17. Opportunity

“Obie, I surely do appreciate you findin’ such an accomplished musician who’s willin’ to give me a piano lesson, but I just don’t think that’s necessary.”

Cassidy had been on the verge of calling her sister to fill her in on the whole Jon situation when the phone rang with Obie’s call.  He evidently thought she could use some assistance in becoming more piano proficient and, to remedy that, was sending Bon Jovi’s keyboardist to act as a tutor.  That was when she knew the line between innocently amusing herself and being a full-fledged fraud had been crossed.  She was culling a lot of special favors, time and attention from men whose expertise would be of more value to someone free to pursue a music career.

“Take advantage of the occasion, Cassidy.  Dave is at loose ends anyway, and he owes me a favor.  He’s a little bit of an asshole, but I don’t think you’ll have any trouble with him.”

“That’s exactly what I feel like I’m doin’,” she insisted with frustration.  “Takin’ advantage.  I just don’t see why you’re so gung-ho about me and I’m not entirely comfortable pursuin’ this any longer.”

“Honey, you just let the professional do his thing.  I’m lining you up for an opportunity that most people only dream about.  Trust me.”

That “opportunity” involved Jon’s band and she wanted to tell him she wasn’t interested, but that wasn’t possible since he didn’t know she’d been spending time with Jon.  Or did he?  Truth was, all of Jon’s friends might know they were having sex.  He hadn’t said anything about keeping it a secret, other than from his wife, of course. 

Cassidy’s stomach knotted uncomfortably at the thought of what Jon might be saying about her. 

“I want to go on the record as thinking this piano thing is frivolous and unnecessary,” she insisted, before caving in to what her heart wanted instead of what her head knew was reasonable.  “But if you’re bound and determined to do it, then I guess I can be obligin’ as long as it doesn’t interfere with my work schedule.”

“Uh…”

“I mean it,” Cassidy reiterated.  “My job might not seem lofty or important to you, but I depend on that paycheck.  I can’t afford to cut my hours.”

“Yeah, I get it.  Bills and shit.  We’ll figure it out.  What’s your schedule tomorrow?”

“I go in at four and stay ‘til close, which is midnight durin’ the week.”

“Alright.  Can I give Dave your number?”

It wasn’t that Cassidy minded Jon and Obie’s friend having the number, primarily because he was their friend.  If she weren’t already past due in changing phones, then it wouldn’t be a big deal, but how flaky would she seem if it were disconnected before the guy ever used it?

“I’d rather not, if you don’t mind.  Jon’s still in town, isn’t he?” she innocently queried as if he weren’t standing in the next room.  “He knows how to find me.  Can David go through him?”

“I’ll figure something out and text you.  Is that okay?”

“Of course,” she demurred, his apparent exasperation making her feeling about two inches tall for seeming like such a diva.  This was one of the few times she’d been tempted to explain herself, but she just couldn’t, no matter how difficult that made her seem. 

“Okay, Cassidy, I’ll be in touch.” 

She threw the disconnected phone at the bedroom chair with a strangled cry of vexation and fell back in the bed to swear at the ceiling.  “How did things get so frazzle-snatzin’ complicated?!?”

Because you’re pretendin’ your life is normal when it ain’t.  You wanna uncomplicate things, you know what needs to be done.  Get your house in order and then – maybe – you can live up to the investment these men are makin’ in you.

If she could ever get any time away from Tully’s so that she could do the required legwork, then maybe this problem would be resolved.  She just needed to put a fire under her backside and make time.  There were already plenty of reasons to get this over and done with, but these Jersey men were another compelling addition to the list.  She liked them and was sorely tempted by the things they seemed to think she was capable of.

Wouldn’t it be amazin’ to just sing for a livin’?  So much easier than dealin’ with-

“Dixie?”

One hand flew to her chest and she bolted upright in bed to find Jon watching her with concern.  “Lord, Jesus!  You scared the duck feathers outta me!  I didn’t hear you come in.”

“You okay?  I heard you yell when I was finishing up my call.”

Smile, girl!

Lackadaisical lips curved obediently upward.  “Of course I am.  There’s a very fine man standin’ in front of me who is one zipper pull away from bein’ nekkid.  What woman wouldn’t be okay?”

Deep blue eyes examined her skeptically, as though he wasn’t quite sure if he should buy it, but nodded in slow acceptance anyway.  “And that zipper is coming down soon, but I’d like to run a couple things by you first.”

“Sure, honey.”  Cassidy scooted back toward the headboard and crossed her legs Indian-style, patting a spot on the mattress in front of her.  “This about your bad day?”

“No.  I’m still trying to forget that shit.”  His backside hit the bed while one foot remained on the floor.  The other leg was bent at the knee with that foot dangling over the mattress’s edge.  “A friend of mine was on the phone.  You might recognize the name David Bryan?”

Oh, she recognized it all right.  Obie certainly was a busy fellow, although Cassidy wasn’t quite sure how Jon had become a middle man here. 

“Lemme guess,” she mused with a smirk.  “He wants to give me piano lessons?”

Jon’s forehead crumpled in bewilderment.  “How did you know that?”

“Obie called me while you were talkin’, and that man is the skinniest steamroller I ever met.”  Cassidy shook her head with a rueful smile.  “What you heard a minute ago was me bein’ flattened by him.”

His chuckle was an empathetic one.  “Yeah, he can be tenacious.”

“So…”  Her eyes narrowed in concentration.  “Why did David call you about me?  And while I’m thinkin’ of it, is our… companionship a private matter, or do your friends know we’re keepin’ company?”

“What?  No!  Jesus, no.”  A masculine hand rubbed along a jaw that she happened to know bore stubble, because her inner thighs showed the evidence of it.  “Dave called because Obie told him I was down here and wants me to introduce you.  I haven’t told anyone about us and it’s obviously best if it stays that way.”

For the most part, Cassidy was able to disregard the fact that she was screwing another woman’s husband – at least until he dropped phrases like “obviously”.  Then she felt just a little bit like a whore.

“Alright,” she affirmed quietly.  “I just got in an awkward corner talkin’ to Obie, not knowin’ whether he was aware we were communicatin’, for lack of a better word.”

“Awkward, how?” 

“I asked him to route David through you instead of givin’ him my number and found myself unsure whether to admit I know you’re still in town.  That’s all.”

“Oh,” he murmured thoughtfully, eyes darting to various spots around the room as he quite obviously realized his clandestine fling was becoming complicated.  “I’m sorry about that.  When I invited you into my bed, I didn’t realize our lives outside of bed were going to become so intertwined.”

“No worries.  Life is still beautiful,” she lightly reassured him with a pat on the cheek.  Obie didn’t know the color of her pubic hair, and Cassidy would take whatever scrap of dignity she could muster in this situation.  But what about Jon?  “Would it be easier for you if I left – and didn’t come back?  Because I would completely understand.”

She couldn’t say she was excited about the prospect, but if that’s what he needed, she would do it.  They’d already made more outstanding memories than she was entitled to.

The eyes that had been aimlessly wandering the bedroom snapped to hers, filled with a protest definitively stating that he wasn’t ready to move on to memories.  “No.  In fact, I was about to bring up something that completely contradicts that.”

Something contradictory?  She simply couldn’t fathom what that might be, since the opposite of leaving was staying and staying past the night wasn’t really doable.  There was no point in speculating any further beyond that, so Cassidy fixed him with an inquiring gaze and waited to see what he had to say.

“Obie wants to make demands on your time and to work those demands in around your job makes for a lot of stress and very little sleep – particularly if you’re going to keep sharing my bed.  Dave suggested that a paid vacation from your job might be the best way for you to explore this music gig and not kill yourself in the process.  I agree with him.”

Okay... What part of that was the most interesting?  Was it the paid vacation or the implication of continuing their physical relationship?  Did she even want to ask how that would be possible? 

No.  Be happy if it does but don’t harbor expectations.  Haven’t you learned by now that expectations end in disappointment?

So she chose to ask for clarification on the first topic.  “Paid vacation?”

 “I figure you should get paid for eight hours a day at twice what Tully gives you, and I’ll talk to him about keeping your job open in the meantime.”

He’d actually put some thought into this.

“And who would be footin’ the bill for this hypothetical vacation?”

“Me.”

Cassidy blinked her eyes.  Then she blinked them again several more times, all with the same result.  Jon was still sat in front of her, expectantly awaiting her response.  Funny, she could’ve sworn this was some kind of weird dream, like the ones where you show up to work wearing nothing but underwear.  Except she was half-naked in Jon Bon Jovi’s bed and he might have just offered to pay her for those services.

She shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, but he jumped back in before she could reject his proposal.

“Don’t say no, yet.  This isn’t just Dave and piano lessons.  I’m willing to help with some vocal lessons and basic guitar, too.  Even if you don’t pursue it as a career, you’d have to be a fool to turn down that kind of offer and I know you’re no fool.”

“No, I’m not,” she agreed readily.  “And therein lies the problem.  A wise woman knows that if something seems almost too good to be true-“

“It usually is.”

Cassidy gave him a wry smile.  “I see you’ve learned the same lesson, so you should realize I’m gonna ask what the catch is.  Men like you and Mr. Bryan do not pay twice somebody’s salary and donate valuable time unless they’re gettin’ a good return on the investment.”

“There is no catch with Dave; he’s doing it strictly as a favor to Obie.”  That went easily enough, but he when he stuck his chin out and steadily met her eyes, Cassidy knew she was about to discover the real catch.  “I, however, do expect certain things in return for my time and expertise.”

Certain things.  Well, that’s nice and vague.

“You gonna share those expectations?”

“Expectation.  Singular,” he corrected.  “And that is, when you’re not working for Obie, you’ll fulfill my needs.”

“In the vein of there bein’ no misunderstandin’,” she slowly drawled, determined to reserve judgment until she had a firm grasp on his true intentions.  “I’ll assume you mean sex and respectfully tell you how stupid that is since I’ve been fulfillin’ those needs for two days now – because I wanted to, not because you paid me to do it.” 

“I’m not-“

She laid a gentle hand on his thigh to interrupt.  “And I’d advise you to think real careful before speakin’.  At the first indication of this bein’ a call girl arrangement, I’ll be leavin’.”

“I don’t pay for sex,” he told her flatly, although without anger.  “Because I could find a willing woman on every floor of this hotel.  That’s not my ego talking, it’s a fact.”

Considering how quickly she’d been willing to drop her drawers for him, she had no trouble conceding the point and didn’t contradict him. 

“Thank you for makin’ that much clear.”  Her chin dipped in deference.  “Now what exactly is it that you are payin’ for?”

“It’s very simple.”  Jon picked up the hand that still rested on his leg and laced their fingers together.  “I told you I’m a superstitious son of a bitch, and the only legitimate songwriting I’ve done in two entire years was this morning.  With you here.  I don’t give a shit how ridiculous it sounds, I refuse to fuck with something that’s working and that means I need you.  There are no expectations beyond spending a few hours a day with me as my… muse, I guess.  If we sleep together, that will be because of a mutual and completely separate decision.  I repeat… I do not pay for sex.”

So stunned was she, that it wasn’t just one cat that had Cassidy’s tongue, there was a whole litter holding her speechless.  She’d known he was happy this morning and was apparently getting work done, but she had never related that to her presence.  Why would she?  He’d written a gazillion songs before she came along and he would write a gazillion after she left.  Yet, for today at least, he thought she was his muse and couldn’t write without her.

I guess that clears up the whole need versus want thing from earlier, huh?

“I, uh.  I don’t often find myself at a loss for words, but you sure have me gobsmacked.”

He snorted, presumably at her choice of words rather than her inability to form sentences.   “Now if I could only find a way to do that to Obie, we’d be in business.”

The right side of her mouth slipped up with amusement, and Cassidy finally found something relevant to say.  “How long are you talkin’ about?  This vacation thing.”

“I dunno.  As long at takes, but how about we say a week to start?”

A week of hanging out with Jon.  She’d enjoyed their time together thus far and had grown to like him, so it didn’t seem like it would be a hardship.  And, her Southern pride be damned, it would be nice not to be on her feet all day, every day.  Plus, hadn’t she just been thinking a little free time would go a long way toward solving her problems?  She had things to accomplish here in the city.  Things that were critical to getting her house in order, so she could move on with her life and pursue the dream that was trying its darnedest to blossom.

Being in downtown Nashville would make that a whole lot easier. 

“So this time we spend together for your writing, it would be flexible?  Because I have a couple of daytime appointments later in the week.”

“That’s fine.  I’m not exactly a nine-to-fiver.”  His grin was wide and brilliant white, sensing that she was teetering in the right direction – the direction he wanted her to go.

Lord, I don’t know really what to say about all this.  Maybe You’re just usin’ me to help Jon, but if it’s You actin’ on that blessed are the righteous” thing…  I’m much obliged.  I’ll talk to You later about those appointments, okay?  In Jesus’ name…

“I’m gonna need to make a trip to the cabin tomorrow for some necessities.  You’re welcome to come along, if you like.”

Her backhanded acceptance was not met with happiness; not in the traditional sense of the word.  It was an air of satisfaction that Cassidy saw blanket his face.  Satisfaction coupled with eyes that brimmed with renewed confidence. 

He really believed this was the answer to his writing problems.

And, as long as he was agreeable to her going after more shoes and panties, she wouldn’t discourage him.

“Maybe I will, once we figure out what the hell Dave is doing.”  The confidence she’d noted in his eyes took on a mischievous sparkle.  “Speaking of which, I should probably warn you about him…”