Chapter 17

By the end of the week Jasmine was beginning to feel like her old self again, and it seemed that she had never been away from work, with the creativity still flowing and the amount of mixing and editing she needed to do increasing on a daily basis.

Early on Wednesday afternoon after being treated to another of Dorothea’s gigantic lunches, Jasmine sat behind the sound board with Obie, watching and listening to Jon record his vocals for the second to last track from the planned list. 

“Not much longer Jasmine, then we’ll finish. You look whacked,” Obie said as he reset some buttons and Jon began to sing again.

“I’m fine. It takes as long as it takes.” Jasmine replied trying to suppress a yawn.

“Then why are you yawning so wide I can see your tonsils?”

Jasmine laughed, “Because you mentioned being sleepy. When anyone mentions sleepy then I yawn. It’s like when someone else yawns then invariably I will too within a few seconds, or like when someone mentions head lice and everyone else starts itching.”

“You’re ranting Jasmine, you’re definitely tired.”

Before she could complain Obie had told Jon that he was sending her home to get some rest. Richie overheard the exchange and was by her side with her bag within seconds.

“Your carriage awaits darlin’, time to rest up.” He said, hauling her out of her chair, handing her jacket to her and offering his arm for support.

“I’m not sick Rich, you can quit with the nurse routine now.”

“You heard the doc, you have to take it easy. He’s a scary man, I’m not going to piss him off by letting you over do it, now let’s go.”

Richie led her out of the door and up the drive to the car. As soon as they were out of sight of the studio and far enough away from the house, Richie slid his arm around Jasmine’s waist and pulled her closer so that she molded into his side. Jasmine reciprocated and wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her hand at the top of his jeans pocket. Feeling brave and sure that they were out of the sight of prying eyes Richie kissed the top of Jasmine’s head and pulled her closer.

“You’re living dangerously, are you trying to get me fired?” Jasmine asked, only half jokingly.

Richie looked at her to gauge the seriousness of her comment and when he saw that there was a slight look of trepidation in her eyes as well as in her voice, he winced. 

“Of course not! Quite honestly I didn’t even think about that. All I was thinking about was having you closer to me because I missed you today. The only thing I want is to hold you all the time.”

“Very smooth Sambora, but you really do need to bear in mind that we can’t let anyone know until I don’t work for you anymore. Is this why you were so eager to get me home tonight?”

Richie grinned like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, knowing that he was far from being able to pull the wool over Jasmine’s eyes.

“Ya got me darlin’, you mad?”

“Not at all but let’s just wait until we get home and away from anyone who may see us.”

Jasmine said the words before she thought about them, but the meaning was not lost on Richie. At the sound of her calling his place ‘home’ his heart swelled. His house had felt more like a home in the week that Jasmine had been staying than it had ever done, despite the women who had stayed there previously. Secretly he was hoping that she would never leave but knew that it was not realistic and within a week or two she would begin to think about moving back home. He was frantically trying to think of ways to make her stay but couldn’t think of anything that didn’t make him sound desperate or controlling, or both.

Back home Richie carried Jasmine to bed despite her protests and made her have a nap whilst he made dinner. If the fans could only see me now, domestic God Sambora! He chuckled to himself as he prepared the pasta.

An hour and a half later the dishes were piled in the sink and Jasmine was curled around Richie on the sofa watching the news. Richie reached for her subconsciously and she snuggled in more tightly. It wasn’t long before Jasmine’s breathing fell into a rhythm and Richie realized that she had fallen asleep.

“Damn woman, you drive me insane just by breathing then you fall asleep before I get to do anything about it.” He admonished her jovially as he carefully lifted her up and took her to bed.

He quickly and quietly removed his clothes before he carefully began to remove her clothes; first her jeans, which proved more difficult than he thought. At the sight of her long toned legs appearing from their confines, leading to the uncovering of her underwear, Richie could feel the familiar stirring in his pants. He then lifted her arms and slipped her sweater over her head in one movement. Lowering her arms his hand briefly skimmed across her bra covered breast and the stirring in his pants became more pronounced. He breathed deeply trying to centre himself in order to be able to continue undressing Jasmine without waking her. He expertly removed her bra, avoiding all eye contact with the nipples that had puckered as soon as they were exposed to the air. 

Richie took a sharp intake of breath when his hand once again brushed Jasmine’s skin, and pulled back his hand as if her skin had burnt him. 

“Mmm,” Jasmine sighed. The warmth of his fingers against her skin had brought her out of her deep sleep and into semi consciousness. She didn’t open her eyes but reached her arms out in Richie’s direction. He didn’t miss a beat and had her wrapped in his arms almost immediately, kissing the top of her head then making his way across her cheek, briefly brushing her lips before nuzzling into her neck, which caused her nipples to stand on end once again and the skin on her arms turn into goose flesh.

Jasmine held securely onto Richie’s muscular arms, and enjoyed the feeling of them holding her to him. She moved slightly and his arms flexed to keep her with him.

“You fell asleep.”

“I know.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you. I just figured you wouldn’t want to sleep in your clothes so I tried my best to undress you.”

“So I see. You did a good job,” Jasmine muttered sleepily and barely audibly.

“Not that good of a job honey, you’re awake and talking to me.”

“I’m not really awake, it’s all a dream, a deliciously dreamy dream,”

Richie pulled the covers back and gestured for Jasmine to get in. Getting in after her he rolled on his side and pulled her to him so they were spooning; he kissed her gently on her head, smoothed down her hair and tucked a stray strand behind her ears. 

Jasmine was acutely aware of Richie’s body behind her. She could feel his hard chest resting against her back and her hands stroked his forearms absentmindedly, but it was the part of him that was resting against her lower back that had her heart beating. 

She scooted back and rubbed herself against him,

“Uh, don’t do that unless you want me to act on it darlin’, I’m barely holding on to my sanity as it is,” Richie said, his voice dark with lust.

Jasmine continued to rub against Richie, eliciting a groan from behind her. She tilted her head so that they were looking at each other and could see the burning in his eyes.

“Jas?”

She replied with a nod and reached up to kiss him. Richie responded and pushed her gently so that she was on her back. 

“Do you know how much I love your neck? The way your shoulders raise when I kiss it is hot. I like seeing the effect I can have on your body,” He said as he placed small butterfly kisses across her neck. He carried on over her breasts, taking each pert bud in his mouth, lavishing his attention on them so that they stood to attention for the third time in as many minutes.

Jasmine moaned with pleasure as Richie reached the middle of her stomach; she knew where he was headed and that just served to make her want him more, and sooner. She knew she was ready for him, she could feel the moisture between her legs and her heart was starting to beat just a little bit faster than was technically accepted as normal.

“Stop! Come here.” She beckoned,

“But…” Richie began to protest but lost the power of speech when Jasmine reached out and grabbed him, stroking down his length.

“Now.” She sighed, not demanding, but on the verge of begging. Richie obliged by nudging her thighs apart and settling himself in between them. Holding himself above her, he pushed and waited for a second before pulling out and entering her again. Jasmine’s eyes were open, looking up at the beautiful look of concentration on Richie’s face; his brown eyes shimmered with the consistency of melted chocolate and were focused on a spot just above Jasmine’s head. His arm muscles flexed with the pressure of holding himself up. Jasmine hooked her legs behind his back and angled herself so that he got a better position inside of her. 

“Look at me. I want to see your face,” she demanded this time with no sign of begging.

Richie leant down and kissed her deeply, his tongue probing her mouth until it relented and allowed their tongues to meet. He kept his pace slow and steady, rubbing himself against her raging warmth; it was hard for him to keep concentrating on remaining slow and steady, when all he wanted to do was to lose control and pound into her until he hit the very core of her. Luckily for Jasmine, he was aware that her body was still healing from the beating it received only a week before and he had no intention of extending her recuperation period. He stared hard into her sapphire eyes, which were swirling with a cobalt tint, locking them together as he rocked them both to their end. 

Jasmine’s legs squeezed as her world went black for a few seconds of heaven, then slackened as she rolled over and promptly fell back asleep.

By the time Richie had recovered his breathing and scooted back up the bed, Jasmine was fast asleep on her side. He pulled the covers over them and settled in his previous position behind her with his arms wrapped securely around her middle.

“I love you,” he whispered in her ear, safe in the knowledge that she was unconscious and couldn’t hear him. He liked the sound of it and it felt right to say it. He just had to find the right time to tell her when he had her full attention.

Chapter 16

Monday morning arrived more quickly than Richie would have liked. The alarm shrilled through his sensitive early morning ears until he managed to reach out and slam his hand over it to silence it. He rolled over and gathered Jasmine into him as close as he could;

“It’s morning already darlin’. Do we really have to go to work? Can’t we just stay here in our bubble?”

Jasmine moaned and opened her eyes a little so she could see Richie. When his words had sunk in she smiled sleepily and nodded,

“Afraid so Rock Star. Records can’t be made without the guitar player extraordinaire now can they?” She kissed him softly then pulled away from him.

Richie huffed when she left his arms and grumbled about life not being fair.

“Suck it up Rich, back to work honey. You know you love it.”

He could hardly deny it, of course he loved it, it was the best job in the world, but at that moment he would much rather have been able to stay in bed all day with Jasmine.

“You’re right. I’m up.”

“Good. I’m going to shower then I’ll start breakfast.”

“Don’t worry about it darlin’, we’ll get something on the way.” Richie said, snaking his arms around Jasmine’s waist as she bent over to get something out of the bottom of the wardrobe.

She stiffened at Richie’s statement about breakfast. The thought of going out in public, rather than a secluded beach, when she still looked like she’d done 10 rounds with Rocky, filled her with dread.

“Uh, I don’t know. I still look like hell. I’m ok with the guys but I don’t really want to go out looking like this.” She said gesturing to herself.

“I didn’t mean ‘out’ darlin’, I meant that we’d just get breakfast for all of us on our way. Don’t worry Jas, I’m not forcing you to go out before you’re ready, I know you don’t like the way you look right now. I wouldn’t ask you to go out if you didn’t want to.” Richie replied, squeezing her close to him and kissing her neck.

Jasmine turned in his arms to face him, 

“What did I do to deserve you? You get me even when I haven’t said anything. You’re amazing.” She said, holding his face in her hands and kissing him deeply. Richie shook his head as he kissed her back,

“No, you’re the amazing one, you’ve dealt with this so well. I’m in awe of you.”

Jasmine didn’t know what to say, his words had floored her and the tears had begun to flow down her cheeks. She wiped at them and shook her head,

“Ok, well if we’re finished with the mutual appreciation then we’d better get a move on or Jon won’t think either of us are all that great!”

Richie chuckled and let Jasmine go, slapping her gently on her ass as she headed for the bathroom.

An hour later they pulled up at the gates to Jon’s house and made their way to the studio, noting that they were the last to arrive. Jasmine grabbed the box of coffees and Richie carried the pastries that they had bought on the way in.

“HEY JAS!” David yelled from behind his piano at the front of the studio as he saw Jasmine and Richie enter from the back door. He jumped up from his seat and launched himself at Jasmine, stopping just short of knocking the coffees out of her hands.

“Hey yourself. We brought coffee, you want some?”

“Hell yeah I do, but first let me take a good look at you. Are you ok?” he said, looking her over with a quizzical eye.

“I’m great, honestly. Glad to be back at work. Here, take these to Jon would you?” she said, handing him the rest of the drinks. David took them in one hand and took Jasmine’s hand in his other, dragging her with him as he went to find Jon on the other side of the glass.

“Look who I found lurking.”

Jon smiled widely and hugged Jasmine tightly,

“Everything ok? You need anything, just holler,” he whispered so only Jasmine could hear him.

“Thanks Jon, but I think I’ll be fine.”

“I know you will be but just in case.”

Jasmine nodded her understanding then let the others greet her before telling them that they weren’t here to keep an eye on her and that the record would not get done if they stood around looking at her all day.

‘What’s wrong with that?’ Richie wondered as he began to tune up his guitars whilst listening as Jasmine berated them all.

Not much recording was done in the morning; instead the guys spent their time reacquainting themselves with what they had already done, and made some adjustments to the next few songs that were to be recorded. Richie sat in the middle of the studio on a plastic chair with his Martin on his knees, strumming a tune that was becoming familiar to Jasmine. Headphones were teetering precariously on the side of his head, only one of them covering one of his ears. He fiddled with the cushion under his ass and shifted in his seat, ‘damn, we need more comfortable chairs in here,’ he thought to himself.

Jasmine switched on the two way speaker to let Richie know that they were ready for him to do his thing but was stopped in her tracks as she heard the tune come through into the recording booth. She cleared her throat, which made Richie jump, 

“Sorry Rich, didn’t mean to startle you. We’re ready when you are.”

Richie winked at her and replied, “I’m always ready darlin’. Count me in.”

Jasmine counted him in and Richie nailed his solo first time, making Jasmine grin from ear to ear.

“Perfect. You ready for some lunch?”

“Always.”

They headed up to the house together, talking and laughing. Richie had his hand resting on the small of Jasmine’s back as he guided her up the uneven path, his hand subconsciously rubbing where her bruise was hidden by her clothes. Lunch was a raucous affair, the guys sharing their news from their unexpected week off, and talking about the upcoming awards ceremony that they were meant to be playing at.

The diet of coffee and Coke that Jasmine had consumed since she arrived earlier in the day began to play havoc with her so she made her excuses and headed towards the bathroom. On her way back she met Richie in the hallway. Their smiles could have lit up New York City for a year as they reached for each other’s hand as they passed. Richie pulled her to him and she gasped,

“NOT here, you’re taking a big risk,” she whispered,

“Don’t care. I need to touch you,” he whispered back before pressing his lips firmly down on hers. Jasmine had no choice but to reciprocate, the power of all reasonable thought leaving her as soon as Richie laid his hand on her. Eventually she pulled away, shook her head at him and slapped him lightly,

“Go on, before we get caught.” She nodded towards the kitchen. They came back into the kitchen together but neither of them saw the knowing looks being passed around the table, and they certainly didn’t see Jon kick David under the table in warning to keep his wisecracks to himself.

For the next few hours they toiled away on two songs that they thought they had already finished. Evidently Jon thought otherwise, which frustrated the others, and they spent two hours rerecording parts until Jon was satisfied. Jasmine sat in the sound booth with Obie and Jon as Richie, David and Tico sat with their instruments behind the glass. Each time Jon grumbled about things not being quite right, Richie made eye contact with Jasmine and rolled his eyes. Jasmine tried hard not to laugh but once or twice was given the stink eye and Richie admonished himself for being a ‘shit for brains’. 

“What’s up with him today? Dot withholding marital privileges again?” David asked as they waited for Jon to return from the toilet.

“No idea man but if he keeps it up I’m going to batter him senseless,” Richie replied, making fighting movements to emphasize his point.

“That’s a bit strong isn’t it? Anything wrong?”

Richie sighed. He couldn’t tell David what was really going through his head; that having Jasmine so close yet not being able to touch her was killing him, that every time she walked past him the scent of her perfume made him hard and that what he wanted most right then was to feel her bare, sweaty skin on his. 

“I just think he’s working Jasmine a little hard, it’s only her first day back.”

“She looks fine to me, in fact if she smiles much more I’m going to start thinking you’re feeding her happy pills.”

“She still needs to take it easy, the doc said so.”

David nodded and looked sympathetically at his friend, “She’ll be fine Rich, we’ll make sure she stops when she’s tired.”

They finished just before seven; Jasmine barely had time to say goodbye to everyone before Richie was pulling her out of the door insisting she needed to have an early night and rest. She rolled her eyes and shrugged at Tico, who looked on with amusement as Richie manhandled Jasmine out of the studio.

Jon waited until he heard Richie’s car start up the path before he spoke,

“There is SO something going on with those two. Did you see the way he dragged her out just now?”

“I thought her arm was going to fall off he was pulling so hard,” David grinned.

“Don’t you think we should put them out of their misery and tell them that we know there is something going on and its ok?” Tico asked.

Jon and David both shook their heads at the same time, “No way. This will be too much fun.” David said, grinning madly.

Chapter 15

Richie made good on his promise the following week; Jasmine was pampered and looked after better than anyone ever had been in the history of the world, at least according to Richie, who had been bragging about how good he was to Jon when he had called on Monday to check up on Jasmine.

Jasmine thought she had died and gone to heaven. She had an attentive, caring and domesticated man looking after her every need, both physical and emotional. She had woken up on Tuesday morning when the alarm went off, then remembered that Jon had given them the week off so she rolled over and snuggled into Richie’s chest and went back to sleep until midday. When she woke again she found that she was alone and judging by the coolness of the space next to her, Richie had been up for a while. She showered and checked on the bruise on her back before getting dressed and going to find Richie.

She found him in the living room, guitar in hand and his eyes closed. She recognized the tune immediately as the one that he had been playing on Sunday, the one that he wasn’t ready to share yet. She stood leaning against the door frame for a few minutes, watching as Richie let his fingers play out what was on his mind. She could see that the events of the weekend were affecting him, the darkness around his eyes and the way he slumped in his chair were evidence enough, not to mention that he hadn’t shaved in 3 days and the stubble was fast growing into a beard. Not that she minded, scruffy Richie was hot, but she worried that he was not coping with what had happened and she felt guilty.

She walked slowly to where he was sitting and rested her hand on his shoulder. Richie looked up at her and smiled a smile that was reflected in his eyes.

“Hey, how long have you been down here?” Jasmine asked.

“About an hour I guess. You were sleeping, I didn’t want to wake you. How are you feeling?” Richie replied, laying his guitar down and reaching for her hand. 

“Actually, I’m feeling better, my back doesn’t hurt so much and I’m not aching as much as I was. The bruise on my back is going a yellow color now, it looks horrendous.” She said, turning and showing him.

Richie winced then brought his fingers up to touch it. He caressed the bruise gently and laid a kiss in the middle of her back. 

“It’ll go soon and you’ll never know it had been there,” he said, pulling her down to sit next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her in for a hug. He had been hoping she would wake up soon as he was feeling the need to feel her against him. Instead he had taken comfort in the music and had worked through the melody and lyrics that wouldn’t leave him alone.

“So how is the song coming along? I heard you playing it again.”

“It’s alright I guess. I don’t know what will come of it but it won’t leave me alone right now.”

“I know how it feels, I don’t want to leave you alone either,” Jasmine said, grinning.

“That’s good to hear,” he said, kissing her completely.

Richie and Jasmine spent the rest of Tuesday chilling out and enjoying each other’s company. Richie couldn’t keep his hands off her and didn’t leave her side all day until it was time to eat. Jasmine had noticed how clingy Richie had become during the day so when he finally pried himself away from her to go and make dinner, she followed him into the kitchen and watched him work.

After dinner they were curled up together watching television when the phone rang. Richie reached over and picked it up. Jasmine watched his expression soften as he talked to the person on the other end and guessed that it was his mom. She was going to leave Richie to talk to his mother alone, but as she moved to get up he pulled her back in place and anchored her to him. She smiled and rested against his chest, feeling it rumble as he talked into the phone.

“I’ll ask her, but I’m not sure she’ll be ready,” she heard Richie say,

Richie covered the speaker with his hand, turned to Jasmine and said,

“Mom wants to know if we want to go over for lunch this week. I think she’s worried about you and wants to check that I’m looking after you properly.”

Jasmine nodded her agreement then resumed her place on Richie’s chest. When he had finished talking to Joan, and had reassured Adam that Jasmine was fine, Richie put the phone down and sighed.

“What’s wrong?” Jasmine asked.

“Nothing’s wrong. In fact everything is fine. Well, except for the fact I haven’t beaten your father to a pulp yet. Mom said to come over on Thursday if you’re up to it. You don’t have to though, so no pressure.”

“No that’s fine. I liked meeting Joan and Adam.”

“They like you too, darlin’. In fact I think they like you a lot. They were checking to make sure I was looking after you properly. Honestly, you’d think that I was totally inept at anything domestic, the way they carry on!”

Jasmine laughed at Richie’s pouting, “At least they care. It’ll be nice to see them.”

The rest of the week passed without any drama; Richie and Jasmine visited with Richie’s parents on Thursday but other than that they were on their own. They took a trip to the beach to get some fresh air but mainly they stayed at home, relaxing and enjoying being finally able to show their feelings for each other physically. Richie made sure that Jasmine got a lot of rest and, despite her protests, wouldn’t let her do anything around the house. She slept a lot but by the weekend she was feeling restless and ready to get back to work. She had called Obie when Richie had popped out to get some things from the store, and was up to speed on what needed doing when she got back to work.

“You know Richie will kill you if he finds out you called me?” Obie complained.

“I know, but I’ve got cabin fever, I need to work. I’m not good at staying still for so long.”

“Don’t come back until you’re ready though, we don’t want to rush you.”

“I’m fine Obie, honestly. I’m bruised but I have no lasting damage. Richie has been looking after me really well so I’m rested and I’m healing. I just want to get back to normal.”

“Ok, well you discuss it with Kidd and Rich. Take care Jas,”

“Thanks Obie, see you soon.”

On Sunday Richie and Jasmine went to lunch with Jon and Dorothea, mainly to discuss whether Jasmine was ready to come back to work but also so that Dorothea could make sure that Jasmine was okay. After eating, Jon and Richie headed out to the studio, while Jasmine and Dot settled themselves in the lounge.

“So, how has Richie been treating you?” Dot asked. Jon had asked her to try and find out about their relationship. He needn’t have worried, she was just as interested as he was.

Jasmine smiled but looked down at her feet so that her eyes wouldn’t deceive her.

“He’s been the perfect gentleman. I think he missed his calling in life. He may be a great guitarist but he makes a fantastic nurse too.”

Dorothea laughed at the mental image she had of Richie dressed in a nurse’s uniform, emptying bed pans.

“He’s a caring soul. He comes across as the class clown but he’s a softy deep down. You scared the shit out of him, actually out of all of us.”

“I know. He sometimes looks so scared, like I’m going to fizzle away or something. He’s hardly left me alone all week.”

“Don’t you find that weird?”

“Not really. We’ve spent a lot of time together since I started working for the band. He’s a good friend. I never thought I’d have a friend like him, but I’m glad that he’s around. I dread to think what would have happened if he hadn’t have found me when he did.”

“Let’s just be glad he did find you. He’s a good guy Jasmine, you won’t find a better friend than him, if that’s all you want.”

Dorothea fixed Jasmine with a quizzical stare that could rival Jon’s stink eye. Jasmine’s stomach jumped into her throat and the room began to spin. 

“What do you mean, if that’s all I want? Dot, we’re just friends. I’ll admit it might look like its more than that but we’re just close friends and that is all there is to it.”

Dorothea nodded in acceptance but Jasmine wasn’t sure that she had managed to convince her otherwise. She and Richie would have to be careful around other people. 

Jon and Richie had headed towards the studio but got sidetracked in the Shoe Inn. They sat at the bar, both nursing a bottle of beer. Richie was silent, staring into his beer,

“Anything you want to talk about?” Jon offered.

“Nah, just tired I guess.”

“You’ve been through a lot this week. Finding Jasmine and looking after her. You two have become close, it must have been hard on you as well.”

“It has been. I’ve never been as scared as when I found her. I thought she was dead. We’ve become close friends the last few months and I thought I’d lost her already. You know, I’ve never had a girl as a good friend before, except Dot, but she’s a different thing altogether because she’s family.”

“Is that all she is, a good friend?” Jon asked. He knew what Richie would say but he also knew that Richie would be lying. Everyone could see that Richie and Jasmine were more than that but until they were willing to admit it, everyone would have to accept their version of the truth.

“Yeah she is, and that’s all there is to it. Don’t get me wrong, we’re close but not romantically. I’m just enjoying having a woman as a friend, rather than all the drama of a relationship.”

Jon nodded to show he understood what Richie was saying, but he didn’t believe it for a second.

Later that evening Richie and Jasmine were lying in bed in the afterglow of slow and indulgent sex, Richie had Jasmine in his arms and she had tucked her head under his chin, resting it on his chest.

“Dot asked me about you and me today.” Jasmine blurted out. It had been bothering her ever since they had left Jon’s place.

“Really? Jon asked me the same. What did you say?”

“I denied anything was going on. I said that we were close friends but that is as far as it goes. You?”

“Same. Do you think we’re that obvious?”

Jasmine took a few seconds to think about it before replying.

“No, I think they’re just fishing. You know, a man and a woman who are as close as we are is not that common. Normally something else is going on.”

“Something else is going on Jas, in case you’d forgotten,” Richie grinned and kissed the top of her head,

“How could I forget? But they don’t know that. They’re just trying to get us to admit to something. As long as we carry on like we were before they will have no reason to think anything has changed. Unless you want to tell them?”

Richie turned to look at Jasmine, 

“You’re right, they don’t know anything for sure. We could tell them but I kinda like it just being you and me, and I’m not sure legally where we stand. How about I look into the contract but until then, lets keep us to ourselves. I think it’s cool that we have a secret from the rest of them.”

Jasmine laughed, Richie’s devious side showing itself,

“Very devious sir, but I like it. You think you’ll be able to cope at work all day without being able to kiss me? You can hardly go a few minutes right now.”

“We’ll see when we get back to work tomorrow won’t we?”

“We certainly will,” Jasmine chuckled, then pulled herself closer into Richie.