CHAPTER ONE
"TI STAI divertendo, Italia?"
Are you having fun, Italy?
Nigel's voice immediately soared in the fancy outdoor theater of the Parco della Musica, one of the largest concert halls in Rome, Italy.
That big event was the final revolution of the concert tour of the most popular band SoulDragon which included Reverie de Gracia's long time boyfriend, Nigel Lasorda.
Nigel is the standout vocalist of the band that has been shining in the music industry, internationally for almost five years.
The band first appeared in Canada because it was formed there and its three members grew up there. Nigel is the only pure Filipino who belongs to the said band while the others are mixed races.
"Crap!" Reverie's friend snorted as she dragged him to where they could find a place to cram.
"Stop being a baby there, Elfie and get your ass over here!" Reverie is getting annoyed with her gay best friend who she just dragged to the concert.
Nigel, her boyfriend had no idea that Reverie was now at his concert. Reverie couldn't really go to the said concert because she had a lot of projects at school but when she found out that this was SoulDragon's last concert, she immediately booked a flight to Rome from Paris where she was living and studying Geography .
The rock band plans to disband because they want to focus on their studies and the rest on the family business. Reverie thought it was just a rumor because Nigel didn't mention to her that they were going to break up the band.
It saddened her that the band will be disbanded, not now when they are popular.
"Shit!" Reverie mumbled cusses as she mingled with the thousands of SoulDragon fans who were there in the outdoor theater. Reverie is very used to the eardrum-shattering screams of the fans every time SoulDragon plays.
"I hope you didn't bring me here, Reeve. It's useless even if I kill myself here just to get a golden condom from the SD members. And they don't shoot the Goddess like me with the lute through my cute vagina. There's no use for me to be here." Her friend Elfie uttered hopelessly.
They finally got a good spot to get a close look at the SoulDragon.
Reverie's eyes automatically went straight to her boyfriend who was happily and lively interacting with their thousands of viewers. It's like her heart is racing again as she stares intently at her boyfriend.
She's so proud of the man!
Even though he is damped in his own sweat, his handsomeness is still not diminished in her eyes. Actually, all the members of SoulDragon are all really drop-dead gorgeous and charismatic. Their physical appearances really helped them to easily climb the peak of popularity.
The audiences said that the vengeance drummer is what SoulDragon fans are really looking forward to. The guy has a strong impact on people and many say that he is really the biggest star of the band because apart from being a drummer, he also attacks the microphone. He's an exceptional singer, too.
Reverie's blood was hot on that person because he was always the one who initiated a lot of dirty things. The man is also a notorious manwhore and he is the only initiator of those ‘golden condoms.’
This is what the band members throw whenever they are in the last song of their concert and the lucky girl who gets to partake of it will be given the privilege to date the member who owns the golden condom they will get. And of course, they have all the rights to sabotage the band members' male testosterone for a whole night. That's the insane rule regarding that golden condom.
"Golden condom again? Damn! I'm truly cursing that awful thing." Reverie's blood heated up when the band members took out their golden condoms to share with the audience. And of course Nigel is not excepted even though he has a girlfriend.
That is not a reason for him not to go along with their band's game because that would be an issue that SoulDragon really avoids to happen.
"I've heard that this is the most insane time to give out golden condoms, girl. It's going to be all out because the sensual privilege that SoulDragon will give to those who share the golden condom is confirmed because the rumor that they are disbanded. Apparently, this is their last tirade. The wildest one." Elfie shouted at Reverie, which made her head burn even more.
It's their last tirade! Ha! She scoffed mentally.
♬In the middle of the night
That's when you caught my eyes.♬
The Parco della Musica establishment almost collapsed due to the loud screams of the audience when the last song to be played by the band took off.
Elfie, who had previously been unwilling to go to the concert, now took the lead and shouted. He even waved his shawl in the air while shouting the name of SoulDragon's vengeance drummer - Zurick Rhames de Souza, better known as Rhames by their fans.
The Italian man she naturally hate.
♬I chased you round in memories
Through the breeze and trees and you tease me
But heavy,♬
While the audience was going crazy with the music of SoulDragon, Reverie took out her cell phone to video record the band's performance. Her cell phone was focused on the vocalist, who of course was the only one she knew in the concert. At least she wanted to witness Nigel's last performance on stage.
She loves Nigel so much but his profession as a vocalist is not close to her passion. They're the opposite of each other. But they understand each other in that aspect because they accept and respect the differences between the two of them.
♬It is such a waste to bring me down, down, down
Don't bring me down cause..♬
The audience lost their minds even more when Rhames caught the chorus of the song while still attacking the drums.
♬Hey girl, I wanna catch your wave
Hey girl, I wanna drift away with you
Hey girl, you've got an undertow
Hey girl, hey girl, don't wanna let you go.♬
Reverie was only looking at the screen of her cellphone instead of the stage but she suddenly caught her breath when she realized that Rhames was looking at her direction.
Her heart seemed to stop beating and her hand felt numb when she looked up at the stage and confirmed that he was actually staring at her. Grinning. Even his almond-shaped eyes seemed to smile at her. The Clementine color of those eyes is vivid.
Every member of SoulDragon already knows her because Nigel has also took her in their gigs several times before. But Rhames was the really unique member of the band that she couldn't even talk to in a civilized way or any other way.
No freaking way!
When Reverie became totally aware of the unsolicited attention she received from Rhames, she rolled her eyes heavenward causing him to grin wider.
"Fvcker!" She hissed under her abnormal breathings.
She just took her eyes off Rhames. She didn't even know why she was looking at that annoying manwhore. Again she pointed her cell phone at Nigel who took his turn to sing. Rhames alternated between them.
"Well every princess has her knight
And I'm still in it for the fight
Not giving in, I'm gonna win, win, win...♬
"Be ready for these, people." Each SoulDragon member shouted in unison.
When Rhames attacked the chorus of the song again, that became the signal for them to throw their golden condoms, causing the audience to lose their minds. The concert was really wild.
But it seems that Reverie became instantly deaf when she witnessed the slow motion of Rhames throwing the golden pack of condom towards her.
She didn't know how her hand caught Rhames's golden condom perfectly. At that point, her world seemed to stop while the SoulDragon band, on the other hand, was stunned to see her caught the golden condom from Rhames.
Reverie's face heated up as she caught Rhames throwing a devilish smirk at her direction.
Her heart seemed to stop beating the moment her eyes met with Nigel's. She couldn't read the emotion on his face. Nigel's face turned firm. She was very nervous.
"Hail the queen. There's Nigel who loves you yet there's also Rhames' golden condom destined to be in your hand. Long live, young lady." Elfie cheered, he was jumping up and down as if she had won Miss World while the crowd's faces showed envy and annoyance.
Reverie thought that SoulDragon's concert would end there but he was wrong because Nigel came down from the stage while not taking his eyes off her.
The entire theater was once again enveloped in screams when Nigel invited her on the stage.
"Kneeled it, dude!" Cheers from the bassist Al Cris Gauthier and guitarist Blu Delacroix of SoulDragon.
"Babe..." Reverie's voice almost died in the bottom of her throat when Nigel handed her the golden condom that belonged to him.
Her eyes widened and she looked like she wanted to hit Nigel even though they were on stage.
She was about to curse her boyfriend when he spoke. "Open it first before you hit me, brute." Nigel said chuckling into the microphone that he really meant for the whole audience to hear.
She dropped the golden condom she had caught from Rhames to reach for Nigel's golden condom instead. Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw its contents.
Of course the contents are condoms but that is not the only contents of the foil. There is also an engagement ring there.
Reverie's muscles twitched.
Nigel knelt down in front of her and slipped the ring on her finger before he even speak his marriage proposal as if he was sure she wouldn't say no.
"I can't see my future without you as my wife, Reverie de Gracia. So please do allow me to be your future husband and be the father of your children. Let's get married, babe."
Reverie cried but eventually nodded. "Yes, babe. After graduation."
"After graduation then." Nigel said as he withdrew himself from kneeling to claim Reverie's lips. "I love you, babe."
"My heart is saying the same thing, too, babe."
And Reverie had always been sure of that. She doesn't see any other man to be with her forever except Nigel. She loves him so much and she will not hesitate to be his wife.
AFTER the concert, Nigel took Reverie to the music hub of the hotel where SoulDragon checked in.
The band's manager rented out the entire music hub for them. After that night they will disband but each member promises to rebuild the band when they want to.
Reverie becomes elusive to Rhames while they are at the music hub and drowning in alcohol. They were also joined by three other women who were lucky enough to win other golden condoms. The problem is that Rhames lost his partner.
"I'm gonna take this call from Regina." Rhames coldly excused himself.
Everyone just simply nodded except for Nigel who seemed suddenly tensed next to Reverie. She noticed her fiance's reaction immediately.
"Are you alright, babe?" Reverie tenderly asked Nigel.
"Uh.. yeah, of course I do. Rum?" He offered.
"Yes please." She answered.
It has been almost an hour since Rhames didn't return to the music hub, so some of his bandmates couldn't stop thinking.
"I guess Rhames' sister is in deep trouble now." Another SoulDragon guitarist, Randall Lappiere, speculated.
Sister? Trouble?
Reverie didn't pay much attention to the conversation of Nigel's friends. She was just distracting herself with her rum and just stopping herself to smash those people who are making out in front of them. Al Cris and his object of sensual pleasure. A beautiful Latina.
Reverie almost spent half of her life abroad and she has already adopted being liberated but she has not yet reached the point of making out in public or in front of other people.
Like duh!
"I've heard from Zula that Regina hasn't been herself these past few weeks. She's been untouchable and and it's making Rhames worried." Blu added.
Astonishment surged through Reverie's system as Nigel's pallor was noted. She was about to ask if there was a problem but he moved quickly and excused himself to go to the washroom.
Ten minutes later when Nigel had not returned, Reverie decided to follow him. But it wasn't Nigel that she found in the washroom but Rhames.
Different emotions passed through his eyes when their eyes met. But one emotion dominates its form. Anger.
She was about to turn away from him when he put his arm around her. Reverie's body shuddered and suddenly a strange splash of something inexplicable flowed through her body due to Rhames holding her arm.
"I'm just wondering how you're gonna bring yourself back if you will get broken, dolce signora." Rhames' baritone voice cut into Reverie's core. She could not get to what he really meant by that.
Broken? What is this monster’s saying?
"I'm gonna hand this back to you in case you're gonna need me, dolce signora." He turned and slipped something into the back pocket of her pants.
Rhames' golden condom!
"You're a dīck. Stay away from me. And don't even talk to me again!" She sharply said because she seemed to be insulted by what he did. She thought his making his way to touch her butt.
"Can you do me a favor, Roman asshole? Just be a fvcker around everyone else but please, be an invisible in front of me. Damn you!" She spat out.
"Feisty, dolce signora. I won't regret for telling this but once you caught Rhames' golden condom, you have no way to get away with Rhames' consequences. You're the catcher and it only means that you're gonna welcome me in between your thighs whether you like it or... well, you'll like it for sure, dolce signora."
No way!
