Press Your Luck 16

Wednesday evening Harlow adjusted his dress grabbing one thin strap and pulling it tighter followed by the other and managed to edge them up the half centimeter he was able to move them. Valerie had assured him the dress was perfect for the evening out. Although he hated the sparkling red dress he had to agree with her logic. No one would be looking at his face between the sparkly dress and the plunging heartbreaker neckline that displayed his breasts. ‘They’re not my breasts.’ He reminded himself. He had gotten strangely used to wearing them so much he would on occasion forget they weren’t really a part of him. He looked to his boyfriend friend Danny in the backseat of the limo for comfort. He wore a brand new suit that despite his objections to the suit itself he was envious of his friend in his double breasted Italian silk fitted suit, inlaid with velvet that was so smooth to the touch, with gold cufflinks. Even if he wasn’t pretending to be a slutty airhead he could never pull off something so handsome. The one suit he used to own was reserved for court appearances as he could never find a suit to fit him in a way that didn’t look like a child wearing his father’s clothes. In the end Harlow had to actually talk Danny into wearing the suit.

Almost Immediately after Danny walked into his house from another hard and sweaty day Harlow did his usual routine of kissing Danny and inspecting his wrist only to be interrupted by a man knocking on the door. It was a brief exchange as the man left the suit with Danny but it still sent Harlow into a panic. “They must’ve been watching the house all day!” Harlow whispered harshly. He knew they knew where Danny lived and were suspicious of him but he had started to feel like, perhaps, they had stopped babysitting the house. Danny did his best to reassure Harlow that it was just a coincidence, but Harlow knew better. There were no coincidences when it came to men like Jefferson.

“Look, I won’t wear it.”

“What? You’ve gotta!”

“Why?”

“He sent it to you, it would be an insult to refuse a gift from him.”

“Or he’s saying I don’t own anything this nice.”

“Do you?” Valerie asked.

“Shut up.”

“Insult or not, you can’t refuse it.”

“Of course I can. I’m not gonna throw it in his face but I can politely decline.”

“Will you just trust me? I know more about this than you.”

“Lucy.” Valerie said firmly.

“What?” Harlow glared at her for a moment, before remembering to smile.

“Lucy,” Danny pulled Harlow’s attention back, “...okay.”

Harlow blanched for a moment before his eyes softened, “Okay?”

“I’ll wear it. We should probably start getting ready.”

“Yeah.” Harlow knew Danny meant for him to start getting ready. A month ago that would’ve taken him fifteen minutes at most. Now it took him several hours with everything Valerie insisted he do to get ready. And it always seemed like she was adding more. That morning she insisted on a new morning skin care routine, tweeze his eyebrows, and shave any arrant body hair that tried to crop up. All of which he had to do again before his second shower of the day.

Danny saw Lucy looking at him, a small worried smile on her face, and put his arm around his beautiful date. He loved the sexy side split in her dress that exposed her thigh. He wanted nothing more than to act like a horny teenager on prom night but he remembered what Val had said the other day. And what Lucy said earlier in the day, how she begged him to trust her made him realize Valerie was right. So despite himself and the leap their relationship took he had to be patient with her. “Hey.” He said softly. “You okay?”

“I’m okay.” He felt her lean on his chest, he was sure her stomach was twisting in knots with who they were going to see.

“You sure?” She nodded. “You know,” he said after a few moments of silence, “you have become such a beautiful woman. I can hardly believe not to long ago you…I mean if I didn’t know I wouldn’t-I mean you always looked good I guess I didn’t no-wh-what I mean is-"

Harlow placed a finger to Danny’s lips, stopping his rambling friend from digging an even deeper grave, "I know what you mean." Harlow sighed. Though he wished he could believe Danny. Maybe he could trick people who hadn’t seen him for years, and maybe Jefferson hadn’t ever met him in person. But would that be enough to hide right under Jefferson’s nose? You don’t get where he did by being tricked with a little makeup and fake tits. "Daniel do you think -"

"We've arrived." The driver said as the car came to a stop.

“What?”

Harlow sighed before sitting up, “Forget it. It’s stupid.” He reached for the door only for Danny to grab his wrist before gripping the back of Harlow’s neck.

“What’s wrong?”

He looked towards the front of the car, making sure the glass partition had been rolled up, “...do you think anyone can tell I’m a man?” he whispered.

Danny’s face softened even more as he took both sides of her face in hand, “You are a beautiful, sexy, hot as hell, woman.”

Harlow gave his friend a half-hearted smile. He wished that he found his words comforting, but he couldn’t understand how anyone didn’t see his obvious maleness.

A man in a red vest opened Harlow’s door and took the feminized man’s hand as he stepped onto the strip. His silver gladiator heels glittered and twinkled against the lights of the ever bright city. It had been a lifetime since he was able to set foot on his home turf and he happily took Daniel’s arm when he approached, allowing him to lead so he could stare at the palatial surroundings of Caesars palace.

Daniel was happy to see Lucy’s bright smile had somehow found a way to shine even brighter as they walked through the palace only for it to falter as they stepped off of the elevator. Oswald stood at the entrance, smiling politely at the couple. He wore his usual leather trench coat but now accompanied with a tie in an attempt to blend into the high dollar restaurant.  “Welcome to The Savoy.” Lucy dug her nails into Danny’s arm as she forced a tense smile on her face,  “We are so honored to have you with us this evening.”

“The honor is all ours.” Danny lied, putting on his best polite smile.

“If you’ll follow me, the boss is waiting for you.” His tone changed midway through, as if he forgot the polite lines he had been told to say and simply reverted back to his Jersey accent.

As they followed Oswald to their private table Harlow couldn’t help but gawk at the floor to ceiling wall of wine bottles, the lattice half wall partitions they passed, the dozens of men and women dressed in similar or better finery than they wore, all told Harlow just how out classed he was. On his best streak he could never afford a single appetizer, let alone a meal for three. Past two smooth stone columns they arrived at their table positioned in front of the balcony window giving the patrons a perfect view of the Eiffel tower. There, at that simple table sat Jefferson, “Ah, the guests of honor.” He said gently, as he stood and offered a hand to Lucy first. Carefully Harlow extended his hand to the older gentleman, remembering the “etiquette” lessons Val insisted he practice all day. Jefferson smiled as he took the beautiful woman’s hand and gave it a gentle kiss, taking extra time to stare at her open cleavage. “That is a lovely necklace, my dear.” He nodded, indicating the heart shaped locket that hung between her breasts.

“Thank you.” She giggled nervously. The first thing Lucy noticed about Jefferson was his gentle green eyes. He had a slight frame, compared to men like Marcus and Danny, but with his salt and pepper hair, kind eyes, and slight frame, leaning on a cane, he looked more like someone's grandfather who moonlighted as a priest, not the vicious shark he was rumored to be.

"Daniel. Correct?" He asked, shaking Danny's hand.

"Everyone calls me Danny, Mr. Jefferson."

"Ah. Then I insist you call me Ben." He nodded happily, "It is a pleasure to meet you." He held for a moment before turning to the woman at his side. "Speaking of, this lovely gem, is my wife Isabella." The first thing Harlow noticed about Isabella was her chest was large but not near as big as his own. Her golden sequin mini-dress and its plunging neckline left little to the imagination but still Harlow begged to see what was left hidden. Her long black hair was pulled back into a low bun.

Danny took her hand and similarly kissed the back of her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Isabella.”

“Wait till you get to know me.” She winked.

Danny chuckled nervously, “I’m sure it’ll still be a pleasure.” He smiled warmly. Isabella looked to be around the same age as Lucy, a far cry younger than Jefferson.

‘Is he, like, seriously checking her out? Right in front of her husband?’ Harlow cleared his throat to call Danny’s attention.

“Oh, uh, forgive me, this is my beautiful and lovely girlfriend, Lucy.”

Harlow resisted rolling his eyes as he leaned in and kissed the air beside her cheeks, giving her a small hug as he did with a cheerful smile. “It is, like, so amazing to meet you! I just love your dress!” Harlow felt a part of him dying inside but the result had the desired effect as Isabella responded in kind and immediately started talking about Harlow’s shoes.

Part of the etiquette training Valerie had insisted he practice all day was to be the most flamboyant girly girl he could imagine. Stating that the average woman would simply shake another woman’s hand gently and perhaps give a simple compliment, but he needed to further distance himself from being thought of as a male. Doing so would also make it impossible for anyone to even consider she was Harlow. “Your shoes are gorgeous!” She giggled with glee at the shiny silver heels Val insisted he wear because it paired perfectly with his dress. "And I just love your dress! It reminds me of the time I dressed as Jessica Rabbit for my conejito!" She swooned, placing a hand on Jefferson who's cheeks grew to a slight red before he cleared his throat.

Oswald appeared behind Harlow and pulled out the chair for the disguised man with a single snap of Jefferson’s fingers. A waiter pulled Isabella’s chair out, as another pair set two wine glasses on the table.

“Danny,” Jefferson started as the two women sat, “if I may call you Danny?”

“Sure.” One of the waiters poured red wine into the glasses in front of the two men.

“I wanted to thank you for how you handled the incident last week.”

“It was nothing.” Danny brushed it off.

“It was considerably not, ‘nothing’.” He stamped his cane into the floor and cleared his throat, “The young woman he attacked was my wife’s niece Elena. One my wife and I are dearly fond of.” Jefferson placed his hand on Isabella’s hand.

Isabella nodded in agreement. “How’s she doing?” Danny asked.

“She is doing better, thank you. Oh!” Isabella gasped before reaching into her small purse and taking out a folded piece of paper that she handed to Danny. “Elena wanted to thank you in person but my brother isn’t allowing her to leave the house until she’s fully recovered.”

“Your brother can be a bit…overprotective.” Jefferson gripped the gold eagle affixed to the top of his cane tighter before taking a sip of his wine.

“Only for the ones he cares about.” Isabella smiled, kissing her husband’s cheek. Harlow’s eyes widened slightly. Jefferson almost seemed nervous when the subject of her brother came up. What kind of monster could he be to make the man who practically ran Vegas shudder? Danny looked up from the note and nodded. “I’m glad she is recovering but she doesn’t need to do anything to pay me back.”

“Nonsense.” Isabella said firmly. “Who knows what might have happened if you hadn’t responded so quickly.”

“Or as well as you did.” Jefferson added.

“No offense intended, but I’ve always believed a man should work for what he wants, not have it handed to him.”

Jefferson nodded, “I can respect that.”

Harlow jabbed Danny’s leg under the table, keeping the calm smile on his face. “Uh,” Danny started, “I mean…you could cancel my friend’s debt?”

Jefferson’s face hardened. “Your friend owes me quite a lot of money. But I would-” Harlow’s smile brightened–“if he had not eluded me for as long as he had. It is no longer about the money. It is about the principal and my honor.” Harlow pouted.

“It’s only been a couple of weeks hasn’t it?”

Jefferson gripped his cane tight once more, the bones under his skin visibly moving with his fingers. “It has been considerably longer than that. I understand he is your friend but he has owed debts to myself and others for the past year.”

Danny resisted the urge to glare at Lucy, “Why did you only come after him now?”

“There were…disputes. Within my organization. I have been tasked with collecting the debt.” Danny frowned as waiters returned with two plates of steak for him and Jefferson, and another set of plates of fish for Harlow and Isabella. “Understand; in my line of work, word of mouth is everything. I’d like to think I am the more…centered of my compatriots but, if I do not produce results soon I will be forced to hand it over to less savory collectors. What’s wrong with your food dear?” Jefferson turned to Harlow, who had been staring at the fish on his plate while he spoke.

“Huh? Oh…um, like, I didn’t order this…”

Jefferson chuckled warmly, “It is Sole Meuniere, I took the liberty of ordering ahead of time so we would not have to wait. I think you will love it.” Harlow faked a smile and cut into his fish.

The dinner continued, with Danny and Jefferson discussing football and other sports that Harlow didn’t really care about. He cared less about the topics he was trapped in with Isabella. They talked about clothes, shoes, favorite clubs, and the latest celebrity gossip. Harlow didn’t follow any of these topics last week. But since starting this, the only television he had been allowed to watch were reality or gossip entertainment shows. Of course he tried to watch something different when he had been left alone but Valerie always managed to fill his day with chores that left him no time to relax until after dinner. She had even called between one of her classes today, insisting she tell her three things he liked about himself. Of course they had to be things Lucy would like about herself, ‘She doesn’t care what Harlow likes.’ He thought before he had rambled off a list of things about her hair, her pretty face, her large breasts.

“If you boys will excuse us, we need to powder our noses.” Isabella stood, taking her purse with her. “...Lucy.”

Harlow looked up at her, setting down his third empty glass of wine, “Me? Oh.” He stood, leaving behind his empty wine glass and followed Isabella to the women’s bathroom. Harlow had been lucky so far, he hadn’t had to spend too much time in women’s restrooms. In fact for the most part he was able to hold it until he made it back to the house. So standing in the ladies' room as a man disguised as a slutty party girl felt extremely awkward. He kept waiting for any of the three women who occupied the restroom to scream about the perverted man in the ladies’ room. But none did. The three carried on their conversation in front of the wall of sinks and mirrors as he passed them to a bathroom stall. Ever so often they would glance back to him before whispering to the group. If he was supposed to wait for Isabella to return he wasn’t sure but standing in the corner was only going to get him noticed more. The women continued whispering about their vacation plans as Harlow reached for the silver clutch that matched his shoes perfectly…only to find it missing. ‘Oh no!’ Immediately he remembered Valerie reminding him for the fifth time that evening not to forget the small clutch and him rolling his eyes at her. “I’m not some airhead. I just play one on tv.” He made the old joke to keep himself from adding that he wasn’t an airhead like Val was. He sighed when he heard the stall door opening followed by an automatic flush. ‘Finally! What is she, part camel?’ The entire experience lasted thirty seconds more or less but feeling the eyes on him, inspecting and evaluating every move he made for the slightest lack of femininity slowed time to a snail’s pace. “You have a look like a fish on land.” Isabella said as she washed her hands.

“Huh?” Harlow dropped his lipstick in the empty sink.

“Fish out of water.” She tilted her head knowingly.

“Oh, uh, no I just-”

“This isn’t exactly my type of place either. Or company.” She cut a hostile look over her shoulders to the older women. With brief whispering the three hurried out of the restroom. “What say we have the boys take us somewhere a little more exciting?” She suggested as she inspected her own makeup, taking out a color correcting stick.

“Daniel isn’t, like,...he doesn’t like clubs.”

“Nonsense.” She turned to face Harlow. “You’re his girlfriend aren’t you?”

“Wh-Yeah? What’s that got to do with it?”

Isabella eyed the beauty, it was strange to see someone as sexy as her this level of naive. “Is he your first?”

“N-Y-I mean…I dated some in high school, like, some guys, but uh no, this is my longest relationship.”

Lucy was going to have a bad time if she was this passive in her relationships. Isabella capped her color corrector shut and smiled, “Here’s the plan.” She decided she would be a poor excuse for a woman if she didn’t help a fellow sister gain some control in her relationship. “We’re gonna go out there, and we’re going to convince the boys to take us to this club I know.”

“But Danny-”

“Shh, I know, girl. But if you do what I tell you he’ll do anything you want.”

“I forgot my purse.” He added quickly, “I don’t have my ID so I can’t go if, like, they-”

“Don’t worry. I know the owner.” Isabella gave the naive girl a genuine smile.

A few minutes later, both women walked back to the table, bright smiles on their faces. “Welcome back, my dear.” Jefferson stood, pulling the seat out for his wife.

“Sorry we kept you waiting.” She said coolly as she sat. Danny followed in kind, pulling the seat out for Lucy, taking her hand and kissing it gently. Looking up at her, he could see a blush come to her cheeks as she sat down. As he sat back in his seat he didn’t notice the glances between Isabella and his girlfriend. “But you know how girls can be.” She giggled. Lucy reflexively joined in as she took Danny’s hand.

“Oh? Solving world hunger, were we?” Isabella clicked her tongue and slapped Jefferson’s chest.

“No, something far more important. I was telling Lucy here about my favorite club.”

“La Fuente?”
Isabella gave Jefferson a genuine smile as she looked up at him, “Exactly. Can you believe Lucy had never been?”

Danny gave Lucy a confused look and missed the urging look Isabella was sending her way. “Can we go?”

“I don’t know, they usually have a line around the block.” Danny was so confused, he could have sworn Harlow hated clubs. Was that something Harlow felt like he had to hide from Danny?

Lucy adjusted in her seat, placing a hand on his thigh and pouting. “Please? Isabella says she knows someone who can get us in. Even though I forgot my purse at home.”

“R-really?” Harlow was always the one that was quick on his feet, Danny usually went along with whatever lie or scheme he had…was Lucy trying to tell him something? “Y-you couldn’t get in without an ID though, babe.”

Jefferson chuckled. “Have no fear,” Jefferson snapped his fingers and Oswald stood from the table he sat at and approached. “Be a good man and retrieve Ms. Lucy Hole’s purse for her.”

Danny looked into Lucy’s puppy dog eyes, her lip quivering, he could see the almost frightened look in her eyes. Maybe this was something Harlow was afraid to admit or ask for, but Lucy wasn’t. Danny cleared his throat and turned to Jefferson and apologized saying, “Do you really wanna go dancing?” Lucy slowly nodded her head, “Then let’s go dancing.” Danny turned to face Jefferson, “Can you have your man meet us at the club?

Jefferson chuckled, “Of course.”

“Excellent.” Isabella stood, picking up her purse, “We’ll come with you.”

“I’m sure they don’t wish to have a couple of old fuddy duddies like us slowing down their fun.”

“Excuse me?” She said sharply, glaring at Jefferson in much the same way she glared at the women in the bathroom.

Jefferson cleared his throat, “I said I’ll get the car.” He gripped his cane and quickly walked to Oswald who had not left yet, in case his boss needed something else.

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