Chapter 1

A group of us in the construction field went to Las Vegas for the huge equipment show in the spring of 1982. We left early on Sunday morning, and the plane arrived at McCarran International Airport just a little after 12:00 noon. By the time we got to the Imperial Hotel, and checked into our rooms it was close to 2:00 p.m. I went down to the casino to play some black jack. I sat down at a 5-dollar table, and put twenty dollars down. I played four hands, lost all four hands. I left really quick with my tail tucked between my legs.

Later I meet up with Richard, and he took me over to the crap table to show me how to play. Fifty dollars later I stepped back from the table to review my cash flow. I did not expect to lose seventy dollars in less than an hour.

The rest of the group met us in the lobby, and we left to check out a couple of casinos. We went down the street toward Nob Hill and Casino Royale. They stopped to check out both casinos. "Give me a beep on my pager when you are ready to go to dinner," I told them. I left and went down the street to the Sands. I wanted to look at that hotel where the famous rat pack had resided. This was my first time in Vegas. I wanted to see as much as possible. I did not realize just how fucking long of a walk it was to get to the Sands hotel.

I was sitting at the bar in the Sands having a drink. I was kind of lost in my thoughts, thinking about things that have happen to me in the last couple of years. Someone sat down in the chair next to me. I was still lost in my thoughts, and not paying any attention to what was going on around me. She must have said something to me, because finally she says, "hello is there anyone home?"

I turn and look at her and my jaw just drops. She was a gorgeous blonde, who must have been created by the Greek God Aphrodite. She was a vision of beauty and loveliness.

I said, "sorry what did you say?"

She giggled and said, "nothing really you just look like a person who is lost in a different world."

"Not really, I am just kind of in deep thought," I said.

"Well hi, my name is Shannon Summers," She said.

"My name was Herrmann Thomas Wright, but everyone calls me Tom, except my mother," I told her.

"That is an unusual first name," She giggled again.

"I was named after my grandfather on my mother's side," I told her.

"This is my first time in Vegas, and it is kind of lonely, due to the fact that my wife just divorced me recently, and took my 2-year-old son with her. We were supposed to go on this trip together, and it is uncomfortable being the only one in the group without a mate," I told her.

"Then what happened?" She asked me with a concerned look.

"I told her she left me for another man, a dam lawyer at that, and kicked me out of the house. I told her that I ended up buying a cottage on Killarney Beach Road. The cottage was original owned by my grandfather on my Dad's side, who sold it in the late 50's, and 20 plus years later I bought it back, with the help of my folks. It needs some work, and I would like to buy a better boat, but right now my financial situation is rather shaky," I finished the first part of my life story.

"What state do you live in, and where is your cottage located?" She asked me.

"Put your left hand on the bar," I told her. She asks, "why?" I said, "because Michigan is shaped like a hand and I will show you just where I live."

She did as I asked, and I started at the base of her thumb, and as sexily as I could, I slowly moved my finger up her thumb. Then around the tip and back down the inside of her thumb to the bottom. As I started back up the side of her index finger, I stopped.

"I live right here on the bay," I said to her.

"That was a cool way to show where you live," She responded with a laugh.

"You really don't recognize me do you?" She finally asked me.

"Nope," I said. "But I bet you are going to tell me you're an actress."

"Why yes I am." She said in a laughing manner. "But maybe I should start at the beginning."

"That would be nice," I said.

She started her story. "I was born and lived in State of Washington, in a little town called Waterville. We had a small farm, and apple orchard. Also, my dad worked as a part time logger. One day he got hurt very badly in a logging accident. It took a year for him to recover, and we struggled as a family. I have two sisters, Sarah, and Sandy, and two brothers, Sam, and Steven. When he got better, he divorced mom and ran off with his nurse. Mom had to sell the farm to make ends meet, and we moved to Seattle. As I got older, I entered a number of beauty pageants, I never won any, but I always placed in the top five," She said.

"One day there was a photo contest for Playboy. I entered and they liked what I had to offer. I did a spread for them, and was named Miss March of 1980. I was then, the runner up as Playmate of the year for 1981. I move into the Playboy mansion in LA, and had an affair with Hugh for a few months. I then date, and moved in with the drummer for Van Halen." She said as she continued her story

"I came home from a movie shoot early and there was a big party going on in the house, and I caught him in bed with three other women in some lustful sex acts. So I left and I moved my stuff into my sister's apartment, and then came out here staying at the Sands for a break," She said as she finished her story.

"What about your acting career?" I asked her.

"I was in two movies. The first was called House Fright, where I was away with my children on vacation. While my husband is at home battling rodents. The second was called Avalanche Run, which was a movie about skiing." She told me.

"I was in a couple of TV commercials, and in a couple of guest spots on TV sit coms, and was in one daytime soap opera," She said to me.

We chatted some more, and then my pager went off with a phone number on it. The bartender gave me a phone and I called the number.

Richard answered, and said, "we are going to Battista's Hole In The Wall, for dinner, and did I want to go?"

"Hold for just a second." I said to him.

I looked at my watch and it was 6:00 P.M. "Would you like to go to dinner with me and the rest of the group I am with?" I asked her.

She kind of stuttered, till I grabbed both of her hands, and looked into her blue eyes, "I would really enjoy your company for dinner," I said to her.

"I can't go looking like this," She said.

"You look absolutely beautiful," I said to her.

"All right all right then lets go," She said back to me.

"Richard I have a date, make sure to get an extra chair we will be there in 15 minutes or so," I told him.

We had a great time at dinner. Everyone treated Shannon with respect, and enjoyed listening to her tell about her acting career. She held my hand a lot at dinner which made me feel good. Everyone drank some wine, but me, I am not a wine drinker. (It is an old story about what happened to me, in my younger days). Battista's has delicious Italian food, and we were all full when we finished eating.

Shannon and I took a cab back to the Sands, and went into the bar for a nitecap. We chatted for a while, but all the time I was yawing, till she started to giggle at me. She said, "you must be tired?"

"Ya it has been a long day, I have been up since 4:00 a.m. Michigan time, and it now 10pm Vegas time or 1:00 a.m. Michigan time, almost up 24 hours," I said to her.

We chatted for another 15-20 minutes, and I asked her, "if she wanted to go to the convention with me tomorrow?" She did not know just yet, so I said, "tell you what give me a call in the morning and let me know." I gave her one of my business cards with my pager number on it. I also wrote down my room number and hotel phone number, on the backside of the card.

I got up and said, "well it is time for me to go get some sleep." She got up with me and wrapped her arms around my neck. She gave me a very long sensual kiss. We broke the kiss, and she said, "I had a really good time, and I like the idea that you did not pressure me into anything afterwards." I told her, "ditto."

I thought to myself, I hope that she calls me in the morning. I left with my heart racing from the kiss she gave me.

In the morning the group headed down to Barbary Coast for breakfast, we almost finished when my pager buzzed. It was Shannon. I raced to the nearest phone and called her back.

"Hi is that offer still available to go to the convention?" She asked me.

"I don't think that space has been filled yet, and you are more than welcome to go with me," I replied back to her.

"I would be ready in 30 minutes, is that ok?" She asked me.

"No problem, I will be down to get you as soon as I finished up breakfast," I said to her. "Have you had breakfast yet?" I asked her.

"Yes I had room service bring me up a continental breakfast," She replied to me. We chatted for a few minutes and then said our goodbyes. I raced back to the table and wolfed down the rest of my breakfast. I ran outside and grabbed a cab. "Take me to the Sands," I told the driver.

I waited in the lobby for her and she was down shortly, and we went to the convention. I got her signed in, and then we stop to figure out just where to go. This convention was huge, taking up all the space around the center. Richard and I had a time set up to meet at the Cat exhibit at 10:30 A.M. I looked at my map of the convention layout, and located the Cat exhibit. We went in that direction, and met up with the group there. I told them, "we are going over to Pave-Co exhibit, our company does business with them. Meet us there around noon." Shannon and I walk that way hand in hand as we look at all the equipment and other support items.

We got to Pav-Co display area, and they had some really nice pieces of equipment out on the floor. The salesman that I dealt with was on the floor with another customer. He waved at me and flashed a hand signal to wait a few minutes. He came over with four other salesmen.

One of them must have recognized Shannon. They all took pictures with her. The owner was there, and he came over to get his picture taken.

They gave both of us a really nice spring jacket and a hat. He also gave me enough tickets for all of our group to go to their customers' appreciation banquet at the Tropicana Hotel, later in the week. We were there about an hour, so they could take some pictures of her on their equipment to put into their quarterly magazine.

Richard, his brother Jim, and their wives showed up at noon. We left Pav-Co to look at some other exhibits. I showed them the tickets, and they were elated to be able to go with us. He told me, "RC got enough tickets for all of us to go see the Beach Boys at Caesars Palace tonight, if we want to go." I looked over at Shannon and she was nodding her head yes. "Count us in," I told him.

We all went back to the Imperial Hotel, and ran into Richard's father-in-law Hank. "I just won 4500 dollars on this slot machine," He told us. We all said ya right sure you did. He pulls out his wallet, and it was full of hundred dollar bills, enough to choke a horse. Richard said to Hank, "I think you should get a money order, so nobody could steal your wad of bills." So he left to do that. Richard finishes out his machine, and then he puts in twenty dollars of his own in it. Got nothing, so I stepped up and put in twenty dollars, and never won a thing. Hank comes back and puts ten dollars in the machine, and wins another 2400 dollars. We all just about shit our pants. You can guess who bought dinner. Later that night Hank went back looking for that machine, but it was not in the same place, probably gone.

(This is true and actually happened.)

We went to Caesars Palace later that night, and saw the Beach Boys, their whole band was there except Brian Wilson. They were great, and we all had a great time. We stopped in the bar at Caesar's to have a drink, and wind down a bit, we were still sky high from the concert.