Page 19 of Ink & Desire

I glare at my piercer again. “Can I speak to you for a moment?”

I don’t give her time to answer before pointing toward the back of the shop. Jessie sighs dramatically and lets me lead her a few feet away.

“She wants it so she can meet with Matt Young at Custom Skin,” I say in a low voice.

Jessie’s smile disappears and she gives me a meaningful look. It’s clear she understands what I’m not saying. She sighs. “You can’t just keep it. You’re not a thief, boss.”

“I know,” I say. “But I don’t like the idea of sending some unsuspecting girl to work with that creep.”

She nods. “I get that. And I agree. But if you won’t work with her, what choice does she have? It’s not your job to save the whole world.”

I sigh, raking a hand through my hair. “That’s not what I’m doing.”

She eyes me for a moment. “Then what are you doing?”

I open my mouth to answer, but the truth is, I don’t know what I’m doing. I just know I don’t want to send this woman to be ruined by someone like Matt Young. Her work is good. I may not want an apprentice, but she should have the chance to at least see if she’d be good at tattooing. If she works with Matt, I doubt she’ll get that chance.

“You need to figure it out,” Jessie says in a low voice. “And fast.”

She’s right, I know. But I still don’t like it. “Shit.”

Jessie grins up at me for a second before turning back to face Avery with a smile. “On second thought, I don’t think I can help you after all. Sorry.”

Avery’s face falls and she shoots me a glare. “What did you say to her? Did you threaten to fire her? I bet you did. That sounds like a suitably dickish thing to do.”

“He’d never fire me,” Jessie says, smiling up at me. “He can’t live without me.”

“The idea is starting to grow on me,” I mutter.

Jessie just laughs.

I walk back over to the counter where Avery is still waiting. “Cancel your appointment at Custom Skin. Come back Monday at 11am and we’ll discuss terms.”

She blinks her hazel eyes up at me, clearly confused. “Terms? For what?”

“Your apprenticeship,” I say, turning to walk back to my office.

I close the door and then do something I rarely do. I lock it. I need a few minutes of quiet to think about the verbal commitment I just made. I’ve never mentored another artist. The idea has never occurred to me. And honestly, I’ve never felt up to the task. I’ve never felt qualified enough to teach someone else. I’m a damned good tattoo artist, but I’m not a teacher. I don’t have the patience for it. I fall into my chair with a sigh.

“Fuck.”

I somehow need to teach this woman how to be a tattoo artist while doing my best to keep my hands off her. I’m not an idiot. It’s clear as day that I’m attracted to her. And I’d have to be blind not to see that she’s attracted to me, too. But that doesn’t matter. I don’t allow workplace relationships. I don’t want drama in my shop. I don’t want any favoritism. I damned sure don’t want the inevitable chaos that comes when relationships eventually end. I’ve learned over the years that it’s best to keep work separate from anything personal. The closest thing I have to a personal relationship with my employees is letting Jessie get away with teasing me without firing her.

So, whatever this odd attraction is between me and Avery, I need to make sure she knows it’s never going anywhere. It’s to be ignored. If she wants me to teach her, she needs to focus solely on the work. And I need tofocus on figuring out how to teach someone who knows nothing about tattooing. This is going to be a shitshow.

Chapter 11

Avery

I’m stunned as Cass and I leave Elemental Ink and walk back to my car. I can’t believe Corbin changed his mind. I wish I knew what made him do it. Was it something that girl, Jessie, said to him? He doesn’t strike me as the type of man to change his mind once he decides something. But he did. He’d been adamant that I wasn’t going to apprentice with him, but something had clearly happened to makehim give in.

“Um, what the hell was that?” Cass asks once we’re in my car.

“Looks like I got the apprenticeship after all,” I say, trying to sound happy instead of confused.

“Not that. I mean, what the hell was up with you and the hot-as-fuck tattoo god?”

I feel my face heat, even as I roll my eyes. “I told you he’s an asshole.”

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