The Prince of Punk Rock

by Jenna Galicki

  “All of us?” Jimmy asked, knowing that Mr. Ableman had limited contact with anyone other than Angel.

  “No. He wants to see Angel, Tommy and Jessi.”

  Mr. Ableman opened his briefcase, took out a folded newspaper and tossed it on the far end of the desk. “Do you care to explain this, Mr. Garcia?”

  Angel studied it with concern. There was a photo of him, Tommy and Jessi leaving last night’s venue with their arms around each other. Tommy and Angel’s faces were close together, but not touching. The camera’s lens probably snapped closed a few seconds too late and missed the kiss they shared. Jessi was smiling at them. The caption read, Angel Garcia and Guitarist Heat up On Stage and SIZZLE Off Stage! A sinking feeling hit him in the gut. He should have addressed the issue of his relationship with Tommy and Jessi when Damien first mentioned it. He shouldn’t have procrastinated. His lip started to twitch and the blood surged in his chest. He pretended to read the article, but he was only stalling while he tried to figure out how to answer. The seconds ticked by, echoed by the silence in the room. Everyone’s eyes were on him. Tommy leaned in and tried to look at the article, but Angel was frozen, unable to offer Tommy a view of the paper. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jessi’s face peek out behind Tommy’s head. She knew he was panicking and she snatched the paper out of his hand. She shared it with Tommy so they could read it together. Her mouth tightened, and then she gingerly placed the paper back on the desk in front of Mr. Ableman.

  Mr. Ableman’s eyebrows were arched high, causing deep lines to form on his forehead. His mouth stretched into a discerning frown as he waited for a response.

  Jessi was matter-of-fact in her answer. “It’s poorly written and there’s a typo.”

  “I wasn’t looking for a critique, Mrs. Blade.” Mr. Ableman shot a commanding look at Angel. “Explain.”

  Angel’s lips were glued shut. Was he supposed to explain that the three of them were lovers? Should he make up something tangible, like they were caught in a love triangle? Or should he deny their relationship altogether? The latter was probably what Mr. Ableman wanted to hear, and the best answer, but Angel couldn’t lie. Yet the truth was stuck in his throat. He started to breathe rapidly, followed by a bout of perspiration. Tommy’s soothing arm across his back, and hand rubbing his shoulder, layered a blanket of calmness on his simmering anxiety. He returned and affectionate and thankful smile.

  Mr. Ableman snorted. “Is that supposed to be my answer? Mrs. Blade, since you’re the only one who seems to have a voice today, why don’t you spell it out for me?”

  Jessi never flinched or averted her eye. “The three of us are a couple. It’s not a secret. Everyone in Brooklyn is aware of our relationship. It’s not a problem.”

  Mr. Ableman sat up in his chair. His formidable presence seemed to grow two inches taller. “This isn’t Brooklyn, and it most certainly is a problem. Your behavior, Mr. Garcia and Mr. Blade, reflects on my company. My father started this business. I am the sole majority shareholder. What you do in your private life, behind closed doors, is your affair, but I expect you to maintain a level of decorum in public.”

  The three of them exchanged uneasy glances. Jessi sat defiantly in her chair, but remained silent. She was waiting for Angel to respond, but he couldn’t. All he saw was the record deal, along with his lifelong dreams, crashing to the floor.

  Tommy was the one who spoke up. “We weren’t doing anything to embarrass the label. We were walking with our arms around each other.” Tommy snarled his lip. “The same way you probably walk down the street with the people you love.”

  Mr. Ableman’s blood pressure turned his cheeks bright red. His knotted silk tie bulged at his throat. “Don’t get snarky with me, Mr. Blade. I can’t have you parading a threesome in front of the paparazzi. This is how we’re going to handle it. You’re going to make a statement rebuffing the gibberish in this story. You’re going to portray your relationship, Mr. Blade and Mr. Garcia, as one of close friendship and we’re going to play up the loving marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Blade. Mr. Garcia, the label doesn’t have a problem with you being openly gay. We welcome the diversity it’ll bring, but I’m sure you can understand that a ménage à trois is out of the question. We want you to find a love interest to spur the tabloids away from your relationship with Mr. Blade.”

  Tommy leaned foreword and gripped the arms of his chair. He looked like he was ready to lunge. That was the indignation that made Angel find his voice. “I would never disrespect Tommy like that.”

  “I’m afraid you don’t have much choice in the matter.”

  Marissa uncrossed her long legs. “Listen to me, Angel. Mr. Ableman’s arrangement is in your best interest.”

  “How can you say that? You know there’s nothing tawdry about our relationship.”

  “I’m sorry. This is the best I could come up with. The only—”

  “This was your idea?”

  “Of course it was my idea. I’m your publicist. I need to make sure you’re portrayed in the best possible light by the media.”

  He felt betrayed, even though he knew her loyalties lay with Mr. Ableman. “There’s nothing wrong in the way we live our lives. I didn’t know I had to defend who I choose to love.”

  She reverted to speaking in Spanish, so Mr. Ableman wasn’t privy to their conversation. “You have to play ball. You’re not in a position to argue with him. He threatened to drop you from the label. You have a morality clause. He can break the contract if you do anything to disgrace the label.”

  “Disgrace?” Angel replied, also in Spanish. “Loving someone is not a disgrace.”

  He sat back in his chair and looked away. “I won’t do it,” he said, in English, so everyone, especially Mr. Ableman, understood.

  “I told you, you don’t have a choice!” Marissa said in Spanish. “He was going to pull your contract! Do you know how hard I fought for you? This is it! You have to abide by his terms!” Her words were a flurry of Latin drama and rolling R’s, accentuated by hands flying in the air.

  Angel saw his dreams shattered on the floor again. Defeat deflated him and he turned to Tommy and Jessi. They were sitting on the edge of their chairs, frantic and confused expressions plastered across their faces, wondering about the heated conversation that just took place in a language they didn’t understand. Angel sank back into his chair and wiped the pride off his face with the swipe of his hand. “We’ll keep our relationship quiet, for now, but I’m not making a statement denying it and I’m not taking a phony lover.”

  Tommy tried to say something, but Angel hushed him.

  Mr. Ableman sat with his index fingers pressed against his stern, uncompromising lips, while he decided their fate. After a significant pause, he passed verdict. “I don’t usually concede Mr. Garcia, but I’m willing to meet you halfway because of your talent and the collective talent of your band.”

  “No!” Tommy slammed his hand down on the arm of the chair. “I’m not hiding our relationship. I don’t care what people think. I spent my whole life hiding. I’m not doing it anymore.”

  “Tommy, please, we’re backed into a corner here.”

  “Angel!”

  “I’ll explain it better when we get back to the bus.”

  Tommy quieted down, but the anger still showed in the scowl on his face and in his icy blue eyes.

  Mr. Ableman was assessing them from across his desk, like a king from his throne. His gaze rested on Jessi. “Mrs. Blade . . . Jessi . . . you’re a lovely young lady. You remind me of my daughter, Audra. You have the same spunk and fortitude. You can have anything you want in life. Why would you settle for this sick three—”

  “Sick?” Tommy sprung from his chair and leaned over Mr. Ableman’s desk. “How dare you call our relationship sick? And don’t ever talk down to my wife or try to bully my husband again. We’re not going along with anything!”

  Tommy took Angel and Jessi by the hand and dragged them toward the door.

  Mr. Ablema
n puffed out his crimson cheeks and rose to his feet. His pointed finger felt like a loaded shotgun. “Garcia, you have 48 hours to get back here and sign a confidentiality agreement! And, Blade, check your Goddamn attitude! Talk to me in that tone again and I’ll have your ass as well as your contract!”

  “I want to take a vote,” Angel said. “This involves all of us. What do you think we should do?”

  Damien was the first to answer. “You keep your mouth shut. Don’t fuck this up. This is our shot. We may not get another one. Don’t fuckin’ blow it for all of us.”

  Jimmy shrugged. “It’s a tough one. I know you and Damien were the ones who started this band, but it’s your call. It’s your personal life that’s on the line. I trust you. I’ll back you up on whatever you decide.”

  “You know how I feel.” Tommy crossed his arms across his chest. “I’m not going back in the closet. It took everything I had to come out. You know how hard it was for me, A. I can’t go back to hiding my feelings anymore. I love you and I’m not about to pretend we’re just friends. Didn’t we do that long enough? Do you really want to do that again?”

  The deciding vote was Angel’s. He knew Tommy was right, but he didn’t want to lose the contract. He looked to the person he always looked to for guidance. “Jessi, what’s your take?”

  “She doesn’t get a say.” Damien was annoyed. “She’s not part of the band.”

  “Alright, her vote doesn’t count, but I need to discuss it with her. I need to get her insight.” He turned back to Jessi for an answer.

  She raised her brow. “Do you really have to ask? It’s a no-brainer. I stand behind Tommy. I always do.”

  She was right. He knew all along he couldn’t go through with pretending their relationship was strictly casual. He was just looking for a life line to save the contract. “That’s it then. I’m not signing the confidentiality agreement. Are you going to be OK with that, Damien?”

  “Fuck no!”

  “I’m sorry. I want this record deal just as much as you, but, I can’t do it. I can’t pretend I’m someone I’m not. There’ll be other record deals. Maybe Galaxy or Freehold are still interested.”

  Damien glared at him. If he didn’t know Damien so well, he probably would have been scared shitless. Eventually, Damien’s demeanor softened and the fire behind his eyes diminished. “I guess I can understand, but I’m pissed as fuckin’ hell. Not at you. At that bastard, Ableman. The whole situation’s fucked up.”

  “Angel’s got a point,” Jimmy tapped his drumstick on his leg, just like he always did when he was stressed or had something on his mind. “We’re well known now. Pretty much nationwide. We’ve got to be worth more to one of the other labels than when they first wanted to make an offer. There’ll be other deals.”

  “That’s really wishful thinking,” Damien said. “But, just in case, let’s make tonight’s show a good one, since there’s a good chance it’s gonna be our last.”

  “We have two days,” Angel said. “Maybe Marissa can convince Mr. Ableman to have a change of heart.”

  Marissa was back on the bus shortly after the show ended. “Time to face the music. Mr. Ableman’s waiting for you.”

  “But we still have another day.” Fear crept into Angel’s gut at the change in the deadline.

  Marissa displayed a small smile. “Trust me.”

  Three long faces sat across from Mr. Ableman, while Marissa remained standoffish seated partway between Mr. Ableman’s cherrywood desk and the chairs that faced it.

  “So what’s the verdict, Mr. Garcia? Do we still have a contract?”

  He looked to Marissa on how to answer, but she was indifferent and wore a mask of ambiguity. He took a deep breath and squeezed Tommy’s hand. “I’m not going to pretend I don’t love this man. I’m not going to camouflage our relationship because you’re afraid—”

  “I’ve heard enough.” Mr. Ableman brought his hands down on the edge of his desk. “I value your integrity, Mr. Garcia. Not many people stand up to me and not many people hold on to their pride the way you do. Not in this business, anyway. Unless you change your mind in the next 30 seconds, I have no choice but to instruct my lawyers to terminate your contract.”

  “Daddy, no! You can’t do that.”

  It was Audra. She was standing in the open doorway with Kira, and Mr. Ableman looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel.

  “What the hell are you girls doing here? I’m in a very important business meeting. I told you, when my door’s closed, you don’t interrupt me unless the building’s on fire!”

  Kira looked intimidated and shrank back, but Audra stepped boldly into the office. “Hear us out. It’s not as bad as you think.”

  Kira followed her sister’s lead. “I’m sorry Daddy, but you can’t fire Angel.”

  Mr. Ableman eyed his daughters sternly, but he wasn’t sending them away.

  “I know that people might not understand about Angel and Tommy and Jessi, but we know them. There’s nothing perverse about their relationship,” Audra told her father.

  “They really love each other,” Kira added. “Even though it’s unconventional, it’s endearing. Anyone can see the love the three of them share.”

  Mr. Ableman shook his head fiercely. “It’s too scandalous.”

  “That’s the whole point.” Audra grew animated. “It’s romantic. It’ll create controversy. It’ll get people talking. It’ll stir up curiosity about their personal lives.”

  Marissa leapt to her feet and raised a pointed finger to the ceiling. “It’s a goldmine! It’s scandalous! It’s rock and roll! It’ll create a frenzy with the paparazzi! It’ll put their names on the tip of everyone’s tongue!”

  Mr. Ableman narrowed his eyes into thin slits and a hue of anger burned his cheeks. “What the hell are you three up to?”

  “Nothing, Daddy. Trust us.” Audra was undisturbed by her father’s impending wrath. “This could work. It’s radical.” She spread her arm out toward Angel and Tommy. “They’re radical rock stars!”

  “I can’t take the chance that the tabloids will have a feeding frenzy, sweetheart.”

  You could hear Mr. Ableman beginning to fold, and for the first time in the last 24 hours, Angel had a glimmer of hope about their future at Falcon Records.

  Audra took a step closer to her father. “Look at the numbers, Daddy. You see how sales are skyrocketing, and this is just the beginning. How many other bands have made you this much money in this short of a time span? You know Immortal Angel has the potential be a worldwide phenomenon. Is that an opportunity you want to throw away? What’s a greater risk worth taking – backlash by the media, or making millions of dollars?”

  Mr. Ableman jerked his head toward Audra, surprised at her maturity and industry knowledge. Angel was just a surprised. Six months ago Audra was a sassy, starry-eyed fan. Now she sounded like a marketing executive negotiating a million dollar deal.

  “Audra Marie Ableman, when did my little girl become a hard-nosed business woman?”

  “I told you I wanted to work for you since I was ten years old.” She glanced at her sister. “We both did. We went to college and graduated in the top of our class. This business is our birthright. We take it seriously. We wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize it.”

  “We recognized that Immortal Angel was a huge undiscovered talent.” Kira stepped forward, more confident. “Maybe some people are going to be offended by their lifestyle, but they’re not the people who are going to be buying their records.”

  They both made an impressive argument and it was clear that Mr. Ableman was beaming with pride at his daughters’ business knowledge and negotiating skills.

  “I may regret this, but I’m going to give Mr. Garcia and Mr. Blade another chance, only because I’m so impressed with the way you girls handled yourselves just now. You made me believe that the talent behind Immortal Angel isn’t something our business should cast aside so easily.”

  “It looks like it’s your lucky day
, Mr. Garcia. You’ve been reprieved. But if anything goes amiss and my company suffers from defamatory publicity or loses one dime because of your antics, you will be immediately dismissed from your contract.”

  Mr. Ableman clenched his jaw and his gaze instantly turned to steel as it torpedoed into Marissa. “If you ever use my girls against me again, Miss Torres, you will find yourself unemployed and blacklisted in this business. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

  She swallowed loudly. “Yes, sir.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Marissa arranged for several small run ins with the paparazzi. Jessi should have been an actress. Her personality shined in front of the cameras and the camera loved her. She came off loyal and devoted to Tommy and supportive of the band. She was likable, and she looked gorgeous.

  The affection Angel and Tommy shared became obvious to the paparazzi and it wasn’t long before speculation about the relationship between Angel Garcia and his married guitar player ran rampant around the media circuit. The headlines were unsettling for Angel. Some were derogatory and appalling. He hated that his intimate personal life was being exploited, but he was more upset that he couldn’t protect Tommy from the closed-minded, homophobic slander of some of the gossip rags.

  Fortunately, the bottom-feeders were limited to a select few. Most headlines and articles aroused curiosity and created a buzz around their private life, without attacking their character. Marissa’s plan could still easily backfire, though. The media could turn ugly and they could lose their contract, but there was little Angel could do.

  According to Marissa, everything was progressing as planned, and they were ready to take the next step. She set up another run in with the paparazzi so the camera caught the three of them leaving a night club together, cuddling and holding hands. The journalist even caught a small closed mouth kiss between Angel and Tommy on film.

  The snippet went viral in 24 hours.

  Offers poured in for an interview with Angel, Tommy and Jessi at ridiculous prices. The label held out for the right one. It was with a well-known outspoken host on a cable talk show. Angel thought it was perfect. Cable television offered less censorship. It would give them the opportunity to speak freely and appeal to a more liberal audience.