Chapter Fifty Six

“You and Rachel seem very comfortable together.”  

Rick Howe, according to Rachel, had been married to her sister Robin, for nearly twenty-five years.  Jon assumed that meant he knew her better than most, so he took the man’s comment as a good thing as he settled himself on a high stool. With his foot kicking one of the umpteen bags he and Rick and been delegated to babysit, Jon wondered how two women could acquire so much during a single morning in San Francisco’s Union Square. It boggled the mind really, and had driven the two men to retreat to an Irish pub on O’Farrell Street. The official excuse was to get out of the cold, Bay breeze but it was really to sit on their asses in a non-shopping environment and indulge in a little ‘guy time’.

   

Keeping Jon’s identity under wraps hadn't been all that difficult. There were a few second glances but nobody expected to see Jon Bon Jovi Christmas shopping in San Francisco. So between the mountains of bags and his usual ‘disguise’ of an unshaven face, baseball hat and sunglasses, the men had been left undisturbed. Jon found Rick to be an easy guy to hang out with and his unique relationship with Rachel allowing an insight into the woman he hadn't been privy to thus far was certainly an added bonus.

“Gotta tell you though,” Rick went on; “ I'm surprised she gave you a shot. Not you, per se, because considering how relaxed she is I’d say you’re probably good for her. I'm talking about any guy.”

Jon took a long swallow of the dark ale and nodded with a laugh at Rick’s perception of Rachel’s hesitancy to get involved in a new relationship. “Yeah, well she wasn't exactly warm and welcoming. I dunno what made me keep chasing her, but the first time I saw her I was intrigued and then I couldn't get her off my mind. Unfortunately, she wasn't as ‘wowed’ by my charms as I was hers.”

“She can be hard to get to know, but you won’t find a more loyal gal than Rachel - unless it would be Robin. Those two are rare. They’ll handle a major crisis without a tear. I swear man, they could organize a White House dinner in fifteen minutes but they’ll stop traffic for a stray dog. Soft as marshmallows…both of ‘em.”  

Rick’s admiration for the sisters was obvious, as was the mutual affection the girls shared for the husband of the eldest sister. “But Rachel changed after the accident. The lights were on but nobody was home, ya know? I’d actually forgotten just how bubbly she is until this weekend.”

“She’s not like anybody I've ever met, that’s for sure. She’s a spunky little thing.”  

Rick finished his beer and motioned to the waitress to bring them another round. “Odd choice of words. Nick used to call her the ‘Queen of Spunk’. He said she could take on a grizzly bear in the woods at night, armed with only a switch…and she’d win.” His laughter was mixed with a melancholy look in his eyes that Jon could only assume was at the memory of his late brother-in-law and the good times they had shared. “He thought she walked water while hanging the moon.”

“From what she’s told me they had a good relationship…”  Jon wasn't sure exactly how to respond to his new friend’s change in mood. The last thing he wanted to do was open up old wounds.

“Yeah, they were the envy of everybody they knew. Nick was a very charismatic guy - Mr Personality – funny as hell! And he thought Rachel was a Penthouse Pet.” Rick shook his head while accepting the beer from the waitress and smiled before continuing. “If he told me once he told me a hundred times about the first time he saw her in a white bikini. He said she was sexy as hell but was so innocent she didn't have a clue about it….. I think that was one of the things he loved most about her - her innocence.”

The twinge of jealousy Jon felt was brief and fleeting, quickly replaced with a fond and if somewhat sheepish grin. He had his own vivid images of Rachel in his favorite bikini. “I’d have to agree with him…she’s taken good care of herself and can still turn heads in a bathing suit. I can see what he meant by her innocence, she still has that in a lot of ways.”

Rick licked the foam from the ale off his upper lip and tried not to choke as he laughed. “Obviously you've not pissed her off. She loses that ‘innocent cherubic’ quality when she’s pissed. Her sister taught her well - both of them can rip your guts out in less than ten words if you’re an asshole.”

Jon nodded knowingly. “Been there, done that…”

“Got the t-shirt, too huh?”

“Oh yeah! She doesn't put up with any of my shit, that’s for sure.” Jon nodded his thanks to the waitress for his fresh ale and took a handful of the mixed nuts placed before them.

Rick raised his glass to Jon in a toast. “You’ll never be bored man…I’ll guarantee you that.”

“True…. I'm anything BUT bored. “ Jon tapped his glass to Rick’s, returning the toast. “I guess that’s one of the things I like about her. There’s not much about her I don’t like actually, except that she works as much as I do and sometimes we’re like two ships passing in the night.”

Rick chewed on the hazelnut he’d picked out of the bowl of nuts and nodded. “How’s she getting along with her ex-boyfriend….the new boss…James something-or-other…what’s his name?”

“I've never heard her mention him….you mean her new boss is her ex?”

What the hell?!

“Yeah…he was a real prick. Man, don’t tell her I even mentioned it. We were all shocked that she’d move across the country, let alone have anything to do with him again. We figured she’d end up back together with him, so the whole family was thrilled that YOU came into the picture. Rock star was preferable to prick, ya know?”

“Great. Thanks for the endorsement. So what’s the story with this James guy?” Jon’s light response wasn't an accurate reflection of his mood but he didn't want to alert Rick to anything. If he realized that this was all news to him, he might not be so willing to give up information. 

“I don’t really remember all the details. It was about the time Robin and I got married so I wasn't really interested in baby sister’s love life woes. But I do recall that he was a real playboy. A few years older than she was, he thought his shit didn't stink. He swept her off her feet and got her into bed, then ran around on her. She was pretty young and totally inexperienced.”  

Fortunately Rick didn't notice the subtle clenching in Jon’s jaw, because the appetizer menu had captured his attention and the beer had loosened his tongue allowing him to continue on his rambling meander down memory lane.  

“Then she met Nick, which we thought was like going from the frying pan into the fire but he turned out to be a good guy…at least to Rachel. If I remember it right, it seems like maybe this James guy came back around right before Rachel and Nick got married and Robin was worried that she’d run out on Nick. But I don’t remember exactly what all went down. Robin was always concerned that Nick was a rebound thing.”

Ho. Lee. Shit!  ‘Saint Nick’ was a rebound?

“So she was into this James guy enough that there was a concern she’d call off her wedding to Nick? That’s hard to imagine because I tend to think of the guy as ‘Saint Nick’, the way she talks about him.” Jon was aware at this point that he was no longer bordering on gossip, which he despised but he’d already crossed well over the border. He knew this was a conversation he should be having with Rachel, not her sister’s husband and smoothly changed the direction of the conversation. “Well, I guess there’s still a lot I don’t know about my girl….in addition to not knowing what to get her for Christmas. Any suggestions?”

“Seriously, dude… I've got all I can handle trying to figure out something to buy for Robin that she doesn't exchange or flat-out return. I usually just go with diamonds.”

Grateful that his pub partner hadn't lingered on the touchy subject, Jon pursued the new topic with enthusiasm. “Diamonds, huh? I was thinking about jewellery…what does she like?”

“I dunno, man, you’ll have to ask Robin that kind of stuff.  I can’t keep up with my OWN woman-I sure as hell can’t keep up with yours….”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The foursome spent the following day touring local vineyards and Jon had found a couple wines he particularly liked, ordering a case of each and bringing several bottles home with them that night. Back at the house, Rachel had gone upstairs to shower while Jon returned phone calls and checked in with his kids. When she returned to the family room, she found a roaring fire in the floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace. The lights were dimmed and yet another bottle of wine was open and breathing on the hearth. Jon, still dressed in jeans and a form fitting charcoal grey sweater, was scrunched into the oversized leather chair with his legs thrown up on the ottoman looking every bit as comfortable as he if slouched in it every night. The image made Rachel wonder if it was the obscene amount of wine they’d consumed that had her already panting for him, or if he really was that picture-perfect.

Jon’s thoughts were mirroring hers. Considering the healthy dose of wine they’d drunk it was a miracle he was still awake but then Rachel strolled through the kitchen into the family room. His breath hitched when he saw how her Henley-style pyjamas clung to her breasts in the most erotic way. It was a perfect example of the innocence Jon and Rick had discussed only the day before – Rachel made no attempt to be sexy, only warm and comfortable. That was one of the things that turned him on the most about her – she had no idea how sexy she was.  

“C’mere.” Jon raised his arm at the elbow to take her hand and gently pull her down on his lap. He looped his arm around her legs and draped them off the opposite armrest. “Fun day, huh?”

“It was! Are you enjoying yourself as much as you seem to be?”

He thought his mouth actually watered at the sight of her lazily laid out across him with the tiniest peek of flesh showing when her pyjama top crept up. “Yeah, I am. I haven’t spent a lot of extended time around here; it’s nothing like L.A…I actually like it here.”

Her mouth just naturally gravitated to his; it wasn't even a conscious thought before she teased him about his well-known love of  'all things wine', a habit she had adopted as well. “You just like all the wineries.”

Fire-warmed fingertips slipped under the burgundy colored Henley top and absently traced circles around her belly button. “Nah, what I really like is day and night with you. Watching you with your family, I'm a little surprised you ever left them. You’re obviously close.”

Rachel nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. “Back when I left, I just needed to get out of here, I was suffocating. Who knew abandoning my entire life in California for a New Jersey adventure would lead me right back here…and right into your lap?” Her smile was relaxed and warm, lust clearly evident in her eyes. “This job opportunity was a lifesaver…in more ways than one.”  

Jon had a decision to make. He could go down the well-travelled ‘lust’ road or he could take the opening Rachel had presented and bring up the subject that had been quietly nagging at him all day. Trusting his gut he backed the car up and steered it through the opening that would close like an automated garage door if he didn't take it.

“Rick said something about your boss being your ex-boyfriend? You never mentioned that.”  

Rachel reached for the bottle of wine and poured a healthy amount into a single glass and took a sip before she offered it to him. “Oh geez….that’s such ancient history it doesn't even bear wasting our time on.”

“Is that, by chance, the guy with the black Mercedes?” Jon brought the liquid to his lips, finishing it in one swallow and sat the empty glass back on the hearth.  

Rachel’s intentions were obvious, her lips already tracing his jawline when she murmured, “Mm hmm, how did you know that?”

“I've seen his car at your place a couple times.”

She barely noticed or acknowledged the subject of her ex-lover who was now her boss, her attention focused solely on the patch of chest hair protruding from the top of his snug shirt. “And?”

The hand that was already stroking her middle began to slip further up and Jon slid a finger across the side of her breast as he spoke. “And… I didn't like it. I like it even less now that I know his connection to you.” The finger crept to the nipple and circled it. “Which is why I made up my mind to get rid of him months ago.”

Rachel cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? You think you got rid of him huh?”

Thumb and forefinger from one hand pinched the nipple while the other hand slid up the pyjama top from the back. “Oh yeah. Done deal. He’s history.”

It didn't take much to light the fire that seemed to be at a constant simmer these days anyway. Whether it was the wine or the man, Rachel began to squirm on his lap and wanted a lot more of what he was teasing. “You think you've got me all wrapped up, huh? Nobody else is even competition?”

Jon was a little surprised at the sheer delight he took in this woman. He enjoyed her body - that was a no brainer. Her heart was as deep as the ocean and he loved that about her, but he was most enthralled with her witty, devilish little mind and the way it challenged him.   

“No competition at all, baby. From what I saw, you wouldn't give ol’ Jimmy the time of day.” He held up one finger to accentuate his next point. “AND YET… you couldn't even wait to get to a respectable bedroom before you all but raped ME in my own kitchen! I doubt that guy could even get you off for fear he’d mess up his hair.”

A wry smirk formed at Rachel’s lips and she ran a finger across his mouth before pressing further into his body for the softest of kisses. “You’re such an arrogant, cocky thing…You’re not even worried about any other man, are you?”

“Nah. I'm no more worried about another man catching YOUR eye, than you are another woman catching mine.” Jon felt her hand slipping under the hem of his shirt and was surprised at the sameness of her touch…and what a turn on that in and of itself was. “Besides, I have you so hypnotized by the sheer volume and intensity of the sex you’ll never leave me.”

Her tone was dripping with tongue in cheek sarcasm. “You’re right, of course. My life was empty and meaningless before you got me drunk enough to let you have your way with me.”

Jon’s hand moved beneath the elastic of her pyjama pants where he knew he would find confirmation that their original topic of her past love was all but forgotten.

“I did not get you drunk. I only encouraged you to drink so you’d let me do more than kiss you. Which worked out pretty well for me actually, because now I know you don’t require the respectability of an actual bedroom to let me have my way with you!”