Chapter 3: Trouble In Paradise

Bret leaned over and whispered in her ear. "I can't believe I found you again baby."

"Yep so many miles away, from where you saw me last." She took a big sip of her drink.

"I've been avoiding the question, but you're not seeing anybody are you Ashley?"

"No I broke up with Jake and I'm not in a hurry to get saddled down again." She gulped the rest of her drink down. "What about you, Bret."

"Damn, I know I shouldn't tell you, because it ain't nothing serious to me. I've been kinda seeing this girl, Heather."

"Why isn't she here tonight?" 

"She's out of town with her family, they are at her aunt's funeral in Texas."

She finished her drink. "It was so good to see you Bret, I guess I'll see you around." She stood up.

Bret grabbed her arm. "Are you serious? You're just going to walk away from me again!"

"I'm not walking away from you Bret,  you have a girlfriend!"

"I knew I shouldn't have told you!"

"Just because she's not here, doesn't mean she doesn't exist!"

"You can't be mad about that Ashley, I didn't know I would find you again! I'll call her right now and break up with her if you want me too!"

"No Bret, I won't be the reason you break up with your girlfriend!"

John couldn't take his eyes off of the drama unfolding between Ashley and Bret.

Richie looked over at John. "Looks like trouble in paradise."

"Yeah looks like it." He replied to Richie. He enjoyed watching Bret squirm, and hoped she would walk away and leave him standing there.

She pulled away from Bret. "Look, my boyfriend was cheating on me! It was a bad relationship, and I haven't been out of it for that long! I just can't deal with this right now! "Please let me go, before you get us both thrown out of here!"

He laughed. "Baby I am the manager at this club, they can't throw my ass out!"

"I'm sorry Bret, I'll talk to you later." She walked away.

"Well damn!" He yelled and sat down by Rikki. 

Rikki smiled at him and chuckled. "You shouldn't have told her man, you know how she is."

"Yeah I know, I just didn't think she would get that pissed about it."

Ashley came up to the bar and stood right beside John and Richie. She took her hand and pushed her hair out of her face and sighed. She looked over at the bartender. "Can I get margarita please?"

"Are you okay baby?" John softly asked her. 

She looked at him with a half smile and said, "I will be."

"I couldn't help but hear. I'm sorry things didn't go like you wanted it to."

"I'm just not ready to deal with stuff like this. I mean why do guys act like they are single, when they definitely have a girlfriend?"

John began smiling. "I imagine most guys try to tell you whatever they think you want to hear. So I wouldn't trust anything any of these guys around here tell you."

"I suppose that includes you?" 

"No you can trust me, I'm harmless baby."

Looking at him with her big blue eyes, she lifted her brow and tilted her head and smiled. "Yeah, I just bet you are. You look like the worst kind of trouble to me."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Because with eyes like that, I bet you could talk a girl into almost anything."

"What you don't trust me? I'm the most trustworthy guy in this room baby."

"I don't know, I'm clearly not a good judge of character."

"So how do you know Bret anyway?"

"I was at CPR Music Fest in Biloxi last year, and his band was playing there. We were in front row, and he pulled me up on stage. After the show, we met up with them backstage and hung out."

John's mind was racing he really wanted to know if she slept with Bret, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up. "So how long were you two together?"

"I was with him all summer. Until he had to go on the road."

"So, just how close were you with him?"

"Is that your sneaky way of asking me if I slept with him?"

"Maybe."

"And why would you need to know that?"

"I'd like to know if I should be jealous of Bret or not."

"And If I slept with him you'd be jealous?"

Looking at her with a serious look on his face. "Damn straight."

"You are awful nosey about my love life."

"Well just call me the love doctor. I thought maybe you could use a little help in that department."

"Look save your breath John Bongiovi, I have already heard all about you and your Romeo ways."

"You've got me all wrong, whatever you've heard is all lies. I'm innocent baby." He looked at her with the cutest drunken smile, that sort of melted her heart.

She locked eyes with him. "Why do you keep calling me baby anyway?"

John thought to himself. "Because I wish you were my baby." But he chuckled and replied, "I call all the hot girls baby."

Ashley looked over at Richie. "You are the only guy I know is definitely single. Please save me from him and buy me a drink."

"Okay, what are you drinking?"

"Another strawberry margarita please."

"Hey Mike get me another beer and a strawberry margarita for the lady."

A young pretty brunette walked up to John. "Hi Johnny, I watched you play. You were really good, I loved the new song."

"Thanks Shelly."

"Where's Dot tonight?"

"Working as usual."

"I don't know what she's thinking letting a babe like you out all the time by yourself."

Shelly reached down and rested her hand on John's thigh, not far from his zipper.

Ashley noticed where her hand landed, and she started laughing and choking on her drink.

"John smiled at her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Richie, come on John wants to be alone with his friend here." She got up and pulled Richie with her to a nearby table.

John couldn't take his eyes off her as she sat down with Richie and giggled.

"Who is that." Shelly asked John.

"Ashley, she just moved here."

"They make a cute couple."

"Who her and Richie? No he's not her type." John chuckled.

"Believe me, cute is every girl's type."

John looked over at her laughing at something Richie said. He watched her sip her drink, and he loved the way she swirled it around in her mouth before she swallowed it. She took her tongue and licked some of the sticky drink off her bottom lip. He couldn't look away from her.

"John did you hear me?" Shelly asked.

"No what did you say?"

"I'll be back I'm going to the bathroom."

"Okay yeah whatever."

He watched Ashley light one of Richie's cigarettes and he looked on as she put it between her plum colored lips and took a drag and blew out the smoke. 

Richie reached over and touched her arm.

John felt a twinge of jealousy rip through his body. What the hell is Richie trying to do? He wondered.

He walked over to their table and sat down beside Ashley.

She looked up with a smirk on her face. "Where'd your little friend go?"

He pushed his hair out of his face. "She ain't my little friend, she's a fan." He smirked.

Ashley started laughing. "A fan really is that what you call her? The way she had her hand on your thigh, I thought there was a little more to it."

"Well my fans are very friendly." He chuckled.

With no reply to John, she contined her conversation with Richie. "So Richie, how long have you been in your band and what's it called?"

"Message and just a couple of months. We are playing a bunch of gigs around town soon. You should come check us out." Richie looked at her and smiled.

Ashley smiled back at Richie. "I'd love to, it sounds exciting." John gave Richie a dirty look, that he did notice, but decided to ignore.

Stacey and Dalton came over to the table. "Hey Ash we are going for a ride." She looked at Richie and John. "Are you going to be okay with them by yourself?"

"Well hell Stacey, we're not going to kidnap her or something." Richie grinned.

"Speak for yourself." John reached over and put his arm around Ashley and pulled her closer to him." 

She swatted at him. "Stop it John." She giggled.

"I don't bite baby." He chuckled.

"Well I do and I will, if you don't let me go!" Ashley giggled.

"That's okay, I like it rough." He began tickling her.

"Oh my God stop, don't do that!" She laughed and yelled at the same time grabbing both of his hands and holding them.

Stacey standing there watching them flirt with each other snapped rather loudly, "My God, why don't y'all two get a room already!" 

Ashley dropped his hands and scooted her chair away from his.

Richie was a little aggravated with John. He had been talking to Ashley and didn't like John horning in on his conversation, and taking her attention away.

"We'll be back in a little while, Ash." Stacey walked away with Dalton.

"I want to call you, Ash." John smiled.

"Only people close to me call me, Ash." She replied.

"Come on I like the way it sounds, Ash. I'd like to be really close to you." He grinned.

"I just bet you would. She smiled. Well I guess you can call me Ash, since you don't take no for an answer."

"I never do. Who was that guy with Stacey?"

"Dalton something." 

"Does he work at the factory?"

"Yeah with Stacey's Dad."

"That's the guy Richie, the one Dorothea's Dad wanted her to date when we broke up."

"Really that's him?" Richie looked over at him.

"Yeah I thought he looked familiar." John watched Dalton, as he left out the door.

He looked at Ashley. "Dot's Dad hates me. He told her I'm a loser with no real future. The last time we broke up, he introduced her to that punk. He told her he was doing a great job at the factory, and would be a supervisor soon. He wanted her to date him, he said he would make her a great husband."

"Oh John that's awful, I'm so sorry." Ashley put her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah that is some messed up shit, man." Richie replied.

Bret came and stood at the table. "Ashley can I please talk to you?"

"Bret I don't think it would be a good idea right now." She shook her head.

"Please Ashley I've waited so long just to see you. Please I just want to talk to you."

"Okay." She stood up. 

"We can talk in my office." They walked toward the back of the club. 

Richie was watching her walk away. "I wonder what that's all about."

"He's trying to get her back. There's nothing else it could be." John replied as he lit a cigarette and slammed his lighter down on the table. Digusted that Bret wouldn't take a hint.