Ch 29 ~ Fun In Sin City

“Alright, Princess… Up and at ‘em!  It’s fun, fun, fun day in Las Vegas.”

Jon’s enthusiastic voice, his weight on the bed beside her, his hand patting her hip and the scent of coffee were Rachel’s first bits of morning consciousness.  Why was he being so cruel as to wake her?  It was early, the bed was sooooo comfy….

“Go ‘way.  It’s too early to have fun,” she grumbled, pulling the covers up over her shoulder and burrowing down into the mattress.

“Bullshit.  It’s nearly one o’clock.  I’ve already worked out, had a shower and a gallon of coffee.  If you don’t get that beautiful little ass out of bed soon, my plans for ‘fun day’ will be shot.”

One o’clock?  What?? 

Rachel’s forehead furrowed in denial, unable to believe it was early afternoon.  In her entire life she’d never slept until one in the afternoon!  The days and nights with Jon were clearly playing havoc with her internal body clock. 

“Why can’t we just sleep the day away?” she groaned, turning her face into the pillow to block the light.

The words had no more left her mouth than covers were whipped back, casting a slight chill over her naked body.  “Unacceptable.  When you were in Miami you went out on the town with that dipshit James because you ‘needed some fun in your life’.  Well, I’m gonna show you so much extreme fun, you’ll be begging for mercy by the end of the day.  Now get up.”

The sharp smack of his hand on her backside startled Rachel’s eyes wide open with a yelp.  She flipped to her back and eyed him crossly.  “You’re an asshole sometimes, yanno?  I’m so tired that my hair hurts and the room feels like it’s spinning.  How can you possibly be awake and alert?”

“Thirty years of having my days and nights run together.  Don’t worry, the body acclimates pretty quickly,” he assured her, holding out the cup of coffee in his hand, fully dressed and ready to face the day.  “You’ll get used to the vampire hours.”

Rachel dragged into a sitting position, propped herself up and accepted the liquid life Jon offered.  She groaned with appreciation as that first blessed sip hit her tastebuds and slid down her throat.  With enough of this, she might actually be able to function. 

Cradling the cup in both hands, she let her head thunk back against the leather padded headboard and allowed her eyelids to close for a moment more.  “I don’t need to get used to this crazy life of yours.  I’ll be going home in a couple days.”

“Yeah.  I’ve been thinking about that.”  Jon took the coffee mug from her, sipped and returned it to her before continuing his thought.  “You’ve always said you loved your job because it let you work from anywhere most of the time.   So… how feasible is it for you to travel with me after Vegas?”

Despite the lack of alert brain cells, she knew the answer to that without hesitating.

“I can’t.  My niece is getting married next weekend, and I have to get back to help Robin with the last minute stuff.   Leanne is the only girl in the family now, so this wedding is a huge deal.  They’ll disown me if I miss it.”  She took another drink of coffee and squinted one eye up at him.  “Any chance you can come with me?”

Jon reached for his phone and swiped the screen, bringing it to life and tapping on the calendar app.  “When is it?”

“Saturday the 13^th.  At noon.”

Studying the information in front of him, Jon’s frown told Rachel the answer before he spoke it.  “Shit.  I’ve got a show in Fargo that night.   I’m sorry, babe.  I wish I could be there with you… for you.   It’s hard to prove to you that you’re the number one priority in my life when the first big thing comes up and I’m somewhere else.”

Was that what she’d done?  Made him feel like he constantly had to prove himself?  That wasn’t what she’d meant to do.  He’d told her she wouldn’t be second-best anymore and she’d accepted it at face-value.  He needed to know that. 

“Stop it.”  Rachel carefully parked the coffee mug on the bedside table and stroked the side of Jon’s unshaven face.  “I don’t expect you to stop the world because I have a wedding to go to.  I completely understand you have commitments – that’s never been my issue.  I just wanted to be sure that I won’t get tossed aside because somebody else wants your attention somewhere else.  And you know what I’m talking about, right?”

“I do.”  Jon grinned. “And I promise you that will never be a problem again.  It may take a smack in the head with a two-by-four sometimes, but I learn from my mistakes.”

“Good.”  She nodded with satisfaction and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth.  “I’m glad we’re on the same track.  As for travel, I’ll have to get your schedule and see where and when I can meet up with you.   Fair enough?”

“Mm,” he murmured noncommittally, patting her on the thigh and standing.  “We’ll talk about it tonight.  Right now, you need to get up and get ready.  I’m taking you on a hike and then we’re zip-lining Red Rock.”

Rachel groaned silently. 

Bongiovi-style fun might just kill me…

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

Rachel had endured as much fun as any one human could be expected to in a single afternoon.  She was hot, sweaty and drained by the time they returned from Jon’s adventure-slash-fun day and a cool, refreshing shower was the only thing that would make it better. 

Once that was accomplished, she leisurely enjoyed preparing herself for an evening out.  Rachel touched up her nail polish, lotioned her skin within an inch of its life, pulled her hair up into a casual twist and artfully applied a light coating of makeup.   Pushing a pair of diamond studs into her ears, she appreciated that Jon had remained scarce for the last little bit.  Just as he seemed to instinctively know so much, he knew that she would appreciate the time to herself after such a grueling day.

And she had.  By the time she found him sipping some pre-dinner wine in the living room, she was all smiles.  Rachel cocked her head curiously, wondering why he was wearing a lopsided grin along with his dark jeans and button-down shirt.

“What are you smiling about?”

“I was just remembering the way you screamed on that second zip line today.  Damn, that was priceless.”  Over the rim of his glass, Jon looked her up and down and gave her a wolfish leer that properly conveyed his appreciation.  The leer intensified as his eyes settled on her feet.  “Are those the shoes you bought in Miami?”

Rachel’s own eyes flicked down to the snakeskin sandals and back to Jon.   She knew she looked good.  The solid black dress exposed only one shoulder, but the hem was cut just below her thigh.  It exposed enough skin to be alluring without looking trashy, and the fit across her breasts was perfect.   

“Mm-hmm… You like?” she purred.

“Ohhhhhh yeah.  They’re worth every dime of whatever you paid for ‘em.”  It was his turn to cock his head curiously to the side.  “Yanno, I used to have a suit like that in the 90’s and I gotta say, baby, snakeskin looks better on you than me.”

She giggled and eased closer to the sofa, kicking out one hip and propping her hand on it.  “I shouldn’t have worn them for you after the day you made me put in.  Tonight’s continuation of the fun better be closer to the ground.”

A quick tug had her pulled onto his lap and Jon nuzzled into her neck.  Wet, biting kisses were peppered along the length of the shoulder she’d left bare.  “If you’re gonna run with me, you’re gonna have to learn to fly, Rach.”

She slapped at him and wiggled away, laughing, “Don’t start something you can’t finish, Bongiovi.  I’m all dressed up in my sexiest shoes for you.  I intend to be seen in them – OUT of this hotel room!”

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

When Rachel said she wanted to show off her sexy shoes, she assumed it would be in a nice restaurant.  They were headed straight out to dinner, right?

Wrong.  Sooooo, so wrong.

Dinner was being pushed aside for the next phase of Jon’s FunFest.

That’s how Rachel ended up smack dab in the middle of the Las Vegas strip at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino – being escorted to the front of the line for a roller coaster. 

In a short skirt and heels. 

Yet, determined to be a good sport, she smiled her way through the awkwardness of hiking her mostly-bare leg over the side of a taxi cab yellow roller coaster car.  What choice did she have?   Photographers – both professional and amateur – were capturing virtually their every moment from the time they stepped on property. 

He was, after all, a celebrity.  Jon had been in the spotlight for most of his adult life, so the whole thing was old hat to him.  He waved, he smiled a bit, he flashed the peace sign a couple of times. 

Rachel, on the other hand, found the entire scene a little overwhelming.  They’d been photographed together at various functions and fundraisers, but she hadn’t been prepared for this.  Once they left the privacy of their hotel room, the sheer numbers of paparazzi became… daunting. 

For the most part, he’d been able to keep them in motion, but once strapped into the ride, they were captive targets for the cameras.  The only upside to all the shutters flashing was that Rachel was distracted from the height of the ride itself.  She found herself more worried about what her hair was going to look like afterward.

Eventually, Jon pried himself away from a crowd at the ride’s exit after signing a few autographs and answering a couple random questions.  Rachel was relieved when they were then whisked away to the rooftop terrace of a nearby high-rise building for a private dining experience.  They were presented a stellar view of the twinkling and bustling Las Vegas strip, but it was blessedly free of the crowds and noise. 

They were completely alone, except for the wait staff and the night breeze. 

Jon had made sure that the exclusive catered affair included all the typical romantic elements – white tablecloth, fine china and crystal stemware, exquisite floral arrangements, gourmet food and wine.  He’d thought of absolutely everything, and Rachel was impressed. 

She was even more impressed with how relaxed and easy things between them were.  They talked about everything and nothing while enjoying one another’s company more than the meal. 

They had finished their meal, followed by an assortment of desserts that Paula Deen would have been envious of, and were now sipping Rachel’s favorite after dinner liqueur.  It surprised her that he’d thought of it at all, really.  Jon hadn’t been a fan of Frangelico but, over their time together, he’d seemingly acquired a taste for the sweet drink. 

She swirled the warmed hazelnut liquid and sipped, eyeing Jon over the rim of the glass.  “You suddenly got quiet.  What’s up?”

He smiled widely.  “Trying to figure out how to pitch an idea to you.  It has to be presented in the perfect setting with the perfect timing so that I can effectively further lure you into my clutches.”

“How about you just spit it out, honey,” was her bemused suggestion.

Jon set his snifter down on the side of the table and fingered the stem before pointing at the Vegas strip.  “See that ‘phony’ Eiffel Tower, as you call it?”

“Yeah.  What about it?”

“How about I take you to the real one?”

Well that was a no brainer.  Hell-ooo Paris!

“Name the time and the place, handsome.  I’ll be there with bells on!”

Crossing his legs, he didn’t miss a beat.  “San Jose International Airport, June first.” 

“Excuse me?”  Rachel coughed as her surprise caused the Frangelico to go down the wrong way.  “Are you kidding me?”

“Not even a little bit.  The band is playing London the whole month of June.  Well, almost the whole month.  There’s another show here or there, including Paris, but we’ll be based in London the whole time. I want you there with me.”

Rachel’s head spun.  The excitement of spending that much time in Europe put the gears of her mind in fast forward, trying to find a way to work out the logistics of such a trip.  Leanne’s wedding would be over with.  With technology being what it was, she could just as easily work from London or Paris as she could the office in California. 

“Rach?  Whaddaya think?”

She thought she’d likely sell bone marrow to make this happen, but there were details to contend with.  Those had to be worked and it was going to take her a moment to think through the adrenaline rush his invitation had caused. 

“Gimme a minute.”

He cleared his throat and casually reminded her, “You told me once that you’d never been.  And that it’s on your bucket list….”

“It is!  I mean, I’d do backflips for that trip with you.  I’m trying to mentally juggle everything and figure out how to make it work.  I’ll have to see what James thinks of me being gone so long but- “

“Fuck James,” Jon snorted crudely and flipped his middle finger in the air.  “I don’t give a shit what he thinks.”

Rachel pushed her chair back and moved to Jon’s lap, pushing the windblown hair off his forehead and fingering it back into place.  “I love it when you go all Jersey on me, but James IS my boss and I’ll need to talk to him about it.”

“I’d just as soon tie bricks to his pathetic excuse for a body and throw him in the Navesink as ask his permission for anything,” Jon grunted, tossing back the remainder of his drink.  “Why don’t you just tell him to take his job and shove it?  He only uses it as a way to stay close to you anyway.  Pfft!  ‘Future mother of his children’, my ass.”

“Be nice,” she chortled, unreasonably amused by his attitude.  James was a nice guy, but Jon just had no use for him.  “I feel a little sorry for James.  He’s wasted a lot of years and went through a lot of great women.  Now that he’s grown up and ready to really settle down, he can’t find Ms. Right.  I think that’s sad.”

“I don’t know what you ever saw in the fucker.”

“Oh stop, already!” she ordered, stifling her laughter.  “Tell me all about all the things we’re going to do in Paris.”

“So you’ll come?”

“I’ll come – if you’ll take me to a place with a view like this.”  She put a sharp finger into his shoulder and tapped.  “Only next time I want a view of the real thing.  No more phony Eiffel Towers, okay?” 

He readily agreed and Rachel bent to kiss his mouth.  That one movement made just enough room for his hand to creep between her legs and up the inside of her inner thigh. 

“Wait until you see it at night, baby.  I know just the place I want to take you – private, secluded and a view of Paris that will take your breath away.  And don’t forget London.  You’ll love it there, too.”  His hand slithered all the way up her thigh, fingertips slipping just inside the elastic of her panties.  “Much as I want us to do Europe, I do kinda like being in Sin City with you…”

It was embarrassing, really, how heady the man made her.  With just the tiniest flick of his fingernail, she was wet beyond reason and couldn’t wait to get him alone in the privacy of their hotel room. 

Rachel’s teeth scraped Jon’s bottom lip as she flicked her tongue against his and wiggled against the pressure of his hand, anxious for the Vegas FunFest to end with a more adult kind of entertainment.  Right now, the “funnest” thing Rachel could imagine was their naked bodies wound around each other so that she could ride him like that roller coaster.

“It has nothing to do with the city, sweetheart.  You just like that I’m a willing participant to the sin.”