Meeting The Boss (tags: Joey and Cale)

He let out a laugh. "Ha! Yeah, right, we both know that your dear departed husband, may he rest in peace, put in his Will that you have to keep me as the main director of the Opera or you would have repercussions." He said, smirking, as he crossed his arms.

"Don't forget, he gave me half of this place too, Parker." He said, reminding her, with a smug look.

"The patrons can have the actors, but I want the rest of the Opera House to enjoy themselves. If you really want this Mascaraed." He stated, knowing he always had to remind her about this place belonging partly to him. Things she wanted done, he had to agree to and vice-versa.

Cale pinched his lips shut. He really wished he wasn't here to witness this. This looked like it could get ugly fast.

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Jessica's scowled again. "And you now that it wasn't half he left to you. He left you 45% which means I own 55%. And you also should know that my penalty would be rather small considering how large the pain in my ass I would be getting rid of is." She crossed her arms over her ample chest. "And I've already invited a few of the workers that I've seen since I came up with the idea. Audrey for instance. I love her and most of our writers and backstage personnel and wold love to have them come. So stop acting like I don't want them there you twit."

"Ah. but I haven't agreed to it yet, dear Jessica." He stated, smirking. "I have to agree before we can actually have it." He said, sitting back down in his chair and crossing his feet on his desk.

Cale breathed as quietly as he could not wanting to draw attention to himself.

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Jessica rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You know this will be good for the house everyone will have a good time, we will get lots of donations. We both know the only reason you are trying to be difficult is that this was my idea and you like trying to make yourself a larger pain in my ass then you usually are so just sign off on it so I can start planning and working." She sighed and rubbed the area between her eyes.

He smirked. "No, actually, I'm just waiting to see if you'll ever notice the guy who has been shrinking into his chair the moment we started this little "discussion"." He said, using his fingers for quotation marks as he nodded his head towards Cale.

"You're been very rude this whole time, ignoring him like that." He said, knowing she would feel some shame for having ignored the young man for so long.

She was all about image after all.

Cale's eyes widened. He really wished Korso hadn't brought attention too him.

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Jessica turned in surprise seeing the young man. She hated being rude. Korso liked to think that she was all about her image. Including her marriage to her late husband. The truth was she loved her husband and she loved people. She immediately stepped forward and extended her hand. "I am so sorry. I was excited and didn't realize. I'm Jessica Parker." The young man stood and kissed her hand properly. She smiled at him as he sat back down. She then turned a scowl at Korso. "As host of this room you should have informed me of his presents. That would have been the gentlemanly thing to do." She then turned back to the young man and smiled. She moved back and sat in the other chair that was positioned in front of Korso's desk. "Now tell me dear, who are you.?" She asked curiously.

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Cale still felt a little nervous. "I'm Cale Timkowski. MY cousin is Dimitri Timkowski, he's a writer here. He told me you had a position for an architect and builder. I have some samples of my work if you'd like to see, Madam?" He offered her his portfolio. She took it and smiled.

"Please call me Jessica or if you must be proper Mrs. Parker. These are lovely." She commented as she looked over his work. "And you think you can do this job well? I only want the best here." She informed him strictly.

"Yes Mrs. Parker I do." Jessica grinned and nodded handing him back his work.

"Good to hear." She said happily.

"Oh I was told I would have to speak to you about my lodgings?" He asked her carefully.

"Of course. You will be staying in the old architect builders room. His things have already been sent along with his pention and the money he was owed for the work he had completed."
She smiled at him.

"Hey. you're the one who zoomed past him, almost knocking him out of the chair." Joseph said, with a shrug.

"Who ever said I was a gentleman?" He asked, giving a look of confusion and surprise. He smirked when she glared.

"Glad you agree he can do it, something we both for once agree on." He said, giving Cale a wink.

He knew the moment he saw the designs that Jessica would agree on hiring him. Something that the two of them only agree on is things involving the actual staging.... usually.

Cale smiled. He was glad another fight wasn't going to break out.

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"Well we both agree that we only want the best working here. And the only time we disagree is when you let your hormones help you cast parts. And no I'm not talking just about Charlotte. I know sometimes her voice wavers, I'm talking about all the girls that are barely dressed that can barely hold a note." She gave him a look.

(uh are you talking about Meg? Cause Meg can sing and she does dress properly )

Joesph rolled his eyes. "You know for a fact it's not me that thinks on hormones, Parker. You're the one that pushes certain girls on stage to preform because "it's what the patrons want!"" He said, the last part in his highest, girly sounding voice.

"That's all I ever hear from you. "Patrons this, patrons that."..." He stated, knowing he was right. "And never been my hormones that has put Miss Charlotte LaBouf on the stage. When I actually get to decide who gets the parts, Miss Charlotte gets it only because she earns it. Lately, however, she's been trying to take over." He said, rolling his eyes.

Cale went quiet again not wanting to get in the middle of this.

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"Ok I will give you Charlotte." She rolled her eyes. "She needs to spend more time practicing and less time worrying about loosing her part. But I do not put anyone on that stage because of a patron that is a damn dirty lie and you know it. Yes I care about the partorns but that's because it's my job but I have only ever cared about the quality of work done here even when I was working my way up in parts from walk on roles to my place as the former primadona. I only ever wanted to work with the best and I only want the best of the best on that stage so don't you dare say otherwise." She scowled at him turning back to Cale.

"I apologize for my out burst Mr. Timkowski. You don't have to stay if you wish to leave. I'm sure you don't want to listen to us argue and go back and forth. Your room is down the hall and to the left. The door is unlocked at the moment. Tomorrow morning I will have a locksmith come in and give you your own private key." She smiled gently at him.

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Cale gave a slight sigh. "Thank you Mrs. Parker." Cale took up his portfolio still holding his cigar. "Mr. Korso, Mrs. Parker." He gave a slight bow. "Thank you for job I'll make sure to make you proud. And thank you for the cigar Mr. Korso." He bowed his head to Jessica Parker. "Mrs. Parker." Cale exited but not to quickly.

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"I like him, he is so polite." Jessica grinned.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Either one of us is right or we're too mixed up in fighting that we don't know what is real anymore." he said, shaking his head.

He gave a nod to Cale as he left.

"He is," Joseph said, smoking more on his almost forgotten cigar. "a lot better then Gaston." He said, blowing out a puff of smoke. "I still don't get how Gaston was hired; it wasn't my choice, I remember that much..." He said, disliking the fact that Gaston was still working at the Opera House.

{OOC: I think it would work if Jessica didn't know about Gaston's ways. Not that's she's navie or anything, but he could play the part when she's around and the girls never come to either Korso or Jessica about Gaston. What do you think?}

(OOC: Sounds about right... this is when she really finds out. Gaston acts right around her so she never thought of something like that going on. Joey can tell her. oh and Rodger will be the name of Jessica's husband ^^ )

Jessica nodded. "I think we just get too caught up with the fighting we both want things our way and we both think we are doing what is best for the House, so I think we are just going to have to keep trying."

She looked at him confused. "What do you mean about Gaston he always seemed descent enough when I speak with him. He had excellent references when he was hired. And no it wasn't me that hired him. It was right before Rodger died that Gaston was hired. What's wrong with him?" She asked curiously.

"I remember, and I told Rodger he wasn't a good choice..." He said, putting out his cigar in the ashe tray.

He looked up at her, giving her a "you're kidding, right?" look, before it dawned on him. "Ah, right, no one has told you, though, they haven't told me either." He said, leaning back in his chair, in thought. "Gaston... he's a womanizer, Parker, to put it in the simplest way possible. I know he's been messing with the girls rooms and showers on occasion, but I haven't been abler to catch him yet and none o the girls want to report him so we can fire him. They feel that it would show that they're weak or something. And don't you start calling me sexiest, I've heard a number of them say that."

Jessica's eyes widened in surprise and anger. To distract herself slightly she stood and took a cigar from Josephs cigar box and lit up. She had gotten a bit of a taste for cigars when she married Rodger. He had thought it was sexy when she smoked and she had just never given up the habit.

"I know your not sexist. Your a pain in my rear but you care for those that work under you almost as if they were your children. I know you wouldn't lie about something like this. You might not be a gentleman but you respect woman, at least in the most important way."

She took a deep breath of her cigar. "We still need to figure out how were going to work on the next production. When do you want to hold the next auditions?" She asked trying to move on from the subject. She would be keeping an eye on Gaston now that she knew about it.

He'd never get used to her smoking those cigars. "Help yourself." He said, not caring if she had one or not.

"As soon as things can settle a bit... probably after this party of yours." He stated, standing up and moving over to his scotch. "Want a drink?" He asked, pouring himself one.

Jessica nodded. "Yes please. After that information I need something that will make me less likely to put this stub in that morons eye." She growled out. She tapped off a bit of ash into the ash tray. She might not like Joseph much but she wouldn't disrespect him by messing up his office.

"I promise you I do want this for the patrons but it's all for the house and those here performers and back stage. I care about all of them. You know that right?" She looked at him slightly hopefully. She took a sip of her drink.

He handed her the glass he had originally poured for himself before pouring another one for him. "Tell me about it..." He muttered, rolling his eyes.

He looked at her for a moment before taking a sip of his own drink. "Yeah, I suppose. You just keep throwing the patrons on everyone more then Rodger ever did. I get it, we always need the support, but I still don't want the Opera House to only be about the "patrons" the rest of the stars get the light, but a lot of the work goes to who is behind the stage, bringing the show to life. The stars and stage hands work just as hard,. but the patrons care nothing for the other half of the Opera House..." Joseph said, as he moved to sit back down in his chair.

He stared at his glass of scotch for a moment. "Just don't let that party be too focused on the patrons, all right?" He said, quietly, before taking another sip of his drink.

Jessica nodded. "I'll do my best. That's why I plan on it being a Masquerader so the patrons won't bitch about spending time around the lowly stage hands." She said the last time bit sarcastically rolling her eyes. "I hate how they are but that's what can I do against those elitists? And I'll tell you something. I'm saving a lot of the money we get. We need to be prepared. Especially now with these murders. I want to make sure that if something happens to me or even to you there will be enough money for the house to go on until we could be replaced." She took in a bit more smoke and sipped more of her drink.

He sighed. "as much as I hate the idea of ever leaving this place, that's a pretty smart move you're doing." He said, before tossing the rest of his drink down his throat.

"Gah! Hope the police catch the psycho! We really don't need that for publicity." He said, leaning back into his chair.

Jessica nodded scowling. "Tell me about it." She lifted on of her legs up showing her incredibly spiked heel. "I'd like to stab this through the murdering bastards eye and watch him slowly bleed out around my heel on the ground and that's just for the bad publicity he's given us. If I had half a chance I'd make the suffering a good deal longer and more painful for the loss of those that once called this place home." She drank down her drink setting the glass back on the desk.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Whoa, never knew you were such a hardcore lady, Parker." He stated, as he took a quick look at her legs before leaning his head back again.

"Did Rodger know this side of you?" He asked, his eyes closed.

Jessica smirked before taking a drag from her cigar. She blew a few smoke rings grinning. "He learned quickly. I didn't have a high important family to send me to school. My parents had to work multiple jobs and save every penny they could to send me to what I now know was actually a mediocre performance school. But it was the best they could do. Looking the way I do I had to protect myself. You would be surprised at the number of men that I have pressed under the edge of my heels though the years." She smirked.

She remembered once on the way home from a date with Rodger and how someone tried to mug them. She was fairly certain that the man had a hole in his foot where she attacked him with her heel. He had limped away as fast as he could while bleeding.

"Fact is Rodger loved strong woman. The first time he saw me preform was in Ride of the Valkyries. The Norse warrior woman. After we got together he loved when I took control of what we were doing." She smirked at him. Her implication would be obvious to most but she remained a lady in how she spoke of it.

Joseph let out a low whistle. "Damn. Pardon the language." He said, chuckling.

He stood up from his chair and moved to the window. "Tell me... you ever miss Rodger?" He asked, feeling he knew the answer, but wanted to hear it.

The guy was his best friend... Now that he was gone, he really didn't have that with anyone anymore.

I've got Meg, who was there for me when Rodger passed... He thought, before shaking his head.

Jessica smiled softly and got a far off look in her eyes. She crossed her legs and sighed as she thought of her late husband. "I miss him all the time. Missing him dulls with time but it never goes away all the time. It's like beauty and hate. The real stuff fades but it never dies." She turned and smiled at him.