Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
INK
“ W here is she?” I ask Gage while I’m looking at an empty reception desk that should have the girl he decided to hire without asking if she had any fucking experience.
“I told her one.”
“Why?”
“Why what?” Gage asks as he fills bottles with green soap and saline.
“Why would you tell her one when we open at noon?” I’m usually a pretty patient man, but sometimes Gage needs to use his fucking brain.
Gage sets the bottles down on the counter and turns to me. “If you have something to say about when I told her to show up, then fucking say it. I don’t exactly remember your ass being here like it was supposed to for her interview.”
“Watch it.” I warn. “All I’m sayin’ is it makes us look fuckin’ stupid to have no one at the desk when we open. I’m sick of doing bitch work. I own the goddamn place, for fuck’s sake.”
“We’re all sick of doing bitch work, so suck it up for one more hour, princess. ”
A low growl escapes my clenched jaw as Gage walks out of the storage room, past me, and toward his station.
I need to kick this mood I’ve been in for the past month. It’s not me. I’ve never been the asshole guy. I’m always the guy with the panty dropping smile that can charm his way in without having to work for it.
This past month I’ve just felt… restless.
Like I need a change, but I don’t know what that change is. All I know is that something is missing and I’m starting to feel stuck.
I love my brothers and my club. I’m damn proud of the shop I’ve built from the ground up. Gage and Tommy aren’t part of the club, but I consider them brothers, too. Just from a different family.
Maybe I need to get laid.
If I’m being honest, the club girls haven’t been doing it for me lately. The cheap cherry body spray they all bathe in makes me nauseous. I can’t stick my dick in one without thinking it’s going to burn off.
I just finished a phone call with a girl wanting to get her belly button pierced when the bell chiming above the front door has me looking up.
A woman that can’t be much taller than five feet tall walks in looking almost afraid as she scans the lobby.
“Can I help you?” She jumps at the sound of my voice, her round eyes locking on me as she notices me standing here. “You here for a piercing or somethin’, darlin’?”
Her eyebrows furrow slightly before she finally decides to say something. “No, I’m uh, looking for Gage?”
I tried to keep the shock that rocked through my body off my face, but I know I failed miserably. I would have bet my fuckin’ bike that this woman wasn’t here for a tattoo. She looks like she’s never stepped foot in a place like this before.
Her yellowish blonde hair clashes against her pale skin, washing her out.
I can tell it’s not her natural color because the roots growing out are brown.
Her round, hazel eyes give her that innocent, nerdy girl vibe.
Her clothes are giving forty-year-old mom that carts her kids around in a beat-up minivan.
Nothing about her screams let me get some type of body modification done, but it wouldn’t be the first time some goody two shoes got a wild hair to get a fine line tattoo.
I don’t know when small ass line tattoos became the definition of being “tatted” but apparently that’s a fucking thing now.
Definitely not my type.
“You Gage’s 1:30?”
That cute as fuck confused expression she has on her face deepens. “I could of swore he told me 1 o’clock, but it’s highly possible that I misheard him.”
You have got to be fuckin’ kidding me.
“Hang tight, darlin’.” I give her a tight smile before heading down the hall towards Gage’s station, ready to rip him a new one. His door is open, but I still rap my knuckles against the frame to let him know I’m here. “Yo, what the fuck?”
“What?” He looks up from the drawing he’s working on his tablet.
“The new girl is here.”
“Okay?” he says sarcastically. “Show her to the desk. My client will be here in thirty.”
“Have you gone blind?”
“No, what the fuck is your problem?”
What the fuck is my problem?
I know he has two fucking eyes.
“My problem is you hired someone that looks uptight as hell. She doesn’t fuckin’ belong here and you know it. She’s wearin’ khaki pants for fuck’s sake.”
“I know she doesn’t look like the last girl, but it’s not like we had a lineup of interviews.
You’ve bitched about having to answer the phone and keep up with appointments for the last few months and I’m sick of listening to it, so yeah, I hired her.
If she doesn’t work out, we find someone else. What’s the big fucking deal?”
I move my bottom jaw around in a circle to ease the tension from having it clenched so hard. “The big fuckin’ deal is that she’s going to scare off walk-ins lookin’ like that.”
“At least she won’t be fucking them all while they’re waiting,” he shoots back.
My hard gaze stays on him, not saying a word before I push off the door frame.
“That’s about the only thing she has going for her.
I don’t think anyone coming in here would want to put any effort into that.
If she messes up, it’s on you,” I call over my shoulder as I head back to the front where I left her waiting.
“I don’t think she’s going to be a problem like you think she is!” Gage yells after me.
Yeah, we’ll fuckin’ see.
Our track record for receptionists isn’t great. As soon as they find out I'm a brother in the Dirty Devils they slowly start coming around DD’s until they eventually get invited back to the clubhouse. It’s just a downward spiral from there.
I’m all about having a good time, but some of these chicks are worse than my brothers and I.
I’m sure if this girl gets a little taste of something wild, she’s going to be just like the rest of them.
Her face is even more pale which I didn’t think was possible by the time I get back up to the front where I left her waiting. Her parted lips and hazel eyes fixated on the room I’d just left.
Fuck.
Did she hear me?
“Alright,” I rub my hands together, “sorry ‘bout that. I thought you were here for somethin’ else.”
She twirls a silver ring on her thumb as she visibly swallows.
She definitely fucking heard me.
“It’s okay,” she whispers, looking anywhere but me.
Jesus.
The hurt in her voice is like a knife to the gut and I don’t even know this girl.
“Look,” I start off. I need to apologize because I’m not that guy.
I’m not an asshole, especially to women.
It’s whatever this funk I’m in. I needed to snap the fuck out of it yesterday.
“I know you heard what was said back there.” My head tilts toward the hallway.
“I shouldn’t have said what I said. I’m sorry you had to hear that, darlin’. ”
Her eyes are still locked on her feet as she gives me nothing but silence. Her pointer finger is working double time on spinning that silver ring.
“Hey,” I say, softening my voice. “Can you look at me?”
It takes a few seconds, but her eyes slowly leave the floor and trail up my body to meet mine. The knife in my gut twists deeper as I see a brief flash of pain before she slams the shutters down.
I shouldn’t be this bothered that she heard.
I’m seriously starting to fucking lose it.
“Let’s start over.” I hold out my hand. “I’m Ink, the owner of this place and your new boss.”
She slowly looks between my face and my outstretched hand before finally deciding to take it and replying in that same whisper. “Sutton.”
The feel of her soft skin against my rough, calloused skin has me forgetting about that knife that’s twisting in my gut. They feel so fucking dainty against my large ones. Like I could just swallow her up.
“Alright, Sutton. You know how to work a computer?” I ask as I walk behind the front desk. “We’re in the process of updating the system from the old school pencil-you-in calendar and this bad boy.” I tap the new desktop screen.
Sutton tilts her head as she studies the computer, a look of disbelief taking over her features. “You’re just switching over?” Her eyes widen as she realizes what just slipped out of her mouth. “Oh, my gosh. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”
Oh, my gosh?
Please tell me Gage didn’t just hire a woman that thinks God is a swear word .
I force a tight smile on my face. “No worries, darlin’. I know we’re behind. It’s been getting too hard keeping track of who is and isn’t available for a walk-in. You didn’t answer my question, darlin’. Do you know how to work a computer?”
She nods her head quickly. “Yes. I have prior experience as a personal assistant.”
I guess that checks out with the way she’s dressed. She looks like she’d be an admin in a church or some shit with the amount of cleavage and leg she’s showing.
Do churches have admins?
They’ve gotta. Otherwise, where the fuck do chicks learn to dress like this?
“Cool.” I nod. “It’s pretty straightforward…
” I trail off as I click through the programs, showing her where everything is.
“Basically, all you need to do is answer the phones, take appointments for us, and handle any walk-ins or questions clients may have. Each artist and piercer has their own hours listed here on the wall.” I motion to the schedule that’s taped on the wall.
“If they have an open spot during their hours of availability, feel free to schedule them in for basic shit. If it’s a larger piece or somethin’ custom, they’re obviously going to need more time to see if it’s somethin’ they’re interested in.
And they’ll need to talk with the client.
You know how it goes…” I pause as I side-eye her.
She’s nodding along like she fully understands what I’m saying, but we both know she doesn’t have the first fucking clue.
“The case along the front window has all the body jewelry we offer. Prices for each piercing are on the wall next to this one and the jewelry prices are in this book.” I continue as I open up one of the desk drawers to show the book.
“Jewelry and the piercing are two separate charges. We aren’t fuckin’ Claire’s. ”
My eyes narrow as I try to get a glimpse of her earlobes. Does this woman even have her ears pierced?
Jesus Christ, Gage hired a chick that doesn’t have a piercing.
He owes me big fucking time.
“Did you get all of that? ”
“I think so.”
She’s so soft-spoken.
She’s going to get eaten alive in this city. I’m surprised she hasn’t already.
“Alright.” I nod. “We’ll start with this, and I’ll show you more tomorrow. You good with stayin’ until close?”
She nods her head.
She’s still avoiding eye contact, and it’s got me grinding my jaw. “Look at me,” I demand.
Her startled hazel eyes shoot to mine. Behind the innocence of them, fear is swirling in thick black clouds.
What are you scared of?
Before I can ask any more questions, her eyes move to the screen as she reaches for the mouse, clicking away.
Dismissed.
I’ll give her that.
For now.
“I’ll check in with you later,” I call over my shoulder, and I push off the desk and head towards my room to get ready for my first client.
I can’t help but wonder if I’m an idiot for letting Gage hire her.