Chapter 113

Once we were dressed the Reggie I had previous known return. She never mentioned the events of the morning, and she acted no different from the Reggie who first ran up to me a couple of days before. She seemed to be a true Jekyll and Hyde, but then wasn't I one as well.

After I ordered pancakes and sausage with bad coffee, I asked, "So what do you want to do till we hear from Joan?"

"This is the smallest town on the tour, I think. The bosses back in New York had an open date, so they came here. This place is so small they seldom get live entertainment, so we could book it with hardly any notice. It was also dirt cheap. In other words there is nothing to do here, but work."

"So, do you want to go check out the venue?" I asked.

"Sure why not," she replied with a little girl's smile. There was nothing sexy about her she just looking innocent. I would have doubted my own memory, if I didn't hurt front and back from her actions. The pain was real, if not sharp.

So after breakfast we swung by to see the place. "Gees this place looks like a college basketball arena." I said.

"Most of the time it is," Reggie replied. There will be good crowds both nights, according to Joan. There are very few live shows that come here. So she thinks even though the music is rap, some folk will come just for something to do. Those, the college kids, and local teenagers both white and black, should make for a couple of good shows."

The roadies were already hard at work setting up the equipment for the night's show. I looked the place over and found there were four doors into the lobby but only one big one into the arena. There would be a ticket taker on either side of the door, allowing a two line entrance to the arena. That was explained to me by head of security for the arena.

He also said that the dressing area was at the other side of the arena from the ticket entrance. There was one door per dressing room leading to the outside and one door into the arena itself directly from the dressing room. A second dressing room was beside the one the performers would use. It would be empty but an arena security man would check it ever few minutes to be sure it was empty. The door was locked to the outside, but one never knew. They were worried about people opening it for fan to get in free. I was worried about it for someone who wasn't a fan.

Since there was just me and Rodney, I decided to have him check it just before we went out with the crew. He would be in the arena just outside the door. I would be inside the door to be sure no one came in who shouldn't. Any other security was on the Civic Center people.

I was in the parking lot checking for possible sniper locations, when Joan called. "Where are you Sylvia?" she asked pleasantly enough.

"I'm at the civic center looking it over," I said. "Is anything wrong?"

"Not at all I just wanted you to check out the parking lot of the Embassy Suites motel. We will be staying there for the weekend." she said.

"What is your ETA?" I asked.

"About thirty minutes," she replied.

"I'll get right out there then. Is Rodney still with you?" I asked.

"Yes are you jealous." It was a come on, I thought, but I said nothing.

"I'll meet you in the parking lot. Should I check in first since I'll be there ahead of you?" I asked.

"If you want sure. I had to book you a small suite even though you will be alone in there. Rodney insisted it not look as though he is with me, when he should be working." she said.

"I got the implication. As far as I'm concerned, if he keeps his mind on work, when we work I don't care where he sleeps." Actually I did care since she would be reporting to the company on our performance. If someone screwed up I hopee her relationship with Rodney wouldn't effect her judgment. I also hoped that, if there was a threat against the object of our protection duty, he didn't suddenly worry about Joan more than he should. Of course we were as much window dressing as Soda Pop's crew, so it shouldn't be a factor.

"Come on Reggie I have to go out to the Embassy Suites motel and check in," I said to Reggie once I found her inside talking to the Roadies.

We drove the SUV back out to the highway. We had checked out of the mom and pop motel already, so it was just a matter of checking into the Embassy. It was a hell of an improvement over the place we had been for sure. I got the key to the suite reserved for the Swamp Dog crew. Even though only I would be using it. I had no idea where Reggie was going to stay, and it didn't really matter to me, since I wasn't turned on at the time.

I was in my suite when the tour bus pulled into the parking lot. So I hustled down to great it. Rodney exited the bus first. He stood off to one side white the other stepped into the parking lot. I handed Joan the key to two more suites. She gave Soda a key to one of them and kept the other. Then she and soda were gone. Leaving the tour bus driver to unload the huge load of bags. Soda's crew got the bags they had brought. Rodney got his and Joan's. Then without speaking he went to her suit. I had no idea what arrangements were made for Reggie and the clerk.

It seemed that every suite had two bedroom and a little living room and kitchen. It also seemed the second bedroom of the boss's suite was for Reggie and the clerk. So she moved her bag from the company's SUV to her boss's suite. Since she was afraid her boss might feel the same as I did about love affairs between employees, she chose to sleep with the clerk. I found that to my surprise it more than fine by me. I really didn't want Reggie around on a permanent basis. I liked her, but I had a feeling she was like chocolate donuts, I liked them now and then, but I couldn't have them every meal, every day. I mean how much diarrhea can one person stand. Considering what she had in mind for me, the diarrhea comment might be appropriate.