John Francis

For the next two days Amanda and Jon talked, made love when the moments took them, and learned about each other. She heard many of his business phone calls and marveled at how many different responsibilities he managed to juggle. She gave him privacy with his kids, but enjoyed his spontaneous laughter at something one or the other said. To her knowledge, he had talked to Dot, but she didn’t know what was said. She truly was fine with that as she wanted the time to get to know the man and for him to get to know her. They laughed over movies and he enjoyed that she would watch the sports highlights with him. Each moved more and more gradually into a genuine comfortableness, while remaining nerve-tingling aware of the other. Curled against each other at night, both slept more deeply than in many a month.

On Friday morning their sleep was disturbed by cursing that seemed to come from somewhere downstairs. Both sleepily looked at each other and Jon just mumbled “Richie”.

“Richie’s back already?” she started awake, “Jon! What day is it?”

He yawned hugely and squinted his eyes open. “Friday.”

“Friday!” she shrieked.

“Yeah, Friday. What’s the problem, baby?”

“Jon, I still haven’t gotten my car! Do you realize they’re charging me by the day?” Came her growled response. “Get up!” She pushed at him, not realizing how tangled they both were in the sheets and with a muffled curse and another shriek from Amanda; they fell off the bed onto the floor.

Footsteps were heard pounding up the stairs and with a whoosh and a slam to the wall the bedroom door opened to show a very surprised Richie standing there, looking like he was ready to perform a rescue.

Amanda buried her head and started laughing so hard she had to hold her sides. Jon threw back his head at the look on Richie’s face and shook with laughter that almost pulled the sheet off Amanda. Richie just stared at the two crazy people on the floor.

His expression caused both to roar even louder with laughter. Standing with his hands on his hips, swaying a little, he cocked an eyebrow at them.

“You did know I was coming back today, right? Have you even been outta bed since I’ve been gone?”

Jon laughed until tears rolled. “We are now!”

A parting “asshole” was directed toward Jon as Richie slammed the door closed and stomped back down the stairs.

The two on the floor were finally able to bring their laughter to a more manageable level, but small bursts continued as they showered and got dressed to visit with Richie, and at this point, seemingly just as important, get some coffee. Amanda actually finished before Jon.

“Hey” Jon laughed, “Tell that asshole I’ll be down after I make a couple a calls, okay?”

Laughing, she replied, “Well, I probably won’t use those words, but I will get the message across!”

She walked into the kitchen to find Richie had coffee ready, but he was sitting quietly at the table with a cup of clear liquid in his hands. She walked over to him and leaned in to kiss his cheek hello. She thought she smelled alcohol, but wasn’t close enough to him for long enough to be sure. He turned at her embrace and gave her a quick hug, but not quickly enough so that Amanda didn’t notice the slight tremble in his large frame. She immediately knew something was wrong.

Glancing quickly toward the living room to see where Jon was, she touched Richie’s cheek with her palm.

“What is it, Richie? What’s wrong?”

He wouldn’t meet her eyes and tried to laugh off his pain. “Hey, what’s that famous song…Another One Bites the Dust?”

“Oh honey, no…” she said, sounding distressed.

“Look, it’s no big fuckin’ deal, okay?” came his harsh response, a slurring now evident. “It’s not your problem.”

“Richie!” She grabbed the bigger man’s shoulders and forcibly turned him in the chair. Her natural instinct, as before with Jon, was to offer unspoken comfort. She moved to stand between his open legs and wrapped her arms around his head and neck. Richie remained stiff in her arms, but then suddenly grasped her tightly. Her breasts were at his face level and with shock she felt him nuzzle her, moving his head from one breast to the other. She tried to loosen his hold on her, but he was bigger and stronger than her and he wouldn’t let her go.

Jon had come down the stairs trying to think of the proper way to greet his friend after he had made them fall out of bed. He could see Richie’s arms around Amanda and their words were loud enough for him to hear. He stopped in the living room, a bit shocked at the scene and wondering what the hell he was seeing.

“Richie, don’t do this!” she cried out softly.

“Manda, I need you,” he said in a muffled voice.

“You’re hurting, honey, but you don’t need me” Jon heard her say. “You were drinking on the plane, weren’t you?”

“Been drinking since California…long goddam flight, lotsa good booze,” he mumbled.

Richie’s hands moved lower to cup her ass and she found herself lifted into the air as he tried to carry her somewhere, anywhere, where he could bury himself inside her and forget his pain.

“Dammit, Richie, put me down! You don’t want to do this. Talk to me. Let me help you.” She pleaded with him.

He turned and laid her on the table and now she could smell the alcohol strongly on his breath.

“I want you to help me, Manda…I wanna feel like Jon…wanna know why you’re different…he loves you, ya know…” He had put her on the table, but had stopped above her, bracing himself on his arms.

Jon started to move then as for a few moments he had been frozen, but stopped again as he heard Amanda. He really didn’t believe Richie would hurt Amanda, but Jon also had enough male curiosity to want to know what Amanda’s response was to Richie.

“Richie, I want you to get off me, then we’re going to have a cup of coffee and we’re gonna talk.” She stated clearly, pushing at him gently at the shoulders.

His eyes wavered as they tried to focus on her, but the fatigue of the flight, the large amount of alcohol he had consumed, and the emotions that had caused the drinking, combined to make him drop down almost slowly until his face was smack in the middle of her breasts. Within two deep breaths he was asleep.

For a few seconds she laid there, stunned at the turn of events, realizing the compromising position she was in and wondering how the hell this could happen to the same woman twice…shit, make that THREE times!

Movement caught her eye as Jon walked into the kitchen and looked down at the two. Sheer shock forced her eyes wide and she started to take a deep breath to explain. The twinkle in Jon’s eyes stopped her and she just looked at him a little warily. He put his hands on his hips, shook his head, looked at Richie, and then at her.

“If he throws up on you, you’re gonna be two for three.” He couldn’t stop the grin that turned into a full-blown smile.

“Oh God! You scared the shit outta me!” she hissed at him. “Tell me you heard what I said to him. Please tell me you realize what happened here?” Her voice was frantic with the need to have him understand.

Jon chuckled softly, “Yeah, babe, I heard. Guess his latest girlfriend didn’t deserve him after all.”

She threw him an exasperated look then and grumbled, “Are you gonna help me out here or what? He’s too big for me to move him off, especially passed out.”

He laughed then and told her to hang on just a minute. She lay there with a six foot man sprawled on top of her, her legs spread, and the large man in-between, for what seemed an eternity. She did manage to move his head out of her breasts though.

She heard Jon talking to someone and then he and another man lifted Richie off her and took him to a couch in the living room. Shaking her head, Amanda got off the table and moved into the other room to help make Richie a bit more comfortable. They got his boots off and pillows positioned and left him to sleep it off.

They moved back into the kitchen, with Amanda shooting little glances at Jon, hoping his mood was real and he wasn’t mad at her or with Richie.

“Jon…” she started, “why did he do that? I’ve never done anything to cause him to think he could…well…do what he was thinking of doing.”

“Manda, he’s drunk and he just did what men do when there is a beautiful woman holding them.”

“What!?” she almost shouted, “I was offering comfort, that’s all!”

“I know that. It’s just that the alcohol overrode his good sense and he wanted to forget.” His voice softened now. “I remember that feeling too, babe, I’m not gonna make more of this than what it was. Just a bad time for Richie and an awkward situation for you. Ok, honey?”

He stood then and offered his arms to her and this time she was the one who sought comfort.