Only then did he ease back, caressing her belly with both hands and skating them outward until they settled on her hips. A gentle nudge coaxed her into facing him, and he locked both hands at the small of her back.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t you dare apologize for her, Jon.”
“I’m not. I should have been here, that's all.”
“You can’t be with me every minute. Besides, I can take care of myself.”
“Oh, don’t I know it. You don’t need the extra stress is all I’m saying.”
“This was bound to happen eventually, lets just say I’m happy it happened here and not out in the public eye for all to see. Including the kids.”
“Agreed.” He pulled away from her smirking, “Besides, I wouldn’t want my kids seeing you dressed like that, anyway.”
She tugged hard at his hair, at the nape of his neck. “Smartass. I thought it was you at the door.” She took a step back and pulled at the hem of her shirt, “you like?”
“I think I like what’s underneath it more.” He reached for her wrist, but she pulled away.
“Uh-huh. We’re late as it is. Hit the shower.”
“Party pooper.” Jon huffed.
Ariana watched him as he stripped off each piece of clothing and tossed them on the floor, leaving a trail. When his bare ass purposely stopped and wiggled at the bedroom door, she was tempted to chase after him, but she didn’t. Instead, she waited until she heard running water before going to finish getting dressed.
♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱
New York City has a heartbeat of its own, the bright lights, the taxis, the hustle and bustle of the people. The city that never sleeps. It was that iconic scenery that made New York City, New York City, and Ariana took it all in as they sat in the sedan's backseat.
“Are you ready for this?” Jon squeezed her hand.
“Should I not be?”
“No. This is a little different from usual. More intimate. Fans, corporate folks, press, all up close and personal.”
He smiled as she moved in closer and crossed her eyes.
“I’m readier than ever.”
“God, I love you.” Jon’s hands moved until they were lost in the soft, free-flowingness of her hair and kissed her.
Ariana returned his kiss. It was gentle and rough, just enough to drive her crazy. As she felt the faint scrape of teeth on her flesh and the reality of where they were, she pulled away.
“What was that for?” She wiped the remnants of her lipstick off his lips.
“Can’t I kiss you?”
“Anytime, anywhere you want.”
“There... you did it again.” His fingers twisted in her hair.
“What are you talking about?” With the back of her hand, she felt his forehead. “Are you feeling alright, you’re not making any sense.”
He swatted her hand away. “I’m fine, smartass. I’m just amazed at how you are handling all this. Not that I don’t believe that you can, because you can. I see the old you and I like that.”
“Lili had this saying she would say to me all the time, ‘don’t wait for time, because time won’t wait for you.’ I’m tired of waiting. I am the happiest I’ve been my entire life and I’ll be damned if anyone or thing will prevent me from feeling this way.”
“Do you know how happy I am to hear you say that? You deserve to be happy, and I promise to make you feel it every day for the rest of your life.”
“I love you,” Ariana's green eyes glistened brightly as she smiled back at him. “... but can we go in now, I’ve got to pee.”
Jon realized they were not moving and peered out the window, noticing they were parked outside the stage entrance. He recognized a few die-hard fans lurking around the doorways and one or two paparazzi set up across the street when he stepped out the car. The shrieking sound of his name could be heard a mile away, but he didn’t turn to acknowledge it, not until Ariana was out of the car, standing by his side, her arm tucked firmly around his.
Ariana couldn’t understand the whispers, but she quickly grasped what all the hustle and bustle was about. Her. Mostly it was, ‘who’s that’, it’s her and some other not so nice words as they neared the door. Jon politely smiled and waved as Ariana pushed back her shoulders, turned her body into his and held her chin up high as they strolled through the door arm and arm.
Jon nodded to the security guard behind the desk, then gave him his name. The surly man pushed the button on the radio clipped to his shirt, alerting whoever was on the other side they had arrived. Five minutes later, a silver-haired man in his late sixties greeted them.
“Good Evening, Mr. Bongiovi, I’m Liam Kross, Vice President of American Express Card Member Events. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Call me Jon and this is Ms. Moretti.”
“Pleasure, Ms. Moretti. If you follow me, I will show you where you can get set up.”
The hallways were busy with an assortment of people. They stopped twice to say hello and Jon could introduce Ariana. Mr. Kross showed them to the mock dressing/green room. Jeanie was waiting when they arrived.
Ariana had met her over the years, but it was nothing more than a casual meeting. When Mr. Kross had left them, Jon took the time to introduce the two.
“Anything I need to know?” Jon asked his assistant.
“Here is the low down; they plan on showing a clip from the film before they introduce you. Then you and Phil will talk. Instead of planned questions, he was thinking about more an off-the-cuff sort a thing, if that’s alright with you. Then maybe some questions from the audience and singing, of course. Do you have a set list planned?”
“Sounds good, not yet, but I’ll whip one out in a few minutes. Some hits, a new one or two- the usual. Are Bobby and Lorenza here?”
“Yes. Down the hall. Do you need anything from me?” Jeanie scribbled away on her notepad.
“When do I not?”
His response had her pick up her head a look at him, “Never.”
“Where can Ari watch?”
“Where would you like to watch?” Jeanie posed the question to her directly.
“I’m fine anywhere.”
“Upfront.” Jon answered for her.
“Works for me.”
Jon moved towards her and leaned in for a kiss. “Okay, time to go to work. Any special request?”
Unbuttoning the top button of his shirt, Ariana ran her hands over the lapels of his sports coat. “Surprise me.”
“You got it. Jeanie, stay with her, please.”
“Sure, thing, boss.”
Jon gave a quick wave over his shoulder and left the two women to get to know each other better. Keeping the discussion to the basics, they killed the time getting to know one another and learned they had similar likes and dislikes. Ariana learned they were the same age, she was in a steady relationship for ten years, that her partner Kennedy worked for the rival company to the one Ari worked for. Ariana had heard of her but never actually met her.
There was a soft knock at the door and a voice floated through, telling them there were thirty minutes to showtime. Ariana told Jeanie she didn’t need to babysit her, that she could just show her to her seat, and she could go do whatever it is she needed to do, however Jeanie insisted she stay with Ari.
“The boss told me to stick with you and the way I figure it, that’s the easiest job of all. I get to hang out and actually watch a show for once. It’ll be fun!”
“Okay, well let’s go find our seats before the show starts.”
After showing a clip from ‘When We Were Beautiful’, the lights were turned up and Jon emerged onto the stage to a round of applause and whistles. Once they quieted down, Jon settled into his seat to discuss his life and music with Phil Griffin, the documentary’s director. Jon joked with audience members who had screamed out. The so-called interview out of the way, Jon finally took his spot center stage for an eight songs mini unplugged concert.
True to nature he played some old, some classic, then played two new songs off the new album, ‘Superman Tonight’ and the first single, ‘We Weren’t Born to Follow’. Between each song he spoke about each one, where the inspirations came from or what the song's message was.
Ari sat in awe as she watched him up on stage. This was the first time she had seen him in this setting, so candid and intimate. This is who he was, the man she fell in love with. Yes, he was a famous rockstar and loves the rush of performing in front of thousands, but his love for music and storytelling, that’s what moved him.
The piano chords of the next song caused a round of applause from the audience as Jon stood from his stool and stepped up to the mic. She had seen him sing this song many times, but this one really moved her. It started out light and laid back. By the second verse he had settled into his rhythm. Somewhere between the second chorus and third verse she could feel the hairs on her neck stand. By the time he hit the last ‘Hallelujah’ he had brought the crowd to their feet.
While the audience stood and cheered, Jeanie and Ari slipped from their seats and made their way backstage. Ari could hear Jon thanking them for spending their Monday night with him and hope he didn’t bore them too much with his stories. This got a laugh from them as he broke out into the last song of the night.
Shortly after the show, Jon found them talking with a group of people he didn’t recognize. They said their goodbyes and Jon invited Jeanie to join them. She thanked him for the invitation but declined, stating that her boss was a slave driver and she needed to be at work first thing in the morning. Ariana thanked her for keeping her company and hope to see her soon. After they parted, Jon led Ari through a few hallways and into a private elevator.
“Duty calls. I need to make a brief appearance and then we can leave.” Jon said as the elevator doors slid open and they stepped into the busy room with enormous glass windows and an amazing view.
After Jon had handled the last few reporters and photographers, he slipped his arms around her waist, “Ready to go? I’ve had enough.”
“Sure thing, I’m exhausted!”
Ari slipped her hand into Jon’s as they walked back towards the elevators. Reaching the ground floor, both were relieved that there were no lingering fans or paparazzi. They climbed into the back of the sedan and before long Ariana had drifted to sleep on Jon’s shoulder, her hand still clutched firmly in his.
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