Twenty-One

Special thanks to norwichliz for helping me keep my facts straight!!

Once again Allegra found herself wandering the hallways of an unfamiliar backstage area.  Matty was supposed to be in one of the rooms somewhere, making sure everything for the VIP packages had arrived.  She hadn’t run into the youngest of the Bongiovi brothers since they’d been out on the road, so Allegra was looking forward to seeing him.  

Cocking her head, she thought she could hear someone talking down the hall.  As she drew closer, the voice became clearer and she recognized it as Matt’s.  Following the sound, she stepped through a doorway to find him on the phone, his back toward her.  Leaning against the wall, she waited for him to finish his conversation.

As soon as he touched the button to end the call, she made her presence known.   “So this is where the GOOD looking Bongiovi brother is hiding.”

Matt spun around with a wide smile on his face.   If the bone crushing hug he wrapped her in was any indication, he was happy to see her.

“Hey, handsome!” she greeted him when he set her back on her feet.

“Hey back at ya, beautiful!  I see the boss isn’t holding you to any type of dress code,” he teased, taking in the baggy jeans and shapeless t-shirt.

“Jeez, you guys!  Tony said pretty much the same thing when he saw me.  If you two knuckleheads are passing fashion judgment on me, I’m in serious need of a makeover!”

The room was piled high with boxes in every corner and all along the walls.  The table in the center was the only vacant space and Matt gestured to the two accompanying chairs.  “Why don’t you sit and talk to me?  Jonny says you may be giving me some much needed help.”

Choosing the closest seat, she grimaced.  “Maybe.  If I would actually be of any help.  Tell me what you do here, and where I might fit in.”

“Well, I think the fans consider me as close as they’re gonna get to Jon,” he laughed and joined her at the table.  “Technically, I’m in charge of Bon Jovi dot com, and by default that gives me responsibility for the fan club operations.  Or the third ring of this circus, as I like to think of it.”

“Three ring circus seems like a good analogy.  But what are the first two rings?”

“First is the band and second is the crew.  Jon, of course, is the ringmaster,” he told her with just a touch of sarcasm. 

“Of course he is!” she chuckled.   “He has to be controlling the whole show.” 

Matt just grinned and said, “That’s our Jonny.”

Remembering why she was here, Allegra asked him, “So what do you do out on tour?”

“On the road, I coordinate the fan club services – mainly ticket and VIP distribution.”

“Explain to me the difference.”

He took a few minutes and briefly explained how Backstage With Jon Bon Jovi worked.  Then he went through the details of the different ticketing options that members had, ending with the various VIP packages.

“And how much does each of these VIP packages cost?”

“They max out at about $1750.”

Allegra’s jaw dropped.  “Wow!! That’s a lot of money!  Your fans must be broke after that.  Can’t they be a VIP for less?”

“There are various levels they can choose from, but with the tickets, tour, merchandise and dinner we’ve got them competitively priced,” Matt assured her.

“Okay.  Well I wouldn’t know, so I’ll have to take your word for it.  How much is it for just tickets and the backstage tour?”

He shook his head.  “That’s not an option.”

“Why not?”  Surprise was evident in her voice.

Matt went into what, to her, sounded like a rehearsed answer. “Our market researchers tell us that the more components the package has, the more exclusive it will seem.  It also makes it easily conformable into different level packages.”

“Well, I realize that I’ve been here for all of a week, and will be the first to admit I don’t know anything about market research and all the stuff that goes along with it.  But I think I have something to say about that.”

“You do, huh?”  His smile was indulgent, wondering what she could possibly come up with.

“Don’t look at me like I just won the Special Olympics, Matty,” she ordered, pointing her finger at him.  “I have valid questions!”

Holding his hands up in a mock gesture of self-defense, he laughed.  “Okay, okay!  I’m listening.”

Allegra threw him an indignant look.  “Can’t you offer a VIP experience instead of just the VIP packages?  To me, the ultimate VIP experience would include tickets, a backstage tour, and a piece of autographed memorabilia - maybe dinner.  My guess is that you have fans buying the VIP packages because it’s the only way they can feed their craving for a look at the inside.  You’re asking them to spend all that money for a VIP package, but it’s mostly just a bunch of stuff that they may or may not want, and gift certificates for more stuff.  I don’t get it.  Couldn’t you focus on the experience aspect and cut the prices?  Or at least let them customize their VIP packages to suit their needs?”

“The VIP program is very successful,” he informed her.

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down.  “Define successful.  Making the most money possible?  Or making the fans happy?  Happy fans buy merchandise of their own accord.  Happy fans convert their friends and family into fans – new fans that don’t have the merchandise already.”  Allegra shook her head in disbelief.  “I guess I must not have a head for business, because it seems perfectly logical to me.”

Matt’s throat was a little dry as he tried to swallow.  Who knew that Allegra would have such strong opinions on the fan packages?  And honestly, it was a little scary how adamant she was about the subject.  His mind was searching for a reply, unsure as to the best way to respond.  The tour promoter held a lot of the strings when it came to pricing the packages, but Matt didn’t think that would get her off her soapbox. 

He was spared by the ringing of his phone.  “Excuse me just a minute,” he said, sliding his finger across the face of the phone.  “Hello?  Hey Rich…  Yeah, she’s with me…  She’s fine…  Okay, we’ll head over that way.”  Tapping the phone, he looked at Allegra.  “Jon wants us over by the video control room.”

♫  ♪  ♥  ♫  ♪  ♥

Richie wrapped his hand firmly around Jon’s upper arm.  “Stop.  Take a deep breath before they get here.  You have taken your pissy mood out on everybody, and we put up with it.  That’s because we’re used to your psycho routine and we filter out most of your egotistical bullshit.   Allegra, on the other hand, ISN’T used to it, and you’ll damn well not take this out on her.  She’s not the one who deserves your anger.”

Jon gave Richie an annoyed look and tried to push past him, but Richie held firm, blocking the doorway with his body.  “Hey!  I’m not fuckin’ kidding, man.  Talk to her the way you’ve been talking to the rest of us today and you’ll answer to me.  Get… yourself… under… control.”

He searched Richie’s brown eyes for a hint of his usual mellow nature, but couldn’t find it – his wingman’s gaze was unrelenting.    Blowing out an aggravated breath, Jon forced the tension from his shoulders, grumbling, “Yeah, okay.” 

Richie released his hold on Jon’s arm and let him pass into the small room that housed nothing more than a small metal desk and two side chairs.  Following behind, he folded his frame into one of the chairs.  After watching Jon pace back and forth a dozen times, he said quietly, “The show will be perfect.”

Jon’s head snapped up.  “Of course it will.  Why wouldn’t it?”

Richie shrugged.  “You tell me.  Why are you more psycho than usual today?”

He dropped into the other chair and studied his dark-haired friend.   Richie looked good for a fifty year old man, but the accumulation of life was still evident on his face.  The crow’s feet around his eyes, the deep laugh lines.   If Jon ever paid attention when he looked in a mirror, he knew he’d see the same creasing of his own face. 

Sighing, he admitted, “I’m getting too old to have this chip on my shoulder.  Every goddamn time we start this merry-go-round, I feel like I’ve got to prove myself, and I’m tired of it.  I’m good at what I do.  The fans love us.  When will that be enough?”

Richie crooked his eyebrow.  “Dude, how many times have you said this is a job?  You should start actually listening to what you say.  Yeah the fans love us, but your family loves YOU.  Dot loves you, and every one of those kids loves you.  When will that be enough?”  He considered his words.  “I know if I had a woman to put up with me the way Dot puts up with your ass – who gets me – it wouldn’t make a shit what anybody else thought.”

“You miss being married,” Jon stated.

“No,” he denied.  “Being married isn’t what I’m missing.”

A knock on the open door interrupted them, and Tony stuck his head in.  “Matt and Allegra are here.”

Jon nodded.  “Matty can go if he’s busy, but would you and Rich please stay?”

If he was surprised at being asked instead of ordered, Tony didn’t show it.  He merely went to fetch Allegra, returning with her after only a couple of minutes. 

Seeing her, Jon was grateful for Richie and the time he had spent diffusing.   It enabled him to offer a casual greeting instead of a confrontational one.   “Hey, baby.  Thanks for coming right over.”  He stood, kissing her cheek and squeezing her hand. 

 “Of course.  What can I do for you?” she asked, watching the three men curiously.  Richie offered a small wave from his seated position and Tony stood behind her like a sentry in the doorway.  Jon invited her to sit in the chair he’d just vacated, while perching himself on the edge of the desk.  

He didn’t know any other way to start this than point blank.  “Have you had some kind of relationship with Felix  - what’s his last name Tony?  - Oz…” 

“Oswego,” Tony supplied. 

“Oswego,” Jon repeated, crossing his arms.  “Do you have something going on with him?”

Allegra’s annoyance flared.  Unbelievable.   “Is he on your video crew?” 

“Not for long.”

“I can’t believe we have to go through this again.”  She gestured toward Richie and Tony.  “And that you’ve dragged in reinforcements!”

“Allegra-“  he tried to interrupt her, realizing he’d screwed up and that she misunderstood the intent behind his question.  He just needed to know if they’d actually had a relationship or if the guy was forcing one on her. 

But she had her righteous indignation in overdrive and wasn’t going to listen.  “Is this how the whole tour is going to be, Jon?  You asking me the same damn question in a different way every day?”

“Allegra...”  Jon warned, his temper starting build at her unfair assumptions.   He darted a look at Richie, as though to say ‘I don’t see you protecting ME from HER misguided anger.’

“I can’t believe you let Matt leave.”  She rose to push past Tony, calling down the hallway after her cousin, “Matty!”  She turned back to the men in the room.  “Don’t you want him in on this?  Tony’s here.   Matt shouldn’t be the only one who doesn’t know what I’ve become.  A dirty groupie whore, right?”

“Dammit Allegra, that’s enough!” Jon exploded, as Richie interjected himself between the two of them.

“Whoa there, Sunshine…” Richie said pacifyingly, steering her away from the object of her anger.  He moved to stand behind her, his big hands cupping her shoulders.

The movement gave Jon the jolt of rationality he needed to keep from flat-out screaming his next words. “I wanted to know if he was planning to rape you!” 

Seeing that he had her attention, Jon took a calming breath before clarifying.    “Hotel security brought us surveillance footage of the two of you in an elevator.  It seems like he’s making threats, yet you don’t act scared.  The only explanation I could come up with was that you’d hooked up with him and had moved on to the brush off stage.  That’s why I asked.”

Stunned into silence, she didn’t feel Richie slide his hand under her ponytail and rest it lightly on the back of her neck.  He soothed her with the gentle brush of his thumb across her nape, the slight friction successfully draining the fight from her.

Allegra huffed only slight when she said, “Well you were wrong.  The story is going around that I’m an easy lay and evidently he doesn’t want to miss his chance.” 

“What the hell does that mean?”  Tony finally made his presence known.

“I’m pretty sure you’re familiar with the term.”

“Stop being cute. What makes you think that’s going around?”  Jon demanded.

“Why shouldn’t I?  You think it’s true, and Felix said Montana told him.  Wonder why Montana would have ill feelings toward me?”  Allegra fixed Jon with a look, assigning him the unspoken blame.

“Felix didn’t say that in the elevator,” Richie spoke from behind her.  “When did it happen?”

“At the venue in Hawaii,” she admitted.

“You gotta give me more than that.  What exactly happened?”  Jon wanted to know.

“I got locked out of the venue, and he let me in.  Before I got back to the main arena, he expressed unwanted interest in me and I questioned it.  That was the answer I got.”

“Wait a minute, was this the day you were acting all freaked out with Rew?”  Pieces were starting to fall in place for Jon.

She focused on Richie’s continued ministrations, closing her eyes.  “Yeah.”

“You wouldn’t tell me what happened then.  I’m asking again,” Tony said, tipping her chin up to look at him.

Jon wisely kept his mouth shut, willing to let his brother draw her anger for once.  But, of course, she didn’t get angry with Tony.

“He said some nasty things to me and grabbed me.  So I buried my knee in his family jewels,”  she said simply, pulling her face away.

Richie’s thumb stopped and his hands tightened on her shoulders.

It was Tony’s turn to explode.  “Jesus, Allegra!  Why didn’t you tell me?  We would’ve fired him and had him arrested! ”

“Do you understand how much differently your conversation with him in the elevator could have gone?”  Jon asked incredulously. 

“I wasn’t hurt, and everything worked out okay.  I didn’t want to cause problems, Jon, considering the lecture you had given me.”

He snorted in disbelief.  “Funny how you have selective hearing.  You recall that conversation repeatedly, and in vivid detail, but no others.  I told you before we ever left Jersey that you were to be treated with the same respect as any other family member.  The minute that didn’t happen, you should have fucking told me.”

“I am not going to come running to you because someone called me a name.  That’s ridiculous.” 

“Well, now it doesn’t matter.  He put his hands on you, he threatened you.  His ass is out of here, and I’m filing a restraining order against him.”  He looked to his brother.  “Tony, make it happen please?”

Tony immediately set out to do just that, and Jon dropped back into one of the chairs. 

Allegra could feel Richie’s breath in her ear when he said, “You sure keep things from being boring around here, Sunshine.”