Chapter Seventeen

Jordan wasn’t sure what to expect when they walked into the room, and was only a little less nervous than her friend as they hung their coats in the room right off the main doors of the Brown Palace Club. She’d been to a couple events at the private club before but it definitely had a different vibe tonight.

There weren’t a lot of people in the room—less than thirty, she thought at first glance. There was no sign of the band yet, although the anticipation was evident. They walked to the bar to order a drink then turned to survey the room with as much subtlety as they could muster.

“All right girl,” Tina finally said. “Spill the beans. How did we end up here?”

“I told you I have a connection,” Jordan laughed. “Honestly, though, this is a surprise to me, too. All I knew was that we were getting tickets the show. The rest has been as big of a surprise to me as it has been to you.” Okay, so that was a bit of a stretch.

“Well obviously you trust your connection, considering you handed over your car keys!” Tina wasn’t sure what to think. She believed that Jordan hadn’t expected to end up here, and she could sense that her friend was more nervous than she was letting on. It occurred to her that perhaps Jordan had been working with some record company executive, and that maybe she was indeed having some sort of relationship with him but due to the nature of her job, couldn’t exactly reveal it. That has to be it.

“Well whoever he is, this doesn’t suck. I am going to get the rest of the story, though…” Tina’s train of thought was interrupted when she saw who was entering the room. “Oh my god. Kevin is going to die when I tell him this.”

Jordan followed her friends glance and watched as John Elway entered the room with a tall, leggy blonde on his arm. She had actually met him years earlier at a charity event but she was quite sure he wouldn’t remember her.

Tina set her drink down on the bar. “Okay, I’m going to run to the ladies’ room and then going to call Kevin to let him know what’s up. Don’t run off with anyone while I’m gone,” she said, only half-jokingly. This whole aura of mystery surrounding her friend was a little disconcerting.

Jordan grinned, shaking her head as she took a seat on the barstool. It felt good to sit down. Not to mention her legs were a little shaky. God it’s good to see you baby. Wait for me after the show.

She had no idea what was going to happen when he walked into the room. It’s not as if she could go running to him and throw her arms around him. She was excited and terrified at the same time. She looked up just in time to see some other members of the band entering the room, but Jon wasn’t with them. She watched as they greeted some of those in attendance, and as Richie and Elway gave each other a big hug. They worked their way to the bar until David and Richie were on either side of her, ordering drinks. She thought her heart might pound through her chest. Where the hell was Tina?

“How ya doin’?” David asked her, his smile big and eyes sparkling. “I’m Dave.” He held out his hand and she shook it.

“Jordan. Nice to meet you,” she returned his smile. “Great show, by the way.”

“Thanks. We had fun. Although this altitude is a killer.” He raised his gin and tonic in toast before taking a drink.

Richie turned to them, raising his own glass of wine. “Don’t believe any of his lines. He’s a big con artist,” he grinned and winked at Jordan.

“Fuck you,” Dave responded, grinning. “I’m just being social. Rich, this is Jordan. She doesn’t like guitar players.” She burst out laughing then, happy for the levity of the moment.

Richie laughed and shook his head. “Dammit. And I thought all girls like guitar players.” Just then Tina walked up, a look of amazement on her face. Jordan could tell she was speechless so she took the lead.

“This is my friend Tina. I’m sure she’d tell you she likes guitar players if she could actually speak right now.”

“Well that’s more like it,” Richie smiled and put an arm around Tina. “Can I buy you a drink?” They laughed together then, Tina’s laugh more out of nervousness than anything else. Jordan reached to grab her friend’s drink from the bar and handed it to her, which Tina took gratefully and brought to her lips with shaking hands.

Richie chuckled. “Relax, baby. We don’t bite.”

Jordan felt a pit in her stomach as her mind flashed back to when Jon had whispered almost those exact same words into her ear. Could it simply be a well-rehearsed line?

“So did the altitude get to you, too?” she said, searching for something—anything—to chase away the disturbing thought in her mind.

Richie nodded. “A little. Always does when we play here. I think Jon feels it worse than any of us though.” He brought his glass of wine to his lips and then paused. “Serves him right though, for making us learn that fucking song.”

Dave nodded. “No shit. Although I think the joke was on him. Those lyrics are a killer. Even with the cheat sheet he almost fucked it up a couple times.”

Richie nodded. “I saw him laughing a couple times. It was fun though. Great idea. I heard Seger didn’t even do it when he was in town last time.”

Jordan shook her head. “No, he didn’t, actually. And we were all a little bummed.”

Tina laughed, finally relaxing a little. “Jordan is a huge Bob Seger fan. I swear you couldn’t have made her happier if you’d tried.”

Richie grinned and raised his drink. “That’s what I like to hear. We want to ride into town and make the girls happy, that’s for sure.”

“Is that what you call it?” A voice interrupted them and Jordan looked up to see Jon standing right in front of them. He looked freshly showered and comfortable, in a white button down shirt that he wore untucked under a black suit coat with a pair of faded blue jeans. “How did I know I’d find the two of you zoomed in on the only two woman at the bar?” His eyes met hers briefly but he didn’t let on that he knew her.

“You want to hang out with the football player, knock yourself out. We prefer the girls,” Dave responded with a grin.

Jon laughed and nodded. “Good point. So who are your friends?”

Jordan smiled to herself as they went through the greeting process. It was an interesting charade but she was more than willing to play along. When he took her hand in his and their eyes met, he said simply, “Thanks for the dance.” His lips curled slightly at the corners, acknowledging their little secret.

“Well, it looks like I’m the only one here without a drink,” he said, nodding towards the wine glass in Jordan’s hand. “Whatcha got there? Mind if I have a taste?” His eyes twinkled as he reached out and took the glass from her. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from acknowledging the double entendre. He brought the glass to his lips and took a sip, then nodded in approval, handing it back to her. He then smoothly moved up beside her to motion for the bartender, his hand resting on her hip as he placed his order. The move looked innocent enough and no one really looked twice, except perhaps for Tina, who was so overwhelmed by the entire situation that it barely made an impression.

Jon looked over his shoulder at the rest of them. “Anyone else ready for another?” Then his eyes came to rest on hers. “How about you?”

She turned towards him, trying to look as nonchalant as he was. “I’d love it.” She finished what was left in her glass and set it down on the bar. She decided this little game was going to be fun.

He appeared to take great interest in the area behind the bar as he waited for the bartender to return with their drinks. “You look great,” he said, low enough that no one else could hear.

She followed his lead, pretending to study the line of expensive vodkas. “You too.”

“I thought I told you to stay away from Richie,” he said with a smile.

“You snooze you lose, babe,” she teased.

He smiled, nodding slightly. “Good to know.” He picked up the glasses the bartender had set in front of him and then turned to her, holding one out. As she took it from him he leaned in quickly to speak in her ear. “Although I don’t plan on snoozing much at all tonight. And neither should you.” He pulled away from her then, a small but satisfied smile on his lips. She felt her heart jump a little. Well mister, two can play this game.

“So what do you say we go find a table?” he said to the group. He looked at Jordan first, and then Tina. “You ladies want to join us for a while?” Tina looked at Jordan, who shrugged as if it didn’t matter one way or the other.

“Ah, come on,” Dave interjected. We need a little estrogen to balance things. Well, besides Jon of course.”

“Oh, like you’re the epitome of masculinity, Mr. I-Also-Play-a-Mean-Accordion,” Jon grinned, then dodged the punch in the arm Dave threw his way.

Jordan laughed as she watched them. Just like a bunch of brothers.

“Hey Pork Chop,” Jon yelled across the room, and Jordan could see Elway laugh and shake his head. “We’re going to get a table and take a load off. We can get a nice big booth to fit your fat ass if you want.”

Pork Chop. Okay, well now she knew who he was but had no idea why the two men would be friends or business colleagues. Jordan looked quizzically at Tina, who laughed, happy that at least something made sense to her. “Remind me later and I’ll tell you.”

A few minutes later they were seated around a large table, with Richie on her left and Tina on her right, and Dave on the other side of Tina. Tina had visibly relaxed—probably from the combination of vodka and just the shock wearing off. Jon sat on the other side of Richie, and eventually Elway and his date came over to join them.

“Save a chair for T, if he ever shows up. He had to go upstairs and call the little woman,” Richie said. He looked at Jordan and grinned. “Rock star or not, we get in trouble with the wife if we don’t call home often enough.” She wondered who he was getting in trouble with these days.

Dave and Tina got caught up in conversation about music—Tina played flute and piano herself—and Jon and Elway were talking sports of some sort, so Richie and Jordan ended up talking about the tour, how many times he’d played Denver and his favorite venues. It didn’t surprise her when he mentioned loving the outdoor amphitheatre at Red Rocks. He laughed when she confessed it had been since their first headlining tour that she’d seen them. “That’s alright, we’ll forgive you this once.”

They let their eyes meet occasionally, but Jordan felt confident she and Jon were being subtle enough that no one would notice. She realized then that she was in a perfect position to taunt him without him being able to respond, and decided to make the most of it. As she chatted with Richie, she let her hand fall on his arm, tossed her hair a bit and generally pulled out those feminine flirtation skills that men are never really sure are intentional or not. She felt Jon’s eyes on them and decided to make an extra bold move.

“Okay, I have a question for you,” she said, reaching out to toy with one of the several necklaces hanging from Richie’s neck. “How do you keep these from getting all tangled up when you sleep?” She glanced at Jon and saw him smirk and shake his head slightly. Well now this is fun. She let her hand rest against Richie’s skin for a moment before letting the necklace drop.

Richie laughed. “Well I usually take them off before I get in bed. What a sad story that would be in the headlines: rock guitarist strangled by his own bling while he sleeps.” He leaned over, nudging Jordan with a grin. “But I like the way you think, lady. No one has ever asked me that question before.”

“Alright,” Jon said suddenly, pushing his chair back and standing up. “How about another round?” He looked at Jordan. “What’s your name again? Jordan? You want to help me carry them?”

It took a lot of will to keep from letting the satisfied smile cross her face. “Sure,” she answered, rising and walking with him to the bar.

He ordered up another round. “So that’s how you wanna play it, huh?” He said quietly, the smile in his voice betraying the seriousness on his face.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she replied innocently.

He turned his head slightly, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. “The hell you don’t. What’s with the torture?”

She gave a mock sigh. “I just want something, that’s all.”

He smiled. “Oh you do, do you? And what’s that?”

She leaned closer to him. “I want you to tell me you want me.” Then she paused. “No. Tell me you need me.”

He chuckled at her choice of words. Great memory. He nodded slowly, then leaned in to speak softly in her ear. “So badly I can taste it.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She thought she was prepared to take him on at his own game but he certainly had regained control…with six little words.

They returned to the table with the drinks. Jon nudged his friend. “Hey Rich, scoot over so I can sit by the good looking girl instead of your sorry ass.”

Richie moved over a seat and Jordan smiled at Tina. God she wished she had a camera. That gave her an idea. “Tina, give me your phone. I’ll take a picture.” Tina reached into her purse and pulled the phone out, handing it to Jordan. “Do you guys mind?”

Dave and Richie shook their heads, each putting an arm around Tina and leaning in with a smile. Jordan snapped the picture, smiling. She went to close the phone then noticed a message waiting, which she pointed out to Tina. Tina took the phone and hit the button to retrieve the text message, then smiled and blushed.

“What?” Dave reached to snatch the phone from her. He read the message and burst out laughing, handing the phone to Richie, who read it then passed it to Jon, who laughed and then passed it to Jordan. The message read, “When are you coming home to rape me?”

She smiled and looked at Tina, who was covering her face with her hands. “I don’t think this message was intended for the masses,” she said, closing the phone and returning it to her friend. She felt a pang of guilt. “You need to get home, don’t you?”

“Apparently so,” Dave answered, and they all burst out laughing again. Jordan looked at Jon and he read the dilemma in her eyes.

“Well then, we’ll get you home. In style, even,” Jon said to Tina. He smiled at Jordan. “I’ll be right back.”

A few minutes later he returned. “Whenever you’re ready, there’s a car out front to take you wherever you need to go. Just give the driver directions.” He looked at Jordan then. “And if you want to stick around a while and hang with the boys, you can.” Problem solved.

Tina thought about it a moment. She wasn’t sure what to think but decided that there certainly was no reason for Jordan to leave the party if she wasn’t ready to. She still had a lot of questions about how they ended up there but they weren’t going to get answered tonight. Besides, how often does anyone get to hang out with rock stars and sports heroes? If her husband wasn’t waiting for her, she’d probably stay until the wee hours of the morning herself. She certainly had no concerns leaving her friend alone here; they all seemed like decent enough guys.

She said goodbye to everyone, enduring one more round of teasing before heading towards the door. Jordan walked with her to retrieve her coat. Tina gave her a hug. “Thanks SO much for inviting me. This has been crazy.”

Jordan laughed and nodded in agreement. And it wasn’t over yet. For the first time since it had begun, she wished her friend knew, but she realized that it was in the best interest of everyone that this thing—whatever it was—remain a secret. At least until it was over.

Tina pulled her coat on, looking for a hint of anything from her friend. Nothing. “Well have fun. Be careful,” she paused, grinning. “And don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”

“Says the woman on her way home to rape her husband,” Jordan laughed. She walked Tina to the elevator and then stopped in the ladies’ room.

She had just entered the doors of the club when a hand snatched at her arm, pulling her in to the coat room. It happened so fast she didn’t have time to cry out.

“Shhh,” Jon said, pulling her into his arms and closing the door.

“Shit, you scared me,” Jordan scolded quietly.

“Shut up and kiss me,” he answered, his smile mischievous.

“Well, okay…” she responded, letting him fold her into his arms and as he brought his mouth to hers. They kissed hungrily, only whetting their appetite for each other.

He hugged her tightly against him, groaning in her ear. “God I’ve been dying to do that all night.” He bit lightly at her neck and she moaned in response.

“Dammit Jon, stop it. We can’t just go for it right here in the closet.”

“Actually, we could. Nobody would bother us if I locked the door,” he teased. “Of course then we’d be busted.”

She smiled softly, shaking her head. She let her hand wander down to stroke the bulge she felt growing in his jeans.

“Damn you woman, you are looking for trouble,” he growled, burying his face in her hair and inhaling her scent.

"Yeah, well, you started it,” she laughed softly.

“The hell I did. You’ve been teasing me all night. Which begs the question…”

“What question is that?” She answered, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair.

"When are you going to take me home and rape me?"


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