Page 7 of Ink & Desire

“Either way,” she says. “I wasn’t going to let you do it by yourself.”

“I love you.”

“I know. Now get your ass off the couch and put on that slutty red dress because you’re taking me out tonight. I’m not sitting on a train for four hours to watch you eat ice cream in your apartment with no pants on.”

I glance down at my bare legs peeking out from beneath the blanket. How did she know?

“Do you have hidden cameras in my apartment?” I ask, voice full of suspicion.

Cass just laughs. “Wouldn’t you like to know. I’ll see you in 2 hours. Be ready.”

“Fine,” I sigh, tossing off the blanket and standing. “But no shots.”

“No promises,” she says before ending the call abruptly.

Filled with excitement at the thought of seeing Cass soon, I let out a little squeal as I make my way to my closet. Today may not have gone the way I wanted it to, but things are looking up now.

Chapter 5

Corbin

After Avery storms out, I ignore the accusatory glare Jessie shoots my way and disappear into my office. I take a few deep breaths trying to calm my irritation. I wasn’t in the wrong just now. That woman had walked in here pretending to be interested in a new tattoo when she’d really been angling for a job. Who does that? How did she think that was going to go down? She had to know it wouldn’t go well once I discovered she was blatantly lying to me. Most employers want honesty from thepeople who work for them. I think back over the entire interaction as I sit at my desk. No wonder she’d been so nervous at first. It’s because she knew I’d be angry when I found out why she was here. But her nerves quickly vanished when I lashed out at her.

For some reason, I can’t get the image of those angry hazel eyes flashing at me in defiance out of my head. Not to mention those full lips that had turned down in an angry sneer as she’d told me to go fuck myself. I nearly laugh at the memory. She couldn’t have been more than an inch or two over five feet tall. But she’d faced me down as if I didn’t have nearly a foot of height and a hundred pounds of muscle on her. My dick stirs again, somehow turned on by the memory of her fearlessness. That brings my annoyance back in full force and the humor of the situation vanishes. What the hell is wrong with me?

It’s just been a while, that’s all. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself. She’s a stranger, and a liar on top of that. Not to mention, she looks young. She’s probably at least a decade younger than me. There’s nothing wrong with a few years’ age difference. I’ve just never been interested in women that much younger than me. Not that I haven’t gone there a few times in the past. It’s just that, now that I’m closing in on 35 years old, the idea of hooking up with random 22-year-olds doesn’t hold the appeal it once did. I stop that line of thinking in its tracks. What the hell am I doing? Why am I thinking about hooking up with someone I just met, and that I’ll probably never see again? Shaking my head to clearit, I take several deep, cleansing breaths and push all thoughts of petite, hazel-eyed temptresses out of my mind. I need to focus.

I have a client coming soon for another session on his sleeve and I like to have a clear head when I work. Adding permanent art to someone’s body is a big responsibility, and I take it seriously. Being in the wrong headspace when I’m working can lead to mistakes. While I’ve never made a mistake I can’t correct, I know I’m not infallible. So, I try to keep my mind clear when I’m tattooing. The day I make a tattoo mistake I can’t fix is the day I know it’s time to retire. I’m hoping I never see that day.

When Jessie knocks on my office door a few minutes later, I’m feeling more like myself.

“Come in,” I say.

She opens the door wide enough to stick her head in.

“You okay, boss?”

“Why the hell wouldn’t I be?”

I can’t see her shoulders, but the shrug is obvious. “Seemed like that chick upset you.”

I wave a dismissive hand and roll my eyes. “I’m good. Just forget her. She’s history.” I ignore the slight pang I feel as I say it, telling myself again that it’s a good thing she stormed out of here.

Jessie looks at me for a long moment before sighing. “Fine. But she left this.”

When she pushes open the door further, I can she holds up a black, leatherbound book. Shit. She left her fucking portfolio. She’s going to want that back. Whichmeans she’s going to come back for it. Which means I haven’t seen the last of her. I struggle to keep the annoyed expression on my face, even as my cock twitches in my pants at the thought of seeing her again.

Sighing, I hold out my hand. “I’ll take it. I’m sure she’ll be back for it.”

“I can keep it at the desk, boss,” Jessie says, making no move to hand me the book.

“Nah,” I say. “I don’t want a customer to think it’s flash art.”

She scoffs. “We don’t do flash art, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah. But you never know.”

She shrugs again as she hands me the leather book. “Not like anyone would see these and think they’re flash. That girl is good. Like, really fucking good. Tell me again why you sent her packing?”

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