Chapter 18

Pulling into the driveway at Frannie’s, Jon shut the car off and looked over at her. Frannie was looking out the window, staring at her house, not sure she wanted to get out of the car. They sat there for a minute, him looking at her, she staring out the window. “Are you all right baby?” Jon was a bit worried that she hadn’t moved yet. Frannie nodded, “I think so.” She turned to look at him, “all my memories are tainted now, because of him.” Jon took her hand, “come on, let’s go get your stuff and start making some new memories for you.”

Heading in through the front door, everything looked like it had when she had been there last. With a sigh Frannie headed to her room to gather her things. Jon watched as she walked away but he didn’t follow her. Instead, he went the opposite way and headed out to her studio. He pulled the police tape away from the door and turned on the light. Looking around it pretty much looked like it had that night. He could see the black dust where the police had collected finger prints and the blood was still on the floor, the painting she had done of him was still on the easel at the far side of the room. The broken window had a board nailed over it, and there was broken glass still on the floor.

Not wanting Frannie to see her studio like this Jon looked for a broom. He swept up the broken glass, dumping it into a nearby trash can. He found a rag and a bucket under her kitchen sink and worked on the cleaning up the blood from the floor. This was how Frannie found him, on his hands and knees, scrubbing her studio floor.

“Now what would your fans think if they could see you like this?” Jon turned to find Frannie grinning at him.

He smiled up at her, “they’d probably think I’d lost my fuckin’ mind.” He moved to sit on his heels, dropping the rag in the bucket. “I had hoped to have it all cleaned up before you came in here.” She went to him and helped him up off the floor, “that’s really sweet of you, but it’s okay, really.” She looked around, “I thought it was going to bother me more to come in here, but it really doesn’t.” She looked back at Jon, “If you hand me one of those crates, I’m going to start packing up all this stuff.”

He helped her and together they packed up the studio, they took the painting of Jon, leaving most of the rest of the canvases and supplies, taking only enough for Frannie to get by with for now. As they wandered back through to the living room Frannie grew somber at the thought that while she would return to the house, she wouldn’t ever live here again. Jon watched her, wondering what she was thinking. He put his arm around her and pulled her close “are you all right?”

She looked around once more before meeting his gaze, “I’m okay; just a little sad.” He wrapped his other arm around her, hugging her close. “Come on baby, let’s get your things and go back to my place.” Frannie moved away from his embrace and grabbed Sophie’s things while he grabbed hers and together they headed out to the car.

When they got back to Jon’s they took Frannie’s and Sophie’s things in and left them by the stairs. Jon made a second trip to the car and got Frannie’s art supplies. Coming back in he told Frannie to follow him. “Jon, where are you going to put that stuff?” He just smiled, “you’ll see.”

Jon had wanted to surprise Frannie so before they had left that morning he had made a couple of calls and had Lani rearrange the solarium for Frannie to use as her studio. If everything had been done as he had asked, the room should be stocked and ready for them.

When they got to the room Jon walked in, not looking around, and set the box down he had been carrying. Frannie had stopped at the door, her eyes wide and her mouth open in surprise. “Jon, what did you do?” The question came out on a surprised whisper. He stood and smiled at her, “you said you needed someplace to work right?” She nodded her head. “Well, I saw your drawings from the other day and thought maybe you could work in here. What do you think?”

Frannie crossed the room to him and kissed him, “I think if you keep this up, I’m never going to want to leave.” Jon smiled; he had hoped she would say something like that. He kissed her back, “baby, I’ve got to go hole up in my office and make some calls. You get yourself settled here. She wrapped her arms around him before he could step away, “thank you Jon, for this, for letting me stay here, for everything.”

He looked down at her, her amber eyes having taken on a bit more green today because she was happy. He was learning to read her emotions that way. With a smile and a kiss he disentangled himself from her. Frannie watched him walk away toward the door, “see you later.”

Jon paused at the door, looking back at her “think about one more thing for me while you’re getting set up in here?” Frannie cocked her head to one side, “what’s that?” He smiled wickedly at her, “don’t find a new place to live. Stay here with me, permanently?” He didn’t wait for her to respond, he turned and left the room, leaving Frannie standing speechless amongst her things.

Chapter 17

After Frannie got Sophie settled, Jon arranged for them to have dinner in his sitting room. He lit the fire and they enjoyed a quiet meal, enjoying each other’s company and talking about the events of the last few days. “Jon?” He looked over at Frannie, “what?” “Do you think we could go to my house tomorrow? I need some things for Sophie and myself, not to mention I’d like to have my car.”

He thought for a minute, trying to remember what was on his schedule for the day. “I have the morning free; we can do it first thing if you want.” Frannie nodded, “that would be fine, the sooner I get it over with the better.”

They finished their meal in comfortable silence, taking their wine and moving to the sofa when they were through. They had had so much upheaval lately that the quiet was welcoming and calming. After taking the last swallow of wine, Jon set his glass on the coffee table and stretched out along the couch, in a pose much like the one he was in when Frannie had painted him. He nudged her with his foot, “come here” he whispered when she looked at him. Frannie set her glass down and moved so she was reclining against him, his arms wrapped around her.

They lay watching the fire; Jon’s hand lightly caressing her arm. “Frannie?” Her eyes were closed and she was enjoying the closeness, “hmmm?” “After your show next weekend I have some free time, would you like to go away somewhere?” Her eyes fluttered open, “I think I’d like that, but what about Sophie?” He tilted her face so he could see her, “we could take her and Geena with us, how does that sound?” Frannie smiled, “that sounds perfect. Where did you have in mind?” He thought for a minute; “do you have a passport?” He felt her head nod against his chest “I do.” “Okay, how about Turks and Caicos?”

He had been to these particular Caribbean Islands before and had thoroughly enjoyed his time there. It was a place where they could recharge and spend some quality alone time together without any worries. Frannie’s smile broadened, “I’ve always wanted to go there. I like the way you think Mr. Bon Jovi.” He waggled his eyebrows at here, “really? Then you’re gonna love this.” He leaned down and kissed her, tracing her lips with his tongue.

Frannie parted her lips and Jon’s tongue slid inside, tasting her, catching her low moan as they shared a long slow kiss. Shifted against him so they were face to face; Jon’s arms still wrapped around her. They lay there, kissing, nipping, nibbling and caressing each other until they were both ready to explode. Frannie could feel his erection pressing against her as he urged her off of him.

Jon led her into his bedroom, slowly stripping her of her clothes as they got closer to the bed. When he got to the lacy red bra and matching panties he stopped and let out a low whistle, “do you know how much that turns me on?” She looked down at herself and then back at him, “the red, the lace or the fact that it matches?” He raked his eyes over her again before meeting hers, “yes.” He tugged her to him and as his mouth came down on hers she could feel his hands sliding up and down her back. Her hands made a journey of their own, to the buttons of his shirt, opening them for the second time that day. She pulled her mouth from his as she pushed the shirt over his shoulders and down his arms, making him take his hands off of her.

As his shirt fell to the floor Frannie moved around him, tracing the “S” of the superman tattoo with the tip of her tongue, kissing across his shoulders, tracing the bulls head tattoo, all the while letting her hands roam over him. When she was standing in front of him again he opened his eyes in time to watch her run the tip of her tongue over one very hard male nipple just before she sucked lightly on it. Groaning his approval he ran his hand through the silky brown waves of her hair and down her back, releasing the catch of her bra. Frannie moved enough for her bra to fall to the floor then continued her assault on him, kissing up his chest, nipping at his adam’s apple, finally reaching his mouth. As they got lost in the kiss Jon filled his hands with Frannie’s breasts, kneading and teasing, lightly pinching the hardened tips.

As Jon’s hands kept themselves busy Frannie’s found the button on his pants and as she let them fall to his ankles her hands coasted over the smooth hardness of his ass. “God Jon your ass is amazing” she whimpered against his mouth. He ran his hands down her sides and around her waist, letting them slip inside her panties, cupping her ass. “Your’s ain’t so bad either baby.” He urged her onto the bed, kicking free of his pants before climbing up next to her. He slid her panties off and kissed his way up her legs, her scent drawing him in. With the first touch of her tongue on her she arched up off the bed. “JON!” she cried out as her orgasm came over her that quickly. She had been more than ready since their encounter in the sun room earlier that day.

Jon crawled up over her, kissing and licking his way to her mouth, his tongue dancing with hers as he slid into her. He groaned into her mouth as she fisted around him. “God you feel so good baby.” For long moments he didn’t move, savoring the feeling of her all around him, her thighs gripping his hips, her arms around his shoulders. When she started shifting her hips under him he moved, slowly at first, only increasing his pace when she nearly begged him for it. “Please Jon.” He kissed her neck, “please what baby?” She moved her hands from his shoulders, cupping his face and bringing his gaze to hers, “faster babe, harder, please.” He nipped at her mouth, “whatever you want baby” and he shifted, pulling her hip higher and moved faster, drove into her harder, sending her over the edge. Watching her come apart pushed him to his own release and he collapsed down onto her, rolling to his side so as not to crush her.

They lay in a tangled heap on the bed, their breathing slowly settling. Frannie raised her head from his chest, “that was some celebration babe.” He chuckled as he hugged her close.

Chapter 16

While Jon pulled himself together and Frannie tended to Sophie he remembered something he had meant to tell Frannie. “Hey” she turned to him, “what?” He smiled, “I almost forgot to tell you, Tico is coming in this weekend. I told him about you and he wants to meet you.” She swallowed, here we go. “Really? That’s … that’s great.”

She was nervous and Jon could tell. He got up and went to her, “hey, there’s nothing to worry about. Tico’s a great guy, you’re gonna like him, I promise.” She shook her head, “if you say so.” Jon took Sophie from her and pressed a kiss to the baby’s head, “talk to me Frannie. What’s wrong?” She sat down with a sigh, “I’m just a small town locally known artist Jon. He’s an internationally known, well-respected artist. Not to mention he is one of your closest friends; how can I compare to that?”

He sat down next to her and Sophie immediately grabbed for her hair. “I’ll say it again; you have nothing to worry about. When I told him that I was seeing Francesca Daniels, he wanted to come. You’re more well-known than you obviously believe.” Her head snapped up when he said her full name. “That’s the first time you’ve ever used my full name; and how do you know I am well-known?” Jon chuckled, “I Googled you.” Frannie laughed, Jon frowned. “What, you don’t think I’m computer literate?” She laughed again “it’s not that. It’s just, I would think you’d have better things to do than surf the internet. Besides, all you had to do was ask. I would have told you anything you wanted to know.”

He smiled, “I was bored the other night after the boys went to bed and before you called, so I played for a bit.” He paused as he looked her up and down, “you wouldn’t believe how many sites I found regarding you and your work, not to mention the pictures I found too.” Her eyes widened, “oh God, pictures? I’m almost afraid to ask. Nothing too horrible I hope.” He stood and grabbed her hand, “come on, I’ll show ya.”

They walked hand in hand down the hall to his office, Jon teasing her along the way. When they went around the far side of the desk Frannie looked at him, “I’m not sure I really want to see this. Maybe we should Google you instead.” He laughed, “maybe after.” He handed Sophie to her and proceeded to bring up the web pages he had browsed recently. They weren’t anywhere near as embarrassing as Frannie had feared. She stared at the screen in awe, “how did they manage to get these pictures? I don’t recall cameras ever being allowed in the Alliance?” Jon just smirked at her, “darlin’ phones nowadays have cameras in them and you would never even know your picture was being taken. Trust me, I know.”

Frannie looked at him; she saw the roll of his eyes and could see just a hint of aggravation in his features. “You hate it don’t you?” He met her gaze, “it’s not my favorite aspect of my job, let’s just put it that way, but at least I have managed to keep my kids away from it for the most part.” Frannie nodded, “I can only imagine how hard it must be for you.” He took Sophie from her and paced the room, “I suppose it could be a hell of a lot worse than it is, but I deal with it and as long as I give them what they want, they leave my family alone.” He turned to her when he heard the keys clicking. “What are you doing?” She laughed as she looked up at him, “I forgot how pretty you used to be.”

He raised an eyebrow in question and rounded the desk to see just what she was looking at. “Oh God, did you have to?” He was looking at himself in all his long-haired, spandex-clad glory. She smiled at him, “it’s only fair. You did it to me.” She scrolled through a few before clicking on one that wasn’t new, but it wasn’t as old as some. It was a concert shot and he had short hair and was wearing a bandana. When she clicked the photo it enlarged to its original size and she gasped. She found him to be quite sexy with that bandana on his head.

Jon chuckled when he heard her intake of breath. “Something wrong baby?” She shook her head but couldn’t tear her eyes from the screen. “You really are beautiful, you know that?” Not on to talk about his looks he just shook his head, reached over and turned the computer off. Frannie smiled as she turned to face him, “now why’d you do that, I was having a good time.” He pulled her up from the chair, “I just bet you were.” She looked past him to the window; it had gotten dark while they had been at the computer.

As they walked back toward the solarium, Sophie started to fuss; it was about time for her to eat. Frannie took her from Jon and sat to feed her. He watched for a minute before turning away, becoming slightly aroused at the site of her bared breast. The ringing of Frannie’s cell phone broke the silence. Frannie looked over at Jon, “would you mind answering that for me?” He picked up her phone, “Francesca Daniel’s phone.”

“May I speak to Ms. Daniels please?”

Jon looked over at Frannie, “can I say who’s calling?”

“Officer Simmons.” Jon raised his eyebrow, “this is Jon Bon Jovi, can I help you?”

Frannie looked up, motioning for the phone. Jon waved her off. “I’m sorry, what was that officer?”

He turned away from Frannie, not wanting to be distracted again. Officer Simmons repeated what she had said. “I wanted to let Ms. Daniels know that Mr. Andrews was offered and accepted a plea. Mr. Andrews will be going away for a long time.” Jon closed his eyes and thanked his lucky stars at what he had just been told. “How long?”

Frannie came around to face Jon, Sophie up on her shoulder, hand out for her phone. “May I talk to her please?” Jon opened his eyes then “Officer, Frannie would like to speak with you.” He handed her the phone and took Sophie from her.

The officer repeated what she had told Jon. Frannie reached out and laid her hand on Jon’s arm. “How did this happen?” Officer Simmons explained to her that with the two rapes and the assault with a deadly weapon on her along with the breaking and entering the man was looking at life in prison. The DA offered him life, with no possibility of parole until after 25 years. He took it.”

Frannie smiled at Jon, “thank you officer. Do I need to do anything else?”

“Just try to put this behind you and get on with your life Ms. Daniels.”

Frannie nodded her head, not that the officer could see her, but she did it anyway. “Thank you again.” After she closed the phone she pulled Jon close and kissed him. “Not that I’m complaining” he teased, “but what was that for?” She kissed him again, “it’s all over Jon. He’s going to jail for at least 25 years before he will be eligible for parole. No trial, he took a plea deal and is going to jail.” She ran her hand over Sophie’s head, “it’s done.” Jon set Sophie down in the baby seat and pulled Frannie into his arms, “I think this calls for a celebration, don’t you?”