Read Online What Stays in Vegas by Beth Labonte - Free Book Online

right. 
    “I’ll take those, Tessa.  Thank you,” said Kendra. She held out a hand to me while the other one continued sketching red lines onto the set of plans in front of her.   I gave them to her and had one foot out the door when I heard my name again.
    “Tessa,” she said.  “Do you mind staying for the rest of the meeting?  We could really use somebody to take notes.” 
    No!
    “Sure,” I said.  I grabbed a yellow legal pad and took a seat at the opposite end of the table.  I had never been asked to take notes at a meeting before, and if this had been a meeting between normal people I may have asked Kendra exactly what type of things she needed written down.  But since my sheer presence in the room was already grating on Rob’s nerves, I decided to keep my mouth shut.
    “Where were we?” asked Rob.  “We’re wasting time here.” 
    “Well,” said Kendra, “I was just explaining that if we reduced the size of the building, we could also reduce the amount of parking and increase the landscaping.  These are the kinds of things that the Zoning Commission would like to see.”
    “I don’t think so,” said Rob.  Kendra glanced up at Chris and Dan, who in turn exchanged confused looks.
    “What do you mean?” asked Kendra.
    “I mean, The Jiggly Kitty doesn't change for anybody.  Each one is built to my specifications regardless of what city it’s in.  Am I not paying you to do what I ask?”
    “Right,” said Kendra.  “But if we squeeze a full sized building onto this tiny plot of land, we’re asking the city to make a lot of exceptions to their zoning code.  Do you really think they’re going to go along with that? Especially after they told us to come back with a design that ‘fit more harmoniously into the spirit of Riverlin’?”
    “Shh!” said Rob, holding his finger up in front of Kendra’s face.  He  turned to Chris and Dan.  “What would you two geniuses suggest?” He leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingertips together. 
    I started sketching a little bit in my notebook to appear busy as I didn’t want him to turn his wrath on me.
    “Well,” said Chris, sitting up straighter in his chair and rubbing the back of his neck.  “For starters, the VIP room to the rear would need to lose the trampoline section.  It extends the building too close to the wetlands out back.”
    “And if we have to go before the Conservation Commission, they will never approve us,” added Kendra.  “They hate us too.”
    “Also,” said Dan, “the idea about reserved parking spaces for curbside lap dances will need to be eliminated.  We’re low on parking even without those.”
    “Those spaces will make me a fortune,” said Rob.
    “The Zoning Commission doesn’t care if you make money,” said Kendra.
    “Plus, I believe there are laws against outdoor nudity,” said Chris.
    “Look,” said Rob.  “All of these problems don’t mean shit to me.  I have always been able to get my clubs built to my specifications.  You idiots act like we’ve never worked together before.”
    “We’re just trying to compromise,” said Kendra.  “We need to be willing to make some adjustments if we want any chance of getting approved.”
    “I have never made adjustments.  Adjustments are made for me .   For as long as you’ve known me have I ever abided by a rule that I didn’t like?”
    “No,” said Kendra.  “You have not.”
“And have I ever had a problem getting my approvals?”
    “No,” said Kendra, staring down at the table.  “You always manage to pull it off.  But what you don’t seem to understand is that I need to at least try to practice some ethics.” 
    Boy was it getting juicy.  I kept my head down, buried in my notebook.
    “You people do what I pay you to do, and I’ll worry about ethics ,” said Rob. 
    “And by ethics you mean, what?” asked Chris.  “Bribery?” 
    An involuntary gasp escaped me and I tried to cover it by clearing