Between a Rock and a Hard Place (45 page)

Tommy stopped at a street vendor and bought two red roses.  He held them to his nose, inhaled deeply and then handed one rose to Jessi and gave the other one to Angel.  He kissed them both.  “This day is perfect, just like the two of you.”

Jessi smiled at him.  Since their trip back to New York, Tommy had been making a conscious effort to be attentive.  The simplest things, like having a cup of coffee ready for her when she woke up in the morning, or the impulsive purchase of a flower from a street vendor, made her heart balloon with appreciation.  She didn't need any of those things, though.  All she wanted was his time.

“What do you want to do first?” Tommy asked.  “We can go to the cathedral, shop, or start with lunch.”

Angel answered before he gave Jessi a chance to voice her opinion.  “Let’s go shopping.”

Tommy agreed.  “Good idea.  Is that OK with you, hon?  I want to make sure you get to visit all your favorite Italian designers today, because tomorrow I’m taking you both to see Venice.”

“Venice?”  Jessi came to an abrupt stop.  “That'll take all day.”

“I can’t leave Italy without taking my beautiful wife and my gorgeous husband on a gondola ride.”

“But you need to work on the album.  You haven’t been in the studio since we’ve been back.”

“I know.  We’ll get to the studio, but we’re not getting there tomorrow.  Tomorrow we’re spending the day together in one of the most romantic cities in the world.”

Jessi was dumbfounded and stood rooted in place.  Tommy was never overly romantic before.  A trip to Venice wasn’t something she’d expect him to devise on his own, but Angel was equally surprised.  He obviously didn’t have a hand in planning the day in Venice.  She worried that Tommy was procrastinating with the album, though.  “Are you sure?  I don’t want you to get in trouble with Angus.”

“Don’t worry about him.  I made my terms perfectly clear.  Our marriage comes first. 
You
come first.”

Jessi put her arms around his neck and marveled at his new relaxed demeanor.  He was happier and more content, even though the unfinished album still loomed over his head.

They continued further down the street, admiring the architecture of the buildings, and stopped in front of Versace.  The window dressing always caught Jessi’s attention and she admired the garments on display.

Angel put his arm around her shoulder and they gazed at the store front together.  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“I can stay here all day and just stare at the designs.”

A uniformed doorman opened the door for them.  “Benvenuto.”

“That means welcome,” Angel whispered.

“You speak Italian, too?” Tommy asked.

“No, but it’s so close to Spanish that I can understand it.”

Jessi didn’t know where to look first.  She already spotted several items she wanted to try on and the shoe section beckoned to her.  Everything within sight jumped out at her.  “Should we split up?  Otherwise we may never leave this store!”

Tommy settled into an overstuffed chair.  “You two go ahead.  I’ll wait here.”  He smiled at Jessi.  “Unless you want to model something for me.”

“Aren’t you going to try anything on?”  He wasn’t really into fashion, but she couldn’t believe he was going to pass up the opportunity to purchase something at Versace in Italy.

He gave her a crooked smile.  “Versace really isn’t my style.”

Angel looked shocked at his statement.  “Versace is everyone’s style.”  He took Tommy’s hand and led him to the men’s section.  He found a gorgeous tailored suit and handed it to Tommy.  “Try this on.  I’ll bet it fits you perfectly.”

“I don’t want a suit, A.”  He flicked his T-shirt.  “This is me – jeans and a T-shirt.”

“Do you even own a suit?”

“No.  I told you.  That’s not me.”

Angel slumped his shoulders.  “You need a suit.  What are you going to wear when Jessi’s on the red carpet or posing at Fashion Week?”

Tommy concentrated on his answer, then motioned to himself with his hands.  “Why can’t I wear this?”

Angel huffed.  “Tommy Blade, you are such a rebel.”

Jessi smiled to herself.  Tommy definitely didn’t follow any stereotypes or fall for current trends.  “I would love it if you showed up as a rocker with me at Fashion Week, but imagine how gorgeous you would look if you wore a Versace suit.”

He turned his face slightly up to hers.  “Why don’t you make me a suit?  I’m very loyal to my favorite designer.  Jessi Blade is the only designer I wear.”

She was flattered.  “I don’t do formal menswear.  Just stage outfits for Angel.”

“Well, you should start.  You could put your rock and roll edge on it, and Angel and I could debut it.”

He had so much confidence in her work, it made her heart full.  It was an area she could branch into.

“That’s a fabulous idea, Jessi.”  Angel had radiance in his eyes. “You could make them really hardcore and rock stars wouldn’t mind getting dressed up.  You could change the face of the red carpet with one of your designs.  Can you imagine a rhinestone studded tuxedo?  I want to wear the first one.”

Tommy laughed.  “You can just make me a regular suit, hon.  I don’t want to wear a rhinestone tux.”

Even though Tommy was teasing Angel, she thought it was a great idea and their support and encouragement was inspiring.  She would add menswear to her collection!

Tommy took the suit from Angel.  “I’m going to try this on anyway, but I still want you to make me something I can wear when you’re on the red carpet at Fashion Week.

Chapter Forty-Three

The band spent the first full day in the studio a week after they returned to Europe, while Jessi spent the afternoon with Alyssa and Audra.  After six hours of sightseeing, she just wanted to crawl into bed, but she waited for Tommy and Angel.  She blasted the stereo and sat with her Tablet on the couch in the hotel room.  She was alone waiting for them again, but it was different this time.  They had enjoyed quality time together, and it balanced out the hours that Tommy needed to be in the studio.

A part of her regretted resigning from Falcon Records.  She missed the business aspect of the music industry and the direct link with Immortal Angel.  She still felt an obligation to the band, and she’d always be tied to them.  She’d always have a vested interest in their success, but the pressure was gone.  Tending to every detail wasn’t her responsibility anymore.  She sketched because she wanted to, not because she was trying to squeeze in a design whenever a free moment presented itself.  She traveled with a sewing machine and supplies now, so she could work on construction.

She leaned her head back and stretched out her legs until her toes rested on the coffee table.  It was the most relaxed she’d been since the tour started.

The beep of the room key surprised her.  She thought Tommy and Angel wouldn’t be back for another few hours.  “You’re back early.  How’d it go?”

Tommy plopped down next to her and nuzzled her cheek.  “We didn’t want to get burnt out.  We tightened up some of the songs and made progress on two new ones, but they just don’t have that one-of-a-kind sound that’s going to make us stand out.”

She recognized the anxiety in his voice, which hadn’t been there since they rejoined the tour.  “You’ll find it.  Tomorrow you’ll be refreshed and a flurry of new ideas will come to you.”

Angel put three bottles of water on the coffee table and sat on the other side of Tommy.  “The problem is that our first album was such a huge success, it set a high bar of expectation.  Everyone’s going to compare the two, so we need something different, something that’s going to make us stand out.

“I know,” Tommy agreed.  “I’m trying not to think too hard and just play.  Let’s relax and watch a movie in bed, and tomorrow I’ll come up with the best riffs I ever played.”  He took a bottle of water and headed toward the bedroom.  “Don’t be long.”

Angel put his arm around Jessi and pulled her into his embrace as he slumped down on the couch and crossed his ankles on the coffee table.  “What’d you do today?  Tell me about all the fantastic places you and Alyssa visited.”

She settled into the crook of his arm and inhaled his woodsy cologne.  Tommy never wore cologne, so she appreciated the fragrant aroma.  It was intoxicating.  “We basically just walked around the flea markets all day.  My feet are killing me and I’m exhausted.  Audra spent the day with us.  She’s fun.  I like having her on tour.”

“Me too.  She’s a nice girl.”  Angel stretched his arms above his head, weary from his day of creating new music.

“Go to bed.”  Jessi patted his leg.  “I’ll be along in a few minutes.  I just want to finish a sketch I’m working on.”

“Can I see?”

“Not yet.  When it’s done I’ll show you.”

His eyes twinkled with curiosity.  “Is it something for me?”

“Just go to bed.”

He gave her that crooked smile that she loved.  “It’s a jacket for me to wear on stage, isn’t it?”

She pulled her Tablet to her chest so he couldn’t peek and pointed toward the bedroom.

“OK.  I’m leaving.”  He leaned in to kiss her.  “Make it fabulous.”

She waited until he was out of sight before she returned to her sketch.  She smiled at the half-finished design.  How did he know she was making him a garment?  It was a black tuxedo jacket, complete with tails.  It was going to be the rhinestone encrusted tuxedo that Tommy joked about.  Only it would be classy and sophisticated, not overstated and garish.  It would be the male counterpart to her red carpet look for the fall line.  No one would have anything like it.  It was going to be a stand-out piece.

She put the last finishing touches on her sketch and put it down for the night.  She had two gorgeous men in the next room who were probably sucking each other off right now.  Her footsteps quickened into a little trot across the room in anticipation of watching Tommy and Angel together, but when she got to the bedroom they weren’t in bed.  They were naked, erections flying high and rifling through a suitcase.

“What are you doing?”

They turned toward her at the same time.  Each held something in their hands.  Angel had a small flogger.  Tommy had a purple sash.

Tommy snapped the sash in his hands.  “We’ve been thinking.  It wasn’t very nice of you to leave us in the middle of the tour and not explain why you resigned.”

Angel twirled the ends of the whip so they danced in the air.  “Yes.  You’re a bad girl and bad girls get punished.”

Her mouth widened into a nervous smile.  “You’re not hitting me with that thing, Angel.”

“Oh, yes I am.”

Tommy was twisting the ends of the sash around each fist and pulling it tighter.

They slowly walked toward her wearing matching sinister grins.

She took a step back.  They couldn’t be serious.

Tommy held up the sash.  “It’ll hurt less if you cooperate.”

“Tommy!”

He lassoed her around the neck and pulled her to him.  She held her breath, braced one hand against his chest and tugged at the sash.

“Stop fighting and take your clothes off.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Stop stalling,” Angel warned.  “It’s better if you listen to him.  He’ll be less . . . angry.”

Nervous laughter trickled from her throat at this new game.  Tommy was always bossy in the bedroom, but with Angel, not with her.