to attend. Only rarely did he allow his medical practice to interfere.
“Going to take her on, Jake?” Green chortled.
Cameron merely snorted.
Then Green leaned forward. Something had occurred to him. After several moments of reflection, he drew his chair closer to Cameron’s. Competing against the music, the doctor spoke loudly into Cameron’s ear. “Take her on, Jake.”
Cameron turned to him. “You crazy?”
“Not often, but this time yes. She’ll be lucky if she gets off that stage in one piece. A little bad luck in that routine and she could hurt herself.”
The suggestion didn’t make any sense at all. But, in Cameron’s experience, the doctor usually got what he wanted.
“Jake,” Green said, still speaking over the music, “if I’m not mistaken, you’re planning a big finale à la Las Vegas, with all the dancers, at the end of each evening’s major set.”
Cameron nodded slowly.
“Put her in that. Stick her back in the back row, put her in the wings—hell, put her backstage if you want.”
“This doesn’t make any sense at all, Moe. The broad is here as a favor, nothing more. We didn’t know anything about her; she might’ve turned out to be good. As it is, she stinks. We’ll let her finish her routine—if you could call it that. Then she’s outta here.”
“Tell you what,” Green persisted, “take her on and I’ll personally see that she gets professional instruction. If, after she gets the training, she can’t make this line legitimately, she’s history. But, in the meantime, she dances at Virago. I don’t care where. The ladies’ room.”
“Why bother? We got enough pros in this batch to fill our needs.”
“Jake, remember that revolving stage you were planning?”
Cameron winced.
“I was going to provide the financing.”
“ Was going?”
“I think I’m running kind of short.”
“So are professional basketball players.”
“I’m just thinking of your timetable, Jake. The stage was your next priority.”
“We can afford it if you’re strapped.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
“But not now.”
Cameron slumped in his chair. He hated to lose. He hated it that he never beat Green. Not once. “Okay, okay. But just as a matter of curiosity, why? Why go to all this trouble? She’s just a broad. You’ve had hundreds. I don’t see anything special about her. Good tits and ass. But that’s not hard to find. Why Claire McNern?”
Green sat back, relishing his victory. “Because, Jake, she knows how bad she is.”
“Huh?”
“She knows. I’ve been watching her. At first I didn’t see anything unique or even special about her. But I watched her expression as the other girls performed. She was stunned—amazed, thunderstruck, embarrassed. And then, when she got up to perform, it all became clear. She knows. ”
“So?”
“Don’t you get it? I’m going to be her Abraham Lincoln … no, make that Swifty Lazar—hell, a combination of the two.”
“What?”
“The key to this whole thing is that the girl has learned a lesson today. She’s not Ginger Rogers. She hasn’t a chance in hell of dancing at Virago. Then, along comes me. I have taken pity on her. I’m gonna be her sugar daddy. I give her the Impossible Dream. I get her a job in Virago. It’s not much; in fact, the customers can barely see her. But she’s in. She made it.
“On top of all that, I provide lessons from the best. So she can gradually move up. And, most of all, she doesn’t have to hide in a corner when somebody like Jake Cameron offers her an audition.”
“Some plan.”
“Is she going to be grateful? I ask you. She will wonder what she possibly can do to repay my concern, my caring, my financial investment.”
“And you will have some ideas on the matter.”
“I’ll think of something.”
Jake gave Claire the good news. Miraculous news, in Claire’s opinion. And, indeed it was. Cameron also revealed to Claire the identity of her fairy godfather. It was part
“Going to take her on, Jake?” Green chortled.
Cameron merely snorted.
Then Green leaned forward. Something had occurred to him. After several moments of reflection, he drew his chair closer to Cameron’s. Competing against the music, the doctor spoke loudly into Cameron’s ear. “Take her on, Jake.”
Cameron turned to him. “You crazy?”
“Not often, but this time yes. She’ll be lucky if she gets off that stage in one piece. A little bad luck in that routine and she could hurt herself.”
The suggestion didn’t make any sense at all. But, in Cameron’s experience, the doctor usually got what he wanted.
“Jake,” Green said, still speaking over the music, “if I’m not mistaken, you’re planning a big finale à la Las Vegas, with all the dancers, at the end of each evening’s major set.”
Cameron nodded slowly.
“Put her in that. Stick her back in the back row, put her in the wings—hell, put her backstage if you want.”
“This doesn’t make any sense at all, Moe. The broad is here as a favor, nothing more. We didn’t know anything about her; she might’ve turned out to be good. As it is, she stinks. We’ll let her finish her routine—if you could call it that. Then she’s outta here.”
“Tell you what,” Green persisted, “take her on and I’ll personally see that she gets professional instruction. If, after she gets the training, she can’t make this line legitimately, she’s history. But, in the meantime, she dances at Virago. I don’t care where. The ladies’ room.”
“Why bother? We got enough pros in this batch to fill our needs.”
“Jake, remember that revolving stage you were planning?”
Cameron winced.
“I was going to provide the financing.”
“ Was going?”
“I think I’m running kind of short.”
“So are professional basketball players.”
“I’m just thinking of your timetable, Jake. The stage was your next priority.”
“We can afford it if you’re strapped.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
“But not now.”
Cameron slumped in his chair. He hated to lose. He hated it that he never beat Green. Not once. “Okay, okay. But just as a matter of curiosity, why? Why go to all this trouble? She’s just a broad. You’ve had hundreds. I don’t see anything special about her. Good tits and ass. But that’s not hard to find. Why Claire McNern?”
Green sat back, relishing his victory. “Because, Jake, she knows how bad she is.”
“Huh?”
“She knows. I’ve been watching her. At first I didn’t see anything unique or even special about her. But I watched her expression as the other girls performed. She was stunned—amazed, thunderstruck, embarrassed. And then, when she got up to perform, it all became clear. She knows. ”
“So?”
“Don’t you get it? I’m going to be her Abraham Lincoln … no, make that Swifty Lazar—hell, a combination of the two.”
“What?”
“The key to this whole thing is that the girl has learned a lesson today. She’s not Ginger Rogers. She hasn’t a chance in hell of dancing at Virago. Then, along comes me. I have taken pity on her. I’m gonna be her sugar daddy. I give her the Impossible Dream. I get her a job in Virago. It’s not much; in fact, the customers can barely see her. But she’s in. She made it.
“On top of all that, I provide lessons from the best. So she can gradually move up. And, most of all, she doesn’t have to hide in a corner when somebody like Jake Cameron offers her an audition.”
“Some plan.”
“Is she going to be grateful? I ask you. She will wonder what she possibly can do to repay my concern, my caring, my financial investment.”
“And you will have some ideas on the matter.”
“I’ll think of something.”
Jake gave Claire the good news. Miraculous news, in Claire’s opinion. And, indeed it was. Cameron also revealed to Claire the identity of her fairy godfather. It was part
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