by Jaye Cox
“Not in this lifetime, buddy,” she says, leaving the room.
Maybe she isn’t so bad after all, and maybe she is the type of person I need to help me get my life back on track. I’ve never met a woman who doesn’t want to jump my bones.
“Fucking shit, fuck! Why’d you fuckin’ slap me in the head?” It must be Groundhog Day, kill me now.
“You have to get up, we have to leave,” Callie says, standing above me in her grandma attire. I make a mental note to buy her some age-appropriate clothes.
“You couldn’t have woken me up nicely? I would’ve appreciated a handy and he’s already hard so you wouldn’t have had to work hard.”
“Just get up. I don’t have time for you this morning, I have places to be,” she says, looking at her watch. I mean, who wears a watch anymore, it’s twenty-nineteen for fuck’s sake.
“You need to pull the stick out your ass, you look like a stiff in those clothes. Maybe wear something less bitchy tomorrow.” I can see her getting pissed at me. I thought that last night we might’ve bonded a little, but maybe I really was that drunk.
“Maybe if you got up and put your shoes on we could go!” she shouts at me. “Sorry, should I keep my voice down? Do you have a hangover?” Maybe it’s for extra emphasis that she’s banging her hands on the table. “Oops, that’s right, I don’t give a shit. Now, get your damn shoes on or so help me god…”
“Or, so help you god, what?”
“Maybe it’s time to call in your mother? Maybe they were wrong and I can’t help you? When they told me how hard to get along with you can be, I didn’t think it would be this ridiculous.”
“You wouldn’t call the she-bitch? It would cause me to relapse and we wouldn’t want that, would we?”
“You can’t relapse when you’re still using, asshat.”
“I’m not.” I grab her wrist and look at her watch. “It’s been exactly four hours and twenty-seven minutes and, let’s say, eight seconds that I’ve been sober.”
She snatches her wrist from my hand. “It doesn’t work that way. You don’t just wake up and say you’re sober. You were sleeping so it doesn’t count.”
“Actually, it kind of does count. An addict admits to themselves that they have a problem and decides to get sober, I don’t think there’s an actual rule on what time of day the said addict has to start being sober.”
“You mean you really want to try?” I see her eyes light up, like I just made her day. I want to tell her not to get too excited because I didn’t do it for her, but I get the feeling she needs this moment more than I do.
“Only on my terms.” She can see the look in my eyes, she knows this isn’t going to be easy on her.
“What terms would they be?”
“I don’t know yet, I’ll let you know later.” Before she gets a chance to answer, a car horn beeps outside; saved by the bell.
“Who’s that?” she questions.
“It’s Damien, and possibly Mickki and Marcus.”
“How did they know you were here?”
“It’s magic,” I say with a laugh as I pick up my boots from beside the couch.
“Magic, my ass. They’re going to think we…”
“We fucked?”
“Yes, Eddie, that’s is exactly what they’ll think.” I open the door and pull up my zipper on my jeans. “You asshole!” she screeches. I turn to blow her a kiss and see a heel flying straight for my head; time to get out of here.
“See you later, lover.” I laugh, running for the car before I get another heel thrown my way.
When I’m in the car, I get a look from Damien that says, ‘You’re an asshole.’ He won’t say it in front of Marcus. I don’t know why he’s so scared of him, Marcus might be in charge of the band’s security, but I hired Damien as my personal security.
“Didn’t take you long to stick your dick in her,” Mickki says. I don’t correct him, because if I did I’d have to tell him that I got high as a kite last night. I just shrug instead.
“He didn’t fuck her,” Marcus sneers. “She’s a smart woman and I doubt she even let him anywhere near her.”
“Hey, women can’t resist the monster once they see him.”
“Can we not talk about your dick, Eddie. I swear I’ll cut it off and feed it to you one day.”
“If you dare touch my dick, Mickki, I’ll kill you.”
“Enough children. Damien, let’s stop so this dipshit can at least get a change of clothes before we go to the interview.”
“I don’t need to change, I’m fine,” I protest. I know it sounds stupid, but I wouldn’t have a clue how to buy my own clothes or even what size I am anymore, Delilah buys everything for me. She’s more than just a housekeeper, she’s the mother I always wanted but never got; she looks after me.
“You’re wearing an old Eminem shirt and it’s not appropriate for an interview,” Mickki says as he rolls his eyes at me.
“Fine, pull over,” I say. Marcus reluctantly lets Damien pull the car into a side street. I make Damien pop the boot as I know he keeps a white button-up shirt in there in case I make him do something stupid and he needs to get changed. Marcus steps out of the car with me and watches as I get changed. Damien’s arms might be all muscle, but he must have little T-Rex arms as I need to fold the shirt to my elbows to make it look halfway decent. That cheat, he wears a tie on some elastic, not that I blame him because I couldn't tie one to save my life.
Dressed more appropriately, I get back in the car and pull the elastic band from around my wrist and put my hair up.
“You’re wearing my clothes,” Damien complains.
“Yep, sure am, I can buy you some more.”
“No, you won’t,” he complains.
“You’re right, I won’t, but I pay you way more than I should because I’m a pain in the ass. So, let’s move on before I fire your ass and give Marcus a heart attack because he’ll have to deal with me.”
Walking into Fontaine records, we find Benny, Brodie, and Drew are waiting for us. Oliver’s assistant greets us and takes us back to his office. It must be nice having a rich daddy and not having to work your ass off to get where he is. As we walk in, Oliver is standing with a beautiful blonde.
“Hey guys, thanks for coming,” Oliver says once we’re all in the room. “This is Alex.” I think I’ve missed something, like I’m supposed to know who she is.
“Alex,” Mickki says, looking at Oliver. “She’s a woman?”
“She’s also the best in her field,” Oliver throws back. The rest of the guys are quiet and keep looking at me.
“I don’t doubt she is,” Mickki retorts.
“What’s going on, I thought we had an interview?” I ask.
“This is an interview,” Alex says “It’s just not me interviewing you, it will be you guys interviewing me.”
“You’re hired,” I say, not even knowing what she does.
“Eddie,” the rest of the band says in unison.
“What? She’s hot and I could look at her all day.”
“You don’t even know what we’re interviewing her for,” Benny complains.
“Now you understand our dilemma. Eddie can’t be trusted around women and we’d be looking at a sexual harassment charge and a new manager in a week,” Mickki says, getting frustrated.
“Hey, I pulled a lot of strings to get Alex here. Trust me when I say that she’s the best at what she does and will be getting alternative offers as we speak.”
“Guys, let me interrupt for a second. I’m very professional, and I don’t sleep with my clients, but we can do a trial run and you can see me do my magic. Oliver’s right, I do have other offers, but I want to represent you. If you give me a chance I’ll prove I can do a better job than your last manager.”
“That wouldn’t be hard, Avery was a wanker in tight pants, I think the loss of blood supply to his nuts affected his brain. I vote - you’re in. I also know that you’ll sleep with me, so it’s up to the rest of the band.
Damien let’s go, I have places to be.” I say and walk out. Mickki goes to say something, but I honestly don’t give a rat’s ass who our manager is. Mickki’s always handled these things and I have no idea why they even wanted me here today when they clearly know me so well.
My mind is on staying straight today and not getting high. I was serious that I would try, and I think I’ve come up with some terms to tell Callie.
Chapter Ten
Callie
What’s wrong with me? I’m not a teenage girl, I shouldn’t have let my guard down last night. I must admit that last night I saw a side of Eddie I actually liked; he was funny and it was nice to see he isn’t always an ass. I might have been rude to him this morning because I couldn’t exactly admit I’d had a sex dream about him; I had to get rid of him before my imagination got the better of me and I did something I’d regret. I need the money too much to let a moment of weakness take control. I have to attend my own NA meeting this morning, I’ve missed going lately because I’ve been so busy with Eddie. I’m not holding out much hope that Eddie wants to get sober. I’d like to think he’s had a change of heart because of something I’ve said or done, but who knows what goes on inside that brain of his. He said he’ll come up with some rules, but we’ll see.
Meetings always consist of listening as everyone tells their story, or a temptation they’ve faced this week. Olivia looks in my direction as a newbie finishes telling her story, so I nod and introduce myself.
“As most of you know, my name is Callie. I had a moment of weakness this week. I didn’t give in to temptation, but I wanted to as I felt my skin crawl with need. I’ve been helping someone get sober and it isn’t easy, I let it get to me and I feel so terrible. I thought I’d dealt with my addiction, I’m clean and my sister supports me a hundred percent, but I think I haven’t really dealt with all the emotions and hurt inside me, I’ve just buried it all. Forgiveness is what I asked my family for, and I know they have, but have I really forgiven myself? If I had, why does it still feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders?” I sit and zone out as Olivia ends the meeting.
I snap out of my thoughts as Olivia sits next to me. She can always tell when something is bothering me.
“Is the rock star giving you trouble?” she asks.
“Not in the way you think. I had a chance to see a different side to him and it made me think about my own life. In his own way, he admitted he wants my help”
“Sounds like you might be good for each other.”
“I highly doubt that, he gets under my skin and he’s impossible,” I say.
“Who are you trying to convince - Me or yourself?” I shake my head at her, I think Olivia lives inside those books she reads; where two broken people get a fairy-tale ending. In real life, two broken people are usually toxic for each other. My phone starts vibrating in my pocket. Saved by the bell or maybe not, it’s Eddie.
“Hello?” I say dubiously.
“What ya doing?” he says cheerily, dammit he’s high.
“I swear to god, Eddie, if you’re high…”
“Will you spank me? Because if the answer is yes, then I’m high.”
“So, you’re not high?”
“Give a man some credit. I said I’d give this a shot under some conditions - meet me at my house and we can go over them.”
Before I get a chance to answer, he hangs up the phone. I say my goodbyes to Olivia and make my way to Eddie’s. I can’t wait to hear what his conditions are, but I’m sure they’ll be way over the top and crazy.
Walking into Eddie’s house, it’s surprisingly quiet. Usually there are people everywhere. “Eddie are you here?” His house is extremely large, he could be anywhere. I make my way upstairs, thinking he might be in his room. The door is ajar, so I knock lightly before pushing it open. “Eddie?”
“Finally,” he says, walking from the bathroom in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. I watch as a lone drop of water runs from his chest to his navel. Swallowing hard, I force myself to look up, and instantly see the smile in his eyes. He knew I was checking him out, as much as he annoys me, he isn’t hard on the eyes.
“I feel sexually objectified. Now I’ll be the star in your dreams,” he says as he turns his back to me and drops his towel. I’m sure he only turned around to be nice, because I know he has no problems being naked in front of anyone.
“So, what are these conditions you’ve come up with?” I ask.
“Straight to business,” he says as he pulls up his pants and turns to face me.
“I’m not here for pleasure.”
“Are you sure? It could loosen you up a little.”
“I’m loose enough, thank you.” The words are out of my mouth before I realise what I just said, Eddie can’t control his laughter. I feel my face burning with embarrassment. “You’re impossible,” I say before storming from the room.
“Wait, I’m sorry. I was just playin’ with ya.”
“I’m not here to play games, this isn’t a game to me.”
“How about we go over my conditions?” he says, trying to change the subject.
“Fine,” I say, following him through the kitchen and another door I hadn’t been through before.
“Condition one,” he says as he flicks the lights on. “You now have a work car, no arguments. If we go somewhere, I need to know I won’t die in that death trap you call a car. And two, we need tinted windows for privacy, those vultures will do anything to find a story.” I arch my brow and look at him to see if he is serious. “Go on, check out your new ride.”
“I can’t accept that, and there’s nothing wrong with my car.”
“I beg to differ, but no arguments, remember?” he says as he opens the door to reveal a brand-new sports car, I’m talking straight from the factory. “Get in and have a look.” I hesitate, with guys like Eddie there’s always a catch or something you have to do in return. “Oh, for shit’s sake, get in. I knew you wouldn’t accept it as a gift, so for as long as you’re here dealing with my ass the car is yours. Upon finishing whatever we’re doing here, I can sell it to you for a small amount of money because, let’s face it, I don’t need another car,” he says, motioning to the array of other cars parked in the garage the size of a medium-sized house.
“I can’t do that, I work hard to buy everything I have for myself.”
“How about a deal? If you can get me sober, the car is yours, call it a thank you gift. If you don’t, you can buy it from me, pay it off, or give it back.”
“I can deal with that,” I say, slipping into the leather seat. I’ve never felt anything like it.
“Fancy christening it? You know, break it in?” he says with a stupid cheesy smile.
“In your dreams,” I throw back.
“Okay, let’s get on to phase two then,” he says, offering me a hand. I stand, pulling my skirt back down to my knees.
“So, what is condition two?” I say sceptically. The other shoe has to drop, there has to be a ridiculous demand, something I can’t follow through with. Losing a car wouldn’t phase him if he lost our deal.
“Close your eyes,” he says as we walk back into the kitchen.
“Um, why?”
“Don’t you trust me?” he says, trying to act all serious.
“No, not really.”
“Oh, that burns. Don’t I look like a trustworthy fellow?” I look at him, thinking maybe it’s a rhetorical question. He just smiles and takes my hand in his.
“Where are we going?” I ask, still hand in hand with the rock star I couldn’t stand. Today he’s showing me a different side and I won’t lie, I like this side of him; it makes me realise he really is human, just like me, flaws and all. This is the Eddie I’ll remember when he’s being a pain in my ass, this mental picture of him being spontaneous and kind.
“To condition number two, silly. I thought we covered that.”
His house is a mansion, I’ve really only seen the side of the house that contains the k
itchen and a massive living room. and up a set of stairs to his room. We walk through a set of glass doors to an inside pool. His house has a pool inside! As we pass through, all he says is ‘short cut.’ Short cut to what? We reach what looks like a whole new house, another living room, he stops and looks around.
“We’re here.”
“Where are we?” I ask, thinking maybe he’s lost his marbles.
“Your part of the house.”
“My what? I don’t plan on living here.” I laugh, it’s absurd that he’d even think that.
“It’s condition two. Truman says the best way to conquer my addiction is by having someone around all the time.
“Who’s Truman?”
“The guy who collects the garbage,” he says matter-of-factly.
“The garbage man?”
“Yes. Are you hard of hearing, because I have the best doctors in the state?”
“My hearing is perfectly fine, I’m just trying to understand why you’re taking advice from the garbage man?”
“Don’t try to understand me, it’ll give you a headache. Just think about it - you want to move into your own place, somewhere you can set up and have your son around.”
“How do you know about Beau?”
“Your ex, Dane, he’s a looker, almost made me switch teams. It was kind of cute really. He got my number, god knows how, but we met up today and he kind of gave me a warning.”
“He did what? We barely talk, unless it has to do with Beau, and he is calling you? How is this my life? Did you meet Beau?”
“No, he came with this bird and she isn’t half as much of a looker as you are, but I could see the appeal if you’re into that soccer mum kind of look.”
“I’m not moving in with you,” I say, crossing my arms. This day’s gone from weird to what the actual fuck.
“Stop fighting it. You know as well as I do that you want me sober, and I refuse unless my demands are met.”
“You’re crazy, you know that, right? We’ll kill each other.”
He laughs and again takes me by the hand. What’s with all the touching? He takes me down a hallway and that’s when I realise we’re not alone. He starts shouting orders about colours and furniture, and to run everything by me, then he takes me up a set of stairs. The room up here is more like a small house, but it’s decked out with a wall of vinyl records and posters, and I don’t miss the Black diamond poster. I point and raise my brow at him.
