Chapter 25

Fortunately - or unfortunately - for Billie, Nick’s workload at the Soul increased over the next few days, as a couple of the players sustained minor injuries during training and his expertise was required.  Fortunately for obvious reasons, but unfortunately as she had nothing but time to dwell on what he’d done, and his clear intentions to return.  Also unfortunately as it gave Nick time to think and imagine what other delights he could bring to their next encounter.  Delights for him at least.

 

Somehow, Billie held herself silent on the whole issue on the couple of occasions Jon called her, just to check up on Jay.  She was making the short trip to see him each day, and though she never made mention of it, she was pretty sure that young Kadie had ‘made a man’ of her son.  And it was about time, in Billie’s opinion.

 

Leaving the apartment after one of her visits, Billie had bumped into one of the other players, even managing to remember his name, and she and Mike had exchanged friendly hellos as he headed up to see Jay.  Preoccupied with thoughts of home, Billie didn’t notice his strange expression as they spoke, and Mike kept his mouth shut, wanting to speak to Jay first, since he knew Nick’s marital status, and it seemed likely that Billie didn’t.

 

Sitting in the back of a cab, heading back to the hotel, Billie’s cellphone rang, and when she read the Philadelphia number she answered hesitantly.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Billie?”  The voice certainly wasn’t Nick’s, and Billie breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“Yep, it’s Billie.”  She paused.  “Richie?”

 

“You got me, darlin’.”  He chuckled.  “Whatchya doin’?”

 

“Sitting in a cab.  I was over to see Jay, and now I’m heading back to the hotel.”

 

“Perfect timing, then.  You got plans tonight?”

 

“Uh - no.”  Unless Nick decided to stop by.

 

“Cool.  Listen, I have another interview to do, and we’re doing it at your hotel again.  D’you fancy having dinner with me after?  Say around seven-ish?”

 

“Kinda early for a rockstar.”  Billie teased, and that low chuckle purred against her ear again.

 

“What can I say, darlin’?  I’m not so young as I used to be.  So whaddya say?”

 

“Sounds good.”  She said, meaning it.  She’d like to see him, to perhaps get a little more insight into Jon’s life these days.  To maybe find out what the likelihood was of him surviving the day he told Dorothea about Jay.  In fact, if memory served, Dorothea and Stephanie should have returned from their trip last night, so it just might be that Jon was going to break the news today.

 

“Well, okay!  I’ll see ya later, Billie.”

 

“Uh-huh.  Bye, Richie.”

 

She’d barely put her phone away when it rang again, but this time the display showed ‘Jay’, and she flipped it open quickly.

 

“Mom?  Mom, what the fuck’s going on?”

 

“Uh, excuse me?”  Her voice snapped with anger at his tone.  Jesus, but he sounded like his father when he was pissed.  “Would you like to start that again, Jay?”

 

A harsh sigh hit the phone as he forced away the anger.

 

“Sorry mom.  Sorry.”  Another sigh.  “What I meant to say was……..what’s going on with you and Nick?”

 

“What do you……..oh, hold on.”  Billie leaned forward to pay the cab driver as he halted at the hotel, then she raised the phone to her ear again as she walked into the hotel, heading for the elevators.  “What do you mean, what’s going on?” 

 

“He…….Mike came over to see me, and he said…….”

 

“I saw Mike, when I was leaving.”  Billie let herself into her room, frowning as she pushed the door shut.  “What did he say?”

 

“He said you’re………seeing……Nick.  Said he’s been bragging about it, about how you’ve…..you’ll…….shit.”  This really wasn’t something a son could say to his mother.  “He’s been telling the guys how, how ummm…….how ‘uninhibited’ you are with him.”

 

“Sonofabitch.”  Billie muttered, holding the phone away.  So much for being ‘their secret’.  Or just maybe……  “And what else has Nick been saying?”

 

“Isn’t that enough?”  Jay blurted.  “Mom, the stuff Mike said he’s been telling them…..”

 

“Sweetheart, whatever’s happening between me and Nick is nobody’s business but ours.”  Billie said, fighting to keep her voice level.  “It’s not like anybody’s getting hurt.”  Nobody but her, anyway, and she could live with that, to protect her son.  And his father.

 

“Nobody’s………mom, he’s married!”

 

“He’s what?”  Billie was stunned, her opinion of Nick as an asshole being instantly doubled.  “He never told me that!  Shit!”

 

What kind of woman would marry a guy like Nick?  Billie wondered, then answered herself just as fast.  The same kind she’d been at first.  The kind who believed his act as a nice, friendly, attentive guy.  But obviously his wife hadn’t been party to any of his darker fantasies.  Or maybe she had.  Either way, if Billie had known beforehand that he was married, none of this would be happening, because the one and only time she’d gotten ‘involved’ with a married man had been when she was with Jon.

 

“I didn’t know.”  She said softly.  But maybe this would help.  Maybe - just maybe - this would give her a way out from this, now that she knew he also had something to lose.  “I’ll fix it, Jay.  Promise.”

 

“Okay, mom.”  There was a muted sound in the background, the sound of his doorbell.  “Oh, I gotta go!  That’s……..”

 

“Yeah, yeah.”  Billie joked.  “Abandon your old mom for your pretty little nurse!”

 

“How did you…….?”

 

“Baby, you can’t hide anything from me.  I like Kadie.  So go!  Don’t keep her waiting.”

 

“Okay, mom.”  He said again, then hesitated, but said it anyway.  “I love you, mom.”

 

“Love you too, Jay.”

 

Closing her phone, Billie threw it onto the bed, throwing herself down beside it, her mind churning over the revelation about Nick.  She was still trying to figure out if it helped her or not when she fell asleep.

 

Later, the sound of her phone woke her, and when she opened her eyes the room was almost dark.  Luckily, her phone was flashing as it rang, so she grabbed it and answered without looking at the display.

 

“ ‘lo?”

 

“You standing me up?”  Richie’s voice.

 

“Huh?  No, I………”  Billie sat up, actually paying attention to her surroundings now.  “I think I fell asleep.  What time’s it?”

 

“Seven thirty.” 

 

He was pouting, she could hear it in his voice, and it made her giggle.

 

“I’m sorry!  Give me………”  She looked down at her clothes.  “Ten minutes?”

 

“Oohh-kaaay.  I’ll be the lonely one at the bar.”  He said theatrically, and Billie giggled again, closing and dropping her phone.

 

Nine minutes and forty seconds later she walked into the bar, showered and dressed in fresh clothes.  Her hair had been washed that morning, as usual, so she’d just pulled it into a ponytail as it was quicker than trying to wash and dry it.  Sitting at the bar, Richie grinned broadly, looking at his watch and getting to his feet.

 

“Damn!”  He laughed.  “I’d have never believed it - a woman who can be ready when she says she will!”

 

He gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then they went through into the restaurant, Billie very glad when they were guided to a table far from the one where she’d sat with Nick.  She just didn’t need that reminder right now.

 

They chatted through dinner, feeling a growing bond between them.  Not exactly a feeling of attraction, though it was certainly there, but more a friendship taking root, and it was doubtless their shared ‘love’ of Jon that helped.  Over the years, both of them had protected him, to varying degrees, and while Billie shared with Richie some stories of Jay’s childhood, he reciprocated with tales of Jon through the years, never giving away any of those ‘secrets to the grave’ that they sang about, but stories that he knew no fan would have heard.  Seemed right that she know more about him, since they had a child together.  When he said so, Billie fidgeted nervously with her wineglass before slanting a glance at Richie.

 

“Do you know………has Jon spoken with Dorothea yet?”

 

Richie sighed, nodding slowly.  “I spoke with him this morning, and he was going to tell her today.  Haven’t heard from him since, though.  I didn’t like to call, in case I interrupted…….”

 

Billie nodded, understanding that sentiment.  Who in their right mind would want to get in the middle of that kind of husband-wife discussion?  Opening her mouth to speak, she was interrupted by her phone ringing.

 

“Sorry, Richie.”

 

“No problem.”  He sat back, sipping water as she pulled the phone from her purse.

 

“Hello?” 

 

“Well, if it isn’t Mr Bon Jovi’s son’s mother.”  Came an all-too-familiar voice, a slightly drunken sound to his tone, then Nick’s voice hardened.  “Where are you?”

 

“Uh…….I’m in the restaurant, having dinner.”  She said quietly, seeing Richie’s frown and knowing she’d turned pale at the sound of Nick’s voice.

 

“Well I suggest you get into your fucking room, because I’m on my way over.  Be there in five minutes.”  He chuckled evilly.  “And I missed you soooo bad, baby.”

 

Billie shuddered.  She couldn’t help it.  There was something frightening in Nick’s voice.  Hopefully her own ammunition of his wife would save her this time, though.

 

“Okay.”  She murmured, closing the phone and looking over at Richie, searching for an excuse.  “Richie, I’m sorry - I need to go.  I……..uh…..I have to go.”

 

“Everything okay?”  He frowned again, his eyes searching her face.

 

“Uh-huh.  Just……just stuff at home I need to make some calls about.”  She said quickly.  “Thanks for dinner.”

 

“Any time.”  Richie replied.  Her answer was too fast, and pretty implausible.  Her reactions hadn’t been like someone hearing news of home.  More like someone being told the time for their own execution.

 

Dropping her phone carelessly into her purse, Billie got to her feet, hesitating before kissing Richie’s cheek.

 

“Bye.”  She whispered, and he caught her hand, studying her face again.

 

“Billie?  What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing.”  A bright, forced smile.  “Honestly, Richie.  It’s nothing for you to worry about.  I’ll see you later, maybe?”

 

“Count on it.”  He let her go.  “If I hear from Jonny, I’ll let you know.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Billie left the restaurant, leaving Richie sitting there with just his coffee for company, and she headed up to her room, trembling with nerves.  Her goodbye to Richie had obviously taken longer than she’d intended, because Nick was leaning against her door, smirking as she walked up.

 

“There you are.”  He said, forcing a mock-friendly smile as other hotel guests walked past.  “I thought you’d gotten lost, baby.”

 

“No.  I had to pay the restaurant bill.”  Billie said, opening the door, feeling his hands grab her waist as she stepped in, his fingers hooking cruelly into her sides.

 

“What the fuck ever.”  Nick sneered, pushing her further into the room.  “Just get your fucking clothes off.  I don’t have all night.”

 

“Why?”  Billie spun to face him.  “Is your wife expecting you?”

 

Nick blinked in surprise, then rattled Billie’s composure badly when he laughed.

 

“Her?  Oh, lemme guess!  You thought because you somehow found out about her that you had some kinda leverage back on me?”  He laughed again, grabbing Billie’s arm brutally hard and dragging her to the bedroom.  “Dream on, you stupid bitch.  Coral does what she’s told when she’s told.”  He threw her toward the bed, unbuttoning his shirt as he closed in on her.  “Just like you.”