Page 103 of Mayhem
“I wanted to see how your first week was. I also needed to check on your system. The update was already included in yours when I installed it. So, I want to ensure everything works fine since the rollout happened.”
Erin nodded. “I haven’t had any issues with it, but you’d know better than I would if something was wrong.” She paused for a moment. “Ladies, this is my boyfriend, Cruz. Baby, that’s Torei and Dahlia.” She didn’t see the need to introduce him to the client since she didn’t know his name.
“Nice to meet you both,” he stated as they greeted one another. He turned his attention back to Erin. “Have the three of you had lunch?” Cruz asked, and Erin shook her head. It was a little after one, and they probably should. “Why don’t you order something for the three of you, and I’ll check the system,” Cruz suggested, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. He took out one of his cards and handed it to her.
Erin took it, giving him another kiss before sitting behind the receptionist’s desk.
“Torei, come help me choose a place,” she requested. Dahlia seemed to be finishing up, but she’d learned over the past few days that the other woman wasn’t picky about food. Erin wasn’t either, so she didn’t mind deferring to Torei since the youngest had a couple of food allergies.
They chose sushi, and Erin and Torei put in their orders while Dahlia cashed out her customer. When she finished, Erin handed her phone to the other woman to allow her to put hers in before going over and cleaning her station.
When Cruz finished checking her security system, Erin took his hand and led him to the back. She pulled him down to sit on the couch and handed his card back to him.
“Thank you. Was everything fine with the system?”
“You thank me for the smallest things, and yes. It’s fine.”
Erin tucked her leg under her. “I get the feeling you wanted to check on me more than the system.”
“I wanted to make sure your first week went well.”
“It is. It’s been filled with consultations and tattoos. I hope each week is like this and my chosen schedule works out.”
Erin decided to have opening hours from ten to seven, Tuesday through Saturday. She knew there were other shops open until later in the evening and for the entire weekend, but none around her, and she was in a prime location with a lot of foot traffic. She wanted to be able to enjoy her weekends andwanted that for her employees, too. She hoped every week would continue to be as good as the opening one so she wouldn’t have to change it.
“I’m sure it will, Maly.”
They spoke for a few more minutes before Cruz looked at his watch.
“I have to go, baby. I have a meeting in forty-five minutes.”
Erin nodded, and he leaned in and kissed her before they stood. She led him back to the front of the shop, where Cruz told the other women he hoped they enjoyed their lunch, and they thanked him for it. The door had barely closed behind him when Erin felt eyes on her.
“No disrespect. That man is fine,” Dahlia stated.
“I saw him at the opening event, but I didn’t know you were dating,” Torei said.
During the event, they’d kept things professional, and she hadn’t talked about her personal life with the other two women aside from where she’d moved from and how long she’d been tattooing. Everything else was surface level.
“None taken. He is, and the opening was for us to show off our skill and network, not for me to announce I’m dating or for that to be the focus,” Erin responded.
“You have a point,” Torei replied.
“He said he was checking on the security system?” Dahlia questioned.
Erin nodded. “He owns the company that produces and monitors them.”
“He’s fine and rich. I want to be like you when I grow up,” Torei teased, and the three laughed.
Erin sat behind the receptionist’s desk, and they continued to talk about random topics for the next fifteen minutes until their lunch arrived. They moved to the employee lounge area in theback of the shop. They could hear the door if it opened, and from where Dahlia sat, she could easily look around the wall.
After they finished their lunch, Torei got ready for her incoming appointment, and Erin grabbed her tablet and put the finishing touches on a piece she’d be doing the following week while she waited for a consultation she had to show up.
Paetyn grabbed the shaved ice from the cupholder and exited his vehicle. He made the short walk from where he’d parked to Erin’s shop. Two women sitting at stations greeted him when he walked inside.
“Hey, welcome to Ashes to Ink,” Torei greeted. He remembered her from the opening.
“How can we help you?” the other, he assumed was Dahlia, asked with a smile.
