Editing Leaving Las Vegas (section)

==Plot==
Ben Sanderson is an alcoholic [[Hollywood (film industry)|Hollywood]] [[screenwriter]] who has lost his job, family, and friends. With nothing left to live for, and with a sizable severance check from his boss, he heads to [[Las Vegas]] where he plans on drinking himself to death. One early morning, he drives drunkenly from his Los Angeles home down to the [[Las Vegas Strip]]; he nearly hits a woman, Sera, on the crosswalk. She chastises him and walks away.

Sera is a prostitute working for abusive [[Latvians|Latvian]] [[pimp]] Yuri Butsov. [[Polish-American organized crime|Polish mobsters]] are after Yuri, so he ends his relationship with Sera for fear that the Poles might otherwise hurt her.

On his second day in Las Vegas, Ben hunts up Sera. He introduces himself, and offers her $500 to spend an hour in his room with him. Sera agrees, but Ben does not want sex. Instead, they talk and develop a rapport; Sera invites Ben to move into her apartment. Ben makes Sera promise to never ask that he stop drinking; in return, Ben promises never to criticize her occupation. She thanks him and agrees to his terms.

At first, the pair are happy; yet each soon becomes frustrated with the other's behavior. Sera pleads with Ben to consult a rehab clinic, but all her advice is wasted on him. While Sera is selling, Ben goes to a casino and returns with another prostitute. Sera returns home to find them in her bed, and throws Ben out. Shortly afterward, Sera is approached by three college students at the [[Excalibur Hotel and Casino]]. She initially rejects them, proclaiming that she "dates" just one customer at a time. Eventually, however, Sera acquiesces when offered an increased price. After she arrives at the students' hotel room, the trio change their deal by demanding anal sex. When she refuses and attempts to leave, all three violently gang-rape her.

The following day, Sera's landlady sees her bruised. She tells Sera to leave by the end of the week. Sera receives a call from Ben, who is on his deathbed. She visits Ben, and the two make love; he dies shortly thereafter. Later, Sera tells her therapist that she accepted Ben for who he was, and that she loved him.