Page 33 of Ink & Desire

Noah looks up from where he’s working and smiles at me. His dusty brown hair is pulled back into a bun and his blue eyes are bright in his tanned face. He’s tall and wiry, his arms and hands covered in ink that spreads up his neck.

“Nice to meet you,” he says with a wave.

“You, too,” I say, returning the smile.

“Come on,” Jessie says. “I’ll show you where you can put your bag and where the bathroom is. You know, the important things.”

“Thanks,” I say, smiling at the other woman. I know we just met but I think I’m going to like Jessie.

“Corbin should be here soon,” she says, leading me through a door in the back of the shop.

I nod, willing myself not to react to the mention of his name. Even though I had been wondering where he was.Hadn’t he told me to be here at 11am? I’d assumed he’d be here already.

As if reading my mind, Jessie says, “He’s usually here by now, but he had something to do this morning, I guess.”

She leads me through a door and into a small room with a round table in the center. A counter runs along one wall, complete with a microwave. In the corner, there’s a refrigerator. The back wall holds a row of shelves.

“This is the break room, I guess,” Jessie says. “Not that we really need one with just three of us here. Well, four now, I guess.” She gestures at me with another smile. “But it’s nice to have a place to grab a snack away from the clients.”

I nod.

“You can put your bag on that back shelf if you want,” she says. “Only the three of us come back here. It’s safe.”

I nod again, walking toward the shelf in question.

“We order out for lunch a lot. But if you bring your lunch, you can store it in the fridge,” she says. She turns back toward the door we came through. “Come on. I’ll show you where the bathroom is. Then our tour will be complete.”

I follow her without a word, taking in every detail of the shop as we pass. This is the first time I’ve been here without Corbin’s presence to distract me. I don’t know what it is about him that seems to swallow up all my focus when he’s around, but I know I need to figure out how to neutralize it if I’m going to learn anything during thisapprenticeship. So now, I take whatever remaining time I have before he arrives to look around the shop.

It’s a nice place. It’s not a large building, but the space is utilized well. The walls are white, and the ceilings are high, making the space appear larger than it is. There are a few framed prints on the walls, but overall, there’s minimal clutter in the shop. It makes sense. Corbin seems like the type of man who’d prefer to keep his workspace tidy and free of distractions.

Corbin arrives not long after Jessie finishes giving me the tour. I do my best to hide my nerves as he walks in. He's just as imposing as he'd been yesterday when it had just been the two of us here. He's also just as sexy. So much for hoping I'd suddenly be immune to him.

"Morning," he mumbles, waving a hand as he walks through the studio.

I tell myself not to do it, but my eyes follow his movements until he walks into his office and closes the door behind him. I'm not bothered by the lack of a proper greeting. I'm also not disappointed by the fact that he's clearly not concerned with my presence. Nope. I'm also definitely not annoyed by the fact that he didn't even look in my direction.

"He grows on you," Jessie says conspiratorially.

"So does a fungus," I mutter.

Her quick laughter pulls a smile from me and I turn to her to say something else, but I don't get the chance.

"Avery!"

Hearing Corbin shoutmy name has my insides twisting. I go still, turning my gaze back toward his office door which is no longer closed. Corbin is standing in the open doorway, his dark eyes focused on me.

"Yes?" I manage.

"Did you bring that contract?" he asks.

For a second, I don't know what he's talking about. Then I remember the folder in my hand and jolt.

"Oh. Yes," I say, holding it up. "Right here."

He holds up a hand, beckoning me toward him with an impatient gesture. Seriously? How rude can one man be? He could at least ask me to bring it to him. Before I can decide whether to call him out on it, Jessie speaks up.

"Please?" she says pointedly.

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