Page 40 of Joey

Joey stared at Ethan and dropped his head down for a brief press of their lips. “Thank you.”

Ethan raised his eyebrows. “For what?”

“Talking me down. If you haven’t noticed yet, I can be a dog after a bone. Or a tattoo artist after a client.”

Ethan threw his head back and laughed, his mouth curving into his trademark lopsided grin. “I like that. I’ll have to remember to use that analogy in the future.”

Joey slid his arm around Ethan’s shoulders and led him towards the door. “We’ll go around the front. I don’t want to scare anyone by appearing out of the blue when they’re not expecting us.”

Ethan’s hesitation was clear. “Um, there were reporters outside when I went to get my bag.”

Joey nodded. “That doesn’t surprise me. Are you okay with that?”

Ethan nodded. “Yes, I just wasn’t sure if you were.”

“We can come back up the inside stairs. I just know from experience that scaring the fuck out of a tattoo artist causes issues.”

Ethan chuckled. “I can imagine. That ever happened to you?”

Joey nodded as he opened the front door, letting Ethan out first and following him, locking the door behind him. “Yes. My client ended up with a scratch up their thigh, far too close to where we have to be careful.”

Ethan winced as they descended the metal staircase. “Ouch.”

“Luckily, it was only a scratch. It could’ve been worse.” He checked his phone, shaking his head when there were no messages or calls. When was the guy going to call him?

Joey shoved the phone into his pocket after double-checking it was not on silent and threaded his fingers through Ethan’s hand, squeezing. “Ready?”

Ethan inhaled and smiled. “Always.”

Every time he gifted Joey with a smile like that, Joey felt like he’d won the lottery. And in some ways, he had. He wished they had met under better circumstances because Elliott would’ve loved him.

The hustle and bustle of traffic was audible even before they rounded the edge of the building and headed through the alley to the street. Reporters stood waiting, grabbing their cameras or camera person when Joey and Ethan came into view.

“Joey! Ethan! Are you a couple now? Why have you been hiding? Are you guilty of Elliott’s death?”

The questions kept on coming, but he studiously ignored them all, even when one of them got colourful with their words. Ethan tensed, but Joey squeezed his hand again and led him around the front of the building and into the shop entrance, closing the door on the questions. The blinds had already been closed, stopping them from being able to see inside, but it also kept out the sunlight, making the shop darker than usual for the daytime.

“Hey, I wasn’t expecting to see you today,” Ani said from behind the counter, wearing her trademark black clothes with tattoos visible.

“I said I’d introduce Ethan to everyone while I wait for that guy to call.” He patted his pocket, checking that his phone was still there, even though he knew it was. “Who’s in today?”

Ani winked at Ethan. “Everyone.”

Ethan’s barely audible exhale made Joey smile, and he slid his arm around his waist, pulling him closer. “You’ll be fine,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Are they busy?”

“Only Dallas has a client. You couldn’t have picked a better time to visit.”

“Of course, we couldn’t,” Ethan mumbled.

“Can you buzz them for me, please, Ani?”

“Sure.”

Joey turned Ethan towards the wall of designs. “Each area and room has a little buzzer, which we use if we need an artist to come to the reception area. It’s easier than shouting.”

There was a muted buzz throughout the building, and then Beck shouted, “Coming!”

Joey chuckled. “Well, it’s easier thanAnishouting. Some don’t seem to care.”

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