That first month was pure bliss, then suddenly out of nowhere, little things started getting in our road. It wasn’t like all of a sudden there was a major drama, it was just something here and there. At first I didn’t even recognize what it was.
The first thing that happened was I found a few of the appointments I’d scheduled weren’t being honored. It wasn’t a regular thing, only happening from time to time, but it did happen. I wasn’t suspicious about it at all at first. After all, mistakes happen, and I figured it was just a communication error between myself and whoever I had made the appointment with. But when it happened three separate times in two months, I started to think something was up. The problem was, I had no idea what.
I apologized profusely to the band every time it happened. After all, I was supposed to be a professional. I was supposed to be better than this, I wasn’t supposed to make mistakes like this regularly. They were always outwardly polite to me, but I knew that deep down they were getting frustrated with my mistakes. One night as Jonathan and I were watching TV at his place I brought up my concerns.
“It’s weird, I don’t think it’s me, like I don’t think I’m making that many mistakes that often. But the thing is, I don’t know what it could possibly be. I can’t deny the fact that three times in eight weeks we’ve gone to appointments I thought I’d scheduled and found they weren’t aware of them or had been cancelled. I certainly didn’t cancel them. But I also don’t know who on earth would have done it. It makes no sense, you know?”
“I do know, yeah, definitely. It is weird. And you’re totally sure that you didn’t just email to cancel like six weeks earlier and then forgotten about it?”
“Well… I thought so, I mean I have a calendar just for that, but now I don’t know what to think. I didn’t think I was that irresponsible, but if it’s not me, I can’t explain it. I just hate feeling like a failure. I know the other guys think I’m a spaz now, and it comes off as really being unprofessional. The one thing I knew I used to do well was my job, and now I’m not sure.”
“Hey, listen to me. You’re amazing at your job. Seriously, I had no idea when I hired you that you’d actually be as good as you are. I thought you’d be ok at it, we really just needed someone we could trust more than anything, but it turns out you’re fantastic. Don’t ever say you aren’t, because it’s not true. Yeah, there have been a few hiccups lately. Whatever. The other guys don’t care that much, believe me.”
“Yeah, I can’t help but notice Noah’s little smirk of satisfaction every time I screw up. I wish I knew why he hated me so much.”
“Actually, I know the answer to that. He hates you because we fired his daughter.”
“What?” I heard the words that came out of Jonathan’s mouth, but I didn’t have a clue what he meant.
“Noah’s daughter worked for the last PR firm we hired. In fact, it was mainly because of her that we hired that firm. She wasn’t involved in any of the leaks, we’re absolutely certain of that, but when we fired the firm Noah was angry, since it meant his daughter was laid off. She’s since found another job, but there’s still some resentment there, although why he aims it at you, who had nothing to do with it, I really don’t know.”
Suddenly a whole lot of stuff began to make sense. Suddenly I realized why exactly Noah had been so bitchy to me all this time. He looked at me as the person who took away his daughter’s job. Obviously I had nothing to do with it, I didn’t even know he had a daughter, but it at least explained his douchebaggery. God, this was going to be an impossible relationship to fix.
“Well, that certainly explains a lot” I replied. “I wondered why he hated me so much, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I dunno, I guess it never really came up. I knew you and him had problems, of course, but yeah, I never thought until now to tell you about his daughter.”
“What’s she doing now?”
“I heard she’s working PR for the company that represents a bunch of athletes in the city. So yeah, she’s doing well enough for herself.”
As we settled back into watching TV, I thought about the conversation. Jonathan definitely didn’t believe there was anything weird going on with the appointments. I could tell he thought it was my fault, and that I wasn’t well enough organized. I couldn’t really blame him for that opinion, except for the fact that I’d always been perfectly organized in the past and never done anything like this before. But hell, even I was starting to doubt my suspicions. Was I just making excuses? Was my dating Jonathan getting in the way of my work? Was my concentration lacking because I spent half the day thinking about him? I couldn’t be sure that he was wrong. Maybe I was just making things up to make me feel better. Maybe I just had to suck it up, and make sure I was doing things right. I decided in the morning I’d try and focus more. This was a job I absolutely, under no conditions, wanted to lose.
Chapter Thirteen
Another two weeks passed, and to be honest, I started to doubt my suspicions. Since that conversation with Jonathan, there had been no more communication errors. Maybe it was me, maybe I just needed a wake-up call, a reason to focus. It was a good time to do it, too. After all, in a few months the band were going on their world tour, and I knew it was going to be incredibly difficult to try and organize all of that myself. In fact, I actually decided to hire a couple of people to work with me.
“Awesome, I think that’s a great idea Sara” Jonathan told me when I brought it up to him. “You work so hard already, bringing in some people to help you out might give you a chance to have a bit of a break now and then.”
“Yeah, I’m just worried about the trust factor. I don’t want them blabbing to the press, and I don’t really know how to hire someone who’s trustworthy.”
“I actually wouldn’t worry too much about it. The problem we had with the last firm, and it’s the problem with all PR stuff, is that the most important stuff goes to the person at the top, and no one below. Hire your staff, get them to write press releases, make appointments and that sort of thing, but don’t give them any important or controversial information that they might want to go to the press with. As long as they don’t have anything good, they can’t do anything bad with it.”
“That makes sense, that’s perfect!” I replied. I then spent the next two weeks going about trying to find the perfect workers.
I had to admit, I didn’t realize just how bad the economy was until I put out the ad for a couple of workers. I got hundreds, literally hundreds of applications. I had expected a couple dozen, at most. Swamped, I sat at my desk in my apartment at night going through them, whittling them down to about a dozen or so that I wanted to interview.
It was funny how protective I actually became of Jonathan. I didn’t realize it until then, but as I interviewed the fourteen finalists, I didn’t really ask myself if they were going to try and hurt the band at all. I asked myself if they were going to try and hurt Jonathan. It was a bad thought to have. After all, it was the band that had hired me, I was supposed to care equally about all of them. But I didn’t. I absolutely didn’t.
In the end, I hired Marissa, a senior about to graduate from a local college, and Oliver, who was in his late twenties and had some experience with the Hollywood PR scene. Both seemed enthusiastic, professional and ambitious. They were both completely willing to travel the world with the band, as they were going to have to come on tour as well, and I was pleased with my new hires.
Once again, things seemed like they were on the way up. Jonathan never mentioned those missed appointments, they were all but forgotten. Marissa and Oliver seemed to fit in well. I rented an office, to give them a space to work during the day, mostly ordering them around over the phone as I spent a lot of my days with Jonathan and the band.
Jonathan was right, as well. Hiring the new people did give me a lot more time. I was so much less stressed out, I felt like I could relax so much more. Jonathan noticed, as well.
“You’re looking a lot less haggard
since you’ve hired those new kids” he told me.
“Kids? Oliver’s older than I am” I teased.
“Well, he’s not older than me. Anyone still in their twenties is a kid” Jonathan teased back.
“Your point is well taken, anyway. Apart from you calling me a hag, of course.”
“I called you haggard, there’s a difference” Jonathan protested, taking one finger and moving my hair behind my ears. “You’ll never, ever be an old hag Sara.”
“Thanks” I murmured, closing my eyes to enjoy the feeling of his fingers on my skin. His touch was like velvet, sending shivers through my body with every tiny little movement of his hand.
“You know, we haven’t been on a real date in a while. Things have just been so crazy we’ve been staying in a lot. What do you say we go grab an easy dinner tomorrow and then watch the basketball game?”
“I’d like that.”
“Good. It’s a date then.”
The thought of going out on a real date made me giddy. Jonathan was right, it had been a while since we’d gone out on a real date. I didn’t mind per se, since Jonathan did make sure to always make me feel like a princess. He bought me flowers regularly to make up for the fact that we weren’t going out much, even though I told him I didn’t care what we did, so long as we were together. I would have spent eternity with him just lying on the couch watching TV, his arm wrapped around mine, very happily.
That said, I was looking forward to our date. Jonathan was always a gentleman, always making sure he took care of me when we went out, and I did enjoy that feeling. No one else had made me feel like I was the only person on the planet like Jonathan did. Ever since I was a little girl he always acted like I mattered, in a way no one else did, and he was doing it now, too.
It was funny how much I was looking forward to our going out. The next day I went home early from work to get ready, and when I finally stepped out of my building and into the car where John was waiting to take me to dinner, I knew I looked amazing. I’d actually dressed down compared to our usual dates, since we were going to just grab a quick dinner then the movie. I wore an emerald green knitted dress over black tights and oxford shoes, with a black purse to go with it. I definitely, definitely looked hot.
John drove me to a pizzeria in the middle of town. Trendy but still somewhat classical, this was one of the city’s new hot spots for food. I’d never been here, as I was always worried about the paparazzi following us in, but tonight that didn’t seem like a problem. One of Jonathan’s security guys was at the door, making sure the photographers stayed outside. I was led into the restaurant, where Jonathan was already waiting for me at a table in one of the far corners, his back to everyone else. Nonetheless, every few minutes an adoring fan still came and shyly asked for a photo, or simply to tell Jonathan how big of a fan they were.
Always gracious, Jonathan acquiesced to his fans demands, and so our conversation wasn’t exactly the deepest ever. I didn’t mind, it was still a fun night. The pizza was amazing, and even though I was 99% sure someone must have gotten a photo of a giant glob of cheese not separating from my slice and my mouth, I didn’t care. We laughed about it, like two teenagers on a normal date. It was nice, getting to act like normal people with Jonathan. I mean sure, it would have been better without the interruptions, but there’s only so much I could ask for. After all, Jonathan’s fame had afforded me tons of opportunities that I wouldn’t otherwise have had.
“So how are the new hires working out?”Jonathan asked when we had a few minutes.
“Yeah, they’re good. I was a bit worried at first but they’re both picking things up pretty quickly. I worry about being a pretty bad boss though. I’ve never done it before, and I don’t know if I’m doing everything terribly.”
Jonathan was always so easy to talk to. I felt like I could tell him all my fears and worries about the world and he’d take them seriously.
“That’s something everyone feels when they hire someone for the first time, I think. I doubt you’ll do a bad job, but honestly, I think just ask them from time to time. Sure, they probably won’t tell you you’re a shit boss since they’ll be afraid of losing their jobs, but if you make sure you let them know you’re available for critique they might give you some suggestions from time to time.”
“That’s actually a really good idea, thanks!”
“Hey, I’m not just a pretty face” Jonathan replied with a smile and I laughed.
“I’m glad we’re doing this. It’s nice, acting like a normal couple.”
“Me too, thanks for coming out with me Sara. But hey, we’d better get going or we’re going to miss the start of the game.”
Ten minutes later we were speeding across town to get to the game, where our seats were in the front row. This was definitely one of those things that barely felt real. I mean, all my life I’d see articles in gossip magazines and on the internet showing the rich and famous with their front row seats. I never in a million years imagined I’d be one of them, sitting in the seats I’d seen in pictures so many times, my hand slipped in that of one of the world’s most famous rock stars. And yet, that’s what was happening. That was what I was doing. It was amazing! I knew I wasn’t, but I felt like a superstar myself as so many of the other people in the crowd took photos of not only the players, but also those of us in the front row. Three seats down from me was one of the world’s most famous TV stars. I did my best to play it cool, like this was the sort of thing I did every day, as opposed to one of the most incredible things I’d ever experienced.
Just to top off the night, the game was incredible. It came down to the wire, with the home team making the winning basket with less than two seconds to go. The crowd erupted as the ball swooshed through the basket without hitting the backboard, a perfect end to the perfect night. As we left, it felt like the first few days that Jonathan and I started dating all over again. We drove back to his place in the same car, avoiding the photographers, making out in the backseat along the highway.
When we got back to his place, Jonathan and I immediately moved to the bedroom, where for hours Jonathan gave my body pleasure unlike anything else on the planet. Over and over, his body racked mine with sensations unlike anything else I’d ever experienced on the planet.
His hands, firm yet smooth, discovered my body, roaming over my breasts, my waist, my hips and down below to my nether regions. His mouth found mine, moving from time to time to nibble my earlobe or kiss my neck, sometimes even moving down to my nipples, where the heat of his breath drove me even wilder with desire.
Over and over his shaft entered me, sometimes softly, lovingly, making sure I felt every single movement from every single stroke. Sometimes it was hard and fast, his passionate movements making me feel like I was a real woman, like Jonathan needed me more than anything on the planet.
I lost track of how many times I came. Every time I thought it would be impossible for me to want more. I thought that was surely it, that my body wouldn’t be able to handle it. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over me every time, enveloping my body, taking over my emotions, my senses, completely overwhelming me.
Finally, just as the sun began to peek over the horizon, Jonathan and I collapsed into the now well worn bed, wrapped in each other’s arms. I could just barely smell the musk of his body, from the exertion of the night. I murmured sweet nothings to him as my body, spent both mentally and physically, fell asleep almost instantly, Jonathan’s arms wrapped tightly around me.
Chapter Fourteen
The next day Jonathan and I woke up late, took a shower together, where we continued on from the night before, until we finally managed to get ready. Jonathan was going to a meeting with the band’s label that afternoon, so he got ready for that while John picked me up and took me to the office where Marissa and Oliver worked.
Bearing in mind Jonathan’s advice from the night before, I immediately set about trying to set an atmosphere of openness in my small company. Our new little offic
e wasn’t large, and basically consisted of one room, the size of the board room, where we had three desks set up. Near the end of the day, when Maria send a letter were getting ready to go home, I picked my time.
“Hey, guys, can I ask you something quickly?”
“Yeah, of course” came Oliver’s reply, as the two of them turned around in their chairs.
“As I’m sure you guys have realized, this is the first time that I’ve ever actually had employees. I’m sure I’m going to screw up sometime, and one of the main things I want to avoid is being a terrible boss. I promised him going to do my best, but I want both of you to know that if you’ve ever got any problems with me, or if you ever think there’s something that I could do better, I want you to know that I’m absolutely open to listen. I know that I’m not an experienced boss, but the both of you are great employees and I want to keep you here. Just letting you know that my door is always open, and if you tell me what I’m doing wrong, I promise I’ll take it well and I won’t fire you or anything.”
Marissa and Oliver looked at each other for a second, not really knowing what to say. Finally, Marissa spoke.
“Thanks, Sara. I don’t know about Oliver, but I think you’re doing a pretty good job so far. This is like, my second job ever, so I’m not really sure what a bad boss is either,” she added with a nervous laugh.
“I agree, you’re doing fine but thanks for the offer,” Oliver added.
I had to admit, their reactions made me feel a lot better. After all, I really didn’t have a clue as to whether or not I was a good boss. Jonathan said I would be, and I trusted his opinion, but of course my actual employees might think differently.
For the next two weeks, everything went absolutely perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for better. Jonathan and I were closer than ever, Marissa and Oliver turned out to be fantastic workers, and everyone seemed to have all but forgotten about my earlier mistakes.
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