Jon grabbed Sara’s bags, slinging the case of cameras and laptop over his shoulder while Richie hugged Sara goodbye, then Tico and Dave did the same. Stopping at the door, Jon just waved and said he’d see them later, then he shook his head as he realised Romeo was already out of the door, lurching sleepily down the corridor.
“Hey, you! C’mere Romeo!” He vanished into the corridor, following the runaway toddler, and the other kids followed, leaving Sara to walk out of the room with Dot.
They walked a short distance in silence, and Sara was just beginning to feel uncomfortable when Dot spoke.
“Stephanie said you love Jon.” She looked across at the younger woman. “Do you?”
The immediate reply that rose in Sara’s mind was ‘what does that have to do with you?’, but she bit her tongue. Jon needed Dot to at least like her a little, to avoid any problems with the kids, so she just nodded slightly.
“I think I do, yes. Why?”
“Because I still love Jon - as a friend - and I don’t want to see him get hurt.”
Sara couldn’t stop herself, saying back quietly but forcefully. “I wasn’t the one who cheated on him, Dorothea. Did you even see the mess he was that night? Trust me, there’s no way on this earth I’m going to hurt him, not like that.”
Dot stopped in her tracks, staring at Sara then, to Sara’s disbelief, she smiled and began to walk again.
“You really do love him.” She said, reaching out to touch Sara’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Sara. That was rude of me. Can I give you one piece of advice, about living with Jon?”
“Of course.” Sara replied, thinking ‘doesn’t mean I’ll pay any attention’.
“Don’t let him push you around. Jon needs love and he needs support, but he also needs you to be strong enough to tell him when he’s wrong.” Dot looked at her searchingly. “I think you are strong enough.”
Now Sara smiled back at Dot. “Thank you.” She said sincerely. “I hope you’re happy with your new man, too.”
“I am. Alec’s a great guy.”
Just at that, they arrived at the cars, and Dot shook Sara’s hand before getting into the car with the kids. Jon was just handing Sara’s bags to the driver of the other car, then he came across to stand beside her, taking her hand as they both waved to the kids.
“I was starting to wonder where you were.” He said with a grin, and Sara smiled up at him.
“I was talking to Dorothea.”
“And….”
“And nothing really. She just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to hurt you, I think.” Sara giggled. “She told me not to let you push me around, too.”
“Did she now?”
“Mmmm.” Turning pleading brown eyes on him, Sara pressed closer to him now that the kids were gone. “Can we go now?”
“Yeah, c’mon baby.” They walked toward the open limo, holding hands. “Your place or mine?” Jon asked.
“I don’t care. I just want to be with you. I don’t care where we go, Jon.”
“Okay, then. My place is closer.” Getting into the limo, Jon told the driver where to take them, then the door was closed and they were cocooned in the luxurious interior, sitting pressed tightly together despite the space available.
“God, I missed you so much.” Jon said, taking one of her hands in his. “That has got to have been the longest two weeks of my life.”
“Mine, too. You wouldn’t believe some of the things my mind has come up with.” She smirked at him wickedly. “I think you’ve brought out my inner slut. This last week, I could barely concentrate on work. All I could think of was how much longer I had to wait to see you, to feel you against me, feel your lips on my skin…..” Her voice trailed away as her cheeks flushed enchantingly, and Jon felt the impact of her words striking low in his belly, the feelings moving swiftly to his crotch, and he gave her a crooked grin.
“Darlin’, unless you want me to strip those clothes off you right here and now, you may want to keep that inner slut under control just a little longer.”
“I don’t know if I can. Not even sure I want to.” She muttered in response, moving even closer, bringing their mouths together in a hungry kiss.
“Sooo…..” Sara whispered as they broke apart to breathe, “….how far is it to your apartment?”
“About forty minutes I guess. Why?”
“Because, when you mentioned a limo the other day, it put something into my mind.” The naughty smile which accompanied her words made Jon draw his lower lip in between his teeth for a second before he replied.
“And what would that be?”
Sara chuckled softly, twisting around to kiss him again, and Jon’s hand curled into her hair as he felt her hand run down his chest, working slowly down to his waist. Her fingers caressed his stomach beneath the t shirt for a moment, then he felt her pop open the button on his jeans and carefully run the zipper all the way down so she could slip her hand inside. As they kissed, Sara gently drew Jon’s cock through the open jeans, her hand stroking him until he was hot and hard against her palm. Jon had one hand under the back of her tunic, but when she felt his other hand drop to the waist of her jeans, Sara pulled back from his mouth with a smile, shaking her head.
As Jon looked at her, slightly confused, Sara slipped to the floor of the limo, kneeling before him and pushing his legs apart so she could move closer. Looking up at Jon, she stroked his hard shaft again, watching him close his eyes with a smile as her hand tightened around him, every pass of her hand driving him on toward orgasm. His eyes opened a few minutes later when he felt the heat of her breath on him, and he groaned as she lightly licked across the sensitive tip of his cock, tasting him before taking him in her mouth. Sara took him as deep as she could without gagging, pressing her tongue hard against him as she raised her head again, hearing him groan again at the pressure.
“Oh, baby…..” she heard his whisper as she took him deep again, and she felt his hand on her head, fingers fisting in her hair as she moved back and forth.
After their enforced separation, and the adrenaline high of the concert, it was only minutes more before Jon came, hot cum flooding into Sara’s mouth, and she swallowed without even thinking about it, his fingers digging into the back of her scalp as he groaned out his release. As his grip on her relaxed, Sara released him from her mouth, and Jon silently leaned forward to pull her back onto the seat next to him.
“Jesus, Sara…..” he said a few moments later, and she gave him a cheeky smile.
“Yes?”
“Boy, am I glad you found that inner slut of yours.” He grinned, then the smile softened as he stroked her face. “I love you, Sara.”
“And I love you, Jon. Besides, it’s your own fault - you were the one who mentioned the limo and put that thought in my head.”
“I’m just glad we’ve still got a little way to go to the apartment. Gives me a chance to get my breath back.”
Sara smiled as she tucked him back into his jeans, then Jon pulled her close again and kissed her, tasting himself in her mouth as his tongue slid between her teeth. Without breaking the kiss, he tugged her across onto his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her, and Sara snuggled her head down onto his shoulder as the kiss ended. She pressed her lips to the side of his neck without moving her head.
“I love you, Jon. I just hope….”
“What, darlin’?”
She sighed. “Nothing.”
“Baby?” He nudged his shoulder against her head. “What is it?”
“Well, when I was talking to Dorothea, it just made me wonder. Am I enough for you? I mean, am I strong enough for you?”
“Enough for me? Sara, sweetheart, I just don’t know if I’m good enough for you. You deserve everything I can give you, and more. You are very, very special to me, baby. Let’s just take it one day at a time.”
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Chapter 114
“So, what did you think, then?” Linda asked as they each grabbed a drink, Sara foregoing any more coffee and sticking with diet coke.
“I think I should’ve found this band a long, long time ago. Are all the shows like that?” Sara’s eyes were shining with the excitement of a newly converted Jovi fan, and Linda laughed.
“I can only ever remember even hearing about one Jovi show which wasn’t good. One in twenty-odd years! And that was in the last tour. They’re probably the best band you’ll ever see live.”
“It was a little strange, though.” Sara admitted. “I hardly recognised Jon at first - he seemed so different from the man I know. Larger than life, really. I don’t know where he gets the energy, either. I was exhausted just watching him!”
“He really is a showman. He can drive a crowd wild with one song, then break your heart with the next one.”
“Richie’s an amazing guitarist.” Sara said, remembering how he’d played Wind Cries Mary. “I don’t think I realised just how good he is. Good voice, too.”
“And the fact that he’s hot as hell doesn’t hurt either!” Linda giggled.
“Funny. I really like him a lot, but I don’t see him that way. I see him more like a big brother.” Sara said with a smile, and now Linda laughed.
“Good thing too! You’d have to fight me for him!”
“No, you’re safe, Linda. I’m more than happy with Jon. In fact, I’m so far beyond happy it’s frightening.”
Unheard by either of them, Jon and Richie had just walked into the room, and they grinned at each other as they caught the end of the exchange between the girls.
“Who exactly are you two cat-fighting over?” Jon asked, then Richie chimed in, laughing. “And can we watch?”
Linda and Sara both jumped as they spoke, swinging around to face them. Sara looked up at Jon, smiling as she saw he really didn’t look so exhausted any more, and she got to her feet readily as he caught her hand and pulled her up close for a hug. By the time he released her, Richie was sitting on the couch next to Linda, holding her tightly with one strong arm as he stole a drink from her glass.
“Want to get out of here?” Jon murmured in Sara’s ear.
“Yes, I do, but what about your kids, Jon?”
“Dot’s taking them home.”
“But you’ll need to say goodbye before they go.”
“Yeah, you’re right. They’ll come down this way, though, so we may as well just wait here.”
They moved apart, coming around the end of one couch to sit on the other. Jon dropped onto the cushions, but Sara picked up her empty coke can before looking at Jon, Linda and Richie.
“Does anybody want anything, before I sit down? I’m going for another drink anyway.”
“I wouldn’t mind a coffee.” Richie said, and Jon asked for coffee, too.
Sara walked across to the buffet table, stroking her hand across Jon’s damp hair as she passed. At the table, she popped open another can of diet coke, taking a quick drink as she poured a couple of mugs of coffee. She picked up a few packs of sugar for Richie’s coffee, and she was just tearing the first one open as somebody walked up beside her. Turning, Sara smiled as she saw Tico, his face lit up with that infectious, mischievous smile as he picked up a bottle of water.
“That was an amazing show.” Sara said to him. “You must be exhausted - you never seemed to stop!”
“You mean you tore your eyes off your man to look at me?” He laughed as she blushed slightly. “I’m flattered, Sara.”
“Was it that obvious?” She asked quietly, a little embarrassed to think she’d been staring at Jon like a star-struck teenager.
Tico patted the back of her hand gently, like a loving uncle.
“No more obvious than the look on Jonny’s face when he saw you on the stage this afternoon.” He grinned broadly. “Jon’s crazy about you, Sara. I haven’t seen him so relaxed and happy in years. You’re good for him, little girl.”
‘Little girl?’ Sara thought, but didn’t say anything, since it didn’t sound as though Tico was being patronising - just sounded kinda nice coming from him. Someone else had heard him though, and she heard Jon’s voice close behind her.
“She’s not a little girl, Tico. Trust me, she’s all growed up.” Sara gasped a little at that comment, digging her elbow back gently into Jon’s stomach as he slipped his arms around her waist, and he laughed as he continued talking to Tico. “Then, again - I guess at your age, T, she is a little girl!”
“Yeah, that’s right, boy!” Tico grinned back at him.
While the three of them stood at the table, Linda remembered something and twisted around under Richie’s arm to look at him.
“So - how did you know I loved that song?”
“Hmmm? Oh, that. Yeah.” Richie looked slightly embarrassed, and Linda wasn’t sure whether she should be worried or not.
“Yeah, that. How did you know?”
“Well, when I was leaving your place the other day - you remember you’d asked me to make sure all your cats were indoors?”
Linda nodded, baffled by what seemed to be an unrelated subject, then she felt her cheeks flush as she realised what he was going to say.
“I couldn’t find one of them - I think you said she was called Rosie - the tiny one. Anyway, I saw a door open, and thought maybe she’d be in there.”
“Damn. You found my theater room, huh? My Jovi room.”
“I guess I did. You have some very big pictures of a very handsome man in there!” He laughed, squeezing her a little tighter, letting her know he was okay with it. “And one of them had a lyric printed across the bottom ‘there’s a painting of you in a beautiful light, it hangs on the wall of my heart’. I figured the song must mean something to you, honey, so when Jon asked me to do a few songs tonight, I wanted to do that one for you.”
“It does mean a lot to me, Richie. God, that song has saved me so many times. Maybe not saved my life, but certainly saved my sanity. Thank you.”
She looked down as she felt her eyes welling up with tears, but Richie’s fingers gently touched under her chin, tilting her head up again so she faced him. He smiled at her, an affectionate, intimate smile, then he wiped away the one tear that escaped. As Linda smiled back at him, he leaned closer to kiss her, his tongue on hers driving away the sadness, replacing it with a hunger that only his loving could satisfy.
“Ahem!” They heard someone clear their throat loudly and theatrically, close by, and pulled apart unwillingly, seeing Jon and Sara sitting on the next couch, Tico just taking a seat on the one across the table from them.
“Sorry - are we interrupting?” Jon asked, and Richie grinned as he pulled Linda close to his side again.
“Yeah, you are.”
Just at that, they heard Dave’s voice out in the corridor, then the higher pitched tones of Jon’s kids just before the boys burst into the room, running straight over to their dad and throwing themselves at him. Sara had shuffled slightly away from Jon when she heard the kids, so there was room enough for Jesse to get onto the couch between them, while Jake clambered onto Jon’s lap. Stephanie walked into the room more sedately, coming over to the couch, but sitting on the arm next to Sara again.
“Did you enjoy the show?” Steph asked, and Sara grinned at her.
“Yes, I most certainly did! I’ve never seen J…..your dad on stage before.”
Now Dot arrived, carrying a sleepy looking Romeo, and she brought him across to Jon so he could say goodbye. Romeo kissed his daddy, then lunged for Sara again, giving her a sloppy kiss, too, while Dot looked slightly stunned.
“He really does like you, Sara.” She said in surprise.
“He’s gorgeous.” Sara replied, taking hold of his fingers as he tried to grab her hair.
“Okay, guys, come on - say good night to dad and we’ll head on home.”
“You coming with us, daddy?” Jake asked, but Stephanie answered him before Jon could.
“Jakey, I told you, daddy’s going back to his new apartment, remember?”
Jake looked a little sad, but he nodded solemnly and then gave Jon a hug and a kiss before sliding to the floor. Jesse - too big for kisses now - hugged his dad, then Jon stood up to hug Stephanie.
“Thanks, Steph. Thanks for looking out for the boys.”
“I love you daddy, and so do the boys. So does Sara - she told me.”
“She did?” Jon pulled back to look down at his daughter, and she nodded.
“Uh-huh. When I was talking to her earlier. I asked her if she loved you and she said she thought she did. I’m glad, dad, because I want you to be happy.”
“Thank you, baby. So long as you guys are happy with things, that’s the important thing.”
He gave her a final squeeze, then let go. As they turned to head for the door, Jon looked down at Sara.
“Sar, if you’re ready to go, we could walk down to the car with the kids?” Neither of them even realised that he’d abbreviated her name, Jon just saying it naturally and Sara accepting it just as easily.
“Sure. I’m ready - just need to grab my bags.”
As she got to her feet, Linda pulled free of Richie’s encircling arm and stood up too, moving over to Sara.
“Great to meet you, Sara. We should try to meet up - go for lunch or something?”
“I’d like that. I don’t have any business cards handy with my number.”
“I’ve got your number.” Richie called from the couch. “I’ll give it to Linda.”
“I bet you will.” Dave murmured, and Linda blushed as she hugged Sara.
“I think I should’ve found this band a long, long time ago. Are all the shows like that?” Sara’s eyes were shining with the excitement of a newly converted Jovi fan, and Linda laughed.
“I can only ever remember even hearing about one Jovi show which wasn’t good. One in twenty-odd years! And that was in the last tour. They’re probably the best band you’ll ever see live.”
“It was a little strange, though.” Sara admitted. “I hardly recognised Jon at first - he seemed so different from the man I know. Larger than life, really. I don’t know where he gets the energy, either. I was exhausted just watching him!”
“He really is a showman. He can drive a crowd wild with one song, then break your heart with the next one.”
“Richie’s an amazing guitarist.” Sara said, remembering how he’d played Wind Cries Mary. “I don’t think I realised just how good he is. Good voice, too.”
“And the fact that he’s hot as hell doesn’t hurt either!” Linda giggled.
“Funny. I really like him a lot, but I don’t see him that way. I see him more like a big brother.” Sara said with a smile, and now Linda laughed.
“Good thing too! You’d have to fight me for him!”
“No, you’re safe, Linda. I’m more than happy with Jon. In fact, I’m so far beyond happy it’s frightening.”
Unheard by either of them, Jon and Richie had just walked into the room, and they grinned at each other as they caught the end of the exchange between the girls.
“Who exactly are you two cat-fighting over?” Jon asked, then Richie chimed in, laughing. “And can we watch?”
Linda and Sara both jumped as they spoke, swinging around to face them. Sara looked up at Jon, smiling as she saw he really didn’t look so exhausted any more, and she got to her feet readily as he caught her hand and pulled her up close for a hug. By the time he released her, Richie was sitting on the couch next to Linda, holding her tightly with one strong arm as he stole a drink from her glass.
“Want to get out of here?” Jon murmured in Sara’s ear.
“Yes, I do, but what about your kids, Jon?”
“Dot’s taking them home.”
“But you’ll need to say goodbye before they go.”
“Yeah, you’re right. They’ll come down this way, though, so we may as well just wait here.”
They moved apart, coming around the end of one couch to sit on the other. Jon dropped onto the cushions, but Sara picked up her empty coke can before looking at Jon, Linda and Richie.
“Does anybody want anything, before I sit down? I’m going for another drink anyway.”
“I wouldn’t mind a coffee.” Richie said, and Jon asked for coffee, too.
Sara walked across to the buffet table, stroking her hand across Jon’s damp hair as she passed. At the table, she popped open another can of diet coke, taking a quick drink as she poured a couple of mugs of coffee. She picked up a few packs of sugar for Richie’s coffee, and she was just tearing the first one open as somebody walked up beside her. Turning, Sara smiled as she saw Tico, his face lit up with that infectious, mischievous smile as he picked up a bottle of water.
“That was an amazing show.” Sara said to him. “You must be exhausted - you never seemed to stop!”
“You mean you tore your eyes off your man to look at me?” He laughed as she blushed slightly. “I’m flattered, Sara.”
“Was it that obvious?” She asked quietly, a little embarrassed to think she’d been staring at Jon like a star-struck teenager.
Tico patted the back of her hand gently, like a loving uncle.
“No more obvious than the look on Jonny’s face when he saw you on the stage this afternoon.” He grinned broadly. “Jon’s crazy about you, Sara. I haven’t seen him so relaxed and happy in years. You’re good for him, little girl.”
‘Little girl?’ Sara thought, but didn’t say anything, since it didn’t sound as though Tico was being patronising - just sounded kinda nice coming from him. Someone else had heard him though, and she heard Jon’s voice close behind her.
“She’s not a little girl, Tico. Trust me, she’s all growed up.” Sara gasped a little at that comment, digging her elbow back gently into Jon’s stomach as he slipped his arms around her waist, and he laughed as he continued talking to Tico. “Then, again - I guess at your age, T, she is a little girl!”
“Yeah, that’s right, boy!” Tico grinned back at him.
While the three of them stood at the table, Linda remembered something and twisted around under Richie’s arm to look at him.
“So - how did you know I loved that song?”
“Hmmm? Oh, that. Yeah.” Richie looked slightly embarrassed, and Linda wasn’t sure whether she should be worried or not.
“Yeah, that. How did you know?”
“Well, when I was leaving your place the other day - you remember you’d asked me to make sure all your cats were indoors?”
Linda nodded, baffled by what seemed to be an unrelated subject, then she felt her cheeks flush as she realised what he was going to say.
“I couldn’t find one of them - I think you said she was called Rosie - the tiny one. Anyway, I saw a door open, and thought maybe she’d be in there.”
“Damn. You found my theater room, huh? My Jovi room.”
“I guess I did. You have some very big pictures of a very handsome man in there!” He laughed, squeezing her a little tighter, letting her know he was okay with it. “And one of them had a lyric printed across the bottom ‘there’s a painting of you in a beautiful light, it hangs on the wall of my heart’. I figured the song must mean something to you, honey, so when Jon asked me to do a few songs tonight, I wanted to do that one for you.”
“It does mean a lot to me, Richie. God, that song has saved me so many times. Maybe not saved my life, but certainly saved my sanity. Thank you.”
She looked down as she felt her eyes welling up with tears, but Richie’s fingers gently touched under her chin, tilting her head up again so she faced him. He smiled at her, an affectionate, intimate smile, then he wiped away the one tear that escaped. As Linda smiled back at him, he leaned closer to kiss her, his tongue on hers driving away the sadness, replacing it with a hunger that only his loving could satisfy.
“Ahem!” They heard someone clear their throat loudly and theatrically, close by, and pulled apart unwillingly, seeing Jon and Sara sitting on the next couch, Tico just taking a seat on the one across the table from them.
“Sorry - are we interrupting?” Jon asked, and Richie grinned as he pulled Linda close to his side again.
“Yeah, you are.”
Just at that, they heard Dave’s voice out in the corridor, then the higher pitched tones of Jon’s kids just before the boys burst into the room, running straight over to their dad and throwing themselves at him. Sara had shuffled slightly away from Jon when she heard the kids, so there was room enough for Jesse to get onto the couch between them, while Jake clambered onto Jon’s lap. Stephanie walked into the room more sedately, coming over to the couch, but sitting on the arm next to Sara again.
“Did you enjoy the show?” Steph asked, and Sara grinned at her.
“Yes, I most certainly did! I’ve never seen J…..your dad on stage before.”
Now Dot arrived, carrying a sleepy looking Romeo, and she brought him across to Jon so he could say goodbye. Romeo kissed his daddy, then lunged for Sara again, giving her a sloppy kiss, too, while Dot looked slightly stunned.
“He really does like you, Sara.” She said in surprise.
“He’s gorgeous.” Sara replied, taking hold of his fingers as he tried to grab her hair.
“Okay, guys, come on - say good night to dad and we’ll head on home.”
“You coming with us, daddy?” Jake asked, but Stephanie answered him before Jon could.
“Jakey, I told you, daddy’s going back to his new apartment, remember?”
Jake looked a little sad, but he nodded solemnly and then gave Jon a hug and a kiss before sliding to the floor. Jesse - too big for kisses now - hugged his dad, then Jon stood up to hug Stephanie.
“Thanks, Steph. Thanks for looking out for the boys.”
“I love you daddy, and so do the boys. So does Sara - she told me.”
“She did?” Jon pulled back to look down at his daughter, and she nodded.
“Uh-huh. When I was talking to her earlier. I asked her if she loved you and she said she thought she did. I’m glad, dad, because I want you to be happy.”
“Thank you, baby. So long as you guys are happy with things, that’s the important thing.”
He gave her a final squeeze, then let go. As they turned to head for the door, Jon looked down at Sara.
“Sar, if you’re ready to go, we could walk down to the car with the kids?” Neither of them even realised that he’d abbreviated her name, Jon just saying it naturally and Sara accepting it just as easily.
“Sure. I’m ready - just need to grab my bags.”
As she got to her feet, Linda pulled free of Richie’s encircling arm and stood up too, moving over to Sara.
“Great to meet you, Sara. We should try to meet up - go for lunch or something?”
“I’d like that. I don’t have any business cards handy with my number.”
“I’ve got your number.” Richie called from the couch. “I’ll give it to Linda.”
“I bet you will.” Dave murmured, and Linda blushed as she hugged Sara.
Chapter 113
Linda couldn’t help but grin at the look on Tara’s face as she kept glancing away from Jon, looking over to where Linda stood in what was clearly a non-public area, seeing the official pass around her neck. After another couple of songs, the security staff began to move the small group out of the fan pit, and as they passed closer to Linda and Sara, Linda caught Tara’s attention and gestured that her friend should call her. She laughed as she could easily read Tara’s reply on her lips ‘damn right I’ll call you!’.
A lot of the show passed in a bit of a blur for Sara - there were so many songs she didn’t know, but Jon’s voice and antics as he moved tirelessly around the stage, leaping and dancing non-stop were enough to keep her grinning. She lost count of how many times Linda said ‘they’ve never played that live!’, and she loved Jon’s rendition of Bob Dylan’s ‘Just like a woman’. After another group had filled the fan pit - this time Linda didn’t know any of them - Jon finally took a break, the gauze shirt now completely soaked and stuck to his body. Finishing a song, he turned to grin at Richie, then faced the audience again.
“Ladies and gentlemen……..what can I say? This man needs no introduction! My friend. My brother. Mr Richie Sambora.” Jon stepped back from the mic, then grinned and leaned forward to speak again. “And, ladies, I’m sorry - he’s off the market already!”
“I’ll be there for you.” Linda murmured, explaining herself when Sara looked at her, not understanding. “That’s the song Richie sings while Jon goes to change.”
Jon and Richie gripped hands briefly, then Jon crossed the stage, disappearing from the audience’s view as he walked over beside Sara. He stopped, though, just before he hugged her.
“Hell, I’m all sweaty, darlin’.”
“So?” Sara took a step forward into his arms, feeling the heat of his body through her tunic as she raised her face to kiss him. “You’re amazing, baby.”
“Enjoying the show?”
“Oh, yeah. But you could’ve warned me you were going to do ‘Don’t want to miss a thing’!”
Out on stage, Richie had moved across to the white mic stand, and he looked over at Jon, Sara and Linda before he spoke.
“Well, hello.” He strummed at his guitar, grinning as the crowd yelled back at him. “I’ve been asked to do this song, for the beautiful girl who’s making my friend a very happy man.”
Sara looked up at Jon, who just grinned, watching her face as Richie started to play, seeing her surprised expression which turned to a broad smile when Richie sang the opening lyrics ‘After all the jacks are in their boxes…..’.
“That’s…..”
“Yeah. I asked Rich to play it for you, baby. Now,” Jon gave her another quick kiss as Richie moved into a guitar solo, “I gotta go change. I’ll come back this way, though.”
He began to walk away, then turned. “Hey, Linda - c’mere. Richie wants you in the pit.”
Jon got Linda over into the fan pit, then left her there, jogging backstage. He had plenty of time, since he knew Richie had another couple of songs to do, but the quicker he was changed, the longer he could spend with Sara.
Standing alone at the side of the stage, Sara marvelled at Richie’s skill as he played the wild solo section of Wind Cries Mary. In the pit, Linda was loving the sound of it for a whole other reason, remembering the skill of those fingers at other things, almost feeling them on - and in - her body as he played.
A veteran of quick changes, Jon was back at the side of the stage before Richie had even finished that first song, slipping quietly up behind Sara and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. She jumped slightly, but turned her head far enough to see it was Jon, then relaxed back against him, hands rubbing lightly over his arms as they listened to Richie play. When he finished, they both applauded, Sara screaming her appreciation, and Richie grinned as he looked across, giving a salute and a half-bow in her direction. As the cheering faded away, Jon spoke in Sara’s ear with a grin she could hear in his voice.
“He still can’t make you scream like I can.”
Smiling, Sara turned to kiss his cheek. “Nobody can, love.”
Richie moved on to the next song, and Sara happened to glance over at Linda and saw the expression on her face, saw her suddenly grab at the rail in front of her as though her legs couldn’t hold her. Sara pulled away from Jon.
“Baby - I’ll be back. Linda looks upset.”
“It’s the song.” He told her, releasing her anyway.
She went over and dropped into the pit, walking up to Linda and touching her shoulder gently.
“Are you okay?”
Just then, Richie finished the intro and began to sing ‘Every song on the radio’s about us tonight….’, and Linda turned briefly to face Sara, tears in her eyes.
“I’m fine. That song just means an awful lot to me, and I’ve never heard him sing it live before.” She squeezed Sara’s hand reassuringly. “I’m fine - really. Go back to Jon. He’ll be back out on stage soon - make the most of it.”
“Okay, sweetie. If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
Sara returned to Jon’s side, and he wrapped her into his arms again, face to face this time as he backed up, pulling her deeper into the shadows and out of the sight of everybody on stage. She went with him willingly, pressing hard against him until Jon spun them around, pinning Sara against the back of the side panel as he raised his hands to cup her face. Tenderly, he pressed his lips to her forehead, then dropped a gentle kiss onto the corner of each eye before finally taking her mouth with his. Even as his tongue slid between her teeth, caressing against her own, Sara could feel him holding himself back, knowing he couldn’t take this where he wanted, not here on the side of the stage. She kissed him back, enjoying the contact, but not teasing him too much. Not when he had to go back out on stage in a few minutes. There’d be time enough later. All the time in the world.
Linda could feel a tear break free and roll down her cheek as Richie sang One Last Goodbye, the song ending too soon for her liking, but as he played out the end of the song, Richie strolled over to the pit, finishing the final chords standing looking at her. Neither of them was aware that the cameras for the big screen were on them as Richie let the final notes fall from those talented fingers, then stooped to wipe away her tears with one hand as he smiled down at her.
“That was for you, girl.” He said softly, then bent further, tilting her chin up so he could give her a quick but delicious kiss, their tongues meeting for just a second before he straightened away from her with a wink.
“How did you know I love that song?” Linda asked as he moved away.
“Tell you later.”
Out in the audience, Tara had been trying to convince Paula and Rue that Linda was up there, on the side of the stage, with an official pass. They were still expressing disbelief when Paula looked away from the stage and up at the big screen.
“Fuck me runnin’!” She breathed, grabbing at Rue’s arm and pointing to the screen, where they clearly saw Linda looking up at Richie.
“I told you!” Tara said, quickly followed by, “Holy fuuuuck!” when Richie bent to give Linda that brief, ardent kiss.
The three of them lapsed into disbelieving silence as they watched the screen, unable to hear the words, but seeing Linda and Richie exchange a few words before he headed for the mic again.
“She’s got some explaining to do.” Rue eventually said.
At the front of the stage, Richie thanked the crowd again, then moved onto his final solo - River of Love. In the fan pit, Linda couldn’t believe it - he’d hit on two of her absolute favourite songs, and River was even hotter than usual, since during the guitar breaks, he’d swing his head around to grin at her. The grins weren’t the sparkling ones that he’d direct at the audience, but softer, more sensual, making her belly clench with anticipation, especially when he turned to look at her as he sang ‘then your body will quiver and the river will flow’, giving her a wink and slight nod.
As Richie finished the song, Jon reluctantly let go of Sara. They were back at the edge of the stage, since neither of them had been confident of keeping control if they’d remained in the shadows for too long. Jon gave her another kiss, and Sara giggled as she slapped his ass.
“Go to work!” She giggled, and Jon slid a hand behind her, grabbing her ass and squeezing hard as he kissed her one last time.
“Something else for you to pay for.” He warned with a grin. “Another couple of hours, and you’ll be all mine.”
Jon moved away toward the stage, and he only just heard her as she said. “I am all yours, Jon.”
His tech came over, handing him a gold guitar, and he waited as Richie finished and the crowd went wild, then he walked back out on stage, clapping for his friend as he approached. After he’d finished applauding Richie, and the crowd quietened down, Jon stepped over to the white mic and thanked Richie, garnering another round of screaming from the audience. Richie moved back to his own mic as Jon turned to nod to Tico, yelling ‘Tico - gimme the beat!’.
Linda returned to Sara’s side as the band sang, and they watched the rest of the show together, oblivious to the final group who filled the fan pit, even though a number of them watched jealously, wondering who the hell was the blonde woman who obviously had Richie’s eye. They played two encores, finally finishing with One Wild Night, followed by their ‘national anthem’ - Wanted. When they’d all taken their bows, Jon and Richie split off from the rest of the band - while Tico, Hugh and Dave headed for the rear of the stage, the other two went to the side to collect their ladies, both of whom were way beyond excited after watching their men do what they loved.
As Sara hugged Jon, she could feel his heart still pounding, and she pulled back a little to look at him.
“You must be exhausted, baby.” She said, concern evident in her voice. “That was amazing!”
Jon gave a tired but happy grin. “Not that exhausted, darlin’. All I need is a quick shower and I’ll be good as new.”
Sara wasn’t convinced, seeing the sweat dripping from his hair and the pale blue sleeveless shirt soaked through, but she figured he’d been doing this long enough to know what he was talking about. Richie and Linda were oblivious, kissing hard as they leaned against the side panel, and Jon pounded on Richie’s back.
“Jesus! Can’t you wait? What are you, eighteen?”
The four of them headed backstage, and Sara and Linda went straight for the buffet table while the guys disappeared to join the others in the showers, to wash away the exertion of their performance.
A lot of the show passed in a bit of a blur for Sara - there were so many songs she didn’t know, but Jon’s voice and antics as he moved tirelessly around the stage, leaping and dancing non-stop were enough to keep her grinning. She lost count of how many times Linda said ‘they’ve never played that live!’, and she loved Jon’s rendition of Bob Dylan’s ‘Just like a woman’. After another group had filled the fan pit - this time Linda didn’t know any of them - Jon finally took a break, the gauze shirt now completely soaked and stuck to his body. Finishing a song, he turned to grin at Richie, then faced the audience again.
“Ladies and gentlemen……..what can I say? This man needs no introduction! My friend. My brother. Mr Richie Sambora.” Jon stepped back from the mic, then grinned and leaned forward to speak again. “And, ladies, I’m sorry - he’s off the market already!”
“I’ll be there for you.” Linda murmured, explaining herself when Sara looked at her, not understanding. “That’s the song Richie sings while Jon goes to change.”
Jon and Richie gripped hands briefly, then Jon crossed the stage, disappearing from the audience’s view as he walked over beside Sara. He stopped, though, just before he hugged her.
“Hell, I’m all sweaty, darlin’.”
“So?” Sara took a step forward into his arms, feeling the heat of his body through her tunic as she raised her face to kiss him. “You’re amazing, baby.”
“Enjoying the show?”
“Oh, yeah. But you could’ve warned me you were going to do ‘Don’t want to miss a thing’!”
Out on stage, Richie had moved across to the white mic stand, and he looked over at Jon, Sara and Linda before he spoke.
“Well, hello.” He strummed at his guitar, grinning as the crowd yelled back at him. “I’ve been asked to do this song, for the beautiful girl who’s making my friend a very happy man.”
Sara looked up at Jon, who just grinned, watching her face as Richie started to play, seeing her surprised expression which turned to a broad smile when Richie sang the opening lyrics ‘After all the jacks are in their boxes…..’.
“That’s…..”
“Yeah. I asked Rich to play it for you, baby. Now,” Jon gave her another quick kiss as Richie moved into a guitar solo, “I gotta go change. I’ll come back this way, though.”
He began to walk away, then turned. “Hey, Linda - c’mere. Richie wants you in the pit.”
Jon got Linda over into the fan pit, then left her there, jogging backstage. He had plenty of time, since he knew Richie had another couple of songs to do, but the quicker he was changed, the longer he could spend with Sara.
Standing alone at the side of the stage, Sara marvelled at Richie’s skill as he played the wild solo section of Wind Cries Mary. In the pit, Linda was loving the sound of it for a whole other reason, remembering the skill of those fingers at other things, almost feeling them on - and in - her body as he played.
A veteran of quick changes, Jon was back at the side of the stage before Richie had even finished that first song, slipping quietly up behind Sara and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. She jumped slightly, but turned her head far enough to see it was Jon, then relaxed back against him, hands rubbing lightly over his arms as they listened to Richie play. When he finished, they both applauded, Sara screaming her appreciation, and Richie grinned as he looked across, giving a salute and a half-bow in her direction. As the cheering faded away, Jon spoke in Sara’s ear with a grin she could hear in his voice.
“He still can’t make you scream like I can.”
Smiling, Sara turned to kiss his cheek. “Nobody can, love.”
Richie moved on to the next song, and Sara happened to glance over at Linda and saw the expression on her face, saw her suddenly grab at the rail in front of her as though her legs couldn’t hold her. Sara pulled away from Jon.
“Baby - I’ll be back. Linda looks upset.”
“It’s the song.” He told her, releasing her anyway.
She went over and dropped into the pit, walking up to Linda and touching her shoulder gently.
“Are you okay?”
Just then, Richie finished the intro and began to sing ‘Every song on the radio’s about us tonight….’, and Linda turned briefly to face Sara, tears in her eyes.
“I’m fine. That song just means an awful lot to me, and I’ve never heard him sing it live before.” She squeezed Sara’s hand reassuringly. “I’m fine - really. Go back to Jon. He’ll be back out on stage soon - make the most of it.”
“Okay, sweetie. If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
Sara returned to Jon’s side, and he wrapped her into his arms again, face to face this time as he backed up, pulling her deeper into the shadows and out of the sight of everybody on stage. She went with him willingly, pressing hard against him until Jon spun them around, pinning Sara against the back of the side panel as he raised his hands to cup her face. Tenderly, he pressed his lips to her forehead, then dropped a gentle kiss onto the corner of each eye before finally taking her mouth with his. Even as his tongue slid between her teeth, caressing against her own, Sara could feel him holding himself back, knowing he couldn’t take this where he wanted, not here on the side of the stage. She kissed him back, enjoying the contact, but not teasing him too much. Not when he had to go back out on stage in a few minutes. There’d be time enough later. All the time in the world.
Linda could feel a tear break free and roll down her cheek as Richie sang One Last Goodbye, the song ending too soon for her liking, but as he played out the end of the song, Richie strolled over to the pit, finishing the final chords standing looking at her. Neither of them was aware that the cameras for the big screen were on them as Richie let the final notes fall from those talented fingers, then stooped to wipe away her tears with one hand as he smiled down at her.
“That was for you, girl.” He said softly, then bent further, tilting her chin up so he could give her a quick but delicious kiss, their tongues meeting for just a second before he straightened away from her with a wink.
“How did you know I love that song?” Linda asked as he moved away.
“Tell you later.”
Out in the audience, Tara had been trying to convince Paula and Rue that Linda was up there, on the side of the stage, with an official pass. They were still expressing disbelief when Paula looked away from the stage and up at the big screen.
“Fuck me runnin’!” She breathed, grabbing at Rue’s arm and pointing to the screen, where they clearly saw Linda looking up at Richie.
“I told you!” Tara said, quickly followed by, “Holy fuuuuck!” when Richie bent to give Linda that brief, ardent kiss.
The three of them lapsed into disbelieving silence as they watched the screen, unable to hear the words, but seeing Linda and Richie exchange a few words before he headed for the mic again.
“She’s got some explaining to do.” Rue eventually said.
At the front of the stage, Richie thanked the crowd again, then moved onto his final solo - River of Love. In the fan pit, Linda couldn’t believe it - he’d hit on two of her absolute favourite songs, and River was even hotter than usual, since during the guitar breaks, he’d swing his head around to grin at her. The grins weren’t the sparkling ones that he’d direct at the audience, but softer, more sensual, making her belly clench with anticipation, especially when he turned to look at her as he sang ‘then your body will quiver and the river will flow’, giving her a wink and slight nod.
As Richie finished the song, Jon reluctantly let go of Sara. They were back at the edge of the stage, since neither of them had been confident of keeping control if they’d remained in the shadows for too long. Jon gave her another kiss, and Sara giggled as she slapped his ass.
“Go to work!” She giggled, and Jon slid a hand behind her, grabbing her ass and squeezing hard as he kissed her one last time.
“Something else for you to pay for.” He warned with a grin. “Another couple of hours, and you’ll be all mine.”
Jon moved away toward the stage, and he only just heard her as she said. “I am all yours, Jon.”
His tech came over, handing him a gold guitar, and he waited as Richie finished and the crowd went wild, then he walked back out on stage, clapping for his friend as he approached. After he’d finished applauding Richie, and the crowd quietened down, Jon stepped over to the white mic and thanked Richie, garnering another round of screaming from the audience. Richie moved back to his own mic as Jon turned to nod to Tico, yelling ‘Tico - gimme the beat!’.
Linda returned to Sara’s side as the band sang, and they watched the rest of the show together, oblivious to the final group who filled the fan pit, even though a number of them watched jealously, wondering who the hell was the blonde woman who obviously had Richie’s eye. They played two encores, finally finishing with One Wild Night, followed by their ‘national anthem’ - Wanted. When they’d all taken their bows, Jon and Richie split off from the rest of the band - while Tico, Hugh and Dave headed for the rear of the stage, the other two went to the side to collect their ladies, both of whom were way beyond excited after watching their men do what they loved.
As Sara hugged Jon, she could feel his heart still pounding, and she pulled back a little to look at him.
“You must be exhausted, baby.” She said, concern evident in her voice. “That was amazing!”
Jon gave a tired but happy grin. “Not that exhausted, darlin’. All I need is a quick shower and I’ll be good as new.”
Sara wasn’t convinced, seeing the sweat dripping from his hair and the pale blue sleeveless shirt soaked through, but she figured he’d been doing this long enough to know what he was talking about. Richie and Linda were oblivious, kissing hard as they leaned against the side panel, and Jon pounded on Richie’s back.
“Jesus! Can’t you wait? What are you, eighteen?”
The four of them headed backstage, and Sara and Linda went straight for the buffet table while the guys disappeared to join the others in the showers, to wash away the exertion of their performance.
Chapter 112
The two women followed the bulky security guard along to the stage, and he found them a couple of seats on one side of the stage, screened from the crowd, but with a full view of the stage. He’d put them on Richie’s side, and Linda grinned as she realised how close they were - the fan pit was just to one side of them. Before he left, he handed them each a set of ear plugs, to protect their hearing from their proximity to the speakers, while still allowing them to hear everything. Sara looked up over the screen, looking around the arena until she pinpointed the owners box, seeing movement inside as Dot got the kids organised. There was a buzz of noise beginning to build in the arena as the last of the audience filed in, though they couldn’t see much from their concealed position. Waiting for things to get started, they sat down companionably, then Linda laughed suddenly.
“So you’re a virgin, huh?”
“Sorry? What do you….”
“A Jovi virgin. You’ve not been to a Jovi show before.”
“Oh. I wondered what you meant.”
“Well, I’d be seriously worried if you were seeing Jon Bon Jovi, and you were still a virgin! I can’t quite see him waiting around for the wedding night.”
Sara just smiled nervously, not willing to continue that conversation, but Linda changed the subject slightly, moving on to tell Sara a little bit of what to expect from a Jovi concert. While they sat, the audience suddenly began to scream, and Sara looked at the stage, only seeing a roadie. When she looked at Linda in confusion, the blond woman laughed.
“They just put out Jon’s white mic stand.”
“And they’re screaming for a mic stand?”
“Yep. Means the band’ll be on soon.” Linda slipped off her seat, as excited as any of the crowd out there.
Back in the dressing room, the guys were getting serious as they readied themselves for the show. They’d changed into their concert clothes, each of them running through their own mental preparations with only a minimum of chatter. After Jon’s family and the two girls had left, the guys had all said how much they liked Linda and Sara, making Richie and Jon grin happily, the grins turning to laughter when Tico commented.
“I can see why you washed dishes for that girl, Jon. What I can’t understand is how you almost managed to fuck it all up.”
“Trust me, I know how lucky I am she gave me a second chance.” Was all Jon said.
At five minutes before the time printed on the tickets, the band left the dressing room. In all the years they’d been performing, one thing they’d become renowned for - as well as giving every crowd a kick-ass show - was their punctuality, and tonight was no different. At seven thirty on the nose, the house lights went down and the screaming intensified, reaching fever pitch as the band walked out on stage.
Sara wasn’t really prepared for the Jon who came out on stage, dressed in black jeans and a dark blue shirt which looked like it was some kind of gauze. Even the way he walked seemed different, and she realised that for the first time she was seeing the ‘public’ Jon as he bounded to the front of the stage with a grin. The band were already playing the intro to the first song, which sounded familiar, but she was surprised when they launched into ‘Great Balls of Fire’. She looked over at Linda, who leaned closer to tell her they quite often opened the show with a cover song. This was the first time she’d seen him perform, and she knew that even as just a fan, she’d have been excited by the show, and the way he took ownership of the stage, drawing the crowd along with him from the first words he sang. As it was, she had to fight the temptation just to walk out onto the stage and grab him, and she contented herself to dance alongside Linda in the shadows at the side of the stage as the guys moved into a Bon Jovi song she did actually recognise - Bad Medicine.
She saw Richie’s grin when he glanced over and saw them, and next time Jon was close to him, he nudged his buddy, inclining his head toward the girls. Jon looked across, and Sara waved a hand, seeing the flash of his teeth as he turned to face her, gyrating his hips as he made his way across the stage toward her. As he got closer, she saw Jon grin again, and realised when Linda gasped that he’d changed the lyric slightly, singing “….you’re an all-night generator when you’re wearing that red dress….”. Sara burst into giggles, shaking her head at him, and Jon was close enough that she saw him wink at her as he turned away, dancing back across the stage to the mic stand.
Linda bumped against Sara. “Red dress?” She asked with a smile. “The one from the pictures in the paper?”
“I guess so. Jon’s only seen me in a dress twice, and the other was black.”
“That was a gorgeous dress. Can see why it’d keep him……um…..‘up’ all night!”
“Linda!!”
They both laughed, then it was Linda’s turn to blush when Richie turned to face her during the final chorus repetition, grinning as he did his little pantomime to ‘you get a little and it’s never enough’. He laughed when she held up her own hands, much further apart than he’d indicated, nodding comically until he laughed. As the song ended, Jon slid his mic back onto the stand, then grinned out at the audience, hands resting loosely wrapped around the mic as he spoke.
“Good evenin’!” He paused to let the screaming die away again. “Thank you all for coming out here tonight to help us support a cause that’s very dear to my heart. I hope you enjoy the show - we’ve tried to shake things up a little, maybe play you some songs we haven’t done live before. This next one, I’d like to dedicate………….to second chances……….and to the women who put up with what idiots men can be.” He glanced sideways at Sara as he continued, “I dedicate it to the woman who was willing to give me that second chance, when I was dumb enough to need it. It’s called Last Chance Train.”
The crowd began to scream when they heard the title, and Jon stepped back from the mic while the intro played, just looking across at Sara standing hidden in the shadows, a soft smile on his lips, then he stepped up again. “October leaves are fallin’, so am I…….” He looked across again when he reached the line “…I smell your sweet perfume….”, and Sara could feel tears at the back of her eyes as she sank back down onto her seat.
Linda leaned closer, speaking in her ear, telling her they’d never played that live before, but Sara was only interested in Jon’s voice, watching him as he performed the song, almost acting out the words. When he finished, the crowd roared approval as Jon stood nodding gently, then as the screaming died down a little, Richie struck up the opening of the next song, and Linda frowned.
“Sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. I don’t think it’s a Jovi song.”
Sara bit her lip before she answered, remembering the last time she’d heard the song, hoping she could control the tears that were threatening to fall already.
“It isn’t. It’s Aerosmith - ‘Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’. Jon knows I love that song. And the swine knows what it does to me.”
Jon didn’t sing it softly as he had up in Canada, but performed a full-out rock version, ending up on his knees in the middle of the stage as he poured his heart into the final lyrics. As he fell on his knees, Linda grinned, knowing that her friend Paula in the audience would be screaming at that, and she turned to mention to Sara how excited Paula would be, but stopped as she saw the tears streaming down Sara’s face. Automatically, Linda reached out to hug Sara, who tried to laugh, but got caught out anyway as she raised a hand to wipe the tears, just as Jon raised his head from where he knelt on the stage and saw her crying. He stood, and actually took a half step toward her, his immediate impulse to comfort her, before he remembered he was on stage. Sara smiled across at him reassuringly, and he returned the smile as he moved to the front of the stage again, putting the mic back on the stand.
While Jon slipped to the back of the stage, taking a quick drink from a black mug and wiping sweat from his face with a towel, Sara and Linda heard voices approaching, and turned to see security guards leading a group of people - mainly women - up to the fan pit. As they watched, Linda suddenly grabbed Sara’s arm to get her attention, laughing as she spoke into her ear.
“You see the girl with the long, strawberry blonde hair?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s my friend, Tara. She’ll kill me if she sees me over here!”
“Why?”
“Because none of my friends know about Richie.”
Sara turned to look at the other woman, grinning at her. “Really?”
The fan pit was filled now, and Tara had managed to secure herself a spot right on the barrier. As Jon sang the next song, ‘You had me from hello’, he worked his way over to the pit, smiling and touching hands with the girls, and Linda grinned when she saw him grip Tara’s hand, seeing the expression on her friend’s face. Jon continued to walk across the stage, until he was standing in front of Sara, so he was right at the edge of the stage and only just visible to the crowd as he sang the final chorus to her. The girls in the fan pit followed his every move, and when Linda saw Tara looking over, she gave a tiny wave, laughing as Tara’s mouth dropped open in shock.
Jon reached out to take Sara’s hand as he repeated the final words ‘from hello’, then as Dave played the last few notes on the keyboard, he took a step forward - out of the view of the main crowd - to press his lips tenderly to Sara’s.
“I love you.” He whispered, holding the mic low behind his back so it wouldn’t pick up his words, then he let go of her hand and went back out onto the stage.
“So you’re a virgin, huh?”
“Sorry? What do you….”
“A Jovi virgin. You’ve not been to a Jovi show before.”
“Oh. I wondered what you meant.”
“Well, I’d be seriously worried if you were seeing Jon Bon Jovi, and you were still a virgin! I can’t quite see him waiting around for the wedding night.”
Sara just smiled nervously, not willing to continue that conversation, but Linda changed the subject slightly, moving on to tell Sara a little bit of what to expect from a Jovi concert. While they sat, the audience suddenly began to scream, and Sara looked at the stage, only seeing a roadie. When she looked at Linda in confusion, the blond woman laughed.
“They just put out Jon’s white mic stand.”
“And they’re screaming for a mic stand?”
“Yep. Means the band’ll be on soon.” Linda slipped off her seat, as excited as any of the crowd out there.
Back in the dressing room, the guys were getting serious as they readied themselves for the show. They’d changed into their concert clothes, each of them running through their own mental preparations with only a minimum of chatter. After Jon’s family and the two girls had left, the guys had all said how much they liked Linda and Sara, making Richie and Jon grin happily, the grins turning to laughter when Tico commented.
“I can see why you washed dishes for that girl, Jon. What I can’t understand is how you almost managed to fuck it all up.”
“Trust me, I know how lucky I am she gave me a second chance.” Was all Jon said.
At five minutes before the time printed on the tickets, the band left the dressing room. In all the years they’d been performing, one thing they’d become renowned for - as well as giving every crowd a kick-ass show - was their punctuality, and tonight was no different. At seven thirty on the nose, the house lights went down and the screaming intensified, reaching fever pitch as the band walked out on stage.
Sara wasn’t really prepared for the Jon who came out on stage, dressed in black jeans and a dark blue shirt which looked like it was some kind of gauze. Even the way he walked seemed different, and she realised that for the first time she was seeing the ‘public’ Jon as he bounded to the front of the stage with a grin. The band were already playing the intro to the first song, which sounded familiar, but she was surprised when they launched into ‘Great Balls of Fire’. She looked over at Linda, who leaned closer to tell her they quite often opened the show with a cover song. This was the first time she’d seen him perform, and she knew that even as just a fan, she’d have been excited by the show, and the way he took ownership of the stage, drawing the crowd along with him from the first words he sang. As it was, she had to fight the temptation just to walk out onto the stage and grab him, and she contented herself to dance alongside Linda in the shadows at the side of the stage as the guys moved into a Bon Jovi song she did actually recognise - Bad Medicine.
She saw Richie’s grin when he glanced over and saw them, and next time Jon was close to him, he nudged his buddy, inclining his head toward the girls. Jon looked across, and Sara waved a hand, seeing the flash of his teeth as he turned to face her, gyrating his hips as he made his way across the stage toward her. As he got closer, she saw Jon grin again, and realised when Linda gasped that he’d changed the lyric slightly, singing “….you’re an all-night generator when you’re wearing that red dress….”. Sara burst into giggles, shaking her head at him, and Jon was close enough that she saw him wink at her as he turned away, dancing back across the stage to the mic stand.
Linda bumped against Sara. “Red dress?” She asked with a smile. “The one from the pictures in the paper?”
“I guess so. Jon’s only seen me in a dress twice, and the other was black.”
“That was a gorgeous dress. Can see why it’d keep him……um…..‘up’ all night!”
“Linda!!”
They both laughed, then it was Linda’s turn to blush when Richie turned to face her during the final chorus repetition, grinning as he did his little pantomime to ‘you get a little and it’s never enough’. He laughed when she held up her own hands, much further apart than he’d indicated, nodding comically until he laughed. As the song ended, Jon slid his mic back onto the stand, then grinned out at the audience, hands resting loosely wrapped around the mic as he spoke.
“Good evenin’!” He paused to let the screaming die away again. “Thank you all for coming out here tonight to help us support a cause that’s very dear to my heart. I hope you enjoy the show - we’ve tried to shake things up a little, maybe play you some songs we haven’t done live before. This next one, I’d like to dedicate………….to second chances……….and to the women who put up with what idiots men can be.” He glanced sideways at Sara as he continued, “I dedicate it to the woman who was willing to give me that second chance, when I was dumb enough to need it. It’s called Last Chance Train.”
The crowd began to scream when they heard the title, and Jon stepped back from the mic while the intro played, just looking across at Sara standing hidden in the shadows, a soft smile on his lips, then he stepped up again. “October leaves are fallin’, so am I…….” He looked across again when he reached the line “…I smell your sweet perfume….”, and Sara could feel tears at the back of her eyes as she sank back down onto her seat.
Linda leaned closer, speaking in her ear, telling her they’d never played that live before, but Sara was only interested in Jon’s voice, watching him as he performed the song, almost acting out the words. When he finished, the crowd roared approval as Jon stood nodding gently, then as the screaming died down a little, Richie struck up the opening of the next song, and Linda frowned.
“Sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. I don’t think it’s a Jovi song.”
Sara bit her lip before she answered, remembering the last time she’d heard the song, hoping she could control the tears that were threatening to fall already.
“It isn’t. It’s Aerosmith - ‘Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’. Jon knows I love that song. And the swine knows what it does to me.”
Jon didn’t sing it softly as he had up in Canada, but performed a full-out rock version, ending up on his knees in the middle of the stage as he poured his heart into the final lyrics. As he fell on his knees, Linda grinned, knowing that her friend Paula in the audience would be screaming at that, and she turned to mention to Sara how excited Paula would be, but stopped as she saw the tears streaming down Sara’s face. Automatically, Linda reached out to hug Sara, who tried to laugh, but got caught out anyway as she raised a hand to wipe the tears, just as Jon raised his head from where he knelt on the stage and saw her crying. He stood, and actually took a half step toward her, his immediate impulse to comfort her, before he remembered he was on stage. Sara smiled across at him reassuringly, and he returned the smile as he moved to the front of the stage again, putting the mic back on the stand.
While Jon slipped to the back of the stage, taking a quick drink from a black mug and wiping sweat from his face with a towel, Sara and Linda heard voices approaching, and turned to see security guards leading a group of people - mainly women - up to the fan pit. As they watched, Linda suddenly grabbed Sara’s arm to get her attention, laughing as she spoke into her ear.
“You see the girl with the long, strawberry blonde hair?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s my friend, Tara. She’ll kill me if she sees me over here!”
“Why?”
“Because none of my friends know about Richie.”
Sara turned to look at the other woman, grinning at her. “Really?”
The fan pit was filled now, and Tara had managed to secure herself a spot right on the barrier. As Jon sang the next song, ‘You had me from hello’, he worked his way over to the pit, smiling and touching hands with the girls, and Linda grinned when she saw him grip Tara’s hand, seeing the expression on her friend’s face. Jon continued to walk across the stage, until he was standing in front of Sara, so he was right at the edge of the stage and only just visible to the crowd as he sang the final chorus to her. The girls in the fan pit followed his every move, and when Linda saw Tara looking over, she gave a tiny wave, laughing as Tara’s mouth dropped open in shock.
Jon reached out to take Sara’s hand as he repeated the final words ‘from hello’, then as Dave played the last few notes on the keyboard, he took a step forward - out of the view of the main crowd - to press his lips tenderly to Sara’s.
“I love you.” He whispered, holding the mic low behind his back so it wouldn’t pick up his words, then he let go of her hand and went back out onto the stage.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Chapter 111
Down in the dressing room, the guys were still sitting around chatting, one or other of them occasionally going over to the table to replenish a drink or grab a snack. Linda was surprised to find that she was less awestruck than she’d have ever expected, sitting casually around talking with the band which had played such a huge part in her life, though maybe the fact that she knew Richie - in all senses of the word - helped with her nerves. The guys didn’t say too much about Sara right now - it seemed kind of rude to discuss one of their new girlfriends, when they were in the company of another one! They’d be able to talk later, but Tico did touch briefly on the subject.
“Sara seems like a nice kid.” Was all he said, and while most of the others nodded agreement, Richie laughed.
“Don’t let her hear you call her a kid, T. She hates when people think she’s really young.”
“She’s not a kid, but she is young.” Linda protested, but Richie shook his head.
“Just how old do you think she is?”
Everybody chimed in with their best guess, and the consensus seemed to be that Sara was somewhere in her mid-twenties. Richie laughed again, but not too loud, since that’s what he’d thought, too.
“She’s thirty two.” He told them, and he was still getting shouted down in a chorus of dissent when the door opened and Jon and Sara walked in and the argument died.
“Hey - you look a lot better, Sara.” Linda called, and Sara nodded.
“I feel it, thanks. I’m still tired, but at least I shouldn’t fall asleep halfway through the show now.” She turned to look at Jon. “D’you want coffee?”
“Nah - I’m fine.”
Jon crossed to the couches, while Sara headed for the table. “Does anybody want anything while I’m here?”
Richie and Dave both asked for coffee, and Linda stood up. “I’ll give you a hand, Sara.”
Over by the table, Linda stood close by Sara, speaking quietly.
“Just in case you were wondering why it all went quiet when you came in, they - well, we - were arguing with Richie about your age!”
“My age? Why?” Sara knew why, though.
“He said you’re thirty two, Sara, and nobody believes him. How old are you?”
Sara laughed quietly. “Thirty two.”
“Really? Damn - you look more like twenty five! I may hate you, Sara!”
Surprised, Sara flashed a look at Linda, then realised she was kidding and giggled.
“I can’t help it - guess it’s my pure and virtuous lifestyle that’s kept me young!”
They finished fixing coffee and took the mugs to the table, Sara handing one to Dave while Linda sat down and handed Richie his, kissing his cheek briefly.
“Sorry.” She said.
“Huh? Sorry for what?”
“For not believing you! About Sara’s age.”
“Hey!” Dave said with a grin directed at Sara. “You mean Sambora actually told the truth? Damn - let me write that down! Today Richie Sambora told the truth!”
“Oh, that’s cruel!” Sara laughed. “I thought Richie always told the truth!”
“Thank you, Sara.” Richie said, bowing to her as everybody laughed.
Sara took another sip of coffee, then stood up, picking up her bag.
“I’ll be back in a sec. I need to wash my face - try to wake up properly.”
She left them sitting and headed out to where she’d seen a sign for the nearest ladies room. Of course, because this section of the arena was closed off, the place was empty, and she dug through her bag, finding moisturiser before she ran water into the basin. During the limo ride, she’d been able to freshen up with the wipes from her ‘survival’ kit that she carried whenever she travelled, so she just pulled her hair back into a rough knot and splashed cold water over her face until she felt more alert. She dried her face with tissue then put on moisturiser, feeling refreshed now, then tugged a brush through her hair and smoothed down her tunic, glad to see it hadn’t creased too badly while she slept. What she really wanted was a shower, but that would have to wait - at least she felt clean and fresh.
Once she’d thrown everything back into her bag, Sara left the bathroom, and almost tripped over a small figure standing outside the door. Catching her balance, trying desperately not to fall on top of the toddler, Sara looked down at him. Well, from the outfit she assumed it was a him, even with the mop of blond curls.
She crouched down to his height. “Are you lost, sweetie? Where’s your mommy?”
He stared at her with solemn blue eyes for long moments, then pointed along the corridor as he thrust the fingers of his other hand into his mouth, pretending to be shy, but grinning around his hand. Sara swivelled on her heels, looking where he was indicating, but there was nobody there.
“Is she along there?” There was something hauntingly familiar about the little boy’s eyes and smile which made Sara smile back at him. “Will we go find her?”
Still crouching, she offered him her hand, and he took it readily, gripping her fingers tightly with his, and Sara rose to her feet, slightly bent to let him keep his grasp on her hand. They walked along the corridor slowly, Sara pacing herself to the little guy’s speed, then she heard a woman’s voice from inside a doorway.
“He was right here! Where’s he gone this time?”
As she opened her mouth to call back, to ask if somebody was missing a little boy, Jon appeared from the doorway, and she realised it was the band’s dressing room. He stopped suddenly when he saw her with the little boy holding tightly to her hand, and it was when he grinned that she realised who the little boy must be. The vague feeling of recognition suddenly made sense - he had Jon’s smile and Jon’s bright blue eyes.
“This little guy was along the corridor.” She said with a smile of her own. “I guess you’re looking for him?”
“Yeah. Thanks, darlin’. He’s at that age where he just wanders off! C’mere Romeo.”
Jon hoisted the boy into his arms and Romeo chuckled as he tugged at his daddy’s hair, then Jon reached out his free hand to Sara.
“Come on - come meet the rest of the kids.”
As they went through the door, Jon letting Sara go through just ahead of him, Romeo lunged forward and caught Sara’s hair - not pulling, but just holding tight to a handful of long hair, and Jon laughed.
“He likes you.”
Sara turned as best she could, seeing the young girl who’d spoken and smiling at her nervously.
“Really? I’m glad.” After a tiny hesitation, Sara held out a hand. “Hi. I’m Sara.”
“Stephanie.” The girl shook Sara’s hand, flicking a glance at her dad, then back at Sara. “But call me Steph.”
Jon grinned wider, knowing this was a mark of approval from his daughter, and very thankful for it. He knew well enough that Steph was always going to be the hardest one for Sara to get to know, but it looked as though his little girl was at least going to try to get along with her.
Smiling, Jon nudged Sara forward into the room, seeing Dot standing unobtrusively by the wall as Steph called Jesse and Jake across to meet Sara. They said hello and shook hands, seeming pretty comfortable with Sara, then Dot finally came over.
“Hi. I’m Dorothea. Dot. Nice to meet you.”
“Sara Holland.” She held out a hand with a smile. “I’m glad you came.”
They shook hands amiably enough, both of them feeling the strangeness of the situation, especially since Romeo still had a grip on Sara’s hair, even though Jon tried to prise his fingers loose. He finally managed to make his son release her, but the second he did, Romeo tried again to grab Sara, his little face crumpling into tears as Jon pulled him back.
“Like father like son.” Dot said quietly, and Jon looked at her sharply, but relaxed when he saw she was smiling warmly, just kidding with him.
“Yeah. I guess so.”
Jon bent and put Romeo down on the floor, laughing as he turned and grabbed onto Sara’s leg.
“You’ve made a friend, baby.” He grinned, and Sara reached down to ruffle Romeo’s hair.
“He’s gorgeous. Your whole family is.” She looked up at Dorothea as she said it, and the smile on the other woman’s face was more genuine now, then Dot reached down and eased her son off Sara.
“There you go. He really does like you, Sara. He’s not normally like this with new people.”
Everybody moved further into the room, Jon following the boys across to the couches as they descended on their ‘Uncle Mookie’ and the other guys. Sara hesitated for a moment, then went over to the buffet table, picking up a diet coke and sitting down at the table. The two boys were keeping everyone’s attention, and Dot had her hands full with Romeo, so it was Stephanie who noticed Sara sitting alone, and she walked over to her.
“Um….are you okay?” The girl asked tentatively, and Sara smiled brightly at her.
“I’m fine, thanks, Steph. I just thought I should give your dad some time with you guys. I guess he’s been busy lately, and hasn’t seen as much of you as he’d like. I don’t want to intrude.”
Steph tilted her head as she thought about that, then she sat down next to Sara, looking at her seriously.
“Can I ask you something?” Sara nodded, so Steph continued. “Do you love my dad? I know he loves you, because he got so sad when you left, after you’d fought.”
Dammit, thought Sara. Nothing like starting out with a tough question!
“I think I do love him, Stephanie, yes.” She said carefully.
The young girl smiled happily. “In that case, come on over. Please? I know dad’ll want you to.”
Standing, Steph grabbed Sara’s hand and pulled, and Sara let herself be dragged from the table and over to the couches. Dot was watching now, and when she caught Sara’s eye, she just nodded with a tiny smile. Sara couldn’t quite believe the meeting was going so well, and she sat down on the couch next to Linda, who was grinning at her. Jon was half-buried under his two sons, but he got a pleasant shock when he looked across and saw Sara sitting on the couch, Steph perched on the arm next to her. His daughter really did surprise him sometimes.
“Hey, Steph - did I tell you Sara rides horses?”
“No. Do you?”
“I haven’t done much for a few years now, but I used to ride a lot. Actually, I used to do a little teaching, but that was a really long time ago!”
They were still talking about horses when Jon managed to extricate himself from Jesse and Jake, coming across to Sara with a pass in his hand.
“You’ll need this, Sara.” He hung it carefully around her neck then glanced at his watch and looked at the rest of the band. “Guys - I guess we should think about getting ready for the show.”
“Which is our cue to leave the room I suppose.” Dot said with a laugh, picking up Romeo. “Jon - if it’s okay with you, I’ll take the kids up to the box to watch the show. It’s easier to keep this little monster under control up there.”
“Sure. Sara - do you want to go up with them, or watch from down here?”
“I think I’d rather stay down here - it’s years since I’ve been to a concert, and I’ve never been to a rock concert, so I’d like to see it up close.”
Linda turned to look at her incredulously. “Seriously? You’ve never been to a Bon Jovi concert?”
Sara blushed, turning even redder as Jon laughed, remembering her faux pas in Cornwall. “Better than that, guys - we heard Who Says when we were in Cornwall, and Sara didn’t recognise it. She goes more for older stuff, right babe?”
“I do normally,” she glanced right into his eyes as she spoke, knowing he’d catch her double meaning, “but I’m open to new experience, learning new things.”
Jon kissed the kids, and Stephanie produced another surprise as she quickly hugged Sara, then they all left, heading up to the owners box. As they left, Jon yelled to his security guy, asking him to take Linda and Sara along to the stage and find them somewhere to sit to watch the show. Before he let them go, Jon kissed Sara then hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear.
“I told you everybody would love you. Even Steph seems to like you already.”
“I hope so. I don’t want to cause any friction for you, Jon.” She gave a husky chuckle in his ear, rubbing her hips ever so gently against his crotch. “Well, not that kind of friction anyway.”
“Hussy.” He nipped her ear lightly as he drew back. “We’ll discuss that later, Sara.”
“Look forward to it.”
“Sara seems like a nice kid.” Was all he said, and while most of the others nodded agreement, Richie laughed.
“Don’t let her hear you call her a kid, T. She hates when people think she’s really young.”
“She’s not a kid, but she is young.” Linda protested, but Richie shook his head.
“Just how old do you think she is?”
Everybody chimed in with their best guess, and the consensus seemed to be that Sara was somewhere in her mid-twenties. Richie laughed again, but not too loud, since that’s what he’d thought, too.
“She’s thirty two.” He told them, and he was still getting shouted down in a chorus of dissent when the door opened and Jon and Sara walked in and the argument died.
“Hey - you look a lot better, Sara.” Linda called, and Sara nodded.
“I feel it, thanks. I’m still tired, but at least I shouldn’t fall asleep halfway through the show now.” She turned to look at Jon. “D’you want coffee?”
“Nah - I’m fine.”
Jon crossed to the couches, while Sara headed for the table. “Does anybody want anything while I’m here?”
Richie and Dave both asked for coffee, and Linda stood up. “I’ll give you a hand, Sara.”
Over by the table, Linda stood close by Sara, speaking quietly.
“Just in case you were wondering why it all went quiet when you came in, they - well, we - were arguing with Richie about your age!”
“My age? Why?” Sara knew why, though.
“He said you’re thirty two, Sara, and nobody believes him. How old are you?”
Sara laughed quietly. “Thirty two.”
“Really? Damn - you look more like twenty five! I may hate you, Sara!”
Surprised, Sara flashed a look at Linda, then realised she was kidding and giggled.
“I can’t help it - guess it’s my pure and virtuous lifestyle that’s kept me young!”
They finished fixing coffee and took the mugs to the table, Sara handing one to Dave while Linda sat down and handed Richie his, kissing his cheek briefly.
“Sorry.” She said.
“Huh? Sorry for what?”
“For not believing you! About Sara’s age.”
“Hey!” Dave said with a grin directed at Sara. “You mean Sambora actually told the truth? Damn - let me write that down! Today Richie Sambora told the truth!”
“Oh, that’s cruel!” Sara laughed. “I thought Richie always told the truth!”
“Thank you, Sara.” Richie said, bowing to her as everybody laughed.
Sara took another sip of coffee, then stood up, picking up her bag.
“I’ll be back in a sec. I need to wash my face - try to wake up properly.”
She left them sitting and headed out to where she’d seen a sign for the nearest ladies room. Of course, because this section of the arena was closed off, the place was empty, and she dug through her bag, finding moisturiser before she ran water into the basin. During the limo ride, she’d been able to freshen up with the wipes from her ‘survival’ kit that she carried whenever she travelled, so she just pulled her hair back into a rough knot and splashed cold water over her face until she felt more alert. She dried her face with tissue then put on moisturiser, feeling refreshed now, then tugged a brush through her hair and smoothed down her tunic, glad to see it hadn’t creased too badly while she slept. What she really wanted was a shower, but that would have to wait - at least she felt clean and fresh.
Once she’d thrown everything back into her bag, Sara left the bathroom, and almost tripped over a small figure standing outside the door. Catching her balance, trying desperately not to fall on top of the toddler, Sara looked down at him. Well, from the outfit she assumed it was a him, even with the mop of blond curls.
She crouched down to his height. “Are you lost, sweetie? Where’s your mommy?”
He stared at her with solemn blue eyes for long moments, then pointed along the corridor as he thrust the fingers of his other hand into his mouth, pretending to be shy, but grinning around his hand. Sara swivelled on her heels, looking where he was indicating, but there was nobody there.
“Is she along there?” There was something hauntingly familiar about the little boy’s eyes and smile which made Sara smile back at him. “Will we go find her?”
Still crouching, she offered him her hand, and he took it readily, gripping her fingers tightly with his, and Sara rose to her feet, slightly bent to let him keep his grasp on her hand. They walked along the corridor slowly, Sara pacing herself to the little guy’s speed, then she heard a woman’s voice from inside a doorway.
“He was right here! Where’s he gone this time?”
As she opened her mouth to call back, to ask if somebody was missing a little boy, Jon appeared from the doorway, and she realised it was the band’s dressing room. He stopped suddenly when he saw her with the little boy holding tightly to her hand, and it was when he grinned that she realised who the little boy must be. The vague feeling of recognition suddenly made sense - he had Jon’s smile and Jon’s bright blue eyes.
“This little guy was along the corridor.” She said with a smile of her own. “I guess you’re looking for him?”
“Yeah. Thanks, darlin’. He’s at that age where he just wanders off! C’mere Romeo.”
Jon hoisted the boy into his arms and Romeo chuckled as he tugged at his daddy’s hair, then Jon reached out his free hand to Sara.
“Come on - come meet the rest of the kids.”
As they went through the door, Jon letting Sara go through just ahead of him, Romeo lunged forward and caught Sara’s hair - not pulling, but just holding tight to a handful of long hair, and Jon laughed.
“He likes you.”
Sara turned as best she could, seeing the young girl who’d spoken and smiling at her nervously.
“Really? I’m glad.” After a tiny hesitation, Sara held out a hand. “Hi. I’m Sara.”
“Stephanie.” The girl shook Sara’s hand, flicking a glance at her dad, then back at Sara. “But call me Steph.”
Jon grinned wider, knowing this was a mark of approval from his daughter, and very thankful for it. He knew well enough that Steph was always going to be the hardest one for Sara to get to know, but it looked as though his little girl was at least going to try to get along with her.
Smiling, Jon nudged Sara forward into the room, seeing Dot standing unobtrusively by the wall as Steph called Jesse and Jake across to meet Sara. They said hello and shook hands, seeming pretty comfortable with Sara, then Dot finally came over.
“Hi. I’m Dorothea. Dot. Nice to meet you.”
“Sara Holland.” She held out a hand with a smile. “I’m glad you came.”
They shook hands amiably enough, both of them feeling the strangeness of the situation, especially since Romeo still had a grip on Sara’s hair, even though Jon tried to prise his fingers loose. He finally managed to make his son release her, but the second he did, Romeo tried again to grab Sara, his little face crumpling into tears as Jon pulled him back.
“Like father like son.” Dot said quietly, and Jon looked at her sharply, but relaxed when he saw she was smiling warmly, just kidding with him.
“Yeah. I guess so.”
Jon bent and put Romeo down on the floor, laughing as he turned and grabbed onto Sara’s leg.
“You’ve made a friend, baby.” He grinned, and Sara reached down to ruffle Romeo’s hair.
“He’s gorgeous. Your whole family is.” She looked up at Dorothea as she said it, and the smile on the other woman’s face was more genuine now, then Dot reached down and eased her son off Sara.
“There you go. He really does like you, Sara. He’s not normally like this with new people.”
Everybody moved further into the room, Jon following the boys across to the couches as they descended on their ‘Uncle Mookie’ and the other guys. Sara hesitated for a moment, then went over to the buffet table, picking up a diet coke and sitting down at the table. The two boys were keeping everyone’s attention, and Dot had her hands full with Romeo, so it was Stephanie who noticed Sara sitting alone, and she walked over to her.
“Um….are you okay?” The girl asked tentatively, and Sara smiled brightly at her.
“I’m fine, thanks, Steph. I just thought I should give your dad some time with you guys. I guess he’s been busy lately, and hasn’t seen as much of you as he’d like. I don’t want to intrude.”
Steph tilted her head as she thought about that, then she sat down next to Sara, looking at her seriously.
“Can I ask you something?” Sara nodded, so Steph continued. “Do you love my dad? I know he loves you, because he got so sad when you left, after you’d fought.”
Dammit, thought Sara. Nothing like starting out with a tough question!
“I think I do love him, Stephanie, yes.” She said carefully.
The young girl smiled happily. “In that case, come on over. Please? I know dad’ll want you to.”
Standing, Steph grabbed Sara’s hand and pulled, and Sara let herself be dragged from the table and over to the couches. Dot was watching now, and when she caught Sara’s eye, she just nodded with a tiny smile. Sara couldn’t quite believe the meeting was going so well, and she sat down on the couch next to Linda, who was grinning at her. Jon was half-buried under his two sons, but he got a pleasant shock when he looked across and saw Sara sitting on the couch, Steph perched on the arm next to her. His daughter really did surprise him sometimes.
“Hey, Steph - did I tell you Sara rides horses?”
“No. Do you?”
“I haven’t done much for a few years now, but I used to ride a lot. Actually, I used to do a little teaching, but that was a really long time ago!”
They were still talking about horses when Jon managed to extricate himself from Jesse and Jake, coming across to Sara with a pass in his hand.
“You’ll need this, Sara.” He hung it carefully around her neck then glanced at his watch and looked at the rest of the band. “Guys - I guess we should think about getting ready for the show.”
“Which is our cue to leave the room I suppose.” Dot said with a laugh, picking up Romeo. “Jon - if it’s okay with you, I’ll take the kids up to the box to watch the show. It’s easier to keep this little monster under control up there.”
“Sure. Sara - do you want to go up with them, or watch from down here?”
“I think I’d rather stay down here - it’s years since I’ve been to a concert, and I’ve never been to a rock concert, so I’d like to see it up close.”
Linda turned to look at her incredulously. “Seriously? You’ve never been to a Bon Jovi concert?”
Sara blushed, turning even redder as Jon laughed, remembering her faux pas in Cornwall. “Better than that, guys - we heard Who Says when we were in Cornwall, and Sara didn’t recognise it. She goes more for older stuff, right babe?”
“I do normally,” she glanced right into his eyes as she spoke, knowing he’d catch her double meaning, “but I’m open to new experience, learning new things.”
Jon kissed the kids, and Stephanie produced another surprise as she quickly hugged Sara, then they all left, heading up to the owners box. As they left, Jon yelled to his security guy, asking him to take Linda and Sara along to the stage and find them somewhere to sit to watch the show. Before he let them go, Jon kissed Sara then hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear.
“I told you everybody would love you. Even Steph seems to like you already.”
“I hope so. I don’t want to cause any friction for you, Jon.” She gave a husky chuckle in his ear, rubbing her hips ever so gently against his crotch. “Well, not that kind of friction anyway.”
“Hussy.” He nipped her ear lightly as he drew back. “We’ll discuss that later, Sara.”
“Look forward to it.”
Chapter 110
The dressing room was far enough from the stage to mute the sound of the guys running through the last of their soundcheck, and though Sara and Linda could hear music, they were too busy chatting and getting to know each other to pay much attention. They closed the dressing room door behind them, muffling the noise further, and Linda led Sara across to the long buffet table where they each got coffee, and Sara took a large piece of the chocolate cake Jon had promised her.
Instead of sitting at the table, they made themselves comfortable on a couple of couches in one corner, taking a couch each so they could stretch their legs out. Sara didn’t make friends easily - she was too fond of keeping distance between herself and others - but she did feel like she and Linda could become good friends.
“You work in a hospital, right?” Sara asked as she dug a fork into the chocolate cake, and Linda nodded.
“Mm-hm. I’m a patient registrar. How did you know?”
“Richie mentioned it, the day he met you.” Sara grinned conspiratorially. “He was so happy that morning, after he’d met you. He seemed to feel a connection to you immediately, from what he said.”
“Really?” Linda was touched that Richie had felt it as much as she had, and she looked at Sara a little curiously. “How did you and Jon meet? I know you’re a photographer - was it through your work?”
“Mmmm. I was booked to photograph him for a magazine interview, and, well, he……we……um….” Sara was blushing furiously, remembering that first day, her very first time, and Linda was intrigued but diplomatic enough not to ask. “Well, we got to talking, and I guess something I said surprised him, and one thing kinda led to another.”
Sara took another drink of coffee, then smiled at Linda. “I guess I should thank you - for telling Richie about that magazine article.”
“Well, he happened to call, and I mentioned that a friend had said Jon seemed upset at the Hard Rock show in Florida. When Richie said Jon was having ‘woman trouble’, I remembered the article. Thought I should mention it in case he didn’t know.”
“We’d actually seen it the night before.” Sara said. “But thank you for being nice enough to say.” She paused as something else Linda had said dawned on her. “Jon was upset? At the show?”
“According to my friend, yeah. She was front row in front of Jon, and she swears he was crying when he sang Bed of Roses. I did ask Richie - he actually went across and sang the last chorus along with Jon, which they never do - but he didn’t answer me.”
“Which is probably answer enough.” Sara said softly, feeling the burn at the back of her throat which heralded tears.
Fortunately, before her tears could spill over as she thought of how she’d hurt Jon by running off to England, the dressing room door burst open and the guys trooped in, obviously in high spirits and looking forward to the show. Over at the long table, Jon poured himself coffee, then looked across.
“Sara?” He asked, waving the coffee pot, but Sara shook her head.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
He laid down the coffee and picked up his mug and a plate with chocolate cake, then came across to share Sara’s couch. She pulled her legs out of the way to let him sit, swinging her feet to the floor, and Jon held out the plate of cake.
“I’ve already had some.” She told him, and Jon grinned, knowing her too well.
“And what else have you had to eat today?”
“I had breakfast.” Sara muttered. “I haven’t been hungry recently.”
“Yeah, well, just eat it will ya?”
Sara crossed her eyes at him, but she took the plate anyway. Well, it was really good chocolate cake, and it would be a shame to waste it! Richie came across and sat next to Linda, then the other guys came across, finding themselves space on another pair of couches, and everybody chatted companionably. Sara’s natural shyness was somewhat overcome by the fact she already knew Richie, and Linda, and of course Jon. Also, she was starting to feel the effects of the long journey, coupled with the stress of the previous day, and as she tried to lay the empty plate on the table, she missed completely, the plate falling to the floor.
“Oh, dammit!” She stretched to pick up the plate as the guys laughed - not unkindly, just seeing the funny side - but Jon saw her hands trembling.
“You okay, Sara?”
“Yeah. I’m just tired I guess. It’s been a long couple of days.”
It was Richie who glanced at his watch first.
“The show isn’t for a good few hours, Sara. Why don’t you get some sleep?”
“But I just got back.” She protested, but Jon grabbed her hand.
“He’s right, babe. Come on. We’ll find somewhere quiet for you to get some rest. I promise I’ll wake you when the kids arrive.”
Sara wanted to argue, but before she spoke, she blinked, and only realised when Jon shook her hand gently that her eyes had been closed for much more than a blink. She was that tired!
“Okay, I give up.” She murmured. “I’m sorry to be rude everybody, but I really could do with some sleep.”
There was a chorus of reassurance that she wasn’t being rude, then Jon pulled her to her feet, leading her out of the room and along the corridor. She followed submissively, not even paying attention to her surroundings, just letting Jon lead her along as she yawned and stumbled clumsily like a puppy who hadn’t quite got control of it’s feet yet.
Jon took her up to the owner’s box that he used, which was equipped with a large couch and all the necessities of home - a bar, fridge and television.
“Come on - over here.”
He led her to the couch and sat her down, then knelt to pull her boots off as Sara sagged forward, eyes closing again as she rested her head on her hands. Jon dropped her boots on the floor and sat next to her, pulling her across so she lay with her head on his lap, her legs curling up onto the couch as he wrapped an arm over her, holding her close. She murmured something, and Jon had to bend right over her to hear.
“What, baby?”
“I love you, Jon.” She whispered again, almost asleep, and he grinned as he pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her head, then sat back again, cradling her tenderly.
Sara was already asleep as Jon carefully pulled his cellphone from his pocket and called Richie, speaking quietly and asking him to call at six o’clock, or when Dot and the kids arrived, whichever was first. Richie laughed when Jon said Sara was asleep already, but agreed to do the alarm call anyway. Jon laid the phone on a table and leaned back, closing his eyes, still holding Sara tightly as he let himself drift.
Jon dozed briefly, but lightly enough that he woke when Sara shifted in sleep, burrowing her shoulders back against his stomach, and he looked down, lifting her hair back off her face, smiling as he gently stroked her head for a moment. He glanced at his watch, seeing it was just a few minutes before six, and he punched Richie’s number, calling him to let him know not to bother with the wakeup call. After he’d laid the phone back down, Jon rubbed his palm along Sara’s upper arm with just enough pressure to stir her toward waking. She rolled as she woke, turning onto her back on his lap and when she opened her eyes he was smiling down at her.
“Hi.” He said, and a sleepy smile spread across her face.
“It wasn’t a dream. I really am home.” She said softly, reaching up to touch his cheek.
“Well, not exactly home, babe. We’re at Wachovia Center, remember?”
“Oh, I know where we are, Jon. But I’m with you, so I’m home.”
Jon’s tender smile turned to a delighted grin, and he pulled her higher, sitting her on his lap so he could kiss her. When they drew apart again, Sara didn’t look sleepy any more.
“Do you feel better after your nap?” Jon asked, and she grinned.
“Much better, thanks. At least now I shouldn’t be in any danger of falling asleep during the show!”
She gave Jon a soft kiss then stood up, walking across the room to look out through the glass wall, stretching as she went. From this vantage point, she could see down into the arena, seeing not only the area in front of the stage, where the crowds would soon be, but also most of the backstage and the miles of cables snaking out from under the stage in various directions. There were one or two areas which appeared to have canopies, and she could only guess that perhaps these were where Jon changed during the show, and they were covered to prevent any fans in the higher reaches of the arena being able to look down on him.
Jon walked across behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she gazed out of the window, and Sara leaned back into him, tilting her head back onto his shoulder. She spoke without moving her head, watching his face out of the corner of her eye.
“I was talking to Linda earlier.” She began, then hesitated until Jon encouraged her with a soft ‘mmmm?’.
“Linda said one of her friends was at the show in Florida. She said you were upset, during the show.” Now she raised her head, not looking at him as she continued quietly. “Was it my fault? Was it because I ran off to the UK without saying anything?”
Jon sighed. “Jesus, you really are special, aren’t you?” He relaxed his grip on her enough to turn her around to face him. “I act like a spoilt prick, insult you and hurt you, yet you’re worried about how I felt? I don’t deserve you, Sara.”
“I don’t want you to think I meant to hurt you, Jon. I was just……..I don’t know what I was…..”
“You were hurt because I’m an asshole.” Jon finished her thought, raising a hand to lay his fingers on her lips as she tried to protest. “Baby, please. You don’t have anything to feel bad about. Trust me - the way I felt in Florida, that was totally my own fault. If I hadn’t hurt you, we’d still have been okay, and I wouldn’t have ended up almost blowing off the whole show so I could sit and feel sorry for myself. Completely not your fault, and I don’t want you even thinking about it. We’re okay now, and that’s all that matters.” He frowned suddenly. “We are okay, right?”
“Oh, we’re okay. We’re better than okay, Jon. We’re together again.”
He grinned and kissed her tenderly, then drew back. “Come on. We’d better get back down there before the kids arrive. Plus, I think the doors will open pretty soon, so we need to get back to the dressing room before that!”
“Okay, lead me to the coffee!”
Instead of sitting at the table, they made themselves comfortable on a couple of couches in one corner, taking a couch each so they could stretch their legs out. Sara didn’t make friends easily - she was too fond of keeping distance between herself and others - but she did feel like she and Linda could become good friends.
“You work in a hospital, right?” Sara asked as she dug a fork into the chocolate cake, and Linda nodded.
“Mm-hm. I’m a patient registrar. How did you know?”
“Richie mentioned it, the day he met you.” Sara grinned conspiratorially. “He was so happy that morning, after he’d met you. He seemed to feel a connection to you immediately, from what he said.”
“Really?” Linda was touched that Richie had felt it as much as she had, and she looked at Sara a little curiously. “How did you and Jon meet? I know you’re a photographer - was it through your work?”
“Mmmm. I was booked to photograph him for a magazine interview, and, well, he……we……um….” Sara was blushing furiously, remembering that first day, her very first time, and Linda was intrigued but diplomatic enough not to ask. “Well, we got to talking, and I guess something I said surprised him, and one thing kinda led to another.”
Sara took another drink of coffee, then smiled at Linda. “I guess I should thank you - for telling Richie about that magazine article.”
“Well, he happened to call, and I mentioned that a friend had said Jon seemed upset at the Hard Rock show in Florida. When Richie said Jon was having ‘woman trouble’, I remembered the article. Thought I should mention it in case he didn’t know.”
“We’d actually seen it the night before.” Sara said. “But thank you for being nice enough to say.” She paused as something else Linda had said dawned on her. “Jon was upset? At the show?”
“According to my friend, yeah. She was front row in front of Jon, and she swears he was crying when he sang Bed of Roses. I did ask Richie - he actually went across and sang the last chorus along with Jon, which they never do - but he didn’t answer me.”
“Which is probably answer enough.” Sara said softly, feeling the burn at the back of her throat which heralded tears.
Fortunately, before her tears could spill over as she thought of how she’d hurt Jon by running off to England, the dressing room door burst open and the guys trooped in, obviously in high spirits and looking forward to the show. Over at the long table, Jon poured himself coffee, then looked across.
“Sara?” He asked, waving the coffee pot, but Sara shook her head.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
He laid down the coffee and picked up his mug and a plate with chocolate cake, then came across to share Sara’s couch. She pulled her legs out of the way to let him sit, swinging her feet to the floor, and Jon held out the plate of cake.
“I’ve already had some.” She told him, and Jon grinned, knowing her too well.
“And what else have you had to eat today?”
“I had breakfast.” Sara muttered. “I haven’t been hungry recently.”
“Yeah, well, just eat it will ya?”
Sara crossed her eyes at him, but she took the plate anyway. Well, it was really good chocolate cake, and it would be a shame to waste it! Richie came across and sat next to Linda, then the other guys came across, finding themselves space on another pair of couches, and everybody chatted companionably. Sara’s natural shyness was somewhat overcome by the fact she already knew Richie, and Linda, and of course Jon. Also, she was starting to feel the effects of the long journey, coupled with the stress of the previous day, and as she tried to lay the empty plate on the table, she missed completely, the plate falling to the floor.
“Oh, dammit!” She stretched to pick up the plate as the guys laughed - not unkindly, just seeing the funny side - but Jon saw her hands trembling.
“You okay, Sara?”
“Yeah. I’m just tired I guess. It’s been a long couple of days.”
It was Richie who glanced at his watch first.
“The show isn’t for a good few hours, Sara. Why don’t you get some sleep?”
“But I just got back.” She protested, but Jon grabbed her hand.
“He’s right, babe. Come on. We’ll find somewhere quiet for you to get some rest. I promise I’ll wake you when the kids arrive.”
Sara wanted to argue, but before she spoke, she blinked, and only realised when Jon shook her hand gently that her eyes had been closed for much more than a blink. She was that tired!
“Okay, I give up.” She murmured. “I’m sorry to be rude everybody, but I really could do with some sleep.”
There was a chorus of reassurance that she wasn’t being rude, then Jon pulled her to her feet, leading her out of the room and along the corridor. She followed submissively, not even paying attention to her surroundings, just letting Jon lead her along as she yawned and stumbled clumsily like a puppy who hadn’t quite got control of it’s feet yet.
Jon took her up to the owner’s box that he used, which was equipped with a large couch and all the necessities of home - a bar, fridge and television.
“Come on - over here.”
He led her to the couch and sat her down, then knelt to pull her boots off as Sara sagged forward, eyes closing again as she rested her head on her hands. Jon dropped her boots on the floor and sat next to her, pulling her across so she lay with her head on his lap, her legs curling up onto the couch as he wrapped an arm over her, holding her close. She murmured something, and Jon had to bend right over her to hear.
“What, baby?”
“I love you, Jon.” She whispered again, almost asleep, and he grinned as he pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her head, then sat back again, cradling her tenderly.
Sara was already asleep as Jon carefully pulled his cellphone from his pocket and called Richie, speaking quietly and asking him to call at six o’clock, or when Dot and the kids arrived, whichever was first. Richie laughed when Jon said Sara was asleep already, but agreed to do the alarm call anyway. Jon laid the phone on a table and leaned back, closing his eyes, still holding Sara tightly as he let himself drift.
Jon dozed briefly, but lightly enough that he woke when Sara shifted in sleep, burrowing her shoulders back against his stomach, and he looked down, lifting her hair back off her face, smiling as he gently stroked her head for a moment. He glanced at his watch, seeing it was just a few minutes before six, and he punched Richie’s number, calling him to let him know not to bother with the wakeup call. After he’d laid the phone back down, Jon rubbed his palm along Sara’s upper arm with just enough pressure to stir her toward waking. She rolled as she woke, turning onto her back on his lap and when she opened her eyes he was smiling down at her.
“Hi.” He said, and a sleepy smile spread across her face.
“It wasn’t a dream. I really am home.” She said softly, reaching up to touch his cheek.
“Well, not exactly home, babe. We’re at Wachovia Center, remember?”
“Oh, I know where we are, Jon. But I’m with you, so I’m home.”
Jon’s tender smile turned to a delighted grin, and he pulled her higher, sitting her on his lap so he could kiss her. When they drew apart again, Sara didn’t look sleepy any more.
“Do you feel better after your nap?” Jon asked, and she grinned.
“Much better, thanks. At least now I shouldn’t be in any danger of falling asleep during the show!”
She gave Jon a soft kiss then stood up, walking across the room to look out through the glass wall, stretching as she went. From this vantage point, she could see down into the arena, seeing not only the area in front of the stage, where the crowds would soon be, but also most of the backstage and the miles of cables snaking out from under the stage in various directions. There were one or two areas which appeared to have canopies, and she could only guess that perhaps these were where Jon changed during the show, and they were covered to prevent any fans in the higher reaches of the arena being able to look down on him.
Jon walked across behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she gazed out of the window, and Sara leaned back into him, tilting her head back onto his shoulder. She spoke without moving her head, watching his face out of the corner of her eye.
“I was talking to Linda earlier.” She began, then hesitated until Jon encouraged her with a soft ‘mmmm?’.
“Linda said one of her friends was at the show in Florida. She said you were upset, during the show.” Now she raised her head, not looking at him as she continued quietly. “Was it my fault? Was it because I ran off to the UK without saying anything?”
Jon sighed. “Jesus, you really are special, aren’t you?” He relaxed his grip on her enough to turn her around to face him. “I act like a spoilt prick, insult you and hurt you, yet you’re worried about how I felt? I don’t deserve you, Sara.”
“I don’t want you to think I meant to hurt you, Jon. I was just……..I don’t know what I was…..”
“You were hurt because I’m an asshole.” Jon finished her thought, raising a hand to lay his fingers on her lips as she tried to protest. “Baby, please. You don’t have anything to feel bad about. Trust me - the way I felt in Florida, that was totally my own fault. If I hadn’t hurt you, we’d still have been okay, and I wouldn’t have ended up almost blowing off the whole show so I could sit and feel sorry for myself. Completely not your fault, and I don’t want you even thinking about it. We’re okay now, and that’s all that matters.” He frowned suddenly. “We are okay, right?”
“Oh, we’re okay. We’re better than okay, Jon. We’re together again.”
He grinned and kissed her tenderly, then drew back. “Come on. We’d better get back down there before the kids arrive. Plus, I think the doors will open pretty soon, so we need to get back to the dressing room before that!”
“Okay, lead me to the coffee!”
Chapter 109
Once they’d finished lunch, Richie offered to give Linda a quick tour of the arena before soundcheck, and before they left the room he grabbed a pass for her, ensuring she’d have no trouble getting into all areas of the backstage. He gently placed the lanyard around her neck and flipped her hair out from underneath it, then grinned and gave her a gentle kiss, leading her out of the room. The tour didn’t really take long, and they finished up back at the stage just as the other guys were climbing the short flight of steps to start soundcheck.
“Okay, girl, I gotta do some work I guess. Do you wanna sit in on this, or do you want to go see if your friends are outside?”
“I’ll sit in, if it’s okay. I don’t want to get in the way.”
“You won’t be in the way, Linda, but it will get pretty boring. Grab a seat, though.”
He gave her another swift kiss as she took a seat, then he bounded up onto the stage to get started. Truth be told, soundcheck wasn’t too exciting to watch, but Linda enjoyed seeing them just working. Once before, on a fan club trip, she’d been at soundcheck, and she could see now that the guys were different when there was an audience for soundcheck. This time, though - while they didn’t exactly ignore her - it was more relaxed, though there was the odd moment of tension when something just wasn’t right. She’d always seen Jon as pretty much of a perfectionist, but she was slightly more surprised to see how insistent Richie was that his guitars be absolutely perfect.
The stage setup was pretty simple, much more basic than she’d seen on the tour, but there were still a couple of tiny fan pits on either side of the stage, and she wondered if any of her friends had managed to get wristbands. As usual, of course, the stage was backed with the huge screen, so that all the crowd could get a good view of the show, but at the moment the screen was dark.
Sara sat in the back of the limo, the divider between her and the driver closed this time, mainly because she was using the journey time - and the spacious car - as an opportunity to change into some of her new underwear and a new top. The jeans she’d worn to travel would just have to do for the moment. She had been going to wear one of her new t shirts, with yet another slogan, but she remembered that Jon’s wife, or ex-wife-to-be, and kids would be there, so maybe this wasn’t the time for her usual style of shirt. Instead, she wore a fine black tunic with silvery white embroidery around the jebellah neckline. The top managed to be both sexy and demure, plus it was perfect to wear with her new black underwear, so Sara was pretty happy.
Her excitement to see Jon was warring with the nerves over meeting the other guys and, more importantly, meeting Jon’s family. She brushed out her hair as the driver announced they were just arriving at the venue, then she threw all her junk back into her bag and zipped it closed. A quick spray of perfume and she was ready to go.
The limo pulled through into the parking area and stopped, the driver quickly coming around to open Sara’s door. She caught his quick double-take when he realised she had different clothes on, and she just thanked him and headed for the door he indicated.
During soundcheck, Jon usually left his cellphone lying at the foot of Tico’s kit, because he’d found from experience that the phone interfered with the mic. He’d still hear it - or at least somebody would - if it rang. They reached the end of their final run-through of one song and Jon hopped down off the stool he was sitting on.
“Back in a minute.” He said, and as he walked backstage, he heard Richie yell something about ‘you shoulda gone before we started!’, and he laughed but kept going.
Tico was having some issues with the pitch on one of his drums, and kept drumming as he spoke to his tech, trying to get it right, and that was probably why nobody heard Jon’s phone ring, since it still sat beside the drums.
Standing in the corridor, Sara couldn’t believe it when Jon’s phone went onto voicemail. The security guard who was blocking her way smirked, about to send her away, when she thought quickly and dialled another number. This time she got an answer, as Richie pulled his phone from the pocket of his jeans, flipping it open with a surprised look when he saw the name.
“Hello? Sara?”
“Hi - yeah, it’s me. Is Jon there? He didn’t pick up.”
“He’s around somewhere - he went to the bathroom. What’s up, girl? You haven’t been delayed again?”
“Sort of.” She laughed, glad she’d managed to get hold of one of them. “I’m here, but since I don’t have a pass……….I can’t get past security!”
“Shit! I guess Jon forgot about that. Where are you?”
“I just came in from the car, and I’m just inside the building. Not really sure where.”
“I know where. Gimme a couple of minutes.”
Hanging up, Richie looked around, but there was no sign of Jon. He quickly propped his guitar on a stand and jumped down off the stage, jogging off to the side as everybody - Linda included - looked confused. Richie headed down the corridor, past the dressing room and on toward the entry door. As he looked ahead, he could see the security guard standing theatrically blocking the corridor, and he shook his head at the guy’s attitude. Beyond the uniform, he could see a pair of denim-clad legs which were pretty familiar, and he slowed to a walk as he approached the guard from behind.
“Is there a problem?” He asked the guard, not waiting for an answer as he brushed past to hug Sara. “Hey girl, good to see you.”
“You, too, Richie.” Sara squeezed her arms around his waist as he almost lifted her right off her feet, then he released her again and turned to the guard, who looked embarrassed.
“Sorry, Mr Sambora. She didn’t have a pass, so I couldn’t let her in.”
“I don’t have a pass, either.” Richie pointed out.
“Yeah, but I know who you are.”
“It’s okay, Richie. He’s just doing his job.” Sara said quietly, and the guard smiled at her now, stepping aside politely.
“Thank you, miss. I’m sorry I had to hold you back.”
Richie led Sara along the corridor, taking her bag from her hand and dropping it off in the dressing room as they passed. As he came out of the room, he saw her tugging at her top, smoothing it down, and he grinned.
“Sara - you look beautiful. Jon’s gonna flip when he sees you. In fact, I’ve got an idea.”
Out in the arena, Jon had come back to the stage to find Richie missing, and nobody had a clue where he’d gone.
“He took a call, then just left.” Dave said with a shrug, and Jon looked out to the audience area, seeing Linda still sitting there, looking just as bewildered as everybody else.
“Where the hell is he?” Jon asked nobody in particular, heading toward Tico to get his phone, to call Richie. Just before he reached the phone, though, he heard Dave yell.
“Richie! Where’d you go?”
Richie was climbing back up the stairs at the front of the stage, and Jon turned to face him, spinning away from the drums.
“Sorry, I had to go collect something.” Richie said, with a slight grin that Jon didn’t understand.
“What the hell could be so important that you disappeared in the middle of soundcheck?”
Jon was standing off to the side of the stage, facing Richie, and wondering why the grin was getting even broader. Unseen by Jon, Sara had come onto the stage from the back, as directed by Richie, and she walked softly to the front of the stage, hopping up on the stool behind the white mic stand. Dave and Tico looked at her, then at Richie, understanding now why he was grinning, and waiting for Jon’s reaction.
“Well, it’s not all that important to me. I actually went to get something that arrived for you, Jon.”
“What?!”
Richie didn’t answer, just nodded over Jon’s shoulder, and he turned his head to see Sara perched up on his stool, smiling at him.
“Hi.” She said softly, and even from the side of the stage, Jon saw a tear break from the corner of her eye, trickling slowly down her cheek.
He wasn’t even conscious of moving, but the next thing Jon knew he was standing by the stool with Sara wrapped tightly in his arms, feeling her arms around his waist, squeezing like she’d never let go. After a long hug, not even caring that the rest of the guys were watching, Jon brought his hands up to the sides of Sara’s face, looking into her teary eyes before kissing her, trying hard to keep himself under control, not to give the guys too much of a show, and not wanting to embarrass Sara too badly. From the way she kissed him back, it didn’t seem like she cared who was watching, and he closed his eyes as he relished the taste of her mouth for the first time in what seemed like months.
Richie watched with a grin, then turned to wave to Linda, beckoning her to come up on stage. Tico, Dave and Hugh came across, too, then Richie spoke, laughing.
“Jesus, you two! Get a room!”
Sara giggled as she broke away from Jon, wiping her tears away, then quickly swiping her fingers over Jon’s cheek, brushing away the single tear that had spilled over his lashes. Jon pulled her from the stool, holding tightly to her left hand, and turned to face the guys.
“As you probably gathered,” he said with a grin, “this is Sara. Sara - Richie you already know - Tico, Dave, Hugh.” He gestured at the three guys in turn, and she gave a shy smile.
“Nice to meet you all.”
Tico stepped forward first, but instead of taking Sara’s hand, he gave her a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek, which set the tone for the other two guys, who followed his example. Richie waited patiently, then grinned at Sara as he tugged on Linda’s hand.
“Sara - this is Linda. Linda - Sara.”
“It’s great to meet you, Linda.” Sara grinned, moving away from Jon to hug the other woman. “Richie hasn’t talked about much else since he met you!”
“Nice to meet you, too.” Linda smiled as she stepped back again. “Although I think a few of my friends will hate you on principle.”
“What? Why?” Sara didn’t understand.
“They’re huge fans, and you’ve broken their hearts because you’re with Jon.” Linda explained, and Sara flushed.
“Oh.” Was all she said, then noticed Dave look at his watch. Jon caught the action, too, and nodded.
“Ladies, can you excuse us? We’ve got a bit more work to do.” He caught Sara’s hand and pulled her close for another soft kiss. “Baby - you can stay up here, or go down to sit with Linda. Should only be another fifteen minutes or so.”
“I’ll probably go down, but later.” She said with the tiniest smirk that only Jon saw, and he felt it all the way down into his belly because of the words it accompanied. “But right now I need to find some coffee. It’s been a long day already, baby.”
“You and your coffee. Yeah - there’s some along in the dressing room.”
“I could do with a drink, too.” Linda said to her. “Why don’t we both go along?”
“Great.” Sara smiled, liking Linda a lot already, and Jon gave her a final quick kiss.
“Okay - we’ll be along as soon as we’re finished, girls. Sara - you may even find chocolate cake along there.”
Her eyes lit up at that, and Jon grinned as she and Linda left, heading to the dressing room.
“Okay, girl, I gotta do some work I guess. Do you wanna sit in on this, or do you want to go see if your friends are outside?”
“I’ll sit in, if it’s okay. I don’t want to get in the way.”
“You won’t be in the way, Linda, but it will get pretty boring. Grab a seat, though.”
He gave her another swift kiss as she took a seat, then he bounded up onto the stage to get started. Truth be told, soundcheck wasn’t too exciting to watch, but Linda enjoyed seeing them just working. Once before, on a fan club trip, she’d been at soundcheck, and she could see now that the guys were different when there was an audience for soundcheck. This time, though - while they didn’t exactly ignore her - it was more relaxed, though there was the odd moment of tension when something just wasn’t right. She’d always seen Jon as pretty much of a perfectionist, but she was slightly more surprised to see how insistent Richie was that his guitars be absolutely perfect.
The stage setup was pretty simple, much more basic than she’d seen on the tour, but there were still a couple of tiny fan pits on either side of the stage, and she wondered if any of her friends had managed to get wristbands. As usual, of course, the stage was backed with the huge screen, so that all the crowd could get a good view of the show, but at the moment the screen was dark.
Sara sat in the back of the limo, the divider between her and the driver closed this time, mainly because she was using the journey time - and the spacious car - as an opportunity to change into some of her new underwear and a new top. The jeans she’d worn to travel would just have to do for the moment. She had been going to wear one of her new t shirts, with yet another slogan, but she remembered that Jon’s wife, or ex-wife-to-be, and kids would be there, so maybe this wasn’t the time for her usual style of shirt. Instead, she wore a fine black tunic with silvery white embroidery around the jebellah neckline. The top managed to be both sexy and demure, plus it was perfect to wear with her new black underwear, so Sara was pretty happy.
Her excitement to see Jon was warring with the nerves over meeting the other guys and, more importantly, meeting Jon’s family. She brushed out her hair as the driver announced they were just arriving at the venue, then she threw all her junk back into her bag and zipped it closed. A quick spray of perfume and she was ready to go.
The limo pulled through into the parking area and stopped, the driver quickly coming around to open Sara’s door. She caught his quick double-take when he realised she had different clothes on, and she just thanked him and headed for the door he indicated.
During soundcheck, Jon usually left his cellphone lying at the foot of Tico’s kit, because he’d found from experience that the phone interfered with the mic. He’d still hear it - or at least somebody would - if it rang. They reached the end of their final run-through of one song and Jon hopped down off the stool he was sitting on.
“Back in a minute.” He said, and as he walked backstage, he heard Richie yell something about ‘you shoulda gone before we started!’, and he laughed but kept going.
Tico was having some issues with the pitch on one of his drums, and kept drumming as he spoke to his tech, trying to get it right, and that was probably why nobody heard Jon’s phone ring, since it still sat beside the drums.
Standing in the corridor, Sara couldn’t believe it when Jon’s phone went onto voicemail. The security guard who was blocking her way smirked, about to send her away, when she thought quickly and dialled another number. This time she got an answer, as Richie pulled his phone from the pocket of his jeans, flipping it open with a surprised look when he saw the name.
“Hello? Sara?”
“Hi - yeah, it’s me. Is Jon there? He didn’t pick up.”
“He’s around somewhere - he went to the bathroom. What’s up, girl? You haven’t been delayed again?”
“Sort of.” She laughed, glad she’d managed to get hold of one of them. “I’m here, but since I don’t have a pass……….I can’t get past security!”
“Shit! I guess Jon forgot about that. Where are you?”
“I just came in from the car, and I’m just inside the building. Not really sure where.”
“I know where. Gimme a couple of minutes.”
Hanging up, Richie looked around, but there was no sign of Jon. He quickly propped his guitar on a stand and jumped down off the stage, jogging off to the side as everybody - Linda included - looked confused. Richie headed down the corridor, past the dressing room and on toward the entry door. As he looked ahead, he could see the security guard standing theatrically blocking the corridor, and he shook his head at the guy’s attitude. Beyond the uniform, he could see a pair of denim-clad legs which were pretty familiar, and he slowed to a walk as he approached the guard from behind.
“Is there a problem?” He asked the guard, not waiting for an answer as he brushed past to hug Sara. “Hey girl, good to see you.”
“You, too, Richie.” Sara squeezed her arms around his waist as he almost lifted her right off her feet, then he released her again and turned to the guard, who looked embarrassed.
“Sorry, Mr Sambora. She didn’t have a pass, so I couldn’t let her in.”
“I don’t have a pass, either.” Richie pointed out.
“Yeah, but I know who you are.”
“It’s okay, Richie. He’s just doing his job.” Sara said quietly, and the guard smiled at her now, stepping aside politely.
“Thank you, miss. I’m sorry I had to hold you back.”
Richie led Sara along the corridor, taking her bag from her hand and dropping it off in the dressing room as they passed. As he came out of the room, he saw her tugging at her top, smoothing it down, and he grinned.
“Sara - you look beautiful. Jon’s gonna flip when he sees you. In fact, I’ve got an idea.”
Out in the arena, Jon had come back to the stage to find Richie missing, and nobody had a clue where he’d gone.
“He took a call, then just left.” Dave said with a shrug, and Jon looked out to the audience area, seeing Linda still sitting there, looking just as bewildered as everybody else.
“Where the hell is he?” Jon asked nobody in particular, heading toward Tico to get his phone, to call Richie. Just before he reached the phone, though, he heard Dave yell.
“Richie! Where’d you go?”
Richie was climbing back up the stairs at the front of the stage, and Jon turned to face him, spinning away from the drums.
“Sorry, I had to go collect something.” Richie said, with a slight grin that Jon didn’t understand.
“What the hell could be so important that you disappeared in the middle of soundcheck?”
Jon was standing off to the side of the stage, facing Richie, and wondering why the grin was getting even broader. Unseen by Jon, Sara had come onto the stage from the back, as directed by Richie, and she walked softly to the front of the stage, hopping up on the stool behind the white mic stand. Dave and Tico looked at her, then at Richie, understanding now why he was grinning, and waiting for Jon’s reaction.
“Well, it’s not all that important to me. I actually went to get something that arrived for you, Jon.”
“What?!”
Richie didn’t answer, just nodded over Jon’s shoulder, and he turned his head to see Sara perched up on his stool, smiling at him.
“Hi.” She said softly, and even from the side of the stage, Jon saw a tear break from the corner of her eye, trickling slowly down her cheek.
He wasn’t even conscious of moving, but the next thing Jon knew he was standing by the stool with Sara wrapped tightly in his arms, feeling her arms around his waist, squeezing like she’d never let go. After a long hug, not even caring that the rest of the guys were watching, Jon brought his hands up to the sides of Sara’s face, looking into her teary eyes before kissing her, trying hard to keep himself under control, not to give the guys too much of a show, and not wanting to embarrass Sara too badly. From the way she kissed him back, it didn’t seem like she cared who was watching, and he closed his eyes as he relished the taste of her mouth for the first time in what seemed like months.
Richie watched with a grin, then turned to wave to Linda, beckoning her to come up on stage. Tico, Dave and Hugh came across, too, then Richie spoke, laughing.
“Jesus, you two! Get a room!”
Sara giggled as she broke away from Jon, wiping her tears away, then quickly swiping her fingers over Jon’s cheek, brushing away the single tear that had spilled over his lashes. Jon pulled her from the stool, holding tightly to her left hand, and turned to face the guys.
“As you probably gathered,” he said with a grin, “this is Sara. Sara - Richie you already know - Tico, Dave, Hugh.” He gestured at the three guys in turn, and she gave a shy smile.
“Nice to meet you all.”
Tico stepped forward first, but instead of taking Sara’s hand, he gave her a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek, which set the tone for the other two guys, who followed his example. Richie waited patiently, then grinned at Sara as he tugged on Linda’s hand.
“Sara - this is Linda. Linda - Sara.”
“It’s great to meet you, Linda.” Sara grinned, moving away from Jon to hug the other woman. “Richie hasn’t talked about much else since he met you!”
“Nice to meet you, too.” Linda smiled as she stepped back again. “Although I think a few of my friends will hate you on principle.”
“What? Why?” Sara didn’t understand.
“They’re huge fans, and you’ve broken their hearts because you’re with Jon.” Linda explained, and Sara flushed.
“Oh.” Was all she said, then noticed Dave look at his watch. Jon caught the action, too, and nodded.
“Ladies, can you excuse us? We’ve got a bit more work to do.” He caught Sara’s hand and pulled her close for another soft kiss. “Baby - you can stay up here, or go down to sit with Linda. Should only be another fifteen minutes or so.”
“I’ll probably go down, but later.” She said with the tiniest smirk that only Jon saw, and he felt it all the way down into his belly because of the words it accompanied. “But right now I need to find some coffee. It’s been a long day already, baby.”
“You and your coffee. Yeah - there’s some along in the dressing room.”
“I could do with a drink, too.” Linda said to her. “Why don’t we both go along?”
“Great.” Sara smiled, liking Linda a lot already, and Jon gave her a final quick kiss.
“Okay - we’ll be along as soon as we’re finished, girls. Sara - you may even find chocolate cake along there.”
Her eyes lit up at that, and Jon grinned as she and Linda left, heading to the dressing room.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Chapter 108
Later that day, after the guys had all left for their hotel again, Jon called Sara and they had a long rambling conversation about nothing in particular, just picking up on random words and straying off at oblique angles as things occurred to them. Jon did remember to tell Sara he’d arranged for a limo to collect her from Newark, to bring her straight to Wachovia Center.
“A limo?” She echoed. “Jon - I could just as easily get a cab.”
“I know you could, but this way the driver knows exactly where he’s going, and you’ll get no trouble with security - the driver will have a pass to get into the restricted areas.”
Sara giggled. “Restricted areas, huh? I want you in my ‘restricted areas’.”
“Well, hello naughty Sara.” Jon laughed. “I was starting to think you’d left her somewhere.”
“Oh, she’s always here. I just don’t let her out very often. Except with you.”
“Just you keep her for me, darlin’. I don’t want anybody else seeing her. Nobody else should get to see you like I do.”
“Are you getting all possessive on me?” Sara asked suspiciously.
“Maybe a little.” Jon admitted. “I guess it’s just the way I am, Sara. I’ve never thought about it - guess it’s been years since I’ve been this crazy about somebody. Does it bother you?”
“I actually don’t know. I don’t think so, so long as you don’t start going all jealous and paranoid on me, which doesn’t seem likely.” She thought again. “In a way, I kind of like it, Jon. I like that you want me for yourself.”
“I certainly do want you, Sara. I just miss you. Guess I should let you get some sleep, before your flight tomorrow.”
“I suppose. I won’t call you before my flight, just in case it jinxes things again, but I’ll call you when I land at Newark?”
“Okay. I don’t think a phone call would jinx anything, but I guess we’d better not take the chance, huh? If there are any problems, though, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll talk to you when you’re back on the right side of the Atlantic, and I’ll see you a couple of hours after that.”
“You’d better do more than just see me, baby.”
“Oh, I will. Trust me on that one. Now, go! Go to bed, Sara.”
“Ooh - getting all dominant now. I think I like that. Good night, Mr Bon Jovi.”
“Hussy! Good night, Miss Holland.”
Sara was smiling as she clicked her phone off. She was always amazed how just talking to Jon - just hearing his voice, really - could brighten her mood. Heading for the shower, she stopped suddenly as she realised she had a minor problem. The extra day meant she’d run out of clean clothes, so she quickly dug out a t shirt and underwear, to wash them through and leave them to dry overnight. She remembered seeing a few decent stores at the airport, so she’d pick up something there, so she could change before she went to see Jon. A smile crossed her face again as she remembered there was a very nice lingerie shop there, so she’d have to see what she could find. Even before she’d met Jon, and worried about anybody seeing her underwear, Sara had been a sucker for pretty, lacy things. Or should that be thongs?
Next morning, Sara ate a quick breakfast at the hotel, then boarded the bus back to the airport. The check in staff were very apologetic for the delay, but assured everybody that the aircraft was already on it’s way, and they’d be taking off as scheduled. Sara got rid of her bag - again - then headed for the shops she’d seen the day before. She picked out some underwear which took her fancy, and which she was pretty sure Jon would like, too, then found a few nice t shirts and tops in the other store before heading through security.
Today, everything went smoothly, with the flight loaded and taking off exactly on time, but this time Sara didn’t go to sleep - if there were any more problems, she wanted to know about them!
The first thing Jon did when he woke on Wednesday morning was power up his laptop. He wasn’t quite so technologically challenged as he liked to pretend - although he was very far from being expert, he was quite capable of finding his way around the internet. A relieved smile appeared on his face when he checked the Newark airport website, seeing Sara’s flight listed as on schedule for a one thirty arrival. Happy now, he shut down the laptop and headed for the shower.
Linda had quit work at lunchtime, and headed straight home to shower and get ready for the show. The dinner with her friends the previous night had been one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do. It really kinda sucked - seeing the man of her dreams, but not able to tell any of her close friends, but she knew it’d be worth it, just to see their faces at the show.
Leaving the Four Seasons for soundcheck, Richie sent Dave, Tico and Hugh off in one limo, taking another one himself and directing the driver to Linda’s house. He called Linda as they approached, and she was waiting outside as the limo drew up at her house. She started toward the car, and Richie opened the door from inside, leaning forward to grin at her.
“Hey, Linda. Ready to go?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Linda got in the back of the limo, and the driver moved off as soon as Richie slammed the door. By the time the wheels began to turn, though, Linda was tightly folded in Richie’s arms, their mouths rediscovering each other in a passionate hello kiss.
“You look beautiful.” Richie said as he finally released her.
“Thank you. So do you.” Linda grinned.
When they arrived at Wachovia Center, the limo driver took the car around to the back of the building, giving Linda her first experience of being admitted through the cordon of security which kept the band members separated from the public. She felt the tickle of nerves as the car pulled to a halt and she realised she was going to meet the rest of the band - Richie’s closest friends - for the first time. He must have sensed her apprehension at meeting people she’d been a fan of for so long, and he took her hand in a firm grip as he got out of the seat, pulling her from the car with him. Richie led her past a security guard, who stepped aside as soon as he recognised Richie, then down a maze of corridors, heading toward a closed door. He thumped a fist on the panel of the door as he yelled.
“You guys decent? I’m not bringing my lady in otherwise!”
Linda was still slightly stunned from Richie referring to her as ‘my lady’, when the door was yanked open from inside. A familiar mop of blond ringlets appeared as Dave stepped forward with a grin.
“You afraid she’ll jump ship if she sees me naked?” He asked Richie, who laughed uproariously.
“Nah - I’d be more afraid she’d run screaming from the building if you were naked. Linda - this is Dave. Dave - Linda.”
They shook hands, David instantly liking what he saw, and Linda feeling much more at ease now in the face of Dave’s wacky sense of humour.
“Nice to meet you.” She said softly, and Dave smiled as he kept hold of her hand, drawing her into the room.
“Good to meet the woman who’s put a smile back on that ugly mug.” He told her. “Hey, Tico! C’mere!”
Tico approached, and Linda was struck immediately by the latent power in that compact body. He took her hand out of Dave’s, gallantly kissing the back of her hand.
“Hi Linda. Nice to meet you.” His voice was as gravelly as she’d expected, having heard him sing once or twice, and she returned his greeting with a smile. Hugh came over, too, and the introductions were almost complete as Richie looked around.
“Where’s Jon?”
“Right here, Rich.” Came a voice from behind them as Jon walked into the room. He walked straight up to Linda with that wide, infectious grin.
“Hi, I’m Jon. Great to finally meet you, Linda. Richie’s been talking my ears off since he met you.”
He surprised Linda a little when he kissed her cheek along with the handshake, and now she knew her friends would kill her - not only was she seeing Richie, but Jon had just kissed her. She said hello to Jon, her voice remaining steady since she’d always really been a Richie girl, though she could certainly feel the magnetism of Jon’s personality, and the warmth of his smile tugged up the corners of her mouth automatically in response. Richie caught her hand and pulled her to his side again as he spoke to Jon.
“Any word from Sara?”
Jon shrugged. “She said she wasn’t going to call me before she left, just in case she jinxed the flight, but I checked and her flight’s on time, so she should be here about three thirty or four o’clock.”
“Great. So - d’you wanna eat first, or do you want to go straight for soundcheck?”
“Eat!” Tico and Dave chorused before Jon could answer, and he laughed.
“I guess we eat first.”
Richie led Linda to the back of the room, where there was a long table with a variety of dishes, and they grabbed some food and went to sit down. Linda was initially very nervous - she was sitting casually eating lunch with Bon Jovi, for chrissake! - but the banter of the five guys put her more at ease, and she enjoyed listening to Richie talk anyway. Partway through lunch, Jon’s phone rang, and he grinned when he read the display, excusing himself and walking away from the table to take the call.
“Hi baby.”
“Hi Jon. Well, I’m back on US soil, finally. Just got through immigration, so now I’m just looking for the car, I guess.”
“The driver should be in there, Sara.”
“Oh, I see him. Board with my name on - you think of everything, don’t you baby?”
“I try. So, I’ll see you in about two hours, then?”
“Traffic permitting, yes.” Her voice lowered slightly. “God, I need you, Jon. These past couple of weeks have been so hard.”
“I know, darlin’, but you’re home now, and I’ll see you real soon.”
As they ended the call, Jon returned to the table, seeing the wide grins on the faces of all the guys. Even Linda had a soft smile on her lips.
“I guess that was Sara, then?” Richie asked, and Jon nodded, still grinning.
“Yeah. She’s back - should be here in a couple of hours.”
“A limo?” She echoed. “Jon - I could just as easily get a cab.”
“I know you could, but this way the driver knows exactly where he’s going, and you’ll get no trouble with security - the driver will have a pass to get into the restricted areas.”
Sara giggled. “Restricted areas, huh? I want you in my ‘restricted areas’.”
“Well, hello naughty Sara.” Jon laughed. “I was starting to think you’d left her somewhere.”
“Oh, she’s always here. I just don’t let her out very often. Except with you.”
“Just you keep her for me, darlin’. I don’t want anybody else seeing her. Nobody else should get to see you like I do.”
“Are you getting all possessive on me?” Sara asked suspiciously.
“Maybe a little.” Jon admitted. “I guess it’s just the way I am, Sara. I’ve never thought about it - guess it’s been years since I’ve been this crazy about somebody. Does it bother you?”
“I actually don’t know. I don’t think so, so long as you don’t start going all jealous and paranoid on me, which doesn’t seem likely.” She thought again. “In a way, I kind of like it, Jon. I like that you want me for yourself.”
“I certainly do want you, Sara. I just miss you. Guess I should let you get some sleep, before your flight tomorrow.”
“I suppose. I won’t call you before my flight, just in case it jinxes things again, but I’ll call you when I land at Newark?”
“Okay. I don’t think a phone call would jinx anything, but I guess we’d better not take the chance, huh? If there are any problems, though, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll talk to you when you’re back on the right side of the Atlantic, and I’ll see you a couple of hours after that.”
“You’d better do more than just see me, baby.”
“Oh, I will. Trust me on that one. Now, go! Go to bed, Sara.”
“Ooh - getting all dominant now. I think I like that. Good night, Mr Bon Jovi.”
“Hussy! Good night, Miss Holland.”
Sara was smiling as she clicked her phone off. She was always amazed how just talking to Jon - just hearing his voice, really - could brighten her mood. Heading for the shower, she stopped suddenly as she realised she had a minor problem. The extra day meant she’d run out of clean clothes, so she quickly dug out a t shirt and underwear, to wash them through and leave them to dry overnight. She remembered seeing a few decent stores at the airport, so she’d pick up something there, so she could change before she went to see Jon. A smile crossed her face again as she remembered there was a very nice lingerie shop there, so she’d have to see what she could find. Even before she’d met Jon, and worried about anybody seeing her underwear, Sara had been a sucker for pretty, lacy things. Or should that be thongs?
Next morning, Sara ate a quick breakfast at the hotel, then boarded the bus back to the airport. The check in staff were very apologetic for the delay, but assured everybody that the aircraft was already on it’s way, and they’d be taking off as scheduled. Sara got rid of her bag - again - then headed for the shops she’d seen the day before. She picked out some underwear which took her fancy, and which she was pretty sure Jon would like, too, then found a few nice t shirts and tops in the other store before heading through security.
Today, everything went smoothly, with the flight loaded and taking off exactly on time, but this time Sara didn’t go to sleep - if there were any more problems, she wanted to know about them!
The first thing Jon did when he woke on Wednesday morning was power up his laptop. He wasn’t quite so technologically challenged as he liked to pretend - although he was very far from being expert, he was quite capable of finding his way around the internet. A relieved smile appeared on his face when he checked the Newark airport website, seeing Sara’s flight listed as on schedule for a one thirty arrival. Happy now, he shut down the laptop and headed for the shower.
Linda had quit work at lunchtime, and headed straight home to shower and get ready for the show. The dinner with her friends the previous night had been one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do. It really kinda sucked - seeing the man of her dreams, but not able to tell any of her close friends, but she knew it’d be worth it, just to see their faces at the show.
Leaving the Four Seasons for soundcheck, Richie sent Dave, Tico and Hugh off in one limo, taking another one himself and directing the driver to Linda’s house. He called Linda as they approached, and she was waiting outside as the limo drew up at her house. She started toward the car, and Richie opened the door from inside, leaning forward to grin at her.
“Hey, Linda. Ready to go?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Linda got in the back of the limo, and the driver moved off as soon as Richie slammed the door. By the time the wheels began to turn, though, Linda was tightly folded in Richie’s arms, their mouths rediscovering each other in a passionate hello kiss.
“You look beautiful.” Richie said as he finally released her.
“Thank you. So do you.” Linda grinned.
When they arrived at Wachovia Center, the limo driver took the car around to the back of the building, giving Linda her first experience of being admitted through the cordon of security which kept the band members separated from the public. She felt the tickle of nerves as the car pulled to a halt and she realised she was going to meet the rest of the band - Richie’s closest friends - for the first time. He must have sensed her apprehension at meeting people she’d been a fan of for so long, and he took her hand in a firm grip as he got out of the seat, pulling her from the car with him. Richie led her past a security guard, who stepped aside as soon as he recognised Richie, then down a maze of corridors, heading toward a closed door. He thumped a fist on the panel of the door as he yelled.
“You guys decent? I’m not bringing my lady in otherwise!”
Linda was still slightly stunned from Richie referring to her as ‘my lady’, when the door was yanked open from inside. A familiar mop of blond ringlets appeared as Dave stepped forward with a grin.
“You afraid she’ll jump ship if she sees me naked?” He asked Richie, who laughed uproariously.
“Nah - I’d be more afraid she’d run screaming from the building if you were naked. Linda - this is Dave. Dave - Linda.”
They shook hands, David instantly liking what he saw, and Linda feeling much more at ease now in the face of Dave’s wacky sense of humour.
“Nice to meet you.” She said softly, and Dave smiled as he kept hold of her hand, drawing her into the room.
“Good to meet the woman who’s put a smile back on that ugly mug.” He told her. “Hey, Tico! C’mere!”
Tico approached, and Linda was struck immediately by the latent power in that compact body. He took her hand out of Dave’s, gallantly kissing the back of her hand.
“Hi Linda. Nice to meet you.” His voice was as gravelly as she’d expected, having heard him sing once or twice, and she returned his greeting with a smile. Hugh came over, too, and the introductions were almost complete as Richie looked around.
“Where’s Jon?”
“Right here, Rich.” Came a voice from behind them as Jon walked into the room. He walked straight up to Linda with that wide, infectious grin.
“Hi, I’m Jon. Great to finally meet you, Linda. Richie’s been talking my ears off since he met you.”
He surprised Linda a little when he kissed her cheek along with the handshake, and now she knew her friends would kill her - not only was she seeing Richie, but Jon had just kissed her. She said hello to Jon, her voice remaining steady since she’d always really been a Richie girl, though she could certainly feel the magnetism of Jon’s personality, and the warmth of his smile tugged up the corners of her mouth automatically in response. Richie caught her hand and pulled her to his side again as he spoke to Jon.
“Any word from Sara?”
Jon shrugged. “She said she wasn’t going to call me before she left, just in case she jinxed the flight, but I checked and her flight’s on time, so she should be here about three thirty or four o’clock.”
“Great. So - d’you wanna eat first, or do you want to go straight for soundcheck?”
“Eat!” Tico and Dave chorused before Jon could answer, and he laughed.
“I guess we eat first.”
Richie led Linda to the back of the room, where there was a long table with a variety of dishes, and they grabbed some food and went to sit down. Linda was initially very nervous - she was sitting casually eating lunch with Bon Jovi, for chrissake! - but the banter of the five guys put her more at ease, and she enjoyed listening to Richie talk anyway. Partway through lunch, Jon’s phone rang, and he grinned when he read the display, excusing himself and walking away from the table to take the call.
“Hi baby.”
“Hi Jon. Well, I’m back on US soil, finally. Just got through immigration, so now I’m just looking for the car, I guess.”
“The driver should be in there, Sara.”
“Oh, I see him. Board with my name on - you think of everything, don’t you baby?”
“I try. So, I’ll see you in about two hours, then?”
“Traffic permitting, yes.” Her voice lowered slightly. “God, I need you, Jon. These past couple of weeks have been so hard.”
“I know, darlin’, but you’re home now, and I’ll see you real soon.”
As they ended the call, Jon returned to the table, seeing the wide grins on the faces of all the guys. Even Linda had a soft smile on her lips.
“I guess that was Sara, then?” Richie asked, and Jon nodded, still grinning.
“Yeah. She’s back - should be here in a couple of hours.”
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Chapter 107
Sara obeyed the instructions of the stewardess, looking groggily out of the window and wondering why nothing looked familiar. She blinked a few times, then looked again. No. Definitely not Newark. She looked at her watch, confused to see it was eight thirty, then remembering she’d changed her watch to New Jersey time before she’d settled down to sleep. So where the hell was she, then? Completely baffled, she turned to the guy sitting on the aisle in her row.
“Um - sorry - where are we? I was asleep.” She said apologetically, and he gave a wry smile.
“You didn’t miss much. We’re coming back into Glasgow.”
“What?! Why?”
“According to our fearless pilot, there’s some kind of minor technical fault, and he wasn’t happy to continue with the flight. We got about an hour and a half out, then he turned back.”
“Aw, hell! So what are they going to do? Get us another plane?”
“They haven’t said. The last announcement said the ground staff would update us. This is a joke, really - I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon, and I need to get back to prepare. Hope you didn’t have anything urgent waiting for you.”
Sara’s face fell as she whispered her answer. “Just my boyfriend. Dammit! I need to…..oh, shit! I’ll have to call him when we land.”
The guy gave her a sympathetic smile, but Sara didn’t see, as she’d turned to the window, fighting tears as she wondered if some higher power didn’t want her getting back with Jon. ‘Screw you’ she whispered, aiming it at the ‘higher power’. No way she wasn’t getting back to Jon. Not a chance.
They landed at Glasgow airport just after two in the afternoon, local time, and as they taxied in, the pilot came back over the speakers to explain that, yes, there was a technical problem with the aircraft, and he hadn’t been comfortable to continue with the transatlantic flight. He’d spoken with the ground staff, and they were going to have to bring in a replacement aircraft, as the problem with this one wasn’t easily repaired.
The bad news, though, was that the replacement aircraft was in Berlin, and wouldn’t be available until the following day. At that little tidbit of information, Sara got a surprised look from the guy near her as she spat ‘fuck!’ rather loudly, but she didn’t care. Her rarely seen temper was rising fast now, but she knew enough to keep herself in check - no point in yelling at the staff who couldn’t do anything. All that would achieve would be to ensure she ended up at the end of the list for any help in getting home. She could feel her head aching, though, as she fought down the rage. Besides, she thought, when did she ever show emotion, except with Jon!
Once they were parked at the gate, the attendants asked everyone to remain seated, as a member of ground staff was coming aboard to inform them of the arrangements which had been made. A worried looking man appeared at the front of the plane, holding the mic, and he explained that the airline had arranged hotel rooms and meal vouchers for everyone, and that these would be distributed as they deplaned. A bus would take them to the hotel, and bring them back next day, and they should get to Newark at the scheduled time of one thirty in the afternoon. Just one day later than intended!
Feeling numb now, Sara followed the crowd off the plane, collected her paperwork and bags, then took the bus to the hotel. Only once she was safely in her hotel room did she pull out her cellphone to call Jon.
Out in New Jersey, Jon and the band were in the middle of a song when Jon felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Irritably, he yanked it out and glanced at the display, then looked again in surprise, holding up a hand to the guys as he answered the call and they looked on in confusion. They’d never known Jon to answer a call in the middle of a session before.
“Hello?”
As usual, Richie was nearest to Jon, and he saw the shocked look on his face as he heard the voice on the other end. Richie could hear the cursing from where he sat, and it was certainly a female voice - it almost sounded like Sara, but she was on a plane somewhere, so it couldn’t be.
“Whoa, baby, slow down, slow down. Calm down, darlin’. Come on. What’s happened? Where are you?”
Sitting on her hotel bed, Sara was in floods of tears. The second she’d heard Jon’s voice, she just couldn’t hold it back, and she knew she was almost incoherent, but she couldn’t stop. His words steadied her a little, but while the sobbing eased, the rage didn’t.
“It’s not fucking fair! I’m in Glasgow, Jon. Fucking Glasgow! We got delayed - didn’t leave until eleven, then the fucking idiot pilot turned back. Some problem with the plane. Incompetent assholes couldn’t even find us another plane. Know when they’re flying us home? Tomorrow. A full fucking day late, Jon. And that’s assuming the fucking stupid plane comes in from Berlin on time, which would be a fucking miracle with these moronic bastards. A full day……” Her voice trailed away into sobbing again, and in the studio Jon stood up, walking out of the room, holding a hand up to the guys again, asking for a minute.
“Sara.” He said quietly, trying to break through the sobbing, just repeating her name until he heard her snuffling at the other end of the line, the crying easing off a little.
“What?” She bleated pathetically, but Jon was relieved to hear her voice sounded a little more like the Sara he knew - obviously the outburst had drained away her rage. At least some of it.
“Sara. I love you. Nothing else matters, baby.”
“But I won’t be back until……”
“Nothing else.” He interrupted firmly. “I’ll be here, darlin’, whenever you get back. Hell, if you have to get a boat and row home, I’ll be waiting at the shore for you. Don’t cry baby, please.” He grinned, knowing how to put a smile back on her face. “But you can feel free to say ‘fuck’ as often as you like, darlin’.”
That did raise a soft chuckle, and Jon thought quickly, calculating times in his mind.
“Where are you now?”
“In a hotel. They……” another soft giggle, “……the fucking airline put us in a hotel overnight, just by the airport.”
“Baby. Leave your phone on for a while, will you? I’ve got an idea.”
“Okay, Jon.”
“Are you okay now?”
She sighed, but she just sounded tired and sad now. “I’m fine, baby. Sorry - I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
“You didn’t. Besides, if you can’t yell at me, who can you yell at? I’ll call you back soon, okay? We’ll get you home, baby. Trust me.”
“I do.” She blew out a breath, the sound gusting across the phone. “Okay, I’ll let you get back to the guys, Jon. Say hi to Richie for me? I need coffee and chocolate, I think. After I’ve washed my face. Damn, I hate to cry. I feel like such a fool.”
“Well, you’re not a fool, Sara. I’ll call you back, let you know if my idea works, okay?”
“Okay, baby. Bye.”
Before he returned to the studio, Jon called his pilot to ask him if he’d be able to fly over to Glasgow for Sara, bring her back home. The pilot hesitated before answering.
“I’m really sorry, Mr Bon Jovi, but I’m out of town, so I wouldn’t be able to do it until tomorrow. I’d be able to leave at…..eight tomorrow morning, but that wouldn’t get me to Glasgow until sometime in the afternoon. Then I’d have to wait another few hours before I could fly back.”
“Ah, shit! I was hoping it would be quicker if you could do it. Dammit. Okay, thanks anyway.”
Jon ended the call, racking his brain for any other way of getting Sara back quicker than the scheduled airline. Nothing came to mind, and he reluctantly dialled her number, to tell her the bad news.
“Jon? That was fast.”
“Yeah. Bad news I’m afraid, baby. I thought I could’ve had the plane come over to get you, but my pilot’s out of town, and he couldn’t even get over there until tomorrow afternoon. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Jon. It’s fine, honestly. I’ll still - so long as there are no more delays - make it in time for the show, I think.” She paused, then continued firmly. “No, I don’t ‘think’. I will be at the show, Jon, come hell or high water. If I have to swim, I’ll be there!”
“Darlin’, there’ll be other shows.”
“I know that, but your kids are going to be there, and I promised to come. And I will, Jon. I’ll be there.”
“You’re one determined girl, aren’t you, darlin’? Well, you get yourself back here, and I can help out with the cumming part.”
“I’ll hold you to that, baby. Okay, I love you, I miss you, and I will see you tomorrow, even if I have to get a cab straight from the airport!”
“I love you, too, Sara. Call me as soon as you know what’s happening. I don’t think I’ll be able to collect you, though - we’ll have soundcheck in the afternoon.”
“It’s okay, Jon. You go, finish whatever you’re doing, and I’ll talk to you later.”
Jon clicked off the call and shoved the phone back into his pocket as he returned to the main studio. The four guys were sitting around talking, and all looked up expectantly when he came in.
“Everything okay, Jon?” Richie asked, and Jon gave a twisted grin.
“Yeah, I guess. That was Sara. She said to tell you ‘hi’.”
“Isn’t she on a plane?”
“She was. It turned back to Glasgow, and she’s not a happy lady.”
“So I heard. I didn’t think she knew words like that!”
“Oh, she does. She just doesn’t use them. She won’t be back until tomorrow, now.” With an effort, Jon got his mind off Sara and back onto what they’d been doing. “Okay. Where were we?”
“Um - sorry - where are we? I was asleep.” She said apologetically, and he gave a wry smile.
“You didn’t miss much. We’re coming back into Glasgow.”
“What?! Why?”
“According to our fearless pilot, there’s some kind of minor technical fault, and he wasn’t happy to continue with the flight. We got about an hour and a half out, then he turned back.”
“Aw, hell! So what are they going to do? Get us another plane?”
“They haven’t said. The last announcement said the ground staff would update us. This is a joke, really - I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon, and I need to get back to prepare. Hope you didn’t have anything urgent waiting for you.”
Sara’s face fell as she whispered her answer. “Just my boyfriend. Dammit! I need to…..oh, shit! I’ll have to call him when we land.”
The guy gave her a sympathetic smile, but Sara didn’t see, as she’d turned to the window, fighting tears as she wondered if some higher power didn’t want her getting back with Jon. ‘Screw you’ she whispered, aiming it at the ‘higher power’. No way she wasn’t getting back to Jon. Not a chance.
They landed at Glasgow airport just after two in the afternoon, local time, and as they taxied in, the pilot came back over the speakers to explain that, yes, there was a technical problem with the aircraft, and he hadn’t been comfortable to continue with the transatlantic flight. He’d spoken with the ground staff, and they were going to have to bring in a replacement aircraft, as the problem with this one wasn’t easily repaired.
The bad news, though, was that the replacement aircraft was in Berlin, and wouldn’t be available until the following day. At that little tidbit of information, Sara got a surprised look from the guy near her as she spat ‘fuck!’ rather loudly, but she didn’t care. Her rarely seen temper was rising fast now, but she knew enough to keep herself in check - no point in yelling at the staff who couldn’t do anything. All that would achieve would be to ensure she ended up at the end of the list for any help in getting home. She could feel her head aching, though, as she fought down the rage. Besides, she thought, when did she ever show emotion, except with Jon!
Once they were parked at the gate, the attendants asked everyone to remain seated, as a member of ground staff was coming aboard to inform them of the arrangements which had been made. A worried looking man appeared at the front of the plane, holding the mic, and he explained that the airline had arranged hotel rooms and meal vouchers for everyone, and that these would be distributed as they deplaned. A bus would take them to the hotel, and bring them back next day, and they should get to Newark at the scheduled time of one thirty in the afternoon. Just one day later than intended!
Feeling numb now, Sara followed the crowd off the plane, collected her paperwork and bags, then took the bus to the hotel. Only once she was safely in her hotel room did she pull out her cellphone to call Jon.
Out in New Jersey, Jon and the band were in the middle of a song when Jon felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Irritably, he yanked it out and glanced at the display, then looked again in surprise, holding up a hand to the guys as he answered the call and they looked on in confusion. They’d never known Jon to answer a call in the middle of a session before.
“Hello?”
As usual, Richie was nearest to Jon, and he saw the shocked look on his face as he heard the voice on the other end. Richie could hear the cursing from where he sat, and it was certainly a female voice - it almost sounded like Sara, but she was on a plane somewhere, so it couldn’t be.
“Whoa, baby, slow down, slow down. Calm down, darlin’. Come on. What’s happened? Where are you?”
Sitting on her hotel bed, Sara was in floods of tears. The second she’d heard Jon’s voice, she just couldn’t hold it back, and she knew she was almost incoherent, but she couldn’t stop. His words steadied her a little, but while the sobbing eased, the rage didn’t.
“It’s not fucking fair! I’m in Glasgow, Jon. Fucking Glasgow! We got delayed - didn’t leave until eleven, then the fucking idiot pilot turned back. Some problem with the plane. Incompetent assholes couldn’t even find us another plane. Know when they’re flying us home? Tomorrow. A full fucking day late, Jon. And that’s assuming the fucking stupid plane comes in from Berlin on time, which would be a fucking miracle with these moronic bastards. A full day……” Her voice trailed away into sobbing again, and in the studio Jon stood up, walking out of the room, holding a hand up to the guys again, asking for a minute.
“Sara.” He said quietly, trying to break through the sobbing, just repeating her name until he heard her snuffling at the other end of the line, the crying easing off a little.
“What?” She bleated pathetically, but Jon was relieved to hear her voice sounded a little more like the Sara he knew - obviously the outburst had drained away her rage. At least some of it.
“Sara. I love you. Nothing else matters, baby.”
“But I won’t be back until……”
“Nothing else.” He interrupted firmly. “I’ll be here, darlin’, whenever you get back. Hell, if you have to get a boat and row home, I’ll be waiting at the shore for you. Don’t cry baby, please.” He grinned, knowing how to put a smile back on her face. “But you can feel free to say ‘fuck’ as often as you like, darlin’.”
That did raise a soft chuckle, and Jon thought quickly, calculating times in his mind.
“Where are you now?”
“In a hotel. They……” another soft giggle, “……the fucking airline put us in a hotel overnight, just by the airport.”
“Baby. Leave your phone on for a while, will you? I’ve got an idea.”
“Okay, Jon.”
“Are you okay now?”
She sighed, but she just sounded tired and sad now. “I’m fine, baby. Sorry - I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
“You didn’t. Besides, if you can’t yell at me, who can you yell at? I’ll call you back soon, okay? We’ll get you home, baby. Trust me.”
“I do.” She blew out a breath, the sound gusting across the phone. “Okay, I’ll let you get back to the guys, Jon. Say hi to Richie for me? I need coffee and chocolate, I think. After I’ve washed my face. Damn, I hate to cry. I feel like such a fool.”
“Well, you’re not a fool, Sara. I’ll call you back, let you know if my idea works, okay?”
“Okay, baby. Bye.”
Before he returned to the studio, Jon called his pilot to ask him if he’d be able to fly over to Glasgow for Sara, bring her back home. The pilot hesitated before answering.
“I’m really sorry, Mr Bon Jovi, but I’m out of town, so I wouldn’t be able to do it until tomorrow. I’d be able to leave at…..eight tomorrow morning, but that wouldn’t get me to Glasgow until sometime in the afternoon. Then I’d have to wait another few hours before I could fly back.”
“Ah, shit! I was hoping it would be quicker if you could do it. Dammit. Okay, thanks anyway.”
Jon ended the call, racking his brain for any other way of getting Sara back quicker than the scheduled airline. Nothing came to mind, and he reluctantly dialled her number, to tell her the bad news.
“Jon? That was fast.”
“Yeah. Bad news I’m afraid, baby. I thought I could’ve had the plane come over to get you, but my pilot’s out of town, and he couldn’t even get over there until tomorrow afternoon. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Jon. It’s fine, honestly. I’ll still - so long as there are no more delays - make it in time for the show, I think.” She paused, then continued firmly. “No, I don’t ‘think’. I will be at the show, Jon, come hell or high water. If I have to swim, I’ll be there!”
“Darlin’, there’ll be other shows.”
“I know that, but your kids are going to be there, and I promised to come. And I will, Jon. I’ll be there.”
“You’re one determined girl, aren’t you, darlin’? Well, you get yourself back here, and I can help out with the cumming part.”
“I’ll hold you to that, baby. Okay, I love you, I miss you, and I will see you tomorrow, even if I have to get a cab straight from the airport!”
“I love you, too, Sara. Call me as soon as you know what’s happening. I don’t think I’ll be able to collect you, though - we’ll have soundcheck in the afternoon.”
“It’s okay, Jon. You go, finish whatever you’re doing, and I’ll talk to you later.”
Jon clicked off the call and shoved the phone back into his pocket as he returned to the main studio. The four guys were sitting around talking, and all looked up expectantly when he came in.
“Everything okay, Jon?” Richie asked, and Jon gave a twisted grin.
“Yeah, I guess. That was Sara. She said to tell you ‘hi’.”
“Isn’t she on a plane?”
“She was. It turned back to Glasgow, and she’s not a happy lady.”
“So I heard. I didn’t think she knew words like that!”
“Oh, she does. She just doesn’t use them. She won’t be back until tomorrow, now.” With an effort, Jon got his mind off Sara and back onto what they’d been doing. “Okay. Where were we?”
Chapter 106
Sitting in the studio, idly picking out random notes on the piano with one hand, Jon dialled Sara’s hotel room, and the phone managed half of a ring before it was picked up.
“Hello?”
“Hey gorgeous. Were you waiting for me to call?”
“Mm-hm. I have to admit I was. I took a bath then snuggled down with my book to wait for you.”
Jon grinned. “So - you ready to come home then?”
“Oh yeah. More than ready. My bags are packed, all ready and waiting by the door. Early start, though, to get from here to Glasgow in time.”
“So when do you actually arrive?”
“My flight’s due in at one thirty, so by the time I get my bags and clear customs, probably just after two o’clock before I’ll be out of the airport. Cab home will take….”
“No cab.” Jon cut her off. “I’m picking you up.”
“Are you sure, baby? I thought you were going to be in the studio with the guys?”
“In the morning I will be, but I already told them I’m picking you up in the afternoon, so we’ll be finished in plenty of time.”
“Well, if you’re sure.”
“I am. Just come out front. Want me to bring the Chevelle?”
A husky chuckle rang in his ear. “No. I want you to bring the big car. The one with the tinted windows.”
“And why would you want me to do that?” Jon grinned into the phone, and Sara chuckled again, the sound putting a knot in his belly.
“Because I remember the last time you drove me from an airport, and I really don’t think we want to be in an open-top car if the same thing happens again, do we?”
Jon felt the tension in his belly moving south, and he stood up from the piano bench, moving restlessly around the studio.
“Will you call me tomorrow? Before your flight leaves?”
“I can, if you want me to, but my flight’s at ten in the morning here, Jon, which is only five for you. I’d be calling you at something like four thirty in the morning!”
“So? Call me, darlin’. I want to know you’re on your way back to me.”
“Okay.” Sara capitulated with a smile, then glanced at the clock and groaned. “Jon - I need to be up at five tomorrow morning. I have to sleep now. Or at least try to - I’m too excited about seeing you again - not sure if I can sleep.”
When Jon looked at his own watch, he saw it was just after seven in the evening, which made it after midnight in Scotland.
“You get some sleep, Sara.” He laughed. “Hell, I have no intentions of letting you sleep once you get back here, so you’d better sleep while you can.”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t want to fall asleep on you.” A cheeky giggle. “Or under you. Although, if I’m under you, Jon, somehow I doubt I’ll feel sleepy.”
“Hussy! I love you like this, though.”
“Like what? Three thousand miles away?”
“No. I love you when you let that naughty streak out.” Jon heard her stifle a yawn, and he sighed. “Go to sleep, baby. And call me in the morning.”
“Okay, sweetheart. G’night.”
Jon headed back to the house, and managed to catch Dot for a few minutes to tell her the arrangements for the concert. Since he’d have to be there early for soundcheck, he’d arranged for a car to bring her and the kids down about an hour before the show started, so everybody could meet before the show started. He grabbed a drink and went upstairs to shower and try to come down a little - his brain was still buzzing from working in the studio, and he needed to try to chill out before he’d even a hope of sleeping tonight.
He did manage to sleep, though he was awake again by three thirty, feeling fresh and ready for the day. Nothing to do with the fact Sara’d be home soon, of course! He knew there was no way he’d be able to go back to sleep, so he got up and threw on sweats and running shoes, tucking his cellphone into his jacket pocket and heading out for a run. It was still completely dark outside, the morning chill waking him even more, and he walked up to the gates, using the walk as a warm-up in lieu of any stretching. Out on the road, he turned left and began jogging along the road, relying on headlamps to warn him of any traffic approaching. This early, though, there was nobody else around, and he stretched out his stride as the muscles warmed, pounding along the road in a world of his own.
Just as he reached his usual turnaround point, slowing his pace slightly, Jon felt his cellphone vibrate in his pocket, and he was grinning as he pulled it out and saw Sara’s name.
“Mornin’ baby.” He said, panting only a little.
“Hi Jon. Did I wake you?”
“Nah. I woke up early anyway, so I decided to come out for a run.”
“A run? Jon - it’s…...it’s four thirty in the morning there!”
“I know. It’s still dark, but that’s okay. Nobody else on the road anyway.”
“You’re running on the road? Jesus, baby - be careful! I don’t want you getting run over by a truck!”
“Darlin’, the way I feel right now, talking to you - a truck would bounce right off!”
“You’re a crazy man. What am I going to do with you?” She giggled suddenly. “Okay - don’t answer that! I’m in an airport full of people! Just don’t wear yourself out too much, baby.”
“Believe me, Sara - I’ll have more than enough energy when I see you.”
There was a muffled announcement in the airport background noise.
“That’s my flight, Jon. I have to go. See you in…..nine hours?”
“That you will, gorgeous. Safe flight, baby. I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Sara switched her phone off and picked up her case of cameras and laptop, heading for the gate. She was sad that she’d had to stop talking to Jon, but already she could feel the tickle of excitement that she’d see him soon, and she was smiling as she handed over her boarding card and headed down into the plane.
Jon finished his run, then walked the distance from the gates to the front door of the big house, letting the sweat cool on his body as his muscles relaxed. Inside, he made coffee and took a mug upstairs, leaving it on the bedside table while he showered away the sweat, then he got comfortable on the bed and picked up the book he’d been reading. The coffee was long gone when he finished the book, unwilling to stop before he reached the end, so he dropped the book onto the bed and headed downstairs for more coffee.
He ate breakfast alone, but was still lingering over yet another mug of coffee when Stephanie wandered into the kitchen.
“Morning Stephy.”
“Morning, dad.” She came across to give him a kiss, then opened the fridge to get juice. “You’re up early.”
“Yeah. I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a run.”
“A run? You’re as bad as Sean - he runs in the mornings, too.”
“Sean? Who’s Sean?”
Jon looked at his daughter curiously as she blushed. ‘Oh, shit’, he thought. ‘Already? Steph’s got a boyfriend?’ His thoughts were confirmed as she answered cagily.
“Just a boy at school. He’s on the football team, and he told me he runs every morning.”
“Oh. Okay.” Jon decided to keep his mouth shut. His attempts at tact recently hadn’t been entirely successful - just look what he’d done to Sara - so he’d just leave it alone. Stephanie looked grateful when he said nothing more on the subject, and she turned to make herself some toast, though she had to make more when Jon stole a piece.
By nine, Jon was back out in the studio, and had been for a while when the rest of the band showed up, and they got to work with a minimum of fuss, since they knew their time today was limited.
Sara’s morning hadn’t started too well, really. Well, she’d had to be up and ready to leave horribly early, and it was only the pot of coffee she’d drunk before leaving the hotel that kept her civil. Then she had to queue at the airport, since the lack of internet at the hotel meant she’d been unable to check in online, and she found herself wishing she could just call Jon and ask him to send his plane - avoid all the hassle of commercial flights! By the time she called Jon, though, she’d eaten breakfast and gone through security, so she felt better, and talking to him cheered her up as always.
Once she got onto the plane, she carefully put her camera case underneath the seat, so she could get to her laptop once they were airborne, and she started to read her book while the rest of the passengers filed aboard. As always, she’d requested a window seat, so she knew she didn’t have to move to let anyone into the row, and she quickly got absorbed in her book.
Eventually, the discontented murmuring around her broke through her concentration, and she looked around, seeing that everybody was seated and ready, but the flight attendants were still strolling up and down the aisles. Looking at her watch, Sara discovered that it was ten o’clock already but, while they should’ve been taking off right now, they were still sitting at the gate, and still hooked up to the airbridge. Moments later, the captain made an announcement that they’d encountered a delay due to baggage handling, and hoped to push back within the next half hour. Sara - and most of the other passengers - groaned at the announcement, but there wasn’t much they could do about it, so she returned to her book with a sigh.
Of course, once the baggage handling was sorted out, they’d missed their takeoff slot and had to wait for another, so it was just after eleven o’clock before they finally left the ground, and Sara hoped that Jon would think to check arrivals before he left for the airport, so he’d know about the delay. Thinking again, and to hell with the cost, she decided to give him a quick call from the airphone once the arrival time was definite.
She didn’t feel hungry, so she just reclined her seat and settled back, trying for some sleep to get her across the Atlantic. Despite her racing mind as she thought of Jon, she fell into a doze as the early morning caught up with her, and she remained cuddled into the blanket as the attendants began their meal service less than an hour into the flight, not even the scent of coffee waking her. In fact, she only woke when one of the flight attendants reached across to wake her, to ask her to put her seat up, since they were coming in to land.
“Hello?”
“Hey gorgeous. Were you waiting for me to call?”
“Mm-hm. I have to admit I was. I took a bath then snuggled down with my book to wait for you.”
Jon grinned. “So - you ready to come home then?”
“Oh yeah. More than ready. My bags are packed, all ready and waiting by the door. Early start, though, to get from here to Glasgow in time.”
“So when do you actually arrive?”
“My flight’s due in at one thirty, so by the time I get my bags and clear customs, probably just after two o’clock before I’ll be out of the airport. Cab home will take….”
“No cab.” Jon cut her off. “I’m picking you up.”
“Are you sure, baby? I thought you were going to be in the studio with the guys?”
“In the morning I will be, but I already told them I’m picking you up in the afternoon, so we’ll be finished in plenty of time.”
“Well, if you’re sure.”
“I am. Just come out front. Want me to bring the Chevelle?”
A husky chuckle rang in his ear. “No. I want you to bring the big car. The one with the tinted windows.”
“And why would you want me to do that?” Jon grinned into the phone, and Sara chuckled again, the sound putting a knot in his belly.
“Because I remember the last time you drove me from an airport, and I really don’t think we want to be in an open-top car if the same thing happens again, do we?”
Jon felt the tension in his belly moving south, and he stood up from the piano bench, moving restlessly around the studio.
“Will you call me tomorrow? Before your flight leaves?”
“I can, if you want me to, but my flight’s at ten in the morning here, Jon, which is only five for you. I’d be calling you at something like four thirty in the morning!”
“So? Call me, darlin’. I want to know you’re on your way back to me.”
“Okay.” Sara capitulated with a smile, then glanced at the clock and groaned. “Jon - I need to be up at five tomorrow morning. I have to sleep now. Or at least try to - I’m too excited about seeing you again - not sure if I can sleep.”
When Jon looked at his own watch, he saw it was just after seven in the evening, which made it after midnight in Scotland.
“You get some sleep, Sara.” He laughed. “Hell, I have no intentions of letting you sleep once you get back here, so you’d better sleep while you can.”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t want to fall asleep on you.” A cheeky giggle. “Or under you. Although, if I’m under you, Jon, somehow I doubt I’ll feel sleepy.”
“Hussy! I love you like this, though.”
“Like what? Three thousand miles away?”
“No. I love you when you let that naughty streak out.” Jon heard her stifle a yawn, and he sighed. “Go to sleep, baby. And call me in the morning.”
“Okay, sweetheart. G’night.”
Jon headed back to the house, and managed to catch Dot for a few minutes to tell her the arrangements for the concert. Since he’d have to be there early for soundcheck, he’d arranged for a car to bring her and the kids down about an hour before the show started, so everybody could meet before the show started. He grabbed a drink and went upstairs to shower and try to come down a little - his brain was still buzzing from working in the studio, and he needed to try to chill out before he’d even a hope of sleeping tonight.
He did manage to sleep, though he was awake again by three thirty, feeling fresh and ready for the day. Nothing to do with the fact Sara’d be home soon, of course! He knew there was no way he’d be able to go back to sleep, so he got up and threw on sweats and running shoes, tucking his cellphone into his jacket pocket and heading out for a run. It was still completely dark outside, the morning chill waking him even more, and he walked up to the gates, using the walk as a warm-up in lieu of any stretching. Out on the road, he turned left and began jogging along the road, relying on headlamps to warn him of any traffic approaching. This early, though, there was nobody else around, and he stretched out his stride as the muscles warmed, pounding along the road in a world of his own.
Just as he reached his usual turnaround point, slowing his pace slightly, Jon felt his cellphone vibrate in his pocket, and he was grinning as he pulled it out and saw Sara’s name.
“Mornin’ baby.” He said, panting only a little.
“Hi Jon. Did I wake you?”
“Nah. I woke up early anyway, so I decided to come out for a run.”
“A run? Jon - it’s…...it’s four thirty in the morning there!”
“I know. It’s still dark, but that’s okay. Nobody else on the road anyway.”
“You’re running on the road? Jesus, baby - be careful! I don’t want you getting run over by a truck!”
“Darlin’, the way I feel right now, talking to you - a truck would bounce right off!”
“You’re a crazy man. What am I going to do with you?” She giggled suddenly. “Okay - don’t answer that! I’m in an airport full of people! Just don’t wear yourself out too much, baby.”
“Believe me, Sara - I’ll have more than enough energy when I see you.”
There was a muffled announcement in the airport background noise.
“That’s my flight, Jon. I have to go. See you in…..nine hours?”
“That you will, gorgeous. Safe flight, baby. I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Sara switched her phone off and picked up her case of cameras and laptop, heading for the gate. She was sad that she’d had to stop talking to Jon, but already she could feel the tickle of excitement that she’d see him soon, and she was smiling as she handed over her boarding card and headed down into the plane.
Jon finished his run, then walked the distance from the gates to the front door of the big house, letting the sweat cool on his body as his muscles relaxed. Inside, he made coffee and took a mug upstairs, leaving it on the bedside table while he showered away the sweat, then he got comfortable on the bed and picked up the book he’d been reading. The coffee was long gone when he finished the book, unwilling to stop before he reached the end, so he dropped the book onto the bed and headed downstairs for more coffee.
He ate breakfast alone, but was still lingering over yet another mug of coffee when Stephanie wandered into the kitchen.
“Morning Stephy.”
“Morning, dad.” She came across to give him a kiss, then opened the fridge to get juice. “You’re up early.”
“Yeah. I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a run.”
“A run? You’re as bad as Sean - he runs in the mornings, too.”
“Sean? Who’s Sean?”
Jon looked at his daughter curiously as she blushed. ‘Oh, shit’, he thought. ‘Already? Steph’s got a boyfriend?’ His thoughts were confirmed as she answered cagily.
“Just a boy at school. He’s on the football team, and he told me he runs every morning.”
“Oh. Okay.” Jon decided to keep his mouth shut. His attempts at tact recently hadn’t been entirely successful - just look what he’d done to Sara - so he’d just leave it alone. Stephanie looked grateful when he said nothing more on the subject, and she turned to make herself some toast, though she had to make more when Jon stole a piece.
By nine, Jon was back out in the studio, and had been for a while when the rest of the band showed up, and they got to work with a minimum of fuss, since they knew their time today was limited.
Sara’s morning hadn’t started too well, really. Well, she’d had to be up and ready to leave horribly early, and it was only the pot of coffee she’d drunk before leaving the hotel that kept her civil. Then she had to queue at the airport, since the lack of internet at the hotel meant she’d been unable to check in online, and she found herself wishing she could just call Jon and ask him to send his plane - avoid all the hassle of commercial flights! By the time she called Jon, though, she’d eaten breakfast and gone through security, so she felt better, and talking to him cheered her up as always.
Once she got onto the plane, she carefully put her camera case underneath the seat, so she could get to her laptop once they were airborne, and she started to read her book while the rest of the passengers filed aboard. As always, she’d requested a window seat, so she knew she didn’t have to move to let anyone into the row, and she quickly got absorbed in her book.
Eventually, the discontented murmuring around her broke through her concentration, and she looked around, seeing that everybody was seated and ready, but the flight attendants were still strolling up and down the aisles. Looking at her watch, Sara discovered that it was ten o’clock already but, while they should’ve been taking off right now, they were still sitting at the gate, and still hooked up to the airbridge. Moments later, the captain made an announcement that they’d encountered a delay due to baggage handling, and hoped to push back within the next half hour. Sara - and most of the other passengers - groaned at the announcement, but there wasn’t much they could do about it, so she returned to her book with a sigh.
Of course, once the baggage handling was sorted out, they’d missed their takeoff slot and had to wait for another, so it was just after eleven o’clock before they finally left the ground, and Sara hoped that Jon would think to check arrivals before he left for the airport, so he’d know about the delay. Thinking again, and to hell with the cost, she decided to give him a quick call from the airphone once the arrival time was definite.
She didn’t feel hungry, so she just reclined her seat and settled back, trying for some sleep to get her across the Atlantic. Despite her racing mind as she thought of Jon, she fell into a doze as the early morning caught up with her, and she remained cuddled into the blanket as the attendants began their meal service less than an hour into the flight, not even the scent of coffee waking her. In fact, she only woke when one of the flight attendants reached across to wake her, to ask her to put her seat up, since they were coming in to land.
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