Dinner that night had a fun, family feel to it with Tico and Richie there. It reminded Amanda of her first few days with them. She felt so much more comfortable with these two now and she hoped she would have more of a chance to get to know David and Hugh than just those two weeks on the road. It was decided that Richie would ride with Jon and Amanda to the airport to get Susan, while Tico planned on calling his wife and discussing some upcoming plans they had together as a family.
With Linda’s help, Susan’s room was ready and as it was a bit separated from the other bedrooms, Amanda felt her friend would have some privacy. It was close to eleven that night when the three made their way to the waiting limo. Richie followed them out to the car, seeming to be holding something behind his back. As they got in, he set what he had been holding on the seat next to him. Amanda saw what it was.
“OH NO YOU ARE NOT!” She growled out loudly at him, seeing the famous black Stetson with the silver band on it. He grinned at her then, letting her know that oh yes he was. She looked at Jon.
“He is NOT wearing that into the airport, right? I mean, between the two of you there will be a freaking riot!”
Looking again at Richie she asked him, “Do you want her to not be able to form a coherent sentence during the entire ride back to the house?”
Grinning full out, Richie shook his head. “Nah, you two go get her. I’m gonna wait in the car.”
“With the hat, right?” He just grinned.
“Richard! You are wicked, you know that? This IS my friend we’re talking about here!”
Looking at Amanda a little closer to see if she was really mad or playing, Richie realized she was playing and shot back his answer.
“Hey, I talked to her on the phone. Just want to see what kind of sense of humor she has.”
Mumbling now, he heard Amanda say something that sounded like “how the hell will you know, she’ll be in a coma” and he laughed harder.
~~~
Susan was enjoying her experience in First Class, having had a few cocktails and reading the entertainment magazines she had picked up at the airport in Florida. She was astonished to see how many pictures there were of Jon and Amanda and if she had not spoken to her friend she would have thought she was dreaming all of this. She saw one with pictures from overseas and there was her friend with a massive bruise on her face. Reading the article, she learned about the attack and that the man had been caught. Oh, she’s in so much trouble! She didn’t even tell me about this! Susan planned on giving her friend an earful when she got her alone. They had been friends for so long she knew she could get away with it.
The plane landed on time and Susan gathered her bag to exit the plane. She was walking out to the main area looking for Amanda and spotted her within a few seconds. She laughed to herself, thinking she could always find her friend by her hair. There was a man standing next to Amanda, wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap and she knew that had to be Jon. Amanda gave a small squeal and rushed to her friend, hugging her and asking a million questions that Jon saw had Susan nodding yes, then no, then yes again. Bringing Susan over to where Jon was, Amanda made the introductions.
“Susan Michaels, this is Jon. Jon, this is my best friend, Suze.”
Susan was shorter than Amanda, only 5’5”, and found herself looking up a bit to say hello. She was thankful for the drinks on the plane as they made her calm enough to say in what she hoped was a casual tone, “Hi Jon, nice to meet you!”
Pulling her in for a hug as this was Manda’s best friend, Jon answered back. “It’s really nice to meet you too.” Susan was now speechless and managed only a nod. Holy Shit! Jon Bon Jovi just hugged me! She stared at him for a moment until she felt a nudge from Amanda.
“Hello? Earth to Susan?” Amanda teased.
“What? Huh? Oh, damn! Sorry.” Susan managed to stammer out and realized that she had embarrassed herself within the first five minutes after she had sworn she would play it cool.
Taking a deep breath, she motioned them on. “Okay, need luggage.”
She started to walk off in the wrong direction, but Amanda caught her hand and pulled her towards the luggage area. Susan recovered and she and Amanda started talking a mile a minute as Jon followed, grinning to himself at Richie waiting in the limo. They quickly got Susan’s luggage and with Jon carrying the bag they moved to the outside and where the car was.
Again directing her friend, Amanda pointed. “Here’s the car, honey,” and moved to the limo.
The driver had the door open and shaking her head Susan waited for Amanda to enter. She did so and then Susan got in, sitting on the opposite seat, not yet looking around. Jon got in quickly. He had to be there when Susan got a look at who she was sitting next to.
The driver closed the door and as Susan started again to say something to Amanda, she realized there was someone next to her on the long seat. She did a slow head turn and froze. Richie had donned his Stetson and was sprawled comfortably along side her as she turned his way. Amanda was near to tears from withheld laughter as she saw something she thought she would never see; her friend was completely speechless.
Richie’s voice drawled, “Hey sweetie, nice to meet you finally. Told you a visit to Jersey was what you needed.”
Amanda and Jon did laugh then as Susan’s mouth dropped open and a “holy shit!” escaped her. Her eyes seemed glued to Richie and it was only the laugher coming from the other side of the car that finally penetrated her fixed stare. Turning to her friend, Susan narrowed her eyes and growled out at Amanda.
“You bitch! You did this on purpose!” Her voice was full of laughter and the “you bitch” comment was just Susan, so Amanda laughed even harder.
Shaking her head ‘no’, Amanda said she had invited Richie to come, but the Stetson was all his idea. Turning again to look at Richie and narrowing her eyes a little, she shot a glare worthy of an Oscar.
Her natural smart ass attitude was rapidly returning and giving Richie an up and down, she drawled out, “I thought you’d be taller.”
He laughed at that himself and decided Susan was going to do alright being with them. She may be a fan, but she wasn’t going to be awestruck.
Turning back to Amanda and Jon, she cocked her head at them. “Any other surprises?”
Jon answered her. “Nah, Teek’s at the house for a day or two, but that’s it.”
They made small talk on the way back to Jon’s which gave Susan a bit of time to recover. Truth was she was a big fan of the band and it was a bit daunting to be sitting in a limo with two of the group and her friend and to know that her friend was involved with Jon Bon Jovi. Arriving at the house, they got out of the car and Susan whistled appreciatively as she went inside.
“Nice place ya have here, Jon.” She grinned at him.
He thanked her and suggested Amanda show her to her room. Richie carried her bag upstairs for her and set it down. Giving her a wink, he left the two women alone. Susan sat on the bed for a few minutes, just staring at her friend.
“Okay, gotta pull it together. They’re regular guys, right? I mean, they’re freaking Bon Jovi, but regular guys, right?” She looked at Manda then a little wonderingly.
Sitting next to Susan, Amanda took her friend’s hand. “Suze, they are really nice guys. They tease and they love to laugh and they, especially Jon and Richie, treat each other like brothers, but yes, they’re regular guys.”
She paused then as she wanted Susan to have a good time and not be ‘star struck’ during her visit.
“Just treat them that way, Suze, and you’ll fit right in, okay?”
“Yeah, I hear you, but damn, girl, I knew who you were with, but to see it is another thing.”
Laughing softly, Amanda admitted, “I know, Suze, I still feel like I need to pinch myself every once in a while to make sure this isn’t a dream.”
Standing up, she told Susan to come down when she was ready and have a glass of wine with them. Susan nodded, still looking a bit bemused.
“I will. Thanks for having me come.” Amanda kissed her friend’s cheek in response and left her to unwind for a few minutes before facing the guys again.
Returning downstairs, Amanda saw all three men sitting on the couches in the living room. Richie had a big grin on his face as he just loved to tease and as she walked in, his grin got wider.
“You are one bad man, Richie Sambora!” She scolded him. “You be nice to her, you hear me?”
He bobbed his head in agreement, but there was still that twinkle in his eyes. Jon patted the couch beside him and she sat as he handed her a glass of wine. Turning to Tico, she asked him about his phone call.
“How’s your family doing, Teek?”
“Good, caro, as anxious as I am to get back together.”
They heard footsteps on the stairs then as Susan came down and walked to the living room where she heard voices. She was quickly introduced to Tico and after his gracious welcome she felt herself begin to relax a little. She sat next to Amanda and for the next half hour answered questions about what she did and how she and Amanda had met and the like.
As the time progressed, Susan found herself believing Amanda more and more that these were just regular guys who happened to be world famous rock stars. By the time everyone was ready to say goodnight, she felt more relaxed and her smiles were becoming more genuine and less awestruck.
Everyone said good night and Amanda assured her fellow coffee drinking friend that coffee would be available when she got up. Susan gave Amanda a big hug and whispered in her ear, “thanks for inviting me, Mands, I mean it.”
Hugging her back, Amanda answered. “I’m just so glad you could come on such short notice.” The two women would have continued talking if Jon had not appeared at that moment. They ended their conversation and said good night.
With Linda’s help, Susan’s room was ready and as it was a bit separated from the other bedrooms, Amanda felt her friend would have some privacy. It was close to eleven that night when the three made their way to the waiting limo. Richie followed them out to the car, seeming to be holding something behind his back. As they got in, he set what he had been holding on the seat next to him. Amanda saw what it was.
“OH NO YOU ARE NOT!” She growled out loudly at him, seeing the famous black Stetson with the silver band on it. He grinned at her then, letting her know that oh yes he was. She looked at Jon.
“He is NOT wearing that into the airport, right? I mean, between the two of you there will be a freaking riot!”
Looking again at Richie she asked him, “Do you want her to not be able to form a coherent sentence during the entire ride back to the house?”
Grinning full out, Richie shook his head. “Nah, you two go get her. I’m gonna wait in the car.”
“With the hat, right?” He just grinned.
“Richard! You are wicked, you know that? This IS my friend we’re talking about here!”
Looking at Amanda a little closer to see if she was really mad or playing, Richie realized she was playing and shot back his answer.
“Hey, I talked to her on the phone. Just want to see what kind of sense of humor she has.”
Mumbling now, he heard Amanda say something that sounded like “how the hell will you know, she’ll be in a coma” and he laughed harder.
~~~
Susan was enjoying her experience in First Class, having had a few cocktails and reading the entertainment magazines she had picked up at the airport in Florida. She was astonished to see how many pictures there were of Jon and Amanda and if she had not spoken to her friend she would have thought she was dreaming all of this. She saw one with pictures from overseas and there was her friend with a massive bruise on her face. Reading the article, she learned about the attack and that the man had been caught. Oh, she’s in so much trouble! She didn’t even tell me about this! Susan planned on giving her friend an earful when she got her alone. They had been friends for so long she knew she could get away with it.
The plane landed on time and Susan gathered her bag to exit the plane. She was walking out to the main area looking for Amanda and spotted her within a few seconds. She laughed to herself, thinking she could always find her friend by her hair. There was a man standing next to Amanda, wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap and she knew that had to be Jon. Amanda gave a small squeal and rushed to her friend, hugging her and asking a million questions that Jon saw had Susan nodding yes, then no, then yes again. Bringing Susan over to where Jon was, Amanda made the introductions.
“Susan Michaels, this is Jon. Jon, this is my best friend, Suze.”
Susan was shorter than Amanda, only 5’5”, and found herself looking up a bit to say hello. She was thankful for the drinks on the plane as they made her calm enough to say in what she hoped was a casual tone, “Hi Jon, nice to meet you!”
Pulling her in for a hug as this was Manda’s best friend, Jon answered back. “It’s really nice to meet you too.” Susan was now speechless and managed only a nod. Holy Shit! Jon Bon Jovi just hugged me! She stared at him for a moment until she felt a nudge from Amanda.
“Hello? Earth to Susan?” Amanda teased.
“What? Huh? Oh, damn! Sorry.” Susan managed to stammer out and realized that she had embarrassed herself within the first five minutes after she had sworn she would play it cool.
Taking a deep breath, she motioned them on. “Okay, need luggage.”
She started to walk off in the wrong direction, but Amanda caught her hand and pulled her towards the luggage area. Susan recovered and she and Amanda started talking a mile a minute as Jon followed, grinning to himself at Richie waiting in the limo. They quickly got Susan’s luggage and with Jon carrying the bag they moved to the outside and where the car was.
Again directing her friend, Amanda pointed. “Here’s the car, honey,” and moved to the limo.
The driver had the door open and shaking her head Susan waited for Amanda to enter. She did so and then Susan got in, sitting on the opposite seat, not yet looking around. Jon got in quickly. He had to be there when Susan got a look at who she was sitting next to.
The driver closed the door and as Susan started again to say something to Amanda, she realized there was someone next to her on the long seat. She did a slow head turn and froze. Richie had donned his Stetson and was sprawled comfortably along side her as she turned his way. Amanda was near to tears from withheld laughter as she saw something she thought she would never see; her friend was completely speechless.
Richie’s voice drawled, “Hey sweetie, nice to meet you finally. Told you a visit to Jersey was what you needed.”
Amanda and Jon did laugh then as Susan’s mouth dropped open and a “holy shit!” escaped her. Her eyes seemed glued to Richie and it was only the laugher coming from the other side of the car that finally penetrated her fixed stare. Turning to her friend, Susan narrowed her eyes and growled out at Amanda.
“You bitch! You did this on purpose!” Her voice was full of laughter and the “you bitch” comment was just Susan, so Amanda laughed even harder.
Shaking her head ‘no’, Amanda said she had invited Richie to come, but the Stetson was all his idea. Turning again to look at Richie and narrowing her eyes a little, she shot a glare worthy of an Oscar.
Her natural smart ass attitude was rapidly returning and giving Richie an up and down, she drawled out, “I thought you’d be taller.”
He laughed at that himself and decided Susan was going to do alright being with them. She may be a fan, but she wasn’t going to be awestruck.
Turning back to Amanda and Jon, she cocked her head at them. “Any other surprises?”
Jon answered her. “Nah, Teek’s at the house for a day or two, but that’s it.”
They made small talk on the way back to Jon’s which gave Susan a bit of time to recover. Truth was she was a big fan of the band and it was a bit daunting to be sitting in a limo with two of the group and her friend and to know that her friend was involved with Jon Bon Jovi. Arriving at the house, they got out of the car and Susan whistled appreciatively as she went inside.
“Nice place ya have here, Jon.” She grinned at him.
He thanked her and suggested Amanda show her to her room. Richie carried her bag upstairs for her and set it down. Giving her a wink, he left the two women alone. Susan sat on the bed for a few minutes, just staring at her friend.
“Okay, gotta pull it together. They’re regular guys, right? I mean, they’re freaking Bon Jovi, but regular guys, right?” She looked at Manda then a little wonderingly.
Sitting next to Susan, Amanda took her friend’s hand. “Suze, they are really nice guys. They tease and they love to laugh and they, especially Jon and Richie, treat each other like brothers, but yes, they’re regular guys.”
She paused then as she wanted Susan to have a good time and not be ‘star struck’ during her visit.
“Just treat them that way, Suze, and you’ll fit right in, okay?”
“Yeah, I hear you, but damn, girl, I knew who you were with, but to see it is another thing.”
Laughing softly, Amanda admitted, “I know, Suze, I still feel like I need to pinch myself every once in a while to make sure this isn’t a dream.”
Standing up, she told Susan to come down when she was ready and have a glass of wine with them. Susan nodded, still looking a bit bemused.
“I will. Thanks for having me come.” Amanda kissed her friend’s cheek in response and left her to unwind for a few minutes before facing the guys again.
Returning downstairs, Amanda saw all three men sitting on the couches in the living room. Richie had a big grin on his face as he just loved to tease and as she walked in, his grin got wider.
“You are one bad man, Richie Sambora!” She scolded him. “You be nice to her, you hear me?”
He bobbed his head in agreement, but there was still that twinkle in his eyes. Jon patted the couch beside him and she sat as he handed her a glass of wine. Turning to Tico, she asked him about his phone call.
“How’s your family doing, Teek?”
“Good, caro, as anxious as I am to get back together.”
They heard footsteps on the stairs then as Susan came down and walked to the living room where she heard voices. She was quickly introduced to Tico and after his gracious welcome she felt herself begin to relax a little. She sat next to Amanda and for the next half hour answered questions about what she did and how she and Amanda had met and the like.
As the time progressed, Susan found herself believing Amanda more and more that these were just regular guys who happened to be world famous rock stars. By the time everyone was ready to say goodnight, she felt more relaxed and her smiles were becoming more genuine and less awestruck.
Everyone said good night and Amanda assured her fellow coffee drinking friend that coffee would be available when she got up. Susan gave Amanda a big hug and whispered in her ear, “thanks for inviting me, Mands, I mean it.”
Hugging her back, Amanda answered. “I’m just so glad you could come on such short notice.” The two women would have continued talking if Jon had not appeared at that moment. They ended their conversation and said good night.
Susan couldn’t help giving her arm a huge ouching pinch as she closed her bedroom door. Nope, not dreaming, she thought.
these were just regular guys who happened to be world famous rock stars...
How true! Loved it!
Linda
A few great chapters Sweetie. I love how the boys still tease Amanda and Richie is just beyond incorrigible. I like Sue's reaction,it was dead on. I adore Tico too.
LOL! I can totally picture Richie doing that with the hat and the limo and the smirkiness. Great chapter!
Just catching up after being away on vacation. Love how you brought Sue into this, and how they tease her. LOL