by Claire Adams
I looked her over once again as we stood in the office, shaking her hand, then started to pull the door open for her. However, halfway through doing that, I stopped. Regardless of whether she was the most qualified or not, I wanted to see her again. I had to. I knew that much, at least. Somehow, I had to make it happen.
“Nalia, I’d like to see you for a second interview,” I said, trying to sound as professional as possible. It was hard with her standing so close. I could smell her soft, sweet perfume, see how warm her eyes were. “My band is rehearsing at the record company tomorrow around two in the afternoon. I’d like the rest of them to meet you. Just to see if you’d mesh well with everyone. That is pretty important to check out, given that you may well be around us 24/7 over a period of three months.”
Nalia smiled at me and nodded. “Sure, I can make that.”
“If things go well, we could grab a bite to eat and talk more about the tour and the to-dos that we would need to get done.”
“Sounds great. I can start as soon as you need me to,” Nalia added.
So far, she was hitting everything on my list for an assistant, as well as a few things off the list.
“Perfect. I’ll have my secretary call you with the address in the morning. See you tomorrow, and thanks for coming in on such short notice.”
Nalia gave me a smile and a small wave before disappearing down the hall. I couldn’t hide my own smile as I watched her go. She really did seem to be perfect for the job. Everything I had in mind for an assistant and beautiful to boot. My heart was still racing from being so close to her, and the thoughts from last night weren’t making standing there any easier. I adjusted my jeans, trying hide my excitement as best I could before Mike brought in the last applicant.
I knew that I would need to warn Talon to stay away from Nalia. Granted, we had all made an agreement to not mess around with the new assistant, but I knew my brother all too well. He wouldn’t go back on his promise to not have sex with her, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t push the limits of it. Although, now I was thinking that if anyone was going to blur those lines or even break the pact we had about her, it was going to be me.
Mike brought the last girl in, and from her rounded eyes and the insane smile plastered across her face, I was guessing she was another fan. Great, maybe I should have skipped the last interview after all.
“Sorry for staring. I just can’t believe it’s actually you who is interviewing,” she practically squealed as Mike led her into the office. I waved off his apologetic look. I’d still give her the benefit of the doubt and interview her.
“Yes, I am the one interviewing,” I stated, keeping my tone as polite as possible. While I was always flattered when meeting a fan, a job interview wasn’t really the place for gushing. “Why don’t we get to that?”
She put her hand out, shaking mine a little too enthusiastically. “I'm Mary! It’s so amazing to meet you, Owen. Oh, um, am I allowed to call you Owen? Is that all right with you?”
“Yes, it's not a problem at all. I prefer to keep things informal,” I smiled, gritting my teeth as I took my hand back. I sat in the desk chair, watching her fidget with the sides of her dress.
“So, tell me about yourself, Mary,” I requested. Her eyes widened more.
“Um, well… I’m a big, no, a huge fan of Bleeding Heart. I've seriously followed you guys from the first album! I've got all the live DVDs, too, and um… Well, all right, I think I should talk more about my actual work experience, right?”
“Yes, please,” I replied, “I'm flattered that you're such a fan, but I really do need to hear about what you feel qualifies you for this position, if you don't mind.”
She let out a nervous laugh. “I, um… I love music. I’ve managed a few tours, um…” She bit her lip and fidgeted more. I glanced down at her resume. She actually had some legit experience with several bands, but if she was this nervous around me, how would she be around the rest of the band…or even just Talon?
“Sorry I’m so nervous. I am just a really big fan of you guys. I had no idea you would be here in person for the interview when they called me,” she apologized, a frown on her face. “I'm sorry, I really shouldn't be acting like this. It's just, it's just that... Well, wow, I never thought I'd actually be meeting you face to face.”
“Can you tell me about the tours you managed? Were they larger scale tours, local indie tours?” I asked, trying to avoid a repeat of interview number one.
“I, um…both. Uh…sorry.”
I frowned. This was not going well at all. And besides, despite her gushing, my thoughts kept returning to Nalia. She’d set the bar fairly high. So much so, it was getting rather difficult to concentrate on what this girl was actually saying. Still, I breathed in and out slowly and tried to force all of the thoughts of Nalia out of my head.
“This job would be very demanding. Three months of hard work, being stuck with us on a bus nearly 24/7. A lot is riding on this tour, so there would be a lot of pressure on you, including promotions, marketing, setting up interviews, and more. Not to mention the stress of keeping all of the band members in line and on schedule. And I'll tell you this, some of us can be a real handful, especially out there on the road. Do you think you could handle those kind of high pressure situations?”
She bit her lip, her frown deepening. I took that to be a probable no from her as she fidgeted with her dress more.
“I am crazy nervous. And, I’m doing horrible with this interview, aren’t I?” she asked, her eyes getting a little misty.
God, please no, not another crier.
“It’s not that. My concern is that if you’re this nervous around me, how will you be around the rest of the band? Working with them daily and keeping them in line, on top of all the duties that would be your responsibility. It's going to require someone who is totally unfazed by our celebrity status. Someone who is willing to look past all of that and put duty and responsibility first. Someone who is able to exercise very strict self-control.”
With that, a few tears streamed down her cheek, and she sniffled. I cursed a few choice phrases in my head and looked for Mike since the office door had been left open on this one. He was standing at the end of the hall. I shook my head and nodded for him to come get her.
“I’m sorry, Mary. I’m sure you’re good at what you do, but I think we need someone that isn’t such a huge fan to be our assistant on the road. It's just that we have so much riding on this tour, and we're going to need someone who treats us as if we're students who need to be shepherded in the right direction, not a fan who is star struck and lets us get away with anything,” I told her sympathetically and offered her a hug as she stood up to leave.
She squeezed me tight and sniffled, or was she sniffing me? Was that a thing now? When she released me, I added a little something to soften the blow because she did have decent qualifications. “Mary, why don’t you meet with one of the staffing assistants here later this week and see what positions you might qualify for at Young Records. We are always looking for bright talent in some of our departments.”
“Thank you so much,” she said, her face lighting up a little.
Mike took her away, and I felt some relief. Not just due to her absence, but at the thought of Nalia. She was my girl for the job, and of that fact I was now absolutely sure…without a shadow of a doubt.
Chapter Ten
Nalia
I couldn’t believe how well the interview had gone. What’s more, it actually was Owen Young from Bleeding Heart who conducted it. I couldn’t wait to tell Grace. She was going to freak out over the fact that I had sat across from him, and there was no doubt in my mind that she'd be super jealous.
But not as much as she would be when she learned I was set to have a second interview with him tomorrow! I could hardly believe my luck; maybe things were finally going in the right direction for me. There was no way I could have imagined all of this turning out as well as it had for me so far.
How wa
s such a huge change possible in such a short span of time? It was just the day before that I was unemployed, scrounging my last pennies together and thinking of moving out of this town. Now, there I was, looking as if I may well be taking on a ten-thousand-dollar-a-month job, working with one of the biggest rock bands in the industry! I was practically skipping as I walked down the sidewalk to the dive bar/wing house that had been my last job location.
I hadn’t lasted very long there. The job had been a terrible idea and an absolute nightmare. I’d dreaded going to work so much that I was constantly late, and I apparently didn’t dress slutty enough for them, either. Could have fooled me, though, considering all the drunken creeps who hit on me, or worse, the completely smashed assholes who managed to grab my ass or tried to cop a feel of my breasts as I had walked by them.
Nope, I did not miss that place. At all.
I cringed a little as I walked in through the front door. The smell of barbecue and beer hit my nose immediately. I spotted the new manager behind the bar and headed for her, hoping to get it over with as quickly as possible. The less time I spent in that dump the better.
“Hi, Allison, here to pick up my last check.” I plopped down on one of the barstools. Allison looked frustrated and judging by the slow service, completely understaffed.
“Look, if you could just get here on time, and dress more appropriate for the wing house, we can talk about you getting your job back,” she started, but I was quick to stop her right there.
“Oh no. I’m only here for my last check, and I’m not about to show half my tits just to get better tips from a bunch of drunken idiots in downtown L.A. Period,” I said. “Sorry, Allison, but there's no way in hell I'd ever work here again. Not a chance. Nothing personal. Just not one for being fondled and borderline molested on the regular.”
Yeah, this outfit really did give me extra confidence for some reason. Allison blinked stupidly at me, then frowned and shook her head like I was giving up such a huge opportunity. A huge opportunity for a sexual harassment lawsuit, maybe. She disappeared into the back and then came out a few minutes later, tossing the envelope onto the bar in front of me.
“There you go. Go on then. Don’t say I didn’t try to be helpful. I made you an offer, and you turned it down, and God knows I'm not the kind of woman who makes such a generous offer twice. Good luck finding another job in this hell hole of an economy and don't come crawling back to me when you're down and out,” she grumbled.
I only grinned. “Thanks! I appreciate that!” My voice was so chipper she looked back up to make sure I had actually said what she’d heard. I smiled at her, turned on my heels, and left. My brother Jackson lived nearby and worked from home, so I decided to go see him and tell him about my possible new job. I knew he’d be thrilled for me, especially since it would be working in the music industry, and he had known since we were kids that it had always been a dream of mine.
I used the doorknocker when I got there, just to annoy him. He hated that thing for some reason. He answered the door in surf shorts and a tank top, frowning with annoyance as he opened the door. However, when he saw it was me, his frown morphed into a smile, and he quickly enveloped me in a huge bear hug before setting me back on my feet.
“Well, hey, sis, great to see you! What brings you this way, Nay?”
“Not too much. I thought maybe we could go grab some lunch so I can tell you about the job interview I just left and the second interview I have lined up for tomorrow!” I beamed at him.
A wide smiled spread across his face and he nodded.
“Man, that's awesome news, it really is! I've been waiting to hear something like this from you since you moved to L.A. You just made my day!”
“So, lunch?” I asked again.
“Yeah. Sure, let's grab a bite to eat, just let me slip on some flip flops or something, and we can head out to that bar and grill I like so much,” Jackson said, gesturing me into the apartment. Like Grace, Jackson had managed to do rather decent for himself out here. He had a nice apartment and worked as a web designer and digital graphics guru. One day, when I made it big, I fully expected him to create my branding logo or album cover—probably both.
He came back to the door in a pair of black flip flops and grabbed his wallet off the table before locking the door behind him and escorting me to his car. I removed my jacket before getting in to not only get a little more comfortable, but to not feel quite as overdressed next to Jackson, who looked as if he'd just stepped off of the beach.
Throughout the whole drive to the restaurant, we chatted, but I told him he had to wait until we had ordered our meals to hear about my interview. I wanted to really be able to gauge his reaction and see what he truly thought about this opportunity that had presented itself to me.
We got there and took a table on the outside patio under a nice shade. When the waitress came over, we both ordered burgers and fries, then Jackson eyed me suspiciously.
“So, you going to spill it or what?” he asked. “You haven't said a word about your news the whole time we've been here. Come on, you trying to keep me in suspense or something? You know how impatient I get about stuff like this!”
I grinned. “All right, all right. Check this out: I just interviewed for a position as touring assistant to Bleeding Heart. And that’s not all; Owen Young invited me to their practice tomorrow to have a second interview with the whole band! If I get the job, I'll be touring with them for three months! Isn’t that amazing?”
I was anticipating some excitement. At least a little. But, judging from my brother’s dour expression, no, it was not amazing. Not even a little. A reaction that I would have to say surprised me a little.
“Nay, I know you want to work in the music industry, but I definitely do not think you should be working with those guys, much less going on tour with them. Sure, their music is really good, but have you read anything about them? Those guys turn and burn women constantly. No way is my little sister about to get involved with them. Nope. Nay, I really think this would be a terrible idea.”
Not expecting that kind of response, I frowned. My demeanor was suddenly angry and defensive. “I’m a grown-ass woman, Jack. I can do what I want. And if I do my job well enough, maybe Owen will help me get my own music out there. It’s not just like he’s only the lead singer, you know? He does also own a thriving record company. I think he could really help me.”
“Yeah, into his bed, maybe,” Jackson added, rolling his eyes.
I glared at him in silence, my anger simmering.
“What? It’s true!” he defended his statement. “The guy’s a dick, and he isn’t going to do anything that doesn’t fit his needs first and foremost.”
“Oh, so you personally know him, do you? Because he didn’t seem like a dick at all when I met him today. Besides, you make it sound like I’m some groupie fan who would just jump into bed because he smiled at me. I see how much faith you have in me,” I spewed before taking a bite of my burger.
I was a little bummed by Jackson’s reaction, but my involvement wasn’t up for discussion. If I got offered the job, I would take it and that would be that. With that in mind, I changed the subject and did my best to cool off a little. “How are things going with Cindi?”
Jackson cringed a bit, taking a bite from his burger. He simply chewed on his food in silence, not bothering to respond.
“That well, huh? I asked.
“We broke up...again,” he shrugged. He and Cindi had been on again off again for the last year.
“I’m sorry.”
“I think it’s for good this time. She wanted to move in, and I didn’t think it was a good idea since we are always breaking up. I mean, you just reach a point where you have to say, 'enough is enough.' It couldn't carry on like that forever.”
I reached over to squeeze his hand, and he smiled at me.
“I’m fine, Nay, really. I really don’t know why I keep going back to her, anyway.”
“It’s called being lonel
y,” I told him.
He laughed. “Maybe that’s it. And, I know her, and I’m comfortable around her.”
“Exactly,” I nodded and took another bite of my burger, as well as a gulp of soda.
“Maybe I’ll find the right one, eventually,” he shrugged again. “I don’t know, there's gotta be a girl who's perfect for me out there somewhere, right? There has to be. I'm just holding out until I finally meet her.”
We ate in companionable silence for a little while until both of us were finished. Then we headed back to my brother’s car. I felt a little bad that I’d brought up Cindi, but I was glad he wasn’t still going on about what a dick Owen Young supposedly was.
I hadn’t gotten any negative vibes from Owen personally, and I considered myself to be a fairly good judge of character. I loved my big brother and valued his opinion, but I didn’t agree with him on this. I was going to wait and make my own judgments.
Instead of me walking home, Jackson drove me to my place, chatting about other random stuff like what Grace was up to and what he was currently working on. He didn’t bring up Owen again, and I was glad that he didn't.
Chapter Eleven
Owen
“Owen, you feeling okay?” Talon asked just after we finished up a song.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said a bit defensively. “Why are you asking? Does it seem as if something’s wrong with me?” The moment the words left my mouth, I realized why he might have asked.
“You just seemed a little off on the last song. You sure everything’s all right?”
I knew he was right, but I didn’t feel like getting into it. “I’m fine, man, seriously. Why don’t we just do that song again?” I suggested. Talon nodded, but then my phone went off.
“Owen Young,” I answered.
“Mr. Young, this is Sally from Touring Unlimited. I was calling to confirm the dates you requested for the tour bus. We have you down for the first week in September.”
