Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Pressley
“Pressley, it’s good to see you again.” Easton Masterson greeted me as I stepped inside. “Welcome to our home. Diamond and I prefer to work from here now that we have the twins.”
“Completely makes sense and saves on overhead.”
“I like the way you think,” his husband, Diamond, said as he neared us.
Their office was at the front of the house, which was massive.
Both home and office, that was. “Please, have a seat.” Easton gestured to the leather chair across from theirs at the conference room table.
Yes, their office was big enough for a table that sat twelve, along with a wall of massive screens in front of it.
“We’re happy to have you on board. Our business has grown immensely these last few years, and with Dad retiring, it brought about the need to extend our team.
The members of Social Sinners and Maiden Voyage have chosen to venture off into positions of scouting new talent for us and to mentor.
They rarely tour anymore and prefer to keep to performing at festivals and charitable events only.
With that being said, we’re putting together our first band from scratch, which you’ll have a hand in. ”
“Wow, thanks. That’s exciting.” And something I’d never done before, and being a man driven by challenges, I couldn’t wait to dive in.
Having followed these bands for years, I couldn’t wait until I got to work side by side with them.
Masterson’s business practices were highly regarded within the industry.
They never screwed anyone over and took excellent care of their talent and also took no shit from them, so it was rare that any of their band members dared to step a toe out of line.
“Excellent. Tryouts for the lead guitarist started today. Our stage manager, Wolf, is overseeing it and narrowing it down to the top five. Then you, along with Joey and Stoli, will watch the final round and make the choice together. Joey and Stoli are family, as we consider all our bands and employees to be.”
“Think of us as one big non-blood-related incestuous family,” Diamond chimed in. My jaw hit the floor as the words sunk in.
“Um…” I had nothing.
Easton buried his face in his hands and shook his head. “Please ignore my husband. Though it is true that most members of the Masterson team are related in one way or another, I can assure you that none of those romantically involved are of a shared bloodline.”
“What?” Diamond protested when Easton side-eyed him with a harsh tsk. “It’s true. Whether they’re banging their guards or each other, it’s all in the family. The only two that are blood related are me and Jeremiah.”
“Point taken, my love, though your execution was seriously flawed.” Easton took a moment to gather himself.
“Back to the auditions, if we may. This will be a busy week as we are determined to fill the band positions. Singer auditions are tomorrow, and we’d like the new guitarist to be in attendance for that.
It’s important that the band members vibe, we can’t allow conflicts or holier-than-thou attitudes to be present.
We are a cohesive team at Masterson, and nothing else will be accepted. ”
“Understood and appreciated.” More than they knew. I’d seen shit go south real fast when attitudes came into play.
“We need you to be strong and supportive. Keep an eye on this band as it’s yours to grow.
Completely hands-off isn’t our style, but neither is micromanaging.
Everyone employed by Masterson has our personal numbers and knows that they can reach us at any time, though it’s rare that they do.
Diamond and I have made it clear we are focusing on our family first, hence the need to step back and hire more managers, and that’s where you come in.
As the band manager for Imminent Danger, it will be up to you to resolve issues before they reach upper management. ”
“Imminent Danger, that’s the band name?” Had a great ring to it.
“It is, I picked it,” Diamond said. “The logo makes for a kickass tattoo.”
“About the only place you have room left to ink is your ass.” Wait, did Easton just make a joke?
“Here is the bio we built for the band, which you’ll update as it comes to fruition.
Ah, right on time.” Joey and Stoli I recognized, but the third guy, I hadn’t a clue who he was.
Big smile and curly blonde hair, he was adorable.
“Pressley, Joey and Stoli I’m sure you’re familiar with.
The last gentleman is River, our social media manager, as well as being one of Mickey from Social’s life partners. ”
“Great to meet you all,” I said as we shook hands. “I’m excited to get started.”
“Here’s your laptop, and all the login information is inside the box.
There’s a list of all Masterson bands and the social media accounts for you to follow as well.
It’s a good idea to keep an eye on them.
You never know when someone’s gonna go rogue, and usually they hit social media first.” River had a point.
Humans did enjoy blasting their shit out there for the world to see, whether drunk or sober.
The comfortable comradery amongst them was a new experience for me.
Most employees were stiff when around their bosses, but not this group.
No one was above another and given how long the guys in Social had been friends, I understood why.
They worked together well, and the fact that they chose me over the hundreds, hell, possibly even thousands of applicants they received for this job said a lot.
I’d do my best to never let them or myself down.
But I’ll be honest, to stand in the presence of rock and roll royalty was a bit overwhelming. Given I too was a metalhead, it was hard not to fanboy out. These guys were multi-millionaires who ruled the record charts, yet they acted and dressed like everyday Joes.
This was a dream job, my dream job.
While River and I went over a few things and I signed the NDA along with a pile of other papers, Diamond went to get the babies for Joey and Stoli to drool over.
Guess they were debating on possibly having their own little brood.
Diamond returned with Sal, Easton’s father and founder of Masterson Management, and another woman, possibly the nanny, and each had a baby in their arms.
“Mom, this is our new band manager, Pressley,” Diamond introduced her.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Please, call me Sharon, and this is Everly.” She smiled fondly at the tiny boy in her arms. “I’m also Ethan and Jeremiah’s mother.” It took me a moment to register Diamond’s given name.
“And this is Elizabeth,” Sal proudly announced as he joined us with the little girl he held. “Welcome to the Masterson family.”
“See, Mom and Sal are married, you and I are technically stepbrothers, and we’re married. Incestuous.” The room collectively groaned at Diamond’s choice of words.
“Ethan, I love you more than life itself, but you are not the brightest bulb in this room.” I liked Sharon already. Her son may tower over her, but she had zero trepidation when dealing with him.
“What did I say?”
“Dude,” Stoli laughed. “I’ve got three words for you – Use. A. Dictionary.”
Diamond had a blank look on his face, then shrugged it off and switched to sweet-talking his baby girl. She wrapped her tiny hand around his massive finger. A clear sign she already had her daddy wrapped around her tiny digit.
“Alright, who’s who?” Stoli asked.
“Easton is Papa, and I’m Daddy,” Diamond cooed at his little princess. How funny that they’d chosen for Easton to be called Papa and the mountain of muscle, Diamond, to be Daddy. Their dynamics were fascinating to witness.
Throughout the interview process Diamond and Easton had been open and honest with me, their expectations laid right out and beyond reasonable. Mistakes will happen, Easton had said, we’re all human, but it’s how we move forward after making them that counts.
Family. Whether by blood or found, that was what they were all about, and Masterson practiced what they preached—family came first.
About the time River and I finished, Stoli announced it was time to head out.
“Wolf just texted. The round two guitarists are eating, and as soon as they’re done, he’ll let them know who made the final five.
” He slid his phone into his pocket. “By the time we fight the Seattle traffic, they’ll be ready for us. ”
True, no matter what time of day it was, traffic was inevitable when getting in or out of the city. There were times when it at least moved at more than a snail’s pace, but still, it was a challenge on a good day.
We loaded up in our respective vehicles and headed out to the practice and recording studio.
I hadn’t been there yet, but as part of my portfolio, a list of business connections my band would require was included.
The practice and recording studio, radio station contacts, where we purchased supplies and promo materials from, and storage facilities. Most of which were Masterson-owned.
It was wise to invest back into your own business.
These guys really had great heads on their shoulders.
Any fears I’d had of changing from IT to band management were quickly washed away.
I looked forward to playing a part in their growth and couldn’t wait to have Imminent Danger together and performance ready.
At the gate, each car entered their security code. The Masterson security team ran a tight ship and knew who was where at all times, and this building was no different. I entered the code River had given me, and a few seconds later the gate opened.
“Afternoon, Gwen,” Joey greeted the receptionist as we stepped inside. “Have you met Pressley?”