Stone Barrington 27 - Doing Hard Time

autopilot, and tapped the identifier for Sedona, Arizona, into the flight computer, then he sat back and let the airplane do its work.
    •   •   •
    Teddy spent the night in Sedona, enjoying the town and a good restaurant, then he took off for Vegas, touching down a minute before three PM . As he taxied up to the FBO, Atlantic Aviation, a Rolls-Royce pulled out to the ramp, and when he shut the engine down it glided to a stop at the airplane’s door. As he stepped down, a petite, very blonde young woman in a very tight business suit and very high heels got out of the car and offered her hand.
    “I’m Charmaine, Mr. Burnett,” she said, “and I’m here to make your stay in Las Vegas as pleasurable as possible.”
    “It’s Billy,” he said, shaking her hand, then he handed his leather duffel to the chauffeur, who introduced himself as James, and followed Charmaine into the rear seat. The door closed with an impressive
thunk
, and cool air enveloped him.
    Charmaine handed him a champagne flute and filled it from a bottle of Dom Pérignon, which was in an ice bucket built into the car. “What’s your pleasure, Billy?”
    “Well,” Teddy said, “it occurs to me that if I’m going to drive around in a Rolls-Royce with a beautiful woman, I need some new clothes.”
    “What are your tastes?”
    “Traditional.”
    “We have a very handsome Ralph Lauren store on our property.”
    “Mr. Lauren sounds just perfect.”
    The Rolls floated away, and Teddy sank into the soft seat and sipped Dom Pérignon.
    Charmaine took charge at the Ralph Lauren store, picking out suits and jackets for him to try. Since Teddy was a perfect 42 Regular in the Lauren cut, alterations were limited to hemming the trousers, and Charmaine pressed them for a quick delivery.
    •   •   •
    Four hours later, Teddy’s masseuse finished her work, and he showered away the oil, then opened his closet to view his freshly delivered wardrobe. He chose a dark blue Purple Label suit with a chalk stripe, a blue-and-white-striped shirt, a becoming necktie, and a pair of shiny black alligator loafers. He had never spent so much money on clothes before, but he was in a celebratory mood.
    He and Charmaine had a very fine dinner in the hotel’s Wolfgang Puck restaurant, and when he asked the headwaiter for a check, the man said, “Just tip the waiter, Mr. Burnett.” Teddy tipped both him and the waiter lavishly.
    “What next, Billy?” Charmaine asked.
    “Is the game of poker played in this establishment?”
    “Oh, yes,” she replied.
    Teddy stood up. “Show me.”

At dinner, Ben Bacchetti and Tessa Tweed sat next to each other and quickly seemed to bond, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the rest of the group, particularly Tessa’s mother, who monitored their conversation closely.
    After dinner, over brandy, Emma Tweed sat on a sofa with Stone.
    “You look worried,” Stone said.
    “I am, I suppose. You saw what happened at dinner with Tessa and Ben.”
    “I saw them enjoying each other’s company,” Stone said.
    “It was more than that, I’m afraid. I have a feeling this is going to turn into something. They have far too much in common and are far too attracted to each other. I had visions of Tessa working in the West End theater for a few years before forming a real relationship, and now it seems to have happened too quickly.”
    “I didn’t raise my son—he came to me in his teens, and he met Hattie at school almost immediately. They’ve been together ever since, and it’s been wonderful for both of them. My advice is to relax and let nature take its course. It will work or it won’t.”
    “I know that’s what I should do, but I’m a mother—what else can I say?”
    “You and I connected rather quickly,” Stone said. “You can’t deny that sort of luck to Tessa.”
    “She’s going to the studio tomorrow morning, and I’m going, too.”
    “Why don’t I take you to the studio a little later, after they’ve had time to see their new bungalow and Tessa has seen the studio?”
    “I guess I can wait that long,” she said. “What bungalow?”
    “Peter’s stepfather, Vance Calder, had the bungalow as his office and dressing room for decades, and the studio has given Peter the place. The kids worked with an architect and one of the studio’s set designers to make some improvements and enlarge the space, and they haven’t seen the finished product yet.”
    “This I want to see,” Tessa