Page 5 of Arris, Jayme & Dyani
“Yeah, for real.” Dyani laughed. “Why do you sound so shocked by that?”
“I don’t even know,” I admitted. I shook my head and took a drink from my glass. “The way Darryl talks about you made it seem like you were much younger than him.”
“Yeah. He does that. I think it’s part of his overprotective brother thing he has going on.”
“That sounds about right.” I leaned back in my seat. Dyani sat up in hers.
She leaned forward and propped her face up on her hands. Her eyes traveled up my chest to my eyes and back down in aquick flick. I smirked because I knew that look. I licked my lips and shook my head.
Dyani was a beautiful woman but ultimately that didn’t mean shit. She was Darryl’s sister and that was all she was going to be when it came to me.
“So, how do you decide how much art is worth?” I asked in an attempt to navigate shit into safer territory.
“What do you mean?”
“Art is subjective, right? So how do you determine what art is worth the big bucks in your line of work?”
“A lot of it is definitely preference but a few different factors go into pricing. You have to look at what’s trending right now and what’s classic, how well known the artist is and their reputation, if the piece is a one of one or if there are prints available, how often the artist releases new work, materials used and the time spent creating the work. Some people value art more the older it is too, so if it’s dated that can help or hinder the process.” She clasped her hands in front of her and tilted her head slightly as she regarded me. “Why? Are you thinking about buying some art?”
“Nah. Just curious.” I shrugged.
“Okay. So how do you price your tattoos?”
“It’s based on size, complexity, and labor hours. That’s it. Why? Are you thinking about getting something done?” I asked.
“Maybe.” Dyani lifted an eyebrow. “Is that an offer?”
“It can be. Just let me know.”
“Yeah, okay.”
We both looked at the waiter as he walked over with our food, placing it on the table between us.
We ate in silence. Dyani messed around on her phone so I did the same, checking in on Blake and smiling as pictures of him from his day poured in.
The steak was amazing and the sides were just as good. I paid for both of us and tipped well.
Dyani fell asleep during the car ride to D-Ville. I didn’t blame her considering she’d spent most of her day traveling.
I parked in my usual spot and sat in the car for another thirty minutes, just letting Dyani sleep while I listened to music and chilled for a little bit. When I felt like I couldn’t just sit around anymore, I reached over and lightly tapped her out of her sleep.
“Ay. Come on. Get up.” I tapped her again and watched her slowly blink herself awake.
She yawned and stretched before looking at me. She stared at me, obviously only half awake.
“Hm?”
“Let’s get you inside. I’ve got a key to Darryl’s spot and can get you in.”
“Okay.” Dyani nodded but it was obvious that she was only partially aware of what was going on.
We grabbed her bags and I took her up to Darryl’s apartment. We were both quiet while she tried to come out of her sleep induced haze. I got her bags just within the door frame and glanced around out of habit.
“Thanks again for the ride,” Dyani offered.
“Yeah. No problem.” I reached in my pocket for my wallet, pulled it out, and grabbed an old school business card.
“If you decide you’re serious about that ink, let me know.” I offered it to her.
