The Stage Page 4

  The fresh scent of Jessi’s perfume filled Tommy’s nostrils. The light floral aroma made his senses tingle and stirred his hormones. Jessi’s femininity and the softness of her curves were the perfect counterbalance to Angel’s aggressiveness and hard muscles. He pushed his fingers through her hair and caressed the back of her neck as he pulled her in for a kiss. Her lips were always soft and delicious, her mouth tender and gentle. “Come back to bed.”

  “I’m going to the spa with Alyssa.”

  He tugged on her hand. “Can you spare five minutes?”

  “No.” She laughed and pulled her hand away. “I’m late.”

  “Is Angel making breakfast?”

  “Breakfast is over. It’s almost 11:00 a.m. He saved you a plate in the microwave, though I don’t know how well it’ll reheat.”

  Tommy pulled the covers higher and rolled over. If he wasn’t getting laid or sitting down to breakfast with his family, he might as well sleep another half hour. It had been months since he had slept this late.

  “Get up.” Jessi playfully tugged on his hair. “You’re on Daddy duty until Sofia gets here. Jimmy already dropped Mason off, and he took Angel to visit the arena. You’re supposed to meet them in Damien’s room to go over the set list. Something about switching up some of the songs.”

  Tommy sat up with his back against the headboard, his morning nap obviously obliterated. “You mean Angel’s not here and I got all three kids?”

  “Yes. You’re in charge.” Jessi let out a small laugh. “Heaven help us.”

  Tommy groaned and pushed his fingers through his hair. His head was still cloudy from too much alcohol last night, and he wasn’t ready to deal with the kids’ energy. He realized that there wasn’t any noise coming from outside the bedroom, which made him nervous. “Why are they so quiet?”

  “They’re sitting in front of the TV. I told the boys if they wake you, they couldn’t jam in Lucas’ room when you get up. Threaten to take away their practice time, and they’ll agree to anything. And Tessa is playing with her dolls.” Jessi gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Gotta run. I’ll be back in a few hours. Call me if you need me, but I might be wrapped in seaweed.”

  With his belly full of Angel’s huevos rancheros and two cups of coffee, Tommy’s hangover was history. Not even Mason beating on the drums bothered him. He had tried to get Jimmy and Audra to set up Mason’s drums in their room, but since one of the bedrooms in the suite doubled as a playroom for Lucas and Tessa, he lost that argument.

  He checked the time on his phone and texted Angel.

  TOMMY: Just waiting for Sofia. Be there soon.

  He was putting a spin on the riff to Cyanide Sensation in his head when a small hand tugged on his pant leg. “Daddy?”

  “What is it, princess?” He looked down into his daughter’s dark eyes and cupped her angelic face in the palm of his hand.

  “The boys don’t wanna play with me.”

  Tessa’s bottom lip stuck out in a sad pout that just about ripped Tommy’s heart out. Touring with two boys who spent almost all of their time playing the guitar and drums left poor Tessa without a playmate at times. The music clearly stemming from the playroom meant this was one of those times. Sofia and Mason’s Aunt Mary were usually there to keep her company, but he wished there was another little girl for her to play with.

  Tommy squatted down to Tessa’s level and rested his elbows on his knees. The guys would have to wait a little longer. His daughter was more important. “I have some free time. What do you want to play, sweetheart?”

  Her face lit up, and she clapped her little hands together. She grabbed his index finger and led him toward the back of the suite where the bedrooms were located. At six feet tall, Tommy had to lean over as he walked behind his three-year-old daughter. He paused when he passed the playroom to listen to the beats the boys were creating. At five years old, Lucas was already playing complex riffs and easily covered a song simply from listening to it by ear. Jimmy’s son Mason was a dynamo on the drums. The kid was destined to surpass his father’s talent. Most ten year olds wouldn’t want to be bothered hanging around with a kid half his age, but Mason loved Lucas. They were like brothers, bonded together by their love of music. Both were perfect examples of how musical ability genetically passed down from one generation to the next. Tessa’s interests were still mainly girly things like dressing up her dolls, obviously inherited from her mother’s obsession with fashion design, but Tessa was also mesmerized by the music the boys played.

  Tessa tugged on Tommy’s hand, and he followed her into her room. She patted the back of one of the chairs belonging to her child-size table set. “Sit here, Daddy.”

  Tommy hoped the small chair didn’t break under his weight and send him crashing to the floor. His knees were level with his chin, and the back of the chair hit him in the kidneys. A teddy bear sat to his right, and Tessa’s favorite doll sat to his left. The table was set with miniature white cups and saucers with a pink flowery design. Tiny teaspoons nestled on the saucers, and a matching teapot sat in the center of the table. He pushed his hair behind his ears and introduced himself to his dinner companions, shaking a stuffed paw and tipping an imaginary hat at the pretty doll. Tessa filled everyone’s cup with invisible tea and then took the empty seat across from Tommy. He picked up his cup by the delicate handle that barely fit between his fingers and took a sip. “Delicious! Did you brew it yourself?”

  Tessa nodded with a smile that took Tommy’s breath away. Her hair was a rich sable brown, almost black, and it fell passed her shoulders. She had Jessi’s lips and nose, and she was just as beautiful as her mother was. Her eyes opened wide as if she just remembered something, and she sprung from the chair. She took a stack of small plastic plates from the counter of her make-believe kitchen and put them on the table, along with a plastic cake. “I made birthday cake.”

  “You did?” Tommy laughed softly. “But whose birthday is it?”

  “Yours, Daddy!”

  He had no idea that his daughter knew his birthday was coming up, and it touched his heart. “Thank you, princess. My birthday isn’t for a few days, but this will be our little secret birthday cake. OK? Just for me and you.”

  She nodded happily. “For Daddy and Tessa.”

  Tommy picked up the small plastic cake and pretended to take a giant bite out of it, chewing with his cheeks puffed out as if his mouth was full. “Mmm. Mmm.” His daughter’s delightful laughter blessed his ears with a beautiful melody. He drank more tea and patted his belly. “I’m stuffed. That was the best meal I had all day.”

  Jessi stared at her reflection in the elevator doors as it ascended to the top floor of the Venetian hotel. Erotic images from two nights ago when the elevator malfunctioned immediately filled her head, and she tried to hide her smile. She touched the length of her hair, longer now than it had been since she was a teenager, and assessed the new color treatment. “Is it too much?”

  “No. It looks fucking bad ass.”

  Jessi and Alyssa, her best friend and the wife of Immortal Angel’s bassist, were only supposed to be going for facials and massages, but on a whim Jessi decided to add royal blue streaks to her hot pink hair. Not all through her hair though, just the part that framed her face. She wasn’t used to it yet, and it surprised her every time she caught sight of herself. “I hope Tommy and Angel like it.”

  “You could shave your head bald, and they’d fucking love it.”

  The elevator came to a stop, and they stepped into the hallway just as Audra passed. As the tour manager for Immortal Angel, Audra had been running around like crazy on this tour. She was the one who deserved a day of pampering the most, but with a festival the size of this one, the amount of things she took care of at a regular show tripled. She blew her sandy blonde hair out of her face and shifted her leather briefcase from one hand to the other. She looked frazzled, but perked up when she saw Jessi and Alyssa.

  “Your hair! Jessi, it looks awesome! I wish I could do some
thing like that, but it’s hard enough for industry people to take me seriously as it is.” Audra was a young woman in the male-dominated world of music executives, but she was tougher than most men twice her age. She was also married to Immortal Angel’s drummer, Jimmy Wilder, and raising his son. She was the epitome of the modern woman, balancing work and family. Her phone dinged, and she scrolled through it with one hand as the three of them resumed walking down the hall. “I was just with the festival’s production manager, and he already sent me three messages,” she said, still reading the screen. “Oh, here’s a message from Aunt Mary that I missed. She has the boys and Sofia is with them. They’re at the History of Rock and Roll exhibit on the first floor, which means they’ll be there for hours.”

  Aunt Mary, as Mason’s aunt was affectionately referred to by everyone, tirelessly took care of the kids. Granted, the kids’ nanny was usually with them and Lucas and Mason were self-sufficient as long as they had their musical instruments, but Aunt Mary was always there. And she doted on those kids.

  Jessi dug her phone out of her handbag and found a similar message from Sofia. “The guys are all in my suite with Tessa. Great. My poor daughter must be bored to death!” She looked at Audra and then at Alyssa. “I wish one of you would have a little girl so my daughter can have a playmate.”

  Alyssa cackled. “I’m not sure that’s in my future. I have my hands full just taking care of Damien.”

  Audra, on the other hand, had a wistful look in her eyes. “That might be nice. I’d love to give Mason a little brother or sister. Once my life calms down.”

  “Sister.” Jessi glared at Audra for emphasis. “Tessa doesn’t need any more little boys driving her crazy.” Truthfully, Tessa idolized her big brother and was totally enamored with Mason. And the boys cherished her. Jessi knew that Tessa was destined to spend her life under their watchful eye.

  She opened the door to the suite and was surprised at the lack of noise, other than the stereo playing at a low volume. Four men and a little girl should have evoked some kind of upheaval. “Where is everyone?”

  “Shh.” Tessa suddenly appeared in front of Jessi with her little index finger in front of her lips. “Relaxing time.”

  Jessi chuckled. “What does that mean? Is everyone napping?”

  “No. Relaxing.”

  “Oh.” Jessi lowered her voice to a whisper. “Pardon me.”

  Tessa’s mouth opened into a surprised oval. “Mommy’s hair! It’s blue. Like Uncle Damien’s!”

  Jessi picked up her daughter. “Do you like it?”

  Tessa ran her fingers through it, allowing the royal blue strands to cascade over her hand. “Mommy’s beautiful.”

  “Thank you, baby. But I’m not nearly as beautiful as you are.” She kissed her daughter’s cheek and then set her back down on the floor.

  “Shh. Quiet.” Tessa reminded them before she tiptoed into the living room.

  Jessi exchanged smiles with Audra and Alyssa and the three of them followed Tessa, walking with exaggerated lightness so they didn’t disturb anyone. When they rounded the wall that brought the living room into view, Jessi stopped and laughed.

  All four men were in the hotel-supplied fluffy white bathrobes, bare feet on the coffee table or reclining on a footrest. Their toenails were painted black, although more polish seemed to be on their toes than any place else. Jimmy had his eyes closed and his mouth open, apparently fast asleep. Damien had his head back and a cloth over his eyes. Angel was in the middle of getting his fingernails painted by Tessa. And Tommy had obviously received some of Tessa’s expert hairstyling, because a loosely tied ponytail hung just below one ear. “This is priceless!” Jessi exclaimed, snapping a few photos with her cell phone.

  “Quiet,” Damien barked without lifting his head. “You’re interrupting my Zen.”

  “Your Zen?” Alyssa sat next to him and lifted the towel from his eyes. “You guys are working this poor little girl to death.”

  “They’re my customers,” Tessa bragged. “Ten dollars each.”

  Jessi laughed. “That’s my girl!”

  “I got the special Daddy discount. A free hairstyle.” Tommy twirled his ponytail, and then did a double take at Jessi. “You put blue streaks in your hair! I love it, hon!”

  “Nice choice,” Damien said with a nod of his blue mohawk.

  “Come closer. Let me see.” Angel was sitting very still so he didn’t disturb Tessa who was still painting his fingernails.

  Jessi squeezed in between him and Tommy and leaned toward Angel so her hair fell in front of him. “Do you like it?”

  “I do. It’s very chic. You’re such a fashionista.”

  Jimmy came to life with a stretch and a loud yawn. He rested his eyes on Audra, and he smiled as he extended his hand toward his wife. “I missed you, babe. Give me some sugar.”

  Audra sat next to him and swatted his chest. “You sleepyhead. What’s with you guys? I thought you were going over the set list and re-working some of the songs?”

  Jimmy wrapped his arms around Audra and kissed her cheek. “We were waiting for Tommy, but he had an important tea party he needed to attend. Then Mason and Lucas wanted us to listen to something they put together.”

  “We were getting ready to leave, but Tessa had this salon set up in the living room,” Tommy explained. “I couldn’t let Jonathan the bear and Hazel the doll be her only customers.”

  Damien wiggled his toes. “It was my first pedicure. The kid gives great foot massages.”

  Alyssa curled her lip and jerked her head toward Tessa. “You touched his stinky feet?”

  “Not stinky. Tickly.”

  “We wiped our feet with baby wipes first,” Angel said. He was such a germaphobe when it came to the kids.

  “Nice hair, Jess.” Jimmy turned his eyes back on Audra. “Did you go to the spa too?”

  “No. I was stuck arguing with Bulletproof’s manager about their timeslot.”

  Tommy abruptly pulled his feet off the coffee table and leaned forward toward Audra. “You met Felix Osbourne? Bulletproof’s manager?”

  “Met him? I had a 30-minute discussion with him about the lineup. I had an old draft of the schedule and it had everyone’s timeslot mixed up. I thought Bulletproof was going on before Immortal Angel. I should have known better than to argue with him. He had the schedule memorized. When I wouldn’t believe him, he had to get his copy from his briefcase. It was practically laminated and everything in his briefcase was sectioned off into little compartments. He seemed very anal. It turned out that Bulletproof isn’t even playing on the same night as Immortal Angel. They’re headlining Sunday night. You’re headlining on Saturday night.”

  Tommy slapped his knees. “Awesome! Then we can relax and watch their set.”

  Audra’s phone dinged again, and she sighed. “What now?” She read the screen and then quickly looked up at Jessi. “It’s Felix Osbourne. Bulletproof wants you to design some clothing for them. He wants you to call him to set up an appointment.” She tapped on her cell phone. “I’m sending you his number.”

  Jessi never expected the weekend in Vegas to be a business opportunity. Now she realized that a festival with dozens of bands in tow offered a plethora of potential customers. “I would love to design for Bulletproof. This is an incredible opportunity for me.” Jessi’s mind was racing with ideas. She wanted to have some sketches ready when she met with them for a consult. “I’ll be in the bedroom sketching for a while.”

  “Mommy drawing?”

  “Yes, baby. Want to draw with me?” Jessi had bought Tessa a tablet, and they would often sketch side by side. While Jessi designed edgy, high fashion garments, Tessa drew stick figures adorned with geometric shapes that served as their clothing. She stood up and extended her hand to her daughter. “Ready, Tess?”

  “You’re not done with my manicure,” Angel held up one hand with only two fingernails polished. “I can’t walk around like this.”

  Tessa handed Tommy the bottle of nail
polish. “Daddy finish.”

  Angel stared at Tommy with a tender gaze. The man was a warrior on stage and could shred a guitar like a maniac, and he was sitting here polishing Angel’s nails with precision and grace. The top of the bottle of polish was lost in Tommy’s hand as he glided the brush across Angel’s nail with extreme concentration.

  This small act of attention filled Angel with such joy. Tommy was breathtakingly handsome and as sexy as the day was long. Angel loved being spoiled by Tommy, and he watched with a goofy smile.

  There was a flash of bright blue as Tommy glanced up at Angel. “Tessa’s a lot better at this than I am.”

  “Nonsense. I adore being pampered by you. I could sit here all day while you lavish me with fingernail polish and lotion.”

  “Lotion?” Tommy tightened the cap on the nail polish and set it down. “You want me to rub you down with lotion now?” He picked up the various supplies that Tessa had gathered on the table and inspected them.

  “I would love nothing more, my prince.”

  “Hold on,” Damien interrupted, raising the palm of his hand. “I watch you guys dry hump each other all night on stage. If you’re gonna start rubbing lotion on each other, I’m outta here. I gotta draw the line somewhere.”

  Angel scowled at his oldest friend. “You’re such a spoilsport.”

  “Oh my God.” Tommy’s eyes grew large, and he glanced between Damien and Jimmy. “I can’t believe I forgot to tell you about last night.”

  “You told us,” Damien said. “You gambled and got drunk with the guys from Bulletproof.”

  “Yeah, but that’s not all. Brandon and Derek want to join us on stage during our set.”

  The smile melted off Angel’s face. Tommy hadn’t mentioned the brief conversation about Brandon and Derek making a guest appearance during one of Immortal Angel’s songs since last night. They had consumed a lot of alcohol and Angel secretly hoped that it had been said during a drunken haze and forgotten by all. Angel didn’t forget though. He’d been thinking about their night in the casino all day. The whole night had been bizarre. Tommy Blade, master of the guitar and a pioneer in blending genres – a star in his own right – had been star-struck at meeting the members of Bulletproof, specifically the band’s handsome long-haired singer. Tommy’s over-the-top enthusiasm and interest in Brandon Bullet had left Angel feeling neglected with a strand of barbed wire squeezing his heart.