Fifteen

This vacation thing was pretty sweet, Allegra thought, exiting out the back door of the hotel.  Stepping off the walkway, she slipped off her sandals, finding it  easier to navigate the beach in her bare feet.  It was the last morning in paradise, and she couldn’t resist the opportunity to watch one more sunrise.  The air was almost completely still in the pre-dawn hour, save the occasional light breeze. 

After talking to David yesterday, she had taken advantage of a couple of the hotel’s area tours – a full island tour in the afternoon and a ghost tour in the evening.  It made for a full day of playing tourist.  Hawaii had so many beautiful sights to see!  And who knew how good REALLY fresh pineapple could be?   The ghost tour was more than a little hokey, but it was still entertaining. 

Remembering her complete self-indulgence brought a twinge of guilt.  She should’ve checked in with Jon and apologized to Mike Rew.  Instead, she completely and intentionally avoided anyone associated with Bon Jovi.  Allegra managed to tamp that guilty feeling down by justifying to herself that it had allowed her time to reflect on Jon’s job offers – even though she wasn’t any closer to making a decision.  She’d have to take Jon’s suggestion and talk to Matt and Richie to see what they’d expect of her. 

She had a notion that Richie would be down on the beach this morning, and planned to use the opportunity to speak to him.  Besides, she’d been hiding from him since her overindulgence the other night, and owed him a thank you for the hangover remedy.

Slowing her steps, she found herself within earshot before the dim light allowed her to identify Richie’s form.  His singing voice was unmistakable, accompanied by the gentle pluck of an acoustic guitar.   She inched silently closer until she could make out his silhouette sitting in the sand.  He had his left leg folded under him, guitar resting on his thigh as he played. 

Blind-ed by my vi-sion, there was just no turning ba-ack
Like a runaway traaain, life was steaming down the tra-ack
You said  I'd never make it out, but I kept on hanging o-ooon
And every night I’d praay to Jesus and I hee-ld my head up strong

His voice was clear and pure, his relaxed posture proof that the instrument was just a natural extension of the man.  Richie was thoroughly engrossed in the song, oblivious to anything around him.  He could be playing to an empty room or a jam-packed arena and it wouldn’t matter.  It was really all about him and the music.  He obviously loved it. 

THIS was the Richie he’d been hiding – the real Richie – and it stole her breath.

With startling clarity, she could now justify the behavior of the obsessed fans who constantly offered themselves to him.  This man – with his bare feet, hair ruffling in the breeze, relaxed demeanor, totally lost in his own world – was one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen.  Her hum of approval drew his attention. 

Turning and smiling with a little half grin, he said, “I knew you couldn’t resist sunrise on the last day here, even if you have been avoiding me.”  He lifted his guitar slightly, “But I brought something to entertain myself just in case.”

She stood stock still, heart thumping.  When she had crawled out of bed this morning, she’d had no idea what she would say to him about the other night.  That was now compounded by a whole new messy knot of feelings.  There was no way for Allegra to have prepared herself for this.

SAY something Allegra!

Her command of the English language had completely abandoned her.  She was tongue-tied and there he sat, waiting expectantly. 

When in doubt, go with what you know...

“You had time to go get your guitar?  How sad.  She must not have been that good.  Or was she REALLY good and made quick work of you?” 

Oh good grief, talk about immature.  Allegra wanted to hide her face behind her hands in shame and run back to her room.  Stubborn Italian pride made her stand firm. 

If the sky had been lighter, she would have seen the flash of surprise and anger in his dark eyes.  She also might have seen the deliberate control that he exercised before forcibly relaxing his shoulders to resume playing.

It may have only been seconds, but for Allegra it seemed like hours that he sat without a word, plucking aimlessly at the guitar strings as he looked over the horizon.

“The last time we were here – two days ago – we made an agreement to get along.  Have you decided to let your embarrassment take priority over that agreement?”

At her audible intake of breath, he stopped playing and turned his gaze to her face.  His words had hit their mark with the accuracy of a heat-seeking missile.  She was embarrassed – more like humiliated at this point – both by her drunken behavior and her visceral reaction to him this morning. 

 “What? You thought I didn’t know?  Know that you think something happened you can’t remember?  That you don’t know what to expect from me now, or what I expect from you?” He lifted his shoulders in a shrug, causing his bare biceps to flex.  “It’s pretty standard binge remorse, darlin’.”

Yes, but you don’t know what else is going on in my mind.

He carefully placed the guitar on the sand next to his right leg, and reached for her hand. She resisted his pull for a moment, finally acquiescing and seating herself cross-legged at his left side.

Richie shifted his body so that his weight was supported on his left hand.  Reaching over with the other hand, he placed it on her bare knee, slowly gliding upward.  He didn’t stop until his thumb brushed the hem of her denim shorts riding high atop her thigh. “Let me see if I can make this any easier for you.”  His thumb rubbed in a light circle and he felt her stiffen. 

His big hand cupped the inside of her thigh as, leaning in close, he whispered, “How about I remind you about everything that happened?  Because, baby, it would be a shame for you not to remember.”

Allegra felt all the blood rush to the surface as her skin began to tingle with awareness.  She squirmed, trying to create a little distance between them, but he held firm.  “Oh no, Sunshine.  The only way to get through this is to face it head-on.  Don’t worry,” he drawled.  “I’ll take it slow and easy.  It won’t hurt at all.”

She swallowed loudly, her mind swirling in the gutter as readily as his thumb on her thigh.  There was no way she could have forgotten something like he suggested.  Yes, she’d licked his neck, but as for more?  If her reaction to his hand on her leg was any indication, there was NO WAY she would have forgotten his hand anyplace else. 

“Are you ready to relive it, baby?” 

His suggestive voice kicked her heartbeat up another notch.  Did she really want to know?  Could she stand it?  Dazedly, she barely nodded, but he was close enough to feel it.

“Well, you got drunk…”  He released her thigh, and moved his fingers to trail from her wrist to her elbow.

“Sang really loud…” That devilish thumb had now moved to caress the inside of her elbow. 

The breeze has gotten cool, Allegra tried to justify her shiver.  It had nothing to do with his warm breath on the side of her face.

“Flirted a little bit…”  Fingers lightly skimmed her arm until they met the strap of her tank top. 

Her awareness crept up another notch, intensifying the suspense.

“And…” Richie cradled his hand around the side of her neck, pulling her close.  She could feel his hot breath just behind her ear, and she tensed, waiting.  His nose touched her earlobe, and he said in a normal voice, “You fell asleep on me.” 

He then immediately retreated out of her personal space with, “Now sit there and enjoy your sunrise.”

WHAT?!?! 

“Oh, and baby, one more thing.  So that you don’t go around spreading vicious rumors - sex with me is anything but quick.”  He leaned back on his elbows with a satisfied smirk.

Her jaw dropped in disbelief.  “You arrogant S.O.B!  I can’t believe you just did that!” 

“What?  You don’t feel better now?”

She growled and leaned in to push at him with both hands, but he easily caught them before she made contact.  The momentum forced Richie to the ground, and he fell on his back, laughing.  Without the use of her hands, she tumbled after him and found herself sprawled on his chest, their faces mere inches apart.

The sun had made its way up over the horizon and the light allowed her to see that he wasn’t laughing anymore, but that there was still an amused twinkle in his eyes. 

After his teasing, the physical contact had her feeling far from amused.  Sensitive, yes.  Worked up, yes.  Flustered, yes.  But not amused.

She looked at his mouth, deliberating if his lips would feel as soft as they looked.

“Sunshine?”

She just wanted a taste.  She was on vacation.  She was supposed to indulge.

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and Richie felt the amusement leave his face.  It didn’t take a genius to figure out where her thoughts were.

“What are you doing, Allegra?”

“If you need me to tell you, then I’ve given you entirely too much credit,” she whispered as she leaned forward to touch her mouth to his.  Lips tentative, light as butterfly wings for a split second.  Then she got her first hint of salty sea spray on him, and it made her hungry for more.  Rubbing her mouth across his, she could feel a slight rumble his chest.  A breathless sigh escaped and she flicked her tongue out to swipe across his full bottom lip.

Yep.  They were every bit as soft as they looked, and tasted even better.  Her quiet sigh lost itself in his breath for a heartbeat, until Richie separated their hands.  Grasping her by the shoulders, he gently eased her body away from his, sitting them both upright.

“Not a good idea, Sunshine.”

“Then you shouldn’t have started it.” She drug her tongue thoughtfully over her lips, savoring what was left of his taste.

“It’s debatable as to who started it, darlin’ – but I am going to stop it.”

“Why?”

“Do you have any idea how protective Jon is over you?  He’d have my balls on a stick.  Besides, I’ve offered you a job - ethical hiring practices and all that.”

She considered him for a long minute before responding.  What she wanted to do was throw a fit at Richie and Jon both.  But Jon wasn’t here, and since talking to Richie about the PA position was part of the reason she came down this morning, it was hard to justify it.

Allegra took a deep breath, clearing her mind.  “I’m going to let this go for now, but it’s not over Sambora,” she warned him.  “Yeah.  I did want to talk to you about the PA position.”

“Good.”  He tried to appear relieved, but there was disappointment that he didn’t want to admit.  And curiosity about it not being over.  “What about it?”

“Is it still an open offer?”

“Do you want it to be?”

“Can we talk about it first?”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“What do I need to know?”

He crooked his eyebrow and laughed. “Why do I feel like we’re playing that game on Whose Line Is It Anyway, where you can only speak in questions?” 

Allegra wasn’t familiar with the reference, so she didn’t respond to it, instead sticking with the topic at hand.  “I’d like to know some things about the job before I make a decision.”

“Knock yourself out baby.”  He picked his guitar back up and began strumming.

“Jon said you offered to let me be your assistant for a while.”

Richie nodded in agreement.

“But David said you refused to do it.”

Another nod as his foot began moving to a beat only he could hear.

“So which was it?  Did you offer or refuse?” 

“I originally refused, but changed my mind.”

“Why?”

“Why did I say no, or change my mind?”

“Both.”

His hands finally stilled on the guitar as he turned to address her.  “I refused because I don’t need personal entanglements in my business life.  Being related to Jon makes you a personal entanglement, because his bossy ass will be checking in all the time.  And my business life is one area that is a Jon-free zone.”

He shifted to get more comfortable.  “I changed my mind because anybody that drinks a bottle of wine alone in a hotel room is not happy.  I’m not trying to imply that being a PA will make you happy, but I had to at least offer you the option.”

Allegra took his explanation at face value.  “Okay.  Now what is your PA responsible for?”

Shrugging, he went back to the guitar again.  “I’m pretty low maintenance.  Basically just secretarial type stuff.  Keeping me up on where I’m supposed to be and when to be there.  That, along with travel arrangements and personal correspondence.”

“What happened to your last PA?”

“She got married about a year ago and wanted to stay in California with her husband.  It hasn’t been a big deal.  I’ve been kinda low profile except for band stuff lately, and Cheryl’s been just doing my travel with Jon’s.  The mail?  Eh, it’s piled up right now.  I’ll get to it eventually.”

Professional duties probably weren’t the best fit for her.  Political correctness wasn’t her strong suit, and that would probably be a big part of assisting a celebrity figure.  Wouldn’t it? 

“I don’t think I’d be a good fit as anyone’s PA, mainly because I don’t understand how to play the politics of the business world.”

The look on his face was indecipherable.  “You can learn – or choose not to play.  Do you want me to convince you that you’d be capable, or are you looking for a polite way to say no?”

“I’m trying to be realistic.”

The sun had fully risen in the sky, and beachcombers had begun strolling along the shoreline.  Richie rose to his feet and shook the sand from his cargo shorts.  Pulling his sunglasses from the neck of his shirt, he perched them on his nose and slipped the guitar strap over his back.

“Well, tell me when you decide, because I’m going to need somebody soon.  I’ve got some personal projects coming up that require my attention and an assistant.”

Allegra also stood, sandals in hand.  “Jon said I’d have until the Seattle shows next weekend.  Is that still okay?”

“No problem.  If you do happen to decide sooner, just let me know.”  He turned toward the hotel.  “Later, Sunshine.”

“Later.”  She watched his muscled calves bunch as he crossed the sandy ground, her mind stirring with possibilities.