Someone asked me the other day if Dallas Cowboys billionaire owner, Jerry Jones ever "hit on" me when I worked for him. Answer.. yes, and more than once! He was known about Dallas as a womanizer, larger than life. To me, he was simply the boss. One night he threw a big dinner for all of our staff in a private area of a big restaurant downtown. I had been on board about two months at the time. I found a seat at the long table and sat down, no one yet on either side of me. Imagine my surprise when Jerry came in and passed quickly through the group nodding greetings and smiles, to sit down right beside me. My invisible armor went into overdrive. We'd interacted a few brief times in meetings before that and one time when we were both at the stadium during the day, he came up to me smiling and said in his slow, Arkansas drawl, "Patti baby, you look just like someone oughtta look who works for the Dallas Cowboys." "Thanks, boss." I answered with a smile and briskly moved on, thinking to myself that he was just a piece of work. So now, here I was, trapped. I asked him why he'd fired Tom Landry and he patiently explained his strategy in giving the boot to the Cowboys' adored and legendary coach. Hmm.. I thought, figured that would get him outta my hair, but no such luck, it only seemed to intrigue him. After a few moments, a woman co-worker named Susan, came and sat herself down on the other side of him, bending his ear as much as she could, thankfully. We talked, laughed, had our picture snapped together and he tried throughout the meal to pour shots of tequila down me to no avail. Gimme a break, I was no Sex and the City type, one night stand, with a
married man girl. Not for anybody, even him. Then it came time for a planned awards ceremony for employee performance, with Jerry up front. When my name was called I went up, he hugged me a little too tight and handed me an envelope stuffed full of hundred dollar bills along with a football signed by himself and coach Jimmy Johnson. Back at the table he insisted on writing a personal message on my football under his signature. OY. Thanks Mr. Jones. We all then moved to the dance floor and Jerry kept wanting to dance with me and I kept trying to shake him off. At one point a fan came up to him asking him to sign an autograph and I seized the interruption telling Jerry, "It's late and I am going home now, I've got a big day tomorrow and a long drive, see ya!" I gave him a peck on the cheek as the fan looked on impatiently, and Jerry looked at a loss for words as I made my hasty exit. Good grief!
