CASINO SHUFFLE by J. Fields Jr.

up onto the barstool I’ll buff the shine back into your shoes.”
    “Antonio?”
    “Yes, Max.”
    “I have a request.   Sort of a favor.”
    Antonio ran the chamois over the toe of the shoe.   “Of course, Max.   Anything that you require, you only have to ask.”
    “Really?   Thanks Antonio.”
    “Your other shoe, please.”
    “I’m not sure you can even do it.”
    “I would prefer to do both shoes.”
    “The favor, I mean.”
    “Ah.”
    “Should I still ask?”
    “That would be advisable, so that I might assess the difficulty.”
    “Okay.”
    “But first the other shoe.”
    “Right.”
    “And now the question.”
    “Right.   I was wondering,” Max ran a hand through his hair.   “Wondering if you – well – remember when I was in the limo and the limo was on the back of that tow truck?”
    “Vividly.”
    “Trixie called me and I told her about Shannon Moon being here at the casino.”
    Antonio finished the shoe and straightened up.
    “And she thought it was cool, you know.   Being here at the same time as her favorite actress.   She has all her movies on Blu-Ray.”
    “I can see how she would be excited at the idea.”
    “So I thought it would be neat if you could get her autograph.   Shannon Moon’s autograph.”
    Antonio hesitated.
    “To give to Trixie.”
    “You know that I think the world of Trixie…”   Antonio arched an eyebrow.
    “She likes you too.”
    “…but unfortunately such a thing is forbidden.   My staff and I are here to fulfill requests, not to make them.”
    “Ok, it’s fine.   I didn’t think you would be able to do it.”
    “I cannot.”
    “Okay.”
    “But.”
    “But?”   Max stared at him for a moment.   “But?”
    Antonio raised a finger in the air.   “But there has been precedence for arranging a meeting between our VIP guests, one guest to another.   Especially when both guests are priorities for the casino.”
    “Can you do that for Trixie?   She would be thrilled.”
    “I wasn’t speaking of Trixie.”
    “Oh.”
    “But it may be possible to introduce Shannon Moon to you.”
    “Me?”
    “You.”
    “No.”
    “I believe I can, yes.”
    “No.   I’m not good at that stuff.”   Max reached under his cowboy hat and scratched his head.   “I don’t think I’m going to.”
    Antonio waited.
    Max looked at him.   “What?”
    Antonio was motionless.
    “Oh come on,” whined Max.   “Trixie won’t even care about it once I show her the Brandon tickets.   I’ll just explain that it wasn’t possible and she’ll understand.”   He glanced at Antonio again.   “I know it was possible, technically.   But not really.   It’s not possible for me to do it.   I’ve seen her movies and she’s pretty.   Not even normal pretty like you see on the street and you think ‘Gee, that girl is pretty.’   She’s movie pretty.   Abnormally pretty.   She is right?   I already know it so just admit it.   Go on.”
    Antonio blinked.
    “I knew it.   Great.   So now I have to go and meet Shannon Moon and she’s going to be gorgeous and I’m going to get sick to my stomach and say something stupid.   I can’t believe I’m doing this.   I mean I’m not going to do it.   I’m not.”
    Antonio shifted his weight ever so slightly.
    “Fine, Antonio.   Okay.   Let’s go so you can introduce me and I can get her autograph and then vomit.   Okay?   Let’s just go.   Wait.   How do I look?”
    Antonio inspected him quickly.   “Tip top.”
    “How does she look?”
    “She’s stunning.”
    Max bumped into the closed door.
    Antonio turned the handle and escorted him out of the room.   “I just want to call her suite first to make sure she’s out of…”   He cut himself short and withdrew his BlackBerry as he walked away down the hall.
    Max caught up to him.   “Were you going to say out of the shower?”
    “No.”
    “The bath.   She’s just getting out of the bath isn’t she?”
    “Max, you have to