Chapter 15 CRANE
FIFTEEN
CRANE
“Tattooing your first is always nerve-wracking.” Rafe yawns, focusing on the laptop in front of him. “But I’m back-to-back all day, so the walk-ins will be yours. Half price, so you’ll be busy.”
I cough, sure he’s joking.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
Rafe frowns.
“What else are you gonna do all day? Sit there looking pretty?”
I swallow, glancing toward the door.
I’ve only been here a few weeks, but Rafe is a hands-on kind of guy. He believes in just going for it.
“What if I fuck up?” I half whisper, imagining someone screaming in horror after I’ve tattooed them.
Rafe shakes his head with a smirk.
“You won’t. You’re a natural, kid. If they want complex shit, they can book in with me. It’ll be a long wait though.”
Complex shit. Right.
The day starts off quiet, but soon enough, I get my first walk-in.
“Can you do a butterfly on my wrist?” the girl asks, looking up at me with wide eyes.
She holds out her arm, a pink nail tapping the veiny flesh.
“What kind of butterfly?” I watch as she holds up an image on her phone.
It’s a simple design, and I bite the bullet and nod.
Rafe winks at me from the back room, and Heather gets the consent forms sorted.
I prepare my equipment, glad I've already sterilised it, whilst the girl giggles excitedly.
“Is it gonna hurt?” she asks, holding her wrist out to me.
I smile, and she blushes.
“Of course, it is.”
I’m a dick.
Heather hands me a stencil of the image, and I clean the girl's skin, trying to remember everything Rafe told me.
Pressing the stencil to the skin, I peel it off slowly, nodding to the girl.
“What’s your name?”
“Jerri.”
“Okay, Jerri, how does that look? I can change the position if you need me to.”
Jerri squeals.
“No! I love it. Oh my god!”
I set about getting everything ready, my heart hammering in my throat.
It’s one thing to be able to draw, but quite another to ink someone’s skin. I’d practised on fake skin a few times, and Rafe said I was good enough to start out.
Christ.
The buzz of the tattoo machine excites me, and I double check the length of the needle before going ahead with the contour line.
I’m so focused I forget to breathe, and I stop to take a breath, checking Jerri is okay.
“It’s not even that bad,” Jerri says with relief, relaxing a little.
Thank God I got such an easy client.
The tattoo takes about forty-five minutes, and when I wrap it in cling, Jerri stares at it in awe.
“It’s perfect.”
“Yeah?” I grin, lifting up my phone. “Can I grab a photo?”
“Is it going on your Instagram page?” Jerri asks with excitement.
Heather strolls over, leaning down to inspect it.
“Not bad, Crane. Not bad at all.”
“I don’t have a page yet,” I confess. “That was my first tattoo.”
I snap a few photos, as Jerri gapes at me, scrutinising her freshly inked skin again.
“For real? You’re amazing!”
“Half price too,” Heather reminds Jerri.
I fill Jerri in on the aftercare, and head into the kitchen to gather myself.
You’ve done it, I tell myself. You’ve done your first tattoo.
I grin like an idiot, wanting to send the photo to Mom.
But I don’t want Dad to see it.
I contemplate sending it to Kai, but the door jingles again, announcing another customer.
The day continues like that until a little after four when it dies down.
I’ve done my second tattoo, then designed another ready for an appointment next week.
“You’re so talented, kid.” Rafe opens a bottle of soda, examining the photos on my phone. “You need to set up a page on Instagram and shit, get your name out there. What’re you designing?”
Rafe peers over at the tiger I’m sketching, nodding.
“You’ll want to be careful with the stripes,” he says, tapping the page. “They’re the hardest.”
I drink up his advice, watching as Heather loops her arms around his waist.
“You’re such a good mentor, baby.”
Rafe disappears into the back to get ready for his last client of the day as the door jingles again.
I’m so invested in my artwork that I don’t look up, instead leaving Heather to greet the customer.
It’s only when I hear the breezy voice that I freeze.
“Hey! Yeah, so, I’m looking to get this tattoo?”
Sierra?!
I can’t help but turn around, gazing at her through my messy hair.
She’s leaning on the counter, showing Heather an image on her phone with excitement.
“Can Rafe do it today?” Sierra asks breathlessly.
“Uh, no, honey. Rafe has a waiting list, and it’s pretty long.”
Oh, shit.
I know what’s coming before Heather says it, but I still can’t deal with it.
“Crane can do it for you, and it’s half price too.” Heather cocks her head at me, and I groan inwardly.
Sierra turns in my direction, her mouth dropping.
It’s like a comedy sketch.
Kiki elbows Sierra with a grin.
“You get this done, and I’ll meet you at Potion.”
I frown at the mention of the seediest bar in town.
Why the fuck are they going there?
“Crane? Can you do a rose for this lovely girl?” Heather chirps.
“Hey Crane,” Sierra says, her hips swaying as she walks over to me. “You’re a fucking tattooist? Since when?”
I half laugh, trying to stop staring at her full lips.
“I’m an apprentice, hence the half price.”
Heather watches us with interest, smiling to herself as she gets the stencil ready.
I haven’t even said yes.
“Cool. So, are you going to do me?” Sierra looks down at me with a wink.
Fucking hell.
“Do your parents—” I begin, but I’m soon silenced by Sierra placing a finger on my lips.
I can feel the throb of her pulse, and it’s fucking sexy.
“I’m old enough to do what I want, but wise enough not to shout about it. Can you keep a secret?”
“Fuck, Sierra,” I mutter, dragging my eyes away from her. “Your parents have been good to me. If they find out I’ve tattooed you, they’ll kill me.”
Sierra meets my eyes, shaking her pretty blonde head.
“I’ll never tell anyone. I swear. Plus, I want it under my hip. My parents won’t see that—not even in a bikini.”
Is she serious?
“You want it where?” I frown as she slides her finger down her dress, pressing it to the spot below her hip.
“Here.”
Our eyes lock, and I can’t help but nod.
“Fine, but you don’t tell anyone.”
Sierra’s eyes light up as she turns to Heather.
“Great. What do I need to do?”
Take your underwear off, believe it or not, I groan to myself, wondering how the fuck I’m going to tattoo such an intimate area on my best friend’s little sister.
Heather talks Sierra through the process as I ready my equipment, trying to mentally prepare myself.
“You okay in the back room?” Heather asks, waving at me.
The girls look at one another and laugh, and I roll my eyes.
“He’s such a perfectionist. You’re in good hands,” Heather tells Sierra, going back to the laptop. “I’ll get the stencil ready if you want to take Sierra into the back.”
Rafe wanders out, doing a double take at Sierra.
“Hey,” Rafe greets her, his gaze slipping over her in a way I don’t fucking appreciate.
Heather slaps his chest, and Sierra flushes, biting her lip.
Of course, she has a crush on Rafe. All the girls do.
“I’m a married man!” Rafe laughs, wrapping his arms around Heather. “But I’m not dead.”
Heather arches a brow at him over her shoulder.
“Not yet.”
Rafe drops a kiss onto her mouth and I avert my eyes, showing Sierra into the back room which I’d not long ago cleaned.
“You sure about this?” I lower the bed for her to lie on, patting the leather. “If so, on you get.”
Sierra grins and climbs on, playing with the hem of her skirt.
“I’ve always wanted it. Beauty and the Beast is my all-time favourite movie.”
Heather drops the stencil off and closes the door behind her.
This isn’t my first tattoo, but I’m more nervous than ever.
“You know, you can wait for Rafe if you want. I’ve only started tattooing today,” I admit, running a hand through my hair.
Sierra studies me for a moment before answering me.
“Am I your first?”
My mouth pulls into a dirty smirk that I can’t disguise, and she laughs.
“You know what I mean.”
“No,” I answer. “You’re not. I’ve done two today.”
Sierra runs her tongue over her plump bottom lip, and I’m leering like a pervert.
Get a grip, Michaels.
“Did you take any photos?” Sierra looks up at me curiously.
“Yeah, wanna see?”
Sierra nods, holding her hand out for my phone.
Her eyes focus on the images, her lips pursing together as she studies them. Something about her silence unnerves me, and I realise it’s because I care what she thinks.
“Crane.” Sierra darts her eyes up to mine before looking back at the phone. “Did you really do these?”
“Of course, I did,” I scoff.
“Well then,” Sierra says slowly, letting the words roll into the air. “You’re fucking amazing.”
I take my phone back, tossing it onto the side as I lean back in my chair.
“Yeah? You think they’re okay?”
I’m buzzing.
Sierra isn’t the sort of girl to hold back on her opinion, so this is huge.
“More than. So come on, genius, put your mark on me.”
Sierra hikes up her dress, revealing lacy blue panties and smooth, caramel skin. Her thumbs hitch on either side of them and I turn away, blasting the taps so I can wash my hands.
I need to wash my fucking mind.
“One minute, Sierra. You can show me where you want it in a sec.”
Sierra is on my fucking chair, dragging her underwear down to tap her fingernail against the smooth flesh.
I’ve seen many girls naked. So why the fuck am I staring?
I feel like a little kid with a dirty magazine, and the thought makes me snap my attention to the stencil.
“So…” I clear my throat, staring at the image in my hand. “Show me where you want it.”