Richie reached down and picked up the magazine, wincing when the back door slammed behind her. He flipped pages until he found the blurb that went with the picture.
Rumour has it that Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora is set to take the matrimonial plunge again. For the last year, Sambora, previously married to actress Heather Locklear, has been dating the sister of his band’s frontman, Tori Adams, who, sources say, is sporting a large fancy blue diamond ring on her left hand. Since his divorce from Locklear two years ago, Sambora has been seen with several beauties around L.A. and New York, the longest lasting of them being Denise Richards, former wife of Charlie Sheen and former best friend of Locklear. The heat coming off this shot makes us wonder if it’s really finished with Ms. Richards or whether Ms. Adams should be keeping a close eye on her man.
Sighing, he tossed the magazine back onto the table, stood, and set out to find his pissed off angel. He found her near the flower beds behind the pool, her arms wrapped around her middle, her face lifted to the late afternoon sun, her eyes closed. Walking up behind her he rubbed her upper arms with his hands.
She sighed. “When was the picture taken?”
He took comfort in the fact that her voice was calm, although her tone warned him that that could change at any moment. “About a year and a half ago. I swear to you that I haven’t seen or talked to her since that party at Christmas.” She nodded. He didn’t want to start a fight, but he had to say it. “You know that you can’t believe anything in those rags.”
She nodded again and leaned back against him. “So was it some resourceful reporter or was it her?”
“I don’t know.” He answered honestly. “But if you’re asking me if she’s capable of pulling a stunt like this, the answer is yes.”
“Why can’t they just let us be happy?” The tremor in her voice told of her battle with her emotions. “Why do they have to stir up shit and try to hurt people?”
He didn’t bother to reply. She knew the answer as well as he did. Happy didn’t sell. Heartache and anger did. “I’m sorry.” He murmured and held her close. They were still standing like that when Rosa came to tell them that dinner was ready.
Neither one had much of an appetite and conversation was stilted at best. He didn’t know what to say to make her feel better. She knew it wasn’t his fault, and she wasn’t angry at him. It was just another part of living in the circus that she had to learn to deal with.
“So what happened at the warehouse?”
Her lips twisted. “I lost my temper and got some punk manager fired.”
His brows rose. “Really?” She nodded and told him the story. He chuckled. “Good for you! I wish I’d been there to see the look on his face when Paul called. Don’t be surprised if the staff act a little nervous around you for a while.”
She shrugged. “As long as they’re doing their job and are polite, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
He smirked. “You sound like Jon.”
“Thank you.” She grinned at him.
“By the way, your mom called this afternoon. The invitations came in. She said instead of sending them here, she’d just address them herself and send them out. She said that her writing is neater than yours.”
She snorted. “Ha! She just wants to contribute something.” She shrugged. “That’s fine. It’s one less thing I have to worry about.”
After dinner they moved to the living room, but Tori couldn’t settle. Finally, she turned from the window and started across the room. “I’m going for a walk.”
Richie frowned. “Honey…”
She raised a hand to stop him. “I’m fine, I just feel cooped up and restless. I won’t go far, just around the neighbourhood, and I’ll take my phone.”
He hesitated, then nodded grudgingly. “Be careful.” He watched her walk out the door with a heavy heart. He knew she found adjusting to the circus difficult at times like this and wished he knew how to help her. At least she didn’t believe that he was cheating on her. If they were going to make it, they had to trust in each other.
Tori wandered around the nearby streets – more to burn off anger driven energy than anything. It had been a real bitch of a day. Sometimes she wished she had never gotten that call from the Children’s Aid Society, and that she had her old, comfortable, predictable life back. Then she’d look at Richie or Jon or the kids and she knew that despite everything, she wouldn’t change her life for anything.
Slipping through the gate she walked up the driveway and noticed a car parked by the front door. She frowned. She really wasn’t in the mood for company. Shutting the door behind her she could hear voices in the living room – Richie’s and a woman’s. She stood in the doorway and felt her temper soar.
“Come on baby, you don’t really want her. Remember how good we were together?” Denise stepped closer and slid her hand under Richie’s t-shirt.
Richie pushed her away. “Knock it off Denise. I’ve told you a hundred times. It’s over. I’m not in love with you. I’m in love with Tori and I’m going to marry her.”
Denise snorted. “You can’t be serious! Just because she’s Jon’s sister, you don’t have to feel obligated to stay with her. You know she can’t do what I can for you. Now that she’s seen how….close…we are, you can send her home and we can get on with our life together.” She reached for him again, looping her arms around his neck.
Once again he pushed her away. “I am deadly serious! It has nothing to do with the fact that she’s Jon’s sister. She’s a wonderful, bright, beautiful, loving, compassionate, talented woman. As for what you can ‘do for me’, let me assure you, she does it better. Let me be perfectly clear. The only one I want to spend my life with is Tori. Go home Denise. It’s over.”
“Baby, you don’t mean that…”
“You heard him Denise.” Tori interrupted her as she stepped into the room and approached them.
Denise stiffened and Richie watched with masculine appreciation as she neared them, sparks shooting out of the glowing sapphire of her eyes.
“Listen doll…” Denise began.
“No YOU listen doll! Richie’s tried to spell it out for you as clearly as possible, but you just don’t seem to be getting it! HE… DOESN’T…. WANT…. YOU! He loves me and I love him. We are getting married. You can plant as many pictures in as many magazines and tabloids as you want, it isn’t going to change that. You aren’t going to win this one Denise. I won’t let you. Richie doesn’t belong to you! He’s MINE! And no pig headed, two bit wanna be actress with a Florence Nightingale complex is going to take him away from me! So go back to your T.V. show and find a new ‘cause’, and GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOME!”
Stunned, Denise turned to Richie. “Are you going to let her talk to me like that?”
He snorted. “Let’s see. You plant pictures in the rags to purposely upset her, come into her home uninvited, and insult her – and me - by trying to steal her fiancé away from her, even though I’ve told you over and over again that I’m not interested. I think she’s being very reasonable.”
“You would actually let her kick me out of your house?”
“It’s her house too Denise. Don’t ever forget that. Now, she’s made her wishes very clear. Let me add mine. I want you out of my life and out of my house. Please leave.”
Speechless, Denise once again found herself outside the closed door of the Sambora house without really knowing how she got there. “Hmpf!” She turned on her heel and stalked to her car throwing one last scowling look at the door before driving off.
Chapter 188
Inside, Richie gathered Tori into his arms. She rested her forehead on his chest. “Well, that was just the perfect icing on my perfect bitch of a day!”
He chuckled and stroked her back soothingly. “Poor baby. This really hasn’t been your day has it?” He smirked. “Have I ever told you you’re beautiful when you’re angry?”
She leaned her head back to see his face. “As long as it’s not directed at you, you mean.”
He grinned. “Yep.” He dropped a kiss on her lips. Leaning back he raised a hand to stroke her cheek. He released her and walked to the bar, pouring a glass of wine for her and grabbing a coke for himself. He handed her the glass. When she took it, he held out his hand. “Come on angel.”
She crooked a brow at him as she took his hand. “Where are we going?”
“Hot tub. Soak out all that tension.” He tugged her towards the door to the pool.
“Uh…my swimsuit’s upstairs.” She tried to tug him towards the stairs.
“So?” The gleam in the dark eyes was unmistakeable.
She grinned and let him tow her outside. Stopping beside the hot tub he turned her to face him and started to remove her clothing. She glanced around nervously. The sun had set, but it wasn’t quite full dark yet.
“Relax angel. The staff’s gone and there’s no neighbours close enough to see.”
Reassured, she relaxed and reached to lift the hem of his t-shirt. He let her lift it over his head, then finished undressing her. When she reached for the button on his shorts he stopped her.
“Wait a minute. Go ahead and get in, I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
“I forgot towels.”
Climbing down into the warm pool she settled on the bench with a sigh and let the heat soothe her. A few minutes later she glanced around as the outside lights came on, bathing everything in a warm glow. She watched Richie approach, set thick towels and the cordless phone nearby, shuck the rest of his clothing and climb in beside her. Bracing his feet he pulled her onto his lap. Her legs wrapped around his and his arm around her waist kept her from floating away. She leaned back against him and sipped her wine.
He kissed her shoulder. “What did you mean by a Florence Nightingale complex?”
“Well, I’m not a psychiatrist, but when I look at her track record that’s what I see. She wanted Charlie when he was having substance abuse problems, then dumped him when he seemed to have it under control, then wanted you when your problems surfaced. It’s like she needs to be with men with problems and try to ‘fix’ them.” She shrugged. “Either that, or she just likes them because being with them is more likely to get her name in the rags.”
“Hmmm…interesting idea. Could be a little of both.”
They sat quietly for a while, sipping their drinks and just enjoying the heat. Richie’s lips traced a path from her shoulder to her ear, where he nibbled and sucked lightly on the lobe while his hands roamed over torso and thighs. Tori sighed in appreciation and leaned back more heavily against him, closing her eyes to better absorb the sensations.
The peaceful atmosphere was interrupted by the harsh ringing of the phone. With a groan Richie nuzzled her neck as she stretched out a hand to stop the noise.
“Hello?”
“Hi Sis, are you ok?” The concern was obvious in Jon’s voice.
“Hi Jon, I’m fine, why?” She wonder which of todays events he was aware of.
“Paul called me about what happened at the warehouse, and Steph showed me the photo of Rich and Denise. She wants me to kick his ass – her words by the way – if it’s true.”
Tori chuckled. “Tell her not to worry, it’s an old picture. No ass kicking required. Well, not his, anyway.”
“You mean she did it?”
“Yep.”
“She’s a whack job.”
“Mmmhmmm. She had the nerve to show up here tonight thinking that seeing the picture would demoralize me and remind Richie how good they were together and he’d send me home.”
“Unbelievable. What did you do?”
“Laid out the situation for her as clearly as I could and kicked her out.”
He chuckled. “Think she got the message?”
“Not likely, but hopefully after the wedding she will.” She gave Richie a warning look over her shoulder as, knowing it was Jon she was speaking to, his hands resumed their wandering. He just grinned at her.
“So you were in real ass kicking mode today.”
“Oh yeah. It was just an all round peach of a day.” Her voice was thick with sarcasm.
“What happened at the warehouse?”
As she related the story, remembered anger coloured her voice. Her back arched and she had to stifle a moan as Richie’s long fingers explored the soft flesh at the apex of her thighs.
“Hey man, don’t get her all worked up again. I just got her relaxed!” Richie growled loud enough for Jon to hear. Tori tilted the phone so that he could hear Jon’s response.
“Man, now I know you’re getting old if once a night is all you can manage!”
“JON!” Tori admonished him, her face red from more than the heat of the water.
Richie chuckled. “ Who said it was only once? And when it gets to that point, I won’t be old, I’ll be on my deathbed! “
“RICHIE!” She tried to move off of his lap, but he held her tight.
Jon laughed. “Well, I’ll let you go….relax. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay with all this and apologize for what happened at the warehouse. Jennifer was very impressed with you by the way.”
“What for? Losing my temper and getting her boss fired?”
“No, for your knowledge and interest in the operation there and listening to her suggestions on how to improve it – although I got the feeling that she took great pleasure in seeing Greg get taken down. Apparently she’d been trying to get some changes made and he kept ignoring her and treating her like an annoying pest he was forced to tolerate.”
She snorted. “Yeah, I can believe that. Did you get all that from Paul?”
“No I called down there myself.”
“Why?” She grabbed Richie’s hand and pulled it away from her more sensitive areas so that she could concentrate on her conversation with Jon.
“Because I wanted to hear for myself what the hell was going on down there.”
“There’s a few things that could be done better – Jennifer has some good ideas – but basically, it looks pretty good. Do you want to be there when I go over this with Paul and the rest of the team?”
“Hey! I don’t care if you are Bongiovis, this is NOT work time!” Richie interrupted. “This is MY time!”
“Calm down man, I’m hanging up. We’ll talk about it later Tori. Oh by the way, Dot wanted me to tell you that your dress arrived today – and no she didn’t let me see it. She’s stashed it away someplace. She said to just let her know if you want her to send it somewhere or bring it with her or if you’re coming to get it or whatever.”
“Thanks. One more thing I can check off my list. Tell Dot I’ll call her.”
“Will do. Talk to you later. Nice job today by the way – on both counts.”
She chuckled. “Thanks. Talk you later. Bye Jon.”
She hung up, reached out to set the phone down just beyond the edge of the pool and gasped as his hands rose to cup her breasts and lift them above the surface of the water. The air was cooler than the water and he watched in fascination as her nipples hardened in response, then plucked them with fingers and thumbs.
“Mmmmm..” She sighed, arched her back and curled the fingers of one hand into his thigh, the other into his hair. He grinned and nuzzled his favourite spot under her ear, then grazed the lobe with his teeth. She turned her head in search of his teasing lips, desperate now for the taste of him.
As their mouths melded, he slid one hand down over her torso to lightly caress the soft flesh at the juncture of her thighs. Her hips rocked against him, asking for a firmer touch. When he felt a warm moisture that had nothing to do with the water surrounding them, he penetrated her with two fingers, reached deep and stroked. She groaned and sucked hard on his tongue. For long minutes the night was silent except for the sound of her soft moans and the bubbling of the tub. Suddenly she broke the kiss and tried to move off of his lap.
“Baby? What’s wrong?”
She glanced at his flushed face, glistening with sweat, and blinked at the sting of her own perspiration. “Too hot.” She murmured. “I’m feeling a bit like a boiled lobster here.”
He grinned and dipped his fingers into her warmth again. “And is this the pot of melted butter?”
She closed her eyes and moaned. “Richie, please!”
“Okay.” He pulled his hand away and helped her to her feet and out of the hot tub. When he levered himself out and stood, she pressed close, raised up on her toes, her face turned up to his, mouth parted slightly in invitation. He crushed her to him and took possession of her mouth, tasting the salty tang of her sweat, thrusting his tongue deep. Groaning, he scooped her into his arms and started walking.
Consumed by her desire and her need for him, she wasn’t paying attention to where he was taking her. When she felt herself being lowered, she loosened her grip on his neck. He lifted his head just enough to separate their lips a hair. “Hold your breath.” His murmur was the only warning she got before his arms disappeared from under her . A second later she hit the water.
After the hot tub, the pool felt almost cold. She surfaced, gasping for breath and glared at him. “Not nice Rich!”
His grin widened. “You said you were hot.”
She moved closer to where he was standing, and, using the flat of her hand, sent a tidal wave of water in his direction, drenching him.
“Hey!”
“You looked hot too babe.” She smirked and lying on her back with a kick and wave of her hands floated towards the opposite end of the pool.
He watched her drift away for a moment, then with a growl, dove in after her. Knowing she was in trouble, she flipped over and started to swim. It was too late. Feeling his hand close around her ankle, she took a deep breath just before he pulled her under. With a kick and a lithe twist of her body she broke free and headed for the stairs at the shallow end.
She didn’t make it.
At the point where the pool sloped up his hand once again closed around her ankle, but this time instead of pulling her under, he pulled her backwards towards him. His other hand slid up her leg until he could wrap his arm around her waist. When she came upright in search of oxygen, he turned her to face him and held her tightly against him. “Gotcha!”
Since he could stand, but she couldn’t she knew she couldn’t win and changed tactics. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Staring at his mouth she licked her lips and closed her teeth on the bottom one.
With a groan, he slid one hand into her hair to hold her steady and swooped down to take possession of her mouth.
The taste of him combined with the feel of his hard chest pressing against her breasts erased all thoughts of games, and gave new life to the desire and arousal that had subsided to smoldering embers when he dropped her into the pool. She reached down to stroke his semi-hard shaft, gratified to feel him swell and harden in her hand.
He groaned. “God baby, your fingers are lethal.” Diving back into the cavern of her mouth with his tongue he stroked down her back, cupped her bottom in his hands and squeezed.
Moaning, she rocked her hips against him, caressing his throbbing erection with her swollen folds. Suddenly, the emotional rollercoaster that she’d been riding all day hit its peak. This gentle, playful teasing was no longer enough for her. She needed him. She needed him now, she needed him deep and she needed him hard. Tilting her pelvis she used her hand to guide him home, murmuring her approval as she absorbed his entire length. Using her legs for leverage she shifted herself on him, releasing his flesh, then recapturing it and holding it tightly.
He raised his head to watch her. His heart – and other parts of his anatomy – swelled at the sight of her lost to passion. Her eyes were closed, her breasts heaved as she strained to suck in the oxygen her body desperately needed. Fighting the effects of the vision in front of him, he gripped her hips to slow her down – to slow them both down.
Shaking her head she fought against his restraint. “NO!” She opened her eyes and locked her gaze with his. His breath caught at what he saw. “I don’t want gentle. I don’t want slow.” She pressed closer and brought her lips to his ear. “I want you to fuck me Rich. Fuck me hard and fast!” She took the lobe between her teeth and bit down.
With a shudder, he surrendered. He walked to the side of the pool, braced her against it, gripped the ledge and gave her what she asked for. She held onto him tightly – everywhere – and whimpered in ecstasy as he pounded into her.
“Yes, yes, yes…” She whispered a litany in his ear. This is what she needed. His flesh stretching her sheath, urgently, repeatedly, creating a hot friction that burned through all the anger and fear and pain, leaving behind only pleasure and love. Finally, it was enough, and she screamed as she shattered.
He held even tighter to the ledge and let her take him with her, pumping out his release deep inside her.
They stayed like that for long minutes, just trying to breathe, the aftershocks of their climaxes shuddering through their bodies. He kissed her neck. “Are you okay?”
“Mmmmm. Better than okay.” She raised her head to meet his gaze and found the concern she knew would be there. “You didn’t hurt me Rich. And you didn’t do anything I didn’t want you to. I didn’t want gentle. I wanted exactly what I got – hard, fast and hot as hell. Thank you.” She kissed him gently. Reassured, he kissed her back.
Chapter 189
The next few weeks were much calmer emotionally, although between Richie’s classes, guitar lessons, and wedding details, they were by no means quiet. A week before the wedding Tori headed home to be there to deal with the last minute issues that always seemed to pop up no matter how well organized you think you are.
“I still don’t see why you don’t want me to come with you.” Richie pouted as he watched her pack.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to, it’s just that there’s no need for you to. There’s really nothing for you to do there and you’ve got a couple classes yet, and then you can bring Ava with you when you come.” She hesitated. “And it’ll give me a few days to spend some girl time with my mother and Karin.”
He sighed. “Okay.”
She leaned over to kiss him. “It’s only for a few days, then we’ll be married and it’ll just be you and me for two whole weeks in whatever paradise you’ve decided on. Then we get to start our life together.”
He smiled and pressed his lips to hers. “You always seem to know what to say to make me feel better.”
“Good. That means I’m doing my job.”
Tori and Karin checked into the hotel on Thursday night so that they would be there to greet people as they arrived on Friday. The Adams family were the first to arrive followed shortly by the Bongiovis. The women went up to Tori’s room with her to hang up the dress Dorothea had brought, while the men and the kids explored the hotel and sat on the large patio to enjoy the view. Jesse, much to his annoyance, was put in charge of keeping Romeo in sight.
“It’s beautiful Tori.” Sue commented as they watched Vera’s design emerge from its protective bag.
“We drove by the park on our way here. It’s going to be absolutely gorgeous.” Louise added.
Tori smiled. “I hope so. Now if the weather will just cooperate.”
They returned downstairs just as the Samboras arrived.
“Tori!” Ava ran up to hug her.
“Hi Bean!”
“Are you nervous about tomorrow?”
“Nervous? No, not really. I am excited though.”
“So am I.” Joan winked at Tori and stepped up to hug her.
“Hi Joan. Everyone have a good trip?”
“Yeah. Daddy was up really early. I think he must be excited too.”
“Are you?” Tori grinned up at Richie as she stepped into his arms.
“Baby, you have no idea.” His dark eyes were gleaming. She raised on tiptoe and kissed him. When she would have stepped back he stopped her. “Whoa there quickdraw. I haven’t seen you for a week and that little peck is all I get for a greeting?”
Blue eyes twinkling, she slid her arms around his neck, pressed close and pulled him down for a more thorough tasting. By the time he let her go, they were both breathing faster and were more than a little warm. He let her turn around, but held her in front of him. She tried not to think of the reason why. She didn’t want to shock the children – or their mothers. Their separation was taking its toll on both of them.
The hotel manager was handing out room keys. “Tori, can I stay with you tonight?” Ava pleaded.
“Sure Bean. I’d like that.”
Richie uttered a low growl. Tori ignored him. Dorothea, who was standing beside them and heard him, didn’t. “Relax big guy, you weren’t going to get any tonight anyway.”
Tori choked and shot Dorothea a disbelieving look. Dorothea just shrugged. “No sense getting his hopes – or anything else – up.”
“Too late.” Tori muttered and jerked when Richie pinched her butt.
He leaned down to murmur in her ear. “You’d better be prepared to suffer the consequences of two weeks abstinence angel.”
She turned her head until she could meet his eyes. “Babe, I’m looking forward to it!”
He grinned, squeezed her waist and kissed her again. A commotion by the door had them looking in that direction.
“You can all relax now, I’m here.” David dropped his bag and held his arms out wide. “Bela, there’s still time to change your mind. Just say the word, and I’ll rescue you.”
Gabi rolled her eyes at her father. “And who’s going to rescue you from Uncle Richie?”
Laughter echoed around the lobby. David scowled at his daughter. Richie hugged Tori closer and winked at Gabi. “Thanks darlin’. You obviously inherited your mother’s brains as well as her good looks.”
Tico, Hugh and their families arrived a few minutes later and Tori was kept busy introducing everyone. The hotel staff were trying to be professional and not appear star struck as they set up a buffet lunch, but Tori noticed a few staring wide eyed at various members of the band. Karin wasn’t much better.
Tori nudged Karin. “What’s with you? You’ve met them all before.”
“I know, but it’s still so….surreal. I mean, these guys are internationally famous rock stars, and now they’re your family and some of your closest friends!” She shook her head. “It’s taking awhile to wrap my head around it all.”
“Aunt Tori, can Ava and I go sit outside on the patio?” Jenny skidded to a halt in front of them, Ava right behind her.
“Okay. Just don’t go any further without telling someone.” She glanced at her soon to be stepdaughter. “You know what to watch for Bean?”
Ava nodded. “Yeah. If I see anybody with a camera we’ll come inside.”
They watched the girls run off. “So how do you like being a mom?”
Tori grinned. “I love it. I just wish she was with us more. She a real joy to have around.”
“Talking about me Bela? Karin my dove, you and I need to talk.”
Tori rolled her eyes. Karin stared at him for a moment. “Okay, but I’m warning you Shirley, I’m not giving away any girlfriend secrets. There’s no way I’m giving you any ammunition.” Tori had told her about the war.
David placed a hand over his heart. “Sweetheart you wound me! I just thought that we could share some pleasant conversation over lunch and get to know each other better. After all, we’re both close friends of Bela’s, it only seems right.”
“Uh huh.” Karin responded sceptically, but consented to be led to the buffet line then to a table by the windows where Tico, Alejandra, Hugh and Kellie were already seated.
After lunch they split up, under strict instructions from Tori to be back by 3:30 for rehearsal. The women headed down to the strip to check out the many boutiques while the men mostly stayed at the hotel, talking and trying to keep Richie relaxed. They also were on parenting duty.
At the appointed time they all met in the lobby and prepared to head to the park. For this rehearsal they were being taken by van instead of the horse and carriages that would transport them the next day. Karin, Bill and Tori were taken last just like they would be for the actual ceremony. When they reached the park and the van stopped, Karin chatted with Tori until the minister came to explain the procedure, a wide smile on his face.
“Hi Tori. This is a beautiful spot you’ve chosen here. It’s going to be a lovely ceremony. It’s quite a group you’ve got there.”
Tori laughed. “Yes, my family has grown dramatically.”
After explaining what he wanted her to do, he turned to take his place in the gazebo where the others were already waiting. Jake, Romeo, Jenny and Ava joined them to do their part, giggling as they got into position . Karin started out first, followed by the kids, then Tori took her father’s arm and followed. As they neared the gazebo Tori glanced up. Her eyes widened, then narrowed. Bill followed her gaze. “What the….?”
“SHIRLEY!” Tori yelled. “You pull a stunt like this tomorrow and you’ll be singing soprano and playing the piano with your feet!” She glared at the wedding party – the men all sporting Tigger ears and the girls wearing ape masks. She fought to keep the angry expression on her face. She wasn’t about to let them know how close she was to laughter. They deserved feel a little bad. “I can’t believe you all went along with this!” Her gaze lit on Richie. “And you just let them?”
He shrugged and struggled to keep his own bland expression. “You know what he’s like angel. There’s no point in arguing with him. Besides, it’s better to let him get it out of his system now so that with any kind of luck he’ll act like a grown up tomorrow.”
“You can hope Uncle Richie.” Lily piped up earning scowl from her father. She just giggled.
Back at the hotel, they had dinner in the lounge. As everyone was enjoying dessert, John Sr. stood up and got the attention of the room.
“I know that this isn’t really my place, but since it’s just family here tonight, I would like to say a few words to the happy couple.” He paused at looked at Tori. “Tori, child of my blood. You are a beautiful, warm, caring, giving, loving woman. I just wish that I could take credit for helping you become the wonderful person that you are, but I can’t. Well, maybe just a bit around the eyes.” The crowd laughed. He turned to the Adams’. “I want to express to the Adams’ my heartfelt gratitude. I’m glad she found such a wonderful, giving family to raise her and love her.”
Tori blinked back tears and laid her head on Richie’s shoulder. His arm came around her to gently rub her back.
John turned to Richie. “And Richie, whom I watched mature from a long haired punk kid – oh wait that was my son.”
Laughter erupted again. Jon rolled his eyes. “Thanks Dad.”
“Well, the long hair was right anyway. I’ve known Richie for about twenty-five years or so and have watched him mature into a successful, considerate, caring man. He’s come through some very tough times, and emerged a stronger person.” John met Richie’s gaze. “Your father would be proud.”
Tori glanced at Joan to see her nodding, wiped away a tear and squeezed Richie’s leg. He pressed a kiss to her hair.
John glanced at Bill and Helen. “You don’t have to worry about him treating Tori right. He knows the consequences of hurting her.” He made a quintessentially Italian gesture with his hand and his chin. Tori wasn’t exactly sure what it meant, but she had a pretty good idea. Once again laughter filled the room. “Seriously, though, I’m glad the two of you found each other, and I hope that you’ll be very happy together for many, many years.”
As he sat down, the crowd burst into applause. Tori and Richie smiled at each other and their lips met in a soft kiss.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Chapter 184
They returned to the hotel in plenty of time to get ready – although Richie and Tori were almost late meeting everyone else. Richie got distracted watching Tori dress, and he fought a battle with himself to zip it up instead of tearing the pale blue shimmering material off of her body like he really wanted to. Knowing that Jon was on the fine edge of a nervous fit – and how Tori would react if they were the ones to push him over the edge – was the only thing that stopped him.
“Baby, you look incredible.” He nibbled on her ear as he fastened her necklace.
“Thank you.” She shivered as his hand skimmed down her bare back. “You look damn fine yourself.” She turned to adjust his tie and smooth the collar of his caramel coloured shirt and chocolate brown jacket. He was beginning to let her help him pick out some new clothes, and she was slowly weaning him off so much purple and black – not cutting them out entirely, after all he did look good in them - just adding some other colours.
“So how are the wedding plans progressing Tori? Jon stop fidgeting!” Carol gave her oldest son an exasperated look. He grimaced.
Tori hid her smile and turned to answer. “Really well. Actually, I’m a little worried. Everything’s fallen into place so quickly and easily, I’m thinking I must be forgetting something.”
“Naw, you’re just increadibly well organized angel.” Richie assured her, kissing her temple.
Jon snorted from his chair across their table which was off to one side of the large ballroom. “You used to call it being anal. What changed your mind?”
“She’s not like you. She doesn’t nit pick at every little detail and drive me nuts. You’re just a pain in the ass.”
“Somebody’s got to keep you organized or you’d never get anything done.”
“Boys!” Carol interrupted. “Not tonight.”
Luckily, the waiter arrived with their meals and distracted them. Dinner was followed by speeches. Tori eased her chair back from the table and crossed her legs, baring her legs from mid thigh down in the process. Richie shifted closer, settled his hand on her exposed knee and stroked the smooth skin with his thumb. A soft smile lifted the corners of her mouth and she raised a hand to the back of his neck to play with his hair, raking the skin lightly with her nails. He squeezed her knee.
After the speeches, a band took the stage and the floor was cleared for dancing. Tori was caught up in the music and people watching when she felt a presence at her shoulder. Looking up she found John Sr. standing beside her. “Could I interest you in a dance with the old man?”
She grinned. “I’d love to.” As she stood up Richie looked up to see where she was going. Seeing John, he smiled and turned back to his conversation with one of the Soul coaching staff.
John smirked as he took her in his arms and they started revolving slowly across the floor. “He’s very protective of you.”
Tori smiled indulgently in Richie’s direction. “That’s a nice word for it, and yes, he is.”
“What do you call it?”
“I call it jealousy, he calls it possessiveness.”
“It’s not a bad thing you know.”
“I know – as long as it’s in moderation.” She glanced at Richie again. “I will admit it makes me feel safe and cared for.”
“Good. That’s how you should feel.” He hesitated. “How is everything going with him?”
She knew what he was referring to. “Really well. He starts back to his classes again next week. I was a little concerned about how all he’d handle all of this stuff with Heather, but he came through it with flying colours. Best of all he talks to me about everything. I’m learning the signs of when he’s feeling the urge and how to help him deal with it. I’m very confident he’s going to succeed this time.”
“Good. He’s a good man. I think you’ll be happy together. No, I know you’ll be happy. He’ll treat you right or he’ll answer to me.”
She laughed. “Between you, Carol and Jon…I don’t think he’s going to risk doing anything stupid.”
A little while later Tori was coming back from the bathroom when she heard her name being called. Glancing around she saw Ron Jaworski waving at her. Smiling, she waved back and headed over to where he was standing with several of the Soul players.
“Hi Tori. Enjoying your evening? Can I get you a drink?”
“Hi Ron. Yes, I am, and yes you can. White wine please.” Tori answered.
“Hey, you’re the boss’ sister aren’t you?” One of the players – Mike Brown – asked.
She nodded and held out her hand. “Yes, I’m Tori Adams.” Mike shook her hand.
“Soon to be Sambora I hear.” Ron interjected. She grinned and nodded.
“Damn! I knew I should have been a rock star instead of a football player.” Matt D’Orazio shook his head ruefully.
“You’d have to be able to play an instrument or carry a tune there Matty.” Sean Scott reminded him.
Tori laughed. “And here I thought the quarterbacks got all the girls.”
“No way!” Mike and Sean assured her.
“They’re just pretty boys that can throw. It’s the receivers and the backs that are the real stars of the games and the women know that.” Mike explained, setting off an argument.
“Excuse me guys. I would like to dance with my fiancée.” Richie nudged a couple players aside to reach her.
Tori looked at him, smiled and took his hand. “If I don’t see you guys later, good luck tomorrow.”
“Will you be at the game?” Matt asked.
“We both will.” Richie responded before Tori could. He led her away.
Out on the dance floor she couldn’t keep the smirk off her face.
He saw it. “What?”
“Caveman trying to get out?”
He just grunted, spun her around and dipped her deeply, making her swallow a squeal and grab for his shoulders.
When she was standing on her own again she raised a brow at him. “What was that all about?”
He just grinned and pulled her closer. She laid her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being held in his arms.
The next day they all met for lunch – including Obie who had just arrived – although Jon couldn’t each much. Tori gave him a sympathetic look and tried to ignore the butterflies starting to stir in her own stomach.
At the stadium Jon was kept busy talking to people and doing a couple interviews. The rest of them settled into the box.
“I’ll be glad when this is over.” Dorothea sighed. “I’ve never seen Jon this nervous! He’s driving me crazy!”
Richie was standing looking around the box.
“What are you doing babe?” Tori asked.
“Trying to decide where to sit that I won’t be in the line of fire when you and Jon get going.” He finally picked one and sat down.
Jon had arrived in time to hear his comment. Brother and sister wrinkled their noses at him and blew raspberries in his direction. John, Carol and Dorothea exchanged looks and shook their heads.
Tori leaned over to murmur in his ear. “Be nice or you won’t get the little surprise I have for you tonight.” She bit his earlobe lightly.
He raised heated brown eyes to hers, a speculative look in the dark depths. “Yeah? Have a seat sweetheart. Can I get you something to drink?”
She grinned, sat down and put her feet up. “Yes please.”
Chapter 185
The first quarter see-sawed back and forth and ended with the teams even. The second quarter had a little more excitement. A defensive stop by the Soul followed by an interception by Eddie Moten and a field goal gave Philly a ten point lead at the half. While the mood in the box was upbeat, no one wanted to get too comfortable. Everyone knew that in Arena Football, the story can change in a matter of seconds.
Other than jumping up during the big plays Tori had managed to stay pretty calm and in her seat. Jon was up and down like a yo-yo.
“For crying out loud Jon! Have a drink or something and calm down!” Carol admonished him. “You weren’t this nervous when you were waiting for the release of your first album!”
Richie snorted. “We were too young and arrogant then to realize that we could lose.”
“Not arrogant. Confident.” Jon argued.
“Not so confident today?” Obie asked.
“This is beyond his control.” Tori explained. “He can’t call the plays or carry the ball. All he can do is watch and pray. That’s pretty hard to swallow when you’re used to being the one calling all the shots.”
They all looked at Jon who just grimaced and reached for a glass of wine.
The third quarter was full of sacks and fumbles and made everyone a little jumpy even though the Soul maintained a nine point lead. The fourth quarter tested even Richie’s intestinal fortitude. After Graziani botched a field goal attempt, and his desperation pass was intercepted, then fumbled and finally recovered by the Soul, Tori gave up all pretense of calm and moved to the open area behind the seats where she could pace. Jon alternated between pacing with her and standing in the aisles between the seats.
Pausing behind Richie she extended her hand over his shoulder. “Can I have a piece of gum please?” Wisely saying nothing he reached into his pocket and handed her a piece. She resumed her pacing.
With thirty-nine seconds to go the Soul were up by seventeen and the congratulations started. After a round of hugs – which Tori hoped were not premature – Jon and Richie headed down to the field. A touchdown, recovered onside kick followed by another touchdown bringing San Jose within three points, had her clenching her teeth and looking for hard liquor. When Rod Davis came up with the final onside kick, a relieved breath was released by everyone in the box – and in Philadelphia – as the Soul emerged victorious.
Watching the field fill with players, coaches, owners, management staff and media, Tori saw Richie turn and look up at the box. She smiled and blew him a kiss. He grinned and waved.
“Here.” Carol handed her a glass of champagne and she joined the rest of the group in a few celebratory drinks while they watched the trophy presentation and waited for Jon and Richie to finish their interviews.
A wave from Jon had them heading down to field level to meet them. When Tori reached Richie he hugged her, lifting her clear off the ground.
“Congratulations babe.” She kissed him firmly. Turning her head she looked for Jon. “Hey big brother, are we having a party or what?”
“You bet! I’ve reserved the ballroom at the hotel.”
She turned back to Richie. “Are you going to put me down or are you going to carry me?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Well warn me before you drop me please.”
He set her gently on her feet and gave her a light swat on the rear end. “Smartass.”
She grinned. “Better than being a dumb ass.”
He looked more closely at her eyes. “How much champagne have you had?”
She rolled her eyes. “Just one glass.” She grabbed his hand and tugged. “Come on, let’s go celebrate!”
He shook his head. “You sound just like Ava.”
She raised up on tiptoe to nibble on his ear. “I’ll show you how grown up I am later.”
“Promise?” His dark eyes gleamed.
“Promise.”
“Swingman, Sis, let’s go!” Jon yelled and waved at them.
The party was in full swing. Tori turned from the bar, intending to head back to the table when she saw Jon waving at her. She detoured to join him where he was standing with a group of players and their wives. Jon introduced her.
“We were at the concert in Philly for Jon’s birthday, and I just wanted to tell you that I think you’re great!” One of the wives exclaimed, shaking her hand.
“Thank you. It’s been a lot of fun.” Tori smiled.
“You two really do look quite a bit alike.” Another wife commented looking back and forth between the siblings.
Jon laughed. “Yeah, a bit.”
Across the room Carol sat down at the table and glanced around. “Where’s Tori?”
“Over there with Jon.” Richie waved towards them and resumed his conversation with John.
Carol smiled. He hadn’t even looked in their direction. “Do you always know where she is without looking?”
Richie just shrugged and ignored the flush creeping up his neck. John laughed. “Don’t let him fool you honey, he keeps one eye on her at all times.”
“Richie? Are you blushing?” Carol teased. Richie reddened even more. Carol laughed and patted his hand. “I’m sorry. I think it’s wonderful that you watch over her like that. I know she’ll be well looked after.” She glanced around the table. “I actually came to tell you all that the food’s out.”
Richie suddenly stood up. “I’ll go tell Jon and Tori.”
Surprised, Carol watched him walk away. Dorothea nudged her and nodded towards the group surrounding Jon and Tori. Mike Brown had just joined the group and, in response to her congratulations, picked Tori up and spun her around. When he set her down, Sean Scott arrived and the pattern repeated.
Carol and Dorothea exchanged a look and smiled. “A little jealousy isn’t a bad thing.” Carol noted. “Means he’s not taking her for granted.” Dorothea nodded.
“So do you have any big plans now that the tour’s over or are you just going to relax for awhile?” Sarah Graziani asked Tori once the receivers had released her .
“Well, I’ve taken on a position with Bon Jovi Management, plus I’m Richie’s assistant, so between them, I’m sure they’ll keep me busy.”
“After the wedding.” A smooth voice interjected over her head.
She could feel the heat from his body warming her back. She tilted her head back. “Hi honey.”
“So the rumours are true then.” Sarah remarked. Tori grinned and nodded. “May I?” Tori held out her hand so that Sarah could see her ring. Sarah looked up at Richie. “Nice job. It’s beautiful.”
He grinned. “Thank you. I tried my best to find something worthy of her.”
“Awwww.” The women sighed. Tori leaned back against him.
“Did you want something man, or did you just stop by to make the rest of us males look bad?” Jon asked dryly.
“Your mom wanted to let you know that the food’s out.” Richie slid his arms around Tori’s waist and squeezed gently. “Hungry angel?” She nodded, excused herself from the group and let him lead her to the buffet.
After they ate, they circulated a bit more, then Richie pulled her out onto the dance floor and into his arms. She slid her arms around his neck, tangled her fingers in his hair and pressed closer. He leaned down until their foreheads were pressed together.
“How much longer do we have to stay?” She kissed him softly.
“We can leave whenever you want.” His hands slid up and down her back.
“I want.” She murmered against his lips. Stepping back she took his hand, and smiled the special smile that she seemed to reserve only for him, the one that never failed to heat his blood.
They stopped by the table on their way out to say goodnight to everyone and pick up Tori’s purse, then headed upstairs.
As the door closed behind them, the do not disturb sign in place, Tori set her purse on a table and towed him into the bedroom. He stopped beside the bed and pulled her into his arms, bending to kiss her, tasting her thoroughly before backing off to sip from her lips.
“I believe you said you had a surprise for me.” His voice was whiskey smooth.
“Mmmhmmm I did, and since you’ve been such a good boy, I guess you deserve it.” She urged him to sit on the bed. Stepping back, she slowly unbuttoned her blouse and watched Richie’s eyes follow her fingers. When the material parted, revealing what she was wearing underneath, she heard his breath hiss through his teeth. Pealing off the blouse and letting it drop to the floor she watched his face for his reaction.
His tongue came out to moisten his lips, his mouth suddenly dry as he took in the vision in front of him. The dark purple lace of her bra set off the pale creaminess of her skin and distracted him so much that it was several minutes before he realized that the flower pattern of the lace left a hole in the middle of the flower for her nipple. He swallowed heavily.
She smiled to herself as she saw his eyes darken and his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. Her hands dropped to the waistband of her pants, opening them and nudging them over her hips, she kicked them aside when they hit the floor.
He groaned. The lace of her panties – what there was of them – matched her bra. What had his heart rate kicking up a notch and sweat breaking out on his brow – not to mention tightening the fit of his pants – was the fact that the lace left an opening, giving free access to her most intimate flesh.
“You like it?”
He nodded, not taking his eyes off her display. “Very much.”
She walked slowly towards him, nudging his knees apart so that she could stand close. One hand stretched out to trace a path down the bare skin of his chest unbuttoning his shirt as she went. When the last button was undone, she pressed both hands to his abdomen and slid them up and over his shoulders, removing the offending material in the process.
Freeing his arms from the sleeves he reached for her, cupping her breasts and teasing her nipples with his thumbs. Her hands framed his face and tipped it up to hers. She bent and traced his mouth with her tongue, sucking at his bottom lip, playing hide and seek with his tongue when he opened for her.
Breaking the kiss she straightened, batted his hands away and reached for the button on his pants, quickly stripping it open and lowering the zipper, releasing his rapidly hardening shaft. She trailed her fingers up and down his pulsing flesh and watched him swell even more. With a groan, he eased her back, stood and stripped off his pants, sending them to join the pile of discarded clothing on the floor.
“Lay on the bed for me.” She urged.
When he obliged she straddled him, just above his waist and caressed the taut muscles of his chest. His hands skated from her knees to her thighs, then one rose to knead a breast and pinch the hard kernel of her nipple, while the other slid up to explore the warm flesh at the juncture of her thighs peaking at him through the opening in the lace. One long finger stroked her cleft for long minutes, pausing periodically to tease at the ultra sensitive nub. Her head dropped back as a moan escaped and her fingers curled on his chest. He watched the expressions of pleasure flush her face as he penetrated her with first one finger, then two and reached deep to massage her moist flesh.
She gasped, then groaned and moved in sync with his fingers. “God Richie! Yes, right there!”
He grinned. “You’re so beautiful.” His voice was a purring murmur.
Suddenly she pulled away from him and reached for the drawer of the table on her side of the bed.
“Baby? Where are you going?”
“No where.” She assured him as she took something – he couldn’t see what – out of the drawer and hid it behind her back. Resuming her seat, she gently pinned his hands under her knees. “Keep them there for now? Please?”
He nodded, curious to see what she had in mind. The quality of her grin had him rethinking the wisdom of his agreement. Seeing the fluffy feather she revealed had him groaning in anticipation. She could feel his erection bobbing lightly against the small of her back and watched as he closed his eyes for a second as if to brace himself for what he suspected was coming. She didn’t disappoint him. Starting at his shoulders she stroked the feather down first one arm then the other. His biceps twitched. Moving back up to his collarbone she traced several paths over his chest, covering every inch of skin and spending several minutes circling the nailheads of his nipples, watching in fascination as his muscles tensed and contracted in reaction.
“How long are you going to torture me?” He growled.
“Babe, I’m just getting started.” Her blue eyes twinkled and she winked at him.
“You mean your finished.” He pulled his hands out from under her knees and reached for her.
Dropping the feather behind her, she grabbed them before he could take hold of her and moved off him caressing his shaft in the process. He groaned and let his arms drop back to his sides. She straddled him again, this time facing his feet. Picking up the feather again she brushed his thighs with short strokes. His hands rose to smooth over her back.
She paused for a moment debating her next step. A slow smile twisted her lips. Turning her attention to the swollen rod of flesh that never failed to bring her incredible pleasure, she moved the feather from base to tip with long strokes, then flicked it around the ridge.
His thighs tensed and his hips jerked in response. Gripping her hips he tried to move her. She replaced the feather with her hand, wrapping it around his shaft and squeezed. Her other hand cupped his sac. He moaned and tensed even more.
“Baby please! Enough!” He rasped, tugging at her hips.
She shook her head and merely loosened her grip enough to allow her hand to glide up and down his length, pausing to circle the pulsing tip with her thumb, spreading the glistening drop she found there.
He stood it for as long as he could, shuddering as he fought to keep control. When she shifted back so that she could take him in her mouth, it was the last straw. The tightening of his grip was the only warning she had as he jerked her hips out from under her. Her hands flew out to brace herself and she ended up on all fours. Her breath caught as she realized her legs were now straddling his face.
“Richie? What..?” Her voice dried up as she felt his tongue flick her clit.
He chuckled. “Why should you have all the fun?”
She shuddered as he lapped at her. Holding his shaft with one hand she mimicked his motions. When he licked or stroked with his tongue, so did she. When he dipped his tongue into her core, she dipped the tip of hers into the slit on his now aching tip. When he sucked on her clit, she took him into her mouth and suckled as well.
“Jesus! Tori…” He was trembling now, but determined to outlast her.
He closed his teeth around her clit, flicked it with his tongue, then sucked hard and fast. She attempted to keep up, but was forced to release him when her control broke and a scream was torn from her throat as she was thrown over the edge. He continued to lap at her until she started to relax. Taking advantage of her state, he flipped her over onto her back, came up over her, and spreading her thighs wide drove deep inside her.
“Mmmm, baby, you feel so good!” His breath was hot in her ear as he started to pump her.
She turned her head to find his mouth, needing to taste him tasting herself in the process. His hand came up to once again cup a breast, pinching and pulling at the nipple. Knowing that he couldn’t hold back much longer and she wasn’t there yet, he moved his hand down between them to rub her clit in time with his thrusts. When he felt her arms close around him and her sheath start to tighten, his hands slid to her thighs, urging her to wrap her legs around him. When she obliged, he gripped her hips and thrust harder.
“Yes! Richie! Oh God..mmmm…yes…baby…more..harder…there…right there…yes…RICHIE!!!”
Feeling her convulse in his arms he let go and poured into her. They laid there unmoving for long minutes until he was finally able gather enough strength to roll off of her. Several minutes later, when she still hadn’t moved he sat up, removed her two scraps of lace, tugged up the blankets and pulled her into his arms. Cracking open one eye she glanced up at him as she settled more comfortably against him.
He grinned. “I gotta say babe, I love your surprises.”
Chapter 186
“How is Heather doing?” Carol asked at brunch the next day. The women were sitting at the table while the men were schmoozing and accepting congratulations from the other owners and AFL board members who were there for the Commissioner’s brunch.
“She’s home and seems to be feeling a lot better.” Tori answered.
“Have you talked to her?” Dot was curious about their relationship and how things stood between Heather and Richie. She hadn’t liked the amount of time that Richie was spending with Heather when she was first admitted to the hospital. She hoped that situation had sorted itself out.
Tori shook her head. “No. Richie did when she called to ask him to bring Ava back and when he dropped her off.” She saw the look that passed between the other two women. “It’s fine. Really. She is the mother of his child. He can’t ignore her completely. We’ve talked about it. He’s limiting his contact to what’s only absolutely necessary for Ava’s sake and he tells me everytime he talks to her and what they talk about.” She looked at Dorothea. “Unless you know something that I don’t.”
Dorothea shook her head. “No, I just know Heather. If she doesn’t get her way the first time, she manipulates people until she does.”
“How’s Ava holding up?” Carol smiled at how just the mention of the girl’s name brought a soft expression to Tori’s eyes and face.
“She’s amazing. After everything she’s been through – even in just the last six months – she somehow manages to keep a happy, positive attitude.”
“Thanks to you.” Richie pressed a kiss to her temple as he took his seat beside her.
“Me? I haven’t done anything special.”
“Oh no? You just decorate Easter eggs with her, take her shopping, help her with her homework, teach her to cook, play the guitar with her, take her for make overs, play games with her, talk to her.” He replied dryly.
“Exactly. Nothing special.” She looked at Dorothea and Carol, who nodded their agreement.
“It is to her. She’s never experienced much of that.”
“Then we’ll just have to make sure that those things become normal occurances for her.” Tori stated firmly. Richie smiled warmly at her, leaned over and kissed her.
“So what’s your plan for the next month Tori? Just relaxing and working on wedding details?” Dot asked.
“Pretty much.”
“Speaking of wedding details.” Jon sat beside his wife. “We need to talk about what music you want for the ceremony.”
Tori nodded. “We’re working on that. I hope to have it for you next week. By the way, I noticed that when I ordered merchandise from the website it comes from California, so I’m assuming that the warehouse is there.” Jon nodded. “Well, I was thinking that maybe I should go and check it out and get an idea of how their setup works.”
Jon nodded again. “I’ll let them know you’ll be coming.”
Richie stared at Tori for a moment, then looked at Dorothea. They both smiled wryly and shook their heads.
“What?” The siblings demanded.
Richie turned to Carol. “Do Bongiovi’s ever just relax for more than a few hours at a time?”
Carol laughed. “Not in my experience. They always have to have something on the go. I’d like to tell you that it gets better as they get older, but I’d be lying.”
Tori wrinkled her nose at Richie. “Guess you better just get used to it babe.”
He grinned. “Mmmm…guess I’ll just have to find ways to keep you busy.”
A week and a half later, Tori headed to Van Nuys to check out the warehouse operation. Richie had offered to go with her, but she thought things might go smoother without one of the band members looking over their shoulder. The building didn’t have a reception but she noticed a buzzer beside the door. She pressed it and waited. The door was opened by medium built man who appeared to be in his late twenties, with sandy blonde hair and green eyes that narrowed when he saw her.
“Sorry, this isn’t a public building.” He looked her up and down.
Tori smiled. “I know. I’m Tori Adams. I believe you were notified that I would be coming to take a look around.”
He shrugged. “No one gets in here but authorized personel.” He started to close the door.
She grabbed it. “Maybe I didn’t explain myself well. My name is Tori Bongiovi Adams, soon to be Sambora. I’m a member of the merchandizing team for Bon Jovi and I’ve come to familiarize myself with your operation here.”
He snorted. “Lady, I don’t care if you’re the fucking Queen of England, you can’t come in here.”
Tori took a deep breath and a tight grip on her temper. “Who’s in charge here?”
“I am.”
“What’s your name?”
“None of your business.”
Anyone who knew Jon would have recognized the icy glare coming from her narrowed eyes and run for cover. “Do you like your job?” He shrugged. “Do you want to keep it?” He just stared at her. “If you do I suggest that you open the door, let me in and give me your full cooperation…..and a little common courtesy.”
He snorted. “You think you can get me fired?”
“Oh I don’t think it, I know it!” She was so angry she was shaking.
“Listen sweetheart, why don’t you climb back into your little heap of junk over there, and drive back to whatever little hick Midwest town you came from and keep dreaming your little fantasies about how you’re going to get into the Bon Jovi family.” He looked her over again. “And you better come up with a better story. No one’s going to believe that you’re connected to Jon or Richie.” Pushing her hand off the door, he slammed it shut.
“That does it!” Tori reached into her purse for her phone. “Little snot nosed punk!” She scrolled through her saved numbers until she found Paul’s - she wasn’t going to bother Jon with this just yet. “Hi Paul, it’s Tori.”
“Hi Tori, what’s up?” He could hear a strange tone in her voice that he couldn’t quite place.
“Did Jon talk to you about notifying the warehouse in Van Nuys that I was coming to take a look around?”
“Yes, and I called them myself. Why? Is there a problem?”
“You could say that. I’m standing outside unable to get in. The guy that answered the door, told me that he was in charge, but wouldn’t give me his name and told me that he didn’t care if I was the ‘fucking Queen of England’, he wasn’t letting me in and I should go back to whatever hick Midwest town I came from and dream up a new story to try to get into the Bon Jovi family because no one would believe that I was connected to Jon or Richie!” Her voice had risen in both tone and volume by the time she finished.
Now he knew what the tone in her voice had been – the Bongiovi temper being held in check. “I’m sorry Tori. Stay there. I’ll call them right now.”
“Paul? I know it’s not really my business, but…”
“He’s fired.” He assured her. “That kind of rudeness and attitude is not acceptable in this organization.”
“Thank you.” She snapped the phone shut and leaned against the building and waited.
Five minutes later, the door opened and a dark haired thirty-something woman stepped out and looked around until she saw Tori. “Miss Adams, my name is Jennifer, and I want to apologize for Greg’s behaviour. It was totally unprofessional and unacceptable. Please, come in. I’ll be happy to show you around and answer any questions you might have about our operation.”
“Thank you Jennifer. And please call me Tori.” She followed the other woman down a hallway passed some offices. Glancing in one she saw two security guards watching while the blonde punk packed his belongings.
He looked up and saw her. “Bitch!” He snarled.
She stopped and walked back to the open doorway. “Let me give you a little tip for your next job. If you want to be rude and obnoxious to someone who knocks on the door, you’d better make sure it’s not the boss’ sister first. That kind of misjudgement tends to be a real career breaker.” She smiled at the security guards and continued with Jennifer into the warehouse.
Two hours later she thanked Jennifer for her assistance and headed home. Stopping at a convenience store for a drink and a snack, she idly scanned the tabloid headlines while she waited her turn at the cash. Suddenly, a picture caught her eye and she froze. She reached out with a trembling hand and picked up the magazine.
She walked into the house and dropped her purse and keys on the table and headed into the living room.
“Hey babe. How’d it go?” Richie was sitting on the couch watching T.V.
“Just fucking ducky!” She threw the magazine down on the coffee table.
He glanced down and came face to face with an image of himself with Denise wrapped around him, engaged in a very heated kiss.
“Baby, you look incredible.” He nibbled on her ear as he fastened her necklace.
“Thank you.” She shivered as his hand skimmed down her bare back. “You look damn fine yourself.” She turned to adjust his tie and smooth the collar of his caramel coloured shirt and chocolate brown jacket. He was beginning to let her help him pick out some new clothes, and she was slowly weaning him off so much purple and black – not cutting them out entirely, after all he did look good in them - just adding some other colours.
“So how are the wedding plans progressing Tori? Jon stop fidgeting!” Carol gave her oldest son an exasperated look. He grimaced.
Tori hid her smile and turned to answer. “Really well. Actually, I’m a little worried. Everything’s fallen into place so quickly and easily, I’m thinking I must be forgetting something.”
“Naw, you’re just increadibly well organized angel.” Richie assured her, kissing her temple.
Jon snorted from his chair across their table which was off to one side of the large ballroom. “You used to call it being anal. What changed your mind?”
“She’s not like you. She doesn’t nit pick at every little detail and drive me nuts. You’re just a pain in the ass.”
“Somebody’s got to keep you organized or you’d never get anything done.”
“Boys!” Carol interrupted. “Not tonight.”
Luckily, the waiter arrived with their meals and distracted them. Dinner was followed by speeches. Tori eased her chair back from the table and crossed her legs, baring her legs from mid thigh down in the process. Richie shifted closer, settled his hand on her exposed knee and stroked the smooth skin with his thumb. A soft smile lifted the corners of her mouth and she raised a hand to the back of his neck to play with his hair, raking the skin lightly with her nails. He squeezed her knee.
After the speeches, a band took the stage and the floor was cleared for dancing. Tori was caught up in the music and people watching when she felt a presence at her shoulder. Looking up she found John Sr. standing beside her. “Could I interest you in a dance with the old man?”
She grinned. “I’d love to.” As she stood up Richie looked up to see where she was going. Seeing John, he smiled and turned back to his conversation with one of the Soul coaching staff.
John smirked as he took her in his arms and they started revolving slowly across the floor. “He’s very protective of you.”
Tori smiled indulgently in Richie’s direction. “That’s a nice word for it, and yes, he is.”
“What do you call it?”
“I call it jealousy, he calls it possessiveness.”
“It’s not a bad thing you know.”
“I know – as long as it’s in moderation.” She glanced at Richie again. “I will admit it makes me feel safe and cared for.”
“Good. That’s how you should feel.” He hesitated. “How is everything going with him?”
She knew what he was referring to. “Really well. He starts back to his classes again next week. I was a little concerned about how all he’d handle all of this stuff with Heather, but he came through it with flying colours. Best of all he talks to me about everything. I’m learning the signs of when he’s feeling the urge and how to help him deal with it. I’m very confident he’s going to succeed this time.”
“Good. He’s a good man. I think you’ll be happy together. No, I know you’ll be happy. He’ll treat you right or he’ll answer to me.”
She laughed. “Between you, Carol and Jon…I don’t think he’s going to risk doing anything stupid.”
A little while later Tori was coming back from the bathroom when she heard her name being called. Glancing around she saw Ron Jaworski waving at her. Smiling, she waved back and headed over to where he was standing with several of the Soul players.
“Hi Tori. Enjoying your evening? Can I get you a drink?”
“Hi Ron. Yes, I am, and yes you can. White wine please.” Tori answered.
“Hey, you’re the boss’ sister aren’t you?” One of the players – Mike Brown – asked.
She nodded and held out her hand. “Yes, I’m Tori Adams.” Mike shook her hand.
“Soon to be Sambora I hear.” Ron interjected. She grinned and nodded.
“Damn! I knew I should have been a rock star instead of a football player.” Matt D’Orazio shook his head ruefully.
“You’d have to be able to play an instrument or carry a tune there Matty.” Sean Scott reminded him.
Tori laughed. “And here I thought the quarterbacks got all the girls.”
“No way!” Mike and Sean assured her.
“They’re just pretty boys that can throw. It’s the receivers and the backs that are the real stars of the games and the women know that.” Mike explained, setting off an argument.
“Excuse me guys. I would like to dance with my fiancée.” Richie nudged a couple players aside to reach her.
Tori looked at him, smiled and took his hand. “If I don’t see you guys later, good luck tomorrow.”
“Will you be at the game?” Matt asked.
“We both will.” Richie responded before Tori could. He led her away.
Out on the dance floor she couldn’t keep the smirk off her face.
He saw it. “What?”
“Caveman trying to get out?”
He just grunted, spun her around and dipped her deeply, making her swallow a squeal and grab for his shoulders.
When she was standing on her own again she raised a brow at him. “What was that all about?”
He just grinned and pulled her closer. She laid her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being held in his arms.
The next day they all met for lunch – including Obie who had just arrived – although Jon couldn’t each much. Tori gave him a sympathetic look and tried to ignore the butterflies starting to stir in her own stomach.
At the stadium Jon was kept busy talking to people and doing a couple interviews. The rest of them settled into the box.
“I’ll be glad when this is over.” Dorothea sighed. “I’ve never seen Jon this nervous! He’s driving me crazy!”
Richie was standing looking around the box.
“What are you doing babe?” Tori asked.
“Trying to decide where to sit that I won’t be in the line of fire when you and Jon get going.” He finally picked one and sat down.
Jon had arrived in time to hear his comment. Brother and sister wrinkled their noses at him and blew raspberries in his direction. John, Carol and Dorothea exchanged looks and shook their heads.
Tori leaned over to murmur in his ear. “Be nice or you won’t get the little surprise I have for you tonight.” She bit his earlobe lightly.
He raised heated brown eyes to hers, a speculative look in the dark depths. “Yeah? Have a seat sweetheart. Can I get you something to drink?”
She grinned, sat down and put her feet up. “Yes please.”
Chapter 185
The first quarter see-sawed back and forth and ended with the teams even. The second quarter had a little more excitement. A defensive stop by the Soul followed by an interception by Eddie Moten and a field goal gave Philly a ten point lead at the half. While the mood in the box was upbeat, no one wanted to get too comfortable. Everyone knew that in Arena Football, the story can change in a matter of seconds.
Other than jumping up during the big plays Tori had managed to stay pretty calm and in her seat. Jon was up and down like a yo-yo.
“For crying out loud Jon! Have a drink or something and calm down!” Carol admonished him. “You weren’t this nervous when you were waiting for the release of your first album!”
Richie snorted. “We were too young and arrogant then to realize that we could lose.”
“Not arrogant. Confident.” Jon argued.
“Not so confident today?” Obie asked.
“This is beyond his control.” Tori explained. “He can’t call the plays or carry the ball. All he can do is watch and pray. That’s pretty hard to swallow when you’re used to being the one calling all the shots.”
They all looked at Jon who just grimaced and reached for a glass of wine.
The third quarter was full of sacks and fumbles and made everyone a little jumpy even though the Soul maintained a nine point lead. The fourth quarter tested even Richie’s intestinal fortitude. After Graziani botched a field goal attempt, and his desperation pass was intercepted, then fumbled and finally recovered by the Soul, Tori gave up all pretense of calm and moved to the open area behind the seats where she could pace. Jon alternated between pacing with her and standing in the aisles between the seats.
Pausing behind Richie she extended her hand over his shoulder. “Can I have a piece of gum please?” Wisely saying nothing he reached into his pocket and handed her a piece. She resumed her pacing.
With thirty-nine seconds to go the Soul were up by seventeen and the congratulations started. After a round of hugs – which Tori hoped were not premature – Jon and Richie headed down to the field. A touchdown, recovered onside kick followed by another touchdown bringing San Jose within three points, had her clenching her teeth and looking for hard liquor. When Rod Davis came up with the final onside kick, a relieved breath was released by everyone in the box – and in Philadelphia – as the Soul emerged victorious.
Watching the field fill with players, coaches, owners, management staff and media, Tori saw Richie turn and look up at the box. She smiled and blew him a kiss. He grinned and waved.
“Here.” Carol handed her a glass of champagne and she joined the rest of the group in a few celebratory drinks while they watched the trophy presentation and waited for Jon and Richie to finish their interviews.
A wave from Jon had them heading down to field level to meet them. When Tori reached Richie he hugged her, lifting her clear off the ground.
“Congratulations babe.” She kissed him firmly. Turning her head she looked for Jon. “Hey big brother, are we having a party or what?”
“You bet! I’ve reserved the ballroom at the hotel.”
She turned back to Richie. “Are you going to put me down or are you going to carry me?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Well warn me before you drop me please.”
He set her gently on her feet and gave her a light swat on the rear end. “Smartass.”
She grinned. “Better than being a dumb ass.”
He looked more closely at her eyes. “How much champagne have you had?”
She rolled her eyes. “Just one glass.” She grabbed his hand and tugged. “Come on, let’s go celebrate!”
He shook his head. “You sound just like Ava.”
She raised up on tiptoe to nibble on his ear. “I’ll show you how grown up I am later.”
“Promise?” His dark eyes gleamed.
“Promise.”
“Swingman, Sis, let’s go!” Jon yelled and waved at them.
The party was in full swing. Tori turned from the bar, intending to head back to the table when she saw Jon waving at her. She detoured to join him where he was standing with a group of players and their wives. Jon introduced her.
“We were at the concert in Philly for Jon’s birthday, and I just wanted to tell you that I think you’re great!” One of the wives exclaimed, shaking her hand.
“Thank you. It’s been a lot of fun.” Tori smiled.
“You two really do look quite a bit alike.” Another wife commented looking back and forth between the siblings.
Jon laughed. “Yeah, a bit.”
Across the room Carol sat down at the table and glanced around. “Where’s Tori?”
“Over there with Jon.” Richie waved towards them and resumed his conversation with John.
Carol smiled. He hadn’t even looked in their direction. “Do you always know where she is without looking?”
Richie just shrugged and ignored the flush creeping up his neck. John laughed. “Don’t let him fool you honey, he keeps one eye on her at all times.”
“Richie? Are you blushing?” Carol teased. Richie reddened even more. Carol laughed and patted his hand. “I’m sorry. I think it’s wonderful that you watch over her like that. I know she’ll be well looked after.” She glanced around the table. “I actually came to tell you all that the food’s out.”
Richie suddenly stood up. “I’ll go tell Jon and Tori.”
Surprised, Carol watched him walk away. Dorothea nudged her and nodded towards the group surrounding Jon and Tori. Mike Brown had just joined the group and, in response to her congratulations, picked Tori up and spun her around. When he set her down, Sean Scott arrived and the pattern repeated.
Carol and Dorothea exchanged a look and smiled. “A little jealousy isn’t a bad thing.” Carol noted. “Means he’s not taking her for granted.” Dorothea nodded.
“So do you have any big plans now that the tour’s over or are you just going to relax for awhile?” Sarah Graziani asked Tori once the receivers had released her .
“Well, I’ve taken on a position with Bon Jovi Management, plus I’m Richie’s assistant, so between them, I’m sure they’ll keep me busy.”
“After the wedding.” A smooth voice interjected over her head.
She could feel the heat from his body warming her back. She tilted her head back. “Hi honey.”
“So the rumours are true then.” Sarah remarked. Tori grinned and nodded. “May I?” Tori held out her hand so that Sarah could see her ring. Sarah looked up at Richie. “Nice job. It’s beautiful.”
He grinned. “Thank you. I tried my best to find something worthy of her.”
“Awwww.” The women sighed. Tori leaned back against him.
“Did you want something man, or did you just stop by to make the rest of us males look bad?” Jon asked dryly.
“Your mom wanted to let you know that the food’s out.” Richie slid his arms around Tori’s waist and squeezed gently. “Hungry angel?” She nodded, excused herself from the group and let him lead her to the buffet.
After they ate, they circulated a bit more, then Richie pulled her out onto the dance floor and into his arms. She slid her arms around his neck, tangled her fingers in his hair and pressed closer. He leaned down until their foreheads were pressed together.
“How much longer do we have to stay?” She kissed him softly.
“We can leave whenever you want.” His hands slid up and down her back.
“I want.” She murmered against his lips. Stepping back she took his hand, and smiled the special smile that she seemed to reserve only for him, the one that never failed to heat his blood.
They stopped by the table on their way out to say goodnight to everyone and pick up Tori’s purse, then headed upstairs.
As the door closed behind them, the do not disturb sign in place, Tori set her purse on a table and towed him into the bedroom. He stopped beside the bed and pulled her into his arms, bending to kiss her, tasting her thoroughly before backing off to sip from her lips.
“I believe you said you had a surprise for me.” His voice was whiskey smooth.
“Mmmhmmm I did, and since you’ve been such a good boy, I guess you deserve it.” She urged him to sit on the bed. Stepping back, she slowly unbuttoned her blouse and watched Richie’s eyes follow her fingers. When the material parted, revealing what she was wearing underneath, she heard his breath hiss through his teeth. Pealing off the blouse and letting it drop to the floor she watched his face for his reaction.
His tongue came out to moisten his lips, his mouth suddenly dry as he took in the vision in front of him. The dark purple lace of her bra set off the pale creaminess of her skin and distracted him so much that it was several minutes before he realized that the flower pattern of the lace left a hole in the middle of the flower for her nipple. He swallowed heavily.
She smiled to herself as she saw his eyes darken and his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. Her hands dropped to the waistband of her pants, opening them and nudging them over her hips, she kicked them aside when they hit the floor.
He groaned. The lace of her panties – what there was of them – matched her bra. What had his heart rate kicking up a notch and sweat breaking out on his brow – not to mention tightening the fit of his pants – was the fact that the lace left an opening, giving free access to her most intimate flesh.
“You like it?”
He nodded, not taking his eyes off her display. “Very much.”
She walked slowly towards him, nudging his knees apart so that she could stand close. One hand stretched out to trace a path down the bare skin of his chest unbuttoning his shirt as she went. When the last button was undone, she pressed both hands to his abdomen and slid them up and over his shoulders, removing the offending material in the process.
Freeing his arms from the sleeves he reached for her, cupping her breasts and teasing her nipples with his thumbs. Her hands framed his face and tipped it up to hers. She bent and traced his mouth with her tongue, sucking at his bottom lip, playing hide and seek with his tongue when he opened for her.
Breaking the kiss she straightened, batted his hands away and reached for the button on his pants, quickly stripping it open and lowering the zipper, releasing his rapidly hardening shaft. She trailed her fingers up and down his pulsing flesh and watched him swell even more. With a groan, he eased her back, stood and stripped off his pants, sending them to join the pile of discarded clothing on the floor.
“Lay on the bed for me.” She urged.
When he obliged she straddled him, just above his waist and caressed the taut muscles of his chest. His hands skated from her knees to her thighs, then one rose to knead a breast and pinch the hard kernel of her nipple, while the other slid up to explore the warm flesh at the juncture of her thighs peaking at him through the opening in the lace. One long finger stroked her cleft for long minutes, pausing periodically to tease at the ultra sensitive nub. Her head dropped back as a moan escaped and her fingers curled on his chest. He watched the expressions of pleasure flush her face as he penetrated her with first one finger, then two and reached deep to massage her moist flesh.
She gasped, then groaned and moved in sync with his fingers. “God Richie! Yes, right there!”
He grinned. “You’re so beautiful.” His voice was a purring murmur.
Suddenly she pulled away from him and reached for the drawer of the table on her side of the bed.
“Baby? Where are you going?”
“No where.” She assured him as she took something – he couldn’t see what – out of the drawer and hid it behind her back. Resuming her seat, she gently pinned his hands under her knees. “Keep them there for now? Please?”
He nodded, curious to see what she had in mind. The quality of her grin had him rethinking the wisdom of his agreement. Seeing the fluffy feather she revealed had him groaning in anticipation. She could feel his erection bobbing lightly against the small of her back and watched as he closed his eyes for a second as if to brace himself for what he suspected was coming. She didn’t disappoint him. Starting at his shoulders she stroked the feather down first one arm then the other. His biceps twitched. Moving back up to his collarbone she traced several paths over his chest, covering every inch of skin and spending several minutes circling the nailheads of his nipples, watching in fascination as his muscles tensed and contracted in reaction.
“How long are you going to torture me?” He growled.
“Babe, I’m just getting started.” Her blue eyes twinkled and she winked at him.
“You mean your finished.” He pulled his hands out from under her knees and reached for her.
Dropping the feather behind her, she grabbed them before he could take hold of her and moved off him caressing his shaft in the process. He groaned and let his arms drop back to his sides. She straddled him again, this time facing his feet. Picking up the feather again she brushed his thighs with short strokes. His hands rose to smooth over her back.
She paused for a moment debating her next step. A slow smile twisted her lips. Turning her attention to the swollen rod of flesh that never failed to bring her incredible pleasure, she moved the feather from base to tip with long strokes, then flicked it around the ridge.
His thighs tensed and his hips jerked in response. Gripping her hips he tried to move her. She replaced the feather with her hand, wrapping it around his shaft and squeezed. Her other hand cupped his sac. He moaned and tensed even more.
“Baby please! Enough!” He rasped, tugging at her hips.
She shook her head and merely loosened her grip enough to allow her hand to glide up and down his length, pausing to circle the pulsing tip with her thumb, spreading the glistening drop she found there.
He stood it for as long as he could, shuddering as he fought to keep control. When she shifted back so that she could take him in her mouth, it was the last straw. The tightening of his grip was the only warning she had as he jerked her hips out from under her. Her hands flew out to brace herself and she ended up on all fours. Her breath caught as she realized her legs were now straddling his face.
“Richie? What..?” Her voice dried up as she felt his tongue flick her clit.
He chuckled. “Why should you have all the fun?”
She shuddered as he lapped at her. Holding his shaft with one hand she mimicked his motions. When he licked or stroked with his tongue, so did she. When he dipped his tongue into her core, she dipped the tip of hers into the slit on his now aching tip. When he sucked on her clit, she took him into her mouth and suckled as well.
“Jesus! Tori…” He was trembling now, but determined to outlast her.
He closed his teeth around her clit, flicked it with his tongue, then sucked hard and fast. She attempted to keep up, but was forced to release him when her control broke and a scream was torn from her throat as she was thrown over the edge. He continued to lap at her until she started to relax. Taking advantage of her state, he flipped her over onto her back, came up over her, and spreading her thighs wide drove deep inside her.
“Mmmm, baby, you feel so good!” His breath was hot in her ear as he started to pump her.
She turned her head to find his mouth, needing to taste him tasting herself in the process. His hand came up to once again cup a breast, pinching and pulling at the nipple. Knowing that he couldn’t hold back much longer and she wasn’t there yet, he moved his hand down between them to rub her clit in time with his thrusts. When he felt her arms close around him and her sheath start to tighten, his hands slid to her thighs, urging her to wrap her legs around him. When she obliged, he gripped her hips and thrust harder.
“Yes! Richie! Oh God..mmmm…yes…baby…more..harder…there…right there…yes…RICHIE!!!”
Feeling her convulse in his arms he let go and poured into her. They laid there unmoving for long minutes until he was finally able gather enough strength to roll off of her. Several minutes later, when she still hadn’t moved he sat up, removed her two scraps of lace, tugged up the blankets and pulled her into his arms. Cracking open one eye she glanced up at him as she settled more comfortably against him.
He grinned. “I gotta say babe, I love your surprises.”
Chapter 186
“How is Heather doing?” Carol asked at brunch the next day. The women were sitting at the table while the men were schmoozing and accepting congratulations from the other owners and AFL board members who were there for the Commissioner’s brunch.
“She’s home and seems to be feeling a lot better.” Tori answered.
“Have you talked to her?” Dot was curious about their relationship and how things stood between Heather and Richie. She hadn’t liked the amount of time that Richie was spending with Heather when she was first admitted to the hospital. She hoped that situation had sorted itself out.
Tori shook her head. “No. Richie did when she called to ask him to bring Ava back and when he dropped her off.” She saw the look that passed between the other two women. “It’s fine. Really. She is the mother of his child. He can’t ignore her completely. We’ve talked about it. He’s limiting his contact to what’s only absolutely necessary for Ava’s sake and he tells me everytime he talks to her and what they talk about.” She looked at Dorothea. “Unless you know something that I don’t.”
Dorothea shook her head. “No, I just know Heather. If she doesn’t get her way the first time, she manipulates people until she does.”
“How’s Ava holding up?” Carol smiled at how just the mention of the girl’s name brought a soft expression to Tori’s eyes and face.
“She’s amazing. After everything she’s been through – even in just the last six months – she somehow manages to keep a happy, positive attitude.”
“Thanks to you.” Richie pressed a kiss to her temple as he took his seat beside her.
“Me? I haven’t done anything special.”
“Oh no? You just decorate Easter eggs with her, take her shopping, help her with her homework, teach her to cook, play the guitar with her, take her for make overs, play games with her, talk to her.” He replied dryly.
“Exactly. Nothing special.” She looked at Dorothea and Carol, who nodded their agreement.
“It is to her. She’s never experienced much of that.”
“Then we’ll just have to make sure that those things become normal occurances for her.” Tori stated firmly. Richie smiled warmly at her, leaned over and kissed her.
“So what’s your plan for the next month Tori? Just relaxing and working on wedding details?” Dot asked.
“Pretty much.”
“Speaking of wedding details.” Jon sat beside his wife. “We need to talk about what music you want for the ceremony.”
Tori nodded. “We’re working on that. I hope to have it for you next week. By the way, I noticed that when I ordered merchandise from the website it comes from California, so I’m assuming that the warehouse is there.” Jon nodded. “Well, I was thinking that maybe I should go and check it out and get an idea of how their setup works.”
Jon nodded again. “I’ll let them know you’ll be coming.”
Richie stared at Tori for a moment, then looked at Dorothea. They both smiled wryly and shook their heads.
“What?” The siblings demanded.
Richie turned to Carol. “Do Bongiovi’s ever just relax for more than a few hours at a time?”
Carol laughed. “Not in my experience. They always have to have something on the go. I’d like to tell you that it gets better as they get older, but I’d be lying.”
Tori wrinkled her nose at Richie. “Guess you better just get used to it babe.”
He grinned. “Mmmm…guess I’ll just have to find ways to keep you busy.”
A week and a half later, Tori headed to Van Nuys to check out the warehouse operation. Richie had offered to go with her, but she thought things might go smoother without one of the band members looking over their shoulder. The building didn’t have a reception but she noticed a buzzer beside the door. She pressed it and waited. The door was opened by medium built man who appeared to be in his late twenties, with sandy blonde hair and green eyes that narrowed when he saw her.
“Sorry, this isn’t a public building.” He looked her up and down.
Tori smiled. “I know. I’m Tori Adams. I believe you were notified that I would be coming to take a look around.”
He shrugged. “No one gets in here but authorized personel.” He started to close the door.
She grabbed it. “Maybe I didn’t explain myself well. My name is Tori Bongiovi Adams, soon to be Sambora. I’m a member of the merchandizing team for Bon Jovi and I’ve come to familiarize myself with your operation here.”
He snorted. “Lady, I don’t care if you’re the fucking Queen of England, you can’t come in here.”
Tori took a deep breath and a tight grip on her temper. “Who’s in charge here?”
“I am.”
“What’s your name?”
“None of your business.”
Anyone who knew Jon would have recognized the icy glare coming from her narrowed eyes and run for cover. “Do you like your job?” He shrugged. “Do you want to keep it?” He just stared at her. “If you do I suggest that you open the door, let me in and give me your full cooperation…..and a little common courtesy.”
He snorted. “You think you can get me fired?”
“Oh I don’t think it, I know it!” She was so angry she was shaking.
“Listen sweetheart, why don’t you climb back into your little heap of junk over there, and drive back to whatever little hick Midwest town you came from and keep dreaming your little fantasies about how you’re going to get into the Bon Jovi family.” He looked her over again. “And you better come up with a better story. No one’s going to believe that you’re connected to Jon or Richie.” Pushing her hand off the door, he slammed it shut.
“That does it!” Tori reached into her purse for her phone. “Little snot nosed punk!” She scrolled through her saved numbers until she found Paul’s - she wasn’t going to bother Jon with this just yet. “Hi Paul, it’s Tori.”
“Hi Tori, what’s up?” He could hear a strange tone in her voice that he couldn’t quite place.
“Did Jon talk to you about notifying the warehouse in Van Nuys that I was coming to take a look around?”
“Yes, and I called them myself. Why? Is there a problem?”
“You could say that. I’m standing outside unable to get in. The guy that answered the door, told me that he was in charge, but wouldn’t give me his name and told me that he didn’t care if I was the ‘fucking Queen of England’, he wasn’t letting me in and I should go back to whatever hick Midwest town I came from and dream up a new story to try to get into the Bon Jovi family because no one would believe that I was connected to Jon or Richie!” Her voice had risen in both tone and volume by the time she finished.
Now he knew what the tone in her voice had been – the Bongiovi temper being held in check. “I’m sorry Tori. Stay there. I’ll call them right now.”
“Paul? I know it’s not really my business, but…”
“He’s fired.” He assured her. “That kind of rudeness and attitude is not acceptable in this organization.”
“Thank you.” She snapped the phone shut and leaned against the building and waited.
Five minutes later, the door opened and a dark haired thirty-something woman stepped out and looked around until she saw Tori. “Miss Adams, my name is Jennifer, and I want to apologize for Greg’s behaviour. It was totally unprofessional and unacceptable. Please, come in. I’ll be happy to show you around and answer any questions you might have about our operation.”
“Thank you Jennifer. And please call me Tori.” She followed the other woman down a hallway passed some offices. Glancing in one she saw two security guards watching while the blonde punk packed his belongings.
He looked up and saw her. “Bitch!” He snarled.
She stopped and walked back to the open doorway. “Let me give you a little tip for your next job. If you want to be rude and obnoxious to someone who knocks on the door, you’d better make sure it’s not the boss’ sister first. That kind of misjudgement tends to be a real career breaker.” She smiled at the security guards and continued with Jennifer into the warehouse.
Two hours later she thanked Jennifer for her assistance and headed home. Stopping at a convenience store for a drink and a snack, she idly scanned the tabloid headlines while she waited her turn at the cash. Suddenly, a picture caught her eye and she froze. She reached out with a trembling hand and picked up the magazine.
She walked into the house and dropped her purse and keys on the table and headed into the living room.
“Hey babe. How’d it go?” Richie was sitting on the couch watching T.V.
“Just fucking ducky!” She threw the magazine down on the coffee table.
He glanced down and came face to face with an image of himself with Denise wrapped around him, engaged in a very heated kiss.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Chapter 181
The next day as they settled into the car Richie turned to Tori. “So where to now milady?”
She considered for a moment then smiled. “Home please Richard.”
He grinned. “Yes ma’am.” He pointed the car towards the closest airport.
They were somewhere over the Midwest when her phone chimed. She looked down at the message and frowned in confusion.
Richie saw. “Something wrong?”
“I’m not sure. It’s from Matt.” She showed him the message. Hope you enjoyed your ice cream.
“What does that mean?”
“I have no idea.” She debated her response to her brother when the phone chimed again. This time he sent pictures. Richie leaned closer to see as she scrolled through the images of the two of them walking down the street, sharing an ice cream cone. One close up showed Tori feeding Richie, the cone held in her left hand, her ring prominent.
“Where’d those come from?” While he didn’t have the sixth sense for it that Jon did, he was usually aware of people taking pictures of him.
She shrugged. “It’s obviously from last night. Must be from those fans.” She quickly typed out a message for Matt. Where did you find those? The response was immediate. Showed up on Backstage this am. Word’s out. Talk is all about the wedding. Tori tensed, took a deep breath and asked the question she was almost afraid to. How are they taking it? Matt took a long time to respond – or maybe it just seemed long to Tori because the answer was so important to her. A little disappointement, but generally happy for him. Cracks about keeping it in the family. Threats if you hurt him. Breathe sis, it’s all good..
“Told ya.” Richie reminded her smugly. He chuckled at Matt’s last comment. “Seems like baby brother knows you better than you think.”
She wrinkled her nose at him and made a mental note to check out Backstage – and a few of the other boards - herself when she got home. Luckily she was still anonymous there and she knew enough people there to get an honest read of the situation. Not that she didn’t trust Matt, but she wouldn’t really relax until she’d seen for herself that the fans weren’t too upset about their marriage. She was sure they would be happy for him over time, she just hoped that came sooner rather than later.
“When are we getting Ava?” She asked as the car pulled up to the house.
“I’ll pick her up tomorrow afternoon.”
Tomorrow was Friday. She hesitated. It was a bit of a touchy subject, but they needed to be able to talk about it reasonably. “How is Heather doing?”
“I haven’t talked to her.” He assured her quickly. “Her mother says that she’s doing much better and they hope she’ll be home in a couple weeks.”
She nodded. “Good.”
Tori spent the rest of the day getting unpacked, the dry cleaning sorted out and the laundry started. Then she sat down with her binder, made a list of what still had to be done and planned a girls day with Ava to make up for the one she missed in New York. Not being very familiar with the businesses here yet she called Gail for advice and made yet more phone calls to set everything up. She looked up as Rosa entered the living room.
“I thought you might be hungry and dinner no be ready for a bit.” Rosa explained as she set the bowls of guacamole, salsa and tortilla chips on the coffee table.
“Thank you Rosa. That looks good.”
Rosa smiled. “Mister Richie say that Miss Ava was coming tomorrow, but he no say how long she’s staying.”
“At least until her mother comes home if I have my way. A couple weeks or so. I thought we’d have Richie’s birthday dinner on Sunday.”
“Good. Let me know know if there is something special you want added to the grocery list for your baking. Everything you need for Mister Richie’s cookies is already there whenever you want.”
“That’ll be tonight if I have my way.” Richie responded as he entered the room, took a seat beside Tori and reached for the chips and salsa. “Mmmmm. I’ve missed your cooking Rosa.” She blushed with pleasure and left to check on dinner.
Tori walked into the living room the next day after spending an hour with the gardener discussing the landscaping and making plans for the next year. She found Richie hanging up the phone and reaching for a cookie from the pile on the table in front of him. She shook her head.
“What?”
“Just make sure you can still fit in your tux come September.”
“No problem. You can help me work them off later.” He grinned and took a bite, ignoring her unladylike snort. “Oh, by the way, Paul just called. Matt had given him the heads up that our news was out and he wanted to know how we wanted to handle it.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That he could confirm if asked, but that we didn’t want to put out an announcement. The longer we can keep this low key, the less time the vultures will have to find out our plans and try to crash the wedding.”
She nodded. “Makes sense.”
“So what’s the plan for the weekend?” Ava asked as they sat around the dinner table.
“Well, since you weren’t able to be with us in New York when we went dress shopping, I thought maybe we could go get your dress and you could help me with a few more jobs I have. We could make a girls’ day of it. Just the two of us. What do you think?” Tori suggested.
The sad expression that had started to settle on Ava’s face at the reminder of the missed shopping expedition, turned into excited eagerness at the idea of them spending the day together. “Really? Do you mean it? Can we?”
“Absolutely. I still need to get the topper for the cake and shoes and gifts for the wedding party and I really need your help.” Tori smiled at Ava’s obvious enthusiasm. “Then I thought we could celebrate Daddy’s birthday on Sunday.”
“Oh. Yeah. That would be good.”
Richie frowned at his daughter. “What do you mean, ‘Oh. Yeah’? Did you forget my birthday?”
“No Daddy, of course not! I’ve had your present for a looong time.” She assured him. Tori bit back a smile.
“Hmpf! Well I guess my birthday isn’t as exciting as a shopping trip then.”
“I’m sorry Daddy!” Ava hopped off her chair to rush to her father’s side for a hug and a kiss. “I love you!”
“I love you too Baby Girl.” He grinned.
Tori gave him a chiding glance and rolled her eyes. “What about you Daddy? Do you think you can find some thing to keep you busy while we’re away for a day?”
“Oh don’t worry about Daddy Tori. He’s coming off tour. He’ll just sleep all day.” Ava assured her.
Chapter 182
Early the next morning the girls climbed into Tori’s car and headed out. Tori glanced at Gail’s directions, grateful for the GPS system that Richie had insisted be installed in her car. He’d told her that it had taken him a long time to find her and he wasn’t going to risk losing her to the twisting, turning, confusing, busy streets that formed the greater Los Angeles area.
First up was the search for a cake topper. Tori was looking over several traditional toppers in a store that Gail had recommended when Ava shook her head. “Those are too….boring. You need something different.”
Tori’s brows rose. For a ten year old, Ava had very definite opinions on style. She’s going to be real fun to shop with in a couple years! “Like what? I don’t want anything too ‘out there’.”
Ava walked slowly down the aisle a little further and suddenly stopped. “Like that one.”
Tori joined her and was pleasantly surprised. The bride and groom were traditional looking except that instead of standing side by side the groom was carrying the bride.
“That’s more Daddy’s style.”
Tori had to agree. “You’re right. It is. I like it. Thanks Bean. Nice job.”
The rest of the morning was spent shopping for Ava’s dress – Tori was thankful that they found the same one as the other girls and that Ava liked it – shoes and little keepsake gifts for the wedding party – necklace and earring sets for the girls and cufflinks and personalized money clips for the men.
Stopping in a quaint little restaurant for lunch Tori checked their latest purchases off her list.
“What’s next?” Ava asked.
“Well, it looks like we’ve got everything on my list.” Tori glanced at her watch. “We made good time. After we eat I think we deserve a reward.”
“Like what?”
“Well, we need to decide how to wear our hair for the wedding. I was thinking we should go to Gail’s salon for make-overs. What do you think?”
Dark eyes so like her father’s sparkled. “Really? Can we?” Then she sighed. “Daddy won’t let me wear makeup.”
Tori smiled. “You have such beautiful skin you really don’t need any. We could get our nails done though….and a little lip gloss never hurt anyone.” She winked at Ava.
“Daddy! We’re home!” Ava ran into the living room and climbed on his lap on the couch.
“I can hear that. Whoa! Who are you and what have you done with my baby girl?” Richie gazed down at his daughter, a stunned expression on his face.
“Oh Daddy! This is how I’m going to wear my hair for the wedding. Don’t you like it?” She tossed her head a little, sending the fat curls that were pinned up on the sides and hanging down her back, swinging.
“Your hair is beautiful, but what’s this?” He lifted her chin with his finger and scanned her face. “And this?” He raised one hand to study her nails.
“My toes too.” Kicking off her sandal she stuck her foot out so that he could see.
“Mmmmm.”
“Bean you’d better take your dress upstairs and hang it up please.” Tori could see he was less than pleased.
“Okay.”
He watched her bounce out of the room, a frown creasing his forehead.
“She’s a girl Rich. It’s what we do.” Tori reminded him gently.
“She’s only ten years old.” He protested.
Tori nodded. “Yes, and that’s why the nail polish is a pale pink and the lip gloss is colourless and flavoured. It’s better to let her have a little bit now and control it, than forbid it and have her rebel and end up looking like a twenty-five year old tramp.” She hesitated, walked up behind him, and set her hands on his shoulders. “She’s growing up Rich. You have to let her. I promise to keep an eye on her and keep it age appropriate. She wants to be treated like a young lady, not a baby. She wants to feel included in our wedding plans. It’s a special occasion. Please don’t ruin her excitement. Trust me to act in her – and your – best interest.”
He sighed heavily and leaned his head back to look up at her. “Okay. I do trust you, it’s just…..she’s my baby girl.”
“I know. And I know it’s going to be hard for you. Maybe you should talk to Jon about how he copes.”
He snorted. “He leaves Steph to Dot and lives in denial.”
She chuckled. He was probably right. “Well, don’t worry. We’ll get you through it.” She squeezed his shoulders.
He smiled up at her. “You look beautiful by the way.”
“Thank you.” She bent to kiss him.
“So how do you want to celebrate your birthday?” Tori asked him over dinner.
“Honestly? I just want to spend the day at home, relaxing with my girls.”
Tori’s brows rose in surprise. Normally he had grand plans for their ‘family’ days.
“Tour hangover.” Ava explained.
“Ah. I see.” Tori glanced at Richie who wrinkled his nose at his daughter, but didn’t disagree.
The next morning Ava and Tori consulted with Rosa over the menu for the birthday dinner, the cake and the decorations. When they had been wrapping their gifts for him, they realized they had a theme going, and Ava thought it would be fun to carry that into their party plans.
They spent the afternoon around the pool, alternating swimming with card games and guitar lessons. As dinner time approached they headed in to clean up and get dressed. Since it was a special occasion they would be eating in the dining room.
Tori rushed down ahead of Richie to make sure everything was in place. A large Union Jack flag hung on one wall and pictures of the Fab Four dotted the others.
“Are we back in Jolly Old England then?” Richie asked with a heavy British accent as he entered the room.
“It’s a Beatles’ birthday, Daddy!” Ava announced.
He grinned. “Well, give me a Ticket to Ride there Lucy love.” Tori groaned. “What’s the matter Lovely Rita?”
She shook her head and looked at Ava in horror. “We’ve let loose a monster!”
Ava giggled. “Daddy, you’re a goof!”
Luckily, Rosa brought dinner in just then and Richie was distracted. Looking over the various dishes he grabbed Rosa’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Thank you love.This looks splendid.”
Rosa ignored his antics. “Happy birthday Mr. Richie.” With a smile she headed back to the kitchen.
Dinner finished, Ava brought out the presents and set them in front of her father.
“Aw, you didn’t need to Sweetie. All I Need is Love.”
“Let it Be Rich.” Tori couldn’t resist.
He grinned at her and opened Ava’s presents. Stripping off his t-shirt, he pulled on the Lennon-McCartney one and the peace symbol necklace that they had found for him on their shopping trip in Manchester. “Thank you Long Tall Sally. I love it.”
“You’re welcome Daddy. I found them With A Little Help From My Friends.”
Tori closed her eyes and bit back a sigh. This was going to be a long evening.
Richie reached over to pat her hand consolingly, then reached for her gifts. The paper was ripped away to reveal a Help! Necktie, a Magical Mystery Tour watch, a Sgt. Pepper cookie jar and a Beatles’ Monopoly game.
“Oooh can we play that after?” Ava moved to look over the game.
Richie strapped on the watch, tied the tie around his neck, lifted the lid of the cookie jar and pouted when he found it empty. She rolled her eyes. He leaned over to kiss her. “Thank you love. Baby You Can Drive My Car.”
She snorted. “That’ll Be The Day.”
Rosa walked in with the topper – a Yellow Submarine cake. Even Richie had to laugh at that. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da!”
Later that evening, Ava was in bed but he was still at it, and it was starting to get on Tori’s nerves. “How long are you going to keep this up?”
“Eight Days a Week.”
“When are you going to stop?”
“When I’m Sixty-four.”
“Richie, enough! Why’d they write so many songs? I’m going to bed.” Rising from the couch, she headed for the stairs.
“I’ll just lock up and join you. Maybe we can Come Together.”
“Get Back!”
“Aw, come on. Love Me Do.”
“Remind me never to do theme birthdays for you again! You’re more annoying than Shirley!”
A chuckle followed her up the stairs. Stepping into their bedroom he opened his arms wide. “Here Comes The Sun.”
“More like The Fool on The Hill!” But she couldn’t help laughing. He really was like a big kid sometimes.
Two days later she wasn’t amused. She had been walking through the living room heading for the kitchen to get a drink when she felt it. She froze, trying to deny what her brain – and her feet – were telling her was happening. The rattling of vases and figurines had her glancing towards the shelves on the opposite wall in time to see two picture frames fall to the floor, the rug thankfully preventing them from breaking. The earth heaved again.
“RICHIE!!!” She screamed.
Chapter 183
Richie ran in and found her standing in the middle of the room, looking around almost wildly, like she couldn’t decide whether to stay there or run. Rushing to her side he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, grunting lightly when she returned the favour – fear lent strength to her grip. “It’s okay angel, I’m here. It’s okay. Everything’s okay. It’s over now. Ssh, sweetheart, it’s okay.” He repeated the litany soothingly as he rocked her gently. He could feel her trembling. Knowing there could be aftershocks, as soon as she’d calmed a little he scooped her up and sat on the couch, cradling her on his lap.
She leaned against him and let the rhythmic sound of his heart beat beneath her ear, and the slow, repeated stroking of her hair by his hand banish the last of her fear. She blew out a shaky breath. “THAT was NOT fun!”
“I thought you liked rollercoasters.” He tried to lighten the mood.
“NOT in my living room, thank you very much!” She grumbled, annoyed as much at her reaction as the earthquake. She’d always thought that she was stronger than that. It hadn’t even been a very big one, but she’d frozen in fear and her common sense had deserted her.
Feeling her relax against him he tried to get her to smile. “You know honey, we need to work on your earthquake preparedness skills. Standing in the middle of the room is not really the safest place to be. You need to practise until your reaction becomes habit.”
She raised her head to stare at him in disbelief. “Babe, if THAT becomes habit, I’m moving to Philly!”
He raised a brow. “And what about us?”
“We’ll sue for full custody based on an unsafe living environment and ship everything east.” She was only half joking. She didn’t understand how Californians could be so blasé about feeling the earth try to rip itself apart while you were standing on the cracks. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to it, and hoped it didn’t happen often enough that she’d even have to try.
He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “If it makes you feel any better, for all the years I’ve lived here I can count the number of quakes I’ve experienced on one hand, and none of them have done anything more than rattle the china..”
Cathy, one of the staff, came in looking around for damage, Ava following her. “Everybody okay in here?” She walked over to pick up the picture frames and return them to their shelf.
“Yeah. Anything damaged?” Richie asked.
“No. Just a few items shifted a little bit. You okay Tori? The first one’s the scariest. You’ll get used to them.” Cathy assured her.
“You weren’t scared were you Tori? It was just a little shaker.” Ava climbed up on the couch beside them.
Tori looked at her and shook her head. “You’re all nuts. You know that right? Get used to it! Hmpf!” She scoffed.
Rosa entered from the kitchen with a cup in her hand, which she handed to Tori. “Here. I make you a nice cup of tea. It will help.”
“Thanks Rosa.” Taking a sip, she sighed, stood up and headed outside to stroll around the yard.
A few minutes later, Richie followed her. “What’s the matter angel –besides the earthquake I mean.”
“I feel like such an idiot. When I agreed to move out here and people back home teased me about the quakes, I laughed it off. I was always good in a crisis, I’d lived through two tornados. I could handle it.” She snorted. “Look what happens. A minor quake that doesn’t even last half a minute and I fall apart. I end up unable to move and screaming for you like a small child. Even Ava handled better than I did!”
“Aw, sweetheart, come here.” He pulled her into his arms. “You did just fine. Cathy was right when she said that the first one’s the scariest. My first earthquake I almost pissed myself. There was no warning, just all of a sudden the earth moved. I’d felt that before, but never when I was alone!” He jerked and grinned when that comment earned him a poke in the ribs. “As for Ava….well she’s experienced them before. Plus children have no fear. They have no concept of imminent death.” He ran his hands up and down her back. “I kinda liked it when you screamed for me. It made me feel needed.”
She leaned back enough to see his face. “I always need you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You are my life. You and Ava.”
He bent and pressed his lips to hers. “Good, then that makes us even. I love you angel.” He smirked. “It’s kind of nice to know that there’s something that scares you a little. My armor’s getting a little rusty.”
She chuckled and reached up to kiss him again. “I love you too and you will always be my knight in shining armor.”
A week later they were just settling into their hotel room in New Orleans when Richie’s cell rang. He glanced at the display. “Hey man.”
“Hey. Are you guys here yet?” Jon asked.
“Yeah. We just checked in.”
“Okay, so we’ve got the gala tonight, game tomorrow and brunch on Sunday. There’ll probably be interviews in there somewhere, especially if we win. Mom and Dad are already here and Obie’s coming in tomorrow morning. Meet us in the lobby at five-thirty. We can decide later what time to meet tomorrow depending on if we want to have lunch together. Maybe I should be talking to Tori about all of this.” Jon was almost babbling.
“Calm down bro, and fuck you, I got it. Meet in the lobby at five-thirty. Man, are you even going to make it until the game or are you just going to explode into a ball of nervous energy?”
“I don’t know, it’s going to be a close call.” Jon admitted. He blew out a breath. “Do you know what it’ll mean if we can actually win this?”
“Yeah man. I do. It’ll be an incredible achievement in a short time, and a fulfillment of a promise you made when you bought into the team. Donations to the Foundation will increase and you’ll be able to help even more people. You done good bro.” He finished quietly.
“Thanks man. See you later.”
“Later.”
Tori glanced at her watch. “Don’t hang up!”
“Hang on man, Tori wants to talk to you.” Richie handed over the phone.
“Hi Jon.”
“Hi Tori, what’s up?”
“Actually I wanted to talk to Dot. Is she there?”
“Yeah, just a sec.”
“Hi Tori.” Dorothea came on the line.
“Hi. Since we have a couple hours to kill do you feel like roaming around the Quarter a little?”
“Sounds great. If I stay around Jon much longer he’s going to make me a nervous wreck! I’ll meet you in the lobby in, say, ten minutes?”
“Great. See you in a bit. Bye.” Tori handed the phone back to Richie and noticed his slight frown. “What’s the matter? Do you want me to do something else?”
He shook his head. “No, just….be careful, will you please? You’re not just another face in the crowd anymore, remember. And the fans know that Jon’s in town and will be on the lookout for all of us.”
She nodded. “I’ve got my phone, and I’m sure Dot will too.” She raised up on her toes to kiss him. “I’ll be careful. I promise.” Scooping up her purse and a room key she kissed him again and headed out the door.
When she reached the lobby she glanced around for her sister-in-law, snorted softly and shook her head. “Hey Dot.” She turned to the man standing beside her. “Hi Kevin. Fancy a stroll around the Quarter do you?”
He grinned. “Hi Tori. Mike kept raving about what great shops you two find, so I thought I’d see for myself.”
She snorted. “That’s putting a nice face on guard duty.”
Dot chuckled. “Plus Jon’s driving everyone nuts. Even Carol pleaded a headache and went to lay down. When he started muttering about sending security with us, Kevin didn’t even let him finish getting the words out before he volunteered.”
Tori laughed. “Well, let’s see if we can have a couple hours of calm before the madness starts.”
They spent the next two hours wandering around the shops of the Quarter, including the Voodoo Museum, and one shop that specialized in Mardi Gras masks, beads, and various other accessories. A large bin of feathers of all type, sizes and colours caught Tori’s eye. A slow smile twisted her lips as several deliciously carnal ideas ran through her mind. She picked up a long, fluffy, purple one. Dorothea raised a brow at her, exchanged a look and grinned. Kevin didn’t know what was going on, and based on the look the two women shared he wasn’t sure if he should be afraid for Richie….or envious.
She considered for a moment then smiled. “Home please Richard.”
He grinned. “Yes ma’am.” He pointed the car towards the closest airport.
They were somewhere over the Midwest when her phone chimed. She looked down at the message and frowned in confusion.
Richie saw. “Something wrong?”
“I’m not sure. It’s from Matt.” She showed him the message. Hope you enjoyed your ice cream.
“What does that mean?”
“I have no idea.” She debated her response to her brother when the phone chimed again. This time he sent pictures. Richie leaned closer to see as she scrolled through the images of the two of them walking down the street, sharing an ice cream cone. One close up showed Tori feeding Richie, the cone held in her left hand, her ring prominent.
“Where’d those come from?” While he didn’t have the sixth sense for it that Jon did, he was usually aware of people taking pictures of him.
She shrugged. “It’s obviously from last night. Must be from those fans.” She quickly typed out a message for Matt. Where did you find those? The response was immediate. Showed up on Backstage this am. Word’s out. Talk is all about the wedding. Tori tensed, took a deep breath and asked the question she was almost afraid to. How are they taking it? Matt took a long time to respond – or maybe it just seemed long to Tori because the answer was so important to her. A little disappointement, but generally happy for him. Cracks about keeping it in the family. Threats if you hurt him. Breathe sis, it’s all good..
“Told ya.” Richie reminded her smugly. He chuckled at Matt’s last comment. “Seems like baby brother knows you better than you think.”
She wrinkled her nose at him and made a mental note to check out Backstage – and a few of the other boards - herself when she got home. Luckily she was still anonymous there and she knew enough people there to get an honest read of the situation. Not that she didn’t trust Matt, but she wouldn’t really relax until she’d seen for herself that the fans weren’t too upset about their marriage. She was sure they would be happy for him over time, she just hoped that came sooner rather than later.
“When are we getting Ava?” She asked as the car pulled up to the house.
“I’ll pick her up tomorrow afternoon.”
Tomorrow was Friday. She hesitated. It was a bit of a touchy subject, but they needed to be able to talk about it reasonably. “How is Heather doing?”
“I haven’t talked to her.” He assured her quickly. “Her mother says that she’s doing much better and they hope she’ll be home in a couple weeks.”
She nodded. “Good.”
Tori spent the rest of the day getting unpacked, the dry cleaning sorted out and the laundry started. Then she sat down with her binder, made a list of what still had to be done and planned a girls day with Ava to make up for the one she missed in New York. Not being very familiar with the businesses here yet she called Gail for advice and made yet more phone calls to set everything up. She looked up as Rosa entered the living room.
“I thought you might be hungry and dinner no be ready for a bit.” Rosa explained as she set the bowls of guacamole, salsa and tortilla chips on the coffee table.
“Thank you Rosa. That looks good.”
Rosa smiled. “Mister Richie say that Miss Ava was coming tomorrow, but he no say how long she’s staying.”
“At least until her mother comes home if I have my way. A couple weeks or so. I thought we’d have Richie’s birthday dinner on Sunday.”
“Good. Let me know know if there is something special you want added to the grocery list for your baking. Everything you need for Mister Richie’s cookies is already there whenever you want.”
“That’ll be tonight if I have my way.” Richie responded as he entered the room, took a seat beside Tori and reached for the chips and salsa. “Mmmmm. I’ve missed your cooking Rosa.” She blushed with pleasure and left to check on dinner.
Tori walked into the living room the next day after spending an hour with the gardener discussing the landscaping and making plans for the next year. She found Richie hanging up the phone and reaching for a cookie from the pile on the table in front of him. She shook her head.
“What?”
“Just make sure you can still fit in your tux come September.”
“No problem. You can help me work them off later.” He grinned and took a bite, ignoring her unladylike snort. “Oh, by the way, Paul just called. Matt had given him the heads up that our news was out and he wanted to know how we wanted to handle it.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That he could confirm if asked, but that we didn’t want to put out an announcement. The longer we can keep this low key, the less time the vultures will have to find out our plans and try to crash the wedding.”
She nodded. “Makes sense.”
“So what’s the plan for the weekend?” Ava asked as they sat around the dinner table.
“Well, since you weren’t able to be with us in New York when we went dress shopping, I thought maybe we could go get your dress and you could help me with a few more jobs I have. We could make a girls’ day of it. Just the two of us. What do you think?” Tori suggested.
The sad expression that had started to settle on Ava’s face at the reminder of the missed shopping expedition, turned into excited eagerness at the idea of them spending the day together. “Really? Do you mean it? Can we?”
“Absolutely. I still need to get the topper for the cake and shoes and gifts for the wedding party and I really need your help.” Tori smiled at Ava’s obvious enthusiasm. “Then I thought we could celebrate Daddy’s birthday on Sunday.”
“Oh. Yeah. That would be good.”
Richie frowned at his daughter. “What do you mean, ‘Oh. Yeah’? Did you forget my birthday?”
“No Daddy, of course not! I’ve had your present for a looong time.” She assured him. Tori bit back a smile.
“Hmpf! Well I guess my birthday isn’t as exciting as a shopping trip then.”
“I’m sorry Daddy!” Ava hopped off her chair to rush to her father’s side for a hug and a kiss. “I love you!”
“I love you too Baby Girl.” He grinned.
Tori gave him a chiding glance and rolled her eyes. “What about you Daddy? Do you think you can find some thing to keep you busy while we’re away for a day?”
“Oh don’t worry about Daddy Tori. He’s coming off tour. He’ll just sleep all day.” Ava assured her.
Chapter 182
Early the next morning the girls climbed into Tori’s car and headed out. Tori glanced at Gail’s directions, grateful for the GPS system that Richie had insisted be installed in her car. He’d told her that it had taken him a long time to find her and he wasn’t going to risk losing her to the twisting, turning, confusing, busy streets that formed the greater Los Angeles area.
First up was the search for a cake topper. Tori was looking over several traditional toppers in a store that Gail had recommended when Ava shook her head. “Those are too….boring. You need something different.”
Tori’s brows rose. For a ten year old, Ava had very definite opinions on style. She’s going to be real fun to shop with in a couple years! “Like what? I don’t want anything too ‘out there’.”
Ava walked slowly down the aisle a little further and suddenly stopped. “Like that one.”
Tori joined her and was pleasantly surprised. The bride and groom were traditional looking except that instead of standing side by side the groom was carrying the bride.
“That’s more Daddy’s style.”
Tori had to agree. “You’re right. It is. I like it. Thanks Bean. Nice job.”
The rest of the morning was spent shopping for Ava’s dress – Tori was thankful that they found the same one as the other girls and that Ava liked it – shoes and little keepsake gifts for the wedding party – necklace and earring sets for the girls and cufflinks and personalized money clips for the men.
Stopping in a quaint little restaurant for lunch Tori checked their latest purchases off her list.
“What’s next?” Ava asked.
“Well, it looks like we’ve got everything on my list.” Tori glanced at her watch. “We made good time. After we eat I think we deserve a reward.”
“Like what?”
“Well, we need to decide how to wear our hair for the wedding. I was thinking we should go to Gail’s salon for make-overs. What do you think?”
Dark eyes so like her father’s sparkled. “Really? Can we?” Then she sighed. “Daddy won’t let me wear makeup.”
Tori smiled. “You have such beautiful skin you really don’t need any. We could get our nails done though….and a little lip gloss never hurt anyone.” She winked at Ava.
“Daddy! We’re home!” Ava ran into the living room and climbed on his lap on the couch.
“I can hear that. Whoa! Who are you and what have you done with my baby girl?” Richie gazed down at his daughter, a stunned expression on his face.
“Oh Daddy! This is how I’m going to wear my hair for the wedding. Don’t you like it?” She tossed her head a little, sending the fat curls that were pinned up on the sides and hanging down her back, swinging.
“Your hair is beautiful, but what’s this?” He lifted her chin with his finger and scanned her face. “And this?” He raised one hand to study her nails.
“My toes too.” Kicking off her sandal she stuck her foot out so that he could see.
“Mmmmm.”
“Bean you’d better take your dress upstairs and hang it up please.” Tori could see he was less than pleased.
“Okay.”
He watched her bounce out of the room, a frown creasing his forehead.
“She’s a girl Rich. It’s what we do.” Tori reminded him gently.
“She’s only ten years old.” He protested.
Tori nodded. “Yes, and that’s why the nail polish is a pale pink and the lip gloss is colourless and flavoured. It’s better to let her have a little bit now and control it, than forbid it and have her rebel and end up looking like a twenty-five year old tramp.” She hesitated, walked up behind him, and set her hands on his shoulders. “She’s growing up Rich. You have to let her. I promise to keep an eye on her and keep it age appropriate. She wants to be treated like a young lady, not a baby. She wants to feel included in our wedding plans. It’s a special occasion. Please don’t ruin her excitement. Trust me to act in her – and your – best interest.”
He sighed heavily and leaned his head back to look up at her. “Okay. I do trust you, it’s just…..she’s my baby girl.”
“I know. And I know it’s going to be hard for you. Maybe you should talk to Jon about how he copes.”
He snorted. “He leaves Steph to Dot and lives in denial.”
She chuckled. He was probably right. “Well, don’t worry. We’ll get you through it.” She squeezed his shoulders.
He smiled up at her. “You look beautiful by the way.”
“Thank you.” She bent to kiss him.
“So how do you want to celebrate your birthday?” Tori asked him over dinner.
“Honestly? I just want to spend the day at home, relaxing with my girls.”
Tori’s brows rose in surprise. Normally he had grand plans for their ‘family’ days.
“Tour hangover.” Ava explained.
“Ah. I see.” Tori glanced at Richie who wrinkled his nose at his daughter, but didn’t disagree.
The next morning Ava and Tori consulted with Rosa over the menu for the birthday dinner, the cake and the decorations. When they had been wrapping their gifts for him, they realized they had a theme going, and Ava thought it would be fun to carry that into their party plans.
They spent the afternoon around the pool, alternating swimming with card games and guitar lessons. As dinner time approached they headed in to clean up and get dressed. Since it was a special occasion they would be eating in the dining room.
Tori rushed down ahead of Richie to make sure everything was in place. A large Union Jack flag hung on one wall and pictures of the Fab Four dotted the others.
“Are we back in Jolly Old England then?” Richie asked with a heavy British accent as he entered the room.
“It’s a Beatles’ birthday, Daddy!” Ava announced.
He grinned. “Well, give me a Ticket to Ride there Lucy love.” Tori groaned. “What’s the matter Lovely Rita?”
She shook her head and looked at Ava in horror. “We’ve let loose a monster!”
Ava giggled. “Daddy, you’re a goof!”
Luckily, Rosa brought dinner in just then and Richie was distracted. Looking over the various dishes he grabbed Rosa’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Thank you love.This looks splendid.”
Rosa ignored his antics. “Happy birthday Mr. Richie.” With a smile she headed back to the kitchen.
Dinner finished, Ava brought out the presents and set them in front of her father.
“Aw, you didn’t need to Sweetie. All I Need is Love.”
“Let it Be Rich.” Tori couldn’t resist.
He grinned at her and opened Ava’s presents. Stripping off his t-shirt, he pulled on the Lennon-McCartney one and the peace symbol necklace that they had found for him on their shopping trip in Manchester. “Thank you Long Tall Sally. I love it.”
“You’re welcome Daddy. I found them With A Little Help From My Friends.”
Tori closed her eyes and bit back a sigh. This was going to be a long evening.
Richie reached over to pat her hand consolingly, then reached for her gifts. The paper was ripped away to reveal a Help! Necktie, a Magical Mystery Tour watch, a Sgt. Pepper cookie jar and a Beatles’ Monopoly game.
“Oooh can we play that after?” Ava moved to look over the game.
Richie strapped on the watch, tied the tie around his neck, lifted the lid of the cookie jar and pouted when he found it empty. She rolled her eyes. He leaned over to kiss her. “Thank you love. Baby You Can Drive My Car.”
She snorted. “That’ll Be The Day.”
Rosa walked in with the topper – a Yellow Submarine cake. Even Richie had to laugh at that. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da!”
Later that evening, Ava was in bed but he was still at it, and it was starting to get on Tori’s nerves. “How long are you going to keep this up?”
“Eight Days a Week.”
“When are you going to stop?”
“When I’m Sixty-four.”
“Richie, enough! Why’d they write so many songs? I’m going to bed.” Rising from the couch, she headed for the stairs.
“I’ll just lock up and join you. Maybe we can Come Together.”
“Get Back!”
“Aw, come on. Love Me Do.”
“Remind me never to do theme birthdays for you again! You’re more annoying than Shirley!”
A chuckle followed her up the stairs. Stepping into their bedroom he opened his arms wide. “Here Comes The Sun.”
“More like The Fool on The Hill!” But she couldn’t help laughing. He really was like a big kid sometimes.
Two days later she wasn’t amused. She had been walking through the living room heading for the kitchen to get a drink when she felt it. She froze, trying to deny what her brain – and her feet – were telling her was happening. The rattling of vases and figurines had her glancing towards the shelves on the opposite wall in time to see two picture frames fall to the floor, the rug thankfully preventing them from breaking. The earth heaved again.
“RICHIE!!!” She screamed.
Chapter 183
Richie ran in and found her standing in the middle of the room, looking around almost wildly, like she couldn’t decide whether to stay there or run. Rushing to her side he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, grunting lightly when she returned the favour – fear lent strength to her grip. “It’s okay angel, I’m here. It’s okay. Everything’s okay. It’s over now. Ssh, sweetheart, it’s okay.” He repeated the litany soothingly as he rocked her gently. He could feel her trembling. Knowing there could be aftershocks, as soon as she’d calmed a little he scooped her up and sat on the couch, cradling her on his lap.
She leaned against him and let the rhythmic sound of his heart beat beneath her ear, and the slow, repeated stroking of her hair by his hand banish the last of her fear. She blew out a shaky breath. “THAT was NOT fun!”
“I thought you liked rollercoasters.” He tried to lighten the mood.
“NOT in my living room, thank you very much!” She grumbled, annoyed as much at her reaction as the earthquake. She’d always thought that she was stronger than that. It hadn’t even been a very big one, but she’d frozen in fear and her common sense had deserted her.
Feeling her relax against him he tried to get her to smile. “You know honey, we need to work on your earthquake preparedness skills. Standing in the middle of the room is not really the safest place to be. You need to practise until your reaction becomes habit.”
She raised her head to stare at him in disbelief. “Babe, if THAT becomes habit, I’m moving to Philly!”
He raised a brow. “And what about us?”
“We’ll sue for full custody based on an unsafe living environment and ship everything east.” She was only half joking. She didn’t understand how Californians could be so blasé about feeling the earth try to rip itself apart while you were standing on the cracks. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to it, and hoped it didn’t happen often enough that she’d even have to try.
He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “If it makes you feel any better, for all the years I’ve lived here I can count the number of quakes I’ve experienced on one hand, and none of them have done anything more than rattle the china..”
Cathy, one of the staff, came in looking around for damage, Ava following her. “Everybody okay in here?” She walked over to pick up the picture frames and return them to their shelf.
“Yeah. Anything damaged?” Richie asked.
“No. Just a few items shifted a little bit. You okay Tori? The first one’s the scariest. You’ll get used to them.” Cathy assured her.
“You weren’t scared were you Tori? It was just a little shaker.” Ava climbed up on the couch beside them.
Tori looked at her and shook her head. “You’re all nuts. You know that right? Get used to it! Hmpf!” She scoffed.
Rosa entered from the kitchen with a cup in her hand, which she handed to Tori. “Here. I make you a nice cup of tea. It will help.”
“Thanks Rosa.” Taking a sip, she sighed, stood up and headed outside to stroll around the yard.
A few minutes later, Richie followed her. “What’s the matter angel –besides the earthquake I mean.”
“I feel like such an idiot. When I agreed to move out here and people back home teased me about the quakes, I laughed it off. I was always good in a crisis, I’d lived through two tornados. I could handle it.” She snorted. “Look what happens. A minor quake that doesn’t even last half a minute and I fall apart. I end up unable to move and screaming for you like a small child. Even Ava handled better than I did!”
“Aw, sweetheart, come here.” He pulled her into his arms. “You did just fine. Cathy was right when she said that the first one’s the scariest. My first earthquake I almost pissed myself. There was no warning, just all of a sudden the earth moved. I’d felt that before, but never when I was alone!” He jerked and grinned when that comment earned him a poke in the ribs. “As for Ava….well she’s experienced them before. Plus children have no fear. They have no concept of imminent death.” He ran his hands up and down her back. “I kinda liked it when you screamed for me. It made me feel needed.”
She leaned back enough to see his face. “I always need you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You are my life. You and Ava.”
He bent and pressed his lips to hers. “Good, then that makes us even. I love you angel.” He smirked. “It’s kind of nice to know that there’s something that scares you a little. My armor’s getting a little rusty.”
She chuckled and reached up to kiss him again. “I love you too and you will always be my knight in shining armor.”
A week later they were just settling into their hotel room in New Orleans when Richie’s cell rang. He glanced at the display. “Hey man.”
“Hey. Are you guys here yet?” Jon asked.
“Yeah. We just checked in.”
“Okay, so we’ve got the gala tonight, game tomorrow and brunch on Sunday. There’ll probably be interviews in there somewhere, especially if we win. Mom and Dad are already here and Obie’s coming in tomorrow morning. Meet us in the lobby at five-thirty. We can decide later what time to meet tomorrow depending on if we want to have lunch together. Maybe I should be talking to Tori about all of this.” Jon was almost babbling.
“Calm down bro, and fuck you, I got it. Meet in the lobby at five-thirty. Man, are you even going to make it until the game or are you just going to explode into a ball of nervous energy?”
“I don’t know, it’s going to be a close call.” Jon admitted. He blew out a breath. “Do you know what it’ll mean if we can actually win this?”
“Yeah man. I do. It’ll be an incredible achievement in a short time, and a fulfillment of a promise you made when you bought into the team. Donations to the Foundation will increase and you’ll be able to help even more people. You done good bro.” He finished quietly.
“Thanks man. See you later.”
“Later.”
Tori glanced at her watch. “Don’t hang up!”
“Hang on man, Tori wants to talk to you.” Richie handed over the phone.
“Hi Jon.”
“Hi Tori, what’s up?”
“Actually I wanted to talk to Dot. Is she there?”
“Yeah, just a sec.”
“Hi Tori.” Dorothea came on the line.
“Hi. Since we have a couple hours to kill do you feel like roaming around the Quarter a little?”
“Sounds great. If I stay around Jon much longer he’s going to make me a nervous wreck! I’ll meet you in the lobby in, say, ten minutes?”
“Great. See you in a bit. Bye.” Tori handed the phone back to Richie and noticed his slight frown. “What’s the matter? Do you want me to do something else?”
He shook his head. “No, just….be careful, will you please? You’re not just another face in the crowd anymore, remember. And the fans know that Jon’s in town and will be on the lookout for all of us.”
She nodded. “I’ve got my phone, and I’m sure Dot will too.” She raised up on her toes to kiss him. “I’ll be careful. I promise.” Scooping up her purse and a room key she kissed him again and headed out the door.
When she reached the lobby she glanced around for her sister-in-law, snorted softly and shook her head. “Hey Dot.” She turned to the man standing beside her. “Hi Kevin. Fancy a stroll around the Quarter do you?”
He grinned. “Hi Tori. Mike kept raving about what great shops you two find, so I thought I’d see for myself.”
She snorted. “That’s putting a nice face on guard duty.”
Dot chuckled. “Plus Jon’s driving everyone nuts. Even Carol pleaded a headache and went to lay down. When he started muttering about sending security with us, Kevin didn’t even let him finish getting the words out before he volunteered.”
Tori laughed. “Well, let’s see if we can have a couple hours of calm before the madness starts.”
They spent the next two hours wandering around the shops of the Quarter, including the Voodoo Museum, and one shop that specialized in Mardi Gras masks, beads, and various other accessories. A large bin of feathers of all type, sizes and colours caught Tori’s eye. A slow smile twisted her lips as several deliciously carnal ideas ran through her mind. She picked up a long, fluffy, purple one. Dorothea raised a brow at her, exchanged a look and grinned. Kevin didn’t know what was going on, and based on the look the two women shared he wasn’t sure if he should be afraid for Richie….or envious.
Chapter 178
“Wow!” Tori murmured as she gazed down at the crowd already gathered in Central Park that was visible from the helicopter’s window.
“Yeah, good turnout.” Richie commented.
“Wonder how much the scalpers made.” Jon muttered scathingly. He was still pissed at the thought of people selling tickets for a free show. “Try to do something nice and somebody’s got to take advantage.” Sometimes the dregs of society turned his stomach.
When they landed and reached the stage area, Obie met them with a yell and a huge grin on his face. “Congratulations man. Arena Bowl here we come!” He hugged Jon.
“Thanks Ob. Is that a hint that you’d like to come to New Orleans with us?” Jon asked dryly. He let Obie stutter for a few minutes before giving in. “Of course you’re invited!”
Tori smiled indulgently as Jon went on to explain the arrangements that had been made at this point. He’d been on the phone for an hour after the game had ended that afternoon, setting plans in motion and congratulating Craig and Coach Munsey and a few others from the Soul. She hadn’t understood why he hadn’t gone to the game - they could have made it to New York in plenty of time for the show, but he felt he needed to stay closer in case he was needed. Richie figured that he just didn’t want to be shown on T.V. if they lost. That observation had earned him the standard one finger salute.
For the next hour, Jon - and to a lesser extent Richie – accepted congratulations from the guys and various members of the staff. It was very obviously that he was beyond thrilled at the accomplishment of his team. Based on the signs scattered throughout the crowd, the fans were just as excited. Jon acknowledged them all and shared his happiness.
That night, after the show Richie and Tori headed for Philly. Now, more than ever, Tori wanted to get her things put away and the condo set to rights. If they were lucky enough to win the Arena Bowl there would be celebratory events in the city and the apartment would be needed.
“Good evening Mr. Sambora, Mrs. Sambora.” Joe, the night doorman greeted them.
“Hi Joe.” Tori replied with a smile, exchanging a glance with Richie. No point correcting him now. It’ll be true soon enough.
“Congratulations on the game today. Mr. Bon Jovi must be over the moon.”
“He is. Thanks Joe.” Richie shook his hand and followed Tori to the elevator.
Entering the apartment, Tori groaned at the stacks of boxes and pieces of furniture strewn around the living room.
“Leave it until tomorrow angel. Let’s get some sleep.”
She nodded. It had been a long day. Maybe the task wouldn’t look so daunting after a good night’s sleep.
When Tori awoke the next morning she pressed a gentle kiss to Richie’s lips before sliding out from under his arm to head for the bathroom. The corners of his mouth lifted slighty in response. After showering and dressing she closed the bedroom door quietly so that he wouldn’t be disturbed by the sounds of her unpacking. In the kitchen a quick survey of the fridge and cupboards confirmed that she needed to hit the market if they were going to eat here today. Leaving a note for Richie – she didn’t think he’d wake up while she was gone, but if he did she didn’t want him to worry – she grabbed her purse, checked that she had her keys and ventured out to replenish their supplies.
She was a little surprised to find no one on duty at the desk in the lobby, but figured they must be helping another tenant. Returning an hour later, she struggled to open the door, almost dropping a bag in the process until Henry came to her rescue.
“Thanks Henry.” She smiled at him as she accepted the bag he handed her.
“You’re welcome Miss Adams.” He glanced down and noticed her ring as she took the bag. “May I assume that congratulations are in order?”
She noted the direction of his gaze. “Yes.”
His smiled deepened at the happiness evident in her face. “I hope that you and Mr. Sambora will be very happy together.”
“Thank you Henry. I hope so too.”
Back in the apartment, she put on a pot of coffee, and while it brewed, snacked on an apple while she assessed the boxes and furniture piled in the living room. When Richie entered the room an hour later he found her kneeling in front of an open box, a mug of coffee beside her, scrunched up newspapers and other packing materials in a mound on one side of her, her unwrapped treasures on the other. She felt his heat reaching out to her a split second before his hands settled on her shoulders. Leaning back against his legs she looked up at him. “Morning.”
“Morning angel.” He bent to kiss her.
“There’s coffee in the kitchen. Let me know when you’re ready to eat and I’ll make some breakfast.”
“I can make it. Let me know when you need me to help here.”
With Richie helping they had everything unpacked and a home found for each item by late afternoon. They decided to stay in, and while dinner was cooking they relaxed on the balcony. Looking out over the city, Tori sighed in contentment. Richie heard her.
“Happy angel?”
“Mmmhmmm. Although I’ll be even happier when we get through the wedding and we can just relax and settle into a normal life – well as normal as we’re likely to get anyway.”
“I know what you mean. It’ll be nice to do what we want, when we want – at least until your brother has his next brainwave.”
She chuckled. “Or until you decide to release that solo album you’re sitting on.”
“I’m thinking it needs a little tweaking first.”
“Oh? I thought it sounded great.” He’d let her listen to it before they’d left for Europe.
“Mmmm. Thanks, but it needs something to make it complete.”
“What?”
“My wife’s participation. Do you think she’d be willing?”
The timer on the oven buzzed. She rose, stopping by his chair as she passed to kiss him lightly. “Maybe. If you make it worth her while.”
They spent the evening curled up together on the couch watching T.V. The next day they headed for New York and the final two shows.
“I want to thank everyone for another great tour.” Jon raised his glass to band and crew alike. They were all gathered together for the end of tour party. “We’d never have been able to do it without everyone pulling together. I really appreciate everyone’s hard work. Go home, relax, spend some time with your families and friends and recharge. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to do it all again.”
Faint groans could be heard scattered around the room. He grinned. “Oh come on. It hasn’t been that bad has it?”
“Can I ask a favour?” Mike spoke up.
“What?”
“Can Tori and David let me know the theme of the next war so that I can have some idea of what to expect?”
Laughter erupted. Tori and David exchanged grins and toasted each other with their glasses.
“I think Richie’s planning on keeping Tori too busy to plot battle strategies.”
“Damn right!” Richie agreed, pulling Tori closer to his side. She blushed.
“But what about David?” Someone asked.
“I’m never to busy to have a little fun.” David assured them.
“That’s what I was afraid of.” Mike responded with a resigned sigh. Once again, laughter filled the room.
“So are you heading back to L.A. tomorrow Bela?” Tico asked as the band members all settled around a table, each having spent some time thanking the crew personally.
“No. We’re going up to Niagara-on-the-Lake to finalize some of the wedding details and so that Richie can see the locations.”
Jon smiled. “The kids are so excited about being in the wedding it’s all they can talk about. Of course I haven’t told the boys about the monkey suits yet.”
“Shut up Shirley.” Came from four throats as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
David sighed dramatically and muttered into his glass.
Chapter 179
As Richie drove the rental car through the picturesque streets of Niagara-on-the-Lake he glanced around appreciatively. “Pretty.”
“Mmmhmmm. I always thought so. Turn right at the next corner.” She directed him to the hotel.
They spent the next hour and a half with members of the hotel’s management team going over the details and touring the rooms that would be used. Tori was impressed at how attentive Richie was. Not once did she see his eyes glaze over or his interest flicker.
When they finished he glanced between Tori and the staff. “What about the rehearsal party?” Tori’s eyes widened. She hadn’t even thought about that. Richie grinned. “What? Do you mean that I thought of something Miss Anal-retentive Organizational Control Freak didn’t?”
She swatted his arm. “Oh shut up. I’m not anal. One of us has to be organized and we both know that it won’t be you.”
The manager smiled. “We’ve set aside the lounge area for that. It will sit up to a hundred people. We can do either a formal dinner or more of a finger food type buffet.”
“Let’s go with the buffet.” Richie answered. “Do you have a menu?”
Tori stood back and let him take over, just making notes in her binder about what he’d chosen.
“I think that’s about it unless you have something else.” The manager gathered up her notes with a smile.
“No, I think we’re set.” Tori handed Richie the forms to sign requesting to use the gazebo in the park, and the contract with the carriage company. “I’m going to take Richie down to Angie’s shop and show him some of her work.”
“I think she’s actually in the shop this afternoon.” The manager commented as she accepted the forms back from Richie. “I spoke to her earlier.”
Deciding to stay the night, they took a room and dropped off their bags and the binder before heading out. Stepping outside Richie looked around. “Can we walk?”
“Sure. Let’s go this way and I’ll show you the gazebo.” She took his hand and led him towards the park. As they approached the gazebo she described what her florist wanted to do.
He nodded and pulled her into the gazebo and into his arms. He glanced out over the water for a few moments, then back at her. “You’ve done a wonderful job. It’s going to be beautiful.”
“Thank you. I think so too.” She smiled up at him. “I have to say that I’m very impressed with you too. You’re actually paying attention and participating. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.”
“Will I be rewarded for my fine behaviour?” His dark eyes twinkled as he waggled his brows.
Her smile widened and she raised up on tiptoe to kiss him. “Later.” She promised. “Let’s go explore the strip.”
They took the back streets down until they reached the end of the strip and Angie Strauss’ shop. Entering, Tori led him through the display of clothing to the far side of the shop that resembled a small art gallery. They wandered the aisles pointing out which scenes they preferred. Turning up the next aisle Tori smiled at the sight of a dark haired woman adjusting a framed picture on the wall. “Angie?”
The woman turned, a professional smile on her lips that widened and warmed into a more personal one when her eyes drifted from Tori to Richie. “Hello.” She approached them, her hand outstreatched. “Mr. Sambora. Miss Adams.”
“Richie please.” He shook her hand.
“I’m Tori. I can’t tell you how honoured I am that you agreed to lend us your talent for our wedding.” Tori had to stop herself from gushing. She’d admired the artist’s work for many years.
“Are you kidding? When Sharon called me from the Landing and told me what the project was and who it was for, I jumped at the chance.” She blushed sheepishly at Richie. “Your art has been a part of some of the most important events in my life – good and bad. Now I get to return the favour.” He grinned. She cleared her throat and put her professional face back in place. “I’m glad you’re here. I have a few ideas sketched out for your invitations and place cards. If you have a few minutes I’d like you to take a look. If there’s nothing there you like we can try something else.”
They followed her out the back door to her studio. She picked up a pile of cards from a stand behind a desk and motioned them towards a table set in front of the wide windows on one side of the room. They watched as she laid the cards out on the polished wooden surface and stepped back.
“I can adjust the colours to suit.”
She had done samples in different scenes. There were her trademark flowers, some with ponds, some with waterfalls, some with wine bottles and grapes, all with something that signalled a wedding such as intertwined rings or joined hands. In the centre was one showing the gazebo with the water behind it. The vines and flowers cleverly woven around the top formed a heart containing the letters T and R intertwined. At the base of the gazebo more vines ‘grew’, sprouting buds here and there, creating the illusion of music notes. The blooms were shades of pink and purple.
“That one.” They spoke in unision, pointed, then looked at each other and smiled.
“Are you sure? I can do others.”
“Nope. It’s perfect.” Tori assured her. “Even the colours are perfect.”
“Great. Then I’ll get them printed and shipped out to you. Do you know how you want them to read?”
“Yes.” Tori dug into her purse and handed over a piece of paper.
Angie read it over and nodded. “Nice. You should have them in a couple weeks if not sooner.”
“Wonderful. Thank you so much.” Tori shook her hand.
“My pleasure. I’ll pray for good weather for you. Everything’s going to be absolutely beautiful.” She had seen the plans.
“Thanks again Angie.” Richie gave her a quick hug.
Leaving the studio they wandered slowly down the main strip of shops perusing the windows as they strolled. When they reached the Christmas Store Richie stopped for a moment, then urged her inside, a grin wreathing his face. The store was composed of several connected rooms. “This place is great!” They were in the second room and he’d just found the collection of music related ornaments. There were acoustic guitars, electric guitars – even a Fender – pianos, violins, saxophones, various other instruments and music notes. He picked out several and moved on to the next room – the angel room. Tori got distracted with the cartoon character section – including Winnie-the-Pooh. She picked out a few of Ava’s favourites, a selection of Pooh – and a Kermit, Scarecrow and a Wicked Witch.
She found Richie surveying the tree toppers. “What are you looking for? You already have an angel for the top for your tree.”
“Our tree. And we need a new one. A special one. That one.” He reached up and lifted down his choice. The angel’s wings were very delicate and flared out beyond her shoulders. Her brown hair pooled on her shoulders, her full red lips were curved into a contented smile and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle.
“Why that one?”
“She looks like you.”
She looked at him in amused disbelief, but found only sincerity in the chocolate depths. Her breath caught in her throat. “I love you.”
“I love you too angel.” He bent to press a gentle kiss to her lips. “My angel.”
Chapter 180
They returned to the hotel to drop off their purchases and have dinner. Knowing who it was for, the chef was eager to show off his talents and give them a preview of what they could expect for the wedding. He didn’t disappoint. Over coffee and a shared chocolate torte Richie gazed at her consideringly. “What do you want to do tonight?”
She thought for a moment. “Have you ever seen Niagara Falls from the Canadian side? The horseshoe belongs to us. Very impressive.”
“No I haven’t.”
“Well, since it is one of the seven wonders of the world, we have to remedy that. They light it up at night too. To offset that natural beauty we can cruise the tackiness that is Clifton Hill.”
“Tackiness?”
“Mmmm. Complete with wax museums and the usual tourist traps selling ridiculously sloganned t-shirts and other souvenirs at outrageous prices.”
“Sounds like Shirley’s kind of place.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I think he’d enjoy it.”
Twenty minutes later they were parking the car at the base of Clifton Hill. The rush of water plunging over the falls could be heard, but Tori took Richie’s arm and guided him in the opposite direction. “Let’s cruise the Hill first and finish at the falls.”
They walked up one side of the street and down the other, stopping briefly to laugh at some of the sillier souvenirs that never failed to lure tourists. As they neared a building with the obligatory bright neon sign, Tori was surprised when Richie urged her towards the door. “Let’s go in here.”
‘Here’ was the Movieland Wax Museum of the Stars.Tori rolled her eyes, but dutifully followed him in. They strolled past Elvis, Indiana Jones, Lara Croft and the Braveheart version of Mel Gibson, stopping briefly to take a picture of Harry Potter for Ava. Rounding the next curve, Richie started to laugh. “Stand next to them so that I can take a picture.”
Grinning broadly she complied. He snapped a picture with his phone then started typing a message, and attached the picture. He showed her the message before he hit send. Did they give you the day off? She chuckled imagining David’s reaction when he got the message and the picture of her with Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion.
A few minutes later Richie’s phone pinged with a message. He grinned and showed it to her. Miss me already? She glanced up, took his phone and gestured. “Stand over there.” Snapping a quick picture she started typing. Richie read over her shoulder. I can’t miss you if you never go away! She attached the picture of Richie and the Joker and sent it. A couple minutes later they got a response. Aw, you know you love me Bela. That’s why you see me everywhere you go – even when you’re supposed to be planning your wedding to Chuck. When you realize that you’re not hairy enough for him, you know where to find me. Tori laughed out loud.
“Asshole.” Richie grumbled.
They exited out through the House of Horrors straight into a group of girls – women really – who had seen them go in and had been arguing with each other as to whether it really had been Richie that they’d seen. While Richie signed autographs and posed for pictures, Tori headed over to get an ice cream cone at the booth beside them.
“Excuse me Tori? Can I get your autograph too?” One of the women had followed her.
“Sure.” Tori reached for the pen and paper being offered to her. She heard a gasp and glanced up to see the girl staring at her left hand.
“I’m sorry, I know it’s none of my business, but are you and Richie engaged?”
Tori smiled and nodded. “Yes.” She watched the play of emotions crossing the woman’s face carefully. Surprise turned to envy, which in turn became resignation and grudging acceptance.
“Congratulations. I hope you’ll be very happy. He deserves it.”
They both looked over at Richie, who noticed their gaze and winked. Tori smiled lovingly. “Yes he does.”
As they continued down the street Richie smirked down at her. “I thought you were full.”
She shrugged and licked a spot that threatened to drip. “There’s always room for ice cream. Want some?” She offered him the cone, and grinned when he took a taste.
“Mmmmm.”
“See? Told ya.”
Between the two of them they finished the cone just as they reached the falls. Tori gripped the railing and watched the dancing lights reflect off the thousands of gallons of water plunging 170 feet to land with a roar in the Maid of the Mist Pool, kicking up a misty cloud.
Richie stepped up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and gazed out over her head.“It really is incredible.”
“Mmmhmm.” She agreed and leaned back against him, laying her arms over his at her waist.
They stood there for long minutes watching the lights change in time with the music drifting on the warm, humid air. Finally, she turned in his arms, slid hers around his waist, and gazed up into his dark eyes, a soft, yet heated expression in hers. “Let’s go back to the hotel.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Time for my reward?”
“Maybe.” She answered coyly.
Back in their room, Tori stood looking out the window at the grounds barely visible with only the lights from various windows providing relief from the darkness. The light from the bedside table behind her threw her reflection back at her in the glass. Movement made her focus on that reflection to watch Richie, naked, approach her, his golden skin almost glowing.
“What are you thinking about?” He murmured, running his hands up and down her arms.
“That the next time I’m in one of these rooms it will be for our wedding.”
“Mmmm. Can’t come soon enough for me.” He saw her eyes shine and her lips tremble slightly. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She assured him. “You make me happy.”
“Good. That’s the plan.” His deep voice rumbling in her ear sent shivers of awareness over her nerve endings.
Urging her back against him, his hands smoothed her nightshirt over her curves, pausing for long minutes over her breasts, teasing the nipples, then pinching them when they stood up for him.
“Mmmm.” She sighed arching her back and letting her head loll on his chest.
He watched their reflection and let his hands continue to trace her body down to her hips. Squeezing gently, he released her flesh, but kept his grip on the cloth and retraced his path, his eyes hungrily feasting on what the retreating cotton revealed.
As the shirt was pulled from her body, leaving her as naked as he was she let her hands fall back to settle on his thighs and felt the muscles tense at her touch. A soft moan excaped her lips as his hands coasted over her rapidly heating flesh. She tried to turn to face him, but he gripped her waist to prevent it.
“Nuh uh. My reward, my terms.” He traced the curve of her ear with his tongue, then bit the lobe gently. “Stay like this.” His hands came up to cup and knead her breasts, his eyes following the movement of his hands in the window. “This time we both get to watch.”
Her eyes, which had fallen to half mast at the feel of his callouses scraping over her skin widened as she realized that he had been fully aware of the situation in the bathroom of the guest house the other night. She turned her head to meet his eyes and saw the glint in dark pools. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and her tongue came out to wet her lips in anticipation.
With a groan he gave in to the lure she cast. The tip of his tongue followed the path of hers, then dipped inside when they parted for him. He sucked her full bottom lip into his mouth, grazing it with his teeth as he released it. When her breath sighed into his mouth he took full possession, tasting her thoroughly. Raising his head he studied her face, then glanced down at the wide wooden window sill. His hands slid down to her waist, gripped and lifted. “Kneel on the sill.” His voice was a gravelly murmur.
She reached out to brace herself with her hands against the window frame, spreading her knees wider in response to repeated nudges from his leg sliding between hers. Her heart started to pound as she grasped his intentions.
His mouth nuzzled her neck, but his eyes remained fixed on their reflection in the window. She tilted her head to give him greater access and her fingers curled into the wooden frame as his hands caressed her body from shoulders to thighs over and over and over again, enjoying the feel of her satiny skin.
“Richie, please!”
She could feel his lips curve into an almost feral smile. One hand rose to tease and pluck at a hardened nipple while the other slid down over her stomach to stroke the swollen flesh at the apex of her thighs. Caught between the hard wall of his chest at her back and the teasing touch of his hands on her front, she had no choice but to accept whatever caresses he chose to press on her and hope that the torture wouldn’t last too long. A ravaged moan was torn from her throat as one long finger penetrated her and stroked. She bit her lip as a second finger joined the first. When his thumb joined the play, rubbing her clit lightly, she shuddered. “Mmmm….God! Richie!”
He watched her body writhe against his hands, his own hardening even more. She was so beautiful with her flushed skin, heaving breasts and passion glazed eyes. As much as he wanted more, he couldn’t pull his gaze – or his hands- away from her.
He was killing her! She loved what he was doing, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted – no she needed - to feel him deep inside her, filling her as only he could. She watched him watching her and knew she couldn’t last much longer. In desperation she leaned back more against him, trusting him to not let her fall, so that she could free one hand to reach behind her and grasp the hard shaft that the drenched flesh his fingers were currently massaging ached to hold. She squeezed and stroked in an attempt to break through his control.
He groaned as her clever fingers combined with the vision she presented threatened to push him over the edge. Shuddering, he surrendered, pulling her hand away and replacing his fingers with his throbbing erection. Entering her slowly, he buried himself to the hilt, and held still.
“Please!” She whimpered rocking back against him.
“Watch.” He rasped in her ear.
Unable to help herself she did as he bid. When their eyes met in the reflection he started to flex his hips rocking against her, into her. As the sensations threatened to overwhelm her , her eyes drifted shut. The movement of his hips stopped.
“No! Keep watching.”
Trembling, she forced her eyes open again and fought to keep them that way as he resumed his rhythm.
“Oh! Oh….mmmmm…yes….Richie!” She sighed.
“So beautiful! Baby you feel so good!” He groaned.
She could feel the tide rising. “Now Richie. Please! Now!”
He gripped her hips with both hands and thrust harder, her answering cry of pleasure echoing in his ears. Sweat trickled down his back as he fought against his release, wanting her to find hers first. He could feel the shudders building in her body and hear the rasp of her breath and knew she was close. His fingers sank deeper into her soft flesh to hold her steady as he strained to reach even deeper. He felt her walls tighten around him.
Gasping desperately for breath, eyes locked with his, she watched as he nuzzled her neck. As her peak approached, and her body tensed she saw him sink his teeth not quite gently into the tendons at the base of her neck, pushing her over the edge. Her body convulsed, her slick channel closing like a vice around his shaft, taking him with her.
It was long minutes before they found the breath and the strength to stumble to the bed and collapse on it. Turning off the lamp, Tori curled into Richie’s side. “So do you feel rewarded?”
“Mmmm. Definitely incentive to keep you happy.”
“Yeah, good turnout.” Richie commented.
“Wonder how much the scalpers made.” Jon muttered scathingly. He was still pissed at the thought of people selling tickets for a free show. “Try to do something nice and somebody’s got to take advantage.” Sometimes the dregs of society turned his stomach.
When they landed and reached the stage area, Obie met them with a yell and a huge grin on his face. “Congratulations man. Arena Bowl here we come!” He hugged Jon.
“Thanks Ob. Is that a hint that you’d like to come to New Orleans with us?” Jon asked dryly. He let Obie stutter for a few minutes before giving in. “Of course you’re invited!”
Tori smiled indulgently as Jon went on to explain the arrangements that had been made at this point. He’d been on the phone for an hour after the game had ended that afternoon, setting plans in motion and congratulating Craig and Coach Munsey and a few others from the Soul. She hadn’t understood why he hadn’t gone to the game - they could have made it to New York in plenty of time for the show, but he felt he needed to stay closer in case he was needed. Richie figured that he just didn’t want to be shown on T.V. if they lost. That observation had earned him the standard one finger salute.
For the next hour, Jon - and to a lesser extent Richie – accepted congratulations from the guys and various members of the staff. It was very obviously that he was beyond thrilled at the accomplishment of his team. Based on the signs scattered throughout the crowd, the fans were just as excited. Jon acknowledged them all and shared his happiness.
That night, after the show Richie and Tori headed for Philly. Now, more than ever, Tori wanted to get her things put away and the condo set to rights. If they were lucky enough to win the Arena Bowl there would be celebratory events in the city and the apartment would be needed.
“Good evening Mr. Sambora, Mrs. Sambora.” Joe, the night doorman greeted them.
“Hi Joe.” Tori replied with a smile, exchanging a glance with Richie. No point correcting him now. It’ll be true soon enough.
“Congratulations on the game today. Mr. Bon Jovi must be over the moon.”
“He is. Thanks Joe.” Richie shook his hand and followed Tori to the elevator.
Entering the apartment, Tori groaned at the stacks of boxes and pieces of furniture strewn around the living room.
“Leave it until tomorrow angel. Let’s get some sleep.”
She nodded. It had been a long day. Maybe the task wouldn’t look so daunting after a good night’s sleep.
When Tori awoke the next morning she pressed a gentle kiss to Richie’s lips before sliding out from under his arm to head for the bathroom. The corners of his mouth lifted slighty in response. After showering and dressing she closed the bedroom door quietly so that he wouldn’t be disturbed by the sounds of her unpacking. In the kitchen a quick survey of the fridge and cupboards confirmed that she needed to hit the market if they were going to eat here today. Leaving a note for Richie – she didn’t think he’d wake up while she was gone, but if he did she didn’t want him to worry – she grabbed her purse, checked that she had her keys and ventured out to replenish their supplies.
She was a little surprised to find no one on duty at the desk in the lobby, but figured they must be helping another tenant. Returning an hour later, she struggled to open the door, almost dropping a bag in the process until Henry came to her rescue.
“Thanks Henry.” She smiled at him as she accepted the bag he handed her.
“You’re welcome Miss Adams.” He glanced down and noticed her ring as she took the bag. “May I assume that congratulations are in order?”
She noted the direction of his gaze. “Yes.”
His smiled deepened at the happiness evident in her face. “I hope that you and Mr. Sambora will be very happy together.”
“Thank you Henry. I hope so too.”
Back in the apartment, she put on a pot of coffee, and while it brewed, snacked on an apple while she assessed the boxes and furniture piled in the living room. When Richie entered the room an hour later he found her kneeling in front of an open box, a mug of coffee beside her, scrunched up newspapers and other packing materials in a mound on one side of her, her unwrapped treasures on the other. She felt his heat reaching out to her a split second before his hands settled on her shoulders. Leaning back against his legs she looked up at him. “Morning.”
“Morning angel.” He bent to kiss her.
“There’s coffee in the kitchen. Let me know when you’re ready to eat and I’ll make some breakfast.”
“I can make it. Let me know when you need me to help here.”
With Richie helping they had everything unpacked and a home found for each item by late afternoon. They decided to stay in, and while dinner was cooking they relaxed on the balcony. Looking out over the city, Tori sighed in contentment. Richie heard her.
“Happy angel?”
“Mmmhmmm. Although I’ll be even happier when we get through the wedding and we can just relax and settle into a normal life – well as normal as we’re likely to get anyway.”
“I know what you mean. It’ll be nice to do what we want, when we want – at least until your brother has his next brainwave.”
She chuckled. “Or until you decide to release that solo album you’re sitting on.”
“I’m thinking it needs a little tweaking first.”
“Oh? I thought it sounded great.” He’d let her listen to it before they’d left for Europe.
“Mmmm. Thanks, but it needs something to make it complete.”
“What?”
“My wife’s participation. Do you think she’d be willing?”
The timer on the oven buzzed. She rose, stopping by his chair as she passed to kiss him lightly. “Maybe. If you make it worth her while.”
They spent the evening curled up together on the couch watching T.V. The next day they headed for New York and the final two shows.
“I want to thank everyone for another great tour.” Jon raised his glass to band and crew alike. They were all gathered together for the end of tour party. “We’d never have been able to do it without everyone pulling together. I really appreciate everyone’s hard work. Go home, relax, spend some time with your families and friends and recharge. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to do it all again.”
Faint groans could be heard scattered around the room. He grinned. “Oh come on. It hasn’t been that bad has it?”
“Can I ask a favour?” Mike spoke up.
“What?”
“Can Tori and David let me know the theme of the next war so that I can have some idea of what to expect?”
Laughter erupted. Tori and David exchanged grins and toasted each other with their glasses.
“I think Richie’s planning on keeping Tori too busy to plot battle strategies.”
“Damn right!” Richie agreed, pulling Tori closer to his side. She blushed.
“But what about David?” Someone asked.
“I’m never to busy to have a little fun.” David assured them.
“That’s what I was afraid of.” Mike responded with a resigned sigh. Once again, laughter filled the room.
“So are you heading back to L.A. tomorrow Bela?” Tico asked as the band members all settled around a table, each having spent some time thanking the crew personally.
“No. We’re going up to Niagara-on-the-Lake to finalize some of the wedding details and so that Richie can see the locations.”
Jon smiled. “The kids are so excited about being in the wedding it’s all they can talk about. Of course I haven’t told the boys about the monkey suits yet.”
“Shut up Shirley.” Came from four throats as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
David sighed dramatically and muttered into his glass.
Chapter 179
As Richie drove the rental car through the picturesque streets of Niagara-on-the-Lake he glanced around appreciatively. “Pretty.”
“Mmmhmmm. I always thought so. Turn right at the next corner.” She directed him to the hotel.
They spent the next hour and a half with members of the hotel’s management team going over the details and touring the rooms that would be used. Tori was impressed at how attentive Richie was. Not once did she see his eyes glaze over or his interest flicker.
When they finished he glanced between Tori and the staff. “What about the rehearsal party?” Tori’s eyes widened. She hadn’t even thought about that. Richie grinned. “What? Do you mean that I thought of something Miss Anal-retentive Organizational Control Freak didn’t?”
She swatted his arm. “Oh shut up. I’m not anal. One of us has to be organized and we both know that it won’t be you.”
The manager smiled. “We’ve set aside the lounge area for that. It will sit up to a hundred people. We can do either a formal dinner or more of a finger food type buffet.”
“Let’s go with the buffet.” Richie answered. “Do you have a menu?”
Tori stood back and let him take over, just making notes in her binder about what he’d chosen.
“I think that’s about it unless you have something else.” The manager gathered up her notes with a smile.
“No, I think we’re set.” Tori handed Richie the forms to sign requesting to use the gazebo in the park, and the contract with the carriage company. “I’m going to take Richie down to Angie’s shop and show him some of her work.”
“I think she’s actually in the shop this afternoon.” The manager commented as she accepted the forms back from Richie. “I spoke to her earlier.”
Deciding to stay the night, they took a room and dropped off their bags and the binder before heading out. Stepping outside Richie looked around. “Can we walk?”
“Sure. Let’s go this way and I’ll show you the gazebo.” She took his hand and led him towards the park. As they approached the gazebo she described what her florist wanted to do.
He nodded and pulled her into the gazebo and into his arms. He glanced out over the water for a few moments, then back at her. “You’ve done a wonderful job. It’s going to be beautiful.”
“Thank you. I think so too.” She smiled up at him. “I have to say that I’m very impressed with you too. You’re actually paying attention and participating. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.”
“Will I be rewarded for my fine behaviour?” His dark eyes twinkled as he waggled his brows.
Her smile widened and she raised up on tiptoe to kiss him. “Later.” She promised. “Let’s go explore the strip.”
They took the back streets down until they reached the end of the strip and Angie Strauss’ shop. Entering, Tori led him through the display of clothing to the far side of the shop that resembled a small art gallery. They wandered the aisles pointing out which scenes they preferred. Turning up the next aisle Tori smiled at the sight of a dark haired woman adjusting a framed picture on the wall. “Angie?”
The woman turned, a professional smile on her lips that widened and warmed into a more personal one when her eyes drifted from Tori to Richie. “Hello.” She approached them, her hand outstreatched. “Mr. Sambora. Miss Adams.”
“Richie please.” He shook her hand.
“I’m Tori. I can’t tell you how honoured I am that you agreed to lend us your talent for our wedding.” Tori had to stop herself from gushing. She’d admired the artist’s work for many years.
“Are you kidding? When Sharon called me from the Landing and told me what the project was and who it was for, I jumped at the chance.” She blushed sheepishly at Richie. “Your art has been a part of some of the most important events in my life – good and bad. Now I get to return the favour.” He grinned. She cleared her throat and put her professional face back in place. “I’m glad you’re here. I have a few ideas sketched out for your invitations and place cards. If you have a few minutes I’d like you to take a look. If there’s nothing there you like we can try something else.”
They followed her out the back door to her studio. She picked up a pile of cards from a stand behind a desk and motioned them towards a table set in front of the wide windows on one side of the room. They watched as she laid the cards out on the polished wooden surface and stepped back.
“I can adjust the colours to suit.”
She had done samples in different scenes. There were her trademark flowers, some with ponds, some with waterfalls, some with wine bottles and grapes, all with something that signalled a wedding such as intertwined rings or joined hands. In the centre was one showing the gazebo with the water behind it. The vines and flowers cleverly woven around the top formed a heart containing the letters T and R intertwined. At the base of the gazebo more vines ‘grew’, sprouting buds here and there, creating the illusion of music notes. The blooms were shades of pink and purple.
“That one.” They spoke in unision, pointed, then looked at each other and smiled.
“Are you sure? I can do others.”
“Nope. It’s perfect.” Tori assured her. “Even the colours are perfect.”
“Great. Then I’ll get them printed and shipped out to you. Do you know how you want them to read?”
“Yes.” Tori dug into her purse and handed over a piece of paper.
Angie read it over and nodded. “Nice. You should have them in a couple weeks if not sooner.”
“Wonderful. Thank you so much.” Tori shook her hand.
“My pleasure. I’ll pray for good weather for you. Everything’s going to be absolutely beautiful.” She had seen the plans.
“Thanks again Angie.” Richie gave her a quick hug.
Leaving the studio they wandered slowly down the main strip of shops perusing the windows as they strolled. When they reached the Christmas Store Richie stopped for a moment, then urged her inside, a grin wreathing his face. The store was composed of several connected rooms. “This place is great!” They were in the second room and he’d just found the collection of music related ornaments. There were acoustic guitars, electric guitars – even a Fender – pianos, violins, saxophones, various other instruments and music notes. He picked out several and moved on to the next room – the angel room. Tori got distracted with the cartoon character section – including Winnie-the-Pooh. She picked out a few of Ava’s favourites, a selection of Pooh – and a Kermit, Scarecrow and a Wicked Witch.
She found Richie surveying the tree toppers. “What are you looking for? You already have an angel for the top for your tree.”
“Our tree. And we need a new one. A special one. That one.” He reached up and lifted down his choice. The angel’s wings were very delicate and flared out beyond her shoulders. Her brown hair pooled on her shoulders, her full red lips were curved into a contented smile and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle.
“Why that one?”
“She looks like you.”
She looked at him in amused disbelief, but found only sincerity in the chocolate depths. Her breath caught in her throat. “I love you.”
“I love you too angel.” He bent to press a gentle kiss to her lips. “My angel.”
Chapter 180
They returned to the hotel to drop off their purchases and have dinner. Knowing who it was for, the chef was eager to show off his talents and give them a preview of what they could expect for the wedding. He didn’t disappoint. Over coffee and a shared chocolate torte Richie gazed at her consideringly. “What do you want to do tonight?”
She thought for a moment. “Have you ever seen Niagara Falls from the Canadian side? The horseshoe belongs to us. Very impressive.”
“No I haven’t.”
“Well, since it is one of the seven wonders of the world, we have to remedy that. They light it up at night too. To offset that natural beauty we can cruise the tackiness that is Clifton Hill.”
“Tackiness?”
“Mmmm. Complete with wax museums and the usual tourist traps selling ridiculously sloganned t-shirts and other souvenirs at outrageous prices.”
“Sounds like Shirley’s kind of place.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I think he’d enjoy it.”
Twenty minutes later they were parking the car at the base of Clifton Hill. The rush of water plunging over the falls could be heard, but Tori took Richie’s arm and guided him in the opposite direction. “Let’s cruise the Hill first and finish at the falls.”
They walked up one side of the street and down the other, stopping briefly to laugh at some of the sillier souvenirs that never failed to lure tourists. As they neared a building with the obligatory bright neon sign, Tori was surprised when Richie urged her towards the door. “Let’s go in here.”
‘Here’ was the Movieland Wax Museum of the Stars.Tori rolled her eyes, but dutifully followed him in. They strolled past Elvis, Indiana Jones, Lara Croft and the Braveheart version of Mel Gibson, stopping briefly to take a picture of Harry Potter for Ava. Rounding the next curve, Richie started to laugh. “Stand next to them so that I can take a picture.”
Grinning broadly she complied. He snapped a picture with his phone then started typing a message, and attached the picture. He showed her the message before he hit send. Did they give you the day off? She chuckled imagining David’s reaction when he got the message and the picture of her with Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion.
A few minutes later Richie’s phone pinged with a message. He grinned and showed it to her. Miss me already? She glanced up, took his phone and gestured. “Stand over there.” Snapping a quick picture she started typing. Richie read over her shoulder. I can’t miss you if you never go away! She attached the picture of Richie and the Joker and sent it. A couple minutes later they got a response. Aw, you know you love me Bela. That’s why you see me everywhere you go – even when you’re supposed to be planning your wedding to Chuck. When you realize that you’re not hairy enough for him, you know where to find me. Tori laughed out loud.
“Asshole.” Richie grumbled.
They exited out through the House of Horrors straight into a group of girls – women really – who had seen them go in and had been arguing with each other as to whether it really had been Richie that they’d seen. While Richie signed autographs and posed for pictures, Tori headed over to get an ice cream cone at the booth beside them.
“Excuse me Tori? Can I get your autograph too?” One of the women had followed her.
“Sure.” Tori reached for the pen and paper being offered to her. She heard a gasp and glanced up to see the girl staring at her left hand.
“I’m sorry, I know it’s none of my business, but are you and Richie engaged?”
Tori smiled and nodded. “Yes.” She watched the play of emotions crossing the woman’s face carefully. Surprise turned to envy, which in turn became resignation and grudging acceptance.
“Congratulations. I hope you’ll be very happy. He deserves it.”
They both looked over at Richie, who noticed their gaze and winked. Tori smiled lovingly. “Yes he does.”
As they continued down the street Richie smirked down at her. “I thought you were full.”
She shrugged and licked a spot that threatened to drip. “There’s always room for ice cream. Want some?” She offered him the cone, and grinned when he took a taste.
“Mmmmm.”
“See? Told ya.”
Between the two of them they finished the cone just as they reached the falls. Tori gripped the railing and watched the dancing lights reflect off the thousands of gallons of water plunging 170 feet to land with a roar in the Maid of the Mist Pool, kicking up a misty cloud.
Richie stepped up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and gazed out over her head.“It really is incredible.”
“Mmmhmm.” She agreed and leaned back against him, laying her arms over his at her waist.
They stood there for long minutes watching the lights change in time with the music drifting on the warm, humid air. Finally, she turned in his arms, slid hers around his waist, and gazed up into his dark eyes, a soft, yet heated expression in hers. “Let’s go back to the hotel.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Time for my reward?”
“Maybe.” She answered coyly.
Back in their room, Tori stood looking out the window at the grounds barely visible with only the lights from various windows providing relief from the darkness. The light from the bedside table behind her threw her reflection back at her in the glass. Movement made her focus on that reflection to watch Richie, naked, approach her, his golden skin almost glowing.
“What are you thinking about?” He murmured, running his hands up and down her arms.
“That the next time I’m in one of these rooms it will be for our wedding.”
“Mmmm. Can’t come soon enough for me.” He saw her eyes shine and her lips tremble slightly. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She assured him. “You make me happy.”
“Good. That’s the plan.” His deep voice rumbling in her ear sent shivers of awareness over her nerve endings.
Urging her back against him, his hands smoothed her nightshirt over her curves, pausing for long minutes over her breasts, teasing the nipples, then pinching them when they stood up for him.
“Mmmm.” She sighed arching her back and letting her head loll on his chest.
He watched their reflection and let his hands continue to trace her body down to her hips. Squeezing gently, he released her flesh, but kept his grip on the cloth and retraced his path, his eyes hungrily feasting on what the retreating cotton revealed.
As the shirt was pulled from her body, leaving her as naked as he was she let her hands fall back to settle on his thighs and felt the muscles tense at her touch. A soft moan excaped her lips as his hands coasted over her rapidly heating flesh. She tried to turn to face him, but he gripped her waist to prevent it.
“Nuh uh. My reward, my terms.” He traced the curve of her ear with his tongue, then bit the lobe gently. “Stay like this.” His hands came up to cup and knead her breasts, his eyes following the movement of his hands in the window. “This time we both get to watch.”
Her eyes, which had fallen to half mast at the feel of his callouses scraping over her skin widened as she realized that he had been fully aware of the situation in the bathroom of the guest house the other night. She turned her head to meet his eyes and saw the glint in dark pools. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and her tongue came out to wet her lips in anticipation.
With a groan he gave in to the lure she cast. The tip of his tongue followed the path of hers, then dipped inside when they parted for him. He sucked her full bottom lip into his mouth, grazing it with his teeth as he released it. When her breath sighed into his mouth he took full possession, tasting her thoroughly. Raising his head he studied her face, then glanced down at the wide wooden window sill. His hands slid down to her waist, gripped and lifted. “Kneel on the sill.” His voice was a gravelly murmur.
She reached out to brace herself with her hands against the window frame, spreading her knees wider in response to repeated nudges from his leg sliding between hers. Her heart started to pound as she grasped his intentions.
His mouth nuzzled her neck, but his eyes remained fixed on their reflection in the window. She tilted her head to give him greater access and her fingers curled into the wooden frame as his hands caressed her body from shoulders to thighs over and over and over again, enjoying the feel of her satiny skin.
“Richie, please!”
She could feel his lips curve into an almost feral smile. One hand rose to tease and pluck at a hardened nipple while the other slid down over her stomach to stroke the swollen flesh at the apex of her thighs. Caught between the hard wall of his chest at her back and the teasing touch of his hands on her front, she had no choice but to accept whatever caresses he chose to press on her and hope that the torture wouldn’t last too long. A ravaged moan was torn from her throat as one long finger penetrated her and stroked. She bit her lip as a second finger joined the first. When his thumb joined the play, rubbing her clit lightly, she shuddered. “Mmmm….God! Richie!”
He watched her body writhe against his hands, his own hardening even more. She was so beautiful with her flushed skin, heaving breasts and passion glazed eyes. As much as he wanted more, he couldn’t pull his gaze – or his hands- away from her.
He was killing her! She loved what he was doing, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted – no she needed - to feel him deep inside her, filling her as only he could. She watched him watching her and knew she couldn’t last much longer. In desperation she leaned back more against him, trusting him to not let her fall, so that she could free one hand to reach behind her and grasp the hard shaft that the drenched flesh his fingers were currently massaging ached to hold. She squeezed and stroked in an attempt to break through his control.
He groaned as her clever fingers combined with the vision she presented threatened to push him over the edge. Shuddering, he surrendered, pulling her hand away and replacing his fingers with his throbbing erection. Entering her slowly, he buried himself to the hilt, and held still.
“Please!” She whimpered rocking back against him.
“Watch.” He rasped in her ear.
Unable to help herself she did as he bid. When their eyes met in the reflection he started to flex his hips rocking against her, into her. As the sensations threatened to overwhelm her , her eyes drifted shut. The movement of his hips stopped.
“No! Keep watching.”
Trembling, she forced her eyes open again and fought to keep them that way as he resumed his rhythm.
“Oh! Oh….mmmmm…yes….Richie!” She sighed.
“So beautiful! Baby you feel so good!” He groaned.
She could feel the tide rising. “Now Richie. Please! Now!”
He gripped her hips with both hands and thrust harder, her answering cry of pleasure echoing in his ears. Sweat trickled down his back as he fought against his release, wanting her to find hers first. He could feel the shudders building in her body and hear the rasp of her breath and knew she was close. His fingers sank deeper into her soft flesh to hold her steady as he strained to reach even deeper. He felt her walls tighten around him.
Gasping desperately for breath, eyes locked with his, she watched as he nuzzled her neck. As her peak approached, and her body tensed she saw him sink his teeth not quite gently into the tendons at the base of her neck, pushing her over the edge. Her body convulsed, her slick channel closing like a vice around his shaft, taking him with her.
It was long minutes before they found the breath and the strength to stumble to the bed and collapse on it. Turning off the lamp, Tori curled into Richie’s side. “So do you feel rewarded?”
“Mmmm. Definitely incentive to keep you happy.”
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