FIFTEEN

Bella got her winter white coat off the hanger as she headed for the door. She opened it up and ushered Jon in. “Am I getting spoiled with the right on time thing, or is that going to change?”

Jon laughed and pressed a quick kiss on her cherry colored lips. He flicked his finger over the old fashioned Christmas light bulbs that dangled from her ears, glowing a warm red. “Look at that, I’ll find you all night,” he murmured before settling into a proper kiss hello.

Bella’s arms surrounded yet another one of his leather jackets. This one had red piping and a black hoodie and black t-shirt beneath it. “Glad I dressed down,” she said and tugged on his hood strings.

“These guys are pretty down to earth.” He took in her slim jeans and red sweater, enjoying the woman without her millions of layers his thumbs traced the soft fur of her sweater at her hips. She’d left her curls down and soft around her face, flowing down over her shoulders and behind her. He gently tugged on a lock, letting the springy texture slide through his fingers. “God, I love your hair.”

“I’ll remind you of that statement when it’s three times its size by the end of the night.”

“I’ll find you in any crowd then, won’t I?”

For the second time, he made a crack about finding her. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” She shook her head and let him help her into her coat. “Oh, hey you dropped these,” he held out her gloves.

Blushing she tossed them on her entry way’s bench. “Don’t know how that happened.”

He grinned and opened the door. “Gloves get lost all the time.”

She snorted and followed him out the door, locking it before she saw yet another car in her driveway. “Just how many cars do you have?”

“Right now?” he tucked his hands into his jeans pocket and rocked back on his heels. “I think it’s five. I just got another new one, but that’s got some work ahead before she’s highway bound.”

She walked her fingers over the sleek lines, letting the white of her furry gloves smooth their way over the black and chrome. “Not exactly the best weather for a Stingray.”

“No, but there’s no snow in the forecast,” he leaned in and opened the door. “You complaining?”

“No sir!”

He waited for her to swing her legs in. “That’s what I thought.”

The trip was about a half hour and he distracted her with a funny story about his middle child and finding a Christmas stash at his new apartment. “He’s a sneaky little bugger, that’s for sure,” he said in way of ending.

“Kinda like his dad.”

He glanced at her that crooked grin in place. “I’m not sneaky; I’ve told you what I want.”

Her stomach flipped. That was very true. In fact, if he got any more honest her panties would hit the floor of their own volition. She was saved from forming an answer when Count Basie’s Theater loomed from the side window. “We’re going to a show?”

“Something like that,” he said with a secretive smile.

“Not sneaky, my ass.”

“Oh, I’d be sneaky for your ass. It’s mighty pretty.”

She just rolled her eyes and opened her door as they parked. “What, so I don’t get to open your door anymore?” he asked as he met up with her at the front of the car.

“Oh hush,” she said and walked ahead of him to read the marquis. “I’ve never heard of these guys. Who’s South Side Jonnie?”

“One of my heroes,” he said simply and steered her toward a side door. She listened as he explained where some of his roots came from, and about the man that had gotten him into music when all was said and done. She loved to hear him talk. At first, some of it sounded like he was giving a well rehearsed line, but then his face softened as he told her of a few personal stories.

“He helped me a lot after the whole eighties implosion. I almost hung it up, right then and there, but he let me just hang out, sing back up and just be a musician again. I hit the road with my bike and found myself and when I needed to sing and to play, he let me sit in with them. When I wanted to just be around people, he understood. When I wanted to get rip-roaring drunk, he poured the whisky.”

“Sounds like that understanding uncle that every guy should have in his life,” she said and bumped his hip with hers.

He slung his arm over her shoulder and tugged her in for a squeeze. “He really was. We’re not too far apart in age, but enough that there’s almost a generation of music between us. I don’t get to see him as often as I like, but when I do, it’s like old times.”

“I can’t wait to meet him.”

At the side door a security guard stood dour and forbidding. When Jon came up his face creased into a smile of welcome. “How’s it going Mr. B?”

“Hey Kevin, it’s goin’ good, goin’ good. How’s the folks?”

Kevin nodded. “Mom sure misses Mrs. B’s cookies now that she’s moved to Florida.”

Jon smiled. “She’s baked just as much and smuggled them on the plane, so don’t let your mother worry in the least, my mom will be out and about to visit all her friends. Hey, is Obie inside?”

Kevin bobbed his head. “Oh yeah, wreaking havoc on the engineers and everything.”

Jon rolled his eyes. “Great,” he sighed. “Well, you have a nice holiday.”

“You too, Mr. B.”

“How do you remember everyone’s name?” she asked in awe.

“Oh Kevin? He’s been working security here since he was eighteen. We used to do a Christmas concert here almost every year with the fan club and Kevin cut his security guard teeth on the slippery groupies that always turned up.”

“Slippery, huh? As in the album?”

He grinned. “As in the sneaky, hide in any corner to pounce on the five of us, variety of females.”

“Really?”

“Have you ever been backstage, Izzy?”

“I’ve never even been to a Bon Jovi show.”

“No? Huh,” he said with a little bit of wonder. “You know the songs at least?”

She nodded. “Oh yeah, I have a few of your albums even. I especially like the new one. I just don’t go to concerts very often.”

He stopped and turned to her, “You don’t like live music?”

“Oh no, I love it. Just nobody to go with,” she said with a shrug. “Most of my girlfriends are either not into music at all or, go for a much softer type like Celine Dion and that kind of thing.”

“Aww, man, they don’t know what they’re missing. But you’ll learn tonight.”

And she did. She stood along the side of the stage and schmoozed, drank and enjoyed the entire show. She caught Jon tapping his feet and she gave a startled laugh when he pulled her into a quick box step along the side as Southside and a few other artists sang a jazzy version of, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause.”

His voice was smoky and playful as he turned her round and round, letting his thigh slide between hers until she was ready to scream as well as laugh. He sang along with the words, changing them here and there to suit his purposes. Just when she didn’t think she could get any more breathless he twirled her out onto the stage and sang the final verse with Johnnie.

His voice was loud and fun loving as he shared the mic with his mentor as the song was lengthened for that, “one more time!” until the entire theater was singing and dancing to trumpets, tambourines and a jolly St. Nick that waggled his finger at her, then tapped his cheek for a kiss.

Unable to stop herself, she leaned in only to have him turn so that she had to kiss him on the lips. With mock indignation, Jon tugged her back and waggled his finger right back at Santa. Yanking her back to the mic with him he encouraged her to sing and because no one could hear her over the rest of the singers she happily obliged.

They all took their bows and the house lights went low. With cats eye precision he slid through the group of musicians and brought her back to the side stage. “Gotta go work, babe. Be right back,” and he pressed a sweaty kiss to her lips.

She brought her hand up, conscious of the buzz of excitement that he left behind. He went back to the mic, with a lone spotlight highlighting him. He was unadorned, except for his black t-shirt and a pair of worn in jeans, his hair already disheveled. He looked like he just rolled out of bed. And immediately she thought of her pretty sleigh bed with its mound of pillows and the fresh sheets she’d put on that morning.

Oh Bella, get a grip.

She focused on the stage and the man, and the spotlight that stayed on him as the bars to a song she didn’t know flowed out sweet and haunting. He closed his eyes and she had no other words for what she’d seen. He simply slipped away into the song. She wasn’t sure he was even aware of his audience or even the musicians around him. Nothing sounded sweeter or sadder than the song that could only be named, Hallelujah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1JrQwfAdlA

And as the song rose and he held the most incredible note she’d ever heard in person, her entire body shivered. The emotion and the strength it took for him to hold onto it, and ultimately deliver something so gut wrenching left her shattered. “Jesus,” she said on a gasp.

“He’s an amazing guy.”

Bella turned to John from Southside and dashed at her eyes. “I’ve never heard anything like that.”

“Jonny’s always fighting to show people that he’s more than the hair, sometimes he falls on his face and sometimes you get a taste of sweet heaven.”

Her attention shifted back to the man on the stage as he accepted a guitar and one of his newer hits drove the crowd to their feet. And she found a smile in her tears. There was a glimmer of the man she was getting to know in the musician she watched with a spot of awe.

She could see the honest enjoyment as he collaborated with the men and women on the stage. As the evening wore on, a few more members of his band showed up and being surrounded by that level of testosterone was a little intimidating.

David was her first foray into his inner sanctum. It was a strange situation to be teased and tested all in the same breath. She’d also been the unlikely ping pong ball between Jon and Hugh, his bassist, in the backstage between sets. She’d never experienced anything like the conversations they had. They knew each other so well, and so many inside jokes floated between them that she felt like she was entering another world.

A woman touched her shoulder. “Hi, I’m Kellie, Hugh’s wife.”

Bella smiled, “Isabella. I’m Jon’s…” she trailed off. “Date, I guess.”

“You looked a little overwhelmed,” she swished a glassful of wine around and flicked her hair over her shoulder. “They can be a handful.”

“I don’t have any words for it. I’ve known blood brothers with less knowledge of each other than these guys. And believe me, I’m Italian, they were close.”

“They live out of each others pockets so much, they probably know too much to be honest. It can be a little daunting to even be around the lot of them too much. It took a long time for me to feel comfortable around them. I just wanted to say, stick it out. It’s worth it.”

Bella blushed. “We’re just dating. Date three to be exact.”

Kellie smiled knowingly. “He wouldn’t have brought you here if there wasn’t something there already. Just take my advice and don’t let them bully you.”

“Got it,” Bella said and glanced over at the group of men. Jon, Hugh and David were joined with a few other artists that she couldn’t name. John Lyon entered the room, shades and all, handing Jon a pair as the laughter increased again.

Jon looked over his shoulder and caught her eye, detangling himself with only a few ribbings and something of the blue variety as he laughed with that open belly shock and amusement that could only be something gutter related. He carried a red plastic cup with a dark liquid in it.

“Christmas cheer?” she asked with a giggle as he was still laughing.

“I don’t know what it is, but it sure isn’t Diet Coke.” He took a sip and handed it to her. “At least not only Diet Coke.”

She took the cup from him and set it on one of the many tables that littered the backstage. All decorated for Christmas in garish tinsel top paper display bells and red and green paper chains that had been done by the kids that performed in the bread and butter operation of Count Basie Theater.

“Hey! I wasn’t done with that.” He slid his hand around her waist and twirled her into that box step dance.

“Didn’t your mama teach you not to accept drinks from strangers?”

“Jonny gave it to me.”

She snorted and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “John Lyon?”

He nodded, his eyes a little glassy, “Yup!”

“Well that settles it, I’m driving.”

His thumbs found the back of her wool pants and slipped under her sweater. “I don’t know…I don’t let anyone drive my ‘Vette.”

“Then you shouldn’t have sipped from the forbidden cup.”

His nose nuzzled her ear as he nibbled his way around her earring until it fell into his hand. “There we go,” he said and sucked her entire lobe into his mouth, grazing his teeth over the sensitive tips. “What were you saying?”

Her head fell back as he tugged again. “Not sure,” she managed.

“Don’t worry, I don’t drink and drive, but if you still aren’t comfortable when we leave you can drive and I’ll distract you,” he said into her ear really low and really whispery. His fingers drew slow circles at the base of her spine. “You have the softest skin.”

“How long do we have to stay?” she said brokenly.

“Gotta stay to the end,” he said and moved his distracting mouth along her cheek and settled it a breath away from hers. “It’s for a good cause,” he said against her mouth. Each word brushed against her lips, but he didn’t settle, instead the glassy look in his eyes faded away. They were a clear blue, with just a touch of cheer but far more intent. “Let me stay the night,” he said still that millimeter away from her mouth.

“Yes,” she said without a moment’s hesitation.