Chapter 22: Posing The Question

The rest of the week passed in a flurry of activity. Julianna was back and forth to the city, preparing for full rehearsals. She still hadn’t heard the finale, so hadn’t been able to stage it. There was still plenty of time, but her type-A personality was screaming. She and Richie had played phone tag all week, never seeming to connect. It was frustrating, but she was used to things being hectic, and as it got closer to Opening Night, things would just get worse. Opening Night was only a few months away, and Julianna knew the time would start to go by quickly.

Richie was equally frustrated, and it was starting to get to the others. His mood was dark, and he found himself snapping at everyone. He came close to blows with Tico over something stupid, and Jon had finally had –

“ENOUGH!” he yelled. “Rich, you’ve been a bear for days. What is your problem?”

Richie sighed. “Sorry, man. Teek, Dave, you too. I’m just, I don’t know…”

“Distracted?” Dave supplied.

“Lonely?” Tico offered.

“Horny?” Jon added, laughing.

Riche shook his head, chuckling, and running a hand roughly through his hair and over his face. “Yeah, probably a bit of all three, to be honest. And, to top it off, I haven’t had the chance to talk to Julianna about the finale yet. I don’t know what her reaction will be, and frankly, if she says no, well I don’t wanna be the one to have to tell the Boss here. Kill the messenger, and all that shit.”

“Well,” Tico said, standing up, “that’s one thing we can help you do. Why don’t we all go down there and talk to her together. She can’t say no to all of us, right? When we’re en masse, we’re far too charming to resist.”

“Um, yeah, she could say no, and she could beat the crap out of all of us at the same time. I watched her knock around a 300-pound heavy bag like it was nothing.”

Dave laughed. “Then I vote we all go, but Rich here does the talking. I for one don’t wanna get hit!”

Jon spoke up. “Let’s go. We’ll take care of our business, then Rich, man, you take care of yours so we can get this thing finished.”

“Okay, okay,” Richie grouched.

The sun was starting to set as the four made their way to the gate. As they approached, they heard horns blaring from the other side. Richie groaned. “That lovely sound heralds the arrival of Julianna’s brothers. They know I’m staying up at the house.” He told them about running into Nicky at Julianna’s studio on Tuesday. “They don’t know we’re all up here, so if you want to do this another time…”

“No way, man,” Jon said. “We’re taking care of this now.”

“I agree, Rich,” Tico said. “I don’t wanna be sniping at you anymore, man.”

“Alright,” Richie said. “Julianna’s brothers are cool; they’ll keep this to themselves if we ask them to.”

Jon nodded. “Good enough. Let’s go.”

As they entered the studio, the guys heard the opening riffs of a George Thorgood classic. Tico and Dave hadn’t been in the studio before, and looked around appreciatively. They could see the monitors on. Julianna and her brothers must be working on their family project, Richie thought. The four stood, transfixed, watching the performance. They were sounding good. Nicky’s guitar licks were dead on. Sal kept the beat perfectly on a set of drums that had even Tico’s eyes widening. The sax was in Gianni’s capable hands. Julianna was singing. “Ambitious song for a woman,” Jon commented. It worked though. She was singing, and playing to the camera as if she had done it all her life.

Julianna’s strutting around, singing and dancing, had Richie halfway up the stairs before the first chorus. The others, laughing, were close behind. Richie reached the top of the stairs, and stopped dead. Julianna’s brothers missed a beat, but to their credit, kept on playing. Julianna noticed the miss, and turned around to say something to them, but stopped when she saw the reason.

Julianna, smiling at Richie, strutted over with an exaggerated swing of her hips. She looks like a lioness stalking her prey, Richie thought; more than happy to be that prey. Julianna sang, looping her arms around Richie’s neck, and swinging her hips against him.

I broke a thousand hearts, before I met you;
I'll break a thousand more baby, before I am through.

She took Richie’s hand, and led him to the couch, still strutting and singing.

I wanna be yours pretty baby, yours and yours alone.

She pushed him down, and shook her butt in his face.

I'm here to tell ya honey, that I'm bad to the bone.

Singing the chorus, she danced over to the rest of the band. They got into it, each one dancing with Julianna for a minute before joining Richie in “the audience”. She whispered to Jon, as they were dancing, “what’s up?”

Jon just smiled and shook his head. “Later. Finish your song.” Julianna danced with him a minute longer, damn, that man can move, then went back to center stage, shrugging at the questioning looks her brothers were giving her. She took some liberties with the next verse, making everyone laugh.

I can make Jonny beg
And I can make Tico steal
I can make David blush
And I can make Richie squeal

She locked eyes with Richie, swaying her hips seductively.

I wanna be yours pretty baby, yours and yours alone.
I'm here to tell ya honey, that I'm bad to the bone.

Gianni let loose on the sax, and Julianna let out a whoop of delight. Damn, G is hot tonight, she thought. She pulled Richie to his feet, once more looped her arms around his neck, and danced against and around him, trailing her fingers across his chest, shoulders, and back. Richie felt a burn everywhere she touched him. When Gianni backed down, and Nicky stepped up for the guitar solo, Richie grabbed Julianna, and pulled her in close, and showed her just how well he could dance. Holy Hell, she thought. It was like making love, no fucking, on the dance floor.

She whispered in Richie’s ear, her breath tickling him, “I guess everyone here knows the truth about us now.”

“Doesn’t bother me, babe. Now, finish the song.”

Julianna laughed, and took a couple of steps back.

Now when I walk the streets, kings and queens step aside
Every man that I meet – heh heh – they all stay satisfied.

Julianna ran her hands down Richie’s chest.

I wanna tell ya, pretty baby, what I see I make my own.
And I'm here to tell ya, honey, that I'm bad to the bone.

Julianna finished the song dancing with Richie. When the music ended, the band broke into applause, then exchanged introductions and handshakes with Julianna’s brothers, and kisses with her.

“They teach you that sexy dancing stuff at Julliard?” Dave asked. At her surprised look, he laughed. “Richie told us about your training. I certainly don’t remember a class like that on the course list…”

Julianna laughed. “No, I actually, um…” she broke off, embarrassed.

Tico looked at her with mock horror on his face. “You stripped your way through college?”

“Lord no! Jesus, Tico, my mother would have skinned me alive,” Julianna said, real horror in her eyes.

Nicky spoke up, with a twinkle in his eye. “She did, however, take dancing lessons with some, ahem, very well built exotic dancers.” Her brothers broke into catcalls, making all the men laugh.

“Shut up Nicky. It was a long time ago, and as I recall," she said, looking at each brother in turn, “your wives all took the same classes with me.”

“Yeah,” Sal said, “but they don’t do the bump and grind with rock stars.”

“Not that you know of anyway,” she teased.

“Well,” Jon said, “however you learned, it sure was entertaining.”

Richie smiled. “Yeah, very. Your Nonna will get a kick out of this when she sees it.”

Julianna’s brothers broke out laughing. “You turned on the recorders?” Gianni asked, once he caught his breath. “You sly little bitch,” he said, with love.

Julianna punched him in the arm hard enough to make him wince. “Whenever we do something for the family, it always looks rehearsed. I wanted to do something a little more…”

“Dirty?” Dave supplied.

“Sultry?” Tico offered.

“Raunchy?” Jon added, laughing.

“Real,” Richie and Julianna said at the same time. Julianna smiled, then continued. “I wanted to capture the chemistry we have when we’re just playing around. The minute the camera comes on, you all shove sticks up your asses, and it shows.”

“Nice, Jules,” Sal complained. “Real nice.”

“Yeah,” Dave commiserated. “That’s an image I didn’t need in my head. No offense, guys.”

Julianna patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll live, my friend. Now,” she said, addressing Jon and the rest of them, “as I’m sure my brothers are dying to ask, what the hell are you all doing here?” Her smile said her words were teasing.

Jon addressed her brothers first. “Richie says we can count on your discretion with whatever we tell you, right?” They all nodded. “Good. We’re all staying up at the house so we can escape from the city and the press for a while. And,” he looked a Julianna, who nodded. “And, we’re working on a new song to be used in the finale of your sister’s show.”

Gianni turned to his sister. “Did you know all this already?”

Julianna blushed, and answered, “I knew they were working on a new song, but not that they were staying at the house. Not until I ran to Jon at the lake.”

Tico cut in. “And, when you nearly had Richie arrested.”

Julianna’s brothers looked at Tico with puzzled looks on their faces. He laughed, and told them an abridged story of what happened. They all had a good laugh over that, and congratulated Julianna on an excellent prank.

“Anyway,” Jon continued, “we came down here to talk to Julianna about the song for the show.”

Julianna arched an eyebrow at him when he didn’t continue. “Well, what do you want to talk about? Is there a problem?”

Dave answered. “Not a problem, per se, just something – well – Jon reworked the song and wants your help.”

“M-my help?” she said, shocked.

“Um, yeah,” Richie said, stepping forward to take her hand. He glanced at his band mates. Dave made a ‘go on’ gesture, and Richie continued. “You see, Jon thinks that I should sing the song…”

“Yeah…” Julianna said warily, thinking she knew where this was going.

“… as a duet with you,” Richie finished.