Miley finally gets her topless show with some familiar guest stars, and it's a big hit. But after the show Doug's worst fears are realized.
*****
Success and Disaster
I paced the hotel room floor nervously. Miley's show at the Mirage was a hit, with sellouts almost every night. The show got good reviews, but she hadn't done M's Cabaret at the Luxor yet. This was the first show. Not wanting to be a distraction I had stayed away from the girls and the rehearsals. There was no need for them to see how nervous I was for them.
Chris and I had taken a car to the airport to meet each one as they arrived. Miley kept him busy, so that was the only time we had to talk.
"I can't believe how well you've done working for Miley. I never suspected you could pull off the things you have."
He grinned. "Yeah, it's fun flying around talking to famous pretty girls. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. These three were a good start because they knew me, but I've lined up Ariana Grande, Katy Perry and Taylor Momsen, too. I tried Taylor Swift, but she was a no-go with the idea. It was fun to talk to her, though. I've almost got several others signed, but I'm not at liberty to name names until they sign a contract. Once they know there will be no pre-show publicity they are more willing to do something a bit more 'spicy' than usual. It's funny that they will go on stage wearing miniscule costumes that show practically everything, and even orchestrate 'wardrobe malfunctions', but are skittish about appearing intentionally topless."
I smiled to myself imagining Chris trying to talk Taylor Swift out of her clothes.
"Once the idea got out agents have actually begun to contact us. Miley doesn't want any movie stars who have already appeared nude or in sex scenes on film. The idea of this enterprise is to get out of one's comfort zone and do something wild and crazy as a complete surprise to the audience. We may not have someone every night, but time slots are filling up. If it's real popular they may let us stay for another month or another casino could pick us up. Miley's having a blast with it, but opening night is still giving her a bit of jitters until she sees whether it can be pulled off successfully."
Selena had been a hard sell, but Doug earned his money by finally convincing her to take a couple of days out of her schedule to come to Vegas and rehearse for one show. Vanessa was easy, even somewhat excited to be included. Paris had been reluctant, since she wasn't a professional dancer, but was talked into being a singer in Miley's backup group, with minimal dance moves.
"Tell me, Chris - what's it really like to work for Miley?"
"It's everything I could have imagined. She is liberal with her own 'fringe benefits', for sure. Then there's Cynthia, too. And, a number of the girls in the show are very friendly. Man, I get all the pussy I want. I'm serious. Hey, maybe she can find a job for you, too."
"It's tempting, but no thanks. I'm glad it's worked out for you, though."
I wanted to see Paris and I tried sneaking into rehearsal for a peek, but Miley shooed me away and told me not to come back until after the show.
I took up a seat near the stage and waited for the show to begin. I looked around at the crowd, majority males of all ages, but quite a few couples also. Drinks were available and most patrons seemed to be partaking. I listened to conversations around me. Most seemed to be curious as to what Miley would do, if it would be a real topless show or just a tease. There was no expectation of seeing anyone other than Miley and the usual singers and dancers.
There was a live band just offstage, and when the music started the hubbub died down and there was an air of expectancy in the crowd. The house lights dimmed and Miley stepped from behind the curtain, wearing slacks and a fancy jacket, to welcome everyone. "We've got a good show. I promise you'll be amazed. We even have some magic - but not from me. You see, I have nothing up my sleeve."
She unbuttoned the jacket and shrugged it off, revealing that she was wearing nothing underneath. Amid hoots and cheers she turned the sleeves inside out. "See? I really have nothing up my sleeve! And, you will get even more surprises tonight, you lucky opening nighters! So, sit back and prepare to see something different and exciting! Enjoy!"
She waved and ducked behind the curtain, which went up momentarily. There were "Ooh's" and "Aah's" as the stage filled with dancers - showgirls with feathers and bling and nothing more. Miley did not intend to perform in every late show, not immediately after her regular show at the Mirage got out, but planned to pop in and perform herself on Mondays when the other show was dark. Even though it was Friday, opening night was special, and she was excited to be part of the initial show.
True to Vegas shows of this sort, there were a number of acts of singers and dancers. Two showgirls, a blond and a redhead, appeared for a magic act. They opened the sides and top of a large box on stage, then closed it up except for the top. The redhead got in the box and wriggled down until her head was almost inside. The blond closed the lid and sat on it, leaving the tip of the redhead's feather boa sticking out. The blond jumped off the box and spun it around several times, then waved her hand and opened all the sides to show it was empty inside. She pretended to scratch her head in bewilderment, then closed the sides again and spun the box a few more times. In a moment the top popped open and the redhead girl rose up and stepped out, revealing she had lost her clothes, all except a teeny piece of material that left no doubt she was completely shaved. She looked down and made an effort to cover herself with her hands and shrieked "What have you done with my clothes?" The blond pondered a moment and then brightened, pointing up. "They're up there." At that moment a costume fell from above the curtain to land at their feet. The crowd laughed uproariously and applauded. The redhead said "Oh yeah? Back at ya!" and appeared to throw something on the floor at the feet of the blond, and a large puff of smoke enveloped her. As the smoke thinned she stepped out of it waving it away from her face, but she, too had lost her clothes. The crowd laughed and applauded again as the near naked girls bowed and pushed the box off the stage.
Most of the other acts were similar to some of the other late night 'Revues' on the strip, but one act near the end of the show was a slow, seductive dance number by a couple. She wore only some sort of thong and he had on something straight out of Chippendales, even to the white collar. Their dance was very erotic as they moved about the stage with their bodies pressed together. He lifted her up so she could straddle his head as if for oral sex. They held each other tight and he bent her backwards until her feet came completely off the floor and he held as if in a missionary position. They faced each other and he held her hands and slid her between his legs, but stopped her partway, so her head was in his crotch. Their act was probably something like one from the Cirque du Soleil Zumanity show Miley was temporarily replacing. Very erotic, but not explicit.
During the show I had strained to look, but hadn't noted any of our 'surprise guests'. In a ninety minute show with no intermission I began to get worried that something had happened to them.
The next act after the dance duo Miley appeared and I was stunned to recognize Paris singing behind her, wearing the same sparkly topless costume as the other singers. Nobody seemed to recognize her. In a later number Selena and Vanessa were in an energetic dance number, two in a line of ten girls. They did some traditional Vegas show dance with high kicks, and also danced around Miley as she sang. They both seemed to handle the high heels well - much better than they had done at Moulin Rouge.
I had been a bit skeptical whether they could pull it off, but context is everything. Here were some famous faces just a few feet away from folks, but weren't recognized since they were out of their usual context. Miley knew what she was doing when she put this show together.
The final number was a big production number with everyone on stage. It ended with a few bars of "Wrecking Ball", and Miley swung out over the stage, not on a wrecking ball, but a giant penis. And it appeared she was almost completely nude. As the last notes died away the audience response was enthusiastic. The stage lights went dark for a moment, and some people sensed the end of the show and started to get up and leave. The stage lights came back up, with Miley, wearing only a thong, center stage holding a microphone. She took a moment to catch her breath and then announced "Thank you all for coming tonight. You don't know how long I've waited to free these things" she cupped her breasts "during a show."
That got a laugh and applause. People who had started to leave sat back down to listen and see what would happen next.
"I told you there would be some surprises. Who thinks they saw a familiar face or two tonight? Anyone? No?"
