Julia’s Note: This is the last part of my story, but I have written two endings for it. I will post the alternate ending in a couple of days.

It seemed that Sammy and I couldn’t get enough of each other. I moved my things up into his penthouse, and we began to live together. Sammy was such a joy to be around. He was always considerate and treated me like a real lady. Sammy never raised his voice at me and always spoke quietly and lovingly to me. Sammy was my rock; he was there for me whenever I needed him, and I loved him for it. I had fallen for this man as well.

My singing career at the casino and as a recording artist had exploded. Tickets for my shows were the hottest item in Vegas, and I was performing more shows a week than ever. I released my second album, a live recording in the casino lounge. It sounded so intimate, just a great album, and it also went Platinum.

As a jazz artist, I didn’t expect to win any general awards, but Sammy and I flew to LA to attend the Grammys, and we won Album of the Year and Best Jazz Vocal Album for my first album. That year I was nominated in five Grammy categories, ‘record of the year,’ ‘album of the year,’ ‘song of the year,’ ‘best new artist,’ and ‘best jazz vocal album.’ I was happy I won a general category and gladly accepted the awards with Sammy and Stuart.

Sure, the awards were outstanding, but what was great was while we were on stage, Sammy went up to the microphone, and instead of thanking everyone, he turned to me and asked me, “Tammi, will you marry me?”

I was shocked but immediately ran to the mic and said, “YES!”

Sammy then brought out this massive diamond engagement ring and placed it on my finger, and we embraced. The audience went crazy, and our engagement went out live worldwide. Needless to say, that clip was on the news everywhere.

We went to several after Grammy parties and had a great time while we were in LA. Everyone wanted to congratulate us on our engagement, and the awards were now secondary. Sammy and I eventually made it back to our hotel, and we had our special celebration that lasted most of the night. Once again, Sammy had put me on cloud nine, and I was so happy that the rest of that night was a blur for me.

The next day we got up late and ordered room service for brunch and once again celebrated my Grammy wins and our engagement. We both took a shower together and got ready to head back to Vegas. Sammy had booked us a private jet, and we made it back to Vegas without any issue. We made it back to the casino, and the press was waiting for us. We did several interviews, and no, we hadn’t set a wedding date, and yes, we were happy we won the Grammy awards. After making it through the TV news and press gauntlet, we returned to our penthouse.

On a message, Stuart informed us that the record company had given me several jazz concert dates for the major jazz festivals I would attend during the fall. The recording company had set me up with a group of musicians who would travel and accompany me while on tour. It would be a lot of fun, and I knew I would enjoy it.

The festivals I would attend were in September, October, and November. Most of them were in the US, but there were going to be three festivals in Canada, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. One of my favorite festivals was in Monterey. I had attended it many times but never thought I would ever headline it.

I asked Sammy how he was going to manage without me around. He grinned and told me; I can get a jet and come out to watch you sing if I get lonely. And I knew he was serious. I love that man. We still hadn’t set a wedding date, so I sat down with Sammy and asked him. We looked at the calendar and thought a weekend in Vegas would be an excellent month during mid-January. It’s in the low season, and we can get away for a honeymoon, maybe in Hawaii or Mexico.

The Grammy awards gave a boost to my record sales. My new and first albums were selling well, and tickets to see me in Vegas were always sold out months in advance. I was now doing shows Wednesday through Sunday, with days off on Monday and Tuesday.

I enjoyed my Vegas shows at the nightclub and in the Review show. The review show was at nine and the nightclub show was at 11. Since the revenue had increased from both my shows, Sammy had set up a live band for both. It was larger for the Review show and a four-piece jazz band in the nightclub. Lyle was still my piano man, and we still sang the odd duet together, but we now also had drums, sax, and bass to accompany me in the club.

I received the itinerary for the festival shows I would be performing around the country. Sammy also came up with another great idea. Since I wouldn’t be around the casino while on tour, he set me up to fly back between festival dates and perform special concert shows in our main theatre. We set up the dates for those as well. It would mean a bit of back-and-forth travel for me, but it would have the benefit that I would see Sammy more often too. We tried to make it two nights a week that I would return to the casino to perform a couple of back-to-back shows and then fly on a private jet to the next festival where I would perform either on a weeknight or a weekend date, depending on the festival. The longest haul flights would occur when I was performing in jazz festivals on the east coast, but we figured it would be worth it for the casino and our relationship.

Sammy’s idea worked great since the Vegas Concert shows sold out in a couple of days when the tickets went up for sale.

We started for our first festival date and flew out. The flight was uneventful, we made it there, and I performed my set at the Montreal Jazz festival. The Canadian people loved me, and I had a warm reception and felt very appreciated.

After it was over, I got back on our jet again and flew back to Vegas. I had a couple of days off and then performed two nights in the casino theatre. I dressed up as a showgirl, but I didn’t dance and just sang my set and let the showgirls dance behind me. A jazz orchestra backed us up. It was spectacular, and the crowd roared. The critics and the public loved the new show and gave it great reviews. We repeated it the next night with the same results.

The next festival was the Monterey Jazz festival. Sammy accompanied me up to Monterey and watched as I performed my set there. Once again, everyone loved my singing. We were also making brisk CD sales, and I spent time autographing the CDs for the fans. Sammy and I flew back to Vegas, and we spent time together the next few days until my next Vegas Show.

The rest of the fall was similar. I think I performed at a dozen Jazz shows all over the US and three Canadian stops. The crowds loved me everywhere, and the reviews were just incredible. I also recorded another live album one night at the casino show, and it would soon be on CD. Stuart called me and asked if I could get into the studio to record a Christmas Jazz CD. I also fit that into my itinerary. It was a busy time for me, but we had scheduled it very well, and I had my off days with Sammy.

When I went to LA to record the Christmas CD, Sammy came along. I spent two days in the studio recording, and it would be out by Thanksgiving. I sang all the old Christmas standards giving them my take with a jazz arrangement, and the tracks sounded great. Sammy and I spent some time shopping on Rodeo Drive in LA, where I purchased many new designer dresses and accessories. I even got Sammy to buy a few new designer suits and a new tuxedo. We had a stream of paparazzi following us constantly, and I would always smile for those guys since they were only doing their jobs. Many stars complain about them, but I would always stop and pose for their shots, and they respected us. We had a great time, and then we returned to Vegas to set up for another of my shows there.

Things were going great with us, and Sammy and I were never happier. Life was fast and busy and fun. I enjoyed performing the new Vegas show, and all the girls thought it was great. We were all having so much fun performing them. I never felt that singing, touring, and performing was a job. I was doing something I found that I loved to do and enjoyed, so how could I even consider it work?

After the festival season, I went back to my regular performances with the Review. It was easier on me since I didn’t have to go through the daily dance practices, but I would still come out once a week to keep myself up on the dance moves and also to learn my marks in the show, as I didn’t want to be singing in the wrong place while they were dancing around me. Still, I kept my spot as the Singing Showgirl, and we did variations of the special shows I performed during the jazz festivals.

I also performed the lounge shows. They were trendy as well, and I was always autographing my CDs. We sold them in the lounge and some of the casino shops. Sammy would always show up during my break and share a drink with me between sets.

Thanksgiving came around, and we shared a quiet Thanksgiving dinner with our friends in the penthouse. The casino kitchen staff catered it, and they did a great job, and everyone had a great time. After dinner, Sammy and the other guys watched the football game, and the girls were chatting and drinking wine in the kitchen while picking over the turkey carcass. We spoke about our wedding coming up in January, and many of my girlfriends were excited about it. It was still in the planning stages, but we were going to be married in the casino wedding chapel and reception in one of our banquet rooms. We were not looking at a big wedding but were inviting as many people as could fit in the chapel. We asked a lot of friends to the reception afterward. Sammy wondered about a church wedding, but that was off the table when the priest heard I was transgender. Sammy was upset about it, but I told him not to worry. He said, “That church wouldn’t get a cent of my money any longer.”

I continued to perform the shows every night of the week. December came around, and my Christmas CD was released. I could hear it play on the casino music system and other Christmas music. It took a little getting used to hearing myself singing, but Sammy put it into place when I was on tour. I would be walking in the casino and start humming, and I would realize I was listening to one of my songs. My singing career has boosted the casino’s bottom line, and Sammy never let me forget that. He was always complimenting me on my success as a singer.

We celebrated New Year in the casino, and we had a large party there, and I was one of the featured singers. It was a lot of fun, and we watched the New Year roll in on a giant wall projection. After New Year, they fitted my bridesmaids and me for the bride’s and bridesmaid’s gowns. Sammy and his boys got fitted for their new tuxedos. We were having the band perform the wedding music. So many people wanted to see our wedding we had decided to hold it in the theatre. The people working at the casino wanted to see our marriage too, so we decided to close the casino while we were being married, then everyone working there could come by if they wanted.

Finally, it was our wedding day. The casino closed down an hour before the wedding, and the theatre filled up. Everyone was waiting for me in the theatre as I walked up in my wedding gown. The ushers opened the doors for me as I walked up to the theatre doors. I heard the music start, and that was my cue to walk down the central aisle to the stage. I slowly walked towards the stage as the flashes were going off all around me. I could see Sammy waiting there for me along with the bridal party and a Justice of the peace. I made it to the stage and slowly raised my dress to walk up to the stage. Sammy was beaming from ear to ear. I had never seen him so happy. We stood in front of the Justice, we said our wedding vows, and then he pronounced us husband and wife. Sammy placed the wedding band on my finger, and I did the honor for him as well.

When Sammy was told, “You may kiss the bride,” he wasted no time in raising my veil and gave me a kiss as everyone in the theater was cheering and applauding for us. We embraced each other and turned towards the audience. The photographers were very professional and caught every moment. I threw my bouquet out to the people who had gathered around the stage and heard a resounding cheer from everyone there. Then we both walked down off the stage and up the aisle together. It was such a happy day for me, and I was so glad I had worn the waterproof mascara.

We then waited outside the theatre as the people came out and congratulated us. We all walked to the banquet hall, where we had our reception with the other wedding guests. Soon, we were all chatting and enjoying the champagne given to us by the waiting staff. At 6 pm, they announced for us to sit at our tables, and they started serving dinner. Sammy and I were sitting in the middle of the wedding table. We were flanked on either side by the bridesmaids and the groomsmen while we ate a lovely roast chicken dinner with white wine. Sammy’s best man toasted us and congratulated us. My bridesmaid was Trixie, and she also made a toast to us. Neither Sammy nor I had parents, but many of our friends came up and gave us their best wishes. Sammy got up and made a speech about meeting me and how he fell in love with me the first time he saw me, and he knew I would be his wife at that point. I thought back to when I first met Sammy and how frightened I was of him. But something happened along the way, and I also fell in love with him. I don’t know precisely when I knew for sure, but there was no going back once I realized it.

Once dinner was over, we had the first dance as husband and wife, and everyone cheered as we danced to the music of our casino band. I was on my feet all night as everyone wanted to have a dance with me, and Sammy, of course, cut in several times. After midnight, Sammy and I said our goodbyes to the party, and we left to more cheers and clapping.

We went up to the penthouse for our wedding night. Sammy took his time undressing me. He helped me out of my wedding dress. I, in turn, helped him out of his tuxedo until we were both in our underwear. Sammy then picked me up and carried me to the bedroom. We then enjoyed each other and made love to each other for hours. I didn’t know where all Sammy’s stamina came from, but I suspected he took a little blue pill earlier in the evening. The evening was unforgettable, and we so enjoyed ourselves. Sammy thanked me again for coming into his life and told me that things had never been better for him since I was with him. I told him I felt the same way. It seemed we were destined to be together, and nothing could have stopped it.

We had already packed for our honeymoon to Hawaii. We got up late and ordered room service brunch with champagne the following day. After brunch, we showered together, with a bit of extra fun, and then got dressed up, ready to fly out on the jet. We walked down to the casino, and everyone we met congratulated us on our wedding, then we jumped in our waiting limo and made the short trip over to the private jet area at McCarran airport. We boarded our jet; They loaded our luggage, and then we were off to Hawaii.

It didn’t take long before we landed on Maui at Kahului airport and took a limo to our resort. Sammy had booked a private villa by the beach, and in no time at all, we were there, where he picked me up and carried me over the threshold. The resort brought champagne and tapas to our villa, and we enjoyed snacking while looking over at the beach. I unpacked and found my bikini and put it on for Sammy. He whistled at me, and we found ourselves on the bed again. Sammy quickly helped me out of it and ravished me again. We laid down beside each other and kissed passionately.
I got up and put on my bikini for a second time, and Sammy put on his swimming trunks; then, we walked along the beach as the sun was setting over the water. It was so beautiful that evening as we walked along the surf’s edge softly talking to each other.

We walked back to the villa and called room service, and the resort brought a delicious red snapper dinner that we enjoyed with each other. We went out on the beach again. The sky was clear, the moon was out, and the sea looked so peaceful. It was so romantic that we kissed several times. We were both getting aroused, so we returned to our villa and made love all evening. Sammy always had so much stamina. That man was like a bull when he made love to me. And I couldn’t get enough of him either. Like I always did with Sammy, I lost count of the number of times he made me orgasm.

It was another night that I would never forget. I think we did every position in the Kama Sutra and a few more. I was glad all the dancing had made me so flexible, and Sammy enjoyed it as well. Sammy had always kept himself in great shape; he never wanted to be that overweight middle-aged guy and always made use of his penthouse fitness room. During sex with him, Sammy would go down on me with great passion and intensity. He was always loving, but he sure had great stamina. We could go on each other for hours. I loved riding Sammy as a cowgirl, and he loved it too.

The next day, we got up late and ordered room service. Sammy had arranged for a helicopter tour of Maui and the neighboring islands. We took a limo over to the helicopter tour company, and in no time, we were in the air having a blast looking at the scenery. We were all wearing headsets, and the pilot was doing double duty as our tour guide. The helicopter tour covered the most scenic sites of both West and East Maui. We flew over Haleakala Crater at 10,023 feet elevation. Then we went to the Hana rain forest, which featured breathtaking waterfalls and valleys. We then headed into the West Maui Mountains and the Pu’u Kukui watershed, where we saw jaw-dropping waterfalls and razor-sharp valleys. It was excellent, and I took as many pictures as I could.

The pilot landed on a remote hilltop where he brought out a picnic lunch for us, which we enjoyed immensely. After lunch, we were back in the air and finished the tour, returning to the heliport and taking the limo back to the resort for some afternoon delight. We had another catered dinner in our room and then retired for lovemaking all evening. We couldn’t get enough of each other, and we were constantly exploring each other’s bodies and finding new ways to please each other. We went back out on the beach to watch the sun go down again, another beautiful evening in Hawaii.

At the end of our Honeymoon week, we packed up in our room and checked out of the resort. We then got on our jet and arrived late afternoon in Vegas. The paparazzi were waiting for us at the casino front entrance, so we decided to go around to the rear door of the casino. I texted Joey about our change of plans. Joey called me back, he flatly stated for us to go around the block again, and he would call us when it was safe to park behind the hotel. I told Sammy and the driver, and instead of stopping, we circled the block again, waiting for Joey to call us back. A couple of minutes later, Joey said, it’s ok to come in, and we are in position.

We got out of the limo and were helping the driver unload our luggage when it happened. A dark sedan pulled up behind us, and two men with masks got out. They both had handguns pointing at us and started shooting. Sammy immediately saw what was happening and pushed me behind him. They opened up on Sammy, and he crumpled and fell to the ground, as well as the limo driver. Joey and his men immediately pulled out their guns and started shooting back, and the shooters both fell as well, then he rushed to our side.

Joey asked me, “Are you hurt?” He felt for Sammy’s pulse. “He still has a pulse. Call 911.”

“Joey, I’m fine. Sammy shielded me from the gunfire.”

“Hang in there, Sammy, don’t let the bastard take you.”

I knelt at Sammy’s side, and he looked at me and smiled, “I love you so much, Tammi. Tell my lawyer to implement Plan B.”

He closed his eyes and sighed. A pool of blood formed around Sammy, and he was dying. I quickly got my phone out, dialed 911, and told the operator that someone had shot my husband and he was dying in front of me.
“Please send an ambulance to the rear entrance of the High Roller Casino.” I didn’t know what else to do.

I kissed him and held his hand. It felt like hours, but an ambulance finally arrived. By now, people from the casino and other bystanders were gathered around us as the ambulance pulled up. The medics rushed over to Sammy and told me to stand back. They performed first aid to stop the bleeding and got him on a stretcher. Joey and I accompanied them to the hospital in the back of the ambulance. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, but Sammy still had a pulse, though it was very weak. I didn’t know or care about the shooters.

On the way to the hospital, they fought to keep Sammy alive. His heart stopped once, and they defibrillated him to bring him back. We arrived at Emergency, and they immediately wheeled Sammy into surgery to save his life. I was left alone in the waiting room, and soon other Casino managers started showing up. Trixie and June were there, most of the dancers and Sammy’s casino management staff. We all waited and prayed together for Sammy to make it.

I was getting a cup of coffee, not knowing what else I could do, and I remembered Sammy’s last words to me before he closed his eyes. I asked Trixie if she knew the number for Sammy’s lawyer, and she sent it to my phone. I called him up, and he answered, hello, this is Milton Schwartz.

“Hi Milton, I am Tammi Giancana, and they shot Sammy. He replied that he had just seen it on the news. I then gave him Sammy’s message. “I don’t know what this means, but Sammy told me to tell you to implement Plan B. Do you know what this is?”

He told me it was a plan Sammy had drawn up if something like this happened to him, and he would start Sammy’s Plan B immediately.

“I wish you and Sammy the best of luck, and I hope he can pull through this. But I have much work to do, and I will have to say goodbye.”

With that, he hung up the phone, leaving me to wonder what Sammy’s plan was.
I took my coffee back to the waiting room, and about an hour later, a doctor came out, and he had a sorrowful look on his face. I rushed over to him and asked him how Sammy was doing.

“It’s not good,” he told us. “Sammy had three serious bullet wounds, he is still fighting for his life, and his heart stopped on the operating table several times. He has lost a lot of blood, and we have blood transfusions going on into him as we speak to try and bring him back. That’s all I can say. For now, we still have much work to do so we can stop all the internal bleeding. Right now, he may recover, and we will do our best, but he doesn’t have good odds at the moment.”

I told him, “Sammy would always bet on a long shot, and he will do everything he could do to pull out of this. Sammy is a fighter and won’t go down easily.”

Sammy was in surgery for 10 hours. A team of doctors operated on him. A different doctor came out to see us the following day. He looked a little more optimistic than the first doctor last night. He told us, “The surgery was successful, and Sammy is now in recovery, but he is unconscious. We don’t know if he will fall into a coma or come around. He doesn’t have any swelling on his brain since all his wounds were to his body. He wasn’t paralyzed in the shooting but came within inches of being paralyzed. All we could do at this point was wait and see.”

The next day, I went into Sammy’s room, where he was still unconscious. I slowly walked beside his bed and kissed him, then pulled up a chair and sat down beside him. I held on to his hand and softly started speaking to him.

“Sammy, please don’t leave me alone. I love you, I need you, and you have to come back to me.” I stroked his hand, closed my eyes, and cried.

I then heard him softly say to me, “I’m not going anywhere, Tammi; I’m right here.”

“Sammy!” I cried. I got up and kissed him again, “I love you so much, and I was afraid I lost you.”

He just smiled at me, “Don’t worry, kid, I will soon be up and chasing you around the bed.”
I smiled and replied, “Hold on to that thought for later. For now, please rest and recover. Sammy, I love you so much!” I grabbed my phone and called Trixie.
“Trixie, Sammy made it through. I am talking to him now. Spread the word.”
Sammy smiled as I turned off my phone.

“Did you do what I told you to do when they shot me?”

I said, “Yes, I didn’t know what it was about, but your lawyer understood. He told me he would set the plan in motion. What is it all about?”

“Well, kid, you know I have enemies, but I have been smart about it for years. I have slowly gathered a shitload of evidence against these guys that would put them all away for life if it got out. Plan B was to inform them of the evidence on them, and if they tried to kill me, all that stuff would go out automatically in the event of my death. I don’t think any of those guys want to see me dead now, and the lawyer would have sent it all out if I had died, so those guys are lucky I lived. I tried for years to get out of my father’s other family business and go legit, and those guys have forced me to do so completely. They may still be my enemies, but they will know not to touch me.”

I kissed him again. I was so happy that Sammy had made it through the night alive.

A Year Later

Sammy has fully recovered from the shooting, and Plan B went into motion. None of Sammy’s old mob associates have contacted him, but they are leaving him alone. There were no further attempts on his life.

I am still the singing showgirl in our chorus review and the nightclub show. I cut another album, and it also went Platinum in a month. Sammy is always in attendance at my shows, and he says he wouldn’t miss them for the world.

Today, Sammy asked me if I had ever considered adopting children. One of his uncles had sent him a telegram. Unfortunately, his uncle’s son and daughter-in-law died in an auto accident, and they had left behind two small children, a boy and a girl. At this point, they were staying with their uncle, who was very old.

“What do you think, kid? Would you like to have children? We can meet them at the funeral.”

I thought about it. Me, a mother? Would I have ever dreamed this possible? Then again, would I have ever dreamed I would be the star in a casino as the ‘Singing Showgirl’ and have a Jazz singing career?

I told Sammy, “That’s a great idea. However, I’m sorry about your cousin and his wife. Call up Milton and your uncle, and let’s get started on the adoptions. And we can fly out to the funeral and meet the children.”

The future was looking very bright for both of us.

The End