by Andrea Smith
She was holding Andrew, who seemed to be a bit out of it. I worried he might give my mother whatever virus he might have. “So, what happened to Andrew? Exactly?”
“Allergies. He never had them before. But now it looks like he’s been hit. I just gave him a children’s Benadryl. He’s kind of out of it, so he’ll probably sleep for a couple of hours.”
I gave another glance over at Mom who seemed to be taken with watching Andrew in his mother’s arms. “Mom,” I called over to her, “this is Katie. She’s going to stay with you for a couple of nights with her little boy, Andrew.”
“Oh?” Mom said, “My name is Sylvie. It’s nice to meet you. Have fun Olivia,” she replied, smiling and turning back to the window.
Katie gave me a warm smile. “We’ll be fine, I promise.”
“Again, thank you so much. Please call me if anything happens.”
“She will. Now, come on. I already have your bag in my car. Let’s roll,” Stacie said, pulling me out of the trailer.
In no time at all, we were on the road and close to Chicago. Stacie drove the first half and now I was doing my turn. All she talked about was getting Rocky between her legs. And how one minute the pregnancy hormones had her all pissed off, and then the next, she was bat shit horny.
“I’ve even packed some of our sex toys,” she said as I sprayed the gulp of Diet Cokes I’d just taken.
“TMI, Stacie. I don’t need to know this.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you never use them. Emmett knows exactly how to please me with this big dildo he bought me. He said this is what I better use while he’s away. Said he would kill any guy that comes near me.”
I looked over at her, a bit bewildered as to why she felt compelled to tell me their personal shit. I forced myself to zone out and stared at the road ahead. But there was no stopping what came out of her mouth.
“In fact, last night…we phone fucked.”
“What?” Why did I ask?
“Yep. He called last night and told me how horny he was and how much he missed me. He told me to get Rocky junior out, the dildo, and make myself come screaming his name.”
I had to admit, I found some of her sex tales a bit over the top. Emmett had never given the impression that he was possessive of her. Hell, most of the time he seemed ambivalent around her. I could imagine any woman might want to masturbate with visions of Emmett playing in their mind. It wasn’t only his looks–although he was quite beautiful, in my opinion. But it was his voice that enraptured me. His voice, his sound, his words. Watching his fingers pluck at the strings of his guitar while making beautiful and magical music. His eyes looking into mine when the mic was the only thing between us as we sang.
I let out a long sigh, and tuned back to Stacie who was still running her mouth.
“He told me how all the girls are throwing themselves at him. He said he’s an oak. Never would cheat on me. And so, he called and we phone fucked.”
“That’s nice,” I said automatically. “Let’s take this exit and grab a bite to eat.” Hopefully, if she was stuffing her face, she would cease putting all her X-rated business out there.
It was late when we pulled into the lot of Rumors Night Club where Wasted played tonight. Luckily, the band’s van was still parked outside. The last leg of our drive, I had to totally zone Stacie out. I couldn’t stand to hear how many ways she liked to suck Emmett’s dick. I’d never met the thing, but now I was pretty sure I could pick it out in a line-up.
“I’m so excited. He’s not expecting me until tomorrow,” Stacie’s voice shrilled as we left and locked the truck.
Walking inside, the place definitely was dead and the band must have been packing up. Stacie ran up on the stage and then disappeared behind the curtain. Then, I heard every word imaginable come from her mouth.
“You fucking, son-of-a-bitch! How fucking dare, you!”
Some girl—a groupie if I had to guess, came trotting out. “Hey, he told me he was single!” the girl yelled, buttoning up her shirt.
“Single! Does this look single to you, whore?” Stacie yelled, pulling up her shirt and showing the girl her pregnant belly.
I walked a bit closer and caught Emmett zipping up his fly. He looked shocked when I looked at him and I had to turn away. What a fucking bastard! As much as Stacie was a handful, and as much as her constant chatter got on my nerves, the poor girl didn’t deserve this crap.
“Is that what goes on when you leave me at home? Girls sucking your dick?” Stacie was still yelling. The groupie was now fast tracking it through the club towards the door, obviously too freaked to even look back.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Emmett yelled back at Stacie.
“I can’t believe this. I hope to hell I didn’t interrupt the cum shot! You. You’re a fucking man whore! I’m leaving!” she yelled as she stomped over and brushed past me, “Come on, Olivia. I can’t take this.”
I expected to see tears, but no tears surfaced. Just anger and what I can only guess was humiliation, which was bad enough.
I looked back at Emmett and he was rubbing his stubbled jaw and glaring at us both. “What?” he barked, “You going to get all judgy on me, Olivia? You don’t know shit!”
I felt a stab of anger hit me. Maybe I didn’t know shit, but I knew that Stacie freaking the fuck out and in her condition, I couldn’t imagine that was healthy for her or the baby. And that part was just not cool. I turned back around, and put my hand on Stacie’s back. “Sure thing, Stacie. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Chapter 16
Emmett
Thank fuck the tour was over and I was back home. I was relieved, not only that the carbon copy gigs at both top and bottom shelf venues were finished, but also because Stacie had moved to Ace and Katie’s since the showdown three weeks ago.
I hadn’t talked to her since then, but I had Pay- Palled her money each week that, apparently, she had used. Ace was chill about it, which also was a relief. He said I had every right to live my life without the restrictions his younger sister had put on me. I assured him once again, I’d do right by the child, provided it was mine. I didn’t include that part in the conversation because hell, it should go without saying in my opinion. But I didn’t want to imply his little sister was more than likely a slut. That would just be so wrong. It wasn’t Ace’s fault Stacie turned out the way she had.
My cell phone rang, and I saw it was Coop. “What’s up man?” I said.
“Just reminding you we have the demo scheduled the day after tomorrow. Payment is due upon entering the building in Indy.”
I wasn’t sure why Coop was telling me something I already knew. “Yeah, I know this, is there a problem?”
“Well, we agreed to split the cost for the studio, the sound tech, the mixer and the production team, but what about Liv’s portion? I don’t think she’s got the cash, Emmett. I talked to her earlier, and she said she was pretty sure she couldn’t come up with it. At five hundred bucks apiece, it’s kind of strained all of our budgets, ya know?”
I rubbed the stubble on my chin so I could think. I’d been pouring out so much money to Stacie for all things associated with her pregnancy, along with my normal expenses, I was about down to nothing until we got some more local gigs lined up. I knew one way to get the money, and as much as I hated the thought of it, I knew it was the only way to get that kind of cash in less than two days.
“You there, Bro?” Coop asked over the phone.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ll cover it. See you at practice tomorrow afternoon.”
“I can give you eight fifty on it,” Murray said, grabbing a pawn ticket from the register.
“Whoa, hold up there, friend,” I said quickly, “This is a Gibson ES-175 Sunburst. Hell, one just sold a week ago for sixty-five hundred dollars!”
“All the reason for you to pick
it up before your ninety days expires, Emmett,” Murray retorted, chewing on his toothpick.
“Aww c’mon, do me a solid. I’m a great customer, now aren’t I? I mean once we make this demo, hell, I’ll probably buy you out Murray,” I argued.
Murray looked up from where he was writing out the ticket and gave me a slight nod, “I hear ya. I’ll give you a thousand at eight percent. Best I can do. Take it or leave it.”
“I’ll take it,” I replied, “Hope to have it out before I have to pay you the first month’s interest.”
“Good luck on your demo, boy. I saw you play at the Lodge last winter, and your band is pretty good. I’d hate to have to sell this beauty out from under you,” he said, handing me the pawn ticket. I reluctantly handed over the Gibson, still in its original case, a bit scuffed but still a helluva collector’s item.
“Thanks, Murray,” I answered, putting the ticket in my wallet. “I’d hate for that to happen, as well.”
I left the pawn shop determined that somehow, some way, I’d be back for that Gibson come hell or high water.
The following afternoon before practice, I pulled Coop aside and told him I’d gotten the money together to handle Olivia’s portion of the recording fee.
“What’d you do? Hit your old man up for a loan?” he asked, sorting through his Fender picks for the right one. That was Coop’s thing. He was downright choosy about his picks, and changed them out for specific tunes.
“Naw, pawned the Gibson for a loan,” I replied, wiping off my guitar with a soft cloth.
“The fuck you did,” he said with a laugh.
“I did,” I said firmly, “and I have every intention of getting it back. This demo is gonna make us. And we need Olivia because vocals set these songs apart. So, it was worth the risk to me.”
“But,” Coop continued, “what are you planning to tell Olivia?”
I stopped what I was doing and looked up at Cooper. “Dude, I told you yesterday to let everyone know it’d been taken care of, what more needs to be said?”
My best buddy looked at me for a long moment. “You know she’ll want to pay you back. Olivia’s a straight-shooter, Emmett. She felt so bad she was ready to sell that piece of shit car she has in order to come up with the cash.”
I had to smile at the chick’s determination. But we’d sprung this demo on her without fully explaining the financial implications at the very beginning. So, I felt some responsibility for that part of it. “I’m not worried about it. Once we hit it big is soon enough,” I remarked with a grin. “Let’s get this thing going.”
Wayne, Slade and Ace came in just then, and Olivia was two minutes behind them.
We only practiced for an hour, wanting to make sure our voices didn’t get overly strained the day before our recording slot. We went over the details on both songs, adjusting a few of the chords.
And then before leaving, we made arrangements on the transportation part for the following day. Coop was picking up me and Slade; Wayne, Ace and Olivia were going in Wayne’s van.
“Everyone get a good night’s rest, avoid partying, and make sure you have everything packed up and ready to load in the morning,” I instructed.
“Aye-aye Commandant!” Slade said, giving me a salute.
Fucker.
“Anybody got any questions?” I asked, looking around at the rest of them, my eyes falling on Olivia and wondering what was going on in her head. She’d been fairly cool towards me since the incident in Chicago. She most likely considered me a cheating fucking bastard, but I owed her no explanation. The problem was, I didn’t want her attitude toward me to interfere with our music chemistry tomorrow. It was too damn important. My eyes locked on hers, but she remained silent.
Ace spoke up, “I think we’re all good. Coop says we got the money angle covered, so I guess I’m good to go.”
“Me too,” Wayne piped up. “See y’all tomorrow morning. Later!”
I turned to put my guitar away when I heard Olivia’s voice.
“Coop, can I have a couple of minutes of your time before you leave?” she asked.
Well that’s different.
“Ah yeah, sure thing,” he said.
“Cool, I’ll be outside in my car when you’re finished up here,” she replied and quickly made her exit.
“What’s that about?” I asked, quirking a puzzled brow at Coop.
“Your guess is as good as mine, bro.”
Chapter 17
Olivia
To tell you the truth, I hadn’t felt the chemistry I once did while singing with Emmett. I felt I was just going through the motions. The guys had to notice, but they hadn’t said a word.
Also, I didn’t have my portion of the money to cover making the demo. Maybe that played a lot with my head when Emmett and I sang together. That, and the fact that he was practically a cliché of a manwhore rock star in my mind.
How could a guy write and sing such beautiful words, but never really feel them? He was such a hypocrite. Just like my old man. And some day, I hoped to find him and let him know just how I felt. And I hoped that day came after I made it big. If I made it big.
Now I was going to have to tell Coop that I couldn’t go to Indy with them and cut the demo. I just could not afford it. Mom and I were just getting by on shoestrings, while that piece of shit sperm donor who helped create me was probably living on caviar and Mai Tais on some tropical island. The night Stacie and I caught Emmett getting a blowjob from some groupie skank, had put him in the same category.
I was leaning against my piece of junk car, when Coop came out to talk. I knew he would be upset, but I felt he would be more understanding. He was always more level headed than the rest. Maybe it was because he did most of the managing for the band and was practiced in the art of damage control.
“Hey, Liv, what’s up?” he said, giving me a concerned look.
“I probably should have told you sooner, but I figured with the way I’ve been rehearsing lately, sounding like crap, you’d probably be ready to give me the boot. I’m just not feeling it anymore. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great song, but I think you should find another female vocalist.”
His mouth…dropped.
“What? Liv, we leave in the morning. It took a long time just to get booked in to record. There’s no time to find another female vocalist.”
“Well, it doesn’t have to necessarily be a female vocal. Slade can sing the lyrics, or you maybe?” I tried to defend my reasoning, but I knew he wasn’t buying it.
His arms went up and he rubbed his hands through his hair and turned around. He looked to see if any of the others were coming out of the garage.
“Look, Liv. Is it about the money?” he asked on the downlow. Why?
“Well, it is kinda steep for me to swing. But seriously, I just don’t feel I’m the voice you’re looking for anymore.”
“Liv, we have to have your voice. It’s what makes the song. As far as the money… it’s covered. We know we sprang it on you at the last minute.”
“How’s it covered? We’re all struggling.”
He looked back again and then back to me.
“Look, don’t say anything, but Emmett paid for your portion. He thought it was only fair. He pawned his Gibson Sunburst.”
“What? Why the hell would he do that? There’s no fucking guarantee we’ll even kill it with this demo. That’s pretty risky on his part.”
“Just… let him worry about that.”
He was pleading with me and I felt bad.
“Damn, I can’t let him do that,” I said and pulled the handle on my car door and the piece of shit fell off. “Fuck! I can’t believe this.”
“Listen to me, Liv. You have to do the demo with us. We all believe you make the group ripe for success. Look at it this way, if we get that label, Emmett will be able to buy his Gibson back.
So, at this late date, you kinda owe him to do your part.”
I was in shock. I couldn’t even think and my hands flew into my hair. “What the fuck? Why would he do that?”
“I think you know why.”
“No, I don’t. We haven’t so muchaslooked at each other these last few rehearsals. It’s totally gonna make the song stink.”
Coop sighed in frustration. “No, it won’t. Look, I’ve noticed the cold shoulder you’ve both been giving each other ever since the night you and Stacie showed up. But if Ace can handle what happened, then so should you.”
He had a point. It wasn’t like Stacie was my BFF. Hell, she drove me nuts. And in some way, I couldn’t blame Emmett that much. Maybe, I was trying to idolize him too much. If anything, it broke my heart more than Stacie’s. She had called me a few times after she moved in with Ace and Katie, but mostly just to piss and moan about her condition and how betrayed she felt by Emmett. She even went so far as to say she hoped the demo was a big, fucking flop, because it would serve Emmett right. She didn’t seem to care that others would also suffer. She was too immature to think beyond herself, and part of me already felt sorry for that poor baby.
I looked up at Cooper and I could see the strain on his face. I felt bad for making him feel like that. I looked back at the garage, as Emmett came walking out, his guitar case slung over his shoulder.
“Hey, is something wrong?” he asked, looking at Coop.
“Liv thinks her voice isn’t for the song anymore,” Coop said, his brows raised to go along with it.
“What?” he remarked, the blood draining from his face, “Liv, your voice is the best. I don’t know what you are talking about. Hey, maybe you’re just getting the jitters.”
I looked back at Coop. There was a brotherhood there I was not about to step across. Emmett did not want me to know he had paid my part. Coop had spilled the beans. And the fact that Emmett pawned his Gibson…