Back-Up (8 page)

Chapter 6- Jack

It was minutes after my warped confession to Trini when I fell into a very deep sleep. The smell of coffee wakes me and it is heaven.

“Thanks for lett
ing me crash, not that you had a choice. What time is it?”

“It’s before nine. I know you have to be at the studio, so I set an alarm.
After you passed out on me last night, I got a lot of sleep.” She carries a hot cup of coffee over to me in bed, while smile and I stretch. She has gotten dressed in short shorts and a tank top. Her hair is adorably messy. She removed her piercings and make-up at one point during the night, and it makes her look so young and sweet. She really is very pretty.

“Remind me, why
I haven’t proposed to you yet?” I ask as I grab the cup from her hands.

“You can’t
keep up with me, Lair.” She says before bending to kiss me on the lips.

“You are awesome Trin. Thanks for listening last night.” I say while looking down into my cup of coffee.

“I owe you for all the times you listened to me crying like a girl over some dick.” She says smiling warmly. “It will work out Jack, have faith.”

I look up at
her and smile back. “I hope so.”

After my coffee I am a new man. Showered, dressed and out the door in record time, I arrive at the studio
by nine-thirty and thankfully am the first one in. I grab another two cups of coffee on the way, and look forward to sitting in peace quietly drinking my drug of choice. I still have to complete the little task of calling Leila, but it’s way too early for that now. It will have to wait until later.

My time alone goes by way to
o quickly when I hear Hunter and Scott coming down the hall arguing annoyingly on what time I will show. They have twenty bucks riding on me. Scott has me for ten-thirty, Hunter for eleven.

Douchebags
.

I can be very responsible when I want to be, or have to be.

When they walk through the door they both stop in shock. “What, did you sleep here?” Hunter asks.

“Zip it dickhead, I heard you both betting on how late I would be. I got here a half hour ago.”

“No shit. Well we both lose then.” Hunter says smiling his annoying smile.

“Fuck off.” I fume, flipping him the bird.

“You sure are pissy.” He repeats my words from last night.

“How was your night
, Jack?” Scott says trying to make peace.

“Awesome. How did your date with Hunter go?” Now it’s Hunter’s turn to flip me the bird.

Trey walks in wearing the same clothes as yesterday. I am too. An exchanged glance is the extent of our conversation on both of us getting lucky last night.

Once Jennifer arrives we get right to work. We need to
lie out the album sequence, and fax it to the studio heads by the end of the day. This is going to be agony as we all have an opinion.

Three torturous hours later, we are taking a short break and Hunter remembers my homework assignment. “Did you call Leila?”

“It was too early when I got here. I’ll call her now.” I need to get this over with.  Jennifer looks over at me, as I am about to walk out of the studio and moves to follow.

I hold up my hand.
“Stay here.”

Stopping her in her tracks, she gives me a look.

“I want to talk to you when I am done calling her. You need to ease up on her. She’ll be one of your clients if she signs and she deserves the same treatment as you give us. Just think about it.” I turn and walk out of the studio leaving a stunned Jen behind. Suddenly I want to protect Leila from Jennifer even more.

Ducking into the conference room, I shut the door and dial her number.  Why
the hell is my heart pounding through my chest?

“Hello?”

“Hey there, how are you?” I say trying to sound normal.

“Hi Jack. I’m great. A bit overwhelmed, but great. What’s up?” She sounds like she is

surprised to hear from me.

“Just checking in to make sure you don’t have any questions.”  This
is
a legitimate reason to call, right?

“Well I have tons of questions, but none that you can really answer.” She laughs into the phone. Her laugh is adorable. God she is too cute.

“Are you sure? I am more than happy to help.” I really would like to help her in any way she wants me to.

“Well I am putting together a list for my lawyer. Once I review with him, I’ll call you with any other questions he can’t answer. Is that ok?” She asks tentatively.

“Sure Leila, that’s fine. I just wanted to let you know that I meant it when I said I’m here for you if you have any questions or concerns. I’m sure your head is reeling right now and I want to remind you how talented you are. This is going to be great for all of us.” I pause. I better stop now.  “Um, well, have a great day, and I hope to hear from you soon.”

There is silence on her end before she
answers, “Ok, thanks. Bye, Jack.”

She does
not sound as if she’s about to bolt. I’m sure her lawyer will put any other reservations she has at ease. Jennifer and Scott are just overreacting. I feel better as well, plus it was really nice hearing her voice.

Shit
…

Chapter 7
-Leila

Dinner with Dad tonight should be interesting. I wonder if he will continue to ignore the situation. I’m meeting him at his favorite restaurant. Well, it’s actually just a pizzeria, but they serve a mean chicken parm. I’m barely two feet into the restaurant when the entire front staff yells out, “LEILA!” in varying degrees of Italian accents.  I love this place.

“Hi guys. How’s it going?” I call over to them, heading for my dad’s table. 

Angelo, the owner smiles and says, “Bellisima.” as I walk by.

“Hi Dad. I hope you haven’t been waiting long.” I bend to kiss the top of his head.

“Nope, just got here. How’s my sweet girl?” He seems chipper and is showing no apprehension at all.  This is good. I know he and Evan have a heart to heart talk. I may owe Evan big time, once again.

“I’m great. I have had a few busy days. I’m really excited about this.”

“Ok, let me have it. I want all of it no matter how much it will hurt.”

I begin to fill him in on all the details of my meeting with Devil’s Lair. I tell him about my audition, since I held back a lot of details when I saw him last week, but I still leave out details of Mr. Sex on legs. I tell him about my meetings with Jennifer and the band, and with Mr. Morrow, and how I will be re-meeting with the band tomorrow to finalize the contract.

I talk as we eat and he rarely interrupts me at all. After he knows almost everything, he lays it on me.

“You really want this, right babe?”

“Yeah, dads, so much.”

He closes his eyes and nods. I guess that was h
is last attempt to sway me. “Ok. I get it. Lei, first I want you to know that I am extremely proud of you. You have been the most wonderful daughter a man can ask for. I know your mom is smiling down on you right now, and I so wish she could be here for you. I’m sure being raised by your dad was challenging and inadequate at times.”

I’m about to interrupt, but he puts up h
is hand and tells me to hush. “Through it all, through all my insecurities, I managed to raise a beautiful young girl and watch her become an even more beautiful young woman. I look at you now and know I did something right.”

He is freaking killing me
…

“I want you to know
that I support you wholeheartedly.  I am not going to lie. I am terrified about this tour thing. I expect a phone call every few days, even if it is for ten seconds. Texts won’t count, as I will need to hear your voice. If anyone hurts you in any way, I will find that bus and I will kill them. I know plenty of places to hide a body.”

Oh jeez,
he’s only half joking about this I’m sure.

“I want you to relish in every minute of this awesome experience. Most would kill for this opportunity and you need to constantly remember how fortunate you are.  I want you to take care of yourself and most importantly stay true to who you are. That’s all I ask of you.”

“That’s it?” I’m smiling now from ear to ear.

“Yep, that’s it. Your dad is done ranting. I will be fine. Don’t you worry about me for one minute.”
The way his eyes moisten with unshed tears rips at my heartstrings and causes my eyes to betray me too.

“Dad, I’m not leaving for a few months. You can’t keep making me cry.”

“Sorry sweetheart, I can’t make any promises.”  He says while squeezing my hand. He reaches over and wipes away my tears and kisses my forehead gently.

“I love you so much
, baby girl.”

“I know dad. I love you too.”

That could have gone a whole different way. This man always has me guessing. When I expect him to freak out, he doesn’t. When I expect him to be cool, he freaks out.

Relief floods my veins. I was absolutely dreading this conversation with Dad, more than anything in the world. I
don’t look forward to having the same conversation with my band. With this behind me, though, I feel much more confident and able to get through the rest.

I have an awesome support system. I am a lucky girl, in so many ways.
I have so many great people who love me unconditionally, a talented singing voice, and a chance to pursue my dreams of becoming a rock star.

***

Jack, Jennifer and
an older gentleman are in the conference room when I arrive. “Welcome back Leila.” Jennifer says with a forced smile. She is once again dressed to kill. From what I’ve seen of her wardrobe, it looks to be very expensive. I have on the same dress that I wore yesterday to my meeting with Mr. Morrow, except I lost the pearls and traded the sensible heels for funky ones. Even so, it still feels more appropriate for a funeral than a business meeting.

“Thank you.” Since we are going to be spending a lot of time together, I might as well kill her with kindness.

She barely smiles back. It’s obvious that she doesn’t feeling the same way as I do, yet her eyes aren’t as cold as our first meeting. As she turns away, I’m hit with a realization. I think I understand her attitude towards me. She was probably queen of the Lair and I’m possibly going to muddy the estrogen-to-testosterone ratio with the band. Well this should be interesting…

“Leila, this is Mr. Crowse. He is the attorney for Devil’s Lair.” She says while motioning to the gentleman standing next to her.

He reaches over the table to shake my hand. “Nice to meet you Miss Marino. “

“Please, call me Leila.” I
reply while shaking his hand. He seems nice and not at all intimidating.

Jack leans closer and
whispers, “Welcome back.”

Two words and n
othing remotely sexy, hot, or seductive about them.

SO WHY THE HELL IS MY CROTCH PULSING?

Thankfully, Mr. Crowse takes over and interjects, “Well, Leila, we have reviewed the new contract containing the revisions you and Mr. Morrow have made, and we feel all amendments are acceptable.” I make a tiny sigh of relief.

One of the amendments states that I can still continue to perform with Cliffhangers, even after Devil’s Lair rehearsals begin. I asked for this to be added to the contract. I thought they were going to veto that request, but they obviously didn’t have a problem with it. Rehearsals will run daily Monday
through Friday. As long as I can manage both commitments, there is no reason that I can’t continue with Cliffhangers on weekends, until our tour begins. I’ll catch up on my sleep during the nights that I don’t perform.

I’m fine with it and can definitely handle it. I
will only perform at The Zone, which is definitely an upside.  This will also give me a chance to wean myself off my boys and vice versa.

My mind wanders a
s we briefly discuss some more details. The contract effective date is first of June. That gives me less than a month before rehearsals begin. This will give me a chance to spend quality time with dad, and for Cliffhangers to replace me. I need to have a conversation with them regarding that and I am not looking forward to it.

“Do you have any further concerns, or questions for us?” Mr. Crowse
question yanks me back to our meeting.

“No, Mr. Crowse, I am all set. I am extremely excited about joining Devil’s Lair, and I am definitely ready to get started.” I
speak only the absolute truth.

“Well, it would be our great pleasure to request for you to please sign on the dotted line.”
He responds while smiling at his own rhyme. 

The contract is passed around the table, and we all add our signatures.
I suddenly feel like I just literally signed over my soul to the devil as I write my name. I look over at Jack to see the mentioned devil staring directly at me.

Grinning
as he watches me, I can’t help but beam right back. Wow! I am a member of Devil’s Lair. It’s almost anticlimactic. I expected to hear a choir of angels, or see fireworks erupt over Jennifer’s head.

M
r. Crowse rises and announces, “Leila, we will have a copy of this contract Fed Ex’d to your home tomorrow. Please feel free to call me if you have anything else you would like to discuss. It was a great pleasure meeting you today. Devil’s Lair has gotten themselves’ quite a beautiful addition.”

“Thank you, that’s very nice of you to say.” I thank the kind man standing next to Jennifer, as well
as Jennifer and Jack. I grab my bag and turn to leave the conference room just as Jack holds my elbow and asks if I’d like to get a cup of coffee or something to eat. 

The zing is
running right through my body and hitting every erogenous zone along the way.

Nodding is the only form of communication I can muster.

I sneak a glance over to Jennifer, but she is quietly discussing something with Mr. Crowse. Relieved she didn’t hear what Jack said, I follow him out of the conference room. I really don’t want to get on her bad side even more than I already seem to be.

Jack leads me out of the studio and down the street. The silence stretches between us,
and builds the kind of tension that only comes from being in the company of a perfect stranger. The more I wrack my brain for something to say to him, the more it goes completely blank.

J
ack doesn’t seem to notice the angst, or the trail of girls he leaves in his path panting over his handsome face.  He turns to a small coffee shop tucked in the middle of the block and guides me towards the door with his hand on my lower back.

“This is it.”

The warmth of his touch penetrates the fabric of my dress and burns right through to my skin.

An involuntary gasp escapes my lips
and prompts him to look at me with concern. “Oh, is this ok? I eat here quite a bit. It looks like a dive, but the food is decent. They make a mean grilled cheese.”

“Um…yeah, this looks great. I love grilled cheese.” I smile weakly trying to control my erratic breathing. Internally I’m chastising myself for my lack of control, once again. 

The dinette looks like something out of a movie set. Stainless steel panels line the walls behind the back counter.  A glass carousel sits at the end of a long counter and revolves the day’s selection of pies and desserts. Dessert glasses are stacked as well as plastic tumblers, coffee cups and saucers. There is even the uniform clad waitress with the typical bouffant hairdo, snapping her gum very loudly. I almost expect her nametag to read “FLO”. 

She
comes over with a carafe of coffee in her hand the minute our butts hit the booth. There are already cups, and saucers on the table. She immediately starts pouring coffee for us without asking if we wanted decaf, or tea instead. FLO’s actual name is Doris, which would have been my second guess.

“Hey cutie pie
.  How’s my handsome boy today?” She looks at Jack like she wants to eat him alive. It’s funny actually because she must be sixty.

“Hey Dee, I’m great. This here is Leila. S
he just joined the band.” There is something in his eyes. It can’t be pride? He barely knows me.

Doris gives me the once ov
er. “Well aren’t you adorable. It’s nice to meet you Leila. Be sure to treat my boys real well, or you will have to answer to me.” Though she speaks with a smile, I can see the threat in her eyes.

“I will do my best.”
I am more concerned with how they will be treating me.

Jack orders for both of us.
Dumb as it sounds, it’s actually very sexy.  We are only in a greasy diner and he ordered me a grilled cheese and fries, but it’s kind of romantic. He asks me if I want anything else to drink, and I request ice water. He orders a Coke. Doris jots it down, winks at Jack and makes her way to the kitchen doors.

“So, tell me about yourself, Miss Marino.”
He ventures after taking a sip of his coffee. He drinks it black. I cannot, so I start to add cream and sugar to my own cup.

“What do you want to know?” 

“How old are you?”

“Why do you ask?”

He shrugs, “Just curious.”

“Twenty-five.
Is that ok?”

Chuckling he responds, “Of course. I just thought you were older.”

“Definitely not something a girl wants to hear.”

“No, no,
it’s a complement. You are very mature and responsible. I was impressed on how you handled Mr. Morrow.”

“Thanks?”

He smirks and explains, “It’s a compliment.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty eight.”

Nodding, I take a sip of coffee, looking up to see Jack frowning. “What’s wrong?”

“What, no compliment for me?” He teases.

“Oh…um, yes you are very mature also?”
An apologetic smile accompanies my response.

He chuckles again and shakes his head. “You sound so convincing Miss Ma
rino. I have another question. Where do you see yourself in five years?”

“Wow. Didn’t I already get the job?
I feel like I’m on an interview.”

He laughs.
“You did get the job. But I’m still curious.”