Chapter One

Deborah sat and looked out at the view in front of her. Tall off - white and grey roofed buildings surrounded her with the Eiffel Tower in the distance to the left of her and the Sacre Coeur in the distance to the right. Paris really was a beautiful city. She sat on the little balcony of the room she was sharing and sighed. She could hear laughter coming from inside the room and knew she ought be feel something more than she was, after all it wasn’t everyday a girl won a competition to spend a week in her favourite city with her favourite band. She could hear Jen laughing at one of them. She smiled, it was probably at something David had said. Honestly since the two of them had met it was like having 5 year old twins. Both were determined to out do the other with complete silliness. They had bonded like siblings as well and had spent the first hour after meeting bickering with each other over the smallest things.

Deborah smiled as she thought of her Jovi Sister, Jen, aka Hathor aka The Goddess Hathor, or Hath to her friends. They had been online friends for ages and had bonded over a shared love of a certain darksider. When Deborah had won the competition there was only one person she could think of to invite. Jen had jumped at the chance, literally. Debs had watched her via webcam and had laughed herself silly at the sight of Jen jumping around her front room, her long dark hair going all over the place as she screamed herself silly. That had been a week ago and now here they were. Their first proper day in Paris. They had met the guys the previous night for a short time as both were suffering from travel lag. Jen had flown from the States and Debs had caught the Eurostar from Euston.

Right now she was the envy of millions of women worldwide, so why did she feel so down? She took another drag of her cigarette and exhaled noisily.

“Hey, mind if I pinch one?”

Deb jumped slightly, brought out of her reverie by that familiar whisky-honey voice.

“No, go ahead. They’re menthol though so you might not like them.”

Jon screwed up his nose in distaste.

“S’ok, think I’ll pass.” he smiled his killer smile and sat down next to her, taking out his own packet of cigarettes and putting them on the glass table.

Debs smiled at this.

“So you’ve got your own but just thought you’d pinch mine instead?”

He just smiled back, somewhat sheepishly but she could see the impish look in his crystal blue eyes and laughed.

“So what would you like to do today?” he asked.

Jon had been against the idea of having a competition allowing 2 people into the inner sanctum of the Jovi family at first. He was extremely protective of his inner circle, family and friends alike and was loathe to admit anyone new into it. His road crew had been with him and the guys for years yet he was still reserved with a few of them. Even though each person had signed a confidentiality clause and was unwaveringly loyal to the band and to him in particular he still found it hard to let go and just be him around them. It had taken the guys arguing with him and a particularly lengthy and very legal confidentiality document with so many clauses even his eyes had boggled before he had agreed to it. One thing he had been annoyed at was that it was to take place in the one week that he and guys had off. He had pencilled in that he was going to get away from it all for that week but alas, for him, it was not to be.

He looked over at the winner, Debs and studied her. She wasn’t bad looking, quite cute actually with long red hair that was obviously dyed but it suited her. She was quite short and slim but had curves in all the right places and a little belly that he’d glimpsed the previous evening when she’d stretched, fighting off a yawn. He’d thought it was nice that in this day and age there was a woman who wasn’t afraid to have a little bit of a belly.

‘Something to grab hold of.’ his eyes widened as the thought flashed across his mind.

‘Whoa, where did that come from?’ he thought.

His divorce had not long come through and whilst he appreciated looking he wasn’t in the mood to touch.

A loud laugh made both of them look back towards to suite that the two women were sharing.

“Jen”

They said simultaneously, catching each other’s eye.

Deborah smiled at the blond man sitting next to her. She’d been so nervous of meeting the guys that she’d hardly eaten the week before. She’d lost a few pounds in weight but couldn’t get rid of her belly, much to her annoyance. She looked at the models in magazines and actresses both on screen and on TV and was jealous of their flat stomachs and size zero physiques. Although she was slim, being a US size 4 she felt that men were looking for a flat stomach and toned arms, which she didn’t have. At least that’s what her ex boyfriend had told her over and over again, until he’d left her for a younger woman.

“What I’d really like to do is go to the Louvre, I just want to take it easy today and spend some time wandering around looking at the paintings. They calm me down.” she replied, a hint of sadness in her voice

“Calm you down?” he asked, softly.

“Yeah, when I’m stressed.” she replied, thinking he had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen on anyone.

“What’s stressing you?” he began, “Sorry, none of my business, but if you wanna talk I’m listening.” he smiled, suddenly wanting to make her smile again.

Which she did.

Jon finished his cigarette and got up from the small table.

“Hang here for a moment I’m just gonna see what Jen wants to do.”he moved towards the door, “Or who.” he finished, muttering under his breath with a smile.

Debs laughed softly at his apt description of Jen’s feelings towards a certain lead guitarist.

She was still laughing when Jen came out to join her.

Jen was still stoked that Debs had asked her along for the trip, but as Debs had said, Jen was the first person who’d taken the time to get to know her when she’d joined the sisterhood and it was a no-brainer.

Jen sat down in the recently vacated chair and smiled.

“So what were you all laughing at in there?” Debs asked, taking another cigarette out of the packet.

“Oh just something David and Rich were doing. You know those two. Give ‘em half a chance and they’ll do their double act. I still laugh at Rich’s impression of the Monster of the Black Lagoon from Access all Areas.”

“Yeah, me too. That’s when I started to like him. He made me laugh.” Debs said

“Makes me hot too.” Jen laughed, her beautiful brown eyes sparkling in the early morning sunshine of a perfect June day.

Jen got up and moved to the balcony, leaning on it.

“I dunno what those guys are up to but they kicked me out so’s they could talk. Jon just asked me what I wanted to do today then kicked me out. Cheek of the man! If he didn’t have such a perfectly formed ass I’d kick it!” she laughed, leaning over the balcony, letting the slight breeze blow through her dark locks.

Debs liked this side of Jen. She was in her ‘up for anything’ mood, dressed in her favourite skinny blue jeans, a tight black v necked tee shirt and flat boots, with bangles up one arm and a huge silver watch on the other. Like Debs, Jen had a curvy albeit fuller figure with the curves in the right places.

Jon poked his head around the sliding door and motioned the two women inside.

“Ok, we’ve talked.” he said, motioning to the others who were lounging around the suite, with Richie stretched out on Jen’s bed and David lolling around on Debs’. Tico was stretched out the sofa with his feet up on the coffee table.

“Three of us are going shopping with Jen and one of us wants to go to the Louvre with Debs, so hurry up and get ready you two and we’ll meet you down in the lobby in 45 minutes.”

“But I’m ready.” Jen said, sticking out a boot clad foot.

“Yes, you are. But Debs? She’s still in her PJ’s.” he grinned as the guys got up and walked over to the door.

Debs at least had the grace to blush as she looked down at her tank top and shorts set with the logo “Gorgeous but grumpy” emblazoned across the top.