VIVA LAS VEGAS - 1 ENGLISH EDITION

VIVA LAS VEGAS-1/10

Elvis jumped into the water. Immediately he grabbed Jerry by his neck and pushed him away. I managed to free myself from Jerry and swam to the other side of the pool. As I got there, I held on to the pool's edge and took a deep breath. I coughed heavily because I had swallowed a lot of water. Hastily I checked my body to see if I was injured. Although all of my muscles were hurting, I didn't seem to have any serious injuries. I was shaking and still coughing. As I looked to the other side of the pool, I saw Elvis beating up Jerry with his fists. He kept on hitting him again and again. Jerry was already bleeding. He had no chance. He gasped and begged Elvis to stop. Elvis whispered something in his ear which I could not hear. Jerry looked at him and nodded. Than Elvis let him go. Jerry disappeared as quickly as he could. While I was watching him getting out of the water, suddenly a hand reached out for me.

„Take my hand, Miss Idy. I'll assist you."

I looked up and saw the face of a man that seemed familiar. Two kind eyes looked at me with concern.

"Are you hurt, Miss Idy?"

"I don't think so.", I felt could, my body was shaking.

After the little chunky man had pulled me out of the water, he wrapped my into a towel.

"I'm Johnny, Mr. Presley's personal assistant. We were at the bar when we heard you screaming. You were very lucky. This might have had a bad ending. Are you sure you are not hurt?"

Now I recognized Johnny. He had been the voice in the background as I kissed Elvis the very first time. I shook my head but I couldn't say a word. Tears ran down my face. Johnny was right. This could have ended very badly. I was glad that the two had heard my screaming and came to rescue me.

"Idy! What has he done to you? Are you injured?"

As I saw Elvis running towards me, there was no stopping. I was so happy to see him. I ran into his arms. He squeezed my tight and wrapped another towel over my wet hair.

„What happened? Please tell me he didn't...!"

I shook my head.

With relief in his voice, Elvis whispered: "Thank god! You are alright!"

He kissed my forehead, I was feeling so safe in his arms. I soaked up the warmth of his body. Suddenly the pain was gone and I forgot about Jerry and what he did to me. All I wanted in this moment was to be with Elvis.

"Johnny, we will go inside. Please take care of that bastard. I don't want to see him here ever again!"

Johnny nodded and went to the back entrance of the building.

As we entered the hotel, suddenly I was feeling dizzy. My legs felt weak and collapsed.

"Idy! Relax! Please sit!", Elvis made me sit into a big leather chair, "Breathe! I'm so sorry that you had to go through this. Did you know Jerry?"

„I got to know him shortly before the incident. He is the new boy friend of my best friend. He seemed to be so funny and charming. I really thought that he was a good guy. It's not my fault that this had happened or is it? I didn't provoke it. Something like this never has happened to me before.", my body was still shaking.

"No, please!", carefully Elvis whipped away a wet strand of hair from my face, "Be assured that this has not been your fault. Unfortunately Jerry is well known for this kind of behavior. He and all the men around Frank Sinatra are criminals. This is no secret. They have connections to the mafia. This is why I rejected to perform with Frank. This would be rather good for our careers but I don't want to get associated with these hideous guys."

He looked at me with worried eyes. Once again he made me nervous. I tried so hard to believe that he would only love me and nobody else. In this moment, as he cared for me so dearly, I was close to believing it. He took my hand: "Idy, this is very serious. You have to warn your friend. Jerry is dangerous, do you understand?"

I nodded: "I will tell her first thing tomorrow morning. I could never forgive myself if something would happen to Jenny."

Elvis smiled gently: "Come on, you have to warm-up. I will take you to my suite. It's warm and cozy there."

As he was about to get out of the chair, I gently pushed him back in. He seemed to be puzzled.

"I still haven't thanked you for saving my life. That was nice."

Elvis frowned: "Nice? Idy, I love you! I would give my life for you!", he sounded a little bit upset.

It felt like my heart was about to burst as I listened to his words. It took all my courage to ask the question I was so afraid to ask.

"What about Priscilla? You will marry her. How could I believe you?"

For a short moment Elvis closed his eyes. He took a deep breath.

"I don't love her."

My heart was racing. There was a big mess in my mind. What did I just heard? I didn't understand anything.

Elvis seemed to notice that I was confused and tried to explain:

„Priscilla is a young girl from the country. Way too young for me. It's all a big bluff, Idy, do you understand? They found the perfect girl for me. I should have a girlfriend without any demands. A girl that won't ask any questions. It was suppose to be like in fairy tales. This only happened for my perfect image as a the perfect lover and the perfect son in law. Now I ask you: What am I suppose to do with such a young girl? She is nineteen years old. I feel sorry for her. Because of me she was not able to live her life. We have been together for quite a while now. She couldn't enjoy her teenage years so far. She wasn't able to get to know other guys. She wasn't allowed to go out because she was meant for me and I haven't had enough time for her. Please don't get me wrong. I appreciate her very much. She is an intelligent young girl and she does not deserve this. But loving her? No. I do love you, Idy! I desire you like a man desires a woman. That's not possible with her. I will end the relationship with her, whether the Colonel might like it or not. I will not continue doing this. But I have no idea how to make it up to Priscilla. Agreeing to this was a big mistake."

He lowered his head with sadness in his eyes.

I was shocked. I never would have guessed this. The stories about Elvis and Priscilla always sounded so real. The perfect couple. In this moment I felt like I was a passenger in a time travel in which I was about to change Elvis' life. Or had everything that he just told me been real and their love was nothing else but a big lie? I shut my eyes and shook my head with disbelieve. I didn't know what to think anymore. Then he looked me in the eyes again. Those blue eyes and this compelling mouth. I felt my heart overflowing with love as I gazed at his face. I leaned forward and as our lips touched, everything felt right, just as it had been like this forever.

-to be continued-