John Francis

Amanda smiled deeply at Chris as the concert ended. She was so much more comfortable with Jon now that although she was still overwhelmed at his stage presence, she was not so confounded that she couldn’t think.

“Let’s give them a little time, alright Chris?” She asked him, figuring the guys didn’t need her there the very second the concert ended. Chris nodded at her, smiling at her, remembering the first concert where he had met her. She grinned at him.

“I know, I remember that concert too. I swear I’m not gonna pass out, okay?”

He laughed then as he had been thinking about that too. She walked over to get a water out of a cooler and drank half down as the dancing and alcohol had made her thirsty. She was aching to go to Jon, to be with him, but she made herself wait.

“Do you think I could get another grown up drink?” she asked with a winsome smile on her face.

He nodded and took her to the room where she’d had the first rum and cokes. She was alone there with Chris while he made her a drink. He was very generous with the rum and she took a sip and then looked at him. He shrugged and added a little more coke. His radio suddenly squawked.

“Chris? You there man?” She heard Jon’s voice. “Where is she?”

“In the after party room, boss,” Chris shot back quickly.

“Would you bring her to my dressing room, please?” Jon asked. Chris replied that they were on their way.

“Hold on Chris, let me grab Jon a beer or a wine? Which do you think?”

“He usually has a beer after a show, so I would bring that.”

She grabbed two beers for Jon and refreshed her own drink, then told Chris to lead on. Taking her around the back stage she soon found herself outside Jon’s dressing room. Thanking Chris, she knocked, heard “come in”, and entered. She had the two beers for Jon and her drink, but almost spilled them all when he grabbed her and pulled her into the room. Laughing, she asked him to let her put the drinks down. She did so and then willing entered his arms. He was still soaked from the show and she couldn’t believe how good he smelled to her. There was something about sweat over a male who had started out clean that just got to her. Or maybe it was just this male.

Jon was ravenous for her. He had been waiting for days, wanting to be inside her again. He was not going to be able to wait much longer. In fact, he didn’t want to wait at all. He wanted her now. He moved to undress her, acting so quickly he had her shirt off before she had a time to object. She took his hands gently in hers.

“Jon…” she spoke softly to him. “I want you so much, but not here, not with everyone knowing, please?”

He took a deep shuddering breath against her, fighting his own baser urges, but realized she was right. Everyone would know and she didn’t deserve to be treated like someone who was taken into a dressing room for a quick fuck.

“Damn!” he swore, almost under his breath. “You’re right.” He looked at her then, almost causing her to regret her restraint. “But when we get back to the room…” he let the implied message speak for itself.

“Oh yeah, honey, when we get back there…” her voice was a husky promise in his ear.

Pulling away from her before he forgot everything, he told her he was grabbing a quick shower.

“Wait here for me, baby, I won’t be long.” He moved off, grabbing clean clothes to put on. She quickly put her sweater back on.

Within a few moments of hearing the shower start, there was a knock on the door. She answered and Richie was there.

“Hey darlin’, where is he?”

“In the shower right now. What’s up?”

He looked at her, noting her appearance was not mussed except a little from what appeared to be just dancing at the concert.

“Honey, I don’t mean to butt into yours and Jon’s business, but there’s a shit load of press back stage and with what this country will print, it would be better…” He rambled to a stop, not wanting to be too blunt, but wanting to get his message across.

“Thanks, Richie. Will you go back and tell him I’ll be waiting in the main room where I was when he called Chris? He’ll know what that means.” She kissed his cheek as she gathered her bag. “You’re a good friend, Richie.”

She slipped out then, moving to the after party room. Richie went quickly back to the shower and filled Jon in on what the situation was and where Amanda had gone. Jon nodded and also thanked Richie for watching his back.

~~~

Amanda moved toward the room she had been in before, noting all the people going in and out. She entered and found a huge crush of people. Moving to the bar, she helped herself to another drink as she had found she had danced most of the alcohol out of her system. She saw David, Hugh, and Tico once again surrounded by women, however, she knew that Tico at least would be going home alone. She had not yet met his wife, but it was apparent to her by his actions that he deeply loved her and their young son. He was flirtatious and friendly with the fans, but never crossed any lines.

Richie entered soon afterwards, freshly showered and changed into more casual clothes. He winked at her and got himself a drink, then planted himself on the couch beside her.

“You my keeper until Jon gets here?” She smiled at him.

“Nah, just not ready for the bullshit yet. Wanted to sit by a friend.”

She looked at him then a little more closely. “You okay, honey?”

“Yeah, just a little tired and a little wired. Hell of a show, huh?”

“I actually got to watch you a bit tonight, Rich. You are…well…astonishing on the guitar sounds like too little to say.” She meant what she said and he could tell.

“Thanks, darlin’, I do love to play.”

Grinning at him mischievously, she answered, “I never would have guessed that. What’s with Jon though, and his moaning about playing in public?”

Shaking his head, Richie told her that Jon got tired at times of the “pretty boy, hair band” label and felt they didn’t always get appreciation for their music, but more for his looks.

“Geez, Rich, you guys are all great looking, what’s so bad about that?”

“It’s because it’s what they see first, Manda, that’s what bugs Jon and the rest of us.”

She thought about this for a few minutes. “I guess I can understand that a little if I really try to put my mind where you guys have been, but…and I don’t want to sound mean…all of you guys and especially Jon, work it for all it’s worth, right?”

He looked at her a little sharply, but her words were soft and he knew what she was saying had a good bit of truth to it.

“Yeah, we do. Jon once said that he had sold his soul at times to get airplay. Guess we all have at one time or another.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, hon, but it’s a ‘cake and eat it too’ situation. You can’t bitch too much about the press commenting on the bands’ looks when the band plays to that at times.” She took his hand in hers and smiled at him. “Be glad, sweetie, The Stones ONLY get appreciated for their music!”

He laughed then, knowing what she was saying. “Well, if I had to choose…”, but she stopped him. “Hell, Richie, I KNOW what you’d choose!”

Jon walked into the room and her eyes went immediately to him, even while she was laughing with Richie. She mumbled to herself, “It’s gotta be pheromones or something…in the air…” Richie tugged on her hand.

“You do know you just said that out loud, right?” He asked her with a grin.

She ‘grrr’d’ in her throat. “Okay, so he makes me crazy, alright? I admit it. Now just take me out somewhere and shoot me so I can stop embarrassing myself!”