Chapter 24

Hanging up the phone, Brianna sighed and congratulated herself on having the forethought to make sure her room was on the same floor as Jon's. She'd figured he'd have some rough moments as he tried to come to grips with the imminent devastation of his family, and in order to keep her promise to Dorothea to look after him, it made sense to stay close. She had no idea what she could do to help, but she wanted to be nearby if the call came.

The last few days had been eerily calm. Jon had been very subdued - to the point he rarely spoke unless spoken to. Surprisingly, he was still able to perform at an acceptable level. If his smiles were forced and the energy a little frenetic, well the fans didn't seem to be holding it against him. Brianna figured he was still in shock and at some point that would wear off and things would start to get ugly. She just wasn't expecting it at - a glance at the glowing digital read out of the clock on the bedside table made her groan - four thirty in the morning!

Dragging herself out of bed, she ran a hand over her face. She wasn't surprised that he wasn't sleeping well, but did he really have to call her to bring him work.....in the middle of the night? Pulling the required folders out of her briefcase, she glanced at her open suitcase, debating, but decided she could slip down the hall and back in pajamas and robe at that hour without anyone seeing her.

When Jon opened the door to her knock, she winced sympathetically at his sunken, haunted eyes. As she stepped into the room her gaze touched on the unused bed and three empty wine bottles on the table. Apparently even alcohol wasn't helping him sleep.

"Did you bring the proposal for Covenant House?" His voice was slightly raspy.

"Yes. Jon, are you sure you want to do this right now? You need...."

"Yes." He didn't want to hear what she thought he needed. He couldn't have what he really needed - his wife healthy and happy - so he might as well work.

Brianna studied him as he walked over and sat on the couch. "Do you want to talk about it?" She was pretty sure of his answer, but figured it was worth a shot.

"No."

Okaaay. "Looking for a distraction?" She guessed. At his curt nod, she picked up the pad of paper and pen off the desk and joined him. "Then let's work."

Three hours later Jon finally dozed off and Brianna was able to slip out and back to her room, thankful that the hallway was empty. She didn't notice the quickly closing door across the hall.

Richie stepped back into his room as soon as he saw her exit Jon's, a frown creasing his brow. What the fuck is going on?

By late afternoon lack of sleep was taking its toll on Brianna. Sitting at a table in the nearly empty catering room, she rested her head on her arms, closed her eyes and waited for her phone to go off with Jon's next request. She had managed to grab a couple hours of sleep after she'd gotten back to her room, but she still felt jealous of Princess Aurora.

A thunk on the table had her opening her eyes to see a mug of steaming coffee in front of her.

"Looks like you could use this." Richie commented as he sat down beside her. "Rough night?"

"Mmmmm." She answered noncomittally as she lifted the cup and sipped. "Thanks."

He studied her for a few moments. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

"You sure? You still enjoying the job?"

"I could use a little more sleep, but yes."

Richie hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "There are boundaries to what he can demand of you, you know. You can say no if he....crosses the line or makes you feel uncomfortable."

She frowned. "I know, and he hasn't. Rich, what is this about?"

"He's a married man, and he'll never leave Dot."

No, she's going to leave him. "I am aware of that. What's it got to do with me?"

"I'd hate to see you get hurt."

"Richie, what the hell are you talking about?"

He sighed. "I saw you coming out of his room this morning....in a bathrobe."

Embarrassment and anger vied for control of her emotions....anger won. "And you naturally assumed that I was sleeping with him." She snorted in derision. "Wow. Is that what you think of me? Well, I've got news for you Rich. I'm not a groupie or a whore. I've never slept with my boss - except the one I married - and I definitely don't sleep with married men!" She stood, almost vibrating with rage. "I don't know which I find more offensive, your low opinion of me…or him!" Spinning on her heel, she almost ran David and Tico over in her rush to escape the room.

"Whoa! What was that all about?" David asked as he sat down.

Richie watched her stalk away. "I saw her coming out of Jon's room about seven thirty this morning....in a bathrobe."

"You don't....wait a minute, what were you doing up at that hour? I didn't feel an earthquake....did you fall out of bed or were still trying to find your way into it?"

"Fuck you asshole. Heather called. There was a big storm in L.A. last night and the basement flooded again. She couldn’t remember the name of the company to call to clean it up. I heard a door opening and wanted to see who else was up."

"You don't think he's fucking her?" Tico brought the conversation back to the matter at hand.

Richie just shrugged.

David considered, then shook his head. "Naaw. Half the time he acts like he doesn't even like her." At Richie's look, he nodded sheepishly. "Right, what does that have to do with anything? Especially with a woman as tempting as Brianna."

"Dot will castrate him." Tico shuddered.

"I just can't believe Brianna would go along with that." David shook his head. "She doesn't seem the type - and we've all seen enough to know."

"Women will do all kinds of things if they feel they have to." Richie pointed out.

"You don't think Jon forced her!" David was shocked. "No way man."

"No, but if he propositioned her she may have felt that she didn't have a choice if she wanted to keep her job." Richie argued.

"Did you tell her that she could just say no?"

"Yes." Richie grimaced. "That's when she got mad and told me she wasn't a whore."

His companions winced.

"Did you ask her what she was doing in Jon's room?" Tico asked.

"Kind of." Richie's gaze turned thoughtful,

"And what did she say?"

"She never said. Just got mad at my assumption."

The three exchanged a long look.

"This is not good." Tico voiced what they were all thinking.

Brianna slammed through the arena doors, oblivious to the cool Canadian air. Luckily, it was fairly mild for January in Toronto since she didn't stop for a jacket...or even slow down as she stormed across the parking lot looking for a quiet place to regroup. A bench on a grass and snow covered ridge caught her eye and she adjusted her direction.

Brushing a dusting of snow out of the way, she sat, rested her head on her hands, elbows braced on her knees, closed her eyes and sighed heavily. She'd known from the moment Dorothea told her about her illness and asked her to look after Jon that this job was going to require her to wade in uncharted waters. She'd been nervous enough about her ability to provide them with what they needed to cope, the request to keep the situation secret - particularly from the guys - was an added burden, but she'd thought she was handling it well.

Until today.

The thought that Richie believed that she was sleeping with Jon - that she was the type of woman who would do that - even if he implied that Jon was pushing her into it......hurt. She liked him. She respected him. She thought he respected her. If he felt that way, did the rest of the guys share his opinion? The idea - and her lack of sleep - had her eyes filling and overflowing.

Brianna jerked upright when a coat settled over her shoulders, the scent of leather and Richie's cologne telling her who had found her before he sat down beside her. "Did you forget we're in Canada? Or trying to catch pneumonia and get a few days off to sleep?" Catching sight of her face, he sobered, slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "Aw darlin' I'm sorry. I never meant to upset you."

She sniffed, but looked him in the eye. "I didn't sleep with him Rich."

"I believe you." He paused, but had to ask. "So...what were you doing in his room at that hour?"

"He couldn't sleep, so he called me to bring him the files on a couple charity projects he's looking at. I had planned on just dropping them off and going back to bed, but he had some questions, and, well, it took longer than I thought." Damn she was getting good at telling half truths and making them sound believable!

"Of course. Work. I should have known." He frowned. "But something's going on with him." He'd thought it was hiding the affair.

Uh oh. "What makes you say that?"

"I've known him for over twenty years and I've seen him in every mood imaginable.....except this one. He's not angry, he's not bored, he's.......I don't know what he is. If you want to know the truth, it's freaking me out a little. I don't like not being able to predict his reactions. Kinda makes it hard to know when I need to step in." He turned to Brianna. "Do you know what's going on?"

Oh shit! I hope Dot convinces Jon to tell the guys....and soon. She shook her head. "Can't say that I do."

Richie shivered. “It’s fucking cold out here darlin’. Let’s go back inside.”

As they approached the back door they found Jon pacing around, smoking a cigarette. He eyed them both, nodded, but didn’t speak.

Inside, Brianna headed for Jon’s dressing room to check his supplies. David and Tico were wandering down the hallway. Her brows snapped together at the looks they gave her. “I’m not sleeping with him!” She hissed and slammed the door behind her.

Jon had followed them in and while he didn’t hear what Brianna said to his bandmates, there was no missing her agitation…or the slamming of his door. Joining his friends, his brows lifted. “What was that all about?”

David and Tico looked at Richie, who grimaced. “Nothing. Just a misunderstanding.”

“Mmmm.” Jon studied their faces for a moment. “Sort it out….after sound check. Let’s go.”

Having expected more of a reaction, the other three exchanged a look before following him to the stage.

Something was definitely off with their fearless leader.