Chapter 3

Richie led them to a bar close by that had live music and food. The thumping of the music could be heard in the street before they descended the steps into the basement bar. Inside it was small but not so much that it was claustrophobic, the round tables surrounded a small stage and the bar ran the length of the back of the room. There were booths sectioned off on one side of the room, to the left of the bar, which had good views of the stage. Richie walked to the last of the booths and pulled Jasmine to sit next to him, giving her a friendly and warm smile as he did so, which she returned. The others followed inside and tried not to draw any attention to themselves.

The small, dark blues club had a few people already in the audience and several of the tables were occupied. At the front of them all was the small stage, which was currently occupied by a very sultry female singer wooing the crowd. She wowed them with renditions of Shirley Bassey and Tina Turner, before leaving the stage to rapturous applause.

“She wasn’t half bad, have you seen her before?” Jasmine asked while they waited for their food.

“I don’t think so.” Jon answered but was interrupted by the waitress delivering their meals.

With their meals placed in front of them, Jasmine giggled to herself as the table fell silent and everyone tucked into their dinners. She watched them shovel the food into their mouths like people who were coming off a hunger strike.

“Did you guys not eat today or something?” she asked,

“Or something” David replied, swallowing another mouthful and winking at her. She was getting used to the cheeky winks from him and Richie, and had also seen a glint in Jon’s eyes as he joked about earlier in the day. Tico was less of a joker but she had already worked out that he was a genuine person. He just preferred to take a back seat and let the others fool about.

Richie had barely taken his eyes off Jasmine since they arrived and was glad that she hadn’t noticed. He was incredibly attracted to her, her silky blonde hair crying out to have his fingers run through it, but there was something more. He had enjoyed the conversation they had all had at the studio getting to know her, but instead of answering his questions, it had only produced more. He heard the way she talked about music and about her job with such delight, and he wanted to hear more, wanted to know more about Jasmine and her influences. 

Unaware that she was swimming through Richie’s mind at the same time, Jasmine was absent mindedly thinking about Richie and watching him from the corner of her eye. She was still not quite sure if she was in some magnificent dream but if she was, then damn it was a vividly real one. She took in the scene around her and listened to the banter and friendly jibes that were being traded by the men at her table. The more she talked to them all the more she realized that she loved Richie’s sense of humor when he bickered with the guys and how he could say something funny about everything. Returning to the conversation Jasmine listened in as they talked about what needed doing in the morning and what time Jon wanted them in the studio.

“Fuck man, that’s the middle of the damn night” Richie complained,

“Suck it up Rich, it’s half way through the morning. You need to start going to bed earlier.”

“Yes Mom,” Richie saluted his friend and blew him a kiss, which Jon saw and replied with a simple middle finger.

Richie laughed, tipped his head back and his laugh rumbled into his throat. He hadn’t felt so relaxed in ages and was sure that Jasmine’s presence had something to do with it. Whether it was her perfume, the soft tickle of her hair as it brushed against his arm or something else entirely, he wasn’t sure, but he knew deep down that something about the woman calmed him and he liked that feeling.

Jasmine laughed along with Richie at Jon, as did Tico and Hugh, and Jon pouted like the prima donna that he was pretending to be. She shook her head and whispered to Richie, 

“What time did he say we had to be in the studio?”

Richie smirked; Jasmine hadn’t been listening and he wondered what had had her preoccupied.

“Not listening to boss man Miss Moore? You could be expelled for that if he found out,” he whispered back. Jasmine’s heart jumped into her throat shit, I didn’t think of that. She thought to herself.

“Aw hell, don’t tell him. Please. I want this job,” she fluttered her eyes at him.

Richie was turned to mush and found it hard to form his next sentence.

“Well seeing as you asked so nicely, maybe I won’t.”

“So what time DID he say? I wouldn’t want to be late after already not listening to him.”

“10am darlin’.”

Jasmine burst into laughter despite herself. The guys looked at her, wondering what had caused the sudden outburst.

“What?” Tico asked.

“Nothing, ignore me.” She spluttered, then made her excuses and headed towards the bathroom.

On her return Richie shuffled over and patted the seat next to him, smiling at her and, when she was close enough, asked,

“So what WERE you laughing at?”

Jasmine grinned and turned to face him, trying not to get lost in the gaze from his swirling dark eyes,

“You. 10am? Man you really are a night owl aren’t you?”

“Yeah. I just don’t do mornings too well.”

“I gathered that,” Jasmine laughed then turned back to the others before her feelings betrayed her and she would have continued flirting with Richie. 

After dinner and a few rounds of beer Jon yawned and said that he was heading home to Mercer Street. Richie quipped that if he got up later then he wouldn’t be tired yet, but Jon just glared at him and gave him the stink eye. They decided to call it a night, drank the last of their drinks and gathered their coats. Jasmine reached for her purse and pulled out some notes and handed them to Jon.

“What are these?” he asked.

“For dinner,” she said.

“Jeez Jasmine, We asked you. What the hell do you take us for?” he rolled his eyes in her direction.

“Sorry.” She said, looking at the ground, wishing it would swallow her up,

“Don’t sweat it, It’s nice that you didn’t just expect us to pick up the bill, which makes it even more of a pleasure to do so. Go get some rest, we’ll be having a long day tomorrow.”

“Thanks Jon, for the meal and for the opportunity to work with you.”

“Our pleasure, we enjoyed your company and as for work, well your reputation is good enough for me. I only work with the best. See you in the morning. 10am.” He turned to Tico and Hugh and signaled that he was ready to leave and the three men flagged down the next taxi and were gone, headed to Mercer Street. 

Jasmine stood on the sidewalk with David and Richie, who were talking in hushed tones. She pulled her coat closer against the chilly evening air, and rubbed at her arms to warm herself up.

“Hey! You two just missed your ride. Jon, Tico and Hugh just left.”

“We’re not staying darlin’, I’d rather sleep in my own bed if I can and Dave’s the same.” Richie answered.

Jasmine knew what he meant but he had left himself so open to what she said next,

“What? He prefers to sleep in your bed when he can? Now there’s something I didn’t know. I guess you learn something new every day.”

“Ha ha Miss Funny. You know what I meant. And there I was thinking we could give you a ride home. I think I might just forget about mentioning it now.”

Jasmine sighed, fucked that one up Jas, well done. A change from the train would have been great, especially after the shocks of today. She groaned under her breath and mentally kicked herself.

David saw that she was having an internal conversation and that she had gone quiet. He had also noticed the rapport that she had going with Richie and was sure that there was something underlying her quietness.

“Don’t listen to him. He’s just grumpy because he has to get up early tomorrow. I assume you’re on your way back to Jersey now?”

Jasmine nodded.

“That’s settled then, we’re taking you home. No point in us going that way and you getting the train to the same place. We’ll get the car to drop me home first then Rich and you can go to Middletown. He still doesn’t live too far away.”

“Thanks. You don’t have to though.”

Richie sighed and instinctively put his arm around Jasmine, who was now shivering but not from the cold. They waited for the car to come around then piled in, David and Richie sandwiching Jasmine in the middle of them.

The journey back to Jersey was filled with laughter and unashamed flirting on all three parts. Jasmine was in fits of giggles at David and Richie’s antics and the competition between them. Both of them were flirting as if it was going out of fashion and Jasmine enjoyed the attention. The day had been a strange one but she was full of excitement and relished the challenge that was ahead.

The time went so quickly that soon they pulled up outside David’s house. He kissed Jasmine on the cheek and nodded at Richie then was gone.

The half hour journey to Middletown was a little strained. Jasmine had been fine when she had been with Richie in the company of the others but having him alone in a confined space was something else completely. Although it had been a fantasy of hers for years to be in exactly this position, now she was here it felt odd and she felt self conscious. Richie watched her eyes flit from one place to another, not settling anywhere and wondered what was up. Something told him not to press Jasmine on it though so he started the conversation with a safe subject, music.

 “So, what got you into this line of work? It’s not often we come across a woman in the recording side of things.”

“Growing up in Nashville had me loving music from an early age so I guess it was only natural that I ended up working in the business. I always thought I’d be a performer though, not behind the scenes.”

“Really?”

“Yeah in my early teens I picked up my first instrument, the guitar,” she said with a smile on her face.

“You play?” Richie asked enthused, his obvious excitement at this new piece of information apparent to Jasmine as his eyes sparkled as he talked to her.

“Yup, I sure do, guitar and saxophone have always been my favorites to play.”

“Wow. Well I never would have guessed. Are you any good?”

“Richie! What a question to ask, especially from someone like you. I’m ok I guess, not anywhere near your league though.”

“I would love it if you could play with me sometime.” He said, chuckling inwardly at how his words sounded. Jasmine shook her head at his juvenile jesting but still replied with,

“I would love that too, Richie,” with a raise of her eyebrows. In all honesty though she was excited beyond belief, knowing it’s not every day you get asked to play with your favorite guitarist.

After about 20 minutes more of talking about anything and everything, they finally pulled up outside Jasmine’s apartment. The journey had been far too quick for both of them, neither wanting the night and the conversation to end.  Richie opened the door and held out his hand for her. He walked her up to the front door, and when they got there, said, 

“Darlin’ I’m glad that you’re working with us, It’s going to be fun, I can just tell,” and gave her a kiss on the cheek and a simple goodnight.

As he walked off she couldn’t help going into her living room with a glow on her face. It burned where he had chastely kissed her and she traced the point of contact with her finger, smiling to herself.  She walked through to her bedroom and sat on her bed to reminisce about her day with Bon Jovi, what was to come with her working with them, and most importantly her time spent with Richie.

“Richie” she thought and his name escaped her mouth; it was barely audible but still there. She sat, remembering how they talked freely with each other and realized that she not only loved his humor but she loved just about everything else about him; from the way his dark chocolate eyes look at her to the way his whiskey smooth voice speaks to her. She knew she had to continue getting to know him but also that she had to be careful not to cross the professionalism line.

She finally fell asleep with a huge grin on her face and Richie’s face in her mind.

Chapter 2

She span around at the mention of her name only to come face to face with Richie Sambora, who was looking down at her. She stood star struck, staring at her favorite member of her favorite band, unable to do anything but practically drool at the vision in front of her. The first thing she focused on was the chocolaty smooth brown eyes bearing down on her, almost as if they were trying to see into her soul. Next was the long dark mane of shiny but messy hair that framed those eyes on his smiling face. She took in his smile, and found it impossible not to smile back. His arms were the next thing she noticed; they were inked on both sides and the tattoos stood out even more thanks to the finely toned muscles they were covering. Playing guitar and working out had made his arms dangerously strong and shapely and Jasmine felt the urge to give them a squeeze. She resisted that temptation and finally she was able to pull herself together and give him a nod of her head.

“Alrighty then, let’s get going,” he said taking her hand, then opening the door and escorting her inside.

At his touch, Jasmine felt a tingling sensation run the length of her arm, unaware that Richie was feeling the exact same thing. His grip on her hand tightened as he soaked in every inch of the gorgeous blonde in front of him, practically eating her up with his eyes. His gaze moved slowly from the silky creamy long blonde hair, down her slim neck and over her shapely, toned shoulders. Her skin looked sun kissed and as soft as a baby’s, and he felt the pull in his groin as he wondered just how soft it would feel on his lips. He moved his eyes further south, along the lines of her curvaceous waist and hips, across her obviously taut stomach and down her long legs that were encased in dark blue denim skinny jeans with black heels poking out underneath. Her red and black t shirt hugged her in all the right places and Richie felt his desire increase. He looked deep into her eyes as he spoke, the blueness reminding him of Jon’s yet there was something beyond the sharpness of the color that had his interest peaked. He tore his eyes away from her and opened the door of the studio.

Despite trying to stay professional, Jasmine tensed and held back as Richie led her into the studio. She was in a room with her idols and one of them had hold of her hand. Richie felt her tense and saw the look of abject terror in her eyes,

“You ok darlin’?” he asked, looking concerned.

She nodded, and took a deep breath, “I’m fine, everything’s ok. Thanks for asking though. I guess I should introduce myself properly, I’m Jasmine Moore. I assume Pete told you I was coming?”

“He did, but he neglected to say that you were a stunner when he described you as the best engineer he has met in a while.”

Jasmine blushed an embarrassing shade of crimson, which almost matched the red in her shirt. Her discomfort did not go unnoticed by Richie, or Jon.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” Richie apologized, looking anywhere but at her face, scared he’d lose himself in her eyes again.

“It’s not a problem, I’m flattered. Had you said that Pete hadn’t mentioned what a troll I was, then I would have been pissed. As it is, I’ll accept your compliment and offer one of my own, you’re not half bad yourself Mr. Sambora.”

Jasmine cringed as she heard her words come out of her mouth, what on earth was she thinking flirting with Richie Sambora? ‘Very professional Jas, get a fucking grip she admonished herself.

Richie, however, cracked a laugh so deep and raw that Tico stopped hammering his drums and David cocked an eyebrow in Richie’s direction,

“Jasmine darlin’, You’re gonna fit right in with us” he said, ushering her towards the rest of the guys, who had stopped work and were watching Jasmine approach, with Richie’s hand guiding her and the tingling going through him and straight through to her insides.

Richie began to introduce her but before he could finish his first introduction, Jon jumped up from where he was sitting, reached out a hand and said, 

“You must be Jasmine, nice to meet you.  I’m Jon” 

She nodded her head saying,

“Nice to meet you Jon. Yeah, I’m Jasmine, Jasmine Moore,” she reached out her hand to shake his.

The other guys laughed at her directness and nodded their approval. They all got up from where they were sitting and greeted Jasmine, shaking her hand as they introduced themselves but each time they did so, Jasmine’s legs got increasingly more jelly-like. She tried to shake off the wobbly feeling that had come over her and tried to make her voice less shaky than it had become. She couldn’t understand why she was reacting in this way, after all she had worked with big acts before, just as famous as Bon Jovi too, but something, somehow was making her react like a star struck teenager. 

By the time Hugh took her hand and kissed it gently, Jasmine was sure she was visibly shaking and that they must think she was a jibbering wreck. She watched the men as they crowded around her, waiting for Hugh to finish so that they could get on with some work and talk Jasmine through their thinking for the record and the work they needed her to do.

Richie watched her battle with herself and smiled. He appreciated her will to stay professional but it was obvious to him that they were more than just clients to her, and he made a note to ask her about it later on. 

Jasmine pulled herself together and looked around her at the men who were looking like they were waiting for her to speak. Standing tall she looked at each of them in turn then asked,

“So, what were you guys doing before I got here? I heard some tunes coming from this direction as I came down the corridor.

David smiled and draped his arm over her shoulders. Using his other hand to point to Jon, he said, 

“Well, Boss man here was tuning up that tired voice box of his, trying to remember how to sing, Hughy was plucking a few strings on that guitar over there, and Teek was making a whole load of noise. Sambora was on the hunt for food, and I, well, I was showing off just how talented I am and showing these guys up as amateurs.” He grinned at the others who were rolling their eyes and tutting their displeasure at his antics.

“You wouldn’t know talent if it jumped up and started playing your keys, you ass” Richie shot back, winking at his friend, then back at Jasmine, who wasn’t sure whether to laugh or avoid eye contact with them all.

“Ok children, stop bickering. You’re all as devoid of talent as each other. Now give me access to this beautiful and talented young lady. After all, it IS me she’ll be working for.” Obie spoke up from behind them and held his hand out in a greeting to Jasmine.

“Hi Jasmine, I’m Obie, the only one around here with a mental age above 7. Nice to meet you, I’ve heard good things about you. You want to come and have a look at the set up at the board while these jokers set up their shit in here?”

“Hi Obie, it’s nice to meet you too. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

Before Obie could drag Jasmine off to the sound board Jon walked over to them, slapped Obie on the back and said to everyone,

“Guys, since we have already stopped, why don’t we go ahead and take a break and we can all get to know Jasmine better and she can get to know us too.”

Everyone nodded and migrated towards the sofas that were arranged in a cozy corner of the room. They all found their seats, Richie making sure that he got the seat next to Jasmine, and grinned at Tico when he huffed and made a comment about getting the short straw again.

“What was that Teek? Wishing you were taller again?” he chuckled, ducking when a cushion came hurtling towards him. 

When they were all settled and the bantering had died down, Jasmine felt all eyes on her and could feel her face redden again. Richie could feel the heat emanating from her and realized that she was feeling on edge again. Feeling sorry for her and thinking it would be best to get her talking and forgetting who she was talking to he spoke up.

“Are you from here Jasmine? You don’t sound like you’re a New Yorker and you sure as hell ain’t Joisey” he said, in the strongest Jersey accent he could muster. Jasmine giggled quietly. 

She replied, “No. I’ve only recently moved here. I’m from Nashville.”

Jon’s eyes widened, “What brings you here? Nashville has a great music scene. Are you mad?”

Jasmine laughed out loud this time and shook her head. Nashville certainly did have a great music scene but it just wasn’t her type of music. She turned to Jon and smiled.

“You’re right, Nashville is brilliant for music and I’m so lucky to have had a great start there. The thing is though that country just isn’t what floats my boat. I’m a rock chick at heart and the country stuff just wasn’t doing it for me. I was happy in my job and had some fantastic experiences but I wanted to get my teeth into something more meaty. Then this job came up and I went for it.”

Richie and David smirked at each other at Jasmine’s choice of words and it wasn’t missed by Tico, who rolled his eyes at them in despair. They both responded with a gesture that Tico knew was a jibe at his height.

After a few more questions from the guys, which Jasmine happily answered and responded with a few questions of her own, Tico got up and asked,

“Who wants coffee?”

  

His answer was a resounding yes from everyone all at once; he chuckled and asked David to help him. David groaned and pouted, “But I want to talk to Jasmine”

“For fuck’s sake Dave, its only making a few damn coffees, suck it up.” Tico said, pulling him along to the coffee machine, still complaining.

They quickly returned with the coffee, not too happy at the quality of it but hoping everyone would drink it without much complaint. The conversation was boosted by the caffeine intake and everyone joined in with anecdotes and questions. They told Jasmine some stories from their childhood and early band days, which set everyone in fits of laughter at the memories and Jasmine because of the way they were told. Whilst the guys were regaling her with a story about the time they had gone to Japan and seen fish being prepared while it was still moving, Jasmine pinched herself on her arm just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Here she was talking to Bon Jovi like she had known them for years and feeling so comfortable with them. She felt something knock into her knee and realized that Richie had rested his leg against hers and had somehow managed to reach his arm around her and had his arm over her shoulder. Although she wasn’t put out by it, she hoped that it didn’t make her look like she was unprofessional. Thinking about returning to the subject of work rather than the fun subject of life on the road she straightened and stood up,

“So guys we should get to work. Obie you can show me the board if you like, and we need to talk about how you need me to help.”

Obie went to get up but Richie and Jon both said at the same time,

“Jasmine, sit. We haven’t finished talking to you.”

Jasmine sat automatically and looked at them. “What else do you want to know?”

“Well darlin’, we know you’re a southern belle and not from round here, so where are you living now? You got a place in the city?”

“No. I’d love to live in Manhattan but the rents are just so expensive. You’ll laugh when I tell you where I lived when I first got here though.” She said looking at Richie.

“Why’s that?” Tico asked in his dangerously deep drawl,

“Island set me up with an apartment in Woodbridge.” 

“No shit?” Richie answered at hearing his hometown mentioned.

“Yeah shit” Jasmine grinned at him, “Funny really because when I first found out, the place sounded familiar. It took me a while to work out it was because I’d heard you were from there.”

“How’d you hear about that?” Jon asked, already knowing the answer.

Jasmine reddened for the third time in less than 2 hours and looked at the floor. Taking a deep breath she said,

“I guess I should confess that I’m a fan of the band, and have been for a long time. I’m not one for reading all about you and knowing the ins and outs of your lives but musically I am a big fan and I guess I’ve just retained some information that I’ve heard over the years. Anyway I don’t live there now, I didn’t like it much so I commute in every day from Middletown, have kinda gotten used to Penn Station now.”

Everyone laughed at her expense and assured her that it was a good thing she was a fan. That way she would be sure to do a good job for them because she’d be working on something she would want to buy. Soon though talk turned back to work and before long Obie and Jasmine had moved towards the sound board and the others had begun tuning up their instruments. 

As she listened to Obie talk and regarded Richie as he tuned up one of his many guitars that adorned one wall of the studio Jasmine felt more relaxed and less star struck about whom she was working with. She watched Richie until he caught her looking and winked at her. Blushing yet again she turned her attention back to Obie and was soon in full work mode.

After a few hours of working on one of the songs for the album, Jon signaled that he was ready to call it quits for the day.

“That’s it guys, my stomach thinks my throat has been cut, let’s go get something to eat and start afresh tomorrow. He walked over to Jasmine and thanked her for her hard work, telling her he was glad she was on board and that they would definitely all get along. 

“Do you have plans tonight?” he asked her.

Jasmine shook her head. The only plans she had was to unpack a few more boxes, have a long hot bubble bath, a microwave meal and an early night to process what had happened today.

“Nothing exciting. I’ll probably just unpack a few more boxes.”

“Aw darlin’ well it looks like you’re sorted then. I guess there’s no point in asking you if you want to come to dinner with us?”

“Well” she smiled, “seeing as you asked so nicely how can I resist? The boxes will be disappointed but they’ll have to wait.”

“Excellent. Be ready to go in 10.” He said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

10 minutes later Richie had his arm over Jasmine’s shoulder again and led her and his friends out of the studio and down the street.

Chapter 1

Jasmine stopped outside of her boss’ office and took a deep breath before she entered.  She had only been working for Island Records for a few weeks and was a little worried as to what her boss needed to talk to her about.  

The move from Nashville had been a long and complicated one and she was still not unpacked in her apartment. She had been working for a record company in Nashville, and was doing well, getting her name known and acts had begun asking for her specifically. She had been working with mainly country acts and, although she gave her very best to her clients, it wasn’t really her scene. What she really wanted to do was to produce rock bands, heavy guitars, pounding drums and some glass shattering vocals.

One Friday afternoon she was having a well earned break between recordings. She had grabbed a coffee and a copy of the trade paper, and gone to enjoy the last of the sunshine of the day. She casually flicked through the pages, not really paying any attention to what she was reading, and watched the city go about its business at the end of another busy day. Just as she was thinking of going back into the building her attention was drawn to an advertisement in the jobs section of the paper. It read;

An exciting, once in a lifetime opportunity has arisen at Island Records. We are looking for a recording engineer with at least 3 years’ experience to come join our team in New York City. You will be working with the best people and bands in the industry and will be initially responsible for our rock bands. 

Jasmine’s eyes widened. It was exactly what she had been looking for, but could she really pack up and leave everything she knew behind, and move to a very large, strange city where she knew no one?

The answer, after a lot of deliberation and daydreaming had been yes, and she sent in her application, not really expecting to get any further. A week later, however, an envelope was waiting for her on the mat when she came home from work; It invited her for an interview the following Monday. She had hurriedly booked a plane ticket and found a cheap hotel to stay in overnight, and had spent the next two days fretting over what to wear, she was desperate for the job and wanted to give herself the best possible chance.

The interview itself had been painless, just a chat about her experiences and her musical interests, and then a tour of the studios and a practical activity that was designed to show off what she could do. She had arrived back in Nashville happy with her performance, but not convinced it was enough to capture her dream job. She waited patiently to hear something but when, by Friday, she had heard nothing, she assumed she had not been successful and chalked it up to experience.

She was in the middle of recording a track for an up and coming country group on Monday when her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She called through to the booth and told the girls to take a breather, then answered the still buzzing phone.

“Hello, Jasmine Moore speaking.”

“Hi Jasmine, it’s Pete Armstrong from Island Records here. We met at your interview last week.”

“Uh, hi. What can I do for you?”

“Well Miss Moore, I think it’s more like what I can do for you. I’m so sorry that it took us so long to get back to you, you know how hectic things can be, but we’d like to offer you the position. You really impressed us and your knowledge of the music industry is remarkable. We think that with your interest in rock music and your experience with country, you will be a great addition to our team.”

Jasmine had switched off as soon as she heard the word sorry. Her heart sank and she was about to thank him for calling to let her know, when she tuned back in and heard ‘addition to our team’,

“Could you repeat that last part please?” she asked,

“We think that with your interest in rock music and your experience with country, you will be a great addition to our team.”

Jasmine very nearly dropped the phone at hearing his words but somehow managed to contain the growing euphoria inside her long enough to find out that all the details were in the mail and that she should be receiving them in a day or two. She thanked Mr. Armstrong, and he welcomed her to Island, and then rang off.

That night she partied until the small hours with her friends and had been full with so much nervous energy that she had hardly needed any alcohol to get her in the party mood.

A month later and Jasmine had packed up her belongings, handed the keys to her apartment back to her landlord, and had made the solo road trip from Tennessee to New Jersey, where the company had found her a small but still nice apartment in Woodbridge. She had smiled when she found out where she was to be living, knowing that it had once been home to rock royalty. “Not a bad place to start” she thought, “It served Richie Sambora well, look where he is now.”

Jasmine walked the short distance to Pete Armstrong’s office, wondering what he wanted to talk to her about, and hoping she hadn’t messed up so soon into her new job. She knocked softly on the door and pushed it open when the voice inside beckoned her in.

“Hello Jasmine, take a seat. I won’t keep you long but there is something we need to discuss.”  

As Jasmine shifted in her seat she nodded her head nervously as he continued;

“Don’t look so worried Jasmine, you’re not in any trouble. In fact it’s the complete opposite. It seems that people are starting to realize the excellent work you are putting in and they want you to work with them. It appears your reputation precedes you.  This is going to be your first major job for us and I have the faith that you will do really well and learn a lot from this group.  Right now they are setting up in studio 1 and they would like it if you were to start today. They’re only here for a few weeks while their own studio goes through a refit and then you’ll be required to work from there. They are working on a major new record and could use a couple extra hands. They already have a very accomplished recording and sound team but want a fresh pair of ears on the team. Will you do it?”

Jasmine released a breath of relief as she realized she wasn’t in any trouble. She thought about what had been said, her curiosity spiked by the description given by Pete. She was both apprehensive about working with a major group, but also elated that she had been trusted with the responsibility so early into her career at Island. She took a breath and said, 

“Of course, you know I am up for anything.  I just hope I can live up to their, and your, expectations.”

“I’m sure you will. They’re very experienced at what they do, and have high standards, but they are also one of the best teams you could learn from. Take everything in Jasmine, you will learn a lot from them, both about the industry and the job you already do so well.”

Jasmine got up from her seat and headed for her door when a thought crossed her mind. She turned back towards her boss and asked,

 “I guess I should know who they are, shouldn’t I?”

Pete chuckled, 

“You’ll find out soon enough. Have a good day Jasmine, pop your head in before you leave for the day and we’ll talk more.”

Jasmine walked out of her boss' office, unaware of how much her life was about to change, with a huge grin on her face and a spring in her step. She pulled herself taller and started to make her way to the main studio with a happy swagger.  As she approached she heard a familiar sound coming from within it, guitars, drums and a set of keys being played with vigor. Her heart rate began to quicken as she ran through all the major groups she could think of that used those instruments. She refused to let herself think that it was Bon Jovi but hoped that it would be someone she was already a fan of. A second dream come true in 6 months would have been a real boost to an already growing realization that she had made the right choice to move north. She stopped right outside the door to the studio, took a deep breath and reached for the handle. 

Just then she heard footsteps coming towards her and before she could turn around to see who it was she heard a very familiar, deep velvety voice say, 

"Hey darlin' are you Jasmine?"