Jon finally pulled himself out of bed at five in the evening. Rachel was naked and pouting because her fun had to come to an end. They’d ordered room service around noon and ate dessert off each others bodies. Jon couldn’t believe how radically his life had changed in twenty four hours, he knew his marriage was over and wondered how the kids who had adored Rachel up to that point would react. He had just set the shower to the temperature he liked when the door opened and Rachel joined him.
"Baby, I’ve got 18, 000 people waiting to see me in 3 hours. I can’t pleasure you anymore until after the concert."
"I promise I’ll be a good. Let me wash your hair."
Jon knelt down so that his head was lower and started kissing her stomach while her fingers massaged the soap into his hair. She pulled him up and resisted the urge to kiss him and pushed him into the stream of water. She applied the conditioner and smiled when Jon insisted on washing her body. She knew he was trying to make her go back on her word to behave so she bit down on her lower lip when he spent three minutes washing her thighs. She pulled him up and pushed him to the back of the shower so she could rinse off. She quickly washed her own hair and left.
"You may want to turn the water to cold you naughty boy." she called out and started slowly drying herself in his view.
Jon growled at her and made the water much colder, especially when he looked over and she was applying lotion to her body. He was grateful when she walked out of the bathroom. He dried off, fixed his hair and walked into the room and froze. She had changed into a short red and white plaid skirt with red heels and the creme silk shirt completely unbuttoned and just tied at her waist.
"Dear God woman, you can’t go out dressed like that."
"Why not?" She asked with a sexy grin.
"You are a walking wet dream, baby."
"This is what I’m wearing, oh by the way, I’m not wearing a thong."
Jon’s jaw dropped and he walked back into the bathroom and splashed cold water in his face. It would be a miracle if he didn’t break his promise to Dorothea before the concert even started. When he came back out she’d put her hair up in a ponytail and applied a dark shiny raspberry lipstick.
"Are you trying to kill me?" he asked.
"What you don’t like the look?"
"You know the problem is that I love the look a little too much. Would you please put on a thong? I seriously can not pull you on stage to sing Bed to you knowing that you are going commando."
Fine, but that’s the only change I’m making so you are just going to have to deal with all those wild school girl fantasies. If you play well I’ll give you one hell of a lap dance when we get back here."
"Rae, you are going to be the death of me."
"Maybe, but you’ll die a very happy man."
"You know that reminded me of the first time I saw you do a lap dance. It was the sexiest thing I ever saw and you had more clothes on than the strippers we’d just left. Remember?"
"Yes, Dave told me I ruined the stripper club experience for him forever because he knew he’d never see anything hotter than me. Is Richie still trying to find my replacement?"
"Yeah, but not as often as he use too. We’ve got half an hour, want to give me a pre show lap dance?"
"Nope, how about we figure out how and where we are spending time together."
"Want me to dig the schedule out?"
"Nope, I’ve got it on my phone. K I’m with you until after Easter. April 2nd in San Jose is the first show back. I’ve got to check in at work so I won’t be there."
"How about we spend time alone at your place the 29th until the1st and I’ll fly to San Jose early on the 2nd."
"I’d like that."
They planned when they could be together until the last US show on May 1st. Jon already didn’t like the stretch from the 14th- 23rd but Rachel reminded him that she had this high powered job that she needed to do. They were talking about a week alone in the Caribbean in May when there was a knock on the door. Jon looked at his watch.
"Time to go Baby."
Rachel ate up all the wolf whistles from the guys while they were waiting for the elevator and the dirty look an older lady gave her on the elevator made her break out in a sexy smile. Dave got in the car with her and Jon so they both behaved themselves and Dave spent the time telling her how much he liked her melody and that he was going to work with it. When they arrived one of the first people Rachel ran into was the Wardrobe Supervisor, Kathy.
"Wow, Rachel, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you show that much skin before. You’re always in jeans."
"Hey Kath, I’ve been feeling like a naughty school girl lately so I decided to dress the part."
"Mind If I style you a little bit?"
"Nope, be my guest."
"You’re 5 years younger than Jon, you sure as hell don’t look 40."
"Thanks since I’m only ten months younger than him. How old do you think I look?
"Usually in your jeans I’d give you 35, tonight I swear you could pass for 25. We need to fix your top."
Kathy undid it and noticed all the love bites, "A very, very, naughty school girl indeed." She muttered.
She started folding the bottom of the shirt and tied it very tightly just underneath her breasts, exposing her tanned flat stomach. The way she pulled the material brought her breast together to form killer cleavage. She grabbed a black belt with a large square silver buckle off Richie’s rack and wrapped it around her hips twice.
"Go look." She pronounced.
Rachel looked at herself in the mirror and felt a little too sexy, she noticed 3 of the love bites were showing and it made her blush. "Wow, Kathy I think I’m going to go give the guys heart failure then change back. This is too sexy, I feel like I’m in costume."
"Kay, suit yourself."
Rachel found Jon first and the look on his face was priceless. He reset his jaw and the look of lust in his eyes made her shiver.
"This was Kathy’s work, I’m going to change it back, just wanted to ..."
"Give me a hard on? You succeeded. Don’t change it."
"I feel like I’m in a costume instead of planting fantasies in your head. I don’t like your marks showing either."
"We can fix that, come here."
Jon carefully undid the tie and let two folds come down before tightly tying it back in place two inches lower. He did up two buttons which hid two of the three hickeys and then kissed her passionately. He turned her around to face the mirror in his dressing room.
"What do you think?" He whispered in her ears, kissing the side of her neck.
"Much better. How much would it cost me to keep you right here all night?"
"Not one red cent but the guys would come grab me and haul my ass on stage so..."
"Damn this rock star business." she chuckled.
"Hey, do you still worship John Cusack?"
"I never worshipped him, I just think he’s a great actor. Why?"
"He asked if he could come backstage at one of the Anaheim shows."
"Cool, hey I know George won’t want to go to a show but the skank might......"
"Well I can’t stop them from buying a ticket, but they are both on a do not admit backstage or to the party list."
"I hate those parties."
"Of course, because you have to share my attention. I think your record was five minutes."
"Yes but it took me another 30 mins of whining to get you to leave. We ended up at In n Out sucking down strawberry shakes."
"Thanks, now I’m going to be craving one of those all night."
"That’s OK, I’ll be joining you in that craving. So do we have time to make out or do you need to prepare to seduce all the woman in the audience?."
"We’ve got time, so have you decided where you are watching from?"
"Sound booth, then I’ll come up front just before Bed."
"Actually my stage will be in the booth tonight so you can stay there. Be out front until the end of Older then you can go back to the booth. "
"Your wish is my command my love."
"Then shut up and kiss me."
Jon kissed her passionately and then looked at the clock above the door. He had about fifty five minutes before he would be on stage. He walked over to the door and slid the do not disturb sign on the outer knob before locking the door from inside. His desire for her just wouldn’t hold until after the show.
"Baby, are you my willing sex slave tonight?"
"Yes." She replied huskily.
"Good." Jon unzipped his pants, "Get down on your knees and let me fuck that pretty little mouth of yours."
Rachel looked at Jon as she followed his orders. His language turned her on and disgusted her at the same time. "Watch it Jon, call me whore or slut and I may just bite it off."
"Baby wet those lucious lips for me."
Rachel complied, licking his tip before he lost control and began slamming in to her mouth. Rachel sucked him as hard as she could using her lips to add extra pressure and was astonished at how long Jon lasted until he held her head in place and released his load.
"Make me hard again." Jon demanded and Rachel used her tongue, cheeks and lips to bring him back to life. This time he controlled his thrusts to draw his pleasure out. He glanced at the clock knowing that the first knock would come in a few minutes. The twenty minute knock came as he came into her mouth for a third time. He smiled at her, zipped up his pants and told her to take her thong off and sit on the back of the couch. He gave her a wicked grin and dropped down to his knees, kissing her thighs but avoiding her core until he heard the fifteen minute knock. He barely heard the five minute knock over her screams of pleasure and just licked her clean when the now knock came.
"Jon what the hell?" Rachel asked feeling like she was on sensory overload.
"I wanted to go out there with you on my lips. See ya out there Baby."
Rachel relaxed her body and slid backwards on to the couch proper. She found her thong and slid it back on wondering who would kill who with pleasure first. As she left the dressing room she ran into Kathy again who noticed the slight change in her top and the grin on her face.
"Super naughty school girl." Kathy murmured.
"No, super naughty school boy." Rachel corrected and made her way out to the floor and her reserved front row, centre seat. She enjoyed the concert, she always did but her mind was on the dressing room not on the stage. Jon could have flashed the entire audience and it wouldn’t have registered with her. Jon had wrapped up Shout and introduced Dave who would be singing In These Arms and Rachel was still standing at the front of the stage. He grabbed Mike as he stepped off stage and asked him to go escort Rachel to the sound area. When Mike tapped her on the shoulder she jumped a foot.
"Hey Mike, what’s up?" She yelled.
"Follow me."
"Why?"
"Jon wants you."
Rachel was almost at the sound booth when it dawned on her that he didn’t want her for pleasure, but to be in place so he could pull her on stage for Bed of Roses. The crowd freaked out when the lights were raised and Jon was standing on a make shift stage at the other end of the ACC. In earlier concerts, he’d popped up on the sides of the arena. He had played with the set list a little, switching two songs so that he could sing the song he had written for her. He’d never confessed it to her but planned on whispering it in her ear tonight. He started singing Make a Memory but locked eyes with her and didn’t break contact with Rachel until the song was over.
Rachel heard the girl behind her squeal that it was meant for her and she chuckled. She’d been at concerts before when Jon looked out and he had a way of making eye contact that made several people think they were getting a solo performance. His eyes would sweep a small area, but this time his eyes didn’t leave hers.
"Rae, get that sexy bod of yours up here for your song." Jon announced.
She laughed and stepped out from her spot into the aisle and up the three stairs to the stage. She noticed the girl that had been behind her muttering and couldn’t help laughing.
"What?"
"I’ll tell you later." She yelled into his ear.
Jon wrapped his free arm around her bare waist and started singing to her. During the instrumental part, he half turned her and danced with her. He flicked his microphone off and started talking into her ear.
"Don’t go anywhere Baby, I never told you this before, but I wrote the next song for you. It’s how I always feel when I see you for the first time. I love you, darling."
Rachel pulled away from him a bit and looked into his eyes, trying to figure out what he was talking about. He flipped the microphone back on, to the audio engineers relief and finished Bed. He kissed her on the lips for a good six seconds and then turned her so the were facing each other. He picked up her hand, kissed it, and winked, keeping her hand in his as he started to sing:
At the mirror you fix your hair and put your makeup on
You're insecure about what clothes to wear
I can't see nothing wrong
To me you look so beautiful when you can't make up your mind
It's half past eight, it's getting late
It's OK, take your time
Standing here my hands in my pockets
Like I have a thousand times
Thinking back it took one breath
One word to change my life
The first time I saw you it felt like coming home
If I never told you I just want you to know
You had me from hello
When we walk into a crowded room it's like we're all alone
Everybody tries to kidnap your attention
You just smile and steal the show
You come to me and take my hand
We start dancin' slow
You put your lips up to my ear and whisper way down low
From the first time I saw you it felt like coming home
If I never told you I just want you to know
You had me from hello
And when you're laying down beside me
I feel your heartbeat to remind me...
The first time I saw you it felt like coming home
If I never told you I just want you to know
You had me from hello
From hello
From hello
The tears started rolling down her face at I feel your heartbeat and Jon gently wiped them away with his thumb. He knew he should get her off the stage before she dissolved into sobs but he was having one of those rare moments when the other 17, 999 people in the audience had completely disappeared and he didn’t want the moment to end. He dropped to one knee, kissed her hand and rose giving her a long slow kiss on the neck.
"Just breath Baby, I’ll see you in half an hour."
Mike took one look at her and escorted out to the lobby area and the quick route to backstage. Rachel felt like she was floating above her body and had no idea how she made her way back to Jon’s dressing room. Mike had closed the door a good five minutes before she snapped out of it and found herself alone sitting on the couch.
She’d always loved Hello and wondered why it was never promoted as a single. It was the Bed of Roses of the Bounce CD. She started thinking about the lyrics and the timing in 2001 when it was written. She suddenly recalled the UCLA fund raising gala and Jon standing at her bedroom door watching her toss designer gowns on her bed trying to figure out what to wear. When she finally selected a dress and changed, he walked up to her, brushing her hair while she applied her makeup. She was nervous because she was the chair of the gala and knew everyone would want a word with her when she arrived. She remembered coming home and wanting nothing more than to sink into bed with him. Jon had to undress her because she just wanted to fall into bed. As soon as he slid in next to her and she felt his warmth she was out like a light. She started crying again, touched at how much that day stayed seared in Jon’s mind. Rachel had never noticed before that over the last 23 years they’d shared hundreds of normal days as if they were a married couple.
She knew in that instant what she wanted. She didn't want to share Jon, she wanted him to be her husband and hers alone. She wanted to fill the rest of her life with ordinary days and extraordinary nights. Rachel didn’t want to have him for a few days every month, she only wanted him gone for a few days every month instead. She knew there was nothing she could do about the Lost Highway tour schedule but she wondered how Jon would react when she told him what she’d be willing to agree to for future tours. She knew retirement was still a long way off.
Rachel decided that since he got more than a lap dance before the concert, he wouldn’t get one afterwards. She wanted a glass of wine and a talk about the future.
