Chapter 2
The next morning, at ten minutes til nine, Sharon was at the Plaza building. She was opening the door to the building when her phone rang.
Reaching in her bag for her phone, she answered quickly, knowing who it was.
"I'm already here Kate," she said shaking her head with a small laugh.
"Just making sure my client is at her appointment on time. I'm surprised you're there so early."
"I do know how to make a good impression. Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"I'm just joking with you. You always kill at these auditions. You'll do great."
"Thanks. I'll call you after to let you know how it goes."
"Alright. Good luck, girl. Bye."
"Bye."
Putting her phone on silent, Sharon walked up to the man behind the lobby desk.
"Hi, I'm Sharon. I'm here for..."
He smiled. "I know why you're here. Do you have your résumé?"
"Yes," Sharon said taking it out of her bag.
"I'll make sure it get to who needs it. You can have a seat. It will be a few minutes."
Sharon thanked him and sat in one of the chairs. She watched him disappear behind some doors. Shaking her head, she started picking nervously at her fingers. The man returned a few minutes later without her résumé. He smiled politely at her as he took his spot behind the desk again.
The ten minutes passed very slowly. Sharon had looked at the time every minute. Now she remembered why she hated getting places so early. The wait was enough to drive her crazy.
At nine on the dot, a tall, dark man walked from behind the closed door towards Sharon. She jumped to her feet and put on her smile.
"Sharon, it's nice to meet you. I'm Adam Blackstone. I'm the musical director."
"It's nice to meet you Adam," Sharon shook his hand.
"Do you need anything set up for your audition?"
"Just a piano."
"Then we're all set for you," he said with a smile.
Sharon followed him to the doors that led them down a long hallway. She took a few quiet deep breaths to calm her nerves. Adam opened the door to a large, high ceiling room. When Sharon walked in, she saw two men sitting in chairs by the piano. And the only thought she had when she saw them was 'holy shit'.
She recognized both men. One was Jeff, who she had worked with a few times over the years and considered him a friend. She opened her mouth to speak to him, but nothing came out. She wasn't use to being rendered speechless, because in this business she had met many artists who had made a big name for themselves.
But this time, she couldn't help it. Because the other man in the room was Justin Timberlake. Shit! Sharon cursed to herself, this was bigger than huge.
Justin was out of his seat as soon as she walked in and closed the distance between them.
"Sharon, it's nice to meet you. I'm Justin."
"Nice to meet you too, Justin," she said shaking his extended hand. She had to recover fast. Her inner teenager was doing a combination of jumping, screaming and crying. But on the outside, she was as cool as can be. Thank God she had the ability to hide her emotions well.
"I've heard great things about you," he said, bringing her back to his eyes.
"I hope I can live up to it," she said with a smile.
"Good to see you again," Jeff said coming up to her and giving her a hug.
"You too Jeff. It's been a while."
"Too long," he agreed.
The three men walked towards the piano and chairs with Sharon following them. They sat down in their chairs, leaving Sharon standing in front of them.
"What will you be doing for us today?" Justin asked.
"I'll be playing piano and singing."
"Whenever you're ready," he said with a warm smile.
Sharon set her bag down and walked to the piano and sat down. Playing piano always seemed to calm her nerves down in auditions. And now that she knew who she was auditioning for, she knew what piece she was going to play.
Years ago, Sharon had taken her favorite classical piece and arranged it into a jazz piece. Many times before, she had played it at auditions and had been told she had gotten the job because of it. It showcased not only her ability to create something of her own but her versatility as a pianist and artist.
"Do you mind if I play a few notes to get the feel of the piano?" She asked.
Justin smiled. "Not at all. Take your time."
Sharon smiled nervously and placed her fingers on the soft keys. Playing a few scales, she got the feel of how the keys responded then stopped. Wiping her hands on her pants, she took a deep breath and began.
Once she started playing, Sharon never looked at the men in the room. So when she finished and took her fingers off the keys, she was pleasantly surprised to see them all smiling at her. Letting out the air she had been holding in, Sharon relaxed some.
"I told you she was great," Jeff whispered to Justin.
Justin stood up and walked over to the piano, letting his fingers run over the smooth black surface.
"That was..." He struggled for the word. "Incredible. Wow. Can I sit?"
Sharon moved over to make room for him on the bench. She honestly didn't know how she was surviving this right now. Justin Timberlake said her playing was incredible. And now he sat next to her on the piano bench, their shoulders touching slightly.
Justin could tell she was nervous. He felt her shake slightly against his arm. "Don't be nervous. I don't bite...hard," he added with a grin.
Sharon relaxed a little and laughed with him.
"Was that a piece that you arranged yourself? I've ever heard it before. Nothing close to it actually."
"Yes, I arranged it a few years ago."
"It's impressive."
"Thank you."
"I would like to hear you sing. I've heard nothing but rave reviews from Jeff about your voice."
Jeff winked at her and she smiled and shook her head at him. "I love to sing. What would you like to hear?" She asked looking at Justin. Something told her he wanted to pick the song for her.
Justin placed his hands on the keys and played a few notes. He thought for a minute then chose a song that he thought would show off her range and style of singing but also how she could make something her own.
"Do you know Jar of Hearts well enough?" He asked.
"I do."
Justin played a few chords on the piano in the key of the song.
"Will this key work for you?"
Sharon hummed a few notes in her lower range and nodded. "Yes, it will work fine."
"Ready?" He asked. Sharon nodded her head yes.
Justin played the first chord of the song and Sharon took a deep breath before doing what she knew how to do best, sing. Letting the music take over her, Sharon sang the very best she could.
Justin watched out of the corner of his eye as he provided the accompaniment. She was blowing him away. As soon as she opened her mouth and sang that first low note of the song, he was hooked. He wanted to hire her on the spot.
With every passing word, Justin became more and more caught up in her voice. It was beautiful. Strong. Unwavering. Natural. He caught the looks on Jeff and Adam's face and knew they were thinking the same things as he was.
When the song was finished, Sharon opened her eyes and looked next to her at Justin. He was smiling.
"Was that alright?" Sharon asked nervously.
"It was beautiful, Sharon. You have a strong voice."
Sharon's cheeks became flushed. She could blush at the drop of a pin, but get Justin Timberlake complimenting her on something and she felt like her face was on fire.
Justin went quiet for a minute as he thought of an idea. Sharon watched him curiously, not knowing whether to say something or not.
He got the flash of a small smile on his face then looked at her with hope.
"Do you know the song Paperweight by..."
"Joshua Radin?" Sharon asked immediately.
He grinned. "Yes! You know it?"
"I sing it all the time. It's a favorite of mine."
"Mine too. I want to song it with you."
Getting up from the bench, Justin walked over to where his guitar laid in its case behind the chairs. He took it out the came back to the bench. He strummed a few strings, tuning it.
Sharon sure hoped she could find her voice again when it was time to sing because right then, she couldn't form any coherent words if asked to. This audition was everything beyond her imagination. Her heart was beating out of her chest.
"You sing the melody," he said strumming the beginning notes of the song, to set the key for them.
Nodding her head, she put all of her annoying teenager tendencies out of her mind and opened her mouth.
"Been up all night," Sharon began.
"Staring at you. Wondering what's on your mind." Justin joined her. As soon as their voices combined, he got chills.
"I've been this way,
With so many before,
But this feels like the first time.
You want the sunrise,
To go back to bed.
I want to make you laugh."
Together their eyes locked and they smiled as they continued the song, just doing what they both knew how to do best. It was natural, easy, and their voices together just worked.
"Mess up my bed with me.
Kick off the covers,
I'm waiting.
Every word you say I think,
I should write down.
I don't want to forget,
Come daylight."
Unknown to them, Jeff had taken out his phone and from where he was sitting, he had been recording them. Somehow he knew one of them would want to remember this moment. To hear and see what he was witnessing. Because it was magic.
"Happy to lay here,
Just happy to be here,
I'm happy to know you.
Play me a song,
Your newest one.
Please leave your taste on my tongue.
Paperweight on my back,
Cover me like a blanket."
After the last words were sung, Sharon held onto this moment as she watched Justin's fingers move across the strings of his guitar, finishing off the song. Even if she didn't get the job, whatever it was, she knew this day would be one she always remembered.
Justin looked up at her and smiled. Now more than ever he wanted her for this job. He set his guitar down and got right to the point.
"I'm going to be releasing new music soon. The only people that know about it are the people that need to know. I'm putting together a band to back me up. The band is going to be called the Tennessee kids," he explained, making Sharon smile at that. "Anyways, it's going to turn into a busy couple of years. I will be having appearances and concerts coming up soon here in the states and overseas. Eventually going on tour. I'm looking for someone who is available for all of that. If you're offered the job, would you be interested?"
"Very much so," Sharon quickly jumped at, then inwardly yelled at herself for sounding so eager. "Yes, I would be interested in it," she said a little more calm.
Justin chuckled. "Good."
"It's great that you're putting music out again."
"Thank you. I'm really excited about it." He smiled and Sharon about melted in front of him.
They stood up from the piano and stood with Jeff and Adam.
"I'll need you to sign a disclosure agreement. Can't have this leaking before we're ready."
"I understand. Your secret is safe with me."
Adam got the packet of papers together and brought them to Sharon to read and sign. It was a large packet and Sharon's eyes grew big.
"I'll go over it with you," Adam said with a laugh.
"Thank you," Sharon said.
Justin stood with his back to Sharon, talking quietly with Jeff.
"She's great. Better than I expected."
"I told you. She can do anything you ask her to do. I've seen it," Jeff said.
Adam left Sharon reading a few of the pages to herself, and joined the two.
"She needs to get offered the position," Justin said immediately when he came over to them.
"I agree. But we still have half a dozen other woman coming in to audition. She was just the first."
"Then they're fighting for one last spot," Justin clarified. In his mind, out of the two women background vocal positions, Sharon had landed one.
Adam and Jeff smirked and nodded their heads.
"Hey Adam," Sharon called.
"What's up?" He asked going over to her.
He spent a few more minutes with Sharon going over the fine details of the agreement. The last page, Sharon signed and dated it, her hand shaking slightly. She was trying not to get ahead of herself.
Adam walked up to Justin and Jeff. "We're all set."
Justin turned to Sharon and smiled.
"It was great meeting you. Thanks for coming today."
"It was great meeting you too. Can I ask when I'll hear?"
"I'll call you on Friday."
Sharon's eyes got big. "You will call? Not..."
"Oh no. I take care of all of this personally. I will call."
Smiling, Sharon shook his hand hoping he didn't notice her shaking.
"I'll walk you out, Sharon," Jeff told her.
She said goodbye to Justin and Adam and walked out the door alongside Jeff. As soon as they were out of the room, Sharon sighed.
"So you're the one who got me into this, huh?" She asked him with a smile.
"Now why would you think that?"
"Katie told me someone recommended me to audition. That had to be you. You've been grinning big since I walked in like it was your big secret."
"Guilty," Jeff answered.
Sharon laughed. "I owe you big time, Jeff. Thank you. Even if I don't get it, this is huge."
"You're welcome. You were the first person I thought of. I have a feeling you'll get it though. He loved you."
Sharon seemed uncertain and Jeff jumped in to reassure her.
"He seemed..."
Looking up at him, she wondered what he was trying to say.
"What?"
"He was captivated by you."
"Captivated?!" Sharon exclaimed. "You're full of it."
"I'm not," he said with a laugh. "I guess you'll see on Friday."
"And until then I'll be a bundle of nerves."
Jeff gave her shoulder a squeeze. They reached the lobby and stopped walking.
"When did you start working for Justin? The last I knew you were still with Katy Perry."
"I've been Justin's assistant for just a few months now. I'm loving it. He's such a great guy and very easy to work for. Always nice. He's a busy man, let me tell you, but he treats everyone that he works with as his friend."
"That's great, Jeff. I'm glad you're happy. He seems like a great guy."
"He is."
They watched a woman walk in the building and go to the desk. Sharon noticed she handed him her a piece of paper just like she had done before her audition.
"Listen, I've got to get going. It was so good seeing you again," Jeff said giving her a hug.
"You too Jeff. And thanks again."
"Hopefully I'll be seeing you soon," he added before walking away towards the door.
Sharon walked towards the front door to leave, but looked back at the girl that had walked in. Was she here for an audition as well? Possible competition? Or someone she could be working with?
She shook her head, trying not to get ahead of herself, yet again. She had a feeling she was going to be doing that a lot in the next few days. When she got outside, Sharon dug in her bag for her phone and called Katie.
"So how did it go? Who was it with?" Katie said before Sharon could even say hello.
"Hello Katie."
"Talk women."
Sharon was about to go full on teenager on her, but stopped herself. Damnit, she signed an agreement which meant she couldn't even tell Katie. Biting her lip slightly, she held her breath.
"I can't tell you."
"What! But I'm your manager. I deserve to know!"
"Sorry Kate, I signed a disclosure to keep quiet."
"Aww, well damn those things," she huffed. "So how did it go?" "Very well I think."
"Your voice is shaking."
"It was a hell of an audition Katie. I'm a little in awe."
"Oh shit. I knew this was big. It's big isn't it?"
"Bigger than big."
Katie blew out the air in her lungs. "So when do you hear?"
"Friday."
"And then I get to know, right?"
"Hmm..."
"Sharon..."
"The agreement is until January 14."
"That's a week away! You know that right?" Katie complained.
"I know. I'm sorry. I want to tell you, trust me. I need to let this out much more than you think.""It's someone good, right?"
"There are no words to describe how good," she confirmed.
"Damn," Katie groaned. "I guess that's all I get to know for now, huh?"
"Yep."
They talked for a few minutes before hanging up, deciding to hang out later that week. It was going to be a hell of a week waiting to hear.
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