Chapter 47

Sara could hear the strains of Richie’s guitar again as she turned on the taps to fill the tub, adding some bath foam and filling the tub as high as it would go. She piled her hair on top of her head then stripped off her clothes, dropping them on the counter before stepping into the steaming water. It was very hot, and it took her a few minutes to lower herself in, feeling the heat unknotting her muscles as she relaxed amid the bubbles.

She’d forgotten to check the time before she came into the bathroom, but caught sight of a clock which read just after six pm. Half an hour, she thought, closing her eyes and submitting to the heat.

Jon and Richie finished up working on a new song - they always seemed to do their best work in hotels. They had the lyric down, but all they needed to do now was work out the finer points of the melody. Jon looked at his watch - after seven pm, and not a sound from Sara. He stood up, stretching his back, then went to the fridge and grabbed a diet coke.

“I’m just gonna see if Sara’s okay - she’s been awfully quiet.”

Richie nodded, in the process of trying to put chords against what they’d done, and Jon left him to it. In the bedroom and no sign of Sara, so Jon pushed open the bathroom door, seeing her in the tub with her eyes closed.

“Baby?” He said softly, and she rolled her head toward his voice, eyes still closed.

“Mmmmmm?”

Jon came over and sat on the edge of the tub, seeing the sweat on her face. He dabbled his fingers in the water, amazed at the heat, then he gently rolled the dewy can of coke across her forehead.

“Ohhhhhh that’s nice…….”

Sara opened her eyes, looking up at Jon, then seeing the clock behind him.

“Oops! I only meant to be a half hour. Sorry!”

“It’s fine. Here - I brought you a cold drink - looks like you need it!”

Sitting up straighter, Sara took the can from him and had a long sip. Jon ran a finger down her cheek, wiping the sweat away, then Sara handed him back the can.

“Could you give me a towel, please?”

“Sure.”

He went to the rack and got a towel, bringing it across to the bath as Sara stood up, her whole body glowing dull red from the water and bubbles sliding down her sides.

“You look like a lobster.”

“I know, I………..whoa……” Sara sat down hurriedly on the edge of the tub, hands trembling as she gripped the side.

“What’s wrong?” Jon dropped the towel to the floor as he stepped forward.

“Whoooooo……..nothing, babe, I’m fine. Just spent too long in the heat, I guess. Makes me dizzy. I’ll be fine in a minute.”

Frowning, Jon picked up the towel again, wrapping it around her. He put an arm around her shoulders and Sara leaned into him, her head bowed to try to combat the dizziness.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Mm-hm.”

Jon wasn’t convinced, especially since he could feel her body trembling against him, and he half-stood, lifting her bodily out of the tub. Sara didn’t even protest, just wrapped her wet arms around his neck and snuggled close as Jon carried her through to the bed. He laid her gently on the mattress, still holding her as he lay down beside her, trying to still her shakes by holding her tightly. After a few minutes, it seemed to work, and Sara relaxed more as the woozy feeling eased away, then she pulled slightly back from Jon.

“I’ve made you all wet.” She said, pointing to the damp patches on his shirt and pants where she’d been pressed against him.

“Doesn’t matter. Are you okay now?”

Carefully, Sara sat up, but her head felt clear again.

“I think so. It’s happened before…..just usually I don’t have a gorgeous rock star to cuddle me until I feel better. You really are just too sweet, aren’t you?”

“I thought you liked sweet things?”

“Oh, I do.” Sara leaned down to give him a quick kiss. “I’d better go wash my hair.”

Jon swung his legs to the floor, sitting on the edge of the bed, and Sara wriggled around to sit beside him, pulling the towel with her. The hot water had made the bite on her shoulder more evident again, and Jon kissed it lightly.

“At least your dress covers that up.” He said, and she smiled.

“Not why I picked it out, but I guess it does. I actually tried that dress on to make you laugh - didn’t expect you to like it.”

“I just hope Richie’s heart can cope with seeing you in that.” Jon joked. “He’s older than me, you know - it might be too much for him.”

Sara smiled as she got off the bed, heading for the bathroom again. She quickly showered and washed her hair, putting on one of the fluffy bathrobes she found on the rack, then returning to the bedroom. Opening her overnight bag, she looked for the underwear she’d packed, but couldn’t find it. She looked at Jon, who was flicking through a newspaper.

“Jon - I did put underwear in here, didn’t I?”

He looked shifty, glancing away quickly and trying to act innocent, but all he managed to do was make Sara suspicious.

“Huh? If there isn’t any there, I guess you forgot. Again.”

“No, I didn’t forget. Jon?”

He grinned at her sheepishly. “Well, maybe I took it out again. I like when you don’t wear any.”

“But, Jon, the length of that skirt……I guess I’d better not bend over, huh?”

“It’s not that short. You’ll be fine - I’ll just have to stay close all night, won’t I?”

Sara shook her head at him in exasperation, but she really couldn’t force herself to be angry with him, not when he was looking at her like that! She went back to the bathroom and found the hairdryer, starting to blowdry her hair as Jon walked in, shirtless, heading for the shower. He dropped his pants to the floor then opened the shower door, reaching in to turn on the water. Sara watched him in the mirror, watching the muscles of his back and ass change shape as he stretched forward, then feeling deprived when he stepped into the shower, closing the door.

Hair dried, she went back to the bedroom to relax for a little while, opening Jon’s newspaper as she lay across the bed. Nothing exciting, at least nothing good, but then good news rarely made it into the paper, and she folded it shut again as Jon emerged in a robe to match hers. He came straight to the bed, sitting down beside her and rolling her onto her back so he could kiss her. She drew his tongue into her mouth, her hand behind his head, but when she felt Jon loosening the belt of her robe, she pulled away.

“Nuh-uh. Richie’s next door. Besides, I just showered, and so did you.”

Jon sighed and flopped down next to her.

“Richie wouldn’t hear a thing - unless you were planning on screaming.” Sara pushed him for that, and he grinned as he continued. “But I can wait until later. Hell, if I’ve to watch you in that dress all night, there’s no way on earth I’m not making love to you later.”

Sara smirked at him. “Well, okay then, if you insist! But right now I need to get ready.”

She sprang off the bed, out of his reach, and a moment later Jon sat up, too. Sara picked up her makeup bag and disappeared into the bathroom while Jon pulled on his shirt and pants, then a pair of boots and he was ready.

“Babe - I’ll be with Richie. Take your time.”

“Okay. I won’t be too long.”

Sara applied her makeup, taking a little more time over it than she normally would, then she brushed her hair out. In the bedroom, she pulled on her dress, zipped it, then sat on the bed to put on her new shoes. Standing up, she turned to the full length mirror, looking at herself uncertainly. Now that she had on heels, she really wasn’t so sure about the dress. Maybe it was too short. Problem was, of course, she didn’t have anything else with her. She went to the bedroom door and peeked out, looking toward the sitting room.

“Jon?” She called.

“Yeah?”

“Ummm - can you come here? I need your opinion. On this dress.”

Jon grinned at Richie, both of them sitting ready to go.

“Baby, you’ve had my opinion. Get in here.”

She almost bit her lip, then remembered the lipstick she had on. Damn. Well, she decided, if they didn’t like it, she’d just stay here in the hotel. Worse places to spend a few hours, right? Taking a deep breath, she left the bedroom and walked to the sitting room, pushing the door open and stepping through.

Jon had his back to the door, but he saw Richie’s jaw literally drop as the door whispered open.

“Holy fuck!” Richie gasped, instinctively standing up to greet Sara, who’d frozen in the doorway.

“It’s too short, isn’t it? I knew it.” She started to back up, but Richie took two long strides and caught her hand.

“I’m sorry. You just……….well, you look amazing, Sara. You looked good last night, but Jesus!”

Now Jon was on his feet, and his gaze slowly travelled her, from the deep red whore heels, up the long bare legs to the skirt, over her curves to the tumble of hair on one shoulder, and finally to her face, with a skilful touch of makeup that enhanced her features. A wide grin spread across his face as he spoke.

“Damn, Sara! I second what Richie said - ‘holy fuck’! You do look amazing, baby.”

She gave a broad smile at their approval, starting to relax a little. “Really? It’s okay?”

“You work on the wrong side of the camera, Sara.” Richie told her with a grin, and Jon nodded agreement.

“So - we ready to go?” Jon asked.

“I am. Well, I will be once I get my bag.” Sara said, and disappeared back to the bedroom, heels clicking on the wooden floor and her long stride, accentuated by the heels, making her hips sway bewitchingly.

Both of the guys watched her go, then Richie turned to Jon.

“You’re one lucky bastard, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know.” Jon said softly. “Come on - let’s get moving.”

“Okay - just let me call down for a car.”

Richie used the hotel phone again to call the front desk, asking for a car to be brought for them, then he and Jon headed out of the sitting room.