Chapter 5

Brianna walked into the restaurant and glanced around. She really didn’t know who she was looking for, but hoped that she’d see two girls sitting together and something about them would tell her that they were the ones she was here to meet.

Off to her left, a slim blonde rose from a table she was sharing with a brunette, one hand lifted in a tentative wave. “Brianna?”

Brianna smiled and waved back as she made her way to the table. “Hi. Denise?”

“Yeah, how’d you guess?”

“You’re blonde.” And everyone knew Richie’s penchant for blondes these days.

The other girls laughed and reached out to shake hands.

“David’s on a brunette kick.” Rachel added flipping her long dark hair over her shoulder.

“Richie says that’s because if blondes have more fun, David wants to be sure he doesn’t have any competition for it.” Denise explained.

“And David says Richie’s just jealous that he’s not blonde.” Rachel retorted.

They both looked at Brianna.

“Jon hasn’t discussed the band members with me yet, except to tell me I should expect to get called upon to help your bosses occasionally since they need all the help they can get and sometimes it takes more than one person.”

“If anyone will need help keeping up with their boss it’s going to be you.” Rachel shuddered. “Do you know what you’re getting into?”

Rachel and Denise exchanged glances.

Denise grimaced. “This is going to sound nasty, but I mean it in the nicest way possible. He’s created a world wide brand with a fantastic product. I give him full marks for that. But….you should be prepared. He’s a perfectionist control freak who doesn’t trust new people easily. He doesn’t suffer fools and has a vile temper when things get screwed up.”

“A typical CEO.” Brianna nodded.

Denise and Rachel exchanged another look.

“So you’re familiar with the type.” Rachel wanted verification.

“I used to work for a couple of CEOs of major corporations. I’m used to the schedule. The biggest challenge is the diversity of his activities. But at least it’s a lot more interesting than mergers and acquisitions or the manufacturing of some product you don’t understand and will never use.” Brianna paused. “And, I was even married to one once.”

The past tense was noted, but her tone didn’t invite questions, so they didn’t pry.

“Well, if you can deal with that, you should be fine.” Denise was relieved.

Brianna sighed. “It’s usually the wives I have a more difficult time with. They usually either resent the time their husbands spend away from home – often with me - or they think I’m their assistant too and I have nothing better to do than run errands for them.” She didn’t mention that in some cases, the wives’ jealousy was well founded – their husbands were dogs.

“Well, you won’t have to worry about any of that with Dorothea.” Denise assured her. “She doesn’t seem to be the high maintenance, princess type that expects someone else to do everything for her.....unlike my boss’ wife.  And I’ve never seen or heard of any signs of jealousy – and if any woman in the world would have cause to be, it’s her.” She paused, considering. “And if she gets annoyed at the amount of time he’s away from home she’ll take it up with him...not you.”

Brianna could see that. “She certainly seems to be very.....forthright.”

Rachel laughed. “If you mean she says what she thinks, you’re right. But she won’t air the dirty laundry in public. And she would consider staff ‘public’. She’s a very private person and tries to stay as far as possible from the limelight.”

“Good to know.” At least it didn’t sound like there was much potential for embarrassing public displays or comments that would require damage control. That was already a step up from her last employer’s wife. Brianna shuddered at the memory of the loose lipped social climber.

The waitress came by to bring them water and take their orders. Brianna sipped from her glass and studied her companions. “So tell me about yourselves.”

By the time their meals arrived they’d exchanged brief histories and gotten to know each other a little. It turned out that Rachel had also been a fan of the band before she came to work for David. Lunar Eclipse had blown her mind, and when she found out he was looking for a new assistant a year ago, she called in a few favours from friends she had in the New Jersey music scene to get an interview.

Denise, on the other hand, had hardly been aware of the band at all. Born and raised in the L.A. area, her interest had always been Hollywood. But without having any talent for acting or performing or writing screenplays, if she wanted to be part of it, it would have to be in a different role, so she took an administrative assistant course. Her best friend got a job as assistant to Heather Locklear and when Richie decided he needed some help, she urged Denise to apply and put in a good word for her.

Sinking her fork into her Cobb salad, Brianna changed the subject. “So what’s it like working in the inner circle?”

“Well, we’re more on the edges of it.” Rachel explained. “But I can tell you that it’s never boring.”

“Especially with your bosses, I bet.” Her lips twitched. “So tell me what they’re like. What do I need to know to deal with them?” She sipped again. “I mean, they can’t be funny all the time, right?”

Denise had to swallow her mouthful of grilled chicken before she could answer. “Well, Richie is usually pretty laid back. It takes a lot to make him lose his temper. He’s very serious about the music, but he sees humour in most things around him. It especially comes out when he thinks Jon is being too intense and stuck inside his own head.”

Rachel nodded her agreement while she chewed her French fries. “David’s the same way, only with a more extreme sense of humour. They don’t call him Joker for nothing. He gets on a roll and everything becomes funny.” She paused, considering. “It can get annoying at times, but he really is funny. But you have to watch out for the pranks. They’re sort of like a rite of passage. If you pass, you’re in.”

“And then I can relax?”

“No. If he thinks it bothers you, he’ll keep doing it just to drive you nuts. If you take it well, he’ll keep doing it to see how far he can push.” Rachel sipped her Diet Coke. “But of course it’s all in fun. He doesn’t mean any harm. And if he considers you a friend, he’ll be your biggest supporter and a rock you can always count on.”

“Just remember. Don’t let them see you sweat.” Denise advised.

Brianna took a moment to absorb everything the other women had said. “Good to know. Thanks.”

Rachel and Denise then regaled Brianna with some of their bosses more humorous antics on and off tour.

“Good lord!” Brianna used her napkin to wipe the tears from her eyes. “So that’s what I have to look forward to?”

Denise nodded. “As Rachel said, at least it keeps things from getting boring.” She glanced at her watch. “I hate to break up the party, but I have a plane to catch.”

Brianna waved at their waitress to bring the bill.

“Your bill has already been taken care of.” The waitress informed them.

“What? By who?” Brianna frowned.

“Mr. Bon Jovi called in and covered it.”

“But...how did he know?”

Rachel laughed at the stunned, confused look on her new friend’s face. “Get used to it. You’ll do well if you can keep up with him, but forget about trying to stay ahead of him. It’ll never happen.”

“Hmpf.” We’ll just see about that! I always did love a challenge.

Bidding the girls goodbye and promising to get together again soon, Brianna made her way back to the office.

She sat at her desk, looking over Jon’s schedule and thinking before pulling out her list of contact numbers. Picking up the phone, she hesitated, then punched in the numbers and waited for someone to answer. “Hi, Dorothea?  It’s Brianna.”

“Hi. Is Jon on his phone? Do you need me to interrupt him?” Dorothea asked, a frown in her voice.

“No. Actually, I called to speak to you.”

“Oh? What can I do for you?”

Brianna took a deep breath. “Could you....would you be willing to send me the schedule of the kids’ activities and anything else that you want Jon aware of?”

“Why?”

“So that I can add them into the mix when I discuss his schedule with him. I can’t promise he can get to everything, but I can do my best and I can at least make sure he remembers what everyone’s up to.” 

Dorothea was surprised. None of his other assistants had been that considerate of the family. “Well, the kids would appreciate that. He tries to keep up, but he’s got so much going on, a lot of things fall through the cracks. But I have to ask...why would you do that?”

Brianna hesitated, then surprised herself by answering honestly and doing something she rarely did – give someone a glimpse into her past and the pain she carried deep inside. “Because I know what it’s like to grow up with a father too focussed on his work to be there for the important moments in his child’s life....and the pain and regret that brought both of them. I’d like to try and help prevent that from happening to your family if I can.”

Dorothea was stunned, but the revelation actually explained a lot. Their conversation over lunch the day she was at the house had been light on Brianna’s background. It was obviously a tender subject. “I see. I’ll send you the schedules. Oh, and Brianna? Thanks.”