Another Life

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

T ears blurred my vision as I stared motionless at the single black scuff mark on the otherwise pristine white wall in front of me. I was on my knees, my mind numb to the worrying news I had heard and what it meant for us. Distracting myself, I reflected on earlier that night and images immediately began to float through my mind.

Earlier that evening

My aching limbs felt like lead weights, but my mental strength persisted, fueled by the vibrant energy of our chanting fans. Jogging back on stage, I stood beneath the relentless searing heat of the fifty plus spotlights. I was all but spent, my tired body running on pure adrenaline from the frenzied reaction of the crowd.

A single bead of perspiration coursed its way down my face and my heart pumped rapidly as I spotted Fletch grabbing his shiny black bass guitar.

Further wet droplets flew more freely from my dark, sweat-drenched hair as I nodded quickly at our drummer Scuds, then leaned forward, taking my old trusty Fender from its stand.

Lifting the frayed woven guitar strap over my head, I swiped up a towel from in front of the drum platform and rubbed vigorously at my face and hair.

Throwing it behind me, I plugged the jack from my rig into my guitar and spun around, flashing my practiced rock star smile as I addressed the eager faces of our most avid followers.

“What?” I goaded, addressing them by cupping the shell of my ear and pretending not to hear them. They roared in response. “You want some more?” I screamed into the mic, in no doubt they did. Their reaction was wild. I smirked knowingly and bobbed my head acknowledging their unified positive replies.

It had been almost two hours since our music lovers had risen to their feet at the sound of the first note we’d played, yet they had waited patiently after we’d left the stage, confident of their reward of one last number for their dedication to our band.

Casting my bleary eyes over the sea of jostling heads packed into the sweltering conditions of a sixteen-thousand capacity venue, I was reminded of how lucky I was. My racing heart clenched as I soaked in the enthralled mob’s admiration, then I struggled for a second when my throat tightened as an unexpected wave of emotion threatened to overwhelm me. Hearing the deafening roar of appreciation at the end of a tour always caught me unaware.

The venue management were pissed because we’d already overrun on the set time, plus we had another commitment to move on to. Yet who were we to deny the mass of adoring rock fans their one last treat? I raised my hand and my heart rate spiked as the rowdy cheers and whistles instantly died and the auditorium fell quiet.

Commanding the instant silence of a mass of people always made my heart falter. The quiet magnified my awareness of the electric anticipation of the excited horde as they held their breaths and waited for the intro to that one last song.

Stepping out to perform the swansong of any tour was always special. Especially when we knew the demand was for the number that started it all and the song that had kick started SinaMen on the road to success.

Encores were a common event for a famous band like us, but this time the last performance had more significance because it was the end of an era for me.

Thinking about the significance of the number as I prepared to perform, I turned and stole another glance at my beautiful wife, Grace, waiting patiently in the wings. My brow creased briefly with concern when my eyes connected with hers.

Grace rarely complained about anything, so I’d been watching her closely during the previous couple of weeks. The tour had taken its toll on my heavily pregnant wife; a stubborn woman, who had refused to quit traveling with me to rest.

Completing SinaMen’s tour in front of a lively audience made me thankful for life as a musician. The incredible opportunities it had afforded me sometimes took my breath away. Tonight was no exception, and with one last commitment before we went home, I felt relieved Grace had made it to the end of our road tour without any complications to add to her condition.

We were also thankful for the added bonus of finishing the tour in our home state because there was no long trip back at the end of a punishing three-week schedule. Playing eleven sold out venues and four jam-packed stadiums, with TV and radio station interviews in between, had left us with virtually no downtime to recover.

Cranking up my charisma, I connected with the rowdy concertgoers by pouring feeling into the song, whipping up their enthusiasm, and having them join in and belt out the chorus by pointing the microphone at them.

Their response produced an earsplitting rendition covering every single word on point like they were the rock stars themselves. When the song came to an end we didn’t drag out the curtain call. Instead the band gathered in a huddle at the front of the stage and bowed in unison. I looked again to my gorgeous attentive wife with a mixture of relief and excitement that we’d made it through to the last gig.

Wiping my face again, I threw my damp towel out into the crowd and a cacophony of sound swelled from the back of the auditorium, the deafening noise reaching me all the way at the front. I glanced down toward a young bottle blonde who had caught the discarded towel and she held it up to her face .

Women and men hit on me all the time and I never understood why someone would go nuts for my sweaty T-shirts and discarded towels. The last thing on Earth I’d want to own was a sweat-stained piece of material from anyone who wasn’t my wife.

Being groped by groupies and fans of all flavors annoyed me to no end. I was a married man, and where I used to suck it up and laugh it off when I was single, now all I wanted was Grace. She was my soulmate, my perfect match, and as everyone who knew us said, she was the better half of me.

In fact, when I’d met her, Grace had knocked me off my feet and taken my breath away, and before I knew it she’d quickly become my world. It hardly felt possible that two years had gone by since we’d married, because every day felt like a vacation with her around.

This is what made tonight’s concert even more special. Grace and I were stoked at the prospect of becoming doting parents, and in preparation of the baby’s arrival I’d taken a year’s paternity leave from the band.

Smiling widely, Grace looked radiant and happy as I walked across the stage. Sometimes when I looked at her, I almost busted a nut in my jeans she was so hot. Even after all this time she was still the most beautiful woman I’d ever encountered.

She looked striking with her long wild dark hair, cute as fuck button nose and massive almond-shaped eyes, and since she was pregnant, her huge round belly.

My heart flipped as she walked over toward me with those ruby-red lips framing her gorgeous mouth and I saw how the light caught the twinkle in her huge shining gray eyes. In that precise moment I had never felt more in love with Grace.

“You okay, Baby? Should we go home to bed?”

“Don’t be silly, Cole; I’m fine, honey. Besides, the launch is on the way. Finish this one last obligation,” she said shaking her head. “The venue isn’t far, ten blocks over I think, and we only need to stay an hour or so, right?” she asked glancing at her watch. “Two half-hour sets you said?”

Grace continued to use her persuasive ways and eventually convinced me to attend the launch party for a new band recently signed to our label. I knew if I had pressed any further my wife would only have dug her heels in harder. Figuring it was better to get my appearance over with than cause her more stress by arguing, I decided to make good on the promise I’d made to attend.

Scanning the dimly lit, grungy looking space, relief washed over me when I caught sight of my wife still sitting in the booth where I’d left her. She was rocking a fabulous figure-hugging dress she’d squeezed herself into despite her bump. Its brilliant white color immediately set her apart from everyone else in the room. With or without the dress, Grace would have stood out anyway.

Men never looked twice at my wife; it only took them one glance, and they became transfixed by the way she was put together. Usually she would have been on my arm, but in her condition, I was concerned about how the events of the day had affected her. Also, with the heavy vibrations from the drum and bass players in the band, I had parked her ass as far away from the stage as I could.

I had seated Grace in the large sectional booth on the far side of the dance floor where I knew she’d be safe from the crowd, and when I glanced over and saw her still there, I excused myself from my three bandmates and cut straight across the dance floor toward her.

The break in the music set was welcome, and I felt all tension leave my body when the heavy metal band took a fifteen-minute interlude.

The new signing, Stone Gorge, weren’t the best musicians I’d heard, but decent enough for us to wait it out for the first half of their gig. As this was an exclusive launch party the press was in attendance and the label had wanted our band to show some support for them.

In general terms, I didn’t mind obliging because giving back was important, but on this occasion my wife’s wellbeing took priority. After the long day we’d had I wanted to take her home.

As I neared Grace, she glanced up, and a smile tugged at her lips when her gorgeous eyes connected with mine. A smile also spread on my lips and widened affectionately as I approached.

My eyes narrowed suspiciously when I saw she was talking to a known skinny blonde groupie called Bekki. I’d seen her around with Scuds from time to time and fortunately, she wasn’t someone I’d dipped my wick in before.

Bekki was so busy running off at the mouth she hadn’t noticed I was behind her. My jaw ticked in frustration when I caught some of the comments she made and heard what the conversation was about.

“Oh my god, if I had a guy with a fine ass like his in my bed, I’d never leave it,” she confessed.

Having no idea who she was talking about, I decided to cut in on the gossip. “Oh, yeah? Who’s the lucky guy?” My voice was laced with sarcasm as I eyed Grace and bit back a grin.

Glancing over her shoulder, Bekki caught sight of me and gasped for breath, swallowed roughly and cringed.

Moving my position to see both her and Grace better, my eyes darted to Bekki. When she averted her gaze, I noted how uneasy she was. Turning my attention back to my wife I saw her wince. It was at this point the penny dropped. This wasn’t idle female chitchat between two women. Bekki was stating an opinion and from her reaction when I confronted her, I knew instinctively she had been talking about me.

Unperturbed by Bekki’s comment, Grace chuckled and shook her head, “Your timing is awful,” she admonished, glancing up at me, but the twinkle in her eyes told me she was flattered by the groupie’s envious remark. Bekki’s crimson face and zero eye contact on the other hand, was a rare reaction from someone normally so brazen.

“Ah, I wasn’t supposed to hear that, was I?” I asked, letting the lecherous groupie know I knew her comment was directed toward Grace about me. “But now that I have, I couldn’t agree with you more,” I replied sliding my hand around my wife’s shoulder.

Crouching down beside her, I pressed my lips gently to hers, in no hurry to pull them away, but I did. “Great advice. Grace you should listen to Bekki,” I affirmed, playfully, making a joke from Bekki’s comment.

Relief washed through the groupie’s worried eyes and she rolled them like she was more pissed with herself than me. It served her right, she shouldn’t have been drooling like that about another woman’s husband.

“You’re incorrigible,” Grace scolded me again, but I heard the hint of humor in her tone and knew she was enjoying both Bekki’s discomfort and my unwillingness to let the subject slide.

Standing straight, I glared down as Bekki continued to look away. It struck me then that Bekki was losing her looks, but that didn’t surprise me with the rock and roll lifestyle she led. The girl had been burning the candle at both ends and it showed.

“If you’ll excuse us, I came to ask my beautiful wife to dance,” I explained, and held my hand out theatrically for Grace. Slipping hers into mine, I helped her to her feet and led her onto the dance floor.

“That was so naughty, Cole.” Grace chuckled. “And why are we on the dance floor when there’s no music?” she asked.

“Who needs music when I have an angel in my arms? Are those harps I hear?” Grace looked at the ceiling dismissing my corny line. Pulling her snug little body close to mine with our hands held close to my heart, I pressed my cheek to hers.

“I can’t dance without music,” she insisted through a giggle.

Unperturbed, I thought for a moment. “You like Halestorm, right? Here’s to Us?” She nodded but looked confused, then she shook her head in silent protest. “There you go. We’ll dance to that. Forget these deadbeats, we’ll have our own silent disco. How does that sound?”

“You are way too corny and romantic to be a rock star,” she stated, with a look that told me she adored me.

“Yep, but don’t tell them that,” I whispered conspiratorially and winked. “Actually, it’s because I’m a rock star that I can choose to dance with my girl in a room full of people without music, and none of them will bat an eyelid.”

The smile Grace gave me was almost contemptuous, as if she didn’t believe me. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced around the room scrutinizing everyone in turn and when she was done I felt her body relax when she realized my assumption was probably right.

Giving them the once-over myself, I saw most of them were stoned, and I knew unless someone was taking off their clothes, making an ass of themselves buck naked, or competing in a wet T-shirt competition, no one cared.

We danced slowly to the song in our heads, mentally singing it, and a couple of times I’d forget and sing out a line. “Want to get a room?” I whispered in Grace’s ear after a couple of minutes. It was only a little after midnight, and even though I had asked, we continued to shuffle around to the song in our heads.

At first Grace didn’t reply and was determined to see the gig through, but I knew with only five weeks to go until her due date, she was having trouble sleeping. She needed her rest because she’d been struggling with growing pains and indigestion. When she wasn’t disturbed with those, her sleep was disrupted by her frequent trips during the night to pee.

“Does this mean I’m on a promise?” she asked, lowering her eyes and pretending to act coy.

“Always, Baby,” I replied, stroking her back, then I cupped my hand at the base of her skull and pulled her head closer. I pressed an affectionate kiss to her forehead and pulled back to look at her.

We both chuckled as I slipped my hand into Grace’s and led her over to the guys in my band to say our goodnights.

“Damn, Cole,” Scuds protested when I leaned in for a hug, “next you’ll be telling us you can only come on tour if Grace can come too. Oh, wait, you did that already,” he teased, shaking his head.

“Yeah, don’t forget I’ve seen how many attempts you’ve had over the years trying to find a girl like Grace. Wait until it’s your turn and we’ll see how great you are at controlling these feelings if you find her.”

“Pussy whipped,” Moz declared, through a cough and Fletch grinned widely. I sighed and gave him an is-that-the-best-you’ve-got look.

“Ah, come on, look at her. This little dude’s ready to drop, give the guy a break,” Fletch offered, as he came to my rescue by nodding at Grace’s belly.

“See, he’s the only one among you with any sense of occasion,” I agreed.

I was happy to own how my behavior had changed. When I met Grace, she was the one girl I never saw coming, and the only one I never wanted to get away from. Our relationship was built on trust and Grace made me want to be ‘the real me’ and not the front man from a band living up to the expectations of the public. People could think as they liked and judge me how they wanted to, but I was damned if I’d let them dictate when I could put her first.

Hugging the guys one by one, each of them wished Grace well, and we headed for the door just as Stone Gorge took their places behind their instruments on the small stage again.

As we were driven home in the back of the black Sedan Grace snuggled in beside me, her head on my shoulder and she sighed, contentedly. “How did I live without you?”

“I’ve got no idea, Baby, it must have been miserable for you,” I replied, trying to keep a serious tone to my voice.

Turning her face up to look at me she laughed, “You’re an ass, you know that?”

“Ah, you mean I’m a fine ass,” I corrected, reiterating Bekki’s description of me, and Grace burst out laughing.

“That poor girl’s face,” she muttered reflecting on the incident and it was my turn to laugh.

“She’s lucky you’re secure. If a guy made a remark like that to me about you, I’d knock him the fuck out. Any man fantasizing about being in bed with you that isn’t me doesn’t deserve to live,” I stated.

“Oh, I adore the caveman that threatens to break free in you at times.”

“Yeah?” I asked, pretending I took her seriously.

“Hell, yeah, it’s hot,” she agreed.

“How hot?”

“Hmm,” she hummed, chuckling as she processed my question and I took a moment just to look at her. Pregnancy made Grace radiantly beautiful and the way the moonlight caught her features enthralled me. My eyes settled on her soft plump lips and I fought the urge to kiss her as I waited for her reply. “On a scale of one to five, maybe a four.”

Inhaling deeply, I sighed, pretending I felt let down. “Only a four, huh? And what would it take to get a five?” I wondered aloud.

“Sing to me. You have no idea what your voice does to me, Cole Harkin. Goose bumps doesn’t even begin to explain what that rich tone of yours does to me. All I know is I want to rip off your clothes.”

Immediately I began singing the old Joe Cocker hit, “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” causing her to crack up laughing, before she lurched forward, holding her belly.

Laughter gave way to concern as I furrowed my brow and looked her over.

“Jesus, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she replied, rubbing her lower belly as she straightened her spine in the seat. “The sooner this little cherub is on the outside now the better,” she muttered.

We sat quietly in the car after this, me holding her close and rubbing her arm. Fortunately, by the time we made it through the gates to our home, the pain she’d felt had subsided.

“Good God, please don’t look at me. I’m a mess,” she muttered, dumping her designer purse on the floor when she caught sight of herself in our entrance hall mirror.

“Nonsense Baby, I’m still very attracted to you, never been more so than right now. Check you out? Hair like this,” I commented, grabbing a handful of her wild, dark silky mane and sifting my fingers through it. Kissing her cheek, I added, “and when I see this gorgeous face with your sexy as fuck full lips, and this amazing belly…” I stopped talking when my emotions overwhelmed me and I had to kiss her instead.

Passion tore through me as soon as her tongue slid over mine, and my heart rate kicked up its pace. As fire began to flow through my veins, my grip tightened further as my dick strained hard in my jeans.

A soft erotic moan travelled between Grace’s mouth and mine and with my arms at full stretch given her bump, I grabbed two handfuls of her ass.

“Dear God in Heaven, will you two get a room?” Matty, our housekeeper had wandered into the hallway and beat a hasty retreat to the kitchen.

“Jesus, Matty, will you get yourself a pair of noisy clogs and stop creeping the fuck up on us? Besides, it’s the middle of the night; you should be in bed.” I called back. Grace burst out laughing and swatted my arm .

“Stop it, you’ll make her uncomfortable and she’ll leave.”

“You think? The woman lives to give me shit. Where else would she get away with talking to her boss the way she talks to me?”

“Well, she’s right. We should go up to our bedroom,” Grace suggested, but suddenly doubled over in pain again.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I bent over with her and held her tight.

“Fu— jeez,” she replied, unable to answer as she rubbed her belly and breathed her way through the pain. When her discomfort subsided, she took another deep breath and straightened up. “Wow, that was intense.”

“Should we go to the hospital?” I asked, my arms tightening protectively in support.

“Pfft, because I’ve had a twinge? You want them to laugh at us?” she replied in a matter-of-fact tone. From my perspective she’d had more than a few twinges in the previous few days.

“I don’t want you to be in pain.”

“Then you shouldn’t have gotten me pregnant.” She smirked and stepped away from me, but barely made it up the sixth step before she doubled over again. Turning to look at me she shrugged. “Maybe a trip to the hospital isn’t such a bad idea.”