Rap mogul Russell Simmons says he’s not moving in too fast on John Mellencamp‘s beautiful soon-to-be ex-wife, Elaine Irwin. Simmons and statuesque model Irwin, the face of Almay, were inseparable at his Rush Hearts Education luncheon on Valentine’s Day at the Plaza. But Simmons told us at the Montblanc/ Weinstein pre-Oscar bash at Soho House in LA Saturday night, “Elaine and I are good friends. We actually went on a date 20 years ago, before she met John and I was at Def Jam. She is a beautiful woman, a great mother, and we are friends. But at the moment she is still married, so we’re friends.” He added, “I would like to spend more time with her, but I have recently been on tour promoting my book.” Irwin and Mellencamp are divorcing after 18 years of marriage, and Mellencamp has started dating Meg Ryan.