She Puts the "J" in "OMG"
Spot On
She Puts the "J" in "OMG"
copyright 2012 comidacomida
"We're done for today, Casey." Chuck announced, using the speaker on the wall rather than the Dog's headset. He turned and said a few words to the woman next to him, then looked back toward the dalmatian, "Come on out-- there's someone here I want you to meet." The woman spoke a few words to Chuck, but her eyes stayed on Casey as if appraising him.
The Dog returned the headset to where he had found it on the music stand, scratched at his chest nervously, and made his way to the door. The woman was still talking to Chuck when he opened the door, and he caught the last few words she had to say, "...which means Walt won't be too happy if he ends up in a hotel for the night on the studio's dime."
"Casey... good job today." Chuck noted, standing up from his seat beside the woman and moving over to rest a hand on his shoulder before turning around so that they both faced the lady, "This is--"
"Jae." she spoke over the producer, stepping forward to hold out her arm.
Casey accepted her hand and gave it a simple shake; the action seemed to leave the woman bemused but, rather than linger on her reaction, he said the first thing that came to his head, "You know... there's already a 'Jae' in the music business... If you're using that as your Green Name you're probably gonna piss her off big time."
The woman laughed heartily at the comment while Chuck cleared his throat, "Casey..." the producer stated, "This IS Juliana Thomas."
"wha?" the dog glanced between the producer and the woman, then back to the producer, "But... Juliana Thomas is like... older than my MOM."
"Please tell me she's in her thirties." the human woman put a hand on her hip and changed her posture, angling her hips slightly toward her hand; Casey found it oddly to be a mixture between assertive and demure. He couldn't help but wonder how a woman could manage that... and he couldn't deny that something about the stance screamed music industry royalty.
"Jae stopped in today to visit with the president of the studio." Chuck quickly interjected before Casey could answer the question, "He sent her down here to get an impression of you..." he glanced toward the woman, "...and?"
She shrugged casually, flicking her hair with a hand, "He's got some talent... I'd say his looks'll take him farther than his voice, but, hey... sex sells." the mixed, neutral tone didn't seem quite at home with the glint in her eye and the smug smirk on her lips, "So... what's this about me being older than your mom, Pup?"
"You're REALLY Juliana Thomas?" Casey asked.
"Back in the 80s I was." the woman acknowledged, "But the 90's had a way of changing artists, so now it's just Jae."
"You're REALLY Jae?" the dalmatian repeated his earlier statement out of surprise, though he had the presence of mind to modify it slightly.
"Yes, Casey." Chuck noted with an eye roll, "This is Jae."
"You have a very unique way of being star-struck." she responded casually.
"My mom is like your biggest fan!" the dalmatian barked, his tail starting to wag immediately, "I grew up listening to your music cause she had it on ALL THE TIME."
"There." Jae smirked, "That's a little more traditional."
Casey paused in his giddy rant as he suddenly considered the human woman, "You don't look like you're 50."
Jae laughed, "Well thank you... and that's probably because I'm not fifty until November." she winked.
"Oh." Casey cringed, "sorry... I know how women are about their--"
"Relax, silly Dog." Jae responded, reaching out to rest a hand on his forearm, "I'm not touchy about my age anymore. Besides... who ELSE do you know that looks this good at 49?" and she turned around slowly in front of him.
"My mom would kill me if I didn't say her." the dalmatian wagged, "But... I mean... you look like you're not even thirty!"
"Flattery, my dear Dog, will get you EVERYWHERE." Jae laughed again, "Well, it takes a lot of hard work, exercise, eating right..." she patted Casey on the shoulder.
"and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on elective procedures." added a voice from the hallway door.
"Ned?" the woman retrieved her hand from Casey's arm as she looked at the corgi leaning against the door frame, "I didn't even see you there... stand up straight-- oh... you already are." she smirked.
"Always the short jokes with you, isn't it?" he walked into the room they shared a hug; his head came up JUST to her breast height, and Casey didn't miss the fact that the corgi made good use of that trait.
"I've known Ned for a few years now." Jae explained casually to Casey, as if he was an old friend of hers, and she turned back to the technician, "So you're working at WAG now?" she asked the corgi.
"Been here for awhile." the technician stated, "It's a better fit."
"Less high shelves?' Jae winked.
"Less self-absorbed, bitchy artists." he countered, tail wagging, and they both laughed, "Last I remember seeing you was when you were signed with Pacific Sound."
"I chose not to renew." she shrugged, "Took some time off..."
"And now WAG's courting ya, are we?" he wagged. Casey took a few steps away from the acquaintances then glanced to Chuck who was moving toward the doorway; the producer motioned for him to follow and both exited into the hall.
"The studio president asking for Jae to come down and look in on your warm up session is no small thing." Chuck announced, "It sounds like Craig's already gone to bat for you in a big way."
"I can't believe I just met Juliana Thomas." the dalmatian noted, glancing back toward the door to the recording studio.
"You'll end up meeting a lot of people if things go well for you, Casey." the producer announced, resting a hand on his shoulder as he led the Dog down the hall, "We have a few things to clear up right now, but I know that Walt wants you here again tomorrow so I'll need to figure out where we'll be putting you up tonight."
"Oh...okay..." the dalmatian acknowledged, "I guess I can stay at a motel nearby." he offered amiably.
"Oh, no.... no no no." Chuck shook his head, "Walt would have my head if you were staying at a dive... and all the motels in this area are dives."
Casey flicked an ear, "Walt is the president, right?"
"Walter, yea." the producer nodded, "President, Owner, CEO... anything you want to call it, and that means I need to figure out accommodations like my job depended on it." he gave the dalmatian another double-pat on the shoulder, "Anyway, I'll have Nat show you to the Green Room and you can hang around until we have things figured out."
The high-energy young woman with the headset that had led Casey to the recording studio in the first place stepped out from an adjoining hall as if manifesting out of nowhere, "Yes, Mr Gifford?" she asked, "Did you need something?"
"Take Casey to the Green Room." he explained, then turned to the dalmatian, "I'll send someone along in a few minutes once we have everything planned out."
"Alright." the Dog acknowledged, "That sounds..." but Chuck was already heading out of sight in the other direction, "...good?"
"Producers don't have a lot of time to chat, Mr Casey." the young human woman stated, "They don't usually hang around to hear 'okay'." she leaned against the wall, "If you're done looking like a whipped puppy we can get moving."
Casey hadn't realized that his tail had tucked at the sudden departure of the producer, but the woman with the headset had vastly exaggerated his posture... at least, he hoped so. "Yea." he said simply, "I guess so."
"Alright... come on." she announced, heading off down the hall, "I have ten more things to do before five, so please stop playing tourist."
"Um..." the dalmatian headed after her, "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, working to keep up with her pace.
"Not that I know of." she answered, not looking back at him. She reached up to the mic control on her headset, "This is Nat, go ahead." Casey opened his muzzle to speak, but she held up a finger, "No... it's in his office." she spoke into the mic. The dalmatian held his tongue as she finished the conversation, "Alright..." she sighed, "I'll be there once I get back from the Green Room." and she switched the mic off, "I don't keep track of who follows directions." she added to him.
"What?" Casey asked, confused by her comment.
"You asked if you did anything wrong." she replied, "How should I know?"
"Oh..." the dalmatian paused, then quickly jogged to catch back up with Natalie, "I mean did I do anything wrong to you?"
"I don't know." she shrugged, still walking, "Did you?" and, after a moment, SHE paused, "Wait... are you doing one of those 'apologetic guy' things?" she assessed the dalmatian, "Are you about to ask me out?"
"Uh..." Casey paused, mind having a harder time keeping up with her than his feet did, "No... I just mean..."
"Good..." she stated simply and then turned back down the hall and started walking again, "because I don't go for show-biz guys."
"I just mean," the dalmatian sped to catch up again, "Is there a reason you're being so..." and he paused his words, but made sure his feet didn't stop as well.
"You're wondering why I'm not kissing your butt?" she asked plainly, not bothering to slow down or even look at him as she said the words, "I'm too busy to play the part of a fan... especially for a Dog who'll most likely be a one-hit wonder and then disappear from the spotlight like he had never existed." she stopped at a door with a little brass sign on it labeling it 'Green Room', "So please don't ask me to be the wide-eyed intern full of muted awe."
"I....." Casey paused, motioning to the door, "I guess this is the room?"
"Good guess." she answered, and, without bothering to say goodbye, about-faced, and hurried off down the hall. "I'm on my way." she spoke into her mic after flipping the switch, "Don't let him touch ANYTHING until I get there."
Taking a moment to steady himself, the dalmatian let out a breath, feeling like he had just managed to avoid getting mauled by a wild production assistant. Once he had his heart rate back down, he took another deep breath and, steeling himself for the next dose of music industry insanity, opened the door to the Green Room, and stepped in.
"Hmm.." Casey mused aloud, looking around at the wooden panels on the tan-colored walls, "It's not even green."
"Green Rooms usually aren't these days." announced a voice off to the side. The dalmatian turned, glancing to a long, reddish sofa pushed up against the side wall where Angus was stretched out, head up on one arm rest and feet perched up on the other.
"Oh..." Casey acknowledged, moving to take a seat in one of the two arm-chairs in the room, "I didn't see you there."
"I'm good at blending." the mastiff stated, sitting up on the sofa as he turned to face Casey, "First session go a'ight, Dog?"
"I guess." the dalmatian shrugged, "Is that Natalie lady usually so..."
"Intense?" Angus asked, "Busy? Harsh? Stressed?"
Casey chuckled at the list of adjectives, "All of the above, I guess."
"Yea, Dog... she is." the mastiff chuckled and stood, letting out a yawn as he stretched. Angus' paws almost reaching to the ceiling before he lowered them and sat back down, "Gettin' kinda late... I guess you're here waiting ta find out what they're doin with ya?"
"I kinda thought I was going home after the session with Chuck." Casey shrugged, "But he said that they wanted me back here tomorrow."
"Eh..." Angus shrugged, "That's a good sign... not somethin' you should worry about."
"I guess not." Casey's tail wagged against the back of the chair, "So what about you? Are you waiting around for something too?"
"Yea..." the mastiff acknowledged, "Gotta wait for a pick-up." he chuckled, "Workin' security doesn't pay so great, Dog... not always so easy for us 'non-talent's to live in LA AND own a car."
"Oh... someone's coming to get you?" the dalmatian asked.
"Yea..." the big black dog nodded, "my Leasher."
"Your Leasher?" Casey asked, ears rising as he glanced to the mastiff.
"Yea... a human, Dog." Angus replied simply, "I saw ya got a collar... figured you'd know what one was." and he cocked his head to the side, "Or don't ya?"
"Oh, yea... I do!" Casey added quickly, giving his collar a quick flick wihh a finger where it was visible above his shirt, "I guess I didn't know you were a--"
"Burb Dog." Angus nodded, "Been with Tyler five years now... good guy."
"And how IS Tyler doing?" the inquiry from the hallway door caused Casey to pause; Jae's casual tone was no less attention-grabbing than her singing voice.
"Doin' good, Jae... doin' good." Angus' heavy tail made a very obvious *thump thump thump* against the sofa cushions.
"You know Jae, Angus?" Casey asked.
"He should." the human woman responded, "I introduced him to his Leasher." she smiled as the mastiff got up, and shared a quick, polite hug with the big dog, "Ty still working for the city?" she asked Angus.
"Nah... started with a private architecture firm last year." the dog noted, "Benefits suck, but the pay's a lot better."
"Just goes to show you can't have it all, I guess." Jae acknowledged, settling down into one of the arm chairs.
"Is there anyone you DON'T know around here?" Casey asked of the woman.
"I've been in the industry for decades, Spots..." Jae winked, "You end up getting to know people... and the longer you've been doing it, the more you learn that the people WORTH knowing usually the people that work for you, not the people you work for."
"Hey, Jae..." Angus spoke up, "Did ya know Ned's workin' here?"
"Yea." Casey interjected, "They were throwing insults back and forth in the recording studio." he offered neutrally. The comment got a laugh out of the human woman.
"So, Spots," she noted to Casey once her chuckling subsided, "Craig told me that you also work at Mein Hund."
"Yea..." the dalmatian nodded, "I do model work for 'em." he wagged.
"How modest." Jae chided, "The way I heard it, you were 'the official face of Mein Hund, America'." she leveled a gaze at him.
"Oh?" he fidgeted as he smirked, "You heard that, did ya?"
"Cool company, Dog." Angus nodded, "That's where Tyler gets my collars." and the big mastiff popped the first two buttons open on his shirt, opening it up to reveal the brown leather collar he wore.
"And enough of a Burb Dog that you don't mind showing a little chest fur, hmm?" the human woman smirked. The comment resulted in a an embarrassed, hunched posture from the mastiff.
"Pfft." Casey smirked as he began pulling the bottom of his shirt loose from the waist of his jeans, "Amateur... I bet you're probably blushing beneath all that black fur." and he stopped pulling at his shirt and simply unbuttoned his pants instead so he could shuck his top completely.
"This isn't an ab contest, Casey." Jae noted, "But you might win if it was."
"I just want you to get a good look at MY collar." the dalmatian noted, his tail wagging as he proudly raised his muzzle, showing off his neck.
"We could see it fine without yer shirt comin' off, Dog..." Angus stated, "Wasn't like it was covered or anything."
"That's alright," Casey offered with the same mock confidence he used every time he was in front of a camera, "I'm not body shy."
"Good thing too." Jae giggled, "your pants are falling."
The dalmatian looked down at the front of his jeans, which were open, and providing everyone a perfectly clear view of his sheath. Angus followed up with a comment of his own, "Pull em up, Dog... nobody wants t' see yer crown."
Casey shot the mastiff a look and didn't miss noticing where Angus' eyes were. The dalmatian grinned, "Your muzzle says 'no thanks', but your eyes say 'yes please'... 'Dog'." and he shot the larger dog a wink. Casey might have imagined it, but he was almost SURE he could make out some bright red beneath the mastiff's thick, black ear fur.
"Well..." Jae noted, standing up from her chair, "As much as I DON'T mind the view..." she walked over to Casey and slid her hands around him from behind, "If we're going to be heading outside," her fingers slid down the dalmatian's waistline, "it REALLY wouldn't do for you to be showing yourself off to the world." and her fingers met right over his crotch... completely with the two ends of his jeans, and she dexterously buttoned him back up.
"We're heading outside?" Casey asked, his attention suddenly devoted entirely to Jae.
"Yes." she acknowledged, that single word accompanied by a quick *ZIP* from his jeans. Casey's teeth gritted and he went to his tip-toes but, a split second later, the Dog realized that nothing important got caught in the fly. "Oh relax." she smiled against the side of his face as she spoke into his ear, "I know my way around zippers."
With no response to that, the dalmatian said nothing as he was led out into the hall by the human woman. Jae kept hold of his paw but Casey didn't bother asking for it back. He gave a haphazard farewell wave to Angus, who simply remained where he was on the sofa, head shaking, eyes rolling, muzzle smirking.... and pants tented.