Page 21 of Inked Beasts

There are half a dozen work stations lined up in the space, carefully arranged to allow for an easy flow of foot traffic and minimal disruptions. Kai’s at one of them, working on a gorgeous curvy woman with flaming red hair. The now-familiar jealousy whips through me, and I shove it ruthlessly down. Intent on his work, Kai doesn’t look up when we enter.

“This is very impressive,” I say to Gage, keeping my voice low.

His smile is gentle, but genuine. “Thank you. We’ve worked hard to get here.”

“I can see that. So you have four other artists working for you?”

“Three, at the moment. We’ll hire another one if we find the right fit.”

Another man comes through the door. He’s as big as Kai and Gage, and has an impressive set of tats himself, full sleeves on both arms. “Morning,” he says to Gage, and instead of going to one of the tattoo stations, he settles on a standing stool near the door.

I look from him back to Gage. “You have a bouncer?”

An unmistakable look of embarrassment crosses his face. “Sometimes fans of the show get a little … enthusiastic.”

As if summoned by his words, a group of young women pushes through the entrance, their eyes lighting up when they spot Gage. The bouncer moves nimbly to intercept them. “Good morning, ladies. Do you have appointments?”

Four faces fall in unison. “We just wanted to talk to the guys,” one of them says. “Get some autographs, maybe a selfie, you know.”

“Sure,” he says easily. “In order to let all the artists here focus on their work, we have set times for fans to hang out. Today, it’s from two-fifteen to two-thirty. You’re welcome to come back then.”

The woman who spoke looks sullen, then crafty. “Can we make an appointment?”

“Ember?” The bouncer gestures over a woman who appears to be in her early twenties, who’d been sitting behind a counter in the center of the shop. “Ember handles appointments for all the artists.”

Ember smiles at the women. “We don’t do group appointments, but you’re each welcome to make an individual appointment, and you can bring one other person with you for moral support.”

“How much is an appointment?” the spokeswoman wants to know.

Ember quotes a price for consultations and a range of hourly rates for tattoo work that make the fans’ eyes go wide. They look at each other, then shrug, pretending to be undaunted by the figures. “Whatever.”

The women’s gazes move past the bouncer and Ember to Gage, and they smile and wave; but when they look at me, their expressions turn hostile. “We’ll be back later,” their leader says.

They flounce out and I turn to Gage, dismayed. “You have to deal with that all the time?”

He shrugs, still uncomfortable. “Not all the time, but often enough.”

“Enough that you pay a full-time bouncer,” I murmur, mostly to myself.

“Brax is getting his degree in mechanical engineering. This job lets him make some money while he studies.” Sure enough, I can see now that Brax has a textbook open on a tablet, the device looking almost dainty in his big hand.

The receptionist comes over to us. “This is Ember,” Gage says. “Ember, this is Lexy, an old friend of ours.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say, shaking her hand. “Call me Alex. Are you a student too?”

“In business administration,” she says with a smile. “I don’t have any artistic ability, I’m afraid, but I like being around artistic types.”

I laugh. “Same here. I can barely draw stick figures.”

“Right? I’m always so amazed by the things artists create.”

“We all have our strengths,” Kai says behind us.

LEXY

He’s snuck up on me again. How does such a huge man do that? His dark eyes go from me to Gage and back again, and I see the fire smoldering in them. It’s not jealousy, I don’t think, or not exactly. More a reminder that he intends us to get naked again before long.

He keeps his distance, though, not giving me a kiss or even a hug. I suppose that if he made a big point of being possessive or affectionate here at his workplace, it would bother me. It’s better for him to be professional in this setting.

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