Chapter Forty-Nine

To:     The Girls
From: Q
Re:     You’re Not Gonna Believe This Shit…

Holy crap girls, I’m sitting in the empty arena watching/listening to the guys run through their sound check.  How crazy is this?   Richie ripped up my ticket for the show tonight and nonchalantly hung an all access pass around my neck and told me it’s good for any show I want to see this tour.

I’m still shaking my head in disbelief.

*sigh*

Wish you all were here.

Hugs,

Q

~

Sitting on a couch in the curtained off area backstage, Stephanie did her best to not get in anyone’s way.  Jon was sitting alone on the big blue couch working on the night’s set list, the television was on but no one was paying attention to it.  She shook her head at the tackiness of the bling-ed out skull that was sitting on the table where Jon was working.  Tico was using his hand-held massager to warm up his arms, David was perusing the food table and Richie was chatting with Paul Korzilius.

It was all so surreal.

She closed her eyes trying to commit everything to memory and a long shadow fell over her.  She opened her eyes to find Richie standing in front of her.

“Are we boring you, sweetheart?”  The way she was curled up in the corner of the couch with her eyes closed, he thought for sure she had fallen asleep.  “I know it’s not as exciting back here as it used to be, but we’re old men now.”

She chuckled and shook her head.  “Not in the least.  I’m trying to memorize everything.  I don’t want to forget anything when I tell my friends about this later.”  She chewed on her lower lip, “is it okay to tell them?”

He held out his hand and pulled her up from her seat.  “You can tell them anything you want, sweetheart.”  They were long past there being anything incriminating backstage.  If she wanted to share the experience with her friends, so be it.

She grinned as she followed behind him.  “Thanks.  Where are you taking me?”

He stopped at the food table.  “I’m hungry, how about you?”

She looked at the table and her stomach grumbled.   She realized then that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.  “I could eat.”

Together they made plates and went back to the couch she had been sitting on to eat.  Before she knew it, it was show time.

Richie walked her to where Paul was standing near the gap in the curtain and dropped a kiss on her lips.  “See you after the show.  Have fun.”

In her excitement she gave him a loud smacking kiss, “thank you, hon.” She turned to follow Paul and out and then turned back, “Rich?”

His heart did a slow roll in his chest at how uninhibited she seemed to be tonight and he couldn’t help but smile at her use of the endearment. It was the first time she’d called him anything other than his given name.  Tonight was going to be good night.  “Yeah, sweetheart?”

She smiled tenderly, “have a great show.”

Paul led her out to the side of the stage.  She had an unimpeded view of Richie and all across the stage.  She held her breath waiting.  Bouncing, trembling with anticipation.

And then there they were in the dark, Richie slipping the guitar over his head, Tico sneaking onto the drum riser, David taking his place at the keys, Hugh strapping on his bass.  And before she could blink, there were the opening bars of Last Man Standing and Jon bigger than life center stage.

She raised her camera and snapped a flurry of pictures, then let the camera dangle forgotten from her wrist as she got lost in the one thing that had no memories of Mark or Ben attached.  This music, was hers.  Mark had liked the band well enough, but not to degree that she had.  All her memories, save two, were linked with her girlfriends.  Every show, every song, every tried and true line from Jon’s mouth belonged to her and her friends.  Here, there was no grief, no sadness.  Here, she knew nothing but joy and happiness.

Here, this band, their music, filled her soul and all the broken pieces inside her started to mend.

And Richie.  

He played with such fierce, unbridled passion that it couldn’t be contained. Emotion contorted his face to a myriad of expressions as his fingers flew across the strings.  She chuckled to herself.  She’d seen his million faces and had rocked them all.

Her heart swelled and what she had been feeling since the night before bloomed bigger in her chest.  She was his.  He was hers, whatever.  The man who at this very moment was absolutely killing it through the solo in Dry County was hers.  She stared at him, her hand pressed to her chest, trying to keep her heart from pounding right out and onto the floor.  

She couldn’t wait for the show to be over.  She needed to touch him, be near him.  Be with him.

~

Taking their final bows, Richie glanced over to the side of the stage.  The spot where she had been standing all night was empty now.  Where did she go?  He bowed with his brothers, waved, blew a kiss and applauded the audience.  They really did have the most awesome fans.

Following the guys off stage, he moved quickly, grabbing a towel and wiping off the sweat as he moved, checking the curtained area first.  She wasn’t there.  His second stop was the ladies’ room.  Covering his eyes with his hand he poked his head in the door, “sweetheart?” When he got no answer he moved on down the hall toward his dressing room.

He barely got the door shut behind him when he had his arms full of his sweet, eager woman.  “Thank God” he murmured between the kisses she was raining down on him.  He framed her face in his hands and pulled her mouth from his.  “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

She met his gaze with hers.  “Sorry.  I came back here to wait for you.”  She pursed her lips, watching him, waiting.

Gently he drew her chin up and met her lips with his own.  He couldn’t deny the hunger in her eyes.  Ideally they should wait until they were back at the hotel, but he didn’t want to. He hadn’t dallied like this back stage in years, but her eagerness and his own need for her mingled with the adrenaline rush had him throwing good sense out the window.  

Maneuvering them, he pressed her back against the door, his hand trailed down her side, pressing against her breast.  He didn’t miss the fact that her nipple was pressing against the palm of his had though the material of her bra and her shirt.  He tweaked it harder than he intended and her hips jerked forward against him. 

“Ri-” the sound was lost as their mouths came together again.

He caught the groan before it could become a shout or a scream.  “Shhh, you need to be quiet” he breathed in her ear.  His hand traveled lower, skimming over the flat of her stomach, his fingers slipping down along the seam, rubbing, teasing her over the heavy denim before walking back up to find the button and zipper.  He slipped his hand inside, found her wet and ready for him.  He’d quickly give her what she wanted now, but later, when they were somewhere infinitely more private, he’d take his time, slowly giving them both what they needed.

Her hands fisted in his shirt as his fingers danced between her thighs, plucking at her clit and stroking her to near insanity.  She grappled with his shirt, pushing it up, her hands racing across his chest, his stomach, his back, anywhere she could touch.  She swiped her tongue across his still sweaty nipple and groaned.  She was right there, if he would just… “Rich… I…” she sucked his nipple into her mouth to stifle the scream as her orgasm consumed her. 

He grunted and pressed her head against his chest, “that’s right sweetheart” he murmured as she rolled her hips against his hand.  “Come for me, come for me.”  He kept his fingers moving in and out, as she rode out her release and slowly started to settle against him.

As the tremors eased, she swirled her tongue around his nipple one last time before releasing him.  Her eyes started to clear and she could see she left a love bite on his chest.  “Sorry.”

He slid his hand from inside her jeans and glanced down, there was definitely going to be a bruise there tomorrow but he didn’t care.  “S’okay.”  He looked back at her, “you all right?”  She was leaning against the door looking slightly hung over.

She smiled at him, “never better.”  She let her eyes roam over him, pausing as they took in the very large bulge just below his belt.  Reaching out, her fingers toyed idly with his belt.  “I can help you with that.”  She licked her lips and looked up coyly at him, “if you want me to.”

He had no idea how much time had passed since he had left the stage and no idea how much time they had before the vans left to go back to the hotel, but when a beautiful woman offers to give you a blow job, you don’t say no.  He didn’t answer, but his hands made quick work of buckle, button and zipper.

She took his non-answer as a yes and slowly pushed his pants to the tops of his thighs.  Any rumor she had ever heard about his size were not lies.  His erection was impressive.  His cock was so hard and heavy that it didn’t curl up to hug his belly.  Once free from his pants, it hung low, waiting, twitching expectantly.  She stroked him lightly from tip to root, her hand sliding down lower to tease his balls which were full and tight.  She looked up at him.  He was leaning over her, his hands braced against the door.  “Maybe we should switch places?”

With him leaning against the door she slowly dropped to her knees, licking her lips as she went.  The broad head was slick, shiny with the drops he couldn’t hold back.  She laved the tip with her tongue, tasting him for the first time before slowly taking him into her mouth.  She eased back, wetting his shaft and head thoroughly before taking him back in again. When she felt his head nudge the back of her throat, she braced her hands on his hips and swallowed.  Then she sucked.  Hard.

Richie closed his eyes and his right hand fisted in her hair.  Fuck, he was gonna come in a minute if she kept that up.  No one had ever accused him of being a minute man before, but fuck she was good at this.  He pumped his hips as she moved along his length, sucking again at the tip.  She took him deep again and someone rattled the door knob and knocked loudly.  He jumped and pressed his hips forward and Stephanie nearly gagged.

“Rich?!  Five minutes man, vans are leaving in five minutes!.”

He looked down at her, she had pulled her mouth from him and was looking up at him.  “Sorry darlin’.  Are you okay?”

She nodded and started again and there was another knock. 

“Rich!”  The door knob rattled again.

She looked up at Richie again, “answer him this time so he leaves us alone.”

“What?!”

Stephanie leaned in, “keep talking” and took him into her mouth again.

“Fuck!”

“Are you all right man?”  Jon was beginning to wonder just what his wingman was up to.  He had left the stage in a hurry and hadn’t been seen since.

“I’m fi-” fuck he was nearly there and didn’t want to shoot his load with Jon standing on the other side of the door talking to him.  “I’m fine man.  I’ll-” he gripped Stephanie’s head with both hands and pumped his hips, he tried to keep his growl quiet as he emptied into Stephanie’s mouth.

Taking a deep breath he slumped back against the door and gave Stephanie a sated smile.  Then he remembered Jon was on the other side of the damn door.  “Jon?”

“Yeah man?  Are you sure you’re all right?

“I’m more than fine.  Get the fuck outta here.  I’ll be along in a minute.”  He heard Jon’s heavy footfalls as he walked away.  He turned his attention to the woman who now stood in front of him.  She looked like a woman who had been thoroughly ravished.  Her lips were full and slightly swollen, her eyes were heavy, her hair mussed and damn did she look good to him.

He took her hands and pulled her in to him, tucking her head under his chin while he continued to catch his breath.