Page 10 of Stevie
Jesus, that woman has me wrapped around her pretty little finger, and I’m completely fine with it. I have spent months now working this woman over. Stevie is a tough one. She doesn’t let anyone in, and there are parts of her that even her closest friends don’t know about—one of those things being that her and I occasionally hook up.
I should be fine with that, and I know most men would love this setup, but I’m not most men. She and I rarely hang out alone for more than five minutes if we aren’t going to fuck. I’m addicted to Stevie Campbell, and like any addict, I will suffer through anything to get my next hit. Whether it’s those five minutes, a simple text, or the green light to sneak into her apartment and fuck her brains out, I want it. My life consists of counting the seconds until I get my next hit. Or it did, until it became too much. About three months into our arrangement, I couldn’t do it anymore. When I brought it up to her, she surprisingly agreed. I thought that meant we would start dating. Instead, she took us to the friend zone, and it’s taken a couple of months to get her to even do the occasional hook-up again.
I do like this arrangement better than the other. At least this time, when we talk at Hel’s, I’m treated more like a friend in public, and I get more text messages and talks. She still has strict rules that I respect because I know she has a lot of trauma from her past relationship with that fucker, Vincent. One of my biggest regrets is not killing him when I saw them in the bathroom at the convention in New Orleans. Him on top of her, choking her into unconsciousness. Remembering that day makes me violent, so I try to keep it at bay. I know what happened that day was nothing compared to what he had done to her while she apprenticed for him. She’s never gone into details, but it’s not hard to figure out he did everything he could to hold his power over her. I just hope one day, she will see me as someone who wants to be with her because I care about her and not because I want power over her.
I want to text her, but I don’t. I’d been shocked she answered when I texted her about the dog. It made my whole night. I hate the three-day rule with texting, but I only have myself to blame. I’m the one who told her it was a reasonable boundary to keep us from the “emotionless” fuck-a-thons we were having. But again, I desire her heart and soul, and I can’t get to that part of her if I’m only seen as a casual lay.
* * *
“BROOKIE!” Spencer, one of my four little sisters, walks over and hugs me around my waist when I enter our mom’s house. Spence is the second oldest of my sisters, turning thirty-two today.
“Hey, Spence,” I smile softly as I embrace her. Spence is also the tallest of my sisters, reaching nearly six feet, but my six-foot-seven frame still towers over her. “Happy birthday. How are you feeling?”
She rolls her eyes, “I’m fine, Brookie. Come on, everyone is out back. I see you’re flying solo again.”
“Yeah, she’s working tonight, sorry.” I wince and then follow her through our family home to the backyard. My family knows about Stevie. Well, they know the version I’ve told them. The version where we have been dating for four months, and she’s just as crazy about me as I am about her.
“Brooks!” My mother, Rosemary, wraps her arms around me. Well, as best as she can. She’s a small woman, which is where my other sisters get it from. Spencer and I got our size from our father. “Awww… Is Stevie working again? I really want to meet her.”
Scout, sister three and the biggest pain in my ass, scoffs before sipping her beer while bouncing my niece, Charlie, on her hip. “I’m beginning to think she doesn’t exist.”
“Watch as I give a shit,” I say dryly.
“Language!” Mom scolds, “Scout, your brother wouldn’t lie to us about such a thing. Now knock it off.”Great mom, make me feel worse.
“Where are Pip and Bug?” I ask, referring to sisters one and four. Pip, or Leah, is Charlie’s mom and just moved back here after her fuck face of a husband beat her while she was pregnant. Yeah, best believe he has an ass beating coming. According to Leah, a local guy in their town did beat James, but it doesn’t matter to me. He has an ass beating coming to him from me the next time he contacts my sister.
“They’re coming later,” Mom says, handing me a cold beer. “Tyler is getting a new chair, and your sister took her so I could prepare the party.” Tyler, or Bug, was in an accident with our father about ten years ago that left her in a wheelchair. Unfortunately, our father didn’t survive the crash. This was back when I was with the fire department and was called to the scene. It will haunt me forever. The busted glass, the blood, my baby sister lying in the median, and my dad dead on arrival. Regardless of what the many therapists have said, I hold a large amount of guilt, and I will until the day I die. Had I been with them, had I not picked up the extra hours, I could’ve saved them, I could’ve kept Bug from spending the rest of her life in a goddamn chair, and my dad might still be here.
It’s safe to say I still have issues with the memories of that day. So, for the last ten years, it’s been me taking care of the Dawson women. Probably too much care. I obsess over them. I worry constantly about who they are with and what they are doing. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to stop. Honestly, that I am not completely grey or bald is nothing short of a miracle.
As the party progresses, I enjoy the time with my family. Spencer opens her presents, Leah and Tyler join us, and we have some of Tyler’s amazing cake. It’s beautiful, as always. Tyler made it look like a basket of bright, colorful flowers. She’s a terrific baker, and her cake decorating is impressive. It’s a shame she doesn’t try to make a career out of it. She lacks the confidence, though. Despite the mask she puts on, Tyler is scared to take a leap for fear of failing. I think she could do amazing work, and I often think about how she and Stevie would get along, bonding over their shared talent. It’s no secret Stevie loves baking and working with her family at the donut shop. I’ve gone into the shop and seen Stevie decorating pastries. The smile on her face and the look of calm she has while baking is a look she has nowhere else. Tyler is the same way.
Glancing at my phone, I notice a new message from Janie Pierce. Frowning, I excuse myself and walk away from the women so I can read the text.
Janie: Brooks, I think there might be a tiiiiiiny problem I need you to help me with.
She sends me a link, and I open it… fucking shit. It’s Stevie, and it looks like she’s reading from a script. Her body is shaking, like she’s nervous, and there is a slight waver in her determined voice.
“Hi, I’m Stevie Campbell, and I’m the piercer at Hel’s Ink.” Okay… I don’t feel like this is going to end well. “I’ve been a piercer on and off for many years and…” She lets out a small chuckle before shaking her head. “It’s silly. I have, like, no followers, so I guess I’m just speaking into the void, but I want to talk to y’all about the mentor and apprentice relationship and how dangerous and predatory it often can be.”
“Fuckkkk,” I groan as I look at the views. Thousands, and it was only an hour ago. I hit Janie’s contact and hit the call button.
“Brooks! How’s it hanging?” I can hear the nervousness she’s trying to hide behind her question.
“She didn’t,” I say as I walk out to the front porch. “Stevie did not get on there and–”
“Ohhh yeah, she did. Names, locations, talked about Nuts and Hel’s. She doesn’t seem to go into the gory details, but you can put the pieces together on what she’s hinting at happening. It’s ummm… I’m nervous about how this will go because it’s hitting the algorithm.”
“So, how many people do you think will see it?” I ask slowly. I don’t know much about social media and the internet, but Janie was a social media icon a few years ago before taking over her father’s tattoo shop with her now husband, Fox.
I hear Janie let out a long breath over the phone. “Honestly, I don’t know. But, with the way the comments are flooding in and a large percentage of them being negative, I am going to say it’s going to be big.”
“So, what do you want me to do? You know more about the internet than I do.”
Janie chuckles. “Listen, don’t insult my intelligence, Brooks. Obviously, you and Stevie are having some kind of secret relationship.” I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. How does she know? I have made sure. “I can smell it a mile away. I know when people are boning. Plus, you two make it too obvious. She went from hating you, to laughing around you at the shop, and you are constantly looking at her ass, so give it up, it’s old news.”Pft… maybe to you. I would classify what we have as a relationship.“Now, what I want you to do is be aware. I already know Stevie is going to refuse to take this video down. Despite the backlash she will receive, she will feel right about what she’s said and won’t want to be silenced.”
“I mean, she is right. If this is really happening, it should be addressed.”
