The Sauna Part 156

The rain had stopped by the time we finished our shower and it looked as if the skies were beginning to clear. So too, was my head. The magik Jon and I made together was so much more potent than anything I had ever experienced alone and summoning the mists was no small feat. I felt tired and drained, but the empty hole that Beowulf’s death had left was no longer there.

We sat down and sipped our coffee, enjoying it more now that the tension had eased. The cats came and sat with us as we cuddled by the fire and recovered our strength. We were both hungry now and scarfed down the breakfast we’d had no appetite for earlier.

“We should probably start packing for the trip” Jon observed lazily.

“Yeah, we should” I agreed as I snuggled closer against him.

“How many suitcases will this cost me?” he teased.

“Only two large ones, and a garment bag-for me” I laughed.

Jon rolled his eyes and stood up with an effort. He went upstairs and returned with the suitcases and a carry-on bag which he laid on the bed. He headed back up the stairs and came back down with a garment bag and a gray suit he was hoping would fit in there along with whatever dress I decided to bring. I thought that the new gray one I had just bought would be a good choice and fished it out of the bag to show him.

“That looks great, babe. What else have you got in there?” he asked, peeking to see if his present was tucked in the bag.

I had already hidden it away as I shook my head and proceeded to show him the robe and the other two dresses and the book for Jesse. He nodded his approval and I asked if he thought the green dress would be too much for his Mom’s party.

“I’m sure you’ll capture all the attention no matter what you wear, doll” he surmised.

“Should I bring the black one too for the trip?” I wondered.

“You could, but remember there are stores where we’re going” he reminded me.

“Okay, we’ll save this for another occasion. Seriously, though, what do you think about the green one? I thought it would be nice around the holidays, but is it too much? Would the black one be better?” I persisted.

“Maybe, I don’t know. The green one would be great for the Christmas party, though” he said thoughtfully.

“What Christmas party?” I asked, trying to decide.

“We always throw a bash for the band and the record execs on Christmas Eve at Elements and the retirement party will likely be there too” he explained.

Jon’s brother owned Elements so there was no need to worry about reservations or the like. The Christmas party was already planned and he just needed to let Tony know the date for the retirement party and he could have the entire place available. He was thinking that New Year’s Eve would be the best as he’d be leaving in early January for the European leg of the tour.

I didn’t need to decide now, so I hung up the two dresses I wasn’t taking on the trip and we put the gray one and Jon’s suit in the garment bag. I browsed through the closet and tried to select the pieces I thought would be the most versatile for the trip. Jon packed a few pairs of jeans and slacks, shorts and shirts and I handed him the leather vest I loved to see him in.

“I love you in leather” I grinned.

He shook his head and packed it in the suitcase and grabbed the brown leather shirt I loved too. He tossed me my leather halter I’d worn for one of the gigs and the revealing costume we’d bought at Halloween with a big grin and I packed it along with my jeans and a couple tank tops. Pretty soon we were ready and Jon struggled to zip the suitcases shut. I added a few more items to the carry on bag, leaving room for the last minute stuff to toss in tomorrow morning. Rick would be here to pick us up and take us to the airport before returning to baby-sit his furry charges.

“What’s next?” I said, trying to think of what else we needed to do.

“We should go on the Boards and make the official announcement about mom’s retirement, but I’ll call my brother first and confirm the party for New Year’s” he decided.

I logged us in to the website using Jon’s password while he made the arrangements with his brother. He called his mother, but she was out shopping and he left the message with his dad, glad to avoid another confrontation. I was browsing the Board to see if there had been any mention of the retirement by his mom when he joined me.

“No notice yet, huh?” he asked.

I shook my head ‘no’ and changed places with him so that he could make the announcement via an open letter to the fans. He began with a general greeting to the membership, wishing them all a safe and happy holiday season and sharing that he’d be away on vacation with me for a few weeks. He talked about the upcoming show this month at Giants before the tour started up again and then went on to share the news that the Board would be changing in January.

He wrote a glowing tribute to his mom, thanking her for all her hard work over the years and giving her credit for making the Fan Club so successful, and thanking the fans for their loyalty. Then he announced that his mom would be retiring at the end of the year in order to relax and enjoy more time with her family. He went further then, explaining that his wife would be taking over the Boards starting in January.

“Jon, do you have any idea what a stir it will create referring to me as your wife? No one on there will understand” I cautioned.

“That’s okay. We’ll have plenty of time to answer any questions from the press after word gets out and we come back from our vacation. They can think we went on our honeymoon or something. Everyone knows that my private life is private and besides, why should Lainie and Richie get all the glory? After all, we were joined before they were anyhow” he smirked, pulling me into his lap.

He had thought it all out, and he was right. At some point that needed to be revealed and Jon liked to keep his private affairs shrouded in mystery anyway. We watched the sudden flurry of posting after he pressed submit and the letter became public.

“Wanna see what they’re saying?” he asked eagerly and I nodded, curious to see how the news would be received.

There were a number of posts titled ‘Congratulations’ and speculating that Richie’s sudden marriage had prompted us to do the same. There were also questions about whether the memberships would still be active on the new Board to which Jon replied with another post, explaining that nothing would change except the leadership on the Boards.

“I’ll bet you Elaine isn’t going to be happy about this at all” he grinned.

“Is this your way of teaching her a lesson, Jon?” I wondered, a little suspicious.

“Not entirely. I’d been thinking about this long before we heard about her and Richie and how I could make it clear that you weren’t just my ‘girlfriend’ and I’d decided this was a golden opportunity. But I won’t deny that it tickles me to be able to take the spotlight away from that bitch” he admitted.

I was surprised to hear him refer to Elaine that way, but it told me he had no doubts about her character anymore. I still wanted to believe she was acting out of insecurity, but I tended to agree with Jon’s assessment. He read people better than I did most of the time and I had a blind spot where people I cared about were concerned. And I had to admit that this was a well-conceived and strategic move on his part. He certainly did know how to work a crowd.

The Board was beginning to slow down and drag now as the word spread. Jon’s presence alone was enough to create a frenzy, but this statement had tongues wagging across the globe. His cell phone rang and he looked at the number before answering. It was his other brother Matt, who actually ran his management corporation.

“Jesus, Jon, what the hell is going on? First this shit with Richie and now you? Did you really get married? What the fuck?” Matt said excitedly.

“Chill out, bro. You know about Trish, so don’t act as if I never told you. We were handfasted a couple months ago and that’s marriage as far as I’m concerned. It just seemed like the right time to make it crystal clear to the world after this bullshit with Richie. You knew about mom’s retirement, right? I thought dad told you?” Jon asked hotly.

“Yeah, yeah. I knew about all that. I just hoped you’d have given me a head’s up before making it all public. And now you’re going away I hear and won’t be available for comment? Ya rat bastard” Matt said, sounding a bit calmer and resigned to dealing with the aftermath.

“Hey man, that’s what I pay you for, ya know” Jon laughed.

“Yeah, but you don’t pay me enough for dealing with your shit, ya prick” Matt laughed too.

I was relieved to see that they weren’t really fighting and I presumed that Jon’s brother was somewhat used to Jon maintaining control and handling things the way he saw fit. He might consult with his people on some matters, but once he made a decision, there was nothing more to discuss. And Jon was no dummy when it came to the business.

“There, all taken care of, babe” he smiled, satisfied now that his brother would handle any fall out and smugly enjoying the chaos he was able to create.

“You’re pretty pleased with yourself, aren’t you?” I teased.

“Yeah, actually, are you pleased with me?” he asked, making duck lips at me.

“I ’spose I’ll keep you” I smirked, kissing him on those silly duck lips.

“C’mon then, wife, let’s go make dinner. Wreaking havoc always works up my appetite” he chuckled.

How could I refuse? He could be irresistible and he knew it. I could completely understand why no one could ever stay mad at the man. He was just too adorable at times and it was one of the things I loved about him. He could charm the socks off an Eskimo.