Chapter 10
SOPH
Currently playing: Groundhog Day by Em Beihold
I’m walking toward the Brooklyn location of King Tattoo four weeks after my accident.
It was pelting down all weekend, but fate finally decided to give me a break.
This morning is one of the sunniest I’ve experienced in a month.
It also might be that I was rarely up before noon when working at Warm'n'Cool. When I see the first glimpse of the storefront, my stomach turns unpleasantly. I’m beyond nervous to walk in after destroying Jax’s bike and landing in the hospital.
It's the first time I'll see Jax after his visit, and I hope we both know how to be professional.
I blush at being called pretty. “Gracias.”
He smiles and nods as I walk into King Tattoo ahead of him.
It’s the first time I’ve seen the place in person, and the pictures don’t do it any justice.
The walls are a dark shade of red, like sangria.
It somehow calms the shop and invites you in, even though the color would be too much somewhere else.
The waiting area has sizable black leather sofas and a coffee table with black binders.
I open one of them with my right hand, and as expected, different tattoo designs greet me from the pages.
I put the binder away and look around the space, finding art covering more than half of the walls.
Most of them are detailed tattoo designs that must take hours to put on someone’s skin.
I also spot charcoal portraits of people and other art pieces.
It feels like home with these small artsy details.
I walk to a wall with framed photos of customers and see at least seven players of the local ice hockey team, The Peacocks—I only recognize them because Haisley’s dad is the GM of the team.
Haisley often invites me to be her plus one to different charity events and games, so I’ve met many of the players.
I even had a fling with one of the guys last year before he got traded.
Somewhere in the shop, a door opens and closes. I hear Jax before I see him. The hair on my neck stands up, and goosebumps cover my arms.
“Dom. I’ve been waiting for you to help me with something, amigo.”
“Buenos días jefe, let me grab a cup of coffee, and we can go over it. But before that, someone’s waiting up front.”
I turn to the sound of their voices when I realize that the guy is referring to me. When Jax comes from around the corner, I swallow a moan that tries its best to get out. The way he looks should be illegal in at least ten states.
His rolled-up shirt sleeves reveal his toned arms full of designs—I can see a compass, roses, a skull, and more colorful images across his skin.
His black hair is just like when he was drinking at the bar.
And those green eyes haunting my dreams look me up and down, making my body shiver.
My over-the-top reactions to him need to stop before he notices.
Looking down at myself, I realize that maybe my outfit wasn’t the best for my first day working in a new place.
I had no idea what to wear and decided to put on the edgiest clothes in my entire closet.
I’m unsure if they go well with my sling, which I have to wear for a few more days, but at least I look good if I ignore it.
My lacy shirt has long sleeves and a built-in tank top, ensuring that not too much skin shows.
My wetlook leggings are like leather pants without making me feel too warm, and my high heel boots are similar to those I wore when driving Isla.
Clearing his throat, Jax forces a smile, looking unhappy to be in the same room with me.
“Miss Kennedy, welcome to King Tattoo. It looks like you met Dom—he’s one of our tattoo artists.
I’m sure you’ll meet the rest later today.
Nelly should arrive here any minute, and she usually brings us something sweet like cookies on Monday mornings. ”
If I’m not mistaken, he seems a bit nervous too. I’m glad I’m not the only one. “Morning, Mr. Bennett.” I want to roll my eyes for calling him that. “And yeah, Dom arrived at the same time as me.”
“Cool. Um, let’s start with a shop tour, and then I’ll show you the booking system. You take calls, make bookings, and plan rearrangements if needed. I would ask if you’re familiar with handling money, but I assume my cousin covered all that in the interview before hiring you.”
I don’t miss the bite in his voice as he speaks. “King was very thorough while we chatted; thanks for asking.”
“Glad to hear,” Jax says, sarcasm lacing his tone, and turns around without another word.
I follow him around the shop as he continues telling me more about my new job and what he expects from me.
It all seems straightforward and something I can see myself enjoying.
He keeps his tone neutral and professional the entire time.
No jokes or any innuendos like I expected.
The shop has private rooms for every tattoo artist, and each artist is responsible for their workspace.
If Jax wants to hire more people, two empty rooms are available in the back.
The stock room next to the small employee break room has long walls covered in shelves holding everything you need for tattooing.
My favorite part is all the bottles of ink in assorted colors.
After the first fifteen minutes of the onboarding, the front door opens, and a flurry of red hair and bright tattoos fill my vision. The smell of jasmine and sugar cookies flows around us as the newcomer hugs me. I try to wrap my head around a random person touching me like we’re best friends.
The stranger must sense my stiffness as she steps away and looks me up and down. “Oh shit, did I hurt your arm?”
“No, it’s all good.”
She lets out a relieved sigh and keeps looking at me with wonder in her eyes. “Oh my, you’re even more gorgeous than Jax described!”
“Um, thanks, I guess.”
Jax must sense my hesitation. “Sophia, meet Nelly, one of our tattoo and body modification artists. Nelly, this is our new hire, Sophia.”
I remember Jax mentioning someone named Nelly bringing baked goodies every Monday.
I smile as I glance down to see where she stopped to buy the cookies.
The bag has the sticker of my parents’ bakery— it's only a twenty-minute walk from here.
I can easily walk to work and back on sunny days like today.
“Just call me Soph,” I inform Nelly, who smiles from ear to ear. She looks like she’s ready to burst with excitement. I find it odd yet endearing.
“Sorry, Soph, but I’m just so excited to be rid of the Wicked Witch of the West that I got carried away. If you don’t like hugs, I’ll stop giving them. Just tell me, and I will behave, I promise.”
I snort before I can stop myself, and a laugh bubbles out of me.
The Wicked Witch of the West is an accurate way to describe Tiffany based on my impression of her.
I can’t stop snickering, and Nelly joins me.
Someone clears their throat behind us after a while.
We turn around to see Jax with arms crossed over his chest.
“Sorry, Jax, but you know your ex wasn’t my favorite person,” Nelly giggles.
Jax rolls his eyes. “Whatever. But for now, let’s finish getting Sophia settled. You can gossip later.”
Nelly narrows her eyes, lined with dark eye makeup. “Why do you look like you’re ready to bite someone, boss?” She puts weight on her last word, which tells me that she rarely calls him that.
Jax snorts. “I’m calm like a bomb. I need to get our newest employee trained so that I can continue doing my normal tasks like managing my fucking shop.”
“I’ve got my first appointment in 15 anyway, so I better prepare. Lovely to meet you, Soph. I’ll leave the bag of sugar cookies in the break room. Help yourself. The bakery I got them from is the best in the tri-state area.”
I don’t miss how Nelly uses my nickname, even though Jax seems to have forgotten it over the past weeks. “Lovely to meet you, too, Nelly. My parents will absolutely love that compliment.”
“No way—I had no idea. I go there like every week as I live nearby!”
“That’s cool. Let me know when you’re ready for lunch, and we can get something together.”
She smiles and tells me that she can’t wait. After Nelly leaves the shop’s spacious front room, I’m left alone with Jax, who grinds his jaw.
“You know, you could at least smile once in a while,” I tell him.
Jax turns around and does an over-the-top smile that compares to Heath Ledger’s Joker. “Happy now?”
I huff and pick up the manual for the cash register Jax handed me before Nelly waltzed in. When he notices that I’m done talking with him, he leaves the room without saying a word.
Isn’t this just going to be fun?
A few hours later, Nelly comes out of her room with two college girls who went in to get pierced.
When you look at Nelly, you don’t miss her love for body modifications.
She must have at least ten earrings, her nose has a total of three rings, and I don’t think that’s all of her piercings.
The well-fitted dress she wears today shows her tiny frame and multiple tattoos too.
Beautiful colorful flowers decorate her right arm, whereas her left arm is all black and white with more futuristic designs.
When she sees me, she shoots me a brilliant smile and gestures to the girl who looks worse for wear. “Soph, sweetie, could you please get a bottle of water and apple juice for my client?”
A moment later, I return from the break room, holding both bottles in one hand. The girl who looked ghostly white earlier is getting hugged by her friend. I hold out the drinks and offer a small smile. “Here’s your water and apple juice. I hope you’ll feel better soon.”
The girls thank me, and I return to the desk, opening last month’s books to match the receipts.
Ten minutes go by until the friend comes over.
“My friend is deeply sorry for puking all over that room there. We were partying last night, and it seems like her stomach couldn’t handle getting her nipples pierced after that. ”
I offer her a reassuring smile. “It’s no big deal—it happens to the best of us. Just make sure your friend drinks enough water and keeps herself hydrated. It should help.” As an afterthought, I add, “Do you need anything else? Another bottle of water or more apple juice?”
“Thanks, we’ll be fine.” The friend smiles and walks back to the sofas. I hear the girls whisper but can’t determine what they are saying.
Returning to my task, I can sense Jax next to me before he even says a thing.
“That was solid advice,” he finally admits.
I let my lips form a small smile. “Glad you approved my assessment, Mr. Bennett.”
Jax’s jaw muscles flex, and I’m sure he’ll break his teeth if he keeps grinding them together like that. But after a while, he mutters under his breath and leaves me alone once again. I laugh as I swear I heard him say how I’d be the death of him and his sanity.
After the girls leave, Nelly and I walk to the deli six doors down from King Tattoo.
She orders a vegetarian falafel wrap, and I order my regular—the Italian sub.
She suggests that we have a picnic and take our orders to the park nearby.
Sitting down on a bench, I enjoy the fresh air and sunshine on my skin.
I love this time of year when it isn’t too hot, but days are still warm enough for sitting outside.
After a long, hot New York summer, it’s refreshing to have beautiful fall days like today before the leaves start turning red and nights get chilly.
After Nelly helps me unwrap my sub, I take a bite and moan. “This is so freaking good. Damn, I was going to bring packed lunches with me, but that isn’t happening if I can get my favorite sub at that deli.”
Nelly giggles. “You could always bring lunch with you most days and have lunch out once or twice a week. That’s what I do. It saves money, but I get to enjoy different lunches weekly.”
While we eat, we talk about the new job and what it’s like working at the shop. And suddenly, Nelly gives me a look—all smiles and arched eyebrows. “Okay, so what’s up with you two? I know you crashed his bike, but that isn’t how a guy looks at someone who stole their most prized possession.”
I wrinkle my nose. “What do you mean?”
“Jax looks like he either wants to strangle or kiss you. I’m not a hundred percent sure which one yet. But I’m starting to think it’s the latter. Or maybe he wants to fuck you to get all that anger out.”
Her comment makes me snort, and my drink goes up my nose. I start coughing, and it burns so badly that my eyes water. Nelly looks apologetic while patting my back. “I guess I should try to be more discreet with new people. But this is how I talk with everyone.”
I wave my hand. “It isn’t that. I just totally disagree with you about Jax.”
“Look at you! You’re all flustered. Are you sure you don’t feel the same about him?”
“I’m sure. I dislike, almost hate, the guy, but since he’s my manager, I’m trying my best to be as civil as possible.” I look at Nelly, who is grinning. “Shit, I shouldn’t have said that. Never mind, forget what I just said.”
She takes hold of my arm and gives it a light squeeze. “Don’t worry, Soph. I’m good friends with Jax, but I wouldn’t discuss these things with him. Like I told him earlier today, I wasn’t a huge fan of his ex, and having you around already feels much better.”
I somehow believe her, even though I just met Nelly this morning. “Thanks. It’s just that I’m still trying to get over the events that led me here. Not my proudest moment.”
Nelly nods and changes the subject to her job and different tattoo designs.
She gets excited when I tell her I love art and drawing.
I show my sketches on my phone, and she shows hers next.
It’s great knowing I have someone like her working with me.
Now I need to feel comfortable being around Jax daily.