11. Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Avery
I’m stunned as Cass and I leave Elemental Ink and walk back to my car. I can’t believe Corbin changed his mind. I wish I knew what made him do it. Was it something that girl, Jessie, said to him? He doesn’t strike me as the type of man to change his mind once he decides something. But he did. He’d been adamant that I wasn’t going to apprentice with him, but something had clearly happened to make him give in.
“Um, what the hell was that?” Cass asks once we’re in my car.
“Looks like I got the apprenticeship after all,” I say, trying to sound happy instead of confused.
“Not that. I mean, what the hell was up with you and the hot-as-fuck tattoo god?”
I feel my face heat, even as I roll my eyes. “I told you he’s an asshole.”
She shakes her head. “I’m not talking about that , either. You know what I’m talking about. So, tell me.”
I shake my head as I reach for my seatbelt. “There’s nothing to tell,” I say. “I guess he changed his mind.”
“Avery Elizabeth Scott, don’t you dare hold out on me,” Cass practically yells. “There was some smoking-hot, sexual tension between you and Corbin, and I want to know every detail right this instant.”
I turn a look of confused horror on her. “Were you trying to sound like my mother? Because you did.”
She makes a face of disgust. “Rude! Just tell me what I want to know.”
Sighing, I begin driving back toward my apartment. “Fine,” I say. “There’s some tension there, yes. I noticed it yesterday when he kicked me out of the shop. But I chose to ignore it because I was never going to see him again.”
I pause to take a breath before saying, “Except I did. Last night at the club.”
I can’t see Cass’s look of shock because I’m focused on the road, but I assume her mouth is hanging open because she’s silent for several seconds .
“Why didn’t you tell me that?!”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I thought I’d never see him again.”
“Well, it’s time to stop thinking that, because he’s practically going to be your boss soon.”
I groan miserably, turning to face her as I stop at a red light. “So, you think I should take the apprenticeship with Corbin?”
She looks at me like I’ve grown an extra head. “Duh. He’s the best there is. You’d be dumb not to.”
“But he’s an asshole,” I argue. “You saw that yourself.”
She winces. “He’s definitely a little abrasive. But you did lie to him. Who knows? Maybe he’s much nicer under normal circumstances. This is an awkward scenario.”
“Abrasive is an understatement,” I mutter.
“Stop changing the subject and tell me what happened last night,” she says.
I sigh with resignation. “Fine.”
I talk for the rest of the drive, telling her every detail of my encounter with Corbin last night at the club. Cass doesn’t interrupt, which I’m grateful for. By the time I’m finished speaking, I’m glad I told her. I needed to talk about it with someone.
“So, yeah,” I say when I finish. “There’s some tension there.”
Pulling to a stop in my parking space outside of my building, I shift in my seat to look at my best friend. She’s staring at me with a bemused expression on her face .
“What?” I ask, confused.
“That’s not tension,” she says. “That’s a ticking timebomb.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You,” she says, grinning. “You’re totally going to fuck him.”
My mouth drops open, and I shake my head, even as I feel a stab of desire at her words. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered what it would be like. I’d lain awake last night thinking about everything he’d said to me at the club, thinking about his hand wrapped around my throat and the power in his large body as he’d loomed over me. The idea of him using that hand on my throat and that big body to control me turns me on more than I can say.
“No. I’m not,” I say. “You said it yourself. He’s going to be my boss soon. Or close to it. I can’t sleep with my boss.”
“Who said anything about sleep?” she says. “I said you’re going to fuck him. And I don’t blame you. He looks like he’s good at it.”
“I regret telling you anything,” I mutter, climbing out of the car.
“No, you don’t,” she says, following me. “You cherish these moments of sharing.”
I shake my head, but I’m smiling. We both know I’m not really mad at her for her teasing. And a small part of me worries that she might be right. There’s something between me and Corbin that feels bigger than mere attraction. It’s a sexual tension I’ve never felt before. But I’ll be damned if I risk my future career on it.
“I’m not going to fuck him,” I whisper, trying to inject as much resolve as possible into my words. “We’re going to keep things strictly professional.”
“Sure, you are,” she says in a voice that makes it clear she doesn’t believe me for a second. “Just do me a favor?”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“When you finally do fuck Tattoo Daddy, I want all the dirty details. Don’t hold back.”
I cover my face with my hands. “Please don’t call him that.”
“Why not? I think it suits him.”
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.”
I try to ignore Cass’s prediction as we get into the elevator, but secretly I think she’s right. Corbin looks like the kind of man who would take control of everything when it comes to sex. And his partner would probably thank him for it afterward. I think about his words last night about me begging him. It’s easy to say I’d never beg a man for anything. But remembering his hand on my neck has me wondering if maybe he was right. And now I’m thinking like Cass again. I can’t think about sex with Corbin. He’s off limits.
“I need you to have my back on this,” I say, my voice serious. “I want this apprenticeship to work out. I want to be a great tattoo artist. So, I can’t think about having sex with Corbin. Which means I need my best friend to help keep me in line, not encourage me to make bad choices.”
“Are you so sure it would be a bad choice?” she asks. When I just raise my brows at her, she sighs. “Fine. I’ll drop it. But just know that I think you’re missing out.”
Secretly, I think she might be right. But I don’t voice that aloud. I want to drop the subject and focus on my future. And that means I need to stop letting my lady bits control my thinking. If I’m going to be a great tattoo artist, my focus needs to be on this apprenticeship. Not on whatever that was between me and Corbin. I’m sure he feels the same way. He seems like he takes his business seriously. I doubt he’ll want to muddy the waters by adding sex to the mix. I tell myself that’s a good thing, even as a small pang of regret stabs me. Because deep down, if I let myself really think about it, I know Cass is right. Sex with Corbin would probably be amazing. Not that I’ll ever find out.
Cass and I spend the rest of the afternoon lounging around my apartment in pajamas, watching Pride and Prejudice and swooning over Darcy for the millionth time. It takes me back to our college weekends and the carefree feeling of knowing we didn’t have any responsibilities. Not that it’s true now, but it’s nice to pretend for a few hours. Monday is soon enough for reality to come crashing back in. For now, I’m happy to keep pretending. Tomorrow, Cass will go back to New York, leaving me to deal with my uncertain future alone. I know she’s only a train ride away, but it’s a poor substitute for having her here with me all the time.
“I’m going to miss you,” I say, turning to her as the credits roll on the movie.
She sighs. “I know. I hate living so far away from you.”
“You should just move here,” I say. “We can live together, share clothes. It’ll be just like college.” My voice is full of wistful longing.
She gives me a sad smile. “We had to grow up eventually, A.”
For some reason, I feel my eyes prick with sudden tears. I blink against the sting, forcing a smile. “Don’t remind me.”
Reaching out, Cass puts an arm around me, pulling me to her in a hug. I lean into her and rest my head against her shoulder.
“As long as we don’t outgrow each other,” I say.
“Never gonna happen. You’re stuck with me for life.”
“Good.”