Page 49 of Pelvic Flaws

“It’s either that or you come out of semi-retirement, old man.”

“What, and have my personal clients go ape shit that they’ve paid a premium all these years to have me ink them and now I’m doing anyone who asks.”

As embarrassing as it was, I did have a group of clients who liked the kudos of being inked by the famous Dex Michaels. They were happy to pay extra bucks for that privilege, and to be able to get last minute appointments, so who was I to argue.

“I suppose you’re right,” Jethro replied.

As we carried on talking it through, there was a short rap on the door and Topper popped his top hatted head around it.

“Sorry guys, but I need one of you. This chick wants something ethereal and can’t find anything she likes in the design book.”

Jethro and I looked at each other.

“May as well,” Jethro said, with a shoulder shrug.

I turned to Topper. “Get Isaac to do something,” I said. “Let’s see what he can come up with.”

“He any good?” Topper asked. “’Cause this chick is a little bit picky, I’ve gotta say.”

“Yeah, he’s good,” I replied with a grin. “That skull that Melissa’s client picked, you see it?”

Topper nodded. “It was epic, you telling me that one was one of his?” He leaned forward and raised his brows.

“Yep. I bought a series of four off him, and that was only a fraction of his stuff, so yeah, get him to do ethereal.”

Topper doffed his hat and disappeared.

“Let’s hope he can pull it off,” Jethro said.

“How so?” I asked, pushing up from the chair.

“Because,” he replied with a shit-eating grin. “Giving him a job may just get you into his mum’s knickers quicker than you thought.”

* * *

“I thought you should see it before I go into reception and call her back in.” Topper looked at me expectantly, hanging a hand off the back of his neck.

I looked down at the drawing and placed it on my desk.

“If it’s crap, just say,” Isaac added, tentatively. “I know you’re only supposed to have an hour slot, but I could quickly do something else.”

I looked up at his worried brown eyes, the same shape as his mom’s, and blew out a breath.

“This is amazing, Isaac,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

“It is?” he asked, linking his hands on the top of his head and grinning.

“Yep.” I reached for an eraser. “A little too much detail in a couple of places, but otherwise, it’s damn good.”

The drawing of a woman’s profile and her flowing hair, made up of dragon flies, bluebells, tree branches and all manner of nature, was one of the best designs I’d seen in a long time.

“I would never have thought of this,” I said, erasing a fox’s head and replacing it with a butterfly. “That would be too small to give it the detail it needs, so a butterfly works better. You see?”

I turned the drawing to Isaac, who leaned his hands on my desk and studied his work.

“Yeah, shit, that’s much better.” He tapped on the drawing. “You see the squirrel’s tale, well that could be bigger. Get rid of the bird and bring the tail around in a sweep. What do you think?”

Taking the drawing back, I did as he suggested and looked at it. Yep, he was a fast learner, it improved the design more than I thought possible.

---