Jimmy Needs Assistance
By Jojo
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Disclaimer: This is a work (or attempt at least) of fiction. All names
and characterizations here are of people both make believe, living,
dead, or somewhere in between is just that - fiction. If they happen
to have the same name, characteristics, or overall similarities like
someone from a Boy Band or two, than it's completely coincidental with
the people that I have within my twisted little head! If this
explanation is too cerebral for you, then maybe this will be a little
clearer --This ain't real, I made it all up! For the small Redneck
population that can read - no read here, no sibs getting it on with Dad
or the family dog (this includes sissy) here so scram.
Please note: You will not find any gratuitous, superficial, or hot
monkey sex in this story. This is going to be a romance, not a beat off
story so don't expect two characters to meet, say hi, and rip each
other's clothes off, and screw their little brains out. I have yet to
see it or have it happen to me in real life (unfortunately) so it isn't
going to happen here. There will be sex, but I will infer it and leave
most of it up to your dirty little minds. I bet most of you out there
can come up with stuff a LOT kinkier and nastier than I can so it will
be kept in your more capable hands so to speak. Just don't mess up the
keyboard too much. It can get expensive replacing the keyboard week
after week because the keys are always sticking together - trust me!
You have been warned!
Lastly, if it is illegal for you to read this here attempt at a story where
you may live, move the hell out of where you live to a more tolerant
part of the world. If you are ugly as sin then DON'T move to New York
State. I want some eye candy for cripes sakes! If you are too young to
read this where you live, again move or get a fake ID to prove your
age. If neither of these are practical, get the old pervert down the
street with all the porn on his computer to print it out for you and
sneak it in your house. Just don't get me involved!
Legal Info: This story and all it's contents is copyright (c) 2001
Jojoe@slashstories.com. Rights are granted ONLY to the Nifty Archive
Alliance (Nifty.org) as well as Alt Sex Stories Gay Moderated (ASSGM)
for the sole purpose of posting to their archives for others to read.
ANY unauthorized posting without the author's expressed WRITTEN consent
will be dealt with legally. Another words, if you want to share the
story ASK ME FIRST!
Author's notes to follow at the end of the chapter. Please visit my new website at: www.slashstories.com
I knocked on the door and heard a voice say to come in. I opened the door,
not looking up at the moment, closed the door behind me, and turned around
to meet my hopefully new employer. It only took about 3 seconds for my brain
to turn to mush and my mouth to dry up like a desert. Outwardly I surprised
even myself when I didn't show any sign that I had just walked into a room
and would maybe be working with one of the most attractive guys in the music
business. Jim's right eyebrow went up with a bit of surprise when he
noticed I didn't outwardly react to seeing him.
I just showed my patented smile, and believe me it was genuine, and took his
outstretched hand for a firm handshake, and said, "It is very nice, and a
true honor to finally meet you. Would you prefer I call you Mr. Bass,
James, or Lance? I will draw the line at calling you master, or at least
until you hire me that is."
This was all said while looking into his green eyes, them being even
more exquisite than any of the descriptions that I have ever heard. The
eyebrow came back down and the look of puzzlement vanished. I think he
thought I didn't recognize him, probably explaining the raised eyebrow.
He just smiled back and then when everything finally sank in about a
second later, started laughing. The look of puzzlement was quickly
replaced by a look of mirth. He then said, "It's nice to finally meet
you as well. I have heard a lot of talk about you. You have definitely
made an impression with some of the people around here. Now I just have to
figure out what kind of impression that was" he bantered back with a look
like he was saying 'pay back is a bitch' as he said this. It looked like he
could be a lot of fun to be around.
My thoughts were quickly interrupted though when I made eye contact
again.
I noticed his eyes took on a little glint as he continued speaking "but
whatever you do, do NOT call me Mr. Bass. My father is Mr. Bass and I
am not nearly old enough to be him! You on the other hand..." he said
with a small laugh leaving off the rest. With that said I shot him back a
look that said 'Bitch' before we both started laughing.
With the introductions all said and done, I could almost literally feel most
of the tension and awkwardness dissipating from the room. I took a quick
look over to Johnny Wright who was grinning like a Cheshire cat at the
banter James and I threw back and forth, and that settled into a look of
knowing on his face. It almost seemed that he already made some decision.
What it was I could only hope.
James continued what he was saying, "You may call me either James or
Lance. Whichever you prefer. I only ask that you do NOT call me
Jimmy. If you do I might have to beat your ass!"
At this point all three of us broke out in laughter again. I am pretty
sure that my reason for laughing, not to mention a light blush, was
different from that of Johnny or James. I had a quick but vivid picture of
him actually doing it and not clothed either. Now don't be thinking those
thoughts, I am NOT into the leather and S&M shit, but a little love tap or
two on the butt is another story altogether. Damn where did that thought
come from? All I have to say is that I was happy I was wearing boxer briefs
instead of going commando in those pants. That was something James
definitely didn't need to see!
I did take a quick moment to think that I couldn't believe my luck,
here I was in a room with James Bass and Johnny Wright and we were
getting along like old friends. It was nice. I could definitely get
used to that. Realizing where this train of thought was going I told
myself quickly 'Calm down Jojo, you don't have the job yet!'
I replied to James switching into a little more formal address, seeing
this was still my interview, "Well in that case I'll call you James if
that's okay with you. Lance just doesn't seem right for some
reason. I see Lance as the guy up on stage singing and dancing. James
is who I see standing here in front of me." I saw that glint in his
eyes again and he and Johnny exchanged a knowing look. I got the
distinct feeling that I had made a good impression with that statement.
The three of us finally sat down, luckily just before my nerves
told my body 'either sit down or you will end up on your ass on the
floor'. This was the most fun, but at the same time stressful interview I
had ever been in.
James began the serious conversation by saying, " James is fine, and thank
you for coming all this way for the interview. Originally I was going to
try to meet with you in NYC, but Johnny wouldn't have been able to make it.
First and foremost I wanted to say sorry for the little bit of mystery and
evasiveness with my, and my company's name. If I used Lance or James Bass
or mentioned FreeLance Entertainment, everyone and their brother would be
trying to interview just to get to meet me. I wanted to weed out all of the
people who wanted the job because of my name. I hope you understand."
I just nodded and said, "I completely understand. I will be honest with you
in that I was a little leery because of the lack of information, and I
almost didn't come. The only thing that swayed me was that WEG was
involved. If I were in your position I would probably do something similar.
At least you don't have to worry about me taking
your place though."
With that James looked a little puzzled. I continued "Your job is secure
with NSYNC. Even though I have a bass singing voice, I can't seem to hold a
note at times and I also have White Man Syndrome - 2 left feet on the dance
floor!" With that said, the room erupted into laughter and completely
dissolved the last of my nervousness.
Johnny surprised me a little here jumping in saying, "Well you aren't
the only one with 'White Man Syndrome.' We have been trying to cure
Scoop over here of that for the last few years."
Talk about being shocked! I would have expected something like that from of
one of the other guys in the group, but not Johnny. James just
seemed to shrug it off with a laugh. I figured this must be a running joke
between them.
Changing gears a bit and getting a bit more businesslike, James
mentioned that Johnny was sitting in on some of the interview because if I
were offered the job, I would be dealing with him quite a bit with
FreeLance because Meredith would be touring with NSYNC this summer. if I
got the job, I would also be with James working one on one at other times
while they were on tour. Plus the fact that he trusted Johnny's judgement
with these matters, as they had worked together for a number of years.
After a little more laughter and some minor small talk, James started
the actual interview. It took a second to get back into that mode
again. We had been getting along so well up to this point I almost
forgot that it was an actual job interview. One of the first things I did
was set him straight (no pun intended) on my name as well.
"First off seeing we didn't know each other before, I have been letting
you get away with calling me by my first name. Well not anymore, I
hate it. You can call me Joe, Joseph, or as most of my friends call me,
Jojo. If you don't I will have to kick your ass as well!" I
said that last part looking directly at James hoping that he would get
it. He started laughing. He said that was fine and started referring to me
as Jojo. Now why did he have to go and do that so soon? Him calling me Jojo went
and gave me that warm fuzzy feeling because it meant he was starting to
think of me as a friend.
He went on to explain that the position was for an all around
assistant. He made most of the decisions for FreeLance, and with him
working mostly with Meredith in the past he could handle it pretty
much alone. He mentioned that with Nsync getting ready to release their
third album, and going on tour this spring, as well as FreeLance taking on a
few new clients, he would need help.
The job would consist of everything from making and keeping schedules,
setting up and coordinating meetings, organizing and conducting press
conferences and press releases, to running interference between James and
other FreeLance staff, as well as taking over some of the administrative and
time consuming things that James just wouldn't have the time for. There
would be a lot of travel with both Meredith as well as James himself.
He also mentioned that this was a great time to get involved because he
was thinking about signing a couple more artists to FreeLance. He wanted to
be sure that he had great support staff first, as he didn't want to take on
an artist and then not be able to do anything for them. He had already
hired a few people for some of the more mundane tasks like working from the
offices in Orlando. I was originally targeted to interview for one of these
positions, but he changed his mind after the phone interview, as he thought
I would be more suited to a more direct, hands-on position.
He then mentioned that the person that got the position I was interviewing
for was to start right away, as Meredith was going to be one of the opening acts
for the upcoming Nsync tour, and he could train me himself and show me what
he expected during the tour. Once the training was completed I would be on
my own, doing what needed doing.
It sounded a little bit overwhelming, but at the same time very
exciting.
Now I knew why I was flown to Orlando and interviewing with James
directly. I was wondering why they had me interview with both James and
Johnny. I was actually interviewing for something totally different than
what I thought I was. I also thought that the pay would also be quite a bit
more, and that didn't hurt either!
A few parts of the interview really stand out. One of the first
questions that James asked was what I thought of different music, saying
that if he did hire me, I would be up to my armpits in it. Following that
he asked me what I thought of country music. The devil in me decided to
speak when I told him the following.
I told him, with a totally straight face, "To be honest, I'm not a big fan
of Country Music."
The look on James' face was priceless! After all Meredith Edwards would
be releasing her new album within the next few months. After a nice fat
pause for effect, I continued with "but I do like some of the 'New' country
out there. I like Brooks & Dunn as well as Reba and some others. Oh, don't
forget Garth! My favorite of his is the 'No Fences' album. I know every
song on it by heart."
The look on his face was absolutely priceless, for more than one
reason. I found out that Garth was one of his favorites. To top
it off I broke out into a rendition of the song 'Friends in Low Places'
purposely singing off key. I thought this would be a fun little thing
to follow up this little revelation and he surprised me by joining in
just as off key as I was. At this point Johnny laughed and said that
was all he could handle, wished me good luck, and left James to finish
the interview.
About three quarters through the interview we turned to the personal
part of the interview, talking about my goals, where I wanted to end up
in life, and more personal things such as what I liked to do in my off time
etc. By this time I started to get a hunch and thought I would play it. I
told him about my Mom and 2 sisters, and some of the things I wanted out of
life. I also mentioned that I loved reading. Playing the hunch a bit more
I added that I usually read Science Fiction and Fantasy, but lately I was
reading a lot of romance online from Nifty.
Nope, he didn't bite on this. I thought for sure that he would ask what
Nifty was, but there was nothing. 'Hum', I wondered, 'maybe he knows what
the Nifty site holds'. Thankfully he didn't ask me about it, as I didn't
quite want to tell him I read almost every story that has been posted in the
Boy-Band directory for the last year or so.
Then I finally got a BINGO as a couple pieces started to fall into
place. I had to test my little theory first. James asked me what I liked
to do for fun. I told him about how I got into computers as a hobby,
different shows that I liked, and things of that nature.
Just when I thought my hunch was wrong, James asked me "So how long have you
been hiking? Have you been to anyplace exciting to hike?, And what made me
decide to join a gay hiking club?"
Ding, Ding, Ding, give the man the grand prize! The pieces fell into place.
Main mystery number 1 had been solved, the mystery fourth person on the
phone interview. The next decision was going to be whether I wanted to
bring it out in the open or not. Was this a test or was this just a little
slip on his part. I decided to go for it and take a chance.
Before I answered the question, I looked James and said, "you sneaky little
bastard. Were you going to tell me that you were
taking part of the conference call or was this a little test to see how
observant I was?"
Now, I want to explain something to you. I am usually VERY good at
remembering faces as well as voices. I can talk to someone once, not
talk to him or her for months and have them call on the phone and I can
usually remember who they are within 30 seconds. The reason that I am
mentioning this, is that if I was right, then James had pulled a fast one on
me and was actually at the phone interview, but disguising his voice.
The look on his face said it all. It was a total look of surprise, and
I think also maybe even ??pride?? there as well. This really puzzled
me. He must have seen that I was just a bit upset about that, so he decided
to spill.
James made sure to make full eye contact so he was sure to have my
undivided attention and began, "Yes I was present during your phone
interview. I purposely disguised my voice for obvious reasons - not to
be recognized and thereby ruining the interview. To answer your other
question, no, it wasn't a test."
He took a breath and continued, "as we discussed earlier, I didn't want
it known that the position open would be a job working for me, to keep fans
away. It also wasn't a test to see how observant you are. I will admit
that you are very observant though. Of all the interviews that I have
given, you are the ONLY one to pick up on it. I think that's a very good
thing. I apologize for misleading you with that, and I WAS planning on
telling you about it at the end of the interview. I'm sorry if it offended
you."
Now it was my turn to apologize to him saying, "no James, I am sorry for
getting upset. To be honest I'm not sure why it upset
me. I completely understand why you did it, and to be honest, it would
have been a good test. I guess it was more surprise than anything
else. I also tend to be more observant that most people anyway. Call
it a gift or a curse."
With that James smiled and we continued from there. I told him a little
about my hiking trips, like my trip to Mt. Marcy **(more info in
my author's section) and some of the other things that kept me occupied
in my spare time.
Right before James wrapped up the interview he had to ask the one
question I was dreading. Out of the blue he asked, "so, what do you
honestly think of Nsync's music?"
I took a breath, and inwardly gritting my teeth as I told him what I
thought, "I liked 'No Strings Attached'" and left it at that.
I knew what was coming next as he asked, "can you be more specific
please. Tell me what you like and don't like about our music."
'Oh shit' I thought, 'here we go'. Kiss the job goodbye. This is where I
could really piss him off. I then sucked up my courage, and told him, "I
think your first album sucked."
Those cute eyebrows of his both raised up but he motioned for me to
continue.
"You have a couple of good songs on the album like 'God Must Have
Spent...' for example, but the retro songs like 'Sailing' don't have the spark
that they need. Sailing is a great song, and Christopher Cross did a great
job with the original, but I can't see you doing it. It isn't Nsync's
style. I was also disappointed on the sound of the album. It doesn't have
the sparkle that NSA has. The album sounds hurried and a little flat like
it was put together haphazardly and with as little time and money as
possible. A lot of the mixing was not the best it could be either. Sorry
to be so blunt."
At this point I took a deep breath. James had a blank look on his face. I
couldn't read him if my life depended on it. So I continued, "But, I didn't
hear that on NSA. The album has a great sound to it, an energy all it's own.
I also bought and listened to NSA before I heard your first album, so that
probably biased me a bit. I heard your best work before anything else you
did. If I had heard the albums in order, the improvement would have been
noticeable and not so drastic. I also want to note that if your junior
album shows the same leap of maturity as the changes between your freshman
and sophomore albums, then it will truly be a work of art."
Trudging on I continued, "Personally I don't know the reasons why you
decided to break away from Lou Pearlman, and to be honest I don't really
care, but I can honestly say from a fan stand point Nsync did a total 180,
all for the good. When all of you perform now, you all truly look happy.
Not like some of your earlier appearances that I have seen. The vibe I get
from listening to NSA is that you were free and able to play what and how
you wanted. The songs and album definitely show that. It sounds like you
had more time and control of the whole album when doing NSA. It definitely
shows."
I continued after I took a breath, "It wasn't so much just the
remakes either on the first album that brought it down. They just
seemed more noticeable, to me anyway, having known how the original
version of the songs sounded. For example I LOVE what you did with
'Just Got Paid.' Your version is better than the original.
This is a perfect example of what I was talking about with 'Sailing.'
'Just Got Paid' is the perfect remake for Nsync. It has the sound and
energy that you have. That is what a remake is supposed to sound like.
So do you forgive me?"
I gave him my best puppy dog look when I said this last bit, which made
him chuckle breaking the seriousness of the moment a bit.
"I do have one complaint though" I continued. There goes that eyebrow
thing again. If he didn't stop it I was going to shave them off so he
couldn't do it anymore. "I don't hear your voice standing out in any of the
songs. Yeah yeah yeah, you do a little speaking here and there in some of
the songs but that isn't the same and you know it!" I gave him my patented
smile again. "You harmonize and support the other guys
perfectly. Of course JC and Justin have solos, even Chris and Joey do now
and then, but I don't hear you. It is such a shame."
When I had finished this last bit James actually blushed. It was so cute!
Being the evil bitch that I liked to be
sometimes, I continued on before he had a chance to recover and say
anything, "but... I picked up the DVD of your Madison Square Garden HBO
Special."
At this little tidbit of information the cute little eyebrow thing
happened again. I was going to bring a razor the next time I saw him.
Trying not to get too distracted I continued, "I was playing around with the
added features of it and I noticed that if you switch to the second audio
track you get to hear the separate feeds from your mikes as well as the feed
of the band. I could hear all of you singing without it being filtered or
mixed. I could hear you sing separately. You should be more confident with
your voice, step out a little, you definitely have the pipes for it." Well
that finally did it. He was as red as a tomato and looked like he wanted to
become a part of the chair. Being a bitch was fun!
After getting some of his composure together, and a lot of the blood
finally draining from his face he found his voice and said, "Thanks for
some of that, I think" and then he gave me a quick smile. He added, "on
your observations of our music, I have to admit you are
pretty good at picking music apart. You have some pretty good insights
and instincts on recording. You could make a good producer."
I thanked him for this compliment, but had to change the mood. It was
getting more serious than what I was comfortable with. I broke the mood
completely with my next question. I just HAD to ask. Chris
wasn't here so I just asked James. Getting a serious look on my face I
asked him "James, can I ask you something?"
He gave me a questioning look and answered, "sure, what is it?"
"I just have to know." I said confidently and with the straightest face
I could muster. "Listening to the HBO special, I was wondering. On the
one song that Chris sang a long solo on, and I'm sorry the name of the song
escapes me at the moment, how did he get his voice so high without
cracking? Did one of you guys accidentally kick him in the balls
backstage while getting ready?"
Oh My God, you should have heard James laugh. He was laughing so hard
that his face turned beet red and the tears were just rolling down his
face. Don't get me wrong though, I wasn't far behind him. When we
could both finally stop laughing and caught our breaths, all he said was,
"well, you are just going to have to ask him when you meet him." Woah, hold
up a sec there! Did he just slip and say when, instead of if, by mistake or
was he trying to tell me something?
After hearing this you wouldn't believe the funky dance I was doing in
my head. Outwardly I just pretended that he didn't say it. I was
finally starting to let myself get a little hopeful that I had gotten the
job. 'A little hope never hurt anyone, just don't count on it' I told
myself.
The interview had ended up lasting almost three and a half hours. James
asked most of the usual questions, and mixed in some personal ones as well.
I made sure that I was as honest as I could be and emphasized more on the
management side of my work experience with both people and projects. I
especially emphasized supporting over 1000 users and 9 county offices with
the one computer job I did for over 2 years. I needed to push the managing
chaos thing in there. I admit that he did get a little personal on some of
the questions, and I was surprised how I answered them. He was so easy to
talk to that everything just seemed to flow out of me. I think it was one
of the best interviews that I had ever had.
As we got up to say our good-bye's, James shook my hand and said, "I
really had a good time interviewing you. I will get back to you within the
next 24 hours. It was a pleasure to meet you."
I just shook his hand and replied back "no James, the pleasure was all mine.
Never in my wildest expectations would I have guessed that I would be here
talking to you about a job. It was an honor to meet you as well, and even
if I don't get the position, I will cherish this for the rest of my life.
You proved that there are decent and talented people in the music industry
who don't let fame go to their head You deserve everything you have worked
for."
I took a pause at this point and continued, "I would just like to add
that if you do hire me, you will not only get 110% from me, but most
importantly you already have my respect. Thank you for your time and
I hope to hear from you soon."
With that I left, and took a cab to my hotel with a very content
feeling. As I sat eating a sandwich I had gotten from the deli down the
street from the hotel, I reflected back on the day. I knew that even if I
didn't get the job, this day was definitely one I would cherish for the rest
of my life. I could only hope that tomorrow would be even better.
When I finished eating, I headed back into the room and went to bed. It had
been a long and exciting day, and the sooner I went to bed the sooner
tomorrow would come. I knew without a doubt that the next day would change
my life forever, but right now I didn't know how. Either I would be going
home to continue my job hunt, or I would be working with one of the most
successful men in the POP music industry. Only time would tell. Either way
I was happy.
To Be Continued!
Author's Notes:
Here is some information on the Adirondack Mountains. The tallest
mountain in New York State, and possibly the whole Northeast United
States (but I am not sure as my memory fails on this one), is Mt Marcy.
I had the honors of hiking this beautiful mountain a few years ago with
a good friend. Mt Marcy is in one of the oldest mountain ranges in the
United States, the Adirondack Mountains. Glaciers created the whole
mountain range many centuries ago. If you get a chance to visit the
Adirondack area, I truly recommend it with all my heart. There is
usually something to do all year round, and one of the nicest places to
stay is in the Lake Placid/Saranac Lake area. This area is in the High
Peeks region, where Mt Marcy is located, and is a very nice area. Many
of you might have heard of Lake Placid, because it has hosted the Winter
Olympics 2 times. Once in 1932 and the other in 1980. The skiing in
the winter and the hiking and rock climbing is some of the best in the
East. Some might also recognize the Saranac name, as it is the name of
a great tasting dark beer that is sold all over the US and got it's
beginnings in this area.
I would like to thank DJ again for all the help with the ideas and editing this nightmare, as well as wrestling with this wrambling I call writing to wrestle this into something ledgible. Thanks bud, I couldn't do this without you!
Thanks also go out to my 2, yep count them 2 fans of the story, David from the Great White North and Stan from the state known for the maple syrup, thanks for the fine words, it is appreciated!
Just to let you all know, I am planning at this point to get a chapter out every week or so. I also wanted to mention that I have the next chapter written and it is in DJ's sticky little hands. No, threatening DJ will NOT send you an advance copy so there! The reason I am a little ahead on writing is simple. I have to be in training all next week (Oracle Forms I for those that are curious) so won't have much time.
See you soon!
Jojo
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