Page 48 of Until the Ink Dries

I laughed as I playfully fingered his beard. “Don’t be grumpy. Admit it. You’re having fun. Nobody told you to hit that Harlem shake like your name was Lil Bow Wow.”

I hit the dance just for emphasis. He tried his hardest not to smile, but I saw it peeking through. I smirked as I took a seat and waited for my turn. When Charlie was done, she found her way into her father’s lap. I smiled as I watched them share a moment while the artist worked on him.

There was no doubt this little girl loved her daddy to the moon. She sat there talking to him about what she wanted to do next, all the while tracing the patches on his vest or playing with his beard. At one point, she kissed his cheek and told him she loved him and my heart couldn’t take it.

“You wanna do the picture machine, Ms. Willow?”

The sound of Charlie’s tiny voice broke me from my thoughts.

“Sure thing, baby.”

When the artists finally finished with me and Benjamin, Charlie insisted on a selfie. Benjamin snapped a couple of pictures before we finally moved to the picture booth. It was a classic booth, not really big enough for two people, let alone three.

Benjamin was a big man. Not fat, but he was tall, and he had muscles. I, on the other hand, had hips and ass. There was no way we were going to fit comfortably… or so I thought.

Benjamin took a seat on the bench and guided me onto his lap.

“Benny, I’m too heavy?—”

“No, you aren’t,” he said, pulling me close. He mumbled into my ear. “Stay your thick ass right here.”

I gasped as his lips brushed against my neck. Charlie was too busy choosing a frame, so she wasn’t paying us a lick of attention. For a moment, we just stared at each other, lust dancing in our eyes. Maybe Shirah and Jordan were on to something.

I was insanely attracted to this man and I couldn’t deny it. Ellis, who?

“I like this one,” Charlie said, breaking our stare off.

We both blinked and turned our attention to the screen. When she turned to see me sitting on her father’s lap, I could see the gleam of hope in her eyes. She didn’t say anything as she climbed onto his other leg and grabbed my hand.

The timer counted down, and when it got to two, she said, “Say cheese!”

We all smiled before going through several silly faces with her. The more the camera flashed, the happier Charlie seemed to be. By the time we were done, we had a string of pocket sized pictures. I had to admit that they were adorable.

“Thank you,” Benjamin said, quietly.

“For what?”

“Hanging with us today. You came here with Shy and ended up giving us all your attention.”

“Somehow, I don’t think Shirah minded. I’m almost certain this was a setup.”

“Oh, it reeks of Shirah and Jordan for sure. They ain’t slick.”

I giggled. “Not at all. I had a good time, though. Besides, I couldn’t disappoint my new bestie here,” I said, tickling Charlie.

She broke into a fit of giggles and tried to hide behind him. Even still, she allowed me to pick her up. She smiled at me, then kissed my unpainted cheek and rested her head on my shoulder.

“I’m tired,” she said, yawning.

Benjamin blew a breath of relief. “You ain’t said nothing but a word. Daddy’s tired, too. How about we head on out? We can drop Ms. Willow off and get you ready for bed.”

“Okay.”

He reached for her, but I shook my head. “I got her.”

“Give me a second. I’m gonna let Duke know I’m headed out. I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time.”

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