Page 5 of The Masks We Wear

I open the stainless-steel door and immediately jerk back and furrow my brows when I’m faced with a completely empty refrigerator save for a few snacks I never finished. Where the fuck did all my whiskey go?

Almost as if to answer my question, a light flicks on from behind me, lighting up the whole kitchen. “If you’re looking for alcohol, don’t. I already got rid of every drop you had.” A deep and husky voice asserts from behind me.

I turn immediately and stop breathing when I realize the babysitter I was trying to avoid is standing right across the kitchen. He has his hands in his dress pants pockets and his white button-down shirt is wrinkle free and unbuttoned at the top. I didn’t expect my babysitter to look so…hot. He’s about six-foot-three and is clearly made of solid muscle most likely from going to the gym religiously. He has dark stubble around his strong jaw and his lips are frowning at me. I take in his eyes which are so dark they almost look black. His hair is styled neatly, not too long but long enough that I could run my fingers through it if I wanted to-Oh my God?!I scold myself.Do not get attracted to the babysitter, he is an enemy! A very hot enemy but still an enemy.I feel my cheeks redden and my blood boils in response. How dare he come intomyhome and makemeblush? This is my house; I make the rules and he’ll learn that. “You must be the babysitter.” I frown, crossing my arms over my chest. From where I’m standing, I don’t have to look up at him to speak to him and I’m grateful for that because the last thing I want is for him to see me as inferior. This is my circus, God dammit!

His furrowed brows don’t move, “Harvey Taylor.” He introduces himself, but it doesn’t come across friendly in the slightest.

I raise a brow of my own, mocking his expression. “Didn’t ask and don’t care. You’ll have your bags packed by tomorrow so no need for me to learn your name if you won’t be sticking around.” I cock my head at him in a challenge.

He snorts an arrogant laugh, “I’ll overlook your naivety and assume you’ve never heard of me. I have a stellar reputation for working with and fixing people such as yourself, people who are out of control and need to be reigned in. Hence why Selene Stone contacted me.” His smile falls, “So you can call me ‘the babysitter’ if you want but get comfortable calling mesomethingbecause I’m not going anywhere.”

My eye twitches in irritation. I straighten my posture, displaying confidence and lacing as much intimidation into my tone as I can for a man of his size and stature, “I don’t really give a shit about your ‘stellar reputation,’ nor do I give a fuck about your qualifications and experience. None of it matters because like I said, you won’t be around much longer.”

He raises an amused brow. “I’ll have you on a leash in a week, just watch. By the end of our three months, I’ll have done what Selene hired me to do and you’ll be a good little rockstar. You’ll be sober and clean, and you’ll do what you’re told. Then, I’ll move on to my next deranged client.”

I clench my jaw in anger. Nobody, and I mean,nobodytells me what to do. I walk around the island and slowly saunter over to where he stands, stopping only two feet away and looking up at him with pure, undiluted rage in my eyes, “Since you wanted to share your credentials, let me share mine.” I take a step closer to him and he looks down at me with amusement on his features. I desperately want to punch it off, but Selene would scream my ear off if I got into another lawsuit she had to settle on my behalf. “My name is Brody Drake and I do whatever the fuck I want, whenever the fuck I want to. I don’t take orders from anyone, hence why I’m a rockstar. I’m my own boss and I don’t give a shit what Selene or anyone else has to say about it. You can convince yourself all you want that I’m gonna bend to your will but just know you have another thing coming.” I declare before stepping around him and walking down the hall and up the stairs. I plan on staying in my room for the rest of the night and possibly dipping into the little baggie of blow I have left. Selene can think all she wants that I’m going to be sober, and Harvey can convince himself that he’s gonna keep me in line, but they’re both wrong. There is no Sticks without drugs and alcohol, it’s literally my brand. Who am I not to givethe people what they want? They want Sticks and I’ll give them Sticks.

Just as I turn the knob to enter my bedroom Harvey calls from downstairs, “Oh, and don’t bother looking for the cocaine you had on your nightstand or the Xanax that was in your drawer because I took that too. Tomorrow, when you decide to stop acting like a moody teenager, we can go over the new rules you’ll have to abide by, but until then, go to bed.”

I freeze. There’s absolutely no way he just said that to me. He has to be lying. I shove the door open and immediately rush over to the nightstand to find the cocaine really missing. My eyes widen in a panicked frenzy. I rifle through all of my drawers, searching for the pills but I find nothing. He really did take them all.

My chest tightens as reality sinks in, and I realize I have absolutely no drugs or alcohol at my disposal. I realize what this means for me. Everyone expects me to be a drug using rockstar who knows how to party and get into trouble. My fans count on me to be that person and so do my friends and Selene when it benefits our brand, but now? Nobody gives a fuck about boring Brody Drake. They only care about Sticks and now Harvey Taylor wants to lock Sticks in a little cage and throw away the key. Anxiety creeps in as I realize that this may be the start of the end for Sticks and for Satan’s Angels. That is if he stays around of course.

I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans and take a deep breath. The solution here is simple though it may take some hard work and effort. All I have to do is make Harvey Taylor tap out and leave and then I can go back to being the person everyone wants me to be in peace. I smirk to myself as the gears start turning in my head and I think of ways to make Harvey wish he never took this job.

Chapter 4

Harvey

I woke up atfour a.m. to run. I wake up every morning at exactly four and run five miles before going to the closest gym and finishing my workout. After that I eat breakfast and start my day by six a.m. Having a routine grounds me. I’m not one for change and the mere thought of change makes my stomach twist into knots. Sure, my job requires me to move around a lot, but what I’m actuallydoingon the job stays the same. The job never changes aside from one client being trickier to tame than the next, though even the strongest of wills all crack eventually. They’re all challenges to me and I love to be challenged. That’s why I love my job so much.

My routine and my job are the most important things in my life aside from Lucy. She’s the only thing in my life that I would move Heaven and Earth for. Anytime I get stressed I think of her and suddenly the stress dissipates. For example, last night when Brody tried to talk down to me likeI’mthe one with a live-in babysitter, I thought of Lucy and suddenly, I wasn’t furious anymore. I don’t care about the fact that Lucy is a huge Satan’s Angels fan, -something I’m gonna have to put a stop to after doing my homework on these girls- I’m not going easy on the little rockstar. The amount of cocaine I found in her room was enough to tranquilize a wooly mammoth. I shake my head at the thought as I spoon my daily oatmeal into my mouth. I like it plain and flavorless.

I knew it wouldn’t be a problem if I left Brody alone from four in the morning to six. She was just on tour and fromwhat Selene told me, the girls went to bed at four to six in the morning anyway and woke up around five in the evening. I scoff at the choice in lifestyle. I guess when you have absolutely zero responsibilities in life and sense of direction the lifestyle works, though no normal functioning person can live that way. When I’m through with Brody, she’ll be going to bed at eight p.m sharp.

After my morning run in the blaring heat of California, I used Brody’s home gym that met every fitness need with thousands of dollars’ worth of machines that look like they’ve never been touched. When you have millions and millions of dollars to spend, celebrities like to spend it on gym equipment when everyone knows they get surgeries and procedures to look perfect. I like to think of myself as an exception to that even though I’m not a celebrity. While I’m in the same tax bracket they’re in, I actually use my home gym in each of my homes across the country when I’m not under contract with a client.

I rinse the bowl of oatmeal and load it into the dishwasher once I’m finished before making my way upstairs and into one of the guest bedrooms. I chose this one for myself because it’s close enough to Brody’s that I’ll be able to hear noise that comes from the room and check on her quickly. I change into a pair of black slacks and a white button up shirt that I cuff on the elbows. I wear the same outfit every day. My closet consists of dozens of pairs of the same slacks and dozens of the same shirt. Like I said, I’m fond of my routine.

After changing, I head downstairs and pull out my laptop. I have a couple of hours before Brody decides to wake up and until then, I could use the time to go through work emails. I get lost in the dozens of messages and suddenly come to attention when I hear footsteps padding down the stairs. I’m seated at the island in the kitchen, but I can still hear her walking into the room. She enters and when her eyes land on me, she scowls.“Good morning,” I greet her, feigning politeness. I know my presence gets under her skin and I can’t help but admit that I enjoy it. It makes the challenge all the more challenging.

She ignores me and shows me her back as she starts pressing buttons on the five-star restaurant grade coffee machine. She places a mug below it and continues her effort and I can’t help but take her in. My eyes betray my better judgment and travel down her body. Her sunshine-colored hair is streaked with black all throughout and it’s messy as it falls down her back. She wears a pair of scarlet colored silk sleep shorts and a matching tank top. Her arms are bare, and I notice the small tattoo on the back of her left arm, right above her elbow. There are two small angel wings, slightly shaded but they almost seem to shine. I roll my eyes. Of course she would get a tattoo for her band, how pathetic. Tattoos are meaningful and should give insight into someone’s personality. Brody has no personality traits aside from the fact that she’s in a band. Everything about her is bland and average aside from her income. I don’t have any tattoos myself, but if I did, they would be meaningful unlike Brody’s.

Almost as if she feels my eyes on her, she turns and looks at me over her shoulder, her scowl never fading or budging. “You know, I’m not really a fan of strange men living with me, let alone staring at me in my own kitchen when I’m trying to make myself coffee.” Her voice comes out harsh.

My lips curl into a small smile at the sound. “You have nobody to thank for that but yourself and your behavior.”

She turns fully and leans against the countertop, crossing her arms over her chest. “My behavior wasn’t a problem until yesterday.”

I tilt my head at her cockily, “Your behavior was always a problem, but you just got yourself into God only knows how many lawsuits which resulted in my presence.”

She ignores me, at a loss for words, as she turns and grabs herfresh mug of coffee and tries to exit the kitchen. I stop her, “We have a few things to discuss and then you can be dismissed.”

Brody practically chokes on her coffee as she turns, brown liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim of the mug with the force of her movement. “Dismissed? I’m sorry, who the fuck do you think you are speaking to me like that? I’m not your child nor will you speak to me like one.” She snaps sharply.

Getting under her skin is something I’m so good at and I barely have to try. It’s becoming a game to me, one that has the potential to get addictive. I ignore her outburst knowing she’ll only get angrier. “There are some rules you’ll have to live by during the duration of our time together. In our contracted three months, you will not do drugs, nor will you drink any alcoholic beverages of any kind. The only places you’re permitted to go are the recording studio for work along with events Selene has booked for you. If there is another place you would like to be, you can request I accompany you. You are not permitted to go anywhere without me. Until I feel confident in your ability to follow my rules, you’re not leaving this house or venturing past the recording studio. We’ll see how you do and then if you behave, I’ll consider accompanying you to other places.”

Her jaw drops. “That isn’t reasonable! You can’t demand I stay in my house like a hermit!”

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