Chapter Seven

In his office at BJM, Jon smiled at his computer screen.  Thank God, he'd managed to talk her down.  Shit, he really should've thought that one through all the way.  Hell, maybe he should've actually listened to Rich.

Right.  Like that's ever gonna happen.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.  "Hey, Kidd." Richie tossed a piece of paper on his desk and plopped down in the chair across from him.  "That's the list of dates I need free."  His legs crossed at the ankles right before his big feet landed on the corner of Jon's desk.

After scanning the short list, Jon nodded.  "It's doable."

Finally, after several seconds of silence from the guitarist, Jon looked up, a puzzled frown on his face.  "Is there something else?"

With his elbows braced on the arms of the chair and his fingers steepled under his chin, Richie asked softly, calmly, "Truth or dare?"

It was an old game between the two of them.  When one of them wanted answers from the other but wasn't sure if he was ready to give said answers, the question was posed.  An answer of 'dare' would require a counter response of some sort of smart ass joke.  'Truth' meant an altogether different thing.

That's when the conversation would get serious.

There was only one thing that Richie would want to hound him about right now... Sam.  One blond eyebrow raised in synchronized motion with his shoulder, both accompanied by a negligent shake of his blond head.  Why not?  "Truth."

"K," Richie nodded.  "Then spill.  You're acting completely outta character.  You're never this... Fuck, I don't know... romantic."  He said the last word with an appropriate level of disgust.  "Shit, Kidd.  You're acting like," he paused briefly for dramatic effect, "me."

Pushing his chair back from his desk and leaning back, Jon didn't even blink.  "You realize, of course, that I could tell you 'nunya' again, right?"

"Yeah," Richie said with an accompanying nod, "But, if you weren't willing to open up and discuss this, you'd have just said 'dare'."

He was right on all counts.  Even Jon could admit it.  His chair tipped farther back, then Jon's feet joined Richie's on the desk.  "I honestly don't know what's gotten into me."  Before Richie could open his mouth to call 'bull shit', Jon continued.  "I know I'm normally more of an arrogant ass when it comes to women, but that was before Dot knocked me for a loop with those damned divorce papers."  He paused, and Richie nodded in understanding.  "Look man, I know most of my faults.  I've been spoiled by the women of the world.  Obviously, they see something that looks good to them - I don't see it, but it must be there, and I'm arrogant enough to use it when necessary.  But, you and I know looks aren't everything.  And, Dot might have been on to something.  I don't want to be alone any more - so I've gotta change my ways."  He fell silent.

And Richie added, "And be more like me."

Softly, Jon agreed.  "Yeah, more like you."

"Why this woman?"

He didn't even have to think about that one.  "Because she doesn't know who I am."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam spent the rest of the afternoon working on her opening for court and trying to convince the girls on the forum to quit calling her and John "Romeo and Juliet".  Hell, she'd even suggested Samson and Delilah, but they wouldn't go for it.

At home later, with her briefcase open, papers and file folders spread out all over her table, she sat eating another TV dinner and scratching out her opening on a legal pad.  This guy was the lowest of the low and it would give her great pleasure to see him in prison.

One last bite of runny mashed potatoes and a few more words on the legal pad and the writing part was done.  Now, to work on her delivery.

Was the floor actually lighter in the path she'd been walking?  Was she really wearing the tile down?  How long had she been pacing and talking, practicing her opening?

She glanced at the clock on the microwave.  Almost two hours?  Really?

Surely it was as good as it was going to get tonight.  Besides, she still had tomorrow night to go over it one more time.  Maybe a little time on the forum was warranted now, you know, to give her a chance to wind down.

Skimming through the posts, she saw where the girls were discussing bootlegs, and quickly they determined that it wasn't smart to discuss that with her, a PA, on the site.  Hath was quick to say "Hell, she can't find us.  Right?"  Sam smiled and typed out a quick response while thinking of the roses John had sent her.

"Maybe not...but I bet Kidd can! Hell, he was able to tell a florist exactly where to find me today!....lol"  She quickly hit the send button, then went back to skimming the posts.

Queenie suggested that maybe John was a private detective since he'd been able to find her so easily.  Sam pointed out that she'd told them all where she worked so she might as well have hung a neon sign saying "send flowers here ~~~~>"

Then Sam remembered the post Lucy made about wanting her yahoo ID.

FemFBFan4Life Layin' in a Bed of Roses Joined: 25 Aug 2007 Posts: 1362 : Items	Posted: 29 Aug 2007 08:10 pm    Post subject:     Oh hey...speaking of im's...I saw that you were asking for my ID on messenger, Lucy...I pm'd it to ya....feel free to look me up on there.
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ChgoBearsFan Miss Fourth of July Joined: 26 Aug 2007 Posts: 5142 : Location: In LA working on the plans for when I become...MRS ZAN!! Items	Posted: 29 Aug 2007 08:14 pm    Post subject:     FemFBFan4Life wrote: Oh hey...speaking of im's...I saw that you were asking for my ID on messenger, Lucy...I pm'd it to ya....feel free to look me up on there. OHHH COOL you're awesome I'll go add ya right now. I know Queenie how friggin' gross is that I just told him that if I come to visit I'm not eating any meat. Poor lil horsies.
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Plopping down into his favorite chair, Jon yelled one more tiny dig to Richie as he headed down the hallway.  The guitarist held up one hand in the Jersey salute, without even breaking stride.  The two of them had just finished a marathon pool playing session.  A best two-out-of-three instantly became a best three-out-of-five, when Jon won the first two games.  Then when he'd won the third game in a row, it became a best four-out-of-seven.  After five games of pool, the guitarist gave it all up and claimed he was going to go work of some frustration in the gym.

Jon was still smirking over his victories at pool when he logged into the forum.  But, that smirk froze in place before sliding off his handsome face when he read the posts on the message board.  He had to say...something.

JerseyCowboy7800 Takin' Bad Medicine Joined: 25 Aug 2007 Posts: 857 : Items	Posted: 29 Aug 2007 08:18 pm    Post subject:     FemFBFan4Life wrote: Oh hey...speaking of im's...I saw that you were asking for my ID on messenger, Lucy...I pm'd it to ya....feel free to look me up on there. Excuse me?! She got it without any interrogation? How is that possible? Damn, I had to beg on bended knee...AND convince you I wasn't some sort of psycho before you'd give it to me!
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Lucy tried to make it better; she really did.  God love her.

ChgoBearsFan Miss Fourth of July Joined: 26 Aug 2007 Posts: 5142 : Location: In LA working on the plans for when I become...MRS ZAN!! Items	Posted: 29 Aug 2007 08:19 pm    Post subject:     awww now Kidd don't be jealous. lol How ya doing btw?  Good to see ya; we've missed ya here.
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That just really didn't help.  Not at all.

JerseyCowboy7800 Takin' Bad Medicine Joined: 25 Aug 2007 Posts: 857 : Items	Posted: 29 Aug 2007 08:21 pm    Post subject:     I was doing okay...until I came on here and found out how EASY it was for you to get her ID....and now, well, hell, I'm just bummed. Maybe I should go listen to some of my ootleg-bays.
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Even Pittsburgh Princess, geez he couldn't remember what her name was, felt sorry for him.

PittsburghPrincess Shot Through the Heart Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 144 : Location: Zan's Harem~Kneeling at his feet, clutching his powerful thigh Items	Posted: 29 Aug 2007 08:23 pm    Post subject:     JerseyCowboy7800 wrote: I was doing okay...until I came on here and found out how EASY it was for you to get her ID....and now, well, hell, I'm just bummed. Maybe I should go listen to some of my ootleg-bays.  awwwwww don't be bummed a woman just has to be cautious, you know.
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He tried to change the subject, telling them that "Zan" had said to tell them all "hi".  Jon added that Richie was working out and that he was trying not to collapse in shock.  Most days, he couldn't pay Rich enough to work out with him.  The guitarist had one of those amazing metabolisms that let him eat just about anything without having to do any major workouts to keep off the pounds.  The man only hit a gym when they were getting ready to go on tour.

God love her, Lucy let him change the subject, commenting on his saying he might go listen to some of his bootlegs.

ChgoBearsFan Miss Fourth of July Joined: 26 Aug 2007 Posts: 5142 : Location: In LA working on the plans for when I become...MRS ZAN!! Items	Posted: 29 Aug 2007 08:23 pm    Post subject:     ootleg bays are only good if they are ovi jay ootleg bays lmao
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Shaking his head, Jon began pecking away.  Geez, that woman really needed someone to point out that there were other bands in the world besides his.

Really.

JerseyCowboy7800 Takin' Bad Medicine Joined: 25 Aug 2007 Posts: 857 : Items	Posted: 29 Aug 2007 08:25 pm    Post subject:     Now Lucy, someone should educate you in music....There ARE other artists in the world, ya know?
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ninergirl Thief of Hearts Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 4877 : Location: Late to the party & last in line Items	Posted: 29 Aug 2007 08:26 pm    Post subject:     JerseyCowboy7800 wrote: Now Lucy, someone should educate you in music....There ARE other artists in the world, ya know? Surely you jest Kidd?
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Oh Lord!  Not her too.  Jon was still shaking his head when he saw that Queenie had asked him if he had any good bootlegs.  He really didn't think before he made his next post.

JerseyCowboy7800 Takin' Bad Medicine Joined: 25 Aug 2007 Posts: 857 : Items	Posted: 29 Aug 2007 08:27 pm    Post subject:     I've got a few good ootleg-bays. Met Steven Tyler once, he gave me a really good ootleg-bay from an Aerosmith concert several years ago. Is it still a ootleg-bay if it was something they recorded to use on a live album but then didn't use it after all?
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Then, they all started asking how he met Steven.  He was trying to think up a good story that would give nothing away, when Goddess jumped in the fray and with her typical way of commenting on five to ten topics all at once, managed to unwittingly change the subject.

FootballGoddess Thief of Hearts Joined: 27 Aug 2007 Posts: 4994 : Location: State of wedded bliss.... Items

Posted: 29 Aug 2007 08:39 pm    Post subject:     K, couldn't sleep so hopped on for a mo. Now I have to chime in on a few things because, well, I'm a pushy beyotch. First, Kidd, chicks are more trusting of other chicks then dudes. Second, I'm watching Mythbusters, and they just blew the shit out of something, and it was TOO COOL! Third, the idea of Zan (or any good-looking -- he is good-looking, right) guy getting all hot and sweaty, well that gets me all hot and sweaty. Fourth, Aerosmith is the bomb. Love me some Jovi, but Steven Tyler is the shit. I met him once at the BBQ restuarant my friend owns. He was friends with someone that was performing there. He was very nice. Finally, the f**cking Yankess are still winning. Sigh.

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God love her.  

And maybe he did too.  For now anyway.