Page 96 of Dark, Forbidden, & Taboo

I’m flirtatious even when I don’t mean to be, however, I find that sometimes it can ease tension and help clients relax instead of being wound as tightly as this little girl’s guardian is.

“You know,” I say as I lean over and rest a hand on Ava’s leg. “I can’t help but feel like I’ve seen you before.”

“Me?” she asks, curiously.

“No,” I reply, shaking my head. “Remember to breathe, I’m going to start,” I say as I power on the machine and press it against her skin. Ava inhales a deep, sharp breath and I glance up at her briefly. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she states through gritted teeth, and I smile. After a few tense moments of wondering if she’s forgotten how to breathe, she finally lets out a deep breath. “Anyway, who do you mean?”

“Huh?”Oh. I forgot already.“Her,” I say, not turning my attention to the woman standing on the other side of Ava.

“Aunt Celeste?” she asks doubtfully.

Celeste? Maybe it’s not her after all.

With a quick shrug, I go back to outlining the anchor, then the birds. About half an hour later, I give the outline a wipe down as I look up at the woman.

“Did you ever go by a different name?” I ask her curiously.

Her mouth becomes a tight line, but she doesn’t answer me.

Ava does.

“Aunt Celeste is her real name. Well, you know what I mean,” she says with a girlish giggle. “But she?—”

“Ava, that’s enough,” Celeste tells her sharply.

“Sorry,” she mumbles as she folds her arms behind her neck.

“Fin!”

I roll my eyes when Rya shouts for me and get to my feet. I set the gun down on the tray before I pull my gloves off, then apologize to my client before I walk quickly out of the room.

“What’s up, Ry?”

When I reach the front of the studio she looks up at me with a nervous expression, chews the inside of her mouth, then waves me over.

I put a hand on the desk as I lean down to peer over her shoulder, then let out a laugh when I see what she has on the computer screen.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” I say quietly.

“Maybe get Oakley to finish the tattoo and take a walk?” she suggests gently as she reaches over and puts a hand on my wrist.

I stand up straight for a moment; years of being subjected to in-school abuse at the hands ofAunt Celeste,and her long, wooden ruler come flooding back to me. I shake my head.

“No, I think I’m going to have some fun.”

“Fin—”

“It’s all good, Ry. I’m not going to return the favor if that’s what you’re worried about,” I tell her with a grin. “Take that shit off the computer and wipe the history. I’m almost done with this tattoo, as it is. They’ll be out of here in no time, so I need to go play.”

I give my older sister a pat on the head before I click my tongue against my teeth, and head back to Ava andAunt Celeste.

And to think when I woke up this morning, I thought tattooing a sixteen year old was going to be a pain in the ass.

Chapter 3

Celeste

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