Anastasia
I look at myself in the mirror, and I'm not happy with what I see.
There's no fucking way I can go out like this.
"DUFF!" I scream to make sure he'll hear me, and he does.
He rushes into our bathroom like there might be a murderer waiting just inside the door.
"What?!" he says exasperatedly, clutching his shirt in his hands. He doesn't have any pants on.
"Look what you fucking did to me! I can't go out like this!" I whine and look at myself again.
From behind my ear, trailing all the way down my neck, over my breast, and down my stomach to my crotch was a line of dark purple hickeys.
There was no way I could wear the dress I pulled out, and Duff thinks it's funny.
He stands there looking at me, laughing like it's the funniest thing he's seen in his life.
I chuck my can of hairspray at his head and miss him by a few inches.
"What? You look fucking hot, babe. No one will even notice." he says.
My eyes nearly pop out of their socket. "No one will fucking notice?! Have you seen these?!" I ask him, pointing to the darkest of the love bites. "They're the color of a fucking eggplant!"
Duff's still laughing, and I want to punch him. "You weren't complaining about it when you were getting them." he argues.
I grab the cover up from my make up kit, hoping I can cover them at least a little bit.
"I can't believe this." I mutter as Duff watches me go to work on the purple marks.
"Hey, at least everyone will know your mine." he jokes.
I stop applying the cover up. "No they won't, because I'm covering them up!" I shoot back.
It takes me a good half hour and a wardrobe change to cover the hideous purple hickeys. I had to wear my hair down and pick a dress with a high neckline to cover the marks. All in all, you couldn't see them unless I was in the light.
Duff's hand rests on the small of my back as we walk down the steps of our apartment.
Before I can start walking down the street, I feel Duff's body against my backside, hugging me from behind.
His lips kiss the soft spot behind my ear. "Are you sure you still wanna go out? I can call the guys and tell them we aren't coming." he tries.
"No, Duff. No matter how much we want to, we can't spend all night inside doing it. I know you thought you had a chance since you marked me all up, but it's not happening" I answer with a tinge of humor in my voice. I pry him off of me as he clings to me like a sad puppy.
"Come on" I tell him, and I feel his hand slap my ass as I walk past him.
We were going out to dinner at a fancy place right down the street that served Italian. Plus, it was right down the street from our house and the Whisky, so we didn't have to go far. Now that we were both making a little bit more money, we could afford nicer places.
We walk hand in hand, and like a true gentleman, Duff holds the door open for me.
"Thank you." I smile, and he kisses my lips once more.
"Anytime, beautiful." he flirts.
"How many?" The host asks.
"Just two." Duff says, and the host stops.
"You look familiar." he says, looking at Duff strangely as he fishes out the menus from underneath the podium.
I roll my eyes and fix my hair.
He snaps his fingers and points at Duff. "You're in that band." he says. "Guns N' Roses."
Duff chuckles. "Yeah, that's me."
"You want the private room?" the guy asks.
Duff looks at me and I just look at him.
"It's cool." he says.
The host takes us back to our table and sets the menus down in front of us. I open mine and scan the pasta list for something I'll like. "It's a pleasure to meet you." the host says
"You too, man." Duff responds.
I stop scanning my menu when I feel Duff's eyes on me.
"What?" I ask him, confused as to why he's staring me down.
"Why would I want a private room?" he asks me.
"I don't know, Duff. I guess he figures you want a little privacy. I don't know." I say.
"It's so fucking weird. I don't think I'll ever get used to it." he mutters, looking at his menu now.
A man dressed in an overcoat and slacks approaches us.
"Good afternoon Sir, Ma'm. How are we doing this evening?" he questions.
"Fine, thanks." I smile.
"Please allow me to introduce our wine for the evening, Chateau De Fleuro 1923, a red with rustic flavors from the Napa Valley."
Duff speaks up, saying exactly what I'm thinking. "Can we just have a bottle of vodka."
"What kind would you like, sir?" he asks.
I chuckle. "The cheapest kind. And some cranberry juice." I tell him.
"Very well, ma'm"
The waiter scurries away only to come back minutes later with a bottle of vodka and two glasses of cranberry juice. Duff and I order our meals, and I take a shot of vodka, chasing it down with cranberry juice.
"So." I prompt with a smile.
"So what." Duff smiles back.
I loved to watch him smile.
"This reminded me of something." I tell him, sipping on my drink.
"I met someone while you were gone. At the Rainbow." I nod my head, and Duff's face holds a guilty smirk.
He knows what I'm about to say already, I'm sure.
"You told your friends to watch out for me while you were gone?" I question with a smile.
"Yeah." he says, taking a swig from the bottle.
"You know he tried to hit on me first." I bite my lip, eager to hear what he has to say about that.
"He was trying to see if you'd bite. I told him you wouldn't." he says.
"Yeah, and you also told him I was a bitch." I raise my eyebrow at him.
"It's true. You're a bitch when guys hit on you." he says.
He was right. If Duff didn't take care of it, being a bitch would.
"I don't know how else to react without you there." I smile.
"Well don't worry. I'm here now." he says.
A silence ensues as I pick at the complementary bread on my plate, and I can sense that Duff's thinking about something.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
He chuckles, and then begins to speak.
"Seems like every time I take you out to a nice dinner, I have to tell you something you probably don't wanna hear."
Shit. What was he gonna spring on me now?
"What do you mean?" I ask.
Duff looks at me as if he's a sales agent trying to sell me something.
"How would you like to embark on a month long all expenses paid tour of the East Coast with Guns N' Fucking Roses?" he asks excitedly.
I sigh. I should have known.
"When do we leave?" I ask.
Duff smiles. "A week from today. New York City, baby."
I didn't care where we had to go as long as we were going together. Being away from Duff for a whole month taught me that.
I chuckle and try to hold back my amused smile.
"I can't wait."
~~~~~~
After our dinner, Duff and I leave the restaurant and make our way down to the Whisky.
When we get to the front door, there's cameras and reporters everywhere--more so then at the airport.
"Duff!" They all seem to call, wanting us to turn their way for a picture.
"Duff McKagan!" They shout.
No matter where I look, I'm bombarded with flashing cameras. It gets to the point where we can't even see where I'm walking. Good thing Duff seems like he knows where he's going.
"Duff, are you and the rest of the band partying with Crüe tonight, or is it just a coincidence?" one of the reporters ask.
"I didn't even know they were here." Duff responds.
"Anastasia, rumors have been spinning that you've been working with Aerosmith for a music video, is this true?" The next reporter calls out.
Woah, one of them knew my name.
"I can't confirm or deny that." I speak out.
"Does Duff know you've been seeing Steven Tyler while he was out of town?" One calls out.
"I haven't been seeing Steven Tyler. Our relations are purely business related." I clarify.
"Duff, when's the next album coming out?" Another asks.
"I have no clue." he answers.
"How do you feel about your girlfriend screwing Steven Tyler?" Another says.
I'm tired of the bullshit. I take a step towards the microphones and speak into them. "I am not, nor will I ever be, romantically involved with Steven Tyler." I announce.
I flip everyone the bird and head straight inside.
I wasn't happy that people were assuming I hooked up with Steven Tyler. Even after I told them it was strictly a business relationship, they still tried to push the issue.
I feel an arm on my waist and then hear a voice in my ear.
"Don't worry about them, baby." Duff says.
I glance around the room, searching for the rest of the band with my eyes.
I finally spot a mop of curly black hair sitting in the corner, and naturally, more equally strange looking individuals surround him.
"Ana!" A voice calls out first as we get closer. I can automatically tell it's popcorn.
I rush up and go around the circle, giving them all a hug. Cheryl is here as well as Erin, Sally, and another girl who I didn't know.
"They said Mötley was here. Where are they?" Duff asks Axl.
"Probably watching the girls dance." he says.
The music in here is loud, as usual. I can barely hear what people are saying, but I do hear Duff in my ear.
"You want something to drink?" he asks.
I shake my head. "No. Me, Cheryl, and Sally are gonna go to the bar and get something. Thanks though, babe." I smile and kiss him on the cheek.
"Let's go." I tell the girls, and the three of us make it up to the bar.
I have to admit, after splitting that bottle of vodka with Duff at dinner, I was well on my way to drunk.
"I'll have a JD and Coke." I tell the bartender.
"Oh no you don't!" Sally responds, shoving a shot of tequila in my hand. I roll my eyes and hold the shot up.
"Cheers, ladies." Cheryl says, and I down mine quickly.
Good, now back to my JD and Coke.
Sally, Cheryl, and I are at the bar talking about going back on tour again in a week.
The band on stage tonight was really killing it. They called themselves Warrant, and they play pretty frequently on the strip.
"This band kicks ass." Sally says to me.
"I know. Someone said they recorded a demo tape." I tell her, taking a sip of my drink.
Across the room, I can see Axl and Erin getting a little too cozy on the couch. Izzy is sitting down the bar from us talking to the girl who I've never seen before. Steven, Duff, and Slash are all in the corner of the bar talking to Nikki, Vince, and two other guys who I've never met before.
I'm trying my best to place the other two guys, but I can't think where I recognize them from. As I'm trying to figure it out, I notice both Duff and the other man are staring at me from across the room.
The man shoots me a smile and then says something to Duff that I can't make out. Duff laughs at whatever the man had just said and turns back towards me, giving me the head nod that tells me he wants me to come over.
I grab my JD off the bar and walk over to where Duff is standing with the guy.
When I get to Duff's side, his arm goes almost immediately around my waist.
"Ana, this is Tommy Lee. He plays drums with Mötley." Duff says.
I offer him my hand as he scans my body. "Nice to meet you."
"You too, baby" Tommy flirts.
I roll my eyes and finish off the rest of my drink as Duff and Tommy talk about band stuff that I didn't really understand.
"I'm gonna go grab another drink." I mutter and duck underneath Duff's arm to head back to the bar.
Luckily, Cheryl and Sally were still waiting for me.
I order another drink while we talk, and out of no where, I realize I'm drunk. Eventually, the girls decide they want to dance some.
"Come on, Ana. This band kicks ass." Cheryl encourages.
"I know, I know!" I respond. "I will, as soon as I'm finished my drink."
In reality, I had no intention of joining them. I was too drunk to even walk let alone dance. I don't think I'd be able to get up without falling over. Duff and the guys went outside for a cigarette, so I elect to sit at the bar and watch instead.
It isn't long before I hear the stool next to me scrape on the floor.
"Is this seat taken?" the person asks, and I sigh in amusement.
"Yes, it is." I answer.
"By who?" he wants to know.
"By my friends." I try.
He fixes his hair. "I just watched them get up to go to the dance floor. What, you don't like to dance?"
"I do, just not tonight." I say plainly.
"And why's that?"
This guy asks too many questions.
"Just don't feel like it." I try to be short so he'll take the hint.
Instead, he tries something different.
"I like your tattoo." he says, admiring it from afar. "Duff" he reads it aloud.
My hand immediately flicks to touch the spot where it lies between my clavicle and my breast.
"Thanks." I respond curtly.
"What's it mean?" he wants to know. Really? Back to the questioning.
"It means----" I start to answer but then I'm cut off.
"It means she's mine." the voice says, and I know it's Duff.
"Duff McKagan." he introduces himself. "You need something?"
The guy takes one good look at Duff and his face goes pale.
"My bad, man." he mutters, and then he's gone.
I bury my head in Duff's chest. He smells like vodka and cigarettes, and the heady combination makes more tired then I already am.
I feel him brush a strand of my hair behind my ear, kissing the top of my head.
"I'm gonna go pay the tab so I can get you home, baby."