I Dated Brian Quinn

Chapter Thirteen

The following Friday, Jackie walked into the meeting room balancing four coffees and a water in one hand and a box of donuts in the other. She was thankful that the guys had left the door open for her.

Joe grabbed the donuts from her hands and she carefully sat the drink tray on the table. Her eyes immediately shot to the stack of magazines in the middle.

She handed Brian the water. She passed Sal, Murr and Joe one of the coffees before taking the final coffee in her own hands. The whole time she kept her eyes on the glossy cover screaming up at her.

Jackie backed away from the table until her back hit the wall. She took a short sip of the hot coffee before she spoke.

"It's started then?" She looked to each of the guys. Joe, Murr and Sal were all focused on the same stack of magazines. Brian's gaze met her own and he nodded.

"They were here this morning when we got here. We haven't opened them. We were waiting for you." Brian reached across and took the first one which signaled permission for the others to grab one too.

Jackie stayed where she was, focusing on her coffee. Brian joined her against the wall as he flipped through the magazine and stopped toward the back.

"Brian Quinn, of Impractical Jokers, was spotted out and about in Times Square with his beautiful personal assistant. Jacklyn Landry has been by his side non-stop for the past few years and it seems the two have developed a love from the formal relationship that they've shared."

She couldn't bring herself to see which pictures they had used. Thankfully, before she looked, Brian closed the pages and Sal spoke up.

"Brian Quinn and his sexy personal assistant have been caught spending their nights together. Jacklyn Landry was spotted arriving at his house and staying until early in the morning. Could a relationship be brewing between one of the sexiest older men on television and his beauty of an assistant?"

"Who the hell writes this crap?" Sal asked, closing the magazine and tossing it across the table. It slid off the other side and fell to the floor.

Brian tossed the magazine he was holding on to the table as well before wrapping his arm around Jackie's shoulders.

"Well, this one's different." Joe bent the magazine pages back on themselves. "Jacklyn Landry, personal assistant to Brian Quinn, of Impractical Jokers, was arrested for assault and battery early Tuesday morning after throwing a beer bottle at the bar owner during a disagreement. Quinn was later seen collecting Landry and a mystery blonde from the Manhattan jail. A representative for Quinn issued a statement saying that the pair would appreciate respect and privacy as they sort through what took place."

Jackie absentmindedly let her fingers trail across the spot on her face where she had sported a nasty scratch for days.

Murr continued to flip through the magazine that he held. He stopped for a moment, glanced up at Brian and then Jackie and closed it without saying a word.

"Screw this." Murr slid the magazine back into the pile without reading from it. "Who cares what they think?"

"Let me see the magazine, Murr." Brian's voice was low, but forceful.

"It's just the same crap, man. Trust me, you don't want to read it." Murr finally said when Brian's eyes turned dark.

"Give me the magazine!" Brian finally yelled.

Murr did as he demanded and then put his head in his hands. Jackie stared straight ahead, aware of the coffee turning cold in her hands.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Brian beside her flipping through the pages. He stopped and then slammed the pages together again before dropping the magazine in the garbage beside him.