Chapter Five

Erin spun around and felt her stomach flutter as she found herself looking right into those deep blue eyes.

“Why yes,” she regained her composure quickly and smiled. “I have, actually.”

Jon nodded approvingly. “Good. I wondered about that – and you – this week.”

“Oh, really?” Erin said slyly, just as the server called her name. “Sorry, just a sec,” she hurried over to pick up her drink and scone.

Jon eyed her cup. “What’s the choice today?”

“Caramel macchiato – what else on a day like this?” Erin winked.

“Good choice,” Jon smiled. “That’s why I came in. I certainly didn’t expect to see you here, however.”

Erin blushed. “Well, same here buddy. I didn’t think you just walked into public places like this.”

Jon rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “I’m not a high-profile criminal, darlin,” he teased. “Besides, they know me here. I’m a loyal.”

“Is that so?”

Jon raised an eyebrow and walked over to the counter.

The girl at the register smiled at him. “The usual, Mr. Bon Jovi?”

Jon turned around and smirked at Erin, who rolled her eyes and laughed.

As he finished up at the register, Erin watched him, her heart beating slightly faster than usual. She took him in again, admiring his toned body and perfectly fitted jeans, her eyes lingering a bit too long on his ass. She inhaled deeply. Damn, he was a sight.

When he returned, his blue eyes were dancing. “So how have you been?”

“Fine,” she said truthfully. “I’m still a bit behind on sleep, but that’s normal. I’m usually a pretty scheduled person, so anything that screws with that usually affects me for awhile.”

Jon nodded. “I used to be that way, until I became a musician. You learn real quickly that you don’t get to pick your schedule when you’re famous.”

“I can imagine that’s tough,” Erin mused. “I certainly couldn’t do it.”

Jon smiled. “Like I said, you learn.”

“So what about you? How’ve you been?” Erin asked.

“Pretty good,” he replied. “I’ve actually been home since I got home, which is a first. I have to be somewhere else next week, so I am certainly enjoying the downtime for awhile.”

The server called his name and he walked over to retrieve his own caramel macchiato. As he sprinkled cinnamon in it and stirred the hot liquid, he looked back over at Erin.

“Hey, you in a hurry?”

Erin shook her head. “No, not really. Why?”

“You hungry?”

Erin held up the bag containing her cinnamon scone. “I’m prepared,” she smiled. “But I was planning on eating something more substantial when I got home.”

Jon finished preparing his drink and picked it up. “Care to get something more substantial now?”

Erin considered him for a moment before making her decision.

“Sure,” she smiled. “I’d love to.”

“Great,” Jon grinned and held the door open for her as she stepped out into the rapidly cooling late afternoon air. He followed suit and motioned for her to follow him to a black Aston Martin parked around the back in the small lot of the coffee shop.

Erin knew enough to follow quickly, but not too closely, so as not to attract attention. Jon held the passenger side door open for her and she slid onto the black leather seat, smiling slightly to herself. She had never been inside a car this nice before, and it gave her a strange sense of importance to be in one now.

Jon hurried around to the driver’s side and hopped in. “I hope you like Italian,” he said as he switched on the ignition.

“I take it you already know where to go,” Erin laughed

Jon winked. “Only the best place in town.”

He backed the car up and pulled out onto the street, heading back the way Erin had come from. She wondered where he was going to take her – she assumed it would be something hidden and out of the way. She couldn’t imagine him walking her straight into an Olive Garden.

Sure enough, about ten minutes later, Jon turned down a narrow alley-like street between two buildings. A small red and white striped awning hung over an old wooden door on one side of one of the buildings, bearing tiny letters that spelled “Gugliemo’s Bistro”.

Jon pulled up just before the door and shut off the engine. He hopped out quickly and opened Erin’s door for her again.

“One of the perks of being a rock star is getting to use secret entrances,” he grinned as he led her to the door and pushed it open. “Welcome to Gugliemo’s.”

Erin was immediately greeted by the smell of oregano and baking bread, and she inhaled the rich aroma deeply. They were standing in a small entrance at the back of the restaurant. The place was humble and cozy, decked in full Italian décor – flagstone spread out to the entrance of a warm kitchen, from which flavorful aromas were wafting out to greet the pair.

A short walkway led to a small inside patio, where two wrought-iron tables and several chairs stood clustered together. Jon steered Erin toward them. “I’ll be right back, okay? Don’t go anywhere,” he winked.

He returned the way they had come and disappeared into the kitchen. Erin could hear the sounds of cooking, talking, and laughter in there, and when Jon entered, she heard the voices rise in excitement. She smiled to herself. They obviously knew him.

A minute later, Jon reappeared, laughing and talking over his shoulder to a large, beefy man wearing a white apron and traditional chef’s hat behind him.

“Erin,” Jon held out his hand and she stood up. “This is Gugliemo, owner and chef. He’ll be taking care of us this evening.”

“Taking care of you, I am sure!” Gugliemo said in a thick Italian accent. “I am pleased to meet la bella,” he took Erin’s hand and kissed it, making her blush. “You are reason enough to cook a wonderful meal! Not that Gugliemo ever cooks anything less,” he winked at her and she laughed.

Jon laughed as well. “No kidding. This guy’s calzones are enough to make you wish you had three stomachs.”

Gugliemo laughed a hearty laugh. “No no, you must try the pizza tonight, I bake one fresh just for you right now. Lots of cheese, olives, peppers, and the best Italian sausage you ever try!” he kissed his fingers with relish and started backing away. “Vincenzo come out and bring you the best wine in a moment, enjoy, enjoy!” he leaned toward Jon, winked and pointed at Erin. “The girl is beautiful, no? Treat her nice, now!”

Jon laughed. “Thanks, Gugliemo.” The chef retreated to the kitchen, and Jon and Erin sat down smiling and shaking their heads.

“Nice guy,” Erin mused as she settled in her seat. Jon nodded.

“He’s great. I’ve known him for years. Whenever I come here, he makes whatever I want, and I get to sit back here away from the crowd. It’s a perfect win for me.”

“I’d imagine so. You bring a lot of women here?” Erin smirked.

Jon laughed. “Back in the day, sure. Nowadays, I’m usually too busy to eat here myself, let alone bring a lady friend.”

“Are you saying I should feel special?”

Jon grinned. “Yeah, something like that.”

Vincenzo arrived with two large glasses of Borsao and presented them to the diners with a flourish. “You two are our guests of honor tonight,” he set a basket of fresh, hot bread on the table and shook a bottle of olive oil, which he then poured into a dish of vinegar and garlic seeds.

“Signora,” he said silkily, opening Erin’s white cloth napkin and laying it flat on her lap. “Let us know if we can be of more service to you, Signor and Signora Bongiovi. Buon appetito!”

As the rich, enticing smells of the kitchen drifted through the air to the indoor patio, Jon and Erin settled into yet another comfortable conversation. Each played off the other’s comments and opinions about topics ranging from politics to religion, from music to books, from theatre to cinema, laughing and teasing the other in a way that flirted dangerously with seduction.

By the time the pizza arrived, Jon was overwhelmed by the feelings saturated with interest, desire, and lust that were coursing throughout his entire body. The woman across the table from him was downright beautiful; her complexion clear and radiant, her smile causing him to lose a few seconds of oxygen every time she laughed. And her eyes were unbelievably captivating tonight – sensual and mysterious in the soft, dim lighting of the patio.

Part of him was thoroughly enjoying the conversation and talk, and he was genuinely interested in what she had to say: she was an intelligent and insightful woman, which made her even more attractive. It was what had initially pulled him to her – the undeniable confidence, composure, and a naturally sexy vibe he got from her.

But the other part of him – the stronger part – was dying to rake his fingers through her hair and crush his mouth down on those beautiful lips, to caress and taste her smooth skin, to make her cry out with passion…

Jesus, he found himself thinking on more than one occasion. What’s gotten into you?

If an internal battle raged within his body, he didn’t let on: he didn’t show it on his face, and kept his expressions under control. Erin seemed none the wiser that he was fighting not to play out inappropriate scenes in his head.

As Gugliemo placed the pizza pan on the table and instructed them to enjoy, Jon played the gentleman’s role and allowed Erin to serve herself first. He watched as she almost gracefully separated a steaming hot slice from the rest of the pie and brought it to her plate, then groaned inwardly as she lifted it to her lips and gently blew on it to cool it off. His stomach fluttered as she took a bite, her tongue licking the grease off her lips afterward and leaving them with a glossy shine.

Fuck. Jon ripped off a piece of his own and started to eat as well, the explosion of flavor from the wealth of toppings and fatty cheese doing nothing to ease the intense sensuality of the evening.

“Mmm,” Erin groaned softly, sending tiny bolts of electricity to Jon’s every nerve. “This is absolutely delicious. I see why you picked this place.”

Jon smiled and took another bite of his pizza. “I told you, it’s the best place in town,” he winked.

After the pizza was finished and Vincenzo had refilled Erin’s glass of wine for the third time – Jon politely refused after the first glass since he was driving – Gugliemo brought out a triple chocolate cake and two cups of espresso.

“Oh Lord,” Erin groaned, leaning back against her chair. “I don’t think I can eat another bite.”

Jon laughed. “Sure you can, and you must. This is G’s famous ‘sinfully delightful’ cake, with three layers of chocolate.”

“Jesus,” Erin mused. “Three layers? How does he do that?”

Jon cocked an eyebrow at her, considering her question. Then he picked up one of the silver forks lying on the dessert dish and slid it sideways along the top portion of the cake, scraping off some of the fudge frosting and chocolate shavings that adorned it.

“Well,” he said, inserting the fork and its contents into his mouth and letting his tongue taste the sugary mix of topping. “There’s one layer.”

Erin’s face had stiffened, her eyes watching his every move curiously. She seemed almost surprised at what he was doing.

Jon returned the fork to the dessert and cut out a piece of the moist, spongy cake part, imitating his first move and inserting it into his mouth. “There’s the second.”

Erin’s expression was hard to read – a mixture of intrigue and near-desire - as he once again returned to the cake and speared the very center of it. Warm liquid chocolate oozed out of the middle, spilling onto the white dish and steaming slightly. Jon scooped out a bit of the molten confection and lifted his eyes to Erin’s, holding her gaze steady as he savored the gooey goodness that met his tongue. Then, slowly, deliberately, he withdrew the fork from his mouth and licked his lips of the remaining chocolate.

“And there’s the third.”

Erin’s lips were slightly parted by now, watching him with darkened eyes, and Jon tried not to smile as he dramatically returned the fork to the dish. Payback was sweet.

“Still too full to try some?”

Erin shook her head slightly and regained her composure, lifting her wineglass to her lips. “On second thought, I’m not. Besides, it looks like I’m missing out on something incredible there,” she said, gazing at him over the rim of the glass.

She set the glass down and picked up the other fork, proceeding to tease him with the same sweet torture he had just inflicted on her.

Jon watched her performance intently and turned away only when Vincenzo returned with the check. “When you are ready, of course, Signor.”

Ten minutes later, they bid farewell to Gugliemo and stepped out into the sparkling cold Autumn night. Jon ushered Erin into his car once again and pulled out of the alleyway.

“I think I remember where you live,” he said thoughtfully as they waited at a stoplight. “But you’ll still have to guide me.”

Erin looked at his shadowed profile out of the corner of her eye. Damn, she couldn’t get over how he was built to impress. The rigid jawline, the gentle slope of his nose, those unbelievably sexy lips…it was all she could do not to reach out and acquaint herself physically with his features. Then there was the issue of his bulging biceps, his flat, hard abs and the narrowing at his waist that led down to the hidden territory within his form-fitting jeans…

Erin looked back ahead, mentally smacking herself. Max, she tried to remind herself. Remember him?

But Max didn’t look like Jon did. Hell, he didn’t look like half of what Jon did. And he certainly didn’t treat her the way Jon did – with admiration and a gentlemanly respect tinged with the knowledge that she was capable of taking care of herself. Even the way Jon looked at her…Max had never looked at her that way before.

They rode in silence for a few moments before she needed to provide directions and guided him back to her house. Jon pulled up alongside the curb outside her house and shifted the gear to park. He helped her out and both tried to ignore the spark they each felt at the feel of each other’s touch.

“So I have to ask,” Erin said, as they stood awkwardly on the sidewalk. “Considering the intimate evening we just spent together, I’d like to assume that I’m the only ‘lady friend’ in your life that you’d do this with right now.” Her eyes gleamed with mischief, showing that she was teasing, but at the same time, truly curious.

Jon smiled. “Believe you me,” he said coyly. “You’re the only lady friend.”

Erin smiled. “Good,” she said, turning to head up the walk and leaving him looking like he would have started begging her to stay any moment. “I hoped I was.”

Friday, October 24, 2008