Page 47 of Mayhem
“Glenwood Springs. It isn’t too far,”Cruz informed.
They lapsed into a conversation about the photo shoot all the men participated in the week before forGorgeous’June issue and a couple of tattoos Erin did for some of Chayse’s co-workers. She told them she was considering attending another convention at the end of the month.
Cruz wasn’t sure when Erin would open the shop once they gave it to her. They’d done everything aside from naming it. Once Erin did, they would have a sign made and some advertising done. He’d installed the security system and loaded Erin’s profile.
They continued their dinner as they talked, both men occasionally offering Erin bites of their food. She agreed with Paetyn. Though the veal was good, she preferred the lamb.
Once they were finished with dinner, they ordered dessert, and as they waited for it, Cruz refilled their wine glasses. Erin took a drink before leaning back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other.
“So, Alijah was talking about a couple’s trip in August or September,”Erin informed them. “She doesn’t know where or anything. She brought it up when we were helping her move things around.”
Cruz nodded along with Paetyn. Wherever they went, the end of September would be better. The show that wanted Paetyn to be a judge now had a time frame in which they would be shooting. Their studio forced them to pick a time to shoot even without his answer to reserve production. So, if Paetyn decided to judge, he’d be doing so for four weeks: the last two weeks of August and the first two weeks of September.
“When the three of you decide where you want to go, let us know,”Cruz stated.
When their dessert arrived, Cruz focused on how Erin would lick her fork after each bite of Key Lime pie. She was doing it on purpose, teasing them, but Cruz didn’t mind because come the weekend, he’d be able to make her pay for it.
“Keep licking your fork like that, andI’mgoing to put your tongue to better use,”Paetyn told her in Spanish.
“Do you promise?”Erin inquired in kind, and Cruz lifted an eyebrow.He’dheard that Erin could speak Spanish, but in the almost two years he’d known her, he hadn’t heard her do so.
Paetyn chuckled. “I do.”
When the bill was brought, Cruz placed his credit card on the small tray, handing it back to their server. When it was brought back to them, he signed the receipt while Paetyn handed some cash to the young lady as a tip.
Erin took his hand as they left, slipping her arm through Paetyn’s. Their next destination, her shop.
Paetyn blindfolded Erin five minutes before they got to their destination. He knew she would recognize the area they were going to and didn’t want her guessing before they arrived. He’d been prepared and grabbed one out of his playroom before they’d left home.
When they pulled up in front of the building, Paetyn exited the car and opened Erin’s door. He helped her out, pulling her to him as he closed the car door. Paetyn took the keys to the building out of his pocket and tossed them to Cruz before picking Erin up, eliciting a gasp from her.
“Don’t worry, Angel. I’ve got you.”
Cruz unlocked the door, walked inside, and turned on the light while he held it open as Paetyn carried Erin through. He placed her on her feet, positioning her so she’d be able to see most of the area. He stood behind her, his hands on her waist, as Cruz carefully removed her blindfold.
Her head slowly began to pan the room, and she stepped out of his grasp and walked further into the building. Paetyn watched as she ran her fingers along the sofa against the wall near the door.
She touched the plant beside it before looking over the decor on the wall above the couch. Then, she smelled one of the small plants on the table between the sofa and the larger plant. She continued to the drink and snack station that was set up.
He and Cruz stood out of the way as she went to the reception desk next to the large window. The desktop was glass, and they’d added a point-of-sale system and different small decorative items, such as a couple of candles and tattoo books. A vase with flowers and a large plant were sitting on a stool behind the desk in the corner.
Pegs on the wall behind the desk had faux plants hanging from them and a mirror above them. They’d chosen a brown desk chair and gotten a safe behind the desk to lock up any cash customers paid with. Cruz re-outfitted it with a security panel that could be opened only with Erin’s fingerprint, and they’d had it secured to the floor.
Erin moved to the tattoo stations, and her hand ran over one of the chairs. The dark-colored chairs and stools were offset by gray station drawers, which Erin was opening, and glass-topped rolling design tables with chrome-illuminating lights.
There were mirrors between the three stations, and shelves were mounted to hold different decorations to complement those on the wall. There was a camera in the lefthand corner, one of five housed by the building: four inside and one outside over the door.
Paetyn watched as she opened the door to the private room; he knew what she’d find inside—a similar setup to that in the main area, each side with its own mirror.
“What do you think she’s thinking?”Cruz questioned.
“I think she’s thinking of ways to protest, so be prepared for that,” Paetyn responded.
“Eventually, she will have to get tired of doing that.”
Paetyn agreed with him, but he knew it would take some time. It wasn’t as if they’d been together for years. It was hard for her to accept them wanting to do things for her and take care of her, and they hadn’t been together for a month.
When Erin left the room, she went to the back of the building. Hidden on the other side of the wall was a deep green couch, a yellow chair, and a table on a white and gray rug. They’d added a couple of pillows to the sofa.
