John Francis

Jon and Amanda barely made it to the stable by their riding time of three that afternoon. Amanda wasn’t quite sure that a two-hour trail ride after a two hour Jon ride was in her best interest, but she decided she’d give it her best shot. Jon was a little leery of being in the saddle for that length of time himself after their afternoon together. Three times in two hours was a bit much even for him. Excusing himself for a minute, he talked to the owner who, after he assured her he would pay for the two hours no matter how long they actually rode, agreed to talk to the guide and let them set their own timetable.

Their horses were brought and both mounted, each unintentionally letting out a little groan as they did so. The stirrups were fitted correctly and they started off through the snow covered woods. At first the beauty of the scenery and the day itself was enough to take their minds off their aches and pains. Each tried to last for the other, but it was Amanda who broke first.

She pulled her horse back until she was beside Jon. Her voice was soft as she whispered to him.

“Honey, I can’t ride anymore…it’s too much after this morning…I’m sorry.”

Jon gave a huge sigh. “Thank God, if a certain piece of my anatomy bounces against this hard leather saddle one more time I swear it’s gonna fall off!”

She giggled at him, realizing they were having the same problems. Jon called out to the guide and asked that they be taken back by the shortest route. Even that took another half hour and when it was time to dismount, both Amanda and Jon sat on their horses for a few moments exchanging looks.

Amanda hissed at him. “You first! I might need help!”

A loud groan accompanied Jon’s dismount as his stiffened legs, both from their lovemaking and from straddling a horse for well over an hour and a half, protested his every movement. He walked over to Amanda a bit bow-legged and glared at her.

“If you laugh at me, I will drop you on your ass!”

She giggled a little then, but stopped abruptly as she went to throw her leg over the back of the horse and her other leg collapsed while still in the stirrup. Jon managed to catch her and they both nearly ended up on the ground. The guide was shaking his head at these two tenderfoots as he nimbly leapt off his horse to lead all three back to the stable.

Keeping her hand on Jon’s arm, using him for balance, Amanda tried to get her legs to come together again in a normal manner. Her rear-end was on fire and she didn’t even want to think about other areas in the same general location. Jon, meanwhile, was wondering if the lower parts of his manhood had fallen off somewhere back on the trail or if the gods might have been in a good mood and at least let them land in his boots so he could re-attach them later.

Getting gingerly back into the SUV, they both sat for a few minutes, feeling the pressure of the seats again their sore rears. Within a few minutes Amanda started giggling. Her giggles grew louder and were so infectious that Jon threw his head back and laughed.

Gasping, Amanda managed to get out, “Who’s idea was this?”

Still laughing too hard, Jon pointed to himself and then shook his head in self pity.

Finally slowing their laughter, Jon told her he had an idea.

“NO RIDING!” she warned him. “Not a horse or a Bon Jovi!”

He grinned at her. “Trust me.”

He drove them to the a spa in town where through a combination of charm, celebrity, and money he secured them two immediate appointments for massages and hot soaks. He even managed to get them extra long and intensive massages, with Jon checking first to make sure he really hadn’t lost anything out there on the trail. Reassured, they soaked in water so warm their muscles softened like jelly. Still on wobbly legs, they moved to the massage rooms where two muscular men pummeled their aching muscles, relieving most of their aches with their deep muscle treatments.

Feeling vastly improved after their spa treatments, they made their way back to the cabin. It was now seven in the evening and Jon had a special treat planned for Amanda. Today was an anniversary of sorts for them, they had been together one month as the Friday they had originally met did not count. Also, that day already meant something else to them, so he wanted another day.

He requested Manda to wear a bit dressier clothes this evening and she tried to surprise him by wearing a silver halter with tight black pants and dress heels. A black shawl went with the outfit in case it was cold in the restaurant. She wore a silver choker with a deep amethyst stone in the center and matching earrings. Her makeup again only enhanced her natural good looks. Jon, always a bit more predictable, wore black dress pants and a deep blue shirt. His black jacket completed the look and with his blonde hair and those gorgeous eyes he took her breath away. He just stared at her. The halter accentuated her natural assets and he loved that she wore a choker with it instead of a necklace that would have dropped between her breasts to draw attention there as most other women would have worn.

“My God, Manda, you look amazing!”

“I’d say thank you, but I’m still trying to catch my breath from the way you look!”

~~~

Driving into town they were still laughing every so often about their adventures that afternoon. Amanda was still teasing Jon about her friend Susan’s phone call, telling him that Sue would recover and tease her as bad as Richie seemed to tease Jon.

“Yeah, he tries to yank my chain pretty hard sometimes…wait til you see him out on the road. These guys like to play pranks, hell, we all do. It breaks up the monotony of one motel room after another.”

They drove for quite a while finally arriving at Tep’s Villa Roma, a restaurant known for its’ extensive antipasto bar. When Amanda shot him a grinning glance at picking another Italian restaurant, he smirked at her.

“Hey, I’m Italian!”

She smacked him playfully on the arm. “I love Italian…food.” She smirked back at him, mimicking him rather well.

Jon, the wine expert, ordered a bottle for them with their dinner. He glanced at her as they looked at the menus, but this time she told him she would choose her meal herself.

“You don’t have to be Italian to order Italian food, Jersey boy!”

The evening was one of laughter and excellent food. They felt so comfortable with one another and it showed. They were involved totally in the other, learning even more about each other’s life and likes and dislikes. Talking more about growing up where she did, Amanda made Jon feel as if he was coming to know a little more of her upbringing. He entertained her with some road stories, but most of the talking he did concerned his younger years, when he first started playing.

During the time they were separated at the spa, Jon had made some phone calls. He was hoping Amanda would like what he had done. Both were full from the dinner and declined desert. It was now almost nine and both were feeling the effects of the food, the long day, and their other activities.

Jon drove back to the cabin, hoping the arrangements he had made had been taken care of. He used his key to enter and saw they had. Amanda followed him inside, stopping to hang her coat by the door, then turned and saw the main room.

There were several vases of fresh flowers with so many varieties in them she couldn’t begin to name them all. A champagne bucket was sitting on the table by the fireplace that was ready to be lit. A small box also sat on the table.

After taking in all the details of the room, she turned to Jon with a question in her eyes. He answered it.

“Today is one month since you and I first met. I’m not counting the night before as that day has other meanings for us. I just wanted to do something to show you how I feel, how glad I am that you’ve given us another chance, and how much I love you.”

Tears came to her eyes as she looked at him and slowly shook her head.

“Jon, I don’t need things to show me that. This is so beautiful, but I don’t want you to feel you have to…”

He stopped her there with a gentle finger against her lips.

“I know what you’re going to say and again it relates to my money – how you feel about it and how I made you feel since Christmas. I promise that won’t happen again. Please let yourself start believing that, okay?”

She laid her hand against his cheek, her eyes soft and warm as she smiled in agreement, words not needed at that moment.

After lighting the fire, he sat beside her on the couch and popped the cork on the champagne. Pouring each a glass, Jon paused to say something, then gave a sideways shake of his head.

“I only have one thing to say…Thank you for loving me.”

Her eyes a bit wide, Amanda replied, “Thank you for coming back to me.”

They drank a bit of their champagne, then Amanda couldn’t help it, she burst into giggles. Jon raised eyes at her, not sure where her laughter was coming from. She saw him make his ‘duck lips’ face in concentration, which set her laughter off even more hysterically. Finally managing to speak, she looked at him sweetly, but still couldn’t quite talk without giggling.

“It’s not fair…for a master songwriter…to use his own titles…when making toasts!”

Frowning for a second, Jon thought over what he had said to her. His eyes widened and he burst into full-throated laughter.

“Holy shit! I did, didn’t I? Oh man! How corny can I get?”

She kissed his cheek. “It was a beautiful toast, honey, I can’t help my giggles sometimes!”

Still laughing, Jon begged her to never tell Richie as he would never hear the end of it.

“I promise. This is not a Richie story!”

He handed her the small box. It was from a local store, although she did not as yet know that. Jon was more crafty than she knew and had arranged for delivery of this item while he was separated from her at the spa. She opened the box.

Inside was a platinum bracelet similar to his, but in a more feminine style. She took it out of the box and looked at the back of it, knowing there was something engraved there. She gasped as she read it.

You are my future.

“Oh Jon! She reached for him, unable to say more, only enfolding him in her arms as tears softly fell. They sat in front of the fire, sipping their champagne, enjoying the company of the other for over an hour. Soft kisses were exchanged, but conversation was simply murmurs and whispers. When the fire started to die down, they both got ready for bed. While Jon had originally started his plans this day with the culmination of the evening ending in passionate lovemaking, he actually to his amazement felt a deeper sense of commitment simply taking her in his arms and holding her as he listened to her breathing deepen as she fell asleep. He felt another step had been taken on a path to their future and having her in his arms, curled around him in trust and belief, was enough for that night.