Chapter 21
Dressing to go out to the clubs for the evening, Amber was putting the final touches on her makeup when she heard Cassidy calling her name from the living room. “In here, just finishing up.”
Poking her head into her friend’s bedroom, Cassidy grinned seeing that Amber wasn’t going to blow her off this time as she had the last two weekends, even though she couldn’t pry out of her what had her in such a funk. “Hurry up or we’re going to have to pay a cover charge. So how’s the new job?”
“It’s great. That’s why I’m going out. I’m celebrating! Oh, while I finish up could you put that guitar back in the spare room?” She hadn’t had the heart to remove it from her bedroom since that morning when she woke to being serenaded by Bed of Roses. Now she needed to forget Jon, if he’d wanted to get in contact he would have.
“Spare room? Since when do you call it that and not the Jovi Room? Speaking of which, tickets go on sale next Saturday morning for the show in Philly. We are doing the camp out, right?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it, I don’t get paid...”
Snorting at the notion her best friend would miss a Bon Jovi show “that’s why God made credit cards. Besides, you have a Jovi fund, just like I do.”
“Let me think about it, just put the guitar away. I’ll be ready by the time you finish.” Checking her hair again, she touched the corner of her lips with her little finger to smooth the lipstick and headed into the closet for her shoes when she heard a loud screech coming from her spare room. Rushing towards it, she had no idea what the commotion was about, while Bounce ran the opposite direction headed for under the bed. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing if you tell me all these came with the personal inscriptions.” Cassidy was stunned by not just that every single item was personalized, but that Amber hadn’t said a word about him being in her house. They’d been friends since grade school and Amber was the one that got her the receptionist job at Evan’s. Amber wasn’t one to hold back secrets, not from her and to see the evidence of Jon having been inside her best friend’s house was a shock she didn’t anticipate.
Entering the room, Amber was about to ask who she was talking about when she stopped dead in her tracks. Her favorite Keep the Faith poster of Jon in his Jesus pose now sported a very distinctive autograph, as did her clock, the Slippery album cover she had hanging on the wall, a Soul football and a dozen or two other pieces of memorabilia. Not one of them just had his name, no, the man personalized every single piece. “Oh My God! He did not do this!” Grabbing one of the multitudes of magazines laying on the end table she discovered he’d even penned his name on it. Her attention turned to the guitar still in Cassidy’s hand and saw he added her name and a smirk to that too. “I need a drink.” Turning to leave the room, hoping to hide her tears, Amber suddenly lost her desire to go bar hopping.
“You’re not keeping this one to yourself. You had Jon Bon Jovi in your house and you are going to tell me about it.” Cassidy was adamant that she get details, they’d shared every detail of their dating lives since high school along with their love for Bon Jovi’s music and lust for the sexy lead singer.
Sighing, there was no way around telling her “he stopped by after the Habitat dinner.”
“Stopped by, just like that and you had no intentions of telling me?”
“Nothing to tell. We had drinks and I fell asleep. He must have done all that while I was sleeping.” The half-truth rolled off her tongue a little too easily for her. Opening the fridge, she found the bottle of Pinot that she’d opened the day before and poured Cassidy a glass, tipping the bottle to her own ruby lips.
“Right, you had drinks with Jon Bon Jovi at your place and fell asleep while he was still here. That doesn’t ring any truer than it’s all about the music. Bullshit, Amber!”
Smiling softly, she recalled that evening, the slow dance with him, the scent of his cologne that he laughingly admitted was Dreamer when he found a bottle on her vanity, the feel of being stuffed full of him and the taste of wine on his lips along with a tinge of her own flavor. It was romantic and hot, sexy and intense, then it all fell apart when Rafe called and she handed Jon his walking papers followed by her proclamation that all men were swine. “It is all about the music for me.”
“And I go see the band for Hugh! Like hell. So did he call after or anything?”
Shaking her head sadly, “no, I gave him a ride to Evan’s party and that was the last time I’ve seen him. He doesn’t even know my last name, much less my number.”
Recognition dawned “oh my god! That’s who that was!”
“Who?”
“A guy called the office a week ago Wednesday. He asked for Amber Sullivan.” Digging through her purse, Cassidy continued talking “I thought the voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it and he did say his name was Jon. Next thing I knew a messenger arrived for you and I meant to bring it to you, but Evan got crazy and you wouldn’t answer your phone. Shit, I knew I put it in here somewhere. Then the new guy started and did I tell you Evan hired some wet behind the ears punk to take your job? So I got busy and you got the new job and you’ve been so busy and where the hell is that?” Pausing, she stopped and then dug in another corner of it, coming up with the note. “Here it is! See, Tell Amber I want to take her to dinner. And here’s the messenger’s note with his number, 774-4311.” Frowning then “no area code. Damn it, there isn’t any area code.”
“You got this almost two weeks ago and you are just now telling me?” Her voice was this side of panic. By now he would think she wasn’t interested. “Shit Cassidy, area code or not, you should have given it to me then. I can’t call him now, it’s been too long.” The bottle of wine returning to her lips.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize that Mr. Love the Color of Whiskey was Jon Bon Jovi and where the hell did he come up with such a corny line?”
Sheepishly she admitted her long kept secret “the trip to Miami.”
“Miami? You met him on the flight to Miami? Or was it the flight home? What else are you keeping from me?” Now she was convinced there was something juicer than autographed items and them having drinks together. Cassidy thought back to those days spent on their beds as girls dreaming about what they’d do with this particular rock star and his partner if they got a chance at either of them and now she was getting a strong sense that Amber already had gotten a chance or two.
“On the way there. There was turbulence and I fell into his lap. His and Richie’s actually. We chatted and that was it.” She still wasn’t going to tell her friend with a mouth the size of Texas that she’d joined the mile high club with him, nor was she about to share that he’d serenaded her in bed.
“I don’t get it, if there’s nothing to it, why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’d tell everyone else. I’d never hear the end of it and a certain someone would accuse me of being a groupie or a whore or something if she even suspected I slept with him, which I’m not saying I did, but still.”
“I would not!”
“Yes you would Cassidy. I love you anyway, you’re my best girlfriend, but you cannot tell anyone about this!” Staring at the number again she wanted to call him and accept the dinner invitation, she wanted to feel him filling her again, his clever tongue between her legs bringing her multiple orgasms, his lips on hers and his voice low and growling in her ears. She wanted to, but knew she’d never be able to bring herself to do it, he was a rock star and she was just a fan. Laying the paper by the phone, she upended the wine again and forced her thoughts away from the rasp of his crinkly fur against her breasts, his scruffy face scratching her cheek, his muscular arms encircling her and the beautiful words he purred in her ear.
Harrumphing, Cassidy finished her wine eyeing the one person she knew that deserved a guy like Jon, but would never believe that of herself. “Just answer one question. Was he everything we dreamed about?”
Dreamily, Amber nodded absently, “and more. Let’s go to the bar, I suddenly don’t want to be here.” Grabbing her keys, she led the way out, it was the only way she could ensure Cassidy didn’t ask more about Jon since she’d made it clear it was a closed subject.
Poking her head into her friend’s bedroom, Cassidy grinned seeing that Amber wasn’t going to blow her off this time as she had the last two weekends, even though she couldn’t pry out of her what had her in such a funk. “Hurry up or we’re going to have to pay a cover charge. So how’s the new job?”
“It’s great. That’s why I’m going out. I’m celebrating! Oh, while I finish up could you put that guitar back in the spare room?” She hadn’t had the heart to remove it from her bedroom since that morning when she woke to being serenaded by Bed of Roses. Now she needed to forget Jon, if he’d wanted to get in contact he would have.
“Spare room? Since when do you call it that and not the Jovi Room? Speaking of which, tickets go on sale next Saturday morning for the show in Philly. We are doing the camp out, right?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it, I don’t get paid...”
Snorting at the notion her best friend would miss a Bon Jovi show “that’s why God made credit cards. Besides, you have a Jovi fund, just like I do.”
“Let me think about it, just put the guitar away. I’ll be ready by the time you finish.” Checking her hair again, she touched the corner of her lips with her little finger to smooth the lipstick and headed into the closet for her shoes when she heard a loud screech coming from her spare room. Rushing towards it, she had no idea what the commotion was about, while Bounce ran the opposite direction headed for under the bed. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing if you tell me all these came with the personal inscriptions.” Cassidy was stunned by not just that every single item was personalized, but that Amber hadn’t said a word about him being in her house. They’d been friends since grade school and Amber was the one that got her the receptionist job at Evan’s. Amber wasn’t one to hold back secrets, not from her and to see the evidence of Jon having been inside her best friend’s house was a shock she didn’t anticipate.
Entering the room, Amber was about to ask who she was talking about when she stopped dead in her tracks. Her favorite Keep the Faith poster of Jon in his Jesus pose now sported a very distinctive autograph, as did her clock, the Slippery album cover she had hanging on the wall, a Soul football and a dozen or two other pieces of memorabilia. Not one of them just had his name, no, the man personalized every single piece. “Oh My God! He did not do this!” Grabbing one of the multitudes of magazines laying on the end table she discovered he’d even penned his name on it. Her attention turned to the guitar still in Cassidy’s hand and saw he added her name and a smirk to that too. “I need a drink.” Turning to leave the room, hoping to hide her tears, Amber suddenly lost her desire to go bar hopping.
“You’re not keeping this one to yourself. You had Jon Bon Jovi in your house and you are going to tell me about it.” Cassidy was adamant that she get details, they’d shared every detail of their dating lives since high school along with their love for Bon Jovi’s music and lust for the sexy lead singer.
Sighing, there was no way around telling her “he stopped by after the Habitat dinner.”
“Stopped by, just like that and you had no intentions of telling me?”
“Nothing to tell. We had drinks and I fell asleep. He must have done all that while I was sleeping.” The half-truth rolled off her tongue a little too easily for her. Opening the fridge, she found the bottle of Pinot that she’d opened the day before and poured Cassidy a glass, tipping the bottle to her own ruby lips.
“Right, you had drinks with Jon Bon Jovi at your place and fell asleep while he was still here. That doesn’t ring any truer than it’s all about the music. Bullshit, Amber!”
Smiling softly, she recalled that evening, the slow dance with him, the scent of his cologne that he laughingly admitted was Dreamer when he found a bottle on her vanity, the feel of being stuffed full of him and the taste of wine on his lips along with a tinge of her own flavor. It was romantic and hot, sexy and intense, then it all fell apart when Rafe called and she handed Jon his walking papers followed by her proclamation that all men were swine. “It is all about the music for me.”
“And I go see the band for Hugh! Like hell. So did he call after or anything?”
Shaking her head sadly, “no, I gave him a ride to Evan’s party and that was the last time I’ve seen him. He doesn’t even know my last name, much less my number.”
Recognition dawned “oh my god! That’s who that was!”
“Who?”
“A guy called the office a week ago Wednesday. He asked for Amber Sullivan.” Digging through her purse, Cassidy continued talking “I thought the voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it and he did say his name was Jon. Next thing I knew a messenger arrived for you and I meant to bring it to you, but Evan got crazy and you wouldn’t answer your phone. Shit, I knew I put it in here somewhere. Then the new guy started and did I tell you Evan hired some wet behind the ears punk to take your job? So I got busy and you got the new job and you’ve been so busy and where the hell is that?” Pausing, she stopped and then dug in another corner of it, coming up with the note. “Here it is! See, Tell Amber I want to take her to dinner. And here’s the messenger’s note with his number, 774-4311.” Frowning then “no area code. Damn it, there isn’t any area code.”
“You got this almost two weeks ago and you are just now telling me?” Her voice was this side of panic. By now he would think she wasn’t interested. “Shit Cassidy, area code or not, you should have given it to me then. I can’t call him now, it’s been too long.” The bottle of wine returning to her lips.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize that Mr. Love the Color of Whiskey was Jon Bon Jovi and where the hell did he come up with such a corny line?”
Sheepishly she admitted her long kept secret “the trip to Miami.”
“Miami? You met him on the flight to Miami? Or was it the flight home? What else are you keeping from me?” Now she was convinced there was something juicer than autographed items and them having drinks together. Cassidy thought back to those days spent on their beds as girls dreaming about what they’d do with this particular rock star and his partner if they got a chance at either of them and now she was getting a strong sense that Amber already had gotten a chance or two.
“On the way there. There was turbulence and I fell into his lap. His and Richie’s actually. We chatted and that was it.” She still wasn’t going to tell her friend with a mouth the size of Texas that she’d joined the mile high club with him, nor was she about to share that he’d serenaded her in bed.
“I don’t get it, if there’s nothing to it, why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’d tell everyone else. I’d never hear the end of it and a certain someone would accuse me of being a groupie or a whore or something if she even suspected I slept with him, which I’m not saying I did, but still.”
“I would not!”
“Yes you would Cassidy. I love you anyway, you’re my best girlfriend, but you cannot tell anyone about this!” Staring at the number again she wanted to call him and accept the dinner invitation, she wanted to feel him filling her again, his clever tongue between her legs bringing her multiple orgasms, his lips on hers and his voice low and growling in her ears. She wanted to, but knew she’d never be able to bring herself to do it, he was a rock star and she was just a fan. Laying the paper by the phone, she upended the wine again and forced her thoughts away from the rasp of his crinkly fur against her breasts, his scruffy face scratching her cheek, his muscular arms encircling her and the beautiful words he purred in her ear.
Harrumphing, Cassidy finished her wine eyeing the one person she knew that deserved a guy like Jon, but would never believe that of herself. “Just answer one question. Was he everything we dreamed about?”
Dreamily, Amber nodded absently, “and more. Let’s go to the bar, I suddenly don’t want to be here.” Grabbing her keys, she led the way out, it was the only way she could ensure Cassidy didn’t ask more about Jon since she’d made it clear it was a closed subject.