“We could set the stage up over there”, David said, pointing to the clearing in front of one of the bigger stages.
“They might try to insist that we use their stage”, Dan said.
“No way in hell will that happen. Not big enough, to begin with. Plus, Jordan’s on my ass about Reckless Disregard playing for this because they’ve always wanted to tour with us and they haven’t gotten too.”
“I know, Jordan’s been on my ass about it to.”
“What did you tell her?”
Dan chuckled. “To ask you.”
David rolled his eyes and shook his head with a laugh. “Asshole.”
“Well, we can look at it this way: she has a lot of connections to newer bands that are coming out that we don’t have connections to and we’ve always been cool about giving other bands a chance as long as they’re going to put the work into it.”
“True. Jordan’s first pet project was Wrought Iron. Now that they’re big after doing that damn Kennedy Center thing in December, her new project is a band called Bloody Rose.”
“Yeah, she and Malachai signed them to their label about a month ago. They’re pretty good. Two lead singers but one gets to act like a maniac on stage. The other plays rhythm guitar. Her name’s Rei. The male vocalist is Melvin. Lead guitarist is a kid named Ben. Drums are played by a guy named Damo, and their bassist is a kid named Derrick. I was listening to their demo a couple of weeks before Jordan and Malachai signed them to Unholy Deliverance.”
“Is that the music that you sent me a few weeks ago via email?”
“Yeah.”
“I was listening to them and they really are good. Too bad Jordan snatched them up before we did. Speaking of our label, what are we going to do about Intoxication?”
“I’m going to keep running it for a while, but Justin’s going to take over.”
“Maybe James could help him out with that. He’s taking some time off of school in between his undergrad work and Law School, but he wants to go into entertainment law from what I understand.”
“Ask him if he’d be interested. I’m sure Justin would love to keep Intoxication Records in the family, so to speak.”
“I’ll handle that when we get back home.”
“Tell his twin that I want an invitation to the wedding.”
David laughed. “I’ll let him know. But, Brie’s the one that’s handling the guest list.”
“Then tell my sister that I want an invitation”, Dan laughed back.
“I’ll be mailing out invitations when I get home”, Brie said with a laugh as she and Nicole approached them from behind.
The men turned and smiled at their wives. “So, we’ll have an invitation to Jeremiah’s wedding in the next couple of weeks?”
“Yes. Clear June 5th on your calendar , Danny.”
“I’ll make sure he clears a few days around it too, so that I can help you set up”, Nicole said.
“Between you, Kristen, Tina, Jona’s mother, and myself we should have no problem getting things set up.”
“Did you ever find a venue?” David asked as he wrapped an arm around shoulders.
“Yeah. There’s a lovely little clearing on the property that’s perfect for it. I’m going to have the grounds keeper go out and clean it up before we start setting up chairs and stuff for the ceremony.”
“Do you know where they want us to send them on their honeymoon?”
“I’m going to ask them when we get home.”
“If I got the right vibe from Jona, she and Jeremiah will probably forego having a honeymoon. She seems like she’s a pretty simple girl”, Dan commented.
“I know, she’s simple and easy going. She’s perfect for my son”, Brie laughed. “I’m glad she came into ‘Miah’s life when she did. They’re fantastic together.”
“But do they love each other?” Nicole asked.
“You have no idea, Nikki”, David said with a sigh. “They’re absolutely perfect together. The night he proposed he was a total goofball. He wrapped his arms around her and started peppering her with kisses. She fought back playfully and he dropped to his knee and asked her to marry him. She makes it easy for him to be silly, for lack of a better term.”
“Are they really that playful?” Nicole asked.
“Oh yeah. He plays with her all the time”, Brie laughed. “Now, they don’t play the way David and I do, but we don’t want them to be another version of us. We want them to be themselves.”
“But, Jeremiah’s naturally playful”, Dan said.
“And he can get wicked when he plays because his brothers and sisters get wicked. He’s had to learn not to be mean when he plays around.”
“How have the other kids taken to having her around?”
“They all love her”, Brie said with a smile. “She’s been living with us since their lease out here ended. She and Jeremiah just quietly share their room, stay to themselves, help out where they can around the house. She goes to work with Maddie and Delilah. He’s working on a degree in History with emphasis on ancient civilizations.”
“She bought your practice with Maddie and Delilah?” Nicole asked.
“Yeah. She’s a holistic nutritionist and an herbalist. Her brother’s in school to be an acupuncturist. Maddie offered him a job after he graduates with his certificate.”
“Nice.” Nicole looked back at David and her husband. “Now, back to the original subject. How are you planning on setting up the stage for the concert?”
The men both chuckled and David started explaining what his vision for the stage set up. Brie smiled. “I like it. But, you know Jordan’s going to want a HUGE set up for Reckless Disregard.”
“I know, and when she comes to me with the specs for their stage, we can make the necessary adjustments”, David said.
“You know, guys, I had a thought the other day”, Nicole chimed in.
“What was that, babe?” Dan asked.
“It would be really cool if you guys made your last show free to the fans. Completely free. Free for those watching around the world and for those who actually attend.”
Brie started laughing. “I know, right!”
“What?” Nicole asked.
“I said the exact same thing to David the day they were first discussing the show.”
“So you did”, David said chuckled.
“I wonder if Mike and John have heard the same things from their wives?” Dan asked.
“Last time I talked to John, Kristen had mentioned it.”
“I think I have an email from Tina that said that she was going to say something to Mikey about it too”, Brie said.
David laughed and kissed his wife’s hair.“Then, if the other two say it’s cool, you ladies can all consider it done.”
---------------
“I wonder what Mom and Dad are up to”, Jordan asked when she came over to have dinner with her siblings.
“Hey, Jake, did Dad mention anything about visiting Uncle Danny and Aunt Nikki while they were up there?” James asked.
“Yeah, that’s actually why they postponed their flight home”, Jake with a shrug. He was fixing his children a bit of dinner as he spoke.
“Then I’m sure they’re either hanging out with Uncle Danny or they decided to lock themselves in their hotel room to do things that only people who are committed to each other should do”, Jeremiah laughed.
“I’ve noticed you say that a lot”, Jona laughed. “What do you mean by that?”
Jeremiah exchanged a look with his brothers and sister. “Well, baby”, he started, “it means that they’re fooling around.”
“On each other?”
“With each other.”
“Oh. Sorry about that. I had a moment. I should have known.”
“Honey, we don’t expect you to know what we’re talking about all the time.”
“Your man’s right, Jona”, James said. “We have different ways of talking about Mom and Dad going bow chicka wow-wow. You’re not always going to get it.”
“But I feel like I should understand it more than I do. I mean, I’ve been living here for how long?”
“Almost a year, but unfortunately that doesn’t mean that you’re going to figure us out in that short of time”, Jordan said. “We’re pretty complicated.”
“You’re not as complicated as you like to think, Jordan”, Jeremiah said with a laugh. “You’re actually a really simple creature.”
“How am I simple, ‘Miah?”
“Do you really want me to go there? You know how evil I can get, Jordan. I’m worse than you.”
Jordan studied the face of her younger brother and saw that he wasn’t kidding. “You know what, ‘Miah? Let’s not and say you did, ok? I’ll just accept that I lost this round before it even started. Sound like a plan?”
Jeremiah nodded. “Yeah, sounds good to me. I’d hate to have to break your face, Jordan. You’re my big sister. I really don’t want to have to embarrass you.”
---------------
The Draiman’s and Donegan’s sat at dinner at Shangri-La and laughed. “It’s been too damn long since we’ve done this”, Dan said.
“I know. I’ve been at home with the kids”, Brie laughed.
“You could have come on the road with us, you know.”
“And who would have taken care of my ten children, Daniel?”
“You didn’t make them alone”, David laughed.
“True. I can’t take sole credit for them”, she laughed and laid her head on his shoulder.
David’s phone started buzzing in his jacket pocket. “Who’s calling me now?” he asked as he pulled it out. He checked the caller ID. “Hey, Danny. I’ve got Mikey blowing me up.”
“Answer it. Let’s see what he wants.”
David answered the call and put the phone on speaker, then set it on the table. “Hello, Mike. What can I do you for?”
“David, are you anywhere near Danny or do I need to make this a conference call?” Mike asked.
“I’m here, Mike”, Dan said. “What’s the problem?”
John cleared his throat. “Guys, our wives won’t stop pestering us”, he said and tried not to laugh.
“What are they pestering about?” David asked.
“The final show”, Mike said.
“Ok, what about it?” Dan asked.
“Tina had this insane idea the other day to make the show free for everyone whether they’re at the show itself or watching the live broadcast. She hasn’t shut up for a week now.”
“And Kristen’s been talking about it too”, John added.
“What are we going to do about this, guys? How do we get our wives off of our asses?”
David and Dan looked at each other and started laughing. “Make the show free, duh!” they said in unison.
“Huh?” John and Mike responded.
“Your wives aren’t the only ones to bring up the concept. Brie said something the day we first started discussing it and Nicole mentioned something while we were walking Millennium Park this afternoon. Seeing as the wives all seem to be on the same wavelength, we’ll just make the damn show free”, David said with a chuckle.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, David?”
“Yes, Mikey. It’s a way to give back to the fans for sticking with us for so damn long. We’ve had a great run of things. I hate to see it end, but at the same time, next April can’t get here fast enough. I’m ready to retire and move to Israel for the remainder of my life.” He kissed Brie’s temple after finishing the thought.
“You think there would be other bands interested in doing this with us?” John asked.
“I’m sure we can find a few, John. Hell, Jordan’s been pestering me for years about Reckless Disregard touring with us. Seeing as we’re not doing a final tour, Jordan, Malachai, Logan and Caleb will want to be involved in the final show. You can count on it. Jordan and Malachai will want to get their little pet projects involved. This is going to be huge. We know it.”
---------------
After saying good- bye to Dan and Nicole, David and Brie went back to their room to enjoy the rest of their time away from their kids. They shut off their phones and hung the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign in the handle of their door. Their flight home wasn’t until the next evening so they were going to do what they had wanted to do the entire time they were away. As soon as the lock on their hotel room door engaged, David pinned his wife to the door and devoured her mouth. He was thankful that she’d worn a similar dress to the one she’d worn the night before. It meant that it wouldn’t take a lot of work in undressing her. He pulled the ties at her back and the dress came undone in no time. It hung loose at her sides over her shoulders as his hands slid around the bare skin of her waist. He was hungry for the beauty that he had chosen to share his life with and that would never change.
Her fingers worked on the buttons of his shirt. Once they were undone, she slid it off of his shoulders and he worked it off of his arms. Her hands slid over the expanse of his chest and shoulders before letting slide down over his stomach to his waist to undo his belt and pants. Even as he kissed her neck, she fumbled with his belt and the button of his pants.
As soon as she was stripped of her clothes, he gripped her thighs and lifted her so that he could carry her to the bed. The moment he dropped her on the bed, he removed his boots and slacks and crawled into the bed and placed himself between her legs and pressed his lips to hers again. He fed at her mouth as he contemplated his next move. He had all night and most of the next day. He knew that her mood would change as the night went on. He tore his lips away from hers and whispered, “What do you want?”
“Make love to me, David”, she said softly.
And he knew what his next move would be. He kissed her collar bone, and made his way down her body, settling between her legs and gazing up the length of her body. He watched her breathing grow more ragged as she looked down at him with wild eyes, begging him to do what he was going to do and not torment her with the prospect. He wrapped his arms under her thighs and pulled her closer to him before pressing his mouth to her core and began to do what he’d been longing to do all day. Every time he looked at her that day, his desire for her grew. He wanted desperately to make love to her all day. Their son calling and interrupting them earlier hadn’t ruined what he wanted to do; it just ruined the moment.
Her cries were soft as he built her up to the point where she wouldn’t be able to contain her pleasure anymore. She knew how he loved to do all the work while he was feasting on the banquet that he body offered and she fought not to help him by working her hips. Instead, her back arched and she gripped at the sheets.
She cried out and it was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. He knew he was pushing her close to her peak from the way she called his name. He knew she would burst soon. The closer she got the more her back arched until nothing but her head and hips touched the mattress. “OH, GOD, DAVID!!!” she cried out as she felt release. He smiled to himself and cleaned up the mess he’d made before climbing back up and slipping inside her with a simple thrust of his hips.
She cried out again, her manicured fingers raking down his arms. He winced, but kept going. He didn’t mind a little scratching when they made love. It was a way for her to release what he was building up. He knew what he was doing.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck and flipped him onto his back. She wanted to be on top for a little bit. She wanted to be in control. Sure, she’d return the favor later, but for the time being, she wanted to run the show. She gripped the head board for leverage and support, then started working her hips to work him up the way he’d just done her. Thirty years together and he’s still the best lover I’ve ever had. Hopefully, we’ll still be this passionate about each other in thirty more, the thought as her toes curls and she hit that blissful peak again.
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