His Bass is his Baby

With a touch so gentle it was almost as if he handled a china doll or newborn baby, Ashley Purdy ran a polish-soaked rag over his prized bass guitar. He’d worked long and hard to be able to afford something like his custom-designed Warpaint Spire from Dean, and he treated it with the reverence and respect it deserved. Just like with his Dark Custom Cross Bones, which was strapped securely into the trailer being hauled behind the bus, nobody he didn’t know and trust laid so much as a finger on his prized bass. He’d cut a person’s fingers off for touching either one under those circumstances, and it was hard to let those he did know and trust touch what he considered his babies.

He hadn’t always had such horrible trust issues, but one couldn’t really blame him if they knew where their roots lay. His last serious girlfriend had not only broken his heart by cheating on him, but had destroyed his last bass and bike when he threw her out for doing so. She’d held no love and respect for his possessions and who he was as a man; she’d only wanted him for his money and body simply because he was rich, smoking hot, and well-endowed.

Ash snorted at the memory as he checked over his handiwork, wanting to ensure he’d evenly applied the polish to every inch of his instrument. Sure, he was constantly ribbed for his behavior by his bandmates, Andy, Jake, Jinxx, and CC, but it was just playful banter, and he knew it. They, especially Andy and Jinxx since they’d been cheated on, too, knew he was bound to be left with a bad taste in his mouth after such an experience, but thought he was being ridiculous in refusing to love again. It was just an experience, and pain and heartbreak, he had no desire to repeat.

“Done polishing your bass…again?”

Looking up, he saw Jinxx had entered the back room he shared with CC. “Yeah. What’s up?”

“The new bass tech Jon hired just got here,” the multi-instrumentalist said.

“Ugh. You have got to be kidding me,” he groaned, gently laying his baby in its case. “When is he gonna learn that I don’t want or need a bass tech?”

“Listen, Ash. I get that it’s hard to trust others with your bass—or bike—especially after what Kina did,” Jinxx told him sympathetically. “But I honestly think you’ll like her, and not just in a sexual sense.”

“What makes you so sure of that?” Ash asked, his brow cocked curiously.

“Well, firstly, it seems like the two of you have quite a bit in common,” his friend answered. “Secondly, even CC can tell this isn’t just a job for her. She’s very passionate about what she does.”

“What’s her respect level like?” the bassist asked.

“She treated us the same way I guess she would anyone else: with kindness, care, consideration, and respect. And not just because we’re celebrities,” he told him. “Oh, and she flipped a lid on a roadie when he dropped my guitar case. Said he should have just as much respect for the instruments as he does for us.”

“Really? Are you serious?” he asked, shocked.

“As a heart attack, Ash,” Jinxx answered. “Will you at least give her a chance? For me?”

“Fine. I’ll give her a chance,” Ash conceded. “But if she causes so much as a penny’s worth of damage to my baby, I’m sending her packing so fast her head’ll spin.”



Outside the bus, the rest of the band were sharing a beer with the new bass tech, who introduced herself as Phoenix, while waiting on their brothers. They’d already warned her that the bassist was quiet and shy around newcomers—except when drunk—until he got to know them. She was also warned that it might be hard to get him to cooperate and let her do her job at first, but he had his reasons for being that way and that didn’t bother her. None of them would tell her what those reasons were, saying that it was his sordid tale to tell, and she brushed it off and didn’t ask.

About halfway through their beers, Phoenix became aware of at least one other presence and turned to look over her shoulder. Behind her stood two more men, whom were similar in appearance to Andy, Jake, and CC, and she could only assume they were the remaining two-fifths of Black Veil Brides. The shorter one, who was the shortest of the band, stood at about her own height of five-nine, had hair as unkempt-appearing as Jake’s, and while his eyes were blue, they weren’t as distinctive as Andy’s. The other one, who appeared to match every inch of CC’s five-eleven…well, he left her thoughts so scrambled it was as if he’d short-circuited her brain. She normally didn’t acquire a case of lust-at-first-sight, not after having her heart broken the way she had, but if she said she wasn’t attracted to him, she’d be lying.

His raven hair was so long it reached his nipples, which were exposed along with a tattoo arching over his navel that said OUTLAW since he was shirtless. He had beautiful chocolate-brown eyes, which held a mischievous twinkle and sat atop high, beautifully-sculpted cheekbones, and undoubtedly turned pitch-black when their owner was angered…or aroused. She also saw a bone-deep wariness in them that likely stemmed from the same place as his trust issues, and she wondered why. His lips were full and pink, despite his tan, and appeared every bit as kissable as the rest of his body. That included the narrow hips his low-rise, ripped black skinny jeans clung to like a hiker that’d fallen off the edge of a cliff.

“Phoenix, you already met Jinxx a few minutes ago, and this is Ashley,” Andy told her.

“I prefer Ash,” the one with the OUTLAW tattoo said, extending his hand.

“Just call me Nix,” she answered, accepting his handshake. “I’m guessing you’re the bassist I was hired to assist?”

“I am. Just follow one rule, and we’ll get along great,” Ash told her.

“And what’s that?” Phoenix asked, cocking her brow.

“Don’t break my bass, or your ass is mine.” He narrowed his eyes at her in a glare.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Ash.”

“You’re actually going to let her touch it when you don’t even know her?” Jake asked, shocked.

“Only because Jinxx all but begged me to give her a chance after putting in a good word,” the bassist answered.

Confused, the group just looked at him.

“He told me you flipped shit on a roadie for dropping his guitar case,” Ash explained.

“That’s because your instruments deserve the same reverence and respect as you guys,” she said. “To me, they’re like a vintage Vette or a Harley, and by all that’s unholy, I’d kill someone if they dropped my bass like that.”

“Wait, you’re a bassist, too?” Andy asked.

“Mmm hmm. Biggest influences are Nikki Sixx and this man right here.” Phoenix gently patted Ash’s arm.

“Well, I’m flattered,” he said, blushing slightly.

“Not a problem, Ash,” she chuckled. “Yo, Shaun! Bring me the case with the burning bird on it, will ya? And be careful!”

“Aye aye, Cap’n!” the roadie in question answered, mock saluting her.

Moments later, Shaun ran up to her with the case she’d requested in hand. Thanking him, Phoenix took it from his hand, smiling when he waited until she had a good grip on its handle before turning it loose completely. If he hadn’t been the roadie she’d flipped shit on a short while ago, he’d clearly seen—and heard—what’d happened and didn’t want that happening to him. Ash couldn’t help but think that maybe Jon hiring her was a good thing, after all.

Kneeling down, she gently laid the case on the ground in front of her before unclipping a key ring from one of her belt loops. Once she found the key she sought, she quickly unlocked it before flipping the latches and opening it to reveal the beauty it concealed from the world. Laying in wait for the next time she decided to play it was a beautiful Raiden Special-4 from the Schecter Diamond Series. The color of the body and headstock were what she called “crimson red burst satin”, making it appear like she’d poured blood all over it, and looked sick with the black-chrome hardware. The body and top were constructed of the finest basswood and quilted maple, but the neck was strictly maple while the fret board was ebony.

The bridge and neck pickups were both Schecter Diamond SuperRocks, while the bridge itself was a Diamond Bass with String thru Body. The inlays were beautiful pearl Gothic crosses, and stood out in a striking contrast against that perfectly-polished ebony fret board, the strings, which appeared new, also standing out. All in all, it was a thing of musical beauty and, while it didn’t hold quite the same appeal as his beloved Dean Warpaint Spire, Ash knew he’d play it if she’d let him. However, he doubted Phoenix would trust him with it just yet, and that was okay with him.

“Oh, wow,” Jake and Jinxx breathed in unison.

“It’s gorgeous, Nix,” Andy agreed, trying to keep his reaction in check.

“Thanks, guys,” Phoenix said, grinning. She tossed the strap over her head and got it settled on her shoulder so the body of the bass rested against her hip.

“It actually looks like something Ash would play,” CC said thoughtfully, leaning in a bit closer for a better look.

“In color, yes, but you know I prefer Deans,” Ash told him. “Schecters just don’t hold the same appeal for me. No offense, Jake, Nix.”

“None taken,” she answered while the guitarist shook his head. “We all have our preferences; mine just happens to be this Raiden Special-4 from Schecter’s Diamond Series.”

“May I?” Jake asked, gesturing to her bass.

“I’d really rather you not,” Phoenix answered, shaking her head and taking a step back. “Not till I get to know you guys better, anyway.”

“That’s okay, Nix,” he told her. “I understand.”

“I guess Ash isn’t the only one with trust issues when it comes to their bass,” Andy said thoughtfully.

“Anyway, let’s get your stuff and show you where your bunk is,” Jinxx told her.

Nodding, she pulled the strap back over her head as she knelt down again to gently put the instrument back in its case. If she hadn’t just made it clear she didn’t and wouldn’t trust them, at least not for a while, Ash would’ve offered to take the case for her like the gentleman he was at heart. However, he merely shrugged and headed back to his bunk so he could relax for a bit. It was the only day off the guys were going to get for a couple weeks, and as much as he enjoyed partying, there were some times he just liked laying around and keeping to himself.

Phoenix followed the band onto their bus and allowed Jinxx and one of the roadies to help her get settled in. This was officially the beginning of an uphill battle to earn the trust and cooperation of a man with trust issues nearly as bad as—maybe even worse than—her own. However, had she known the bassist—and his past—better than she did, she’d have realized just what a battle she was in for.

Notes