Page 6 of JoJo

Chapter 3

Steel rattled off the address to Apex Tattoo before I could even finish typing the studio’s name into Google. I didn’t even glance up to glare at him. I just played it off like I was engrossed in my phone. We were already halfway there before he spoke again.

“So, I guess you’re really dedicated to this man-hater persona, huh?” Despite the assholish quality of the question, the man actually sounded like he was sincerely curious.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I meant it too. I had never hated men.

He scoffed. “Okay. You’re a gorgeous little slip of a girl who runs around playing badass biker chick. You drive a Harley, and own an auto-repair shop. You’re being forced, by men, to either marry a man or lose your business, and you just bitched out your friends for surprising their old ladies with a visit while they’re in Vegas. Hmmm, you’re right, when you add it all up like that it doesn’t sound like you have an issue with men at all.” His sarcasm at the end wasn’t missed.

“I don’t play biker chick, bad ass or otherwise. I enjoy the open road and the club allows me to have buddies with like interests to run with. I use to race bikes as a teenager. I drive a Harley because my dad put me on one at fifteen, and I prefered the feel of the cruiser to the bikes I raced. I’m going to lose my shop because I’m a woman, my mechanical skills be damned. In spite of the marrying mandate, I don’t hate men either. I would rather not watch my legacy and livelihood be dismantled, but it just might happen. As for you, well, I just really dislike you a lot. That has nothing to do with the fact that you’re a man, and more because of the fact that you’re a giant dickwad.”

His chuckle had me glancing over at him. When the man laughed it did something special to his steely persona. As soon as he noticed me watching him, he leashed the humor evident in his face. It was quick, and that’s a damn shame.

“Besides, I’ve heard you really are a woman hater, so wouldn’t that be the pot calling the kettle black to call me out if I actually were hating on men instead of my circumstances?”

Steel’s only indication that he heard me, at first, was a slight twitch to his shoulders. Otherwise, he kept his feelings on the matter bottled up tight. “I’m a man, so it’s expected of my kind. You’re a chick. Your kind are supposed to fawn all over us even when we are assholes.”

My jaw dropped as I shot a death glare his way. Not that he’d been paying attention. No, he was busy paying the cabbie who had pulled over to the curb and was currently laughing at Steel’s idiocy. “Man, you are definitely getting the cold shoulder instead of a warm bed tonight.” The cabbie tried to enlighten Steel.

Steel glanced at me briefly before gracing the cabbie with a genuine smile. “She’s too cold to warm my bed anyway.” He unfolded himself from the cab with the ease of a man who didn’t realize he might have just taken his last breath. He had just called me frigid, again. The man had no clue who I was or what I was about.

The cabbie’s smile fell away when he noticed my face. I’m sure more than frustration was evident there. After all, it wasn’t the first time someone called me frigid, or told me my attitude was too hard to mesh with my small frame. Men expected me to be meek and submissive because I was short and petite. I just didn’t have it in me to be diminutive in nature. My father once told me that there were men out there who would want a tiny little spitfire, but that I’d have a hard time searching through the assholes who didn’t to find him. Hell, it was one of the reasons I had liked Eddie so much. My size and attitude were never a turn off for him.

Steel’s muscles bunched and popped as he unfolded himself from the cab fully. I focused on that, only so the cabbie wouldn’t continue to throw me sympathetic looks. I kind of wanted to punch the cabbie in the face for noticing my hurt expression, but that would just draw attention to it.

“You coming?” Steel asked as he held a hand out to help me from the car. I refused his chivalrous gesture and all but tossed myself out of the cab and onto the curb in front of Apex Tattoo. Just a glance in the front window had my face lighting up. Eddie was there, laughing with a younger guy at the front counter as he shook his hand.

I moved past Steel and through the door to the shop. A little bell tinkled overheard as I entered, which immediately caught Eddie’s attention. “Holy shit! JoJo?” My name was a question on his lips as the man made his way to me, and damn if I didn’t check him out while he stalked my way. His once unruly blond locks were styled up into gelled spikes on his head, making him look far more badass than he used to. The gleam in his deep blue eyes, that was now evident because he didn’t have hair falling in place to hide them anymore made him so much more handsome. His muscles definitely held a lot more definition than they used to as well. “Damn, girl, you’re looking good!” His comment made me feel a tad better considering I’d just been told I wasn’t good enough for someone else. Also, because I was wearing an old pair of jeans, and while they hugged my ass nicely, they were a bit threadbare and worn in spots. My little blue halter top showed a tiny sliver of my toned and tanned stomach, and a smidge of what little cleavage I had, but nothing that I would write home about.

“I was thinking the same, Ed. You filled out and finally learned how to lay the ink down in a decent tat!” I teased him.

His soft chuckle reminded me of better, carefree days, before my dad got sick. The sweet smell of his cologne was different when he hugged me though. My nose got twitchy and I ended the hug before he planned on it, but still far beyond what an acceptable friendly hug should have been. His chuckle turned into full blown laughter as I lost the battle and sneezed. Sadly, there was nothing petite and feminine about my sneeze. No, it was just as loud and obnoxious as my personality could be at times.

“Sorry, its something new I tried. I guess not many people can tolerate it. You’re the third woman to sneeze on me today.”

“I prefer the way you used to smell, for sure. Nothing wrong with the classics, Eddie.”

“No, there sure isn’t.” There was heat in his eyes as he surveyed me again. Hell, he was leaning in again, almost like he was coming in for a kiss when a throat cleared behind me.

Eddie glanced up over my shoulder. His modest 5’11” height for a man still towered over my tiny self, and I knew he was looking at the mammoth of a man behind me. I noticed as his eyes darted between myself and Steel a number of times before he nodded and turned away a minute to school what he was showing on his face. “How do you two know each other?” He finally asked me.

Steel’s big, beefy paw landed casually on my shoulder. “I live in Sierra High now. We have a new chapter there, and we’re friendly with the girls from S.H.E.”

“Oh,” Eddie took a moment before saying anything else. “I guess I have you to thank for the compliment on my improved work then?” His smile didn’t reach his eyes anymore as he spoke.

“Yeah, when JoJo said she had a friend tattooing here and explained who you were, I thought it was a cool coincidence. How’s the old lady? She popped out your rugrat yet?” Steel squeezed my shoulder a bit then as I continued to watch Eddie and ignore Steel’s presence.

“Um,” Eddie seemed taken off guard and embarrassed, maybe remorseful, as he accidentally made eye contact with me before looking away again. “She’s good. Should be ready by next week. Doc’s saying she may go late.”

Deciding to do away with the awkward turn in the conversation, I offered up a genuine, wide smile for Eddie. “Congrats! I’m sure you’re going to make a great dad. Just remember you can’t yell at your kid for coloring on the walls or you might turn them on to coloring on people instead.”

That made him laugh. Eddie’s mom had once told me that’s why he got into tattooing, because it was the only canvas she couldn’t yell at him about using. His face sobered all too quickly though. “Hey, I heard about your dad,” he began. It was my turn to look away then. My dad being sick was the reason I couldn’t follow Eddie to Vegas, and the reason staying with me was too much of a time sink on him. “I’m really sorry, Jo.” His voice held a note of regret I didn’t need to hear. I didn’t bother responding beyond an acknowledging tip of the head. “My mom said there’s some crazy stipulation in your dad’s will.”

“Yeah, there is.”

“Do you really have to get married to keep the garage?”

I nodded again, finally meeting his eyes and seeing the regret that I’d heard moments ago. “Damn. I can’t believe your dad did that to you after everything you gave up to take care of him.” The small crack in his voice let me know he definitely included himself in the loss category.

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