Page 48 of Open Road (Tattooed Hearts Duet 3)

“I’m part of the tattoo competition.”

“Really, that’s cool. Which booth?”

I turned and pointed to ours. “Tattooed Hearts. See that scary dude? That’s one of my boyfriends. He’s mad I left him to deal with the people,” I teased.

The guy laughed, nodding at Slade. “I’ll have to stop by and check out your stuff later.” He handed me the bag, and I noticed how he was respectful and didn’t try to cop a feel.

“Thanks. I can’t wait to wear them. And please stop by.”

He smiled, nodding, going to the next customer. I managed to find another bathroom and pulled the booty shorts on. I was glad they’d been sealed beforehand, though I was almost desperate enough to wear them even if they hadn’t been. I pulled up the hip-hugging shorts and instantly knew I needed more.

“Oh man, these are amazing.” Shoving my skirt down, I made a mental note to look at more of their designs when I walked by because I needed more. Maybe I’d get Simon some of the guys kind. He’d be totally down for it.

When I walked back to the booth, the announcer was going over the contest rules and stating how this was the end of the first leg of the competition. He briefly ran through the rankings, and I was surprised when we were in third. I hadn’t been paying much attention to the standings since we were just doing this for fun.

Slade eyed me as I skirted around the table, grabbing my design to verify with the client, but thankfully, he was busy with his own, so he couldn’t ask me anything.

Printing it out, I began to set up my table when I realized what was wrong. I looked under the booth, behind it, and on Slade’s, but all of my ink was gone.

“Fiddlesticks!”

“What?” Slade asked, stopping what he was doing.

“My ink is gone. Someone took it.”

Slade’s nostrils flared, and he glanced over at Lee, who did everything in his power to keep his gaze off us. A LiveIt official walked up, noticing that we hadn’t started.

“Everything alright?”

“Someone tampered with my ink. It’s gone.”

She eyed the stand and looked back at me. “You can’t leave the area once the timer starts, so I’m afraid you’ll have to withdraw from today’s competition.”

My heart sank, my head dropping as I tried to hold back the tears. My recklessness would cost me this time.

“She can use mine,” Slade said, stopping the official from doing whatever she was about to. “I’ll withdraw if I need to in her place.”

I looked up, shaking my head that he didn’t have to, even though I knew he would do what he wanted. Zane and Simon walked up as we started to argue about who would continue.

“What’s going on?” Simon asked.

“I’m withdrawing. Lennox, get started. You need all of your time,” Slade said, leaving no room for argument. He pushed his cart over, unscrewing my gun and putting the ink pot on mine. Sighing, I knew there was no stopping him at this point.

Sitting down, I smiled weakly at the client as I placed the tattoo transfer on her thigh. Simon walked up behind me, massaging my shoulders. He put my earbuds in my ears a few seconds later, and I took a deep breath, trying to block out all the outside. I felt this was Lee’s doing, but we couldn’t prove it, and dwelling on it now wouldn’t help.

With the assistance of some good music, I fell into my groove, blocking out the world as I began my tattoo.

When I looked up a few hours later, I wiped the sweat from my brow as I glanced around, looking for the clock. A sigh left me as I realized I’d made it. I had five minutes left. Standing, I stretched my neck and fingers as an official took a picture. It looked like I was the last one, but it was done, and that was all that mattered after the rough start.

“I love it,” the girl said. I couldn’t remember her name; too many other things on my mind this time.

“I’m glad. It’s beautiful.” She beamed at me, listening as Slade went over the aftercare for me. I slumped down into Simon’s arms, letting him hold me. I was beat, and the thought of singing tonight no longer felt exciting.

“I’m so tired of people trying to steal something from me,” I whispered, a tear falling. I wiped it away, not wanting them to see it.

“I know you are, Lenn. But no matter how much they try, they never succeed. People always want to steal your sunshine because you shine so bright. You do it so effortlessly that they don’t understand it, so they try to take it. You can’t give up your dream. Not now. So take a moment to recharge, but find that fire that is all you, and rally. We’ll be right here when you’re ready.”

He kissed my forehead, and I knew he was right. This was just a blip, but it didn’t have to be how the story ended. Closing my eyes, I breathed in Simon’s scent, letting it center me as I relaxed in his arms.

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