The Prince of Punk Rock (53 page)

Chapter Forty-Two

Marissa arranged for several small
run ins with the paparazzi.
 
Jessi should
have been an actress. Her personality shined in front of the cameras and the
camera loved her.
 
She came off loyal and
devoted to Tommy and supportive of the band.
 
She was likable, and she looked gorgeous.

The affection Angel and Tommy
shared became obvious to the paparazzi and it wasn’t long before speculation
about the relationship between Angel Garcia and his married guitar player ran
rampant around the media circuit.
 
The
headlines were unsettling for Angel.
 
Some were derogatory and appalling.
 
He hated that his intimate personal life was being exploited, but he was
more upset that he couldn’t protect Tommy from the closed-minded, homophobic
slander of some of the gossip rags.

Fortunately, the bottom-feeders
were limited to a select few.
 
Most
headlines and articles aroused curiosity and created a buzz around their
private life, without attacking their character.
  
Marissa’s plan could still easily backfire,
though.
 
The media could turn ugly and
they could lose their contract, but there was little Angel could do.

According to Marissa, everything
was progressing as planned, and they were ready to take the next step.
 
She set up another run in with the paparazzi
so the camera caught the three of them leaving a night club together, cuddling
and holding hands.
 
The journalist even
caught a small closed mouth kiss between Angel and Tommy on film.

The snippet went viral in 24 hours.

Offers
poured in for an interview with Angel, Tommy and Jessi at ridiculous
prices.
 
The label held out for the right
one.
 
It was with a well-known outspoken
host on a cable talk show.
 
Angel thought
it was perfect.  Cable television offered less censorship.
 
It would give them the opportunity to speak
freely and appeal to a more liberal audience.

Tommy
looked like he was about to have a panic attack as they waited in the green
room on the morning of the interview. He walked circles around the coffee table
and tugged on the belt loop of his jeans.

Angel
wished there was more he could do than offer Tommy a hug.
 
“Don’t look so nervous.”

“I’ll be
fine once we get out there.
 
It’s the
anticipation that’s getting to me, that’s all.
 
To tell you the truth, I’m more worried about Jessi.
 
She’s a woman.
 
It’s her reputation that they’ll attack.
 
We’re guys.
 
It’s a given that we screw around.
 
There’s still a double standard.
 
I don’t want her portrayed like some kind of slut.”

Shit.
 
Angel never thought about that before.
 
It may have swayed his decision.
 
Now it was too late.
 
He hoped they weren’t making a mistake by
talking publicly in an open forum broadcast to the public.
 
He would never forgive himself if Tommy or
Jessi suffered humiliation because of the decision to do the interview.

The three
of them went on stage, hand in hand, and received a hearty round of
applause.
 
They sat on the small love
seat in standard formation, Tommy in the middle with Angel and Jessi on either
side. Angel peeked over at Jessi.
 
She
looked secure and confident.
 
He knew she
was able to defend herself, if needed.
 
She was articulate and assertive.
 
Few would outwit her in a verbal assault.
 
But the brash talk show host was a master at
manipulation.

The first
question the host asked was about their sex life and he directed it at
Tommy.
 
There was no small talk or easing
into the delicate areas of their relationship.
 
He went straight for the jugular.
 
“Can you handle the both of them, sexually?
 
Can you keep up pleasing two people in bed on
a regular basis?

“I don’t
think that’s an appropriate question,” Tommy answered flatly.

“Mrs.
Blade, what’s your opinion?
 
Can you
husband keep up in the bedroom?”
 
Jessi
answered the question without shame.
 
She
probably would have drawn the audience a diagram, if Angel didn’t stop her.

“I’m
sorry,” Angel said, “but the specifics of our sex life is our personal
business.
 
It isn’t up for discussion.”

The host
kept prying for intimate details.
 
“Come
on. This is why you’re here.
 
We want to
know the dynamics.
 
How do you determine
what nights the two of you get to sleep with Tommy?
 
Do you take turns?
 
Flip a coin?
 
Do you have a schedule?
 
What
happens if you both want to sleep with him on the same night?”

“We don’t
take turns.
 
The three of us share the
same bed,” Angel finally explained.
 
“Together.
 
At the same time.
 
You might see me kiss Jessi once in a while.
 
I love her to death, but it’s purely
affection.
 
It’s not sexual.
 
I’m gay, Tommy’s bisexual and Jessi’s
straight.”
 
They were a virtual array of
diversity, on display for the world to scrutinize.

Tommy
explained that he loved both Angel and Jessi, equally, but for totally
different reasons, and that he couldn’t live without either one of them.
 
But it was Jessi that did most of the
talking.
 
She stole the show.  She
spoke from the heart about how much she loved Tommy.

“I love
Tommy more than anything.
 
More than I
love myself.
 
I would do anything for
him,” she said.
 
“I love him enough to
share him, so he could be happy.
 
I love
him for who he is, without judgment.
 
I
wanted him to be true to himself and encouraged him to explore his
bisexuality.
 
I loved him enough to risk
losing him, so he could find happiness.
 
And it was worth it,” she displayed a blissful smile, “because he found
Angel.”

She won
the sympathy of the audience, and they let out a loud, collective “Aww.”

“I love
Angel.”
 
Jessi’s eyes glistened, and you
could hear the vulnerability in her voice when she spoke.
 
“He’s wonderful.
 
I love him almost as much as I love Tommy,
and I never thought that was possible.
 
I
never thought it was possible to be in love with two people at the same time,
but it is.
 
There’s no jealousy.
 
There’s only love and respect.”
 
She sat back with poise and self-assurance.
“I believe destiny brought us together.
 
We need each other.
 
Together,
we’re whole.
 
Apart, we’re fragmented.”

Again,
the audience sighed and applauded loudly.

The talk
show host jumped on an opportunity to create turmoil and questioned Tommy.
 
“Your wife is in love with your lover.
 
She loves another man.
 
How do you feel about that?
 
Doesn’t that make you angry?
 
Aren’t you jealous or resentful?”

“Angel’s not
another man.
 
He’s the man I love. I had a hard time
with it at first, but I’m at peace with it now.
  
Love is what keeps our relationship
strong.
 
I can’t imagine anything more
beautiful than the two people I love most in the world, loving each other.”

Another sigh from the audience
signaled their unyielding support.

The
no-holds-barred talk show host scoured for controversy and rivalry.
 
“So, what if Tommy and Angel broke up?” he asked
Jessi.
 
“How would you feel?
 
Wouldn’t you be just a little bit happy that
Angel was out of the picture and now you could have Tommy all to yourself?”

“No.”
 
Jessi shrunk back in her seat. She put her
hand to her chest and her face was covered in grief.
 
“I would be devastated if Tommy and Angel
broke up.
 
I would be heartbroken.
 
I
love
Angel.
 
I can’t imagine my life without him, any more
than I can imagine my life without Tommy.
 
Angel is just as much part of my life as Tommy is.
 
I love him with all my heart.
 
He’s like my other husband.
 
Tommy and Angel are everything to me.”

Angel was
genuinely touched by the heartfelt sincerity in Jessi’s declaration.
 
He knew she was in love with him, but he
didn’t realize that the depth of her love compared to the love she had for
Tommy.
 
He only wished he could love her
back, in the same way she loved him.
 
Giant tears pooled on the edge of his lower lids.
 
As he wiped his eyes, Tommy comforted him
with an arm around his shoulder and those miraculous fingers rubbing the back
of his neck.

Jessi
leaned over Tommy and put her hand on Angel’s knee.
 
“You had to know how much I love you, Angel.”

“I
know.”
 
His voice was jittery with
emotion.
 
“I love you, too, but hearing
you say it out loud just now . . . comparing it to how much you love Tommy . .
.”  he was too choked up to finish his sentence.
 
He smiled through teary eyes and patted his
heart.
 
He pulled her in for a hug and
the three of them shared a long embrace.

The
camera went to a commercial and Marissa ran out onto the stage. “That was
brilliant!
 
It was beautiful! 
Touching!  Moving!  It even brought a tear to my eye!
 
It was genius!”