Amanda woke up in unfamiliar surroundings, shaking her hair from her eyes. Her head throbbed, but not too badly. She reached up, finding the bump and what seemed to be a cut. How the heck…? Then she remembered what happened at the café. She remembered a drunk Jon Bon Jovi, his comments, and her coconut tree rescue and figured that was when she hit her head.
She actually started to laugh a little as she thought, Geez, the guy was a jerk and then I go and have the most erotic dream I’ve ever had about him. She and her husband used to joke that Jon was her “free pass” in marriage and she would laugh and tell him, yeah, like THAT will ever happen!
Her thoughts had been so on her husband yesterday, missing him, missing making love, missing that warmth, that she figured her dream of Jon was simply coming from that and, well, from actually meeting the guy. She gave a brief chuckle again and started to get up and find out where she was and…why…she…was…naked? Why was she NAKED?!
She stopped in mid motion on the bed, sitting there with the sheets to her breasts, hair whipping back and forth as she looked around the room. “Ouch, dammit!” she yelled as the motion of swinging her head from side to side started it throbbing violently again.
“Darlin’ you don’t want to be doing that after the night you had” came a voice from the door.
She looked up to find the only other pair of eyes on the planet she would automatically recognize, those belonging to Richie Sambora.
Richie watched Amanda look at him, saw her eyes widen and knew she knew him now. He paused warily as she sucked in a huge lungful of air and then let it out in an amazing laugh. She was laughing so hard her body was shaking and intermixed were giggles and a low voice that was still loud enough for Richie to hear - “Now I know I’m still dreaming” - and then more laughter.
He looked at her and was completely baffled. This woman did not act like a victim…well, ok, she thought she was dreaming, but she seemed completely unhurt this morning. Surely she would remember if Jon had…well, shit he HAD, but before that, the possible attack?
He approached her slowly, bringing in a pair of his sweat pants and one of his shirts as she was rounder-hipped than Jon and bigger breasted than a medium shirt.
“Amanda, honey?” he questioned softly.
Her eyes were closed and she was shaking her head softly, still giggling a little. He stopped his approach and stood there waiting for her to settle. He didn’t hear a sound other than her giggles, however, she must have because suddenly her eyes opened, but instead of landing on him, they looked to his right. Jon had come in, he just couldn’t stay out when he heard those giggles. Those dark eyes of hers hit his like a laser and then she screamed!
“NOOOOOO! It was a DREAM! Don’t you understand? It can’t have been real, it can’t. Not yesterday, not that day, NO! NO! NO!” Her voice rose at the end and she started shaking, looking from one to the other and back again. Tears leaked from her dark eyes as she pierced Jon to the core. “You really are a jerk, you know that?”
Sobs started now and Jon, at a loss for words or actions, slipped from the room. Richie crossed to Amanda and took her in his arms. He couldn’t stand for her to be crying without some comfort, as meager as it was. She sobbed in his arms, talking between tears.
“Yester…yesterday…one year… husband died… can’t have made love… yesterday… can’t… won’t…” and the sobs started again.
Jon was still standing outside her door, more as a punishment to himself than anything, and heard every word. His gut tightened and tears slowly leaked from his eyes. Bits and pieces of what happened last night prior to his bedding her started to filter through his mind. Something about Make A Memory and how much it meant to her? Some of his response to that also percolated up and he grimaced again at what he had probably said to her…fuck, what he knew he had said to her.
He had been feeling so sorry for himself he had never stopped to consider something worse. At least Dot was alive, his kids were alive. Dot was not his anymore but she was alive. Mandy’s husband had died. One year ago yesterday, the same day as the true end of his marriage. God, he was such a shit! And why was he thinking of her as Mandy when he had hurt her so?
Richie helped Amanda calm down enough to get to the bottom of the entire story. She told him about the café, Jon, her compliments, his response, the coconut, and the fall. He was more relieved than he cared to admit that Jon had not attacked her in a parking lot when drunk, although he knew he had tried in the limo. Now he needed to find out about the bedroom.
“Amanda, honey, do you want to shower and get dressed and then have some coffee?” he asked softly.
She smiled at him weakly, “Want me to wash away the evidence, hmm?” and Richie winced.
She sighed, then spoke softly “He didn’t rape me, Richie, it might have started when I was asleep, but I was fully awake for the end.”
Jon, listening in the hallway, this time had tears falling from the relief of knowing he had not fallen that far down into hell.
Richie left her to clean up and dress, walking into the hallway to find Jon still standing there.
She actually started to laugh a little as she thought, Geez, the guy was a jerk and then I go and have the most erotic dream I’ve ever had about him. She and her husband used to joke that Jon was her “free pass” in marriage and she would laugh and tell him, yeah, like THAT will ever happen!
Her thoughts had been so on her husband yesterday, missing him, missing making love, missing that warmth, that she figured her dream of Jon was simply coming from that and, well, from actually meeting the guy. She gave a brief chuckle again and started to get up and find out where she was and…why…she…was…naked? Why was she NAKED?!
She stopped in mid motion on the bed, sitting there with the sheets to her breasts, hair whipping back and forth as she looked around the room. “Ouch, dammit!” she yelled as the motion of swinging her head from side to side started it throbbing violently again.
“Darlin’ you don’t want to be doing that after the night you had” came a voice from the door.
She looked up to find the only other pair of eyes on the planet she would automatically recognize, those belonging to Richie Sambora.
Richie watched Amanda look at him, saw her eyes widen and knew she knew him now. He paused warily as she sucked in a huge lungful of air and then let it out in an amazing laugh. She was laughing so hard her body was shaking and intermixed were giggles and a low voice that was still loud enough for Richie to hear - “Now I know I’m still dreaming” - and then more laughter.
He looked at her and was completely baffled. This woman did not act like a victim…well, ok, she thought she was dreaming, but she seemed completely unhurt this morning. Surely she would remember if Jon had…well, shit he HAD, but before that, the possible attack?
He approached her slowly, bringing in a pair of his sweat pants and one of his shirts as she was rounder-hipped than Jon and bigger breasted than a medium shirt.
“Amanda, honey?” he questioned softly.
Her eyes were closed and she was shaking her head softly, still giggling a little. He stopped his approach and stood there waiting for her to settle. He didn’t hear a sound other than her giggles, however, she must have because suddenly her eyes opened, but instead of landing on him, they looked to his right. Jon had come in, he just couldn’t stay out when he heard those giggles. Those dark eyes of hers hit his like a laser and then she screamed!
“NOOOOOO! It was a DREAM! Don’t you understand? It can’t have been real, it can’t. Not yesterday, not that day, NO! NO! NO!” Her voice rose at the end and she started shaking, looking from one to the other and back again. Tears leaked from her dark eyes as she pierced Jon to the core. “You really are a jerk, you know that?”
Sobs started now and Jon, at a loss for words or actions, slipped from the room. Richie crossed to Amanda and took her in his arms. He couldn’t stand for her to be crying without some comfort, as meager as it was. She sobbed in his arms, talking between tears.
“Yester…yesterday…one year… husband died… can’t have made love… yesterday… can’t… won’t…” and the sobs started again.
Jon was still standing outside her door, more as a punishment to himself than anything, and heard every word. His gut tightened and tears slowly leaked from his eyes. Bits and pieces of what happened last night prior to his bedding her started to filter through his mind. Something about Make A Memory and how much it meant to her? Some of his response to that also percolated up and he grimaced again at what he had probably said to her…fuck, what he knew he had said to her.
He had been feeling so sorry for himself he had never stopped to consider something worse. At least Dot was alive, his kids were alive. Dot was not his anymore but she was alive. Mandy’s husband had died. One year ago yesterday, the same day as the true end of his marriage. God, he was such a shit! And why was he thinking of her as Mandy when he had hurt her so?
Richie helped Amanda calm down enough to get to the bottom of the entire story. She told him about the café, Jon, her compliments, his response, the coconut, and the fall. He was more relieved than he cared to admit that Jon had not attacked her in a parking lot when drunk, although he knew he had tried in the limo. Now he needed to find out about the bedroom.
“Amanda, honey, do you want to shower and get dressed and then have some coffee?” he asked softly.
She smiled at him weakly, “Want me to wash away the evidence, hmm?” and Richie winced.
She sighed, then spoke softly “He didn’t rape me, Richie, it might have started when I was asleep, but I was fully awake for the end.”
Jon, listening in the hallway, this time had tears falling from the relief of knowing he had not fallen that far down into hell.
Richie left her to clean up and dress, walking into the hallway to find Jon still standing there.
“Whatcha gonna do about this, bro?” he asked softly, then walked downstairs.
I love this story so far! Can't wait to read more. The humorous touches are excellent, but I loved the guilt-ridden Jon punishing himself by standing in the hall to listen to the story, unsure of just how big an ass he'd been.
Great story!
~T
Love this chapter-all of it-it is so poignant and moving and i like how smart and quick Amanda is despite all that she's been through. I also really liked the image here:
"Jon, listening in the hallway, this time had tears falling from the relief of knowing he had not fallen that far down into hell."
Something really gripping about that how far down into hell line for me!
I didn't expect such a reaction of her
I love this chapter! It's so real, as if all those people would live in the next house. Great, really =)