Livin' on a Prayer: A David Bryan Fiction

Ch 1 - First Impressions

*~*October 2007*~*

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Wake up, Newark! Its seven o'clock and—"

"Oh shut up..." A tangle of raven hair peeked out from the blankets as long slender fingers slammed the OFF button on the alarm clock. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Mornings weren't her thing and neither were morning people.

Xandria threw the itchy blanket off and swore as the cold hit her. What happened to my fucking heat?? Fuckin' bullshit, man.

She crawled out of her bed and peeked out over the city, the sun's rays blinding for a moment. Ugh sun bad, fuck you. She dragged herself to the coffee pot and sighed as she hit the on switch, having been smart enough to prep it the night before.

"God this job better come with coffee," she mumbled to herself and looked around the pathetic hotel room. Bland decor from possibly the 70s, generic artwork. She flipped on the TV and flopped in the chair in her green striped shorts and green tank top.

She ran her fingers through her thick hair and yawned as the reporter talked about traffic and local news, local robber blah blah blah. Hmm, breakfast should still be up. She threw on a pair of black jersey knit pants and sandals, grabbed her door key and padded her way down to the breakfast room, greeting the front desk lady.

Ugh muffins and bagels again? Xandria looked around. No one else was in the room so she grabbed a few of the items and some to pack to take with her. They wouldn't miss it. She snuck out of the breakfast room and back upstairs.

Least her coffee was done by the time she got back. "...and tonight the international rock band Bon Jovi will kick off the Lost Highway world tour, leaving right here from their home state of New Jersey..."

Xandria looked up from her coffee and muffin with a huge grin, letting out a loud squeal of excitement. Dear lord, those men knew how to get her blood pumping. She watched the tour press conference with the four band members.

Jon looked a little grumpy, David making faces at the reporters, Richie was yawning pointedly and Tico looked very relaxed and slightly disinterested. "Yeah we can't wait to see our fans, rock out and kick some ass," David said to loud cheers.

She giggled and sighed. It was time to ditch this gloomy hotel, and wondered briefly where she would be sleeping. Hotel? One of the buses full of men. Gulping the rest of her muffin and coffee, she skipped to the shower with a spring in her step.

The sound of singing emanated from the shower, not perfectly on key but close enough. She stepped out and wrapped a towel around her body. Cussing as she ran a brush through her nest of snarls, she threw it up into a hair clip.

"Hmm," she mumbled, "might as well fuck with them a little." She pawed through her suitcase and emerged with a black halter and jeans that hugged her curvy figure nicely. She zipped on a pair of high calf boots and wiggled her feet happily. Perfect.

Only one last detail remained that needed more of a celebration.

Humming the tune of 'Livin' on a Prayer', she grabbed and examined the ID badge she had picked up earlier yesterday and felt her stomach flip in excitement. "Xandria Black, Production Assistant, AAA".

Dancing around the room to gather her belongings, Xandria sauntered downstairs where her taxi was waiting. She checked out and threw her bags into the car, hopping in and finished her song all while breathing in the toxic Jersey air.

*~*~*

"Hey you must be Xandria!"

"You must be Jesse." She smiled at the messy haired young guy that approached her.