The Impersonator

Chapter 1

Chapter 1“Oh, Elvis! Elvis! Over here!” a big, blonde buxom woman screeched at Benjamin Pomeroy.

Plastering a smile on his face, Ben opened his arms so the woman could embrace him. Her sweet perfume mixed with sweat made his nose twitch, but he continued to smile as the man with her snapped their picture.

“Now let me get one of you and Elvis kissing,” the middle-aged, balding man in a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts ordered.

Not a kisser. He hated those the most. The woman turned her head and planted a big, wet, lipstick coated kiss full on his mouth. She tried to stick her tongue in his mouth, but Ben managed to keep his teeth firmly in the way. The man with her snapped several pictures.

“Okay, Lucy,” the man said. “Let’s go. I’m hungry.”

“Sure, sure.” She bumped Ben with her hip. “See you later, Elvis.”

Ben waited until they were out of sight and no one else was looking to carefully remove a handkerchief out of his tight leather pants. He wiped his lips and returned it to his pocket.

The only good thing about today, being dressed from head to toe in clingy black leather with his dark hair slicked back in the Elvis style, not to mention full makeup, was that at least it was February instead of summer. The summer in full Elvis costume standing just inside the doorway of the casino had been murder.

Ben checked the watch he had hidden in his costume. Break time. Thank God.

He made his way past the noisy slot machines, stopping to give the Elvis lip curl to those who waved at him, and down the long hallway with the sign Hotel Employees Only.

He wanted to wash off the heavy foundation makeup he wore, but knew he’d have to be out on the casino floor of The Roman Hotel and Casino again in fifteen minutes. Slipping inside the little break room for the employees on this side of the hotel casino, he grabbed a cold water from the fridge located there and sat at a little corner table. Other than himself there was an African American cocktail waitress sitting at another table using her cell phone.

Which reminded Ben he should probably check his own phone for messages. He had to turn the phone off on the floor. Employees were forbidden to take calls while working. Fishing it out of the back pocket of the snug pants, he turned it on.

He only had one message and it was from his boyfriend, Joe.

Hey, it’s me. Listen, I tried to find a way to tell you this, but well, I never could. I’m moving out today. I’m sorry.

Ben swallowed and stared at the phone, his stomach giving a sickening lurch. He shook his head. Had to be a joke or something. Didn’t it?

His finger shaking, he hit the speed dial for Joe.

“Oh,” Joe said after two rings. “There you are. Good. I’m going to leave my key on the coffee table.”

“Wait, what? I don’t understand.” He turned to face away from the cocktail waitress. He leaned his elbows on his knees.

Joe sighed. “Look, you’re a good kid, Ben. But sometimes things don’t work out.”

“Don’t work out? We’ve been living together for six months.”

“That’s pretty good. As long-term as anyone’s ever gotten out of me. I’m leaving Vegas.”

His heart racing, Ben frowned. “Leaving? You’re in a show.”

His boyfriend—former—snorted. “I’m an unnamed dancer in a t**s and ass show. So what? I got one of the hotels up in Reno offering me a featured role in a show starting next month.”

“Reno? You’re going to Reno?”

“Looks like. Maybe. I might go back to New York for a couple weeks, even. My mom’s been sick so maybe I’ll pay her a visit. Anyway, sorry, kid. No hard feelings. Being with you was real nice.”

Real nice . His heart was breaking and being with him had been nice? He glanced at his watch. f**k, Elvis needed to get back on the floor.

“I gotta go back to work,” he whispered.

“Yeah, my ride’s here anyway. Okay, kiddo, next time I’m in Vegas we’ll get together for a one-nighter.”

What?

Joe laughed. “You got an ass made for fucking.”

His eyes clenched tight, Ben shook his head. “f**k you, Joe.” He hit end call and turned off his phone. Ben got up and shoved his phone back in the pocket of his pants. During his conversation the cocktail waitress had left and the break room was empty. He tossed the water bottle in the recycle bin and headed back to his post at the front of the casino.

* * * *

Ben smiled and preened his way through a couple more hours of pictures and casino visitors, every once in a while sneaking a peak at his watch to see how soon he would get off work.

When he finally only had a half an hour to go, his attention was distracted from a family who wanted their picture taken with him by a large group of hotel staff members walking quickly through the casino. The group of them gathered around one man, though Ben couldn’t see the man very well. They looked like an entourage.

Among them, he couldn’t help noticing, was his older brother, Phillip. While Ben’s job was to entertain tourists, his brother was a staff vice president. And Ben wasn’t the least bit jealous. No, of course not.

“Elvis!” a teenaged girl shouted in his ear.

Ben wondered if the guy they were swarming around was The Roman’s new Chief Executive Officer. All he’d heard through the grapevine was that the man, Maxwell Orton, had come from running several hotels in Louisiana. Some employees speculated that Orton would eventually be the primary investor in The Roman.

“Hey, fucker,” the girl screamed in his face, spit spraying his chin.

Ben blinked and turned his attention back to her. Her entire family, made up of a man, a woman, herself, and a younger boy, glared at him. “Can I help you?”

The girl smirked. “Yeah, you can get your head out of your ass and pose for the picture. Geez.”

The customer’s always right.

“Sorry.” He forced his best smile. “It would be my pleasure.” The family flagged down a passerby and huddled around him,

throwing their arms around him. Before they finally walked away, one of them pinched his ass. He wasn’t even sure which of them had done it.

“Thank you very much,” he muttered in his best Elvis voice.

Now he had one more thing to do before he could call it a day and that was to go climb onto a nearby platform and sing an Elvis song. It was always the last thing he did before the shift ended.

Ben walked over to the platform, bent down behind it to push the button for the music and flashing lights, and then hopped up onto the raised platform. This time he’d be singing “Hound Dog.”

He scrambled down as soon as the number finished and hurried as fast as he could to the employee exit. Fortunately, no one stopped him and he quickly washed and changed into street clothes in the employee locker room.

As he rushed out to the parking lot, Ben slowed his pace, wondering what in the world he was hurrying for. It wasn’t as though he had anyone waiting for him at home.

The Roman had a shuttle; sort of a monorail, which ferried employees out to where they were allowed to park, given it was quite a distance from the hotel and casino itself. It pulled up to the curb and some employees just getting to work got off while he and a tall, blond man got on.

Ben sat toward the back and was surprised when the blond guy headed toward the same area. He’d never seen him before, but the hotel was always adding staff. He stole a glance out of the corner of his eye and almost swallowed his tongue. The man was a god. Gorgeous, wavy blond hair, lightly tanned skin, Caribbean blue eyes, and muscular arms. He wore khaki slacks and a blue polo shirt that had The Roman emblazoned on the right side of the chest.

“Hi.”

Ben blinked. The guy was talking to him. And smiling. God, the guy had dimples. “Uh, hi.”

“I’m Trey.” The god leaned toward him and offered his hand, which swallowed Ben’s smaller one.

“Ben.”

“Nice to meet you, Ben,” Trey said. “Off work for the day?”

“Yeah, just finished my shift. You?”

Trey shook his head. “Just getting a feel for the place. I like to know what I’m dealing with.”

He nodded. “Yeah, it helps knowing where everything is. This casino is huge so it’s easy to get lost when you’re new.”

The little tram flew by the visitor parking and went through a tunnel in the back to the staff lot.

Ben couldn’t help noticing Trey studying him closely…and with interest. Made him wonder if Trey was gay. That could give him a sexy new co-worker to drool over. Which could be good and bad. He wondered what job Trey had been hired for. If he was on the floor as a dealer, he’d get to see him pretty often.

The tram stopped and Ben had to exit. Trey made no move to get out of his seat. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”

Trey smiled. “Most likely you will. Enjoy the rest of your day, Ben.”

As he made it to his car, Ben felt a little disappointed he didn’t learn where exactly Trey was working. Although, maybe it was for the best. Even if Trey was gay, the last thing Ben needed was another boyfriend. Surely the sheets on his bed still smelled of Joe since they’d had s*x the night before.

He didn’t know why he couldn’t meet a decent guy instead of assholes like Joe.