Chapter 12: Take Me For A Ride

Around six Richie and David pulled up at Ashley's. John was out on his front porch waiting for them and walked over.

"Hey man."

"Hey Johnny." They started walking up to her door. Richie knocked.

Ashley opened the door and found Richie and John standing there.

"Hey y'all." She smiled.

"Wow Ash, you're looking hot tonight." Richie grinned.

"Thanks."

"Hello beautiful." John smiled at her and she melted instantly.

"You ready?" Richie asked.

"Yeah, let's go."

John walked beside Ashley. David was standing by the by the passenger side.

"Hi Ashley." David grinned.

"Hey David." 

"Lemma you can ride shotgun." John announced.

"Okay."

John opened the door for Ashley and she climbed in the back seat. Her short miniskirt hiked up a little and he was in heaven with the view. He got in right behind her.

Richie and David climbed in and they were on their way.

John was sitting so close to Ashley and she smelled so good.

"I'm glad you could come tonight Ash." I've missed you. You look so beautiful."He smiled looking at her.

"Aww John, thanks. You look so handsome tonight."

"Thanks."

Richie was glancing back through the rear view mirror looking at Ashley.

John was so close to her. He wasn't sure what to say. "So I hear you met Ace." 

"Yeah, he's cool. He called me a little while ago."

John didn't like the sound of this.

"You gave him your number?"

"He asked for it."

"Watch out for him Ash."

"Why what's wrong with him?"

"He's kind of a bad dude."

"What do you mean? He seems okay."

"He sells drugs sometimes."

"No! Really?" She was shocked.

"Yeah, and he dabbles in the hard stuff."

"Like what?"

"Cocaine mostly. Have you ever done it?"

"No, of course not!" I've smoked a little pot but that is it. Have you tried it John?"

"Yeah a couple of times but, I don't like it. I zone out. It makes my head feel funny. I ain't a fan of it. There's a lot of drugs at this club. So be careful and don't trust anybody there. Especially Ace."

"Okay, Stacey was warning me about the club today."

"Just stay close to me and you'll be fine."

Ashley smiled. "I guess I can do that."

"You better, or I'll have to punish you. Didn't you call me Daddy, earlier."

"Oh Lord, I thought you said the freaks were at the club. Not in this car!" She laughed.

"I guess you bring the freak out in me." He laughed.

It took a while in traffic, but they finally made it there.

Pulling up at the club the line was really long. "Oh my God look how long the line is!" Ashley exclaimed.

"Ace said they would be in the back parking lot so let's check it out." Richie drove around back.

There was a bus probably used by one of the bands playing there and some cars parked by the back fence. A couple guys were standing outside the bus so they got out and walked up to them.

"We are looking for Ace." Richie told the two big guys out front.

"You've got the right place. Hold on a minute, though."

The big guy went on the bus and Ace appeared. "Hi guys, we've been waiting for you."

"Ashley, damn you look even more beautiful than last night." He smirked.

"Thank you." She smiled and John didn't like it at all.

His car was parked out in the parking lot. 

"Damn is that your new vette man?" Richie asked grinning and walking over to it.

"Yep, that's her. She's my baby. She's so fine, I'm thinking of naming her. You know, like they do boats. I'm thinking of naming her Ashley." He chuckled.

Ashley smiled and bit her lip a little.

John stood there rolling his eyes at Ace's corny attempt at flirting with Ashley.

"Damn what a car!" John thought.

"It makes my car look like an old rebuilt piece of shit!" He thought.

Ace looked over at John. "Johnny are you here to lose all your money back to me?"

"No actually I'm here to take some more of yours from you." He laughed.

Ace put his arm around Ashley and he instantly glanced at John to see his reaction.

He was trying to play it cool but it was obvious he wasn't liking it very much.

"Come in Ashley, I have some champagne just for you. Ace grinned with his broad perfect smile.

John stood over to the side not liking taking a backseat to this asshole. "Who the hell does he think he is?" He thought.

Ashley was laughing at his jokes and drinking champagne. It was her favorite drink and she never knew when to stop drinking it.

Looking around there were card tables and a bar set up along the bus. A few guys were already playing in the back.

David was the first to sit down. He had twenty-five bucks he had borrowed from his cousin.

John sat down he felt lucky tonight. "I'd love to win enough money to take Ashley out on a real fancy date." He thought as he started looking over his cards.

Ace looked his over his cards and was pretty confident with his hand.

They played a few hands and it was about even. Ace upped the ante and David bailed out. "Too rich for my blood."

 John was determined, it was all or nothing. The last hands were dealt, and John laid his cards down which trumped Ace's hand and he had beaten him again.

"Well damn Johnny." I can't stand you beating my ass." Ace wimpered in pain.

John counted his winnings. Ashley looked bored. Do you want to go in the club baby?" John asked her.

She smiled yes, but let me get one more glass of champagne.

John stood up. We can play some more later, but she's ready to go inside the club."

"Follow me you can skip that long ass line and go right in."

The club was packed and jumping. The cages were loaded with two to three girls in each one, hanging from the roof and some of the girls didn't have tops on. John looked up watching them with a huge grin on his face. Ashley's face was more of shock.

"Oh my Lord!" She bumped John's arm and giggled.

Some big guys that worked at the club were making their way around and spotted Ashley in her tight miniskirt and crop top.

"Hey Miss, do you want to dance in the cage. We don't usually pay but we will pay you a hundred bucks, to dance for twenty minutes if you take your top off."

John jumped in front of her. "Hell no she ain't dancing in no fucking cage man!"

"John!" She tried to hush him up. "No thank you." She told the big muscled guy. She smiled and grabbed John's arm and pulled him toward the bar.

"Come on John buy me a drink. I want a strawberry daiquiri."

He ordered their drinks. He was still pissed at that dude. I told you earlier, you don't belong here. There's some real freaks and perverts here, Ashley!" 

"You'll just have to protect me." She talked directly in his ear and her hot breath sent shivers down his spine.

 He smiled. "Damn it girl, what are you doing to me?"

Waiting on her drink she looked around at all the different people in the club.

Some had spikey hair, some others had different colors in their hair. Some girls were wearing some see through kind of nightgown tops, with no bra. And this got a bunch of glances from John and the guys.

One of the girls stopped at John. "Can I buy you a drink, handsome?"

"No I've already got one coming." He grinned.

"Aren't you in a band?" She asked him.

"Yeah. The Rest. We play mostly in Jersey."

"I saw you at the Stone Pony. I thought you were the hottest guy I had ever seen."

He put his arm around Ashley to let her know he was with somebody, and started grinning.

 Ashley couldn't believe this girl was flirting with John right in front of her.

"Thanks, I guess." John lit a cigarette.

"Do you want to dance?"  The girl ran her hand down John's chest.

John looked down and watched her fingers go down his chest slowly and stopped and rested at the button on his tight jeans.

Ashley's eyes bugged out at this girl's boldness right in front of her.

"John started to speak and say no, but Ashley cut him off. "

She leaned over right in the girl's face. "You better remove that fucking hand before I remove it for you!"

The girl pulled  her hand back. "Woah sorry I didn't know the dude was taken!"

John laughed and whispered in Ashley's ear, "damn baby you going to fight that chick over me."

"You hush, that was just rude. You had your arm around me. She doesn't know our situation. Hell, I could be your wife."

John smiled. "My wife huh, you want to be Mrs. Bongiovi, baby?"

"You know what I mean and I didn't like her pawing at you right in front of me."

She grabbed their drinks off the bar. "Here John." She handed him his drink. "You ain't kidding about the freaks and weirdos around here, were you?"

"Nope I told you."

Ace walked up. "Here's you some more champagne, Ashley."

John turned and gave him a nasty look.

Ashley was drinking too much and way too quickly.

"Oh thanks so much." She abandoned her daiquiri and started drinking  the champagne. She got a taste for it back in Biloxi, at the hotel she stayed at with Bret and she never could get enough of it. But it went to her head quick. And sometimes put her on her ass.

John watched how much she was drinking. "You need to slow down baby. Have you ate anything today?"

"I had a sandwich at lunch."

"Well damn, that ain't nothing. I don't want you to get sick."

"I won't, trust me Johnny."

"Hey wait, you never call me Johnny!"

"Well tonight I am." She giggled.

"Aww damn, you're already loaded. Come here. Stop drinking this. He grabbed for her glass but she downed it and finished it off."

"Damn you're a handful aren't you?"

She giggled and sat down at a table.

Ace came up. "Do you want to dance Ashley?"

John shook his head no, behind Ace's back.

She saw it and ignored him. "Sure I'd love to and I'd like some more champagne please."

She smiled and turned her head and stuck her tongue out at John.

John looked at Richie. "She's a damn handful." He chuckled.

"Oh her and the champagne, yeah she was drinking that shit like water at the wedding yesterday!" Richie laughed.

"Ace is pissing me off he keeps giving the shit to her, and she's already loaded."

"Just keep an I on her, she'll be okay."

John was watching Ashley dance with Ace and he seemed to be getting a little too handsy.

Ashley was dancing and Ace was behind her grinding in to her as they danced.

Richie nudged John. "You see that?"

"Hell yes, I see it!"

"Come on let's get a beer, he's just trying to piss you off." Richie grinned.

"Well it's working."

"You're a good dancer baby. You really would look good in the cage. You're so much hotter than the girls in there tonight.

"Nope that shit ain't for me!" She smiled.

"Hey, you want to go for a ride in my vette?

We could go back to my place. I've got some great champagne back there."

"Oh good, I love champagne. She giggled and smiled.

"I know you do, let's go." He grabbed her by the arm and walked out through the side door. "Have you ever done any blow baby?"

"Huh, what? What are you talking about? Where's John?"

"I think he left."

"What John left me here? With you?"

"Yeah he had to go see Dorothea. She called him at the club. Let me grab my keys off the bus."

John and Richie were drinking a beer at the bar. "Where'd Ash go?" John asked Richie and then he continued looking around for her.

"I don't know." 

"Damn, I didn't see her leave, let's check out back." John yelled over the music. He looked out the door and saw her propped up on Ace's car.

 "Ashley!" He yelled. She looked up and smiled. So happy to see he was still at the club.

  They walked over to her. "Are you okay, baby?"

"Yeah, Ace told me you left. That you went to see Dorothea."

"No baby, I'm still here. Please don't drink anymore. Where's Ace?"

"He went in the bus to get his keys, we're going to his place to get some more champagne."

"No you ain't Ashley. You ain't going no damn where, with him!" He grabbed her by the arm. 

"Here's the keys baby, Ace smiled coming out of the bus."

"What the fuck are you trying to pull Ace?" John yelled. "She ain't going no damn where with you! She's fucked up, man!" 

"We're just going for a little ride. She wants to ride in my car."

"I thought we were going to play some more cards!" John yelled.

"Not unless you've got something more valuable than that two hundred dollars in your pocket."

"That's all I got, man."

"Well, let's make it interesting then. What else do you got? What about your car? My Dad loves old Mustangs, I'll put up one of my motorcycles against it."

"Not your car Johnny, if you lose that you're fucked!" Richie yelled.

"John please don't lose your car!" Ashley pleaded with him slurring a little.

"Your Harley?" John asked. He had always wanted his own motorcycle. He used to ride with his friend Bobby, but he never had one of his own.

"Yeah, my Harley."

"Fuck yeah, I'm in!" John announced.

They went in the bus and sat down. They were playing the best two out of three games and Ace won the first hand. The next round John was the winner. It came down to their last hand and Ace laid his cards down. John looked a little nervous as Ace grinned, proud of his hand.

 But, when John laid his cards down it was obvious he was the proud new owner of a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

"Damn it!" Ace yelled when he realized he lost his motorcycle. Well fuck it, I still have two other motorcycles left!"

Congratulations Bongiovi, he shook John's hand. You're good, you beat me, man. Take care of my bike."

John was so happy. He had always wanted a motorcycle and now he had one. He grabbed Ashley and hugged her. I got a Harley baby!"

"Good now you can take me riding on it." 

She smiled her drunken happy smile."

"I'll go get it. I'll be right back."

Tweny minutes later Ace rolled up on John's new Harley in the  back parking lot. He signed the title over to John and got off the bike.

"Damn that thing is fine!" Richie blurted out running his hands on the shiny machine.

Ashley went over and sat on the seat.

She loved motorcycles. "Take me for a ride." She smiled looking up at John.

"Okay." He jumped up on it and cranked it up. She jumped on the back behind him.

"You two leaving?" Richie asked.

"Yeah I got the money, the girl, and the Harley. I'm out of here." He smiled as he pulled out of the club parking lot.

Ashley wrapped her arms around him really tight. She loved the wind in her hair and this gorgeous guy in her arms.

Richie couldn't take his eyes off of Ashley as they pulled out of the parking lot.