The Stage

by Jenna Galicki

  The sound of Derek’s Strat broke the spell between Tommy and Angel, and they both turned toward the guest guitarist. Derek slid onto his knees, landing where the edge of the stage would be, and tore up the rhythm to the song. He circled Tommy. The two stood back to back, dueling sounds of lead and rhythm guitar that pushed the song to a new level.

  Brandon’s raspy growl filled the small studio and sliced through the melody like an axe. Angel lowered his register so they were singing on equal octaves. He marched toward Brandon, all cocky and filled with swagger. Brandon met Angel halfway, and they stopped within a foot of one another. Mic to mic, they each projected the sexually charged lyrics at one another. Tommy’s husband and his rock idol were in front of him taunting one another with their voices. Angel’s tight jeans hugged his body and his hips rolled with each howl from his lungs. The muscles in Brandon’s chest flexed under his tight T-shirt with each guttural growl.

  While Angel and Brandon challenged each other with their signature vocals, Tommy and Derek faced one another, each swinging their hair in a wild spray of black and blond. It was Immortal Angel against Bulletproof. Tommy was soaring higher than the clouds. He strutted across the room to where Angel and Brandon were standing and circled them. He watched the two singers. They were from very different genres of music, but blended vocals effortlessly. The gravelly roar of Brandon’s voice brought out an edge in Angel’s voice like a sexy, raw purr of power. It stirred Tommy’s hormones into a spiraling mass of adrenaline, and he rubbed his back against Angel’s like a cat in heat.

  Angel returned the pressure, rotating his ass against Tommy’s and then bumping him with a backwards thrust. He turned abruptly and roughly grabbed Tommy’s chin in his hand. He sang close, with his lips near enough so Tommy could feel his warm breath. Angel dropped to his knees at Tommy’s feet and let his fingers crawl up Tommy’s leg, sending a shiver straight to Tommy’s crotch. He stood, grabbed Tommy’s T-shirt in his fist, and pulled him in to shout a lyric – and then he was gone.

  Angel stomped across the room and straight up to Brandon. He leaned forward and projected his vocals at the wild-haired singer. The two leaned close, mic to mic. Tommy watched, mesmerized at first, then, very, very slowly, something vile washed over him like black heat. It started in his cheeks and trickled down his neck. It spread across his chest and settled in the pit of his stomach. He tried to shake it off, but it was acrid, like venom.

  He came up behind Angel and brushed his back against his husband. Angel shimmied against Tommy for a few seconds, and then returned his attention to exchanging vocals with Brandon.

  Tommy’s hand tightened around the neck of his Les Paul, and he took a few steps back to watch Angel and Brandon. They played off each other, taking turns shouting lines in the verse at one another and combining their vocals to sing the chorus.

  For years, Angel and Tommy had shared an intense, sexual chemistry on stage. It had provided an erotic aura that overshadowed the venue and everyone in it. Now, he watched Angel share a similar exchange with Brandon Bullet. His husband and his idol were sharing something that seemed forbidden. Something that only he and Angel shared on stage . . . until now.

  When they got back to the suite, Angel was still singing under his breath in the new gravelly tone that he perfected with Brandon. It was coarse and sexy and totally fucking awesome.

  Jessi sat in the living room chatting with Alyssa and Audra. All three of them stopped talking, which was a miracle in itself, when they heard the snarl in Angel’s voice and turned toward him to listen.

  “What’s with that new voice?” Jessi asked, her smile as bright as her eyes.

  Angel sang the first line of the chorus to Sex & Greed, the way he had just sang it with Brandon.

  “Wow.” Audra uncrossed her legs and leaned over the arm of the couch toward Angel. “I’ve known you forever, and I’ve never heard your voice deliver such tenacity. That was incredible. The crowd is going to flip when they hear you and Brandon Bullet sing together.”

  Angel was grinning. “I can’t remember when I’ve been this excited to perform with another artist. Is Kira still joining us for the show? I want her to hear us together. I’m thinking we should do a re-release of Sex & Greed featuring Brandon Bullet on vocals.”

  Tommy’s jaw fell open. He had no idea what caused Angel’s change of attitude. “You didn’t even want to sing with him yesterday. Now you want to cut a single with him?”

  Angel tilted his head to the side and looked off into the distance for a few seconds, deep in thought. “I’m going to be honest. I didn’t really like him at first. Maybe because you gave him this huge build up and, well . . . you were practically giddy whenever you spent time with him. I admit it. I was a little jealous, and I immediately resented him. But now I see I was just being silly. I was all wrong about him.”

  Tommy folded his arms across his chest. “So now you like him? After singing one song with him?”

  “What’s not to like? Seriously, Tommy. He’s a very nice guy. And that voice. That growl is deep.” Angel curled his fingers in the air as if he was grabbing onto an imaginary object. “It’s palpable. Guttural. Sexy. I wish I could summon such power.”

  “What are you talking about? You have a powerful voice. I’m surprised you don’t shatter glass half the time.”

  Angel nodded modestly. “I know. I know. I can hold a note longer than most and have a diverse octave range, but I rely on my upper register. It just doesn’t deliver the same way Brandon’s voice does. He’s got that low, sexy baritone that makes your body reverberate. Singing with him was a revelation to my vocal chords.”

  Tommy’s jaw was gaping again. Angel respected other artists, but he never flaunted over their talent before. And Angel just used the word sexy to describe Brandon’s voice twice in a matter of seconds. It socked Tommy in the gut, and the guest appearance by his rock star idol just lost most of its appeal.

  Yesterday’s rehearsal was the first thing Tommy thought about when he woke. Jessi’s side of the bed was empty, and so was Angel’s, so he had a moment to rehash his emotions on the subject. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Brandon joining them on stage now. He knew Angel hadn’t been overjoyed at the idea of sharing the limelight with Brandon at first, but rehearsal seemed to instantly change Angel’s mind. Tommy never anticipated the strong rapport between the two, and this was a 360-degree change of events.

  Tommy pushed his fingers through his hair and let out a deep breath. Maybe he was thinking about it too much. He threw on a pair of sweatpants, washed his face and brushed his teeth before leaving the solitude of the bedroom. It was quiet in the suite, which was a rarity in his life filled with kids, spouses, nannies, and music. And there wasn’t any delicious smells lingering in the air, which meant Angel hadn’t made breakfast, and Angel always made it a point to make a home-cooked meal for the family when they were on tour and stayed in a hotel. It was his way of making it feel like home for the kids. Tommy peeked into the kitchen anyway. “Where are you guys?”

  “We’re in here.” Alyssa called softly from the living room. She was sitting on the couch amidst a stack of coloring books. She was adding dark lipstick and long hair to one of the sisters from Frozen with a black crayon, turning the children’s icon into a gothic princess. Alyssa looked up, brought her index finger to her lips, and then pointed to Tessa curled up on the opposite couch. “She fell asleep after singing me that song about the snowman. She even did a choreographed dance routine.” Alyssa smiled and shook her head. “I don’t know where this kid gets all that energy from. Or how she remembers all those songs in the movie.”

  “Where’s Jessi?” Tommy whispered.

  “She got a call from one of the Bulletproof guys. The singer’s boyfriend, I think. He wanted to put in another order or something like that.”

  Tommy looked around for his son. “What about Lucas? And Angel?”

  Alyssa drew a pair of black thigh-high boots on the animated character. “Angel was gon
e when I got here. Lucas is with Mason.”

  Tommy leaned back on the credenza in a state of bewilderment. He didn’t understand why Angel and Jessi would just disappear without waking him and wondered if his bandmates knew where Angel went. “Is Damien in your room?”

  “Nope. Kira showed up late last night. She and Audra took the boys to an arcade where they can ride go-carts. Jimmy and Damien went with them, since they’re so easily entertained.” Alyssa flipped through the stack of coloring books and handed one to Tommy. “You’re stuck with me until Tessa wakes up and performs another scene from Frozen. I’m kinda looking forward to it. The kid’s got talent.”

  Tommy took the coloring book and sat next to Alyssa, staring at the wall. He felt lost and alone waking up without his family. Especially without Angel and Jessi. The three of them were usually together. Tessa was here, but she was asleep. He moved to the opposite couch next to his daughter and cradled her in his arms. She stretched and yawned, then snuggled up to him with her little fist under her chin and rested her head on his chest. He watched her sleep. She was such a pretty little girl – a mixture of Jessi’s beauty and Angel’s dark features. She was warm, like a cozy blanket, and he could feel her breath gently hitting his chest through his T-shirt. He kissed the top of her head, leaned back so the foot rest popped out, and fell back to sleep.

  Jessi returned to the suite about an hour or so later without much insight as to where Angel had skipped off to earlier. All she knew was that it had something to do with the show on Saturday. Tommy sat at the dining room table, fingering his coffee cup, wondering why the hell Angel didn’t say anything to him about it. And if there was a snafu that needed ironing out, Audra wouldn’t be out with the kids. He wiped his hand across his unshaven jaw and scratched at his day-old razor stubble. It didn’t sound right.

  Tommy was still sitting at the table when Angel walked through the door about forty minutes later. He waited for Angel to say something about disappearing so early, or at least mention where he’d been, but Angel didn’t offer any explanation. Tommy watched with a skeptical eye as Angel gave everyone a kiss, humming happily, and put on a pot of coffee. “Where’ve you been, A? Jessi said there was a problem with the show.”

  “It wasn’t really a problem.” The corner of Angel’s mouth twitched and he looked away, busying himself by filling a cup with milk and sweetener as he waited for the coffee to brew.

  “Well, then, what the hell was it?”

  “Brandon wanted to go over some lyrics, so I stopped by his suite.”

  Tommy’s pulse immediately quickened and a knot tightened in his gut. He turned to Jessi, who was at the breakfast bar with Alyssa and Tessa. “Weren’t you just there? With Cam?”

  Jessi looked up. “Where?”

  “In Brandon’s suite. With Cam. Weren’t you designing something for Cam?”

  “Yes, but I met Cam in the bus. That’s where I have all my swatches, and he was interested in seeing the inside. This is his first tour with Bulletproof. He’s never spent any time on a tour bus before, and he’s never seen anything like the beast we travel in.”

  “You didn’t know she was with Cam?” Tommy asked Angel.

  “No. I was with Brandon. He didn’t mention it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to Brandon’s this morning? Why didn’t you ask me to come with you?”

  “I tried to wake you, but you were out of it. I wanted to let you sleep.”

  Tommy’s heart beat aggressively in his chest. He could hear it pounding in his ears, through the tsunami of thoughts swirling around his head. “I can’t believe you went to Brandon’s without me.”

  “Don’t be mad, Tommy. We just went through the lyrics a few times, then we started talking, and I lost track of time. I wasn’t gone that long.”

  Tommy blinked rapidly, while his mouth hung open like an idiot. Angel had to be gone for over two hours. Maybe three. Angel and Brandon had talked for almost three hours and Angel never thought to call him? Tommy was flabbergasted and had no response. His inner voice was telling him that he was being ridiculous, but his heart was telling him that he was being replaced on stage by a sexier version of himself. A replica that could match Angel’s powerful vocals and offer a collaboration on a level that Tommy never could.

  “Why do you seem upset, mi amor?”

  Tommy hesitated, but he couldn’t keep silent. “What is it with you and him?”

  “Who? Brandon?”

  “Yeah. Brandon. Who else?” He probably sounded so fucking stupid, but he didn’t care. The idea that something was going on made a vein pulse in his throat, and he wasn’t going to keep quiet about it.

  Angel stared at Tommy for a few moments without saying anything before the corners of his mouth curled into a smile, and his eyes glazed over. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” Angel placed his hands on Tommy’s waist and leaned forward so their foreheads touched. “Do you know how much you inspire me? Without you, music would be just a series of notes and words. I can’t believe after all these years together, you actually think I’d look at anyone but you. Since the day we met, you had my heart. From the moment I first saw you, I knew you would be mine. I knew we’d be together. If we weren’t, my heart would have withered and I’d pine for you for the rest of my life.”

  “I know. It’s just . . .”

  “Cuando tu corazón late junto al mío, estoy entero.” That means, when your heart beats next to mine, I’m whole. You never have to doubt my love for you, my prince. You are my heart. My soul. My love for you is as big as the universe. Everything I do, everything I am, is because of my love for you.”

  Tommy’s heart softened with each tender word. He had no defenses whenever Angel spoke Spanish to him, and the doubt and anxiety slipped away. Although a small part of him refused to let it go altogether.

  The kids helped Angel with dinner, which was a treat to watch. They had spent hours in the kitchen putting together some of the family’s favorite dishes. Not only had he taught both kids to be bilingual, he was also passing on his love and knowledge of cooking. They had prepared Cuban lechón asado, which had been marinating in mojo sauce since early this morning, before Angel left for his mysterious meeting with Brandon. It took forever to cook, but it was so worth it. The meat was unbelievably tender, and the crisp, crackly skin was heaven. They had also made tostones, corn salsa, and black beans with rice. Because every dinner had to include black beans with white rice. A trained chef, Angel thrived on making gourmet meals for the family, but Tommy knew that tonight’s elaborate feast meant that he had a guilty conscience. Dessert of homemade flan only reinforced his culpability.

  Tommy’s insides were a jumbled mess. He knew Angel wasn’t entirely truthful about trying to wake him up this morning and about why he’d spent so much time with Brandon. Tommy had no idea what it meant, but he knew that he needed to move past it, for now. He didn’t want to ruin the rest of their time in Vegas, especially since he had been looking forward to the Get Rocked music festival for months.

  He helped Angel and Jessi clear the table before he went to check on the kids. Tessa was already conked out on the couch. He looked down at his daughter, sleeping curled up just as she had been when he first saw her this morning. He was a lucky guy to be able to spend his days and nights with his family, even when traveling on the road. He was about to pick her up and bring her to her room, when Jessi scooped Tessa up in her arms.

  “I got her,” Jessi said. “Sit down and relax, baby. We’ll watch a movie. I think Lucas is ready to turn in, too.”

  Tommy kissed Tessa’s cheek. “G’night, sweet girl.”

  Angel was there, brushing the hair off her forehead. “Sleep well my princess,” he whispered, before gracing Tessa’s forehead with a gentle kiss. With their faces so close together, their resemblance was striking. Angel’s ebony hair blended with Tessa’s to create beautiful black strands of silk. Their lashes were thick and dark, and they shared the same beautiful olive
complexion.

  Lucas, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor watching television, started rubbing his eyes.

  “Are you tired, too?” Tommy asked his son.

  Lucas nodded.

  “Alright. Time for bed. Goodnight, buddy.” Tommy ruffled his son’s platinum hair. “You made an awesome lechón asado tonight. It was delicious.”

  “Thanks, Daddy.” Lucas got up off the floor and fitted his hand into Angel’s. “Papi helped me.”

  Angel squeezed Lucas’ hand. “You’re an excellent student. You’ll be making it all by yourself in no time.”

  Lucas had a mind like a sponge. He thirsted for knowledge and absorbed cooking lessons with Angel just as fast as he picked up the guitar chords Tommy had been teaching him since he was a year old. He yawned and looked like he was about to drop. “Tuck me in, Papi?”

  “Of course, my little prince. Say goodnight to Daddy.”

  Lucas wrapped his arms around Tommy’s legs, almost knocking him over. The kid was growing so fast.

  “Goodnight.” He left a kiss on his son’s head. “See you in the morning.”

  Tommy watched Angel lead Lucas to his room. Once they were out of view, he sat down on the couch, put his feet up on the coffee table, and flipped through the television stations. An advertisement came on for the festival. Tommy leaned forward, his energy and excitement about Saturday’s show revamped. One by one, bands flashed across the screen – Southern Jackass, Vehicle of Destruction, Wicked End, Stick Shift Lips – along with brief snippets of their hit songs. Tommy turned up the volume while he waited for Immortal Angel to be announced.

  “Saturday night, the fast-paced, infectious beats of Immortal Angel shake Stage Two with the last show of the night!” the announcer broadcasted. “Sunday, the hardcore head-banging sound of Bulletproof knock it out of the park and finish off the festival on Stage One!” The camera did a split screen with Angel on one side standing on an amp, his leather pants hugging every curve, and Brandon on the other, no shirt, wild blond hair, and arms stretched to the sides.