FIFTEEN

Jamie stepped down from her brother's hefty grip. "What? Are you guys going to actually take us out to celebrate?"

Richie squatted down and let the monkey that was Ashley down off his back. She was still spazzing out, so he hugged her tight for a moment before letting Taz free. The name had stuck and Ash enjoyed it. She even sent out her drum kit to be refitted with a skin painted in the cartoon character mid tornado twirl.

She turned to her best friend with a huge smile, but took a cautious step back at Steph's lazer beam stare at Ashley. Whoa. She touched her arm and Steph blinked and the death ray was gone. Boy oh boy, they must have seriously interrupted something.

"I'm going to go get the guys," Richie said and hurried off the bus.

She looked from Steph to the front of the bus and back. "Everything cool?"

Steph just growled and grabbed clothes from her drawer. "I'm taking a shower."

"Alrighty then." She climbed into her bunk. "So you think Richie's just talking out his butt or will he actually come through?"

"Maybe if we get all duded up they will." Ronnie crossed her legs and looked up at her then quirked a brow. "That means girl clothes, Jamie."

"I'll have you know, jeans are definitely girl clothes after I get through with them."

Ronnie snickered. "Yeah, well...how about a skirt and boots, a sexy top. You know, use your God given assets for a change."

She gave her a bland stare. "I do just fine on my own." But she swallowed a smirk. If she pulled out all the stops, just maybe she could jerk Jonny into making a move. Christ, she'd make the moves if it would get that man naked. She couldn't take much more. If she could just get him inside her once she'd be good.

He'd be good, every cell in her body knew that, but at least she'd know and could get him out of her system. That's all it would take. He was just like any other man. Scratch the itch and then she could breathe again for fuck's sake. This needing thing was not cool. She was supposed to be having fun goddammit. She couldn't even get up enough interest to fuck anyone for a week now. Her body needed release and damn if she wasn't going to finally get it.

"Maybe you're right." She hopped down and dug deep into her trunk. She had girl clothes somewhere. Steph had talked her into a skirt, even if it felt like she was showing off her ass with the length of the skirt, it might just do the job. She wasn't doing the heels thing though. She already towered over most women, no need to tower over the one man she wanted inside her. Talk about dick-shriveling.

Dropping her boxers, she pulled on the panties she'd mail ordered a few months ago. It was just the time to try them out. With a grin, she hiked up the skirt and headed to the mirror. "Holy Christ," she muttered and turned back around. There was no way she could wear that.

"Jeeeze, Jamie. Your legs look even longer in a skirt!"

Wincing, she turned to Ronnie. "It looks stupid, right?"

"Stupid?" Ronnie's mouth dropped open. "You look hot. Throw on some heels--"

"No heels."

Ronnie sighed. "You have the legs to pull of heels and you don't. What is wrong with you?"

"I'm already taller than everyone in flats, that's why."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Whatever, some guys like a tall girl."

Not if you're taller than him. She shrugged, stomping her foot into her knee high red boots. They were soft and worn, scuffed perfectly. She snapped out an off the shoulder red shirt and fixed her black bra to show off as much cleavage as humanly possible. With her barely a B's size, it wasn't much, but the legs made up for it.

"Nope, the red silk." Ronnie said and handed her a shirt. "With the wide black belt."

She frowned at the slinky shirt. "But it's almost as long as the skirt."

"Exactly, so they all they do is look at your legs. God, don't you know anything about seduction?"

She smirked at her through the mirror. "I don't have to, they come to me."

"Bitch."

She just shrugged, whipping off the shredded cotton and traded it for silk. "You love me."

"Unfortunately."

She fastened her braided black leather necklace with the three small dangling crosses across her neck. It clung tight, making her neck look longer. She yanked a brush through the thick straight hair until the feathers fell down her back in a fluffy waterfall of red and dark brown. "What the hell?" she muttered and lined her golden eyes in black and smudged it a little. She might as well go all the way.

"Holy crap!"

She turned around to see Steph in the mirror. "What?"

"Someone's on the prowl tonight," Steph said with a half laugh.

"I see your shower put you in a better mood."

"Not really. If you guys had waited just another ten minutes I could have had him." Steph scraped her hair up and started applying her base with a fat brush.

Jamie leaned on her best friend's bunk. "Okay, if you're really going to do this thing with my brother, let me give you one tip."

Steph's eyebrow rose. "You think you can give me tips on your brother?"

She crossed her arms, tapping her finger on her forearm. "Hey, you want him, right?"

Steph stopped, snapping her bag closed and staring right into her eyes. "I want him more than I've ever wanted anything except Devotion."

She watched her best friend's big blue eyes grow serious. Just before she rubbed her hands over her face and ruined all her hard work, she blew out a breath. "Christ, I should be shot."

"Just tell me!" Steph tucked her towel tighter between her rather impressive breasts.

Pushing away the everyday hate she lived with--damn, she wished she had boobs--she gripped her shoulders. "Okay. I really can't help that he's an idiot sometimes, but I'll tell you this one thing. He's got a blind spot when it comes to women. There's two sides to him, Playboy and then there's the Protector role at its finest. Put Polish and Italian together and you get a bit of a mindfuck, what can I tell ya."

"I don't want him to play protector, I want him to jump me, dammit."

"Actually, you don't." She sat on Steph's bunk, crossed her legs and leaned forward. "If he did just fuck you, it would be over. That's the plain and simple truth. He's the sweetest guy on the earth, but he's got some really dumb notions about women. He has since high school. If he didn't care, you'd have been on your back--and from what I hear, it's a good ride."

Steph threw a make up sponge at her. "That's your brother!"

She laughed and blocked the little triangle. "I have ears. Girls talk about him. You think I want to know this stuff?" She shuddered, then grinned and stood. "Bide your time, girl. If you really want him. That real kind of want, not just for fun...then play it smart." Just the thought of her best friend with her brother was enough to make her eye twitch, but if that's what she wanted, then that's what she wanted. Changing Steph's mind was about as easy as stringing a double neck with oven mittens.

"I want him." Steph picked up her make-up case again, digging for eyeliner. "There was nothing in your advice about making him ache with wanting me though."

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about." She unclipped Steph's hair. "Make him sweat. He's got a thing for your hair." Same as I'm going to make Jon sweat.

Steph grabbed her wrist before she could walk away. "Thanks." Her blue eyes were earnest with hope instead of frustration. "I've been in love with him longer than I can remember."

She sighed. "Man..." She knew it--hell, she'd always known it, but it didn't stop the tic. Her brother and Steph? With another long sigh that she just couldn't help, she hugged her best friend. "I think you're crazy, but I'll help however I can."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah. Enough with the mush. I've got to find a man. It's been a long week and I need some fun."

Steph quirked an eyebrow. "Obviously. Since when do you wear skirts?"

Since she'd decided tonight was the night she'd finally get Jon's hands on her. "Thought I'd try something different."

"I hate you. You've got legs up to your damn ears."

"And I hate you for your boobs. If we could meld ourselves together we'd have the perfect body."

"For porn," they both said and laughed.

Jamie waved as she headed out of the bus. "I'll meet you over there." She had some damage to do and wanted to make sure Jon wouldn't weezle out of their little celebration.

Ashley was in full on party girl mode in the lobby, her arms around a guy on either side of her. "Can I bring a few friends?"

She just laughed. "It's our number one single day, you can do whatever the hell you want!" She couldn't even fault the party-mode. She was buzzing. Everything they'd ever worked for was finally starting to pay off. Now all she needed to do was get rid of this itch for a certain Jersey Boy and she could finally relax and enjoy everything.

She ignored catcalls and whistles for attention from obnoxious males, waved at a few fans that shouted out her name. She had only one man on her mind. Tico was smoking in the hallway near Jon's room. The doorway was filled with the rest of the band. Everyone talking at once. She ran down the corridor to Teek and was welcomed with a big teddybear hug. "Can you believe it?"

"Of course I can believe it, querida. I knew you girls would make it big." She hooked her arm around his shoulders, laughing when Tico waggled his eyebrows because he was practically eye to eye with her boobs. "You dressed up for us?"

"I can be a girl sometimes."

"It's good to see." He took a step back and looked her over. "We'll be fending off guys instead of women for once."

She winked. "Damn right you will. I'm ready to party."

David turned around, his eyes comically wide. "She does have legs!" He held up his hands. "Not that I don't love them in that skin tight leather or those ripped to shit jeans, but hot damn girl...look at those legs!" He grabbed one of her hands and twirled her around, then dipped her. "Marry me!"

"But you only want me for my body!" she said with a laugh.

"It's a damn good place to start."

She laughed good naturedly. David was possibly more of a dog than anyone in the group. Even with the fucked up hair he managed to confuse far too many women into getting naked for him. She punched him in the belly. "Back off Ogilvie, I want only fresh meat tonight. You've been used and abused by way too many."

"Hey! Jonny has to perm his, not me, Legs. This is all natural."

"And that's even more frightening." She yelped when David smacked her ass.

"You wish you could have a piece of this," he said with a heavy Jersey accent.

"I have discerning taste," but she couldn't get it out with a straight face. She been nearly as bad as David when she'd first joined the tour. In fact, they'd had a score sheet going for a month. But when his got to be two pages deep, she gave up. She liked to have fun, not fuck everything in sight.

Tico grabbed a handful of Dave's hair. "C'mon amigo, we're going to go hunt up a limo for tonight's festivities."

"Oh yeah?" Delighted, her smile widened even more. She'd thought her brother was half kidding when he said they'd take them out on the town.

"That's right! I ride in style." David curled Richie into a headlock. "C'mon we need your powers of persuasion."

And just like that the boys disappeared in a tussel of grunts and rude comments. She stepped into Jon and Richie's room, her stomach dropping to her toes as she spotted Alec.