Between a Rock and a Hard Place (49 page)

Three songs later the crowd surfing started.  Fans were tossed in the air and carried to the front of the stage by the hands of the crowd.  A row of security guards caught them and safely brought them to their feet so they could run back in the audience and do it all over again.

Rock Goddess
was to make its debut next.  Tommy, Angel, Damien and Jimmy all exchanged glances, eager and ready to share an unexpected new song with the fans.  Tommy ambled up to the microphone and Angel turned to him with surprise.  Normally, Tommy never spoke to the crowd.  Angel was the front-man.  Angel engaged the crowd with his natural allure and charm.  It wasn’t Tommy’s forte, but he wanted to introduce the song and his inspiration behind it.

The crowd hollered with excitement when they realized Tommy was about to address them.

“Hello, Zurich!” he shouted through the microphone.

A series of whistles and screams answered him.

“We have a surprise for you tonight.  It’s a new song and . . .”  The fans’ enthusiastic yells overpowered his voice and he needed to wait for them to quiet down before he could continue.  His eyes scanned the crowd.  Hands clapped high in the air and excitement buzzed throughout the arena.  It was a surreal moment.  “We’re excited, too!  As you probably know, I always dedicate a guitar solo to my gorgeous wife, Jessi, but tonight I dedicate this entire song to her, because she’s the reason I wrote it.”  He left the microphone and went to Jessi in the wings.

She quietly gazed back at him with an adoring smile.

He brushed her cheek with his lips.  “This is for you, hon.  Soak up the attention.  You deserve it.”  He escorted her onto the stage and as soon as the crowd saw her, their deafening screams made both Tommy and Jessi jump.

Jessi covered her mouth with her hand, but the apples of her cheeks gave away the smile hidden underneath.

The song started with a crash of the cymbals.  Angel sang the first verse directly to Jessi, while her adoring gaze darted between him and Tommy.

This was her song.  It was live and there was no room for error.  It was a powerhouse and Angel delivered the lyrics flawlessly.

Tommy’s signature guitar solo brought this number home.  He knelt at Jessi’s feet and the light tech showcased them in the soft glow of a rose tinted spotlight.  It was the color of romance.  Tommy blocked out everyone else in the room.  It was just the two of them standing there, and he played for
her
.  The sound of the guitar went from Tommy’s fingers to Jessi’s heart.  He made love to her with the guitar, and she responded with a breathy sigh.

She hung on every note.  Her fingers went from covering her lips to holding her chest.  Tears slowly pooled in her eyes and one dropped down her cheek when she let out a tiny, excited laugh.

His eyes stayed locked on Jessi.  He never looked down at his fingers.  It was a challenge to move his hand faster and faster up and down the fret board.  He was on autopilot and allowed his fingers the freedom to play without restraint.  Face-melting phrases sang through the air almost as loud as the shouts from the crowd.  It was a passionate uproar, acknowledging the holy grail of guitar solos.

Tommy wasn’t listening to the crowd.  He wasn’t paying attention to Angel, Damien and Jimmy who were all standing at attention, with awe, as they listened to the mind blowing sound of his guitar.  Tommy couldn’t look at them, because he wasn’t moving his attention away from Jessi. This song was for her.

Chapter Forty-Seven

It was hard to believe there were only a few weeks left of the tour before they would be returning home.  Tommy watched the road glide by and tried to remember which city the tour bus was headed to.  He leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes and thought about the rest of the tour.  He didn’t want to bother Jessi with the itinerary.  It wasn’t her responsibility anymore.  She’d been relaxed and genuinely happy again since she gave up her position at Falcon.

Tommy was planning a small anniversary party for Jessi in Paris.  It was a surprise.  Not even Angel knew that he was scheming to fly close friends and family to join them at an intimate celebration.

Tommy leaned forward to check on Jessi.  She was standing near the booth in the kitchen area with Alyssa and Damien, out of earshot.  Tommy slid across the couch closer to Angel and lowered his voice to a whisper.  “I have a surprise when we get to Paris.”

Angel shifted in his seat so he faced Tommy.  “What kind of surprise?”

“It’s an anniversary party for Jessi.”

“I forgot it was your anniversary, mi amor.  I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, A.  I think you’re starting to turn me into a romantic fool because I never would have planned a party before I met you.  She’s going to be really surprised.”

Angel lit up with excitement.  “What can I do to help?”

“You can distract Jessi while I invite people.  I’ve been trying to get in touch with her sisters for two weeks, but it’s hard for me to sneak in a phone call.”

“Have you told Alyssa? Maybe she can call Ella or Maggie.”

“No.” Tommy didn’t want Alyssa to find out about the party.  She and Jessi told each other everything.  “Don’t tell Alyssa.  When the two of them get together, nothing’s sacred.”

He heard Jessi’s footsteps coming down the corridor and he fell silent.  She sat next to Tommy and started leafing through some brochures that Angel picked up about tourist attractions.  She stopped on the brochure that profiled Paris.  She studied the Eiffel Tower on the cover, then opened it.  “I want to go here.”  She pointed to a photo of an elegant restaurant setting.  “Le Jules Verne.  It’s a restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower.”

Tommy smiled at her.  “It looks perfect, hon.”

The bellman brought their luggage to the room shortly after they checked into the hotel in Madrid, accompanied by half of the hotel staff eager to procure an autograph and a photo.  Their celebrity status apparently caused a kerfuffle with the hotel employees, or maybe it was because Angel had a forty-five minute conversation with them in Spanish.

Upon arrival they were informed that their room had been upgraded.  Tommy assumed it was either Audra’s pull or Angel’s wallet that had been affording them to stay in fancy suites, but now he wasn’t sure if it was the staff of the respective hotels that were responsible.

After the staff left, Jessi took one of her suitcases and slipped into the bedroom.  Angel tiptoed toward the doorway to make sure she was preoccupied and scampered back to Tommy’s side.  “Have you made arrangements for the party?  I was thinking we could have local musicians and Cirque de Soleil-type dancers.  Maybe even some casino tables.  That would be fun.  Do you think she’d like it?”

Angel was a bundle of energy and throwing out ideas for the party faster than Tommy could comment on them.

“We can have an aerial bartender.  It would be very chic and different.”

Tommy crinkled his brow.  “What’s an aerial bartender?”

“It’s a bartender suspended from the ceiling on a rope or by a long flowing sheet, who pours champagne directly in your glass.”

The laugh fell out of Tommy’s mouth before he could stop it.  Where the hell did Angel come up with these ideas?

“It’s not funny.  It’s romantic.”

Angel was adorable, with his little suggestion about the party.  Tommy wondered if it was Angel’s way of being directly involved.  The party was for his and Jessi’s anniversary, and Tommy didn’t realize that it specifically excluded Angel.  It was hard to always remember to create balance.  “Do you want to handle the entertainment?  You and Jessi connect on a lot of levels that I’m really not attuned to.  I think you’d make decisions that she’d be happy with.”

“I would love to!  I have a ton of ideas!”

Angel’s light-hearted exuberance was endearing, and it made Tommy laugh.

“Stop making fun of me, Tommy Blade.”

“You’re really cute.  Do you know that?”

“I’m just excited and have a bunch of ideas to make . . .” Angel caught sight of Jessi and abruptly stopped talking.

Tommy rolled his eyes.  He should have known that Angel would be overexcited and unable to control his enthusiasm.  He would probably end up blabbing the details of the party sooner or later.

Jessi had her Tablet tucked under her arm, held a blouse on a hanger in one hand and her steamer in the other.  She searched for an outlet and did a double-take at Angel when she spotted his suspicious cat-that-ate-the-canary grin.  “What’s up with you? Why do have that look on your face?”

Angel couldn’t have acted guiltier.  He looked directly at Tommy instead of at Jessi when he answered.  “We were just talking.”

Her eyes darted between Angel and Tommy.  “Were you talking about me?”

Tommy took the steamer from her hand and plugged it into an outlet next to the table.  “No one was talking about you.”  He couldn’t keep the smile off his face.  Dammit.  He was going to blow the whole surprise.  “Just steam your blouse.”

“Blouse?” she laughed.  “Tommy, I haven’t worn a blouse since I was in grade school.  This is a top.”

Angel joined in her laugher.  Now they were both teasing him about his lack of fashion terminology.  “Steam your garment.  Is that better?”

“You’re cute.”  Jessi put her arm around his waist and gave him a little hug.  “I want to show you something.”  She opened her Tablet and handed it to him.  “I took your advice and added menswear to my collection.  What do you think of these sketches?”

Angel immediately leaned in so he could see them.  He looked pensive as he studied the designs.  “This is perfect.  It’s your aesthetic.  It’s edgy and glam, yet it’s masculine.  I can see it on the runway.”

A strand of hair fell in front of Tommy’s eyes as he admired Jessi’s designs.  She pushed it out of the way so he could see clearly, and tucked it behind his ear.

He smiled softly.  “I could wear something like this.”

She looked surprised.  “You really want to wear my designs?”

“Yes.  I told you that day in Milan to make me a suit.  I want to show off your clothes, too.  You’re my wife.  I should be wearing your designs.  It would show the world that you don’t have to be flashy like Angel to wear them.  An average guy like me can wear them, too.”

Her mouth was open slightly and she didn’t know what to say.

“Don’t look so shocked.  My wife’s a famous designer.”  He gestured toward Angel with his chin.  “My guy wears your clothes.  I want to wear your clothes too.”