Ariana couldn’t help but smile as she watched Jon up on the stage with Jonas. He truly loved it.
“S’cuse me. Am I interrupting?”
“Ariana.” Jonas hopped off the stage to give her a hug. “I am so sorry to hear about Lili. She was a beautiful lady. I’m going to miss her.”
“Thanks, J. I’m going to miss her too, but she will live on in this bar. I’ll make sure of it. I see you’ve met Jon.”
“Sure did.” Jonas slapped a hand on Jon’s shoulder. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few last-minute things to discuss with Corey.” He leaned down and placed a friendly kiss on her lips. “Thanks again for letting us do this, mon petit papillon.”
“Sexerella finish her story?” Jon asked as his thumb brushed over her lips, removing Jonas’s kiss and replacing it with his own. This kiss was not friendly, it was more of a ‘you’re mine’. He lingered for a few moments, biting her lower lip as he withdrew his mouth from hers.
His gesture did not go unnoticed by Ariana. It struck her in a way she never felt before. She was kinda turned on by it, actually. In all their years together, he’d never publicly been able to do that; that wasn’t to say he’d never voiced his claim.
Ariana knew Jonas’s kiss was harmless, and that Jon needed to feel in control, so she chose to overlook his silliness. “Yes. It’s a good thing you left when you did.”
Jon clasped his fingers around her glass and sniffed its warm aroma before cocking his head back and parting his lips. Slowly, he poured the honeyed gold liquor towards his tongue and let it wash against his mouth. Its sweet flavors stung as he swallowed. He traced his tongue along his upper lip, causing a smacking sound. “Tastes like you.”
She was thankful for the dimmed lights so the flush of her cheeks would go unnoticed. “What’s gotten into you tonight?”
“You. And every night from now on.”
With her arm resting on his shoulder, she let her fingers play with his hair on the back of his neck.
“Feels good. To be open like this.” He asked.
“Here on my turf, yes. Let’s see how we feel in another month.”
“Oh, ye of little faith.”
Rolling her eyes, she gave a little tug on his hair. “Now grab a table and I’ll go get Sexerella.”
“I will do as you ask, as long as she doesn’t tell me about her sex-a-pades with that kid, or Sambora.”
“Like you don’t have stories.”
He grinned wryly. “Like the sisters who were really misters... or the orgy in Sydney...”
“Trust me, thanks to Lemma I know about those. Betcha’ I could tell you a few myself. You see, a lot from where I work from.”
“Is that so? You should tell me about The Stones!”
“Baby, what’s that saying you and Richie always say, ‘secrets to the grave’? Now go get that table over there, I want to be up front for the show.” Ariana pointed in the direction of the table she wanted and then went to retrieve her friend from the bar.
♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱
Dinner for three turned out to be dinner for six when Max, Jonas and Corey joined them. They bantered back and forth about life on the road and what it took to stay current it in the music industry.
For the most part Cara kept herself under control, though Ariana had caught her a couple of times with her hand under the table. She made sure her friend knew she had too. While the boys left to set up the stage, Max retreated back to the bar to help with the crowd that had grown over dinner, leaving the three of them to continue the conversation.
“So, you two, what have you been up to?” Cara folded her arms on the table.
“A little of this, a little of that.” Ariana replied.
“Some of your favorite hobbies.” was Jon’s quick response.
“And which one would that be? I have quite a few.” Cara shot back at him.
“You know, Sexerella, the one where you’re screaming.”
“Jon!” Ariana slapped his arm.
“Sexerella? I like that. Thanks, Rockstar.”
“You’re welcome, sugar. Now tell your friend to stop being such a prude. I want an under the table hand job like Jonas.”
“Listen smartass, I am not a prude. You have gotten your share of hand jobs in this bar alone. Are you forgetting what happened on that pool table over there just the other night?” Ariana turned to face him.
“That was unforgettable, baby. The way you - and when I -” Jon joked.
“Sto...” Before she could finish Ariana crushed her mouth over his. Her intention was to shut him up but something came over her and she took the kiss deeper, more passionate.
“Oooh, a free show! I don’t even have to pay for Cinemax when I can get it here. Get it, girl...” Cara chimed in from across the table.
Ariana glared at him as she broke away. “You!” She pointed to Jon “... need to hush. And you...” She turned to her friend. “... need to get laid.”
“Workin’ on it. I’d really like to go to work on him.” Cara nodded her head towards the stage where Jonas was busy setting up.
Jon’s brow over his left eye raised as he curled his lips to the same side. “I know, you prefer my mouth to be otherwise occupied. Sorry, ma’am.”
“Just remember Cara, not here. And you old man, you are walking a fine line.”
“Ouch! Are you going to take away my cane and beat me with it?” Jon slapped his hand over his heart.
“Ma’am, yes, ma’am!” Cara saluted her friend.
“I give up on you two. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to see if they are ready. Why don’t you make yourself useful and get me another drink? Better yet, just ask Max for the whole damn bottle. I’m gonna need it to put up with you two monkeys all night.”
Pushing her chair back when she stood, Ariana left to make sure the boys had everything they needed. She had forgotten how much fun it was having Cara around. They’d had some good times over the years, when their jobs permitted it, and they would visit each other whenever possible; whatever tour Ariana was working on or one of Cara’s gallery showings.
When Ariana disappeared out of sight, Cara decided this would be her only chance to say what she needed to say to Jon before he left.
“You know I’m handy with switchblades and kilns?” she tapped her fingers on the table.
“Cut the shit, Cara. I was wondering when this was going to happen,” Jon snapped at her.
“Don’t hurt her. She’s been denying you all these years because she cares. She is scared, no matter if she puts on a brave face. You better take care of her.”
“Believe me, I have no intentions of hurting her. I love her too much. You do know that it wasn’t always me, and if I had my way this would have been done differently many years ago. The one thing I know for sure, is that this is going to get crazy before it gets better. So, she is going to need you, too.”
“I’ll be here. Just do your part, and I’ll do mine.”
“I know you never really liked this relationship and that’s fine by me but, I want you to know I’m not going anywhere. No matter what happens. But be prepared because, when the going gets tough, and it will, she will try to push me away again. What I need from you this time is to not let her do it like you’ve done in the past.”
“You’re right, I didn’t, and I won’t until you make her your wife. I want her to stay as much as you do this time.”
“That is my intention. It’s not going to happen overnight. But you have my word I will die trying.”
“Then I wish you a long happy life.” She pushed away from the table and nodded at him.
♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱
Jon ran his fingers through his hair and blew out his breath. He desperately needed a cigarette and some fresh air right about now, so he slipped into the kitchen, made his way out the backdoor and down the dimly lit corridor till that led him to the yard. Flipping the metal latch on the gate, he pushed it open, his boot causing a scraping sound as he stepped on the cobblestone path. Closing the gate behind him, he reached into his pocket and withdrew the little cardboard box. Removing the white paper stick, he placed it between his lips and held it there while he felt around in his pockets once again, looking for his lighter. His thumb stroked the wheel, creating a slight flash of sparks into the dark night while his other hand protected the flame from the cool autumn breeze.
He inhaled slowly, feeling the smoke hitting the back of his throat.
As he followed the path further into the yard, he was drawn to the tree that sat in the far corner. Lili’s tree. He squatted down on his toes to clear some leaves that had begun to fall from around the flowers Ariana planted.
His mind brought back memories he had of her. She was truly an amazing woman who had a life full of ups and downs and survived every one of them. Ariana was a lot like her, though at times she would disagree.
He bowed his head and made a silent promise he would take care of Ari for her now. Placing his hand over the hard soil they had dug up just a few days before, he said goodbye.
Jon stood staring at the moon while he finished his cigarette. He did not hear her come up behind him as she slipped her arms around his chest. “What are you doing out here?”
He turned to face her. “I needed some air and this.” He lifted the hand that held the cigarette.
Ariana transferred the butt from his fingers to hers. She brought it to her lips, taking the last drag. Tipping her head away from his face, she blew out three small smoke rings. “You should really try quitting.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Are you ready to go inside, they’re about to get started.”
“Yeah, but I need a drink first.”
She placed a kiss on the tip of his nose. “I think that could be arranged. I know the bartender.”
He pulled her closer. “Yeah? Well, I know the owner.”
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