Play for Me (13 page)

“Is it okay if I take Thursday off?” asked Sam.

“Sure.” Jett studied her expression, looking for an
explanation

“Thanks.” Sam felt funny telling him about her date with
Ian.

“The guys really liked you last night. You did an awesome
job.” Jett’s blue eyes were so intense and never wavered.

“Thanks. I had fun.” Sam met his gaze.

“Good.” Jett’s attention turned to Jordan and they began to discuss other matters leaving Sam out of the loop.

Sam fell into a deep sleep and didn’t awaken until the plane
went into its descent. Cracker started getting nervous, jumped off his seat and
began to pace the aisles. He sat by Jordan for a bit and then went to sit by
Jett, leaning heavily against him, panting like crazy.

“I’m sorry,” said Sam as she started to get up to get
Cracker.

“No, it’s cool,” said Jett, petting Cracker fondly. “He’s a
cool dog and I can see why you couldn’t leave him behind. He’s probably scared
shitless.”

“Yeah, pretty much so,” agreed Jordan. “Isn’t there a dog
area in LAX Sam can take him?”

“I think so,” said Jett thoughtfully. “I saw it on TMZ but
the dogs were all little. Wait until Toby meets him. He’ll go nuts.”

The plane landed safely and taxied to the gate. The trio
shuffled tiredly out the door with Cracker in tow. Cracker couldn’t wait and
pooped on the tarmac. Sam looked on helplessly, not knowing what to do but one
of the help just waved for her to let it be.

“Now we know what Cracker thinks of LAX,” laughed Jett. He
swung his arm around Sam’s shoulder. “You know? I really like having you
around. You’re a lot of fun, Sam.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” laughed Jordan.

“Thanks,” said Sam good-naturedly. “Now where?”

“Follow me,” said Jett and Sam walked behind Jett and Jordan
through the terminal, noticing how people stared at them openly. Toby had been
waiting for them and made such a fuss over Cracker.

“Sam, he’s awesome.” Toby bent over to Cracker’s level and
Cracker gave him lots of kisses.

“You don’t mind him riding in the car, do you?” asked Sam
anxiously.

“Of course not. I just love dogs, especially big ones.” Toby
opened the door and Cracker leapt in, claiming the seat behind Toby. Jett, Jordan and Sam squeezed in trying to find room in the rest of the back seat.

Toby negotiated the drive while the three passengers were
quiet. “You guys alive back there?” he asked.

“Pretty much wiped out,” yawned Jett. “You have the key for
Sam?”

“All taken care of, Boss.” Sam looked wide-eyed at the place
that she would now call home and she hadn’t even gone in yet.

“Oh my,” said Sam as she looked over at Jett. “Thanks! This
is gorgeous.”

“Enjoy.” Jett smiled at the sincere look of appreciation on
Sam’s face. “Toby will take your things up so you can settle in. Call me if you
need anything.” Jett continued smiling as Sam and Cracker got out of the car.

“Here you are,” said Toby proudly as he opened the door. “I
even took the liberty to go grocery shopping for you. I didn’t know what you
eat, but everyone needs some milk and juice. I also got you eggs and bread.”

“Oh, Toby. That is so nice of you! I really appreciate it.” Sam
started to tear up at his act of kindness.

“Tell you what,” suggested Toby. “Make a list tonight and
you and I can go tomorrow before we head into work. Jett probably won’t want
you to come in until the afternoon.”

“Sounds wonderful,” said Sam. “Look at Cracker! He’s
sniffing out the place for me.” They both smiled as Cracker ran around with his
nose to the ground.

“You can walk him in the park. Most everyone does,” said
Toby. “Look, I have to run, but let us know if you need anything. I’ll stop by
around ten tomorrow, okay?”

“Sure!” Sam closed the door and wandered around the huge two
bedroom condo. It appeared smaller than what she had back in Chicago, but
fancier. She started to unpack and found her spiral notebook. She jotted down
each room on a different page so she could make a list of what it needed. She
hoped that Jett would appreciate her organizational skills.

By morning, Sam had everything pretty much organized so that
she felt ready when Toby picked her up. He showed her around the area pointing out
the best places to shop stressing he still liked to find a bargain. When they
were done, Toby helped her put the groceries away, something Sam wasn’t used
to, but he enjoyed himself so much, Sam didn’t have the heart to tell him that
she could do this herself. They were done in no time and headed towards Jett’s
place.

“Jett, said to come on back,” said Toby as he pulled up to
the mansion.

“Thanks for all of your help today,” said Sam as she got out
of the limo. She still couldn’t get used to the outside statues and tried not
to look at them as she walked in

“So, how did you do?” asked Jett greeting her at the front
door. He was dressed in black tights and sneakers.

“Going for a run?” asked Sam lifting an eyebrow in question.

“In a bit. What are you going to work on today? Oh, by the
way, how’s the apartment?”

“It’s really nice, thank you,” said Sam. “I am going to work
on your emails. I saw you had over one thousand which haven’t been looked at
and they are over three-weeks-old.”

“I’m a busy man,” answered Jett. “Answer what you can, but
save them if you have questions. One thing I won’t reveal is anything about my
next episode. And try not to be shocked when reading some of them. I never knew
how graphic some chicks can be. I do now, but just a warning.”

“Really?” Sam wondered if he could be exaggerating.

“Really,” said Jett and he smiled as he tucked a strand of
hair behind her ear. “Gotta run. I’ll check in with you later.”

“Bye.” Sam felt stunned at the gesture. Nothing suggestive,
just friendly. He had adopted her like one of the family, and it felt good to
have two brothers rather than just one. Happily, she made her way to the office
and booted up the laptop.

“Okay, let’s start with the oldest one,” said Sam to herself.
Clicking twice, the email opened.

“Jett, I think you’re fabulous and have never missed any
of your shows
,” read Sam. “
Anytime you’re in St. Louis, please give me a
call. Love and kisses, Charlene at three-one-four, two-seven-nine,
one-nine-three-fours. I’ll really show you how to make love.”

“You know,” said Sam as she reached for a pen and paper. “This
could be a lot harder than I thought.” Sam sighed, thinking of how to handle
this. She decided to create folders within the mailbox to categorize the type
of email and then she would ask Marvin and Jett about how they wanted her to
respond. This one would fall into the file of Suggestive. Nothing racy had
really been said, but maybe just a thank you for contacting us and thank you
for your fan support. Feeling better, she moved to the next email.

“
Jett, I love you so much
,” read Sam. “
I want to
strip you slowly and my tongue will kiss every inch of your body…
” Sam’s
eyebrows shot up as she finished reading the email. “Ohmigod!” Well, that
certainly defined graphic. New folder. Porno. Sam didn’t think a thank you would
be the right words to respond to this email.

“Moving on.” Sam clicked on the next email.

“
Jett, I think you’re a phony and when are you going to
realize you’re a fake? You’ve
lost it buddy. Give it up.
” Easy name
for that folder. Hate Mail.

“
Jett, I am your biggest fan. This is the tenth time I’ve
tried to reach you. I love you and we really belong together. What can I do to
make you realize that I am your only true love? I will do anything, and I mean
anything, for you. I’ve even included a nude photo of me, your one and only
true love.”
Sam quickly made a new folder. Stalking.

One by one, Sam chipped away at the massive amount of email,
totally amazed how brazen and crude Jett’s fans were. Her private cell rang and
it startled Sam out of her concentration. “Hello?” she asked cautiously.

“Hey, Sam. It’s Ian. You didn’t call last night. Did
everything turn out okay?”

“Ian,” responded Sam happily. “Talk about a crazy, lost
weekend, that’s for sure.”

“I figured something had come up since I hadn’t heard from
you. How did you do onstage?” asked Ian, pleased Sam seemed to be glad to hear
from him.

“Oh, that. It wasn’t so bad after all. After we were done
playing, I split for home to pack up. Sunday, when we flew out, Cracker got out
of his cage and ran all over the airport. We barely had time to make our plane.”

“I can’t wait to meet this Cracker,” chuckled Ian. “Where is
the apartment so I can pick you up on Thursday?”

“Oh, Ian! I am so glad you reminded me of that. I have to
forward my mail and I totally forgot to do it.”

“It’s Jett’s apartment, right? I think I know where it is. Now,
what kind of bike do you like to drive?”

“What?” Sam didn’t think she had heard correctly. “Ian, I
don’t have a motorcycle license. I’ve never driven a bike before in my life. I’ve
ridden on one a couple of times with Jordan driving, but that is the extent of
my experience.”

“Oh,” said Ian thoughtfully. “All the other women will be
driving their own bikes.”

“Then maybe I shouldn’t go,” said Sam. “I’ve had limited
experience with a lot of things other than music and working.” Sam felt so
inadequate.

“No, no. I’m sorry. Of course you’re going.” Ian realized he
had hurt Sam’s feelings. “I’m a good driver, so just hang on tightly.”

“I don't know” said Sam uncertainly.

“Sam, I said its okay. It's silly of me not to ask you about
it. You know what they say about assuming something, right? I want to be with
you on Thursday, holding me tight.”

“Okay,” relented Sam, her guard up. Apparently, Greek God
wanted a goddess and Sam's experience did not fit that picture.

“Really, Sam.” Ian could hear the caution in her voice, and
he could just kick himself for being so insensitive. “I’ll pick you up around
ten in the morning. We’ll make a whole day of it. I have a meeting at eight
with the client so I’ll have you home in plenty of time. How’s the job coming
along so far?”

“Ian, you wouldn’t believe what some of these fans, women,
have written to Jett. I feel like I’m reading porn. I don’t know how to answer
them.”

“Really? He told me something to the effect before, but I
didn’t believe him. Can you read one to me?”

“I’m too embarrassed to read one to you,” said Sam. “I will
tell you this: they send lots and lots of pictures.”

“How are you going to answer them?” asked Ian.

“I don’t know. I’ve categorized them and I’ll ask Jett and
Marvin how they want me to handle it. So, with your meeting on Thursday, are
you planning on staying the weekend in California?”

“Yes and no. I have to fly to Seattle on Friday and then
I’ll fly back to Maui on Saturday.”

“I’ve never been to Washington. I heard it’s really pretty
up there,” said Sam wistfully.

“It is. I should take you to the shore up there. It's one of
my favorite places to go when I can get time off. In fact, there’s a lot I’d
like to show you here and in Maui.” Ian’s voice sounded gentle, but excited.

“I’ll take you up on it,” said Sam with a smile. “I've got
to get back to work. I’ve only done two hundred emails and I have a lot more to
plow through.”

“Okay,” laughed Ian. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“No, I won’t.” Sam disconnected the call with a smile and
got back to her emails. By the end of the day, she had plowed through over six
hundred emails and had become numb to the contents of them. She didn’t realize
how desperate some of these women were and she felt sorry for them.

“You still here?” asked Jett as he entered the office. He
looked at Sam with an amused smile. “So, what do you think?” He sat at the
corner of her desk, once again his gaze intent.

“Shocked at first, but by the time I had read over two
hundred of them, I sort of became immune. Then there is the pity factor.”

“Pity factor?” Jett looked at Sam for an explanation.

“I mean, don’t take this the wrong way because you’re a good
looking guy, but these are desperate women.” Sam held Jett’s gaze.

“I know what you’re saying. It really bothered me at first. I
mean, I had been popular in high school and had my share of chicks, but when
this hit, it totally caught me off guard. Between the drugs and women at my disposal,
well let’s just say I’m glad I’m under control now. It’s crazy.”

“But how did you turn it off?” asked Sam feeling kind of
sorry for Jett.

“You have to or you’ll go insane,” said Jett softly and he
reached and petted Sam’s cheek.

Surprised at the gesture, Sam blushed again. “How do you
want me to answer them?”

“Somewhere here, there’s a script for you to follow,” Jett
said as he jumped off the desk and started shuffling the papers. He opened the
desk drawer and sorted through the file folders. “Ah, here it is.” He handed
the letter to Sam. “Regardless of what they write, we always answer the same.”

“Great to have fans like you. You make us what we are. Check
out our website at
www.savvy.com
.
Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter,” read Sam, and then she paused. “Shouldn’t
you say something about your tour?”

“Good idea,” said Jett with a smile. “Just put that in where
you think. This has been run by all of the lawyers to protect the band against
a lawsuit. Now, what are you doing for dinner?”

“Dinner? Is it that late already?” Sam glanced down at her
watch and saw it read close to seven. “Goodness! Poor Cracker! Jett, I’ve got
to go.”

“Easy, Sam. We’ll go together and I’ll drive this time.” Jett
stood up and jangled car keys in one hand. “You know? I’m in the mood for some
good seafood, how about you?”