Page 116 of Whips and Chains
He wasn’t wrong.
Levi stopped and faced Dax.
He smiled. “What I was going to say is you’re too fucking talented to be sweeping my freaking floors. I don’t need a cleaner.” He eyed Levi. “But if the rest of your drawings are as good as the one you brought me a few weeks back then, brother, you need an apprenticeship.”
Levi lifted his head. “Seriously?”
Dax shrugged a shoulder. “Pay is shit. Hours are shit. Yeah, you probably will end up cleaning and doing lunch runs, but when I see someone with talent like yours, I’d much prefer to train them up and have them as a part of my team than have them go work for someone else and then kick myself in a few years when they’re making bank for another store.” He glanced around the empty room. “I know it doesn’t seem it right now, atten in the morning, but it does get pretty busy around here. So we could use the help.”
“I’ll take whatever you’re offering,” Levi said quickly.
Dax nodded. “I’m offering you a career. Work hard. Practice your skills. And we’ll let you get a gun on some real skin in no time.”
“He already tattooed himself,” I couldn’t help but add proudly. “It’s really good.”
Dax raised an eyebrow. “Let’s see it then.”
Levi hesitated then let go of my hand to pull off his shirt.
“Oh wow,” Nyah squeaked, staring up at my name on Levi’s chest. “That’s so pretty.” She shot a look at me and mouthed, “Oh my God.”
I couldn’t help but grin.
I felt the same way every time I remembered he had my name permanently etched in his skin.
Dax leaned in and inspected the fresh ink in a much more clinical manner.
“It’s not perfect,” Levi said self-consciously.
Dax stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets. “No, it’s not. But fuck, man. It’s pretty damn good. A hell of a lot better than my first tattoo. You’ll start this weekend, yeah?”
Levi grinned as he tugged his shirt back on over his head. “Whenever you want me to.”
The two of them shook hands, sealing the deal.
Just like that, Levi had landed himself his dream job. And I couldn’t have been happier for him.
Nyah clapped excitedly. “We should go out and celebrate! We can double date!”
That seemed bold of her, considering she and Dax had what? Hooked up at Psychos and now again this morning? It was quite a leap to go from there to a double date.
But Dax was also nodding. “That’d be fun. Maybe not right now in the middle of the morning, but one night? Dinner and drinks?”
Levi glanced at me. “What do you think?”
All three of them turned to me hopefully. “I’ve never been on a double date,” I admitted.
Nyah tucked her arm into mine. “It’ll be fun. We can get drunk and dance and the guys will watch us from the bar, and when other men come to try to dance with us they’ll storm over and be all, ‘get your hands off my woman!’”
Levi and Dax both frowned at that, but Nyah ignored them.
“Say yes,” she begged me.
“Of course, yes. Sounds fun.”
The guys fell into a conversation about inks and what hours Levi would work, and Nyah announced she and I were going to walk down to Clean Sweep to pick up the jacket she’d left there at our meeting earlier in the week.
Levi glanced up at me worriedly, but I waved him off.
