Page 47 of Ink & Desire

Paul nods. “Uh huh.” He blows out a quick breath. “Just need a second.”

His voice is tight, and I can tell he’s in pain, but he’s handling it well, considering. I think I’d probably cry.

“You’re going to want to keep it clean and dry,” Jessie says, talking as she cleans the remaining blood. “I’ve got printed after-care instructions that you’ll go home with. The biggest thing is to pay attention. Some swelling is normal at first, but you’ll want to look out for signs of infection. If you think it’s infected, go to a doctor as soon as possible. You don’t want your dick to fall off.”

“Is that possible?” Paul asks, his voice cracking.

“I’ve never seen it happen, but why risk it?” she says. “Just take care of it. Follow the instructions and you’ll be fine.”

He nods. “I will.”

She nods toward the mirror on the wall. “Stand up and take a look,” she says. “Then we’ll get it wrapped up and you’ll be good to go.”

Paul seems to have lost all modesty now that we’re finished with his piercing. He stands, his pants hovering around his hips. With one hand on his dick and one keeping his pants from falling off, he awkwardly waddles over to the mirror on the wall behind him and studies his new jewelry.

“Well?” Jessie asks after a few seconds. “What do you think?”

He nods. “It’s just what I wanted.”

“Good. Cause I don’t think you want me to redo it,” she says with a grin.

“Hell no,” he says with a laugh. “Once is enough.”

“You’d be surprised how many people come back for more,” she says. “Have a seat and let me bandage it.”

As he does so, I set to work cleaning up the workstation the way Jessie showed me. By the time Paul is finished and his pants are on again, I’ve got all the sharps disposed of and the table wiped down. I open the door to lead him back out front with a smile.

“Right this way,” Jessie says.

She leads Paul out to the front desk and gives him a copy of his aftercare instructions with the admonishment to follow them to the letter. He grins and assures her that he will, then turns to leave. After hearing Jessie warn him that his dick might fall off, I have a feeling he’s telling the truth. I turn back around and let out a yelp of surprise when I find Corbin standing so close, I nearly run into him. I take a step back and put a hand over my racing heart.

“Shit,” I say, blowing out a breath. “You scared me.”

When I get a good look at his face, I realize he looks furious. I’ve never seen him like this. He hadn’t even looked this angry the first day we met when he’d thrown me out of the shop. His face is drawn in tight lines and there’s a muscle ticking in his jaw. His dark eyes are narrowed at me. I’m confused. We’d been getting along fine earlier. I even thought we’d turned a corner in our working relationship. So, what’s his problem now?

“What the hell was that?” He bites off the words.

“What was what?” I ask, confusion evident in my words.

“The client,” he says. “What was he here for?”

“Frenum,” Jessie says from behind Corbin.

He angles his head to look in her direction but doesn’t move out of my path.

“Why didn’t you ask me or Noah to assist you?” he asks.

“You were busy, boss,” Jessie says. “And Noah had to leave early, remember? Besides, she’s gotta learn it eventually, right?”

I can’t read Corbin’s expression right now, but something tells me he doesn’t agree with Jessie’s opinion. I don’t understand why he’s bothered by me helping her. It’s not like I violated any of the rules. I didn’t assist with the actual piercing. I didn’t touch a client.

“I followed the rules,” I say, feeling suddenly defensive. “I only helped with the set-up and cleaning up after. Oh, and the paperwork.”

He ignores me, turning to fully face Jessie. “Next time, wait for me or Noah.”

Jessie’s brows furrow in confusion. “She did great. Practically a pro.”

I can tell immediately that it’s the wrong thing to say. Corbin’s expression goes even darker, if that’s possible.

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