Between a Rock and a Hard Place (52 page)

Just as their lips met, the lights dimmed and the crowd screamed.

“Oh, shit!”  Tommy reached around his back and took hold of his guitar.  He let his fingers glide over the strings and let loose with one of his signature riffs.  He pointed the neck of the guitar toward the audience and ran on stage to thunderous applause.

Damien and Jimmy followed, but Angel stayed behind.  He waited until the crowd roared and called his name.  He closed his eyes and listened to their voices.  His chest swelled and he grinned.  It was time to make an entrance.

He slowly walked to the center of the stage.  The wind machine threatened to blow open his cape, but he held it closed so it didn’t spoil the reveal.  Underneath, he wore black Lurex pants that fit him like liquid metal, black boots and heavy silver chains rested on his bare chest.

He stood at the end of the stage and looked straight ahead as the crowd cheered and threw their fists in the air.  The spotlight illuminated him, while the rest of the stage remained dark.  With his arms at his side, he held onto the ends of the cape.  It enveloped him like a red furry cocoon.  He stretched his arms out to his sides and slowly brought them to the ceiling, opening the cape and revealing the satin lining, embellished with brilliant tiny rhinestones.  He leaned his head back, closed his eyes and listened to the screaming crowd. He fed off their cheers.  It was his lifeline.  Without it, he would die.

Pyrotechnics lit up the stage behind him and sent a white light over the crowd.  He could see their faces, alive with excitement, shouting and hollering.  A blur of hands reached toward him and flowers landed at the foot of the stage.

It was hypnotic and he stood, motionless, mesmerized by the sea of faces that called to Immortal Angel.

The room erupted with the sound of
Cyanide Sensation
and broke Angel’s trance.  He took the microphone from the stand.  The energy of the crowd spilled out onto the stage and ignited Angel’s performance.  The blood surged up into his sternum and filled his chest.  His heart thumped in tandem with the pounding beat of Jimmy’s bass drum.

Angel jumped from amp to amp and sang the raunchy lyrics.  The music reverberated under his feet and sent a vibration up his legs.  The tight shiny pants fit him like a second skin and hugged his bulging crotch.  His groin pulsed to the beat and he couldn’t keep his hand off it.

At the end of the song, Angel darted to the side of the stage to change outfits.  Jessi was waiting for him.  He had seconds before he needed to be back on stage.  She took the cape from his shoulders and helped him into the leather jacket.  She straightened some of the fringes and he ran back out on stage just in time to pick up the first line of
Sex & Greed
.  He looked down and saw Audra and Kira at the front of the stage.  He picked up two flowers that were strewn near his feet and handed one to each of the girls.

Tommy’s guitar riffs were fast and melodic.  He flipped his hair from side to side in a crazy throw back to his heavy metal days.  He circled Angel with the guitar and taunted him by staying just out of reach. Every time Angel tried to put his hand on Tommy’s shoulder or around his neck, Tommy dipped out of the way in a coy game of cat and mouse. Frustrated, Angel reached out with one of his long arms and grabbed Tommy by his T-shirt, but Tommy broke free with a teasing laugh and scampered away.

Tommy bounced across the stage and stood next to Damien.  It normally annoyed Damien, but tonight Damien exhibited a bout of showmanship.  He jumped on the amp and gestured for Tommy to join him.  The two of them just about fit on top of the amp together and stood back to back.  Guitar god versus bass brainiac.  The iconic purr of Tommy’s Les Paul caressed the ear while the low bass tones of Damien’s Ibanez bellowed back, delivering sounds that showcased the talent of Immortal Angel.

The dancers
entered from both sides of the stage, shrouded in thick metal chains that hooked into the ceiling.  A pulley carried them high across the arena, where they performed acrobatics with the agility and grace of a ballerina.

The band transitioned into
Overdose. 
It was their latest hit single and the fans roared with enthusiasm as soon as the recognizable melody filled the arena.  Angel caught sight of Jessi by the curtain.  She had a new endeavor now, and it brought her into the spotlight.  She took on the job of handing Tommy his guitars on stage during the show.  It was a menial task, but she loved to step into the limelight.  He nodded at her as he sang the last lyric of
Overdose
.  That was her cue.

As soon as the audience saw her cross the stage, a piercing whistle filled the air, followed by an array of cat calls from the male fans.  It startled her and it took a moment before she realized the hollering and cheering were for her.

She traded guitars with Tommy and helped him free his hair from the strap on his shoulder.  Meanwhile, Tommy’s eyes never left her face.

Angel joined them.  “You love this life just as much as we do.  The fans, the music, the electricity in the air, it drives you the same way it drives us.  You’re part of this band, Jessi.  You helped bring Immortal Angel the success we achieved.”

She fanned her hand across the stage.  “Everything I love is right here – the audience, the band, my designs, and my husbands.”

The explicit lyrics of
Dirty Love
were . . . dirty, which is probably why it was a fan favorite to hear live.  Censorship necessitated a radio-friendly version, but Angel was free to shout the four letter words that the song contained during a live performance, and the fans loved to shout them along with him.  Angel extended the microphone toward the crowd and waved his hand to encourage them to sing.  He never expected the decibel of their response and didn’t need the microphone to amplify their voices.  He listened as a crowd of 16,000 people joined together and shouted the entire second verse and chorus of
Dirty Love
, on their own, without pause.  Hearing fans sing one of his favorite songs, in a language that wasn’t native to their country, was humbling.  “That was incredible!  Thank you!” he shouted into the microphone before picking up with the third verse.  The lyrics were raw and edgy, but Angel always felt that musically the song needed a little something to push it one step further.

When the band played the last note of
Dirty Love
, Angel was about to address the crowd, but Jimmy kept kicking his bass drum.  Angel turned around first, followed by Damien, then Tommy, and the three of them approached the drum riser to listen to the impromptu solo.  Jimmy’s drum sticks crashed down on the cymbals, bounced across his toms and smashed into his snare, while his bass drum sent a thunderous beat throughout the arena.  It was loud, fast and stunned the fans into silence.  Jimmy twirled his sticks in both hands and threw them both into the air.  They sailed high above his head.  He caught them, stood up and threw them past the stage and into the audience.  The addition of a drum solo, strategically placed at the end of the song, whether intentional or spontaneous, transformed the song in an unprecedented piece of musical genius.

The last song of the night was their brand new single,
Rock Goddess,
off their soon to be released second album.  This was Jessi’s song and everyone in the band turned their head in her direction when the fans screamed their approval.

Hundreds of balloons fell from the ceiling, followed by a thick fog of multi-colored confetti.  It filled the air like New Year’s Eve in Times Square and marked the finale of a tour that had as many highs as it did lows.  In the end, they finished on top with a new single that was already climbing the charts.

With the last show of the tour behind them, calmness settled over Angel as he lay in bed waiting for Tommy and Jessi.  He put his hands behind his head, smiled up at the ceiling and reflected on the last few months.  The tour was a success.  They had a second album scheduled to be released, along with a new single, and order was restored to his personal life.  He was exactly where he wanted to be.  Well, almost.  He cherished the thought of being back home in his own bed.

Tommy crawled in bed next to him, and his outstretched his arm invited Angel inside.  The mound of Tommy’s chest was heaven against Angel’s cheek.  “We’ll be home in a few days, and then we can lie in bed like this all day.”

Tommy sighed.  “I’m glad this tour is finally over.  It was a whirlwind, and it kicked my ass.”

“The next one won’t be as hectic, now that Angus is off our backs.”

Jessi stood in the doorway to the bedroom and cleared her throat to get their attention.  She had something in her hand and was twirling it like a drumstick – a large, fat, drumstick.  Angel squinted to identify it clearly.  He thought he imagined it, but now that she was slowly swaying it in her hand, he saw that he was right.  It was indeed a double-headed dildo.

Tommy gave a hearty laugh.  “Where the hell did you get that thing, and what do you plan on doing with it?”

“It was another present I bought for you when you were in Asia.”  She slowly walked over to the bed, eyeing the toy in her hand.  “I originally thought that me and you could use it together, but now I want to use it on you and Angel.”

Alarm caused Angel to sit upright.  He wasn’t a bottom, and that thing was huge.  He’d rather use it on Tommy, and if Jessi jumped on the other end it might be entertaining, but he wasn’t interested in straddling it.

Tommy took the double-headed dong from her hand, held it in his fist and turned to Angel with a twinkle in his eyes.

Angel was still uncomfortable with the idea.  “Do you see the size of that thing?  My body isn’t as receptive as yours.”

“Look at all the new things I’ve tried,” Jessi said, clearly trying to persuade him.  “You’re nervous about sharing a dildo?”  She waved her hand at him.  “Piece of cake.”

Tommy nuzzled Angel’s cheek.  His lips and warm breath found Angel’s neck, just below his ear, and tickled it with a kiss.  “We’ll do it together, slowly.  If it hurts, we’ll stop.  Can you imagine how special that’ll be?  We’ll be connected, experiencing the same stimulation at opposite ends of the same toy.”

The way Tommy described it made Angel yearn for the experience.  It was impossible to resist, even though he was still slightly apprehensive.  “Are you trying to romance me, Tommy Blade?  Because it’s working.”

Tommy bowed his head.  “I learned from the master.”

Tommy’s kiss guided Angel back down onto the bed.  “Just relax.  I’m going to get you nice and ready.”  Tommy held up the dildo.  “You’re not even going to feel this thing slip inside you, and while I’m getting you ready, Jessi is going to get me ready.”

This was a new role for Angel.  It was a new game where he surrendered his body to Tommy, and he was eager to get started.

Jessi sat next to Tommy with her hands on her knees.  She looked like his assistant, ready to take notes.

Tommy propped a few pillows underneath Angel’s hips, and he settled into the soft cushion.  Tommy’s hands roughly massaged Angel’s inner thighs, sending a shiver of excitement up Angel’s back, and he let out a deep sigh.

Tommy glided his tongue between Angel’s legs, over his cock and then swallowed it.  Angel could feel the stop in the back of Tommy’s throat, but he never gagged.  Angel’s body was already tingling all over.  That man of his knew exactly how he liked it and could get him off in seconds if he wanted to.  Angel tipped his chin up to the ceiling and took several euphoric breaths to steady the rush of endorphins.

Tommy’s tongue danced over Angel’s sac and down between his cheeks.  Everything felt glorious, and Angel was relaxed, ready for penetration.  He lifted his pelvis for easier access and waited impatiently for the first finger.  It poked its way inside with little effort, but Angel still clenched his muscles.  It was an involuntary reflex, until his bottom stretched enough to accommodate its inhabitant.  His breathing steadied, and he nodded at Tommy.  The second finger tested the elasticity of his body, but after the initial resistance, he calmed enough to let Tommy work freely to stretch his body with the spreading action of his fingers.

Angel never took more than two fingers, but he found himself anxiously awaiting the third.  It came quicker than expected, and Angel held his breath.  It took more than a minute for him to relax enough to accept it.  Once he did, and Tommy tickled that heavenly spot inside him, an exquisite sensation washed over him.