Forty-Three

The Jovi Jet was in the air once again, this time headed for the bright lights of Sin City.  Of course, those lights wouldn’t be seen this early in the day, but it didn’t make Richie look forward to it any less. 

His groin stirred at the thought of the real source of his anticipation.  With the amount of talking he and Allegra had done during their separation, it was almost as if he’d be meeting a different person today than the one he’d left in Jersey.   He’d obviously been attracted to the woman he’d left behind on that Monday morning, as evidenced by the phenomenal sex they’d shared.   But after spending hours with her on the phone, getting to really know her?  Well, it was going to be difficult to control his pleasure until they could be alone.

A secretive grin tipped up one corner of his mouth.  During the last week, he’d pushed her to open up a little more each time they’d spoken.  It had gotten to the point last night that he probably could’ve convinced her to have phone sex, and the only thing stopping him was the knowledge that they would have the real thing tonight.    How was she going to react to seeing him again after the very open chats they’d had in the last few days?  Would she feel like she was meeting a different person too? 

He couldn’t wait to find out, and shifted inconspicuously in his seat as he looked around the cabin.   Jon was seated up toward the front of the plane and had his head buried in his laptop, scowling at something.  He still hadn’t warmed up to the idea of Richie’s relationship with Allegra, and, with Allegra joining them in a couple of hours, Richie couldn’t let it go unaddressed any longer. 

Seeing that Ava was contently listening to music on her iPhone, he pulled one of her earplugs out.  “Baby girl, I’m gonna go talk to Uncle Jon, okay?”

His little angel rolled her eyes at the interruption, but nodded, taking the earplug from him and popping it back in. 

Hiding a grin, he stood.  His little girl was becoming such a teenager already.  She was so excited about LA Fashion Week taking place later in the month, where she would make her modeling debut with White Trash Beautiful.   The band had a show that night in Detroit and he was going to miss it, but Heather and Nikki would make sure he got the play by play.  Ava was going to be a knockout on that runway.  Shaking his head, he hoped his heart was strong enough to withstand her modeling, even if it was his clothing line under his watchful eye, with some help from Nikki.  

Covering the short distance between he and Jon in a couple of steps, he commandeered the seat directly facing him and waited. When Jon barely looked up from what he was doing, annoyance set his nerves on edge and he bluntly said,  “Bro, enough is enough.”

Not even raising his eyes, Jon answered with, “I’m busy and I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Bullshit, man.  You said you were okay with me seeing Allegra, yet every day since I told you it's been the same thing.  You give me the cold shoulder and pretty much only talk to me if the show or setlist requires it.  Is this what Allegra can expect from you too?”

Eyes glued to the computer screen, he tapped a few more keys, apparently uninterested.  “I haven’t been acting any different than I ever do.”

Richie reached across the space between them and pushed the laptop closed with a forceful snap.  Jon was barely able to keep his fingers from being caught between the screen and the keyboard.  Eyes flaring with anger, he barked, “What the fuck are ya doin’?  I’m trying to work here!”

His outburst was loud enough to catch the attention of both Dave and Tico, sitting a short way back.  Tico appeared concerned, but David just had a smirk on his face that let Richie know he thought it was about damn time they worked this out.  Richie sought out Ava, and saw that she was unaffected by the situation, still engrossed in her phone.  He turned his attention back to Jon.

“One minute.  Look me in the eye and listen to me - talk to me - for one minute and you can go back to your damn computer.” 

The pissed off expression on Jon's face let him know that this was going to be useless, and he set his mouth in a a grim line.  Well you're not the only one that's pissed off.

“This thing between your cousin and I isn’t going away anytime soon.  And as a matter of fact, it won't be long until you find out it's a whole lot more serious than you wanna believe.  You haven't talked to me in days, but if you had, you might have noticed how happy she makes me.  And if you had bothered to talk to her at all since she left,  I think she would tell you the same thing.  There's no willing this away with your stubbornness, so if you and I need to go at it like a couple of pissed off teenagers to make you feel better about that fact, then let’s go.”  

Jon sat in stubborn silence, his eyes focused on the sky outside the window, refusing to acknowledge Richie or his words.

“You’re being a prick,” Richie told him flatly, as he rose to return to his seat.  Almost as an afterthought, he threw over his shoulder, "Since you’re so determined to work, you might want to check in with Cheryl.  I heard there was a ceremony added to the itinerary for this afternoon.  The whole band is supposed to be there.”

That got Jon’s attention and his forehead wrinkled in consternation. “What kind of ceremony?”

Richie shrugged.  “Don't ask me.  I’m not your fuckin’ assistant.”  With that, he returned to his spot next to Ava, drawing her close for a hug and a kiss on top of the head.  He was rewarded with an increasingly rare instance of her cuddling into and resting her head against him.   Richie closed his eyes and willed his anger to melt away with each rise and fall of his chest.  Jon wasn't going to ruin Richie’s weekend by keeping him pissed off.

A smug grin slowly lifted his features.  Too bad Jon couldn't say the same.

If this damn thing goes over right, I'm gonna buy Lemma the biggest steak in Vegas.

♪  ♫  ♥  ♪  ♫

The stretch limo containing Dorothea, Allegra and the kids had just rolled to a stop next to the front doors of the Bellagio when Allegra’s phone chimed with a text from Richie. 

Where r u? 

Not even the amazing architecture of Las Vegas, or the magical fountains in front of the hotel could cause her to smile any bigger.  The clock had ticked down to the final minutes before she would see him again and she was giddy with anticipation.

Just got to hotel.  Where r u?

She grabbed her purse and the garment bag that she’d kept close by during the entire trip, and was the first of the group to exit the limo.  Dot and Jesse were both texting, too, while Stephanie tried to keep the younger boys under control. 

Upstairs, Suite 10007.  Hurry

Stephanie slid out of the backseat right behind Allegra, Romeo in tow, and eyed the garment bag draped over Allegra’s arm with curiosity.  “You’ve had that with you ever since we left the house.  I don’t think you even put it in the overhead bin on the plane.  What’s in there?”

Allegra smiled.  “Just a dress.  Richie and I are going someplace this afternoon that I wanted to dress up for.”

“I think it’s really cool that you two are together, in case I haven’t told you.  You seem really happy.”

She slipped her free arm around the teenager’s shoulders and gave a squeeze.  “Thank you sweetheart, I am really happy.  And I’m more surprised about that than anybody.”

Dot finally exited the vehicle to stand between her two youngest sons.  The expression on her face was odd, prompting Allegra to ask if something was wrong.  She shook her head in denial.  “No, nothing’s wrong, but Jon wants to see you in our suite.  He said right now.”  Understanding the kind of reaction his order was going to cause, she held up her hands in self-defense.  “Don’t kill the messenger.”

Even Jon wasn’t going to upset her right now.  “No.  I’m going to see Richie and when I’m done, I’ll come see Jon.  That is, if he asks me himself and asks me nicely.”

She could see Dorothea and Stephanie both fighting not to smile, and Dot told her, “Then go.  I’ll make sure your luggage gets upstairs.”

With a grateful smile, Allegra set off across the lobby, so engrossed in her destination that she didn’t even notice the beautiful stained glass flowers adorning the ceiling, or the opulence of the check-in desk.  There would be time for all that later, but right now, she had a kiss to claim.

She checked her appearance in the elevator mirror as the doors slid shut, feeling good about the jeans that gently hugged her curves and the lightweight jersey-knit sweater that complemented her eyes.   Even she could see that her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks tinged pink with excitement. 

As the car approached the tenth floor, she pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair, and ran her fingers through the tresses.  It left her with a little bit of a wild look, but it suited the way she felt right now. 

With a shallow breath, she exited the car and moved down the luxurious hallway, again not really aware of her surroundings.  The heels of her boots sank into the plush carpet as she inspected the passing room numbers in search of 10007, finally locating it near the end of the corridor.  She wiped her hand down the leg of her pants a little nervously before knocking. 

It wasn’t five seconds before the door swung open and Ava called over her shoulder, “Dad!  She’s here!”

With a smile, she greeted the girl.  “Hello, Ava.  How was your trip?”

“It was fine, thanks.”  Ava stepped back from the entrance to let Allegra enter the suite.  “Dad’s on the phone, I think.   He said this bedroom was yours,” she told her, gesturing toward the door to the left as she let the suite door close with a click.

Still in the dark about Richie’s sleeping arrangement plans, Allegra merely nodded, entering the room and placing the garment bag across the bed as Ava returned to the sofa and whatever was on her iPhone.  She was checking out her surroundings when she heard a sound in the doorway behind her.

Turning, with a smile, she found Richie casually propped against the jamb with a smile of his own.  “Hey, Sunshine.”

“Hey yourself, handsome.”  Now that she was here, with him in the same room, she grew a little nervous.  He was gorgeous in his black jeans and tee, but it was hard to reconcile this man, this face, with the man she’d bonded with through countless phone calls and text messages. 

He nodded toward the bed, and the mysterious garment bag.  “So is that your dress?”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you closer to it then you are me?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.  “Should I call you?  Would that be easier?”

Allegra blushed, embarrassed that he could guess what she’d been thinking.  “Maybe,” she admitted.

He opened his arms and invited her into their circle.  “C’mere.”

She didn’t need to be asked a second time, and stepped close, standing on tiptoes and looping her arms around his neck.  His arms closed around her and pulled her firmly against the hard wall of his chest.  With a gentle nudge, he walked her backward until they weren’t standing in the doorway any longer.  Loosening his hold on her, he dipped his head for a kiss, groaning in appreciation when her lips parted in invitation.

Allegra could feel the heat surging through her body the instant his lips touched hers, and it kicked up a notch when his tongue laid claim to her waiting mouth.  She pressed closer, totally lost in the moment and content to let the world fade away.

That is, until the chiming of her phone rudely interrupted.

She reluctantly ended the kiss, but Richie didn’t release her from his embrace.  He just rested his forehead against hers with a smile, saying softly, “Now that's more like it.  It’s good to see you, Sunshine.”

The lure of his lips was too much to resist, and Allegra touched them lightly again with hers, enamored with their softness. Nibbling lightly on his full lower lip, she drew it into her mouth, suckling gently with a soft sigh.

The pealing of her phone once again pierced the quiet.

Richie drew his head back and growled.  “That has to be Jon.  Nobody else would be so eager to intrude.”

Sliding out of his arms, she dug the offending instrument out of her back pocket.  “I’m sure you’re right, and he’s probably mad because I said I wasn’t coming to see him until after I’d seen you.”

“He asked to see you, huh?”

“Ordered is more like it,” she said showing him the text messages.

I need to see you.  Now.

Suite 10015.

Richie’s expression went from content to pissed in the space of a second, and he professed, “I’m going with you.”

Allegra laughed lightly, and rested her palm against his cheek.  “No, you’re not.  You’ve done your time already, and you’re going to stay here and enjoy the company of your daughter while I go and enjoy what will probably be a loud sharing of opinions with my cousin.  And, trust me, he won’t be the only one sharing his opinion.”