down the fuckin' joint."

God, that was too close.

It was approaching ten o'clock and the seats were rapidly filling. Two tables to the left of us was Ann-Margaret who was accompanied by a handsome young man that I didn't recognize.

Sitting right next to Sam at the table to our left was Angie Dickinson who must have been on a girls nights out because she was sitting with three of her friends. I read that she was also going to be in the casino heist movie that the Rat Pack was currently filming. I found it difficult to contain my excitement being in the midst of such Hollywood royalty, but I tried to keep my cool because of Sam.

The lights dimmed and the curtain began to rise. Sam pulled me closer, leaned in and whispered into my ear.

"You'll love this honey, the ten o'clock show is funnier and much more risqué than the eight o'clock dinner show."

The next hour and a half flew by in what felt like a matter of minutes. Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin's fresh, hip crooning instantly enthralled everyone in the audience. Then, there was double threat Sammy Davis Jr. whose amazing singing and dancing was a true joy to behold. The guys masterfully played off the orchestra and each other perfectly and the songs were broken up by Joey Bishop's wonderful comedy routine, while the guys gently ribbed each other and interacted brilliantly with the audience. It was truly the most amazing performance I had ever witnessed.