Page 17 of Reckless Harmony

Nix pointed to the curtain hanging from a track in the ceiling. “I’ll pull the curtain around us, and you’ll have a paper sheet covering the area that I’m not tattooing.”

Her face was so red that she was sure people walking by the store would see it beckoning to them like a beacon.

“You could put the tattoo somewhere else.” Nix picked up the stencil he’d created. “This is a good size for your calf or forearm.”

That was an impossible solution, but before she could say anything, Nix said, “But I’m guessing you want the tattoo to be easily hidden.”

“Yes,” she said, wishing she didn’t sound quite so pathetic.

Nix didn’t reply, staring silently at her as she warred internally with the decision about whether she could strip half-naked in front of a man.

In front of a man or in front of this man? Because you’re conveniently forgetting that you’ve been naked in front of Abraham multiple times.

Sure, but that was different. Abraham was her boyfriend and not….

Not nearly as handsome as Nix?

No, no, that wasn’t at all what she was thinking. Abraham was… cute. What she’d been thinking was that he wasn’t as intimidating as Nix. Abraham was gentle and calm and would never punch someone in the face.

Nix punched the guy because he was trying to kidnap you, Nola. Have you forgotten that?

She’d been lost in her thoughts for nearly two minutes, and she needed to make a damn decision. Nix was kind enough to tattoo her last minute, and here she was, being a big baby about nothing. Nix saw plenty of bodies when he was tattooing, she was sure of it, and her nakedness wouldn’t even be a blip on his radar.

She wanted a tattoo, and, more importantly, she wanted that dove tattoo. It was exactly what she had pictured in her head, and she knew how lucky she was to find the perfect tattoo from flash art.

She could do this. She hoped.

“Okay,” she said before she could chicken out.

Nix stood up from the rolling stool and pulled the curtain around the tattoo station. He placed a folded paper cover on the bed beside her and pointed to a second rolling stool next to the bed. “You can place your clothes and purse on that stool. Just say my name when you’re ready. Okay?”

She nodded, her throat too tight for her to speak. Nix left, and her hands shaking, she quickly stripped off her thick tights and long skirt, folded them neatly and placed them on the stool with her purse. With another glance at the curtain, she removed her underwear and hid it under her skirt before lying on the bed and covering her lower half with the crinkly paper sheet.

Her heart pounding, she said, “I’m ready, Nix.”

He pulled open the curtain and joined her, drawing it closed behind him. Nola tried not to think about how intimate it felt to be with Nix here in the small, hidden space as she stared at the ceiling.

She listened to the sounds of Nix preparing his station, nodded when he showed her the brand new needle in its wrapping and tried to keep her breath more ‘perfectly calm cat’ and less ‘panting buffalo.’

“Tattoo on your left hip, correct?” Nix asked as he sat on the stool and rolled it close to the bed.

“Yes,” she said, her fingers tightening on the paper sheet.

“I need you to move the sheet so it exposes your left hip,” Nix said, his voice brisk and professional. “If you’re comfortable with exposing your left leg, that will make it a little easier for me, but it’s not necessary to move it from your leg.”

“Uh, no, that’s fine,” she said.

She took another deep breath and carefully shifted the sheet over until her left leg was clear of the paper. Then, hoping Nix didn’t see how badly her hands shook, she moved the top half of the sheet until her hip was exposed. She kept her right hand pressed firmly against her crotch, keeping the sheet tight against it. She didn’t think her hand would be in the way, but even if it were, Nix would have to work around it. She wasn’t risking the sheet pulling up or falling off and exposing her to Nix.

“Perfect,” Nix said. “Can you put your left arm above your waist?”

“Yes.” She tucked her left arm under her head, staring at Nix as he carefully placed the stencil on her skin. He peeled it away and studied her hip for a moment before grabbing a hand mirror and angling it so she could see it.

“What do you think of placement?”

“Perfect,” she said.

“Do you want to stand up so you can see how it looks?” he asked.

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