Chapter 12
Dean
Dean woke with a huge stretch, and an even bigger smile. Bayside Grooves had been a colossal success!
The turnout was massive, and the crowd was electric, totally engaged and responsive for the entire performance. The dancers were phenomenal and everything went off without a hitch.
Aside from the minor drama with Johnathan, Dean couldn’t have dreamed of a more perfect performance.
He sighed at the thought of Johnathan. He was going to need to deal with that sooner rather than later. He couldn’t understand how he had allowed the situation to get so out of hand.
It had started innocently enough. About three months ago, Dean had attended a party in L.A.
, where he was introduced to Johnathan. They hit it off fairly well and had a decent, relaxed conversation.
Dean said he enjoyed Johnathan's work on his Netflix series, and Johnathan was a fan of his music.
Their conversation lasted all of fifteen minutes, but the next day, pictures of the two of them started circulating on social media.
The pictures were reasonably innocuous…them laughing, clinking glasses in a toast, and one photo of them hugging.
Of course, the comments went wild, speculating how long they had been dating, creating stupid couple names, etc. Dean figured he’d just let it die down, as most things did on social media. After all, it wasn’t that big a deal.
But to his surprise, Johnathan attended one of his shows in San Francisco a few weeks later.
He insisted on taking a few selfies, which, of course, immediately ended up online.
Then, it happened again about a month later.
That time, Johnathan had brought a cameraman with him.
It was then that Dean informed Johnathan, quite sternly, that photographs were not allowed backstage at his shows.
Johnathan seemed genuinely apologetic at the time, and the backstage visits stopped.
But when the photos stopped, Johnathan began talking about them on interviews and talk shows. He didn’t come straight out and say they were dating, but whenever the question arose, he would coyly tap dance around the subject or answer with a vague response that hinted there was truth to the rumor.
Dean needed to put a stop to it, and simply banning him from backstage wouldn’t cut it. He’d handle it, but that was a tomorrow problem.
Now that Bayside Grooves was behind him, Dean could proceed with his next project. He showered and dressed hurriedly before happily bouncing down to the second floor to meet his staff for brunch.
As he stepped off the elevator and rounded the corner toward the kitchen and dining area, Dean noticed he was the last to arrive. The office staff and dancers had all assembled, helping themselves to coffee and the catered brunch buffet setup on the counter.
The smell was amazing and Dean’s stomach growled in response.
David was last in line and Dean sidled up behind him. “Good morning, David.”
He turned with a start. “Oh! Good morning, Dean. You scared me.”
Dean chuckled. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you before you’ve had your caffeine.”
David smiled and moved ahead as the line progressed.
“You did great last night. How are you liking the job so far?” Dean asked as he poured his coffee.
David smiled ear to ear. “Last night was fantastic! It was the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.” Then David’s smile turned timid. “This is my dream job. I’m definitely enjoying it. I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
Dean hummed in approval as he doctored his coffee with cream and sugar.
After filling his plate from the buffet, Dean sat next to David at the end of the table and quickly scarfed down a bagel and some fruit.
He could feel David’s tension as he sat beside him. Did he make David nervous?
Dean paused. He wasn’t sure he should approach the topic with the kid, but his paternal instinct kicked in and he proceeded.
“Look, David, I want you to know you can always talk to me about anything. I may only be a few years older than you, and I may be ‘the boss’,” Dean said with air quotes.
“But I’m a pretty good listener if you ever need advice.
” Dean shifted slightly and put his hand on David’s forearm.
“No pressure. Just know, my door is always open. Well…you should probably knock first…but you know what I mean.” Dean winked and smiled.
David looked on the verge of tears. “Thank you, Dean,” he said with a cracked voice and weak smile. “I think I might just take you up on your offer…one day soon.”
“I hope you do. I look forward to it.“
Dean patted his arm, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and stood.
“Everyone. Can I have your attention?” Dean stepped to the front of the room to position himself next to the PowerPoint presentation that Jordan had set up earlier.
“Please continue to eat if you’re not finished.
And of course, help yourself to more. As always, any leftover food will be taken to the local LBGTQ shelter.
” That comment earned a round of applause from the room.
Dean swept his gaze over the gathered staff, finding all the dancers sitting together as usual. “First, I want to say how proud I am of you. You did an incredible job last night. Did you guys have fun at Bayside Grooves?”
“Hell Yeah!” Jax exclaimed. “It was amazing.”
The other dancers nodded in unison as they chewed their food.
“Great.” Dean smiled. “I was extremely happy with the performance. Now…I have another question for you,” Dean said with a devilish look in his eyes. “Would you like to do it again?”
“Absolutely!” Sean responded as the guys nodded energetically.
Dean bit his bottom lip with a little smirk. “How would you like to do it again, twelve weeks in a row?”
That question earned puzzled looks from the dancers as they all looked at each other in confusion.
Dean continued, “Bayside Grooves was sort of a test run. If it went well, I intended to move forward with my master plan.” Dean tented his fingers together like a movie villain and Jordan giggled off to the side.
“Obviously, Bayside Grooves was a huge success.” Dean picked up the clicker with a flourish for the video presentation. “So, now…we…are going on a world tour!” Dean clicked the first slide of the presentation to display…
DJ DVLN
LIGHTS UP – WORLD TOUR
The dancers all gasped, then clapped and whooped…
“Fuck! Yeah! Let’s Gooooo!” Nelly shouted, pure excitement etched across his face.
Dean smiled and continued, “The tour will begin in ten months, and it will run for twelve weeks. We will be playing large arenas, similar to Bayside Grooves.”
“Hell Yeah!” Justin shouted. “I’m so ready for this!”
Dean chuckled. “I’m glad you’re excited. I am too. Here’s the rundown of the tour.” Dean clicked to the next slide to present a picture of New York City.
“We will start the tour in New York, at Madison Square Garden.” Everyone hummed in agreement and excitement.
“Then, we move across the pond.” Dean moved to the next slide. “To Wembley Stadium in London.”
The dancers gasped in unison and Dean advanced to the next slide with a grin.
“Next, it’s Rome, Italy, at the Olimpico di Roma.”
“Holy shit! For real?” Jax muttered with a dumbfounded look.
“After Rome, we move on to the Stade de France, in Paris,” which drew another loud gasp from the room.
Dean advanced to the next slide.
“Then, we come back to North America, to Scotia Bank Arena in Toronto, Canada.”
Dean smiled at everyone, wide eyed and leaning forward in their seats.
“Then, we move out west, to BC Place in Vancouver, Canada. After that, we come home for a week and perform at Levi’s Stadium, right here in San Francisco.”
That led to a round of applause from the room.
“Next, we travel south, to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, then we move back to the east coast, to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.”
Dean stopped to check the pulse of the room. Everyone was still fixated on the presentation, awestruck and a little dazed.
“From Miami, we head up to Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.”
“Whoa,” Harry murmured. “These venues are huge.”
Dean smirked. “After Atlanta, it’s Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. And our final stop on the tour is…Soldier Field in Chicago, for Pride Fest.”
Dean paused for a moment. “If everything goes well, meaning strong ticket sales, there could be a second leg of the tour, with stops in Japan, South Korea, Dubai, Thailand, Singapore, The Philippines, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil.”
Dean closed the presentation and peered around the room. Everyone looked shell-shocked. A few folks didn’t seem to be breathing.
“So…what do you think?”
After a short pause, David grinned and said, “I think I’m scared shitless.”
The room erupted in laughter and agreement.
Dean held up his hands. “Yes. I know this is big, and these are much larger venues than we are used to playing, but Bayside Grooves proved it…we can pack a large venue, and kick ass in the process. So, what do you say? Are you ready for a fucking world tour?”
“Yes!” Everyone shouted in unison, pounding their fists on the table. The level of exhilaration in the room was at 100, which was exactly what Dean had been hoping for. All the countless hours of work, practice, rehearsals, social media promotions, and bullshit were about to pay off.
The tour was going to be epic!
“Excellent!” Dean clapped his hands. “Now, some important items. We will have rehearsals off-site. The stage will be much bigger, so the rehearsal studio here isn’t large enough. Jordan will send information about the rehearsal space and dates.
"Everyone will need a valid passport. If you don’t have a passport, or yours has expired, Jordan can help you secure one or get your renewal before we begin the tour.
Jordan has also emailed everyone the dates for the tour.
We will be gone for twelve weeks, so please be sure your personal schedules are completely clear for the tour.
I will arrange for cleaning and maintenance in the building, and your apartments, while we’re gone. ”
Dean paused and took a moment to survey the room before continuing.
“Typically, we will arrive in town on a Monday or Tuesday and perform on a Friday or Saturday night. That means you will definitely have free time each week to explore the cities you’re in.
Of course, I will cover all your travel expenses. We will be flying via private jet.”
“Yes ma’am!” Sean snapped his fingers with a twirl.
“Jordan will book everyone’s hotel accommodations, and we will have meals together. Everything will be taken care of. You’ll only spend your own money if you decide to go shopping or out to a meal on your own.”
“Oh, honey, you best believe I am going shopping in Paris!” Jax exclaimed with a finger snap.
“And Rome. Don’t forget about Rome.” Dean laughed before checking the room once more. Everyone was breathing again and seemed more settled into the idea.
“Does anyone have any questions?” He was met with silence and head shakes.
Dean smiled as hope blossomed in his chest. “This will be a lot of work, but it will also be a lot of fun. I’m excited for this adventure, and I’m happy you’ll all be with me. Now…go enjoy your day.”