Page 26 of Fox
My eyes scan over the guys. Ash and Derek are going over a sketch of Ash’s back piece coming up. Atlas is nowhere to be found, and Fox has his back to me as he tattoos a curvy blonde who has no pants on. The uncomfortable feeling rushingthrough my body makes me feel hot as my stomach twists in a way that makes me both angry and nauseous.
“Hey!” Atlas’ voice calls from behind me, causing me to jump and clutch my chest. “You finally came back!” He grins as he walks from the direction of the supply closet.
“Yeah, I was feeling under the weather,” I say, not taking my eyes off the woman. What is she saying to make Fox laugh so hard? How can she be that comfortable talking to him in her underwear? There is no way she isthatfunny. And where is the pad to cover her exposed areas?
“Fox said you had business to take care of,” Atlas states in confusion, bringing my attention back to him.
“Huh? Yeah, and then I caught a cold.” I say defensively as I glance back over to Fox. “So, who’s the blonde?” I ask before I can stop myself. Atlas chuckles, and a devious grin forms over his annoying face.
“What’s it to ya, red?” He gives me a knowing look that I do not appreciate. I put my hand on his face and shove him away before walking up to Fox. I’ll just say a quick hello and then go to the front counter. It’s not a big deal. But if that’s the truth, why is my heart trying to pound out of my chest? As I walk up to Fox’s station, the blonde and I make eye contact. She stares me up and down, and I notice her features harden. Why is she acting so standoffish? Wait, why am I?
“Good morning, Fox,” I say, hoping I sound as casual as possible.
“Hey Torch.” He says, and I’m annoyed that he sounds so unfazed.Must be nice.Except I know how these guys are. I’m sure what happened between Fox and me is probably nothing new for him. And that whole phone call and the sweet pet name he called me, he probably says that to all the girls. It stings when his eyes don’t leave the girl’s thigh. He’s wearing his adorable glasses again, and I hate what it’s doing to my body.
“You’re new. I haven’t seen you before.” The blonde gives me a fake smile before I can walk away.
“Oh no!” I laugh and tuck a strand of my straight hair behind my ear. Or I attempt to. My curly hair is long, but straight, it’s down to my hips. It takes hours to straighten my hair, and I hate doing it. I feel like it makes me look mean or cold. Though right now, I’ll use it to my advantage with this girl. “I’m Janie Pierce. My father was Tony Pierce, the owner and founder of the shop.” Did I need to say all of that in my introduction? No. But for some reason, I feel I need to make sure she knows that this is my arena, and these are my guys.
Wait, my guys?Goddamn it. The blonde’s fake smile turns genuine, and I’m shocked by the swift change. “Oh, hey! I’m Lauren. Everyone calls me Ren. I’m a regular around here. Fox has been my guy for years!”
Her guy?No… Janie, stop it. Fox is allowed to be someone’sguy.You and he are not—
“She’s my attorney. The fuck happened to your hair?” I wince at Fox’s abrupt question while Lauren swats his arm scoldingly. Pretty ballsy considering he’s holding a tattoo machine.
I blink several times, stunned by his words. Wow, they actually hurt me? Fox Simmons hurt my feelings. Damn it, Janie, you’re getting weak with the enemy!
“I’m going out tonight for my birthday.” My voice betrays me when the words come out smaller than I mean for them to.
“With who?” Fox’s intense gaze sends my nerve endings into overdrive, and I feel the almost completely faded hickey on my breast tingle as memories of him—no, stop it.
“Oh, happy birthday!” Lauren grins, interrupting the really awkward moment between Fox and me. She seems lovely; her eyes remind me of rich, warm chocolate.
I notice her eyes flick from me to Atlas, who’s singing poorly, toPieceof Meby Britney Spears. Her cheeks turn a crimsoncolor, and I can’t help but smile. Does she have a thing for the shop idiot? Peering over Fox’s shoulder, I stare at his work. As always, it’s perfect. The large, colorful flowers are perfectly placed down her hip and thigh.
“Your tattoo is beautiful.” Lauren beams at me.
“Thank you! Fox is the only guy I trust to tattoo me.”
“Why don’t you continue to break my heart, Ren!” Atlas calls from his station, where he is setting up for his appointment. She rolls her eyes, but her still-pink cheeks give her away.
“Well, I won’t interrupt you anymore,” I say softly before heading to the front of the shop. I turn back, and my eyes lock with Fox’s. We stare at each other for what feels like the longest second of my life before he breaks contact and smiles back at Lauren, and I’m left wondering, why does Fox care who I’m going out with tonight?
I lookmyself over in the mirror in my dad’s old office as I finish getting ready for Brody to pick me up to go to the club. Part of me, no, all of me, wishes I could drive there myself and avoid the awkward car ride. But it will cause unnecessary rumors about our breakup to start, and I think it’s something that neither of us wants. Brody stopped the talks about me abusing him. He didn’t say that it was made up, but he has refused to comment on anything, which is better than nothing. Sort of.
The reflection in the mirror isn’t me; it’s Jai, and I sigh as I smooth down my outfit. The short champagne-colored wrap cami dress fits me perfectly, and I’ve paired it with black wrap-up heels. My makeup is flawless; not a freckle in sight with theamount of concealer and foundation I have on. My eyebrows are filled in and perfectly arched. My lips look swollen and kissable in the dark nude lipstick, and my light blue eyes are bright in contrast to the dark smoky effect of my eyeshadow. I look like I have the best filter on. But even still, I make sure to add the appropriate filters as I take selfies and small videos to upload later for content.
The amount of hate I’ve been receiving over my last two uploads where I hadn’t added the filters has really hurt my mental health, and I don’t have it in me to deal with another round of it. Last night, I scrolled through a content creator tip site, and one of the ‘tips’ was to take a social media break. I had to laugh at that. People who take those breaks either are not big enough that it will matter or are so big that they can get away with it. I’m huge, but due to my branding myself as atrend influencer,if I disappear for more than a couple of days, I lose sponsor prospects, trends, trendy hashtags, or drama to put my opinion on. The last thing you want as an influencer is to show up late with opinions that are no longer relevant.
Making my way back toward the tattoo area, my sharp heels click against the tile with every step I make. I spot Fox standing with Atlas and Lauren, drinking from a water bottle and joking about something I can’t hear.
“Is Brody here yet?” I ask as I walk up to them.
Fox turns to look at me, and I watch his jaw fall toward the floor, along with his water bottle.
“Fuck.” He hisses as he clumsily reaches for some paper towels and bends over to soak up the water on the floor. I wince as he bumps his head on the tray on his way down. His cheeks start to redden as he moves his gaze back and forth between me and the spilled water.
“Damn girl!” Atlas whistles, looking me up and down. “He ain’t here, but if I had a girl looking like you, I wouldn’t be lettingher wait around.” I roll my eyes at his comment but can’t help noticing Lauren shifting uncomfortably behind him. I watch as her arms wrap around her abdomen as if she is self-conscious. Instantly, I feel guilty for making another woman feel bad about herself. I never want to do that to another woman because I know what it’s like. That’s how all the women in my world are.
