Chapter 13
SOPH
Currently playing: Wannabe by Spice Girls
Jax has organized a night out with the team to celebrate the end of my first week at King Tattoo. I’m excited to relax and get to know the people I work with better, even though I don’t know how to act around the guy who manages the shop.
People stare at us wherever we go as a group, especially the ladies who do double-takes when we walk past them.
I mean, I’m the only one out of us who doesn’t have any tattoos and lacks that certain badassery that the rest have in spades.
They are like colorful canvases full of art walking around the streets of New York.
And let’s not forget how good-looking they are too.
The guys—Jax, Dom, Spade, and Rogue—are all hot in their unique ways.
Then there’s Nelly, a real-life pin-up girl with tattoos, beautiful dresses, and bright red hair.
I wish I had even half of her confidence.
Still, even though all my coworkers are attractive, my boss is the one who comes to my dreams. I try to avoid thoughts about him, but it’s simply hard to ignore a guy who looks like he does.
Jax’s wearing one of his well-fitted leather jackets today that hugs his toned body.
His hair has been cut, and it’s longer on top, shaved on the sides.
His long sleeves cover most of his tattoos, but some are still there for the rest of us to admire.
Whenever he looks my way, I see my favorite, the Death Moth design.
Nelly notices me watching him. “Girl, you have it bad! I know I teased you about it, but this doesn’t feel like a joke anymore.”
My cheeks feel warm as I try to avoid the topic, embarrassed that she noticed. “Can we not talk about it right now?”
She grabs my arm and squeezes it. “I was just kidding. Guess I hit a nerve with that comment.”
“You did,” I mumble as we stop in front of one of the karaoke bars in the city. I get excited about the possibility of singing something fun tonight and letting loose.
“Who had this brilliant idea of the place?”
Jax clears his throat. “I thought it could be fun to hear Dom and Spade’s unique rendition of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” again.”
Spade pokes him in his ribs. “It wasn’t that horrible. Are you trying to make me punch that pretty face?”
“Oh yeah, mate, sure, you sounded as lovely as seagulls in heat.” Rogue grins, watching the two.
Dom acts like he’s hurt while Spade pushes him closer to the door. We follow them, ready to get the fun started. I haven’t told anyone in this group that I sing. Jax only knows since he’s seen me perform live before.
We walk to the corner table holding three ice buckets filled with alcohol and mixers reserved for us. While mixing us drinks, Nelly’s planning her first song and wants someone to sing with her. “I don’t know if I can go up there alone.”
Jax rubs his face after watching her hopeful expression. “Nelly, I could join you for a duet. My voice isn’t that bad.”
She beams like her biggest wish just came true. “No way, you never sing with us!”
“Maybe tonight is the night,” Jax says, taking another sip of the vodka soda Nelly handed him only a moment earlier.
It’s precisely the right thing to say as Nelly jumps up and down before hugging Jax, who manages to give his drink to Spade just in time.
She gives him a peck on the cheek, and they both laugh.
I turn around and get a funny feeling in my stomach.
My hands form into fists as the smile on my lips vanishes.
I get up and tell my team I need to go to the ladies.
I can still hear Jax’s deep and throaty laugh as I walk toward the restroom, trying to ignore the feeling that I shouldn’t feel toward my boss.
It can’t be him that I lust after. Even though my track record isn’t the best, crushing on my boss feels like a new low.
Our table erupts with catcalls and hooting when it’s time for Jax and Nelly’s duet. The duo walks to the stage, whispering animatedly. Nelly didn’t want to ruin the song for Jax before they were on stage, so I wonder what they are talking about.
The first notes of “I Love Rock ’N Roll” by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts start playing from the speakers. Jax glances at Nelly when he realizes what they’re performing. She smiles and shrugs her shoulders in a way that makes us laugh.
“This should be fun,” Spade snickers beside me.
“It looks like jefe is finally getting a taste of his own medicine,” Dom continues before high-fiving Rogue.
“What does jefe mean?” I ask and take another sip of my drink.
He looks at me, grinning widely. “It means boss in Spanish. I call him that because I know it strokes his fragile ego to be called the boss.”
I chuckle, even my brain shouts thank you, amigo, but I didn’t need another reminder that he’s our boss. But before I have time to say anything aloud, Jax starts singing.
What I don’t expect is that he knows how to sing. Holy fucking shit.
That voice, like satin, wraps around me, making me feel warm instantly. I’m hot and bothered like someone decided to shock my entire system and show that there’s much more to a guy I should not find attractive.
Based on our conversation last year, I knew that Jax played guitar and still plays with Ollie and Eli, but that doesn’t always mean that person can sing.
I once dated a guy who was talented with his fingers in more ways than one, but when he tried to sing, it was like a bunch of screeching alley cats.
I was prepared for something similar with Jax too.
But, of course, things couldn’t be that simple with him.
Once again, Jackass Bennett wins. And I can’t stop watching him as he performs one of my favorite songs that my da played nonstop when I was little.
Nelly joins Jax, and their voices go well together. Their stage presence captures everyone in the room. People are singing, dancing, and whistling, giving their all to join the show. It’s like we are at a live concert, and everyone is soaking up the energy on the stage.
After the duo finishes, the rest of the bar cheers them on. There are shouts for an encore, but ignoring everyone, Jax walks towards our table, and our eyes meet over the others. He lifts his right eyebrow, a move that I take as a challenge.
Walking onto the stage twenty minutes later, I hear my team and other patrons cheering.
I adjust the mic to be at the right level with my mouth and take a deep breath to focus on my performance.
There have been hundreds before, but each time, the first minute feels like I’m singing for the first time.
The song I picked tonight is one of my favorites to perform.
It’s fun, flirty, and brings out a good mood in me.
“Hey, Brooklyn, what's up?” I say to the mic. “My name’s Soph Kennedy, and this song goes to every 90’s baby in the audience.”
The backing track plays from the overhead speakers, and the first audience members cheer. I don’t know who whistles from our table, but I smile their way. As I start singing, everything else but him disappears.
I would remember the lyrics even if I closed my eyes. But I keep them open to see his reactions to my performance. He swallows and keeps looking my way when he realizes I picked my childhood favorite, “Wannabe” by Spice Girls.
As I keep going, listing all the qualities I expect from someone who wants to be my lover, I relax. I move my hips and dance like nobody's watching.
After I sing the last note, all my new friends stand up, and Spade whistles while the others laugh at Jax’s stunned reaction.
I bow to show my gratitude to the audience for their enjoyment and excited claps.
Standing to my full height, I look directly at Jax, and the corners of his mouth turn up.
That one little gesture reminds me of the night he walked into the bar.
And it starts something inside me. A fire that I can’t extinguish.
“Holy fuck, woman, you can sing,” Nelly shouts over the next performer once I get to our table a minute later.
I smile at her and make myself a new drink as I can’t tell where I left my previous one. “Thanks. Performing has always been close to my heart.”
“Anything else we should know about you?” Rogue asks from my right.
“I also play guitar and piano but haven’t been able to play since the accident. Let’s see if I can start to practice soon.” I lift my arm now that my sling was removed earlier today.
“I knew something was different about you tonight,” Dom laughs.
Jax and Spade are in the middle of a conversation when the rest of us take shots. Vodka burns my throat and the smell of it reminds me of the night of the accident as Jax was drinking vodka that night. Remembering the little detail, the entire room around me starts to spin.
“I need air,” I tell the table as I hastily start walking toward the front door. I have to stop and lean against the wall as I don’t feel too good. This happens at times when I think about that night. But I thought I was doing better this week.
When I keep walking, I feel him behind me. It can’t be anyone else, as my body only reacts like this when he is near. I still keep walking forward without looking back. Once I make it outside, I stop near the entrance and turn around.
“What do you want from me?”
Those damn beautiful eyes stare at me, their depths filled with so much emotion. “Are you okay?”
I let out a humorless laugh. “Like you care.”
“Darling, you have no idea what I'm feeling.”
His comment is confusing the hell out of me. The only way I know how to answer him is to say something snarky. “I'm not your darling. You don't have the right to that.”
“You could be if you asked nicely.”
After his comment, I don’t think. It’s like his proximity is frying my brain, and I can’t seem to think clearly.
Instead, I do what my heart wants and close the gap between our bodies.
Jax’s pupils get more prominent as I put my hand on his chest before I press my lips against his.
Time freezes as we stand there without moving.
Fuck, did I read the situation wrong?
Before I have time to pull away, he finally moves his lips, kissing me back.
Tilting his head, Jax deepens the kiss and brings our bodies closer.
I grab his t-shirt as he strokes his pierced tongue across my lips, and I open them for him.
It’s like we have done this many times, even if it’s the first time.
The steel on his tongue adds to the experience.
I can feel him everywhere as our tongues explore.
His half-mast erection gets harder with every second that passes, and it turns me on more.
Jax grinds himself against me, and I moan like I haven’t had pleasure in ages.
I can’t get enough of him. Enough of the taste of mint on his tongue.
Enough of this feeling that only he manages to wake up in me.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” I moan between the kisses.
He laughs against my lips. “Then stop, Kennedy.”
“I can’t. I want your body too much to stop, Jax.”
He stops and hums happily. “You just called me Jax.”
“Sorry, Jackass. Better?”
“Let’s not forget that you want me.”
“Oh, stop it. You know you’re hot. No need to stroke your ego anymore.”
“I would rather get something else stroked. I bet you feel it too.”
Damn it. I do, and I want more of whatever this is. “What if we get out of here?”
“Sounds great. My place is only fifteen minutes away.”
Before I can regret my decision, I stop the nearby taxi and turn to him. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”