He glanced to his right to look at his husband and imagined sparkles of silver streaking Angel’s pitch-black hair and fine lines at his temples. Those ebony eyes would take on a deeper luster as years of wisdom filled Angel’s soul. It was absolutely certain that the man would be a silver fox in his latter years, possibly sexier than he’d been in his youth. Just the thought made Tommy’s heart beat a little faster.
Turning to his left, Tommy took in his wife’s flashy appearance. Even on an international flight, she dressed to kill with her rock star attire. He imagined what the future would hold for Jessi. There was no doubt that her fashion house would continue to flourish and be a prominent name in the fashion industry for generations to come. And he knew that her hair would still be a vibrant hot pink at any age. They’d been through so much together, and his chest ballooned with love for this woman who’d been by his side since his college days.
Thinking about his own future wasn’t as clear or as easy to picture. He knew he’d still have his long blond hair, because he was never getting rid of that. He’d probably end up putting on a few extra pounds as he grew older. That seemed inevitable with Angel’s culinary skills. But he didn’t know what great successes lay ahead for him. So many victories had already been conquered, and he wondered if the best part of his life was already behind him.
They landed at JFK to a flurry of commotion. Fans and paparazzi were everywhere, and they didn’t have enough security for the overwhelming crowd.
“What’s going on?” Jessi asked. “Why are there so many people here?”
“I don’t know.” Tommy took her hand for added measure, while Angel huddled them closer together as they moved through the airport.
Shouts of congratulations and questions were directed at them from all angles, and it took a minute for Tommy to realize that word of their nomination for Collaboration of the Year already hit social media.
“I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Jimmy said, smiling his million-dollar smile and waving at the crowd.
Security rushed them through the front doors where an army of paparazzi were stationed behind barricades. One reporter that Tommy recognized from a popular entertainment network broke through and stuck a microphone in his face.
“I understand that Immortal Angel is up for Collaboration of the Year for ‘Sex & Greed.’ It’s an incredible fusion of punk rock and heavy metal,” the journalist said. “How did the idea to blend these two genres and collaborate with members of Bulletproof come about?”
The answer came easy for Tommy. “I’m a huge fan of Bulletproof. Meeting Brandon Bullet had been on my bucket list for ages. The opportunity finally came about when we shared the lineup at the Get Rocked in Vegas festival a couple of years ago. It was actually Derek MacAlister’s idea that we jam together. He’s an amazing guitarist, and I was honored.” He shrugged. “The rest is history.”
“Immortal Angel continues to surprise the world with its genre-bending music,” the journalist continued. “You’ve received more Grammy awards and nominations than I can list. It leaves the world wondering, what’s next for Immortal Angel?”
The question left Tommy perplexed. It mirrored the thoughts that he had on the plane, and the reality of it slapped him in the face. Immortal Angel reallyhaddone it all. Where did they go from here? They’d already reached the pinnacle of their career. “I . . . I don’t know,” he stammered.
Angel quickly stepped in to answer the question. “Our music is constantly evolving, but we never stray from our roots. Everything has old school punk rock at its core. Tommy has always brought his background of hard rock to the table and incorporated it into his guitar playing. With the help of Bulletproof, we blended heavy metal with punk rock. Perhaps, in the future, Immortal Angel will collaborate with other artists at the top of their genre to create other fusions that will push boundaries to places that no one ever dreamed of. If you’ll excuse us, our car is waiting.”
Security stepped in and removed the journalist from their path so they could all enter the waiting limo. Once safely inside and on their way home, everyone began to engage in nonstop chatter, but Tommy was thinking about the question posed by the journalist. Maybe he needed to make a list of future goals or a bucket list, and he pondered the possible line items. The lack of things that came to mind made his brow crease with unrest. Meeting Brandon Bullet certainly would have been on the top of that list, but it was another dream already fulfilled. Again, he wondered about what lay ahead. He grabbed a bottle of water and turned to his husband. “A, did you mean what you said about doing another collaboration in the future with another artist in a different genre?”
“Sure. If the situation presents itself, I think it would be a lot of fun. Don’t you?”
“Yeah. I guess.”
A look of concern passed over Angel’s face. “What’s wrong, mi amor? Why is the beautiful light in your eyes so dim?”
Tommy shrugged, not particularly excited about Angel’s suggestion. “I don’t think there’s anyone out there that could wow me like playing with Bulletproof. We did our first collaboration with the best of the best. We can never top that.”
“True,” Angel agreed. “But you never know what could happen.”
“But didn’t you listen to what that journalist said? Immortal Angel has done everything. What’s left? Where do we go from here?”
Jimmy overheard and leaned over to play a short drumbeat on Tommy’s knee. “We ride the wave, man. I ain’t throwing in the towel yet. None of us are. We got the world at our feet.”
“Exactly.” The point on Damien’s big blue Mohawk jutted dangerously in Tommy’s direction as the bassist leaned forward and nodded. “Don’t dwell on shit. Value what you got right now, because, one day, you might have nothin’.”
They were two totally different ways to look at life. Although Damien’s advice sounded more pessimistic, as if the fame and glory and everything that made him happy could be taken away at any minute, both ideals held the same message.
They’d been home for over a week and Tommy couldn’t stop thinking about what was next in his life. He decided he was going to make a list of future goals, but there wasn’t much scribbled in the notebook in his lap. He blamed Jessi for stealing his concentration, or rather, the leopard-print bikini that left the best parts of her body on display. He tapped the pen against his lips and lapped up an eyeful of his wife’s beautiful shape.
Shaking the image from his head, he strummed a few notes on his Gibson, because playing always helped him think. But his gaze returned to his wife. She was in the center of the enormous swimming pool, snuggling with Angel on a float as big as a king size bed. Their faces were turned up to the sun, enjoying the late summer warmth. Now, Tommy had two gorgeous bodies to ogle. One soft and feminine. The other strong and masculine. They were the perfect combination, and merely looking at them rocked Tommy’s hormones to attention.
Jessi sat up, leaned back on her hands, and looked over at Angel. There was a bottle of suntan lotion on the float, and she picked it up and started slathering it over Angel’s mighty chest. The oils made his tanned complexion glow.
Watching the two of them together drove all thoughts about the list from Tommy’s head, and he tossed his notebook and guitar aside. He dove into the warm pool water and climbed onto the float, settling in between his spouses, exactly where he loved to be.
“Look at us.” Jessi smiled as she eyed their positions. “It’s just like any other day in bed.”
“Except for the water.” Angel playfully splashed her, soaking her sun-kissed skin.
