Chapter 42

Jon untucked his dress shirt and flicked open a few of the buttons. They’d ended up going to dinner after the meeting at Island and he was so done with the public for the night. He had a bit more downtime in Nashville, but there were still fans that found him. He just didn’t have the mental ability to deal with them tonight.

Thankfully they were a bit more kind and a lot less rude here in the south. He sat back in the comfortable couch and let his legs spread out before him. The dog tags he’d taken to wearing since the divorce slid across his chest making him think of home.

What were his kids doing now? What trouble were his two youngest sons causing on a Wednesday night for their mom?

What was Tessa doing? Would she be working? He glanced at his watch. She was probably closing up shop. He’d be able to call her in a little bit, maybe get some extra sleep for once.

Richie came from his room. “Hey, Jonny.”

“Hey, Rich,” he said with a tired smile. Nashville certainly agreed with his friend. Richie’s color was high again, and the deep lines that had started to carve away at his face had eased. Getting over Heather wasn’t easy, but he was getting there.

”So, you ready? Gonna change?”

Jon sighed, “I think I’m going to skip the bars tonight. I’m just dead. There’s a game on satellite so I’ll just zone for a bit and hit the sheets.”

“Boy, she must be some woman.”

He frowned.

“C’mon you’re pining, you shit.”

Jon gave him a crooked smile. “No, I’m not pining. I’m just so done with people today. I can’t deal with all the crowds and the noise. I just need to wind down a bit.”

Slamming his head against red tape, contracts and shared royalties was enough to send him to the hotel bar for two glasses of wine and he was feeling mellow. He didn’t want to ruin the nice glow. And if he called Tessa with a loose tongue, all the better to get her to talk sexy for him maybe.

“You go on, have a good time.”

Richie shrugged. “Your loss man, it’s ladies night,” he said waggling his eyebrows.

Jon tossed his cell on the table beside him. “It will be when I call Tessa later.”

“Pussy whipped,” Richie said low and slow.

Jon just gave him a bland stare. “The day I’m pussy whipped is the day I lose my dick. I just don’t like to share and I don’t think she does either.” Jon grabbed the remote and stretched out on the floor. He’d get undressed right after the first half.

Richie’s head tipped back with a laugh. Jon was so done. Unless this Tessa chick was a closet gold digger, he was lost. He was sorry to see it happen, but at the same time he knew it was just what Jon needed. It was kind of nice to have a single friend to hit the bars with, though.

He buttoned the last three buttons on his shirt in deference to the late night chill. Even in the south it was cooler in the evening. He grabbed the Stetson he habitually wore and grabbed his keycard. “See you later. Don’t wait up.”

Jon just waved and Richie headed to the elevator. He tucked the card into his hip pocket and nodded politely to the couple in the car. When he hit the lobby he smiled at the woman who’d just blew through the rotating doors. She was a pretty thing. Short and lean with a runner’s frame, she sported a cap of reddish hair and wide eyes.

She was biting on her lower lip, looking around the room. She had a helluva figure though for a little thing. And Richie always enjoyed a woman in hot boots. In his opinion it said a lot about their sense of humor especially when it was coupled with a short skirt.

Her eyes locked on his and she started for him. “Well hell,” he hadn’t fingered her for a groupie. He turned on the charm as he always did, “Hello.”

“Tell me I’m not imagining things and you’re Richie Sambora,” she said on a near whisper.

“In the flesh,” he said and smiled again. At least she wasn’t shrieking.

“Oh thank God.”

“Why? Are you going to take me away from this big bad world and home with you?”

She blinked, then laughed and looked up at him. “Well mercy, aren’t you the charmer?”

Richie smiled winningly. “I try.”

“I’m actually looking for Jon.”

He sighed. The pretty girls were always looking for Jon. “I’d be happy to sign an autograph and take a picture, darlin’ but Jon’s not here.” The lie came out smoothly.

Her face fell. Her bag slid off her shoulder and plopped onto the marble floor. “Shit.”

Richie frowned. That wasn’t the usual response. Usually it was cooing and flirtation to get his real location. And at the very least a fumbling smile followed by digging in the perpetually huge bags that women wore to get a picture and an autograph out of him. He glanced down at her bag and realized it was an overnighter.

She sucked in a deep breath and tried to smile at him. “I’m sorry, I must seem like a complete loon. I’m not even doing this right.”

Richie shifted and tried to ease her with another smile. “It’s okay. I’m used to women talking to me to get to Jon,” he said teasingly.

“Oh shit, this is definitely not coming out right.” She blinked away the frustration. “I’m Tessa,” she held out her hand. “It’s so very nice to meet you.”

He took her hand and the name niggled. “Nice to meet-“ her name clicked. “Oh fuck me.”

Her smile was natural now and so very sweet. “Now if you’d gotten me a week ago, that would have been an almost too delicious offer for words.”

Richie laughed and tugged her in for a hug. “You’re Tessa!”

Tessa started at the easy affection Richie showed, but her arms looped around his shoulders. “You know my name?”

He pulled back. “You bet, though I had to do some…that’s a lie, I just had to get him talking and he sinks his own ship.”

She laughed. She couldn’t get over how strange life was. How on earth did someone like her get to laugh and hug someone like Richie Sambora and how did she find a man like Jon? “I know it was completely insane to come here-“

“No! It’s amazing. He’s going to be so happy to see you.”

“So where is he?”

Richie dug out his keycard and handed it to her. “He’s in the room.”

“But you said…” she broke off as she realized exactly what she seemed like. Laughing she took the card, “Thought I was a groupie, huh?”

“Oh yeah, a hot one but you had fan written all of your face when you high tailed it over to me.”

She winced. “I hope not stalker fan.”

He laughed, “Nope, just determined fan.”

She reached up and pressed a kiss on his cheek. “Well, I am a fan too but it’s the man I want tonight.”

“Well, I will make myself scarce.”

”Oh no, you don’t have to do that.”

“There’s no way I’m coming back to the hotel knowing Jon’s got a pretty little thing with him all night. I’ll find something to do, don’t you worry,” he winked.

He rattled off the room number and strode off. Tessa watched him walk away before pressing her hand to her stomach. “Yes, you’re really doing this,” she told herself and pressed the button for the elevator. Lifting her bag she stepped into the sumptuous car. The walls were lined with green satin and brass in a very upscale design.

With a shaking finger she pushed the button for his floor and leaned back against the rail. God, she must have been insane to just hop a plane and come out there to see him. She could have thrown up when Richie had told her he wasn’t there. What if he hadn’t been there? What if Richie hadn’t been in the lobby?

She took a deep breath and settled herself. “Do not make yourself nuts,” she said to herself. When the doors opened with a whisper she took one shaky step over the threshold. “He wants to see you, even Richie said so,” she said.

When she reached the door she stared at the card in her hands. Should she knock? Should she just walk in? She curled her fingers into her hand and took a deep breath, pushing the card into the electronic lock. The door flashed green on the first try and she opened the door.

Jon rolled over, but didn’t turn to face her. His gaze was locked on the wide flat panel TV on the wall. “Bored already, asshole?” he asked.

She didn’t say anything. Couldn’t really get any words out to be truthful. He was sprawled out on the carpet with his head cushioned on a cream colored ottoman. His shirt tails were rumpled and untucked from fitted dress pants and most of the buttons on the shirt had been opened. Wide cuffs dangled low on his hands as he lay relaxed with one hand across his belly.

Her bag thumped to the thick carpeting and she swallowed. “Nope, not bored in the least,” she managed to say finally.