Chapter 10
SHADE
“Who pissed in your cereal this morning?” Bryce asks.
I glare at her from where I’ve started setting up my station. She pretends not to notice, focusing on the roll of cling wrap in her hands instead of me.
“You didn’t have to be here this early. Isn’t your first appointment after lunch?”
“Shit, grumpy ass. If you wanted the day to yourself, you could have called in sick.”
I scrape a hand over my hair. “Sorry. Late night.”
“Oh, pray tell.”
“Daisy’s turned you into a gossiper.”
Her shoulder jostles with a shrug, the loose fabric of her cropped tee shifting with the movement. “Could be worse.”
“I just couldn’t sleep,” I tell her.
“Too many women blowing up your phone all night?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
Or more like the lack of.
After Millie disappeared on me, I spent the following two hours constantly checking to see if she’d returned. Spoiler: she didn’t.
I woke in the shittiest mood this morning, and it’s safe to say it hasn’t gotten any better since.
I’m not used to being ghosted like that, especially in the middle of a conversation that had my attention in a death grip.
Yeah, my dick was hard, but I was more intrigued than I was horny.
There’s something about that goddamn woman that entices me more than warns me away.
The admission of her lacking sexual life was only another alarm shrieking for me to turn back before it’s too late.
Yet, here I am, in a piss-poor mood because I wasn’t done speaking with her. I’m still not done.
“If you stop taking your blue balls out on me, I’ll run across the street and grab us coffee,” Bryce offers.
“My balls aren’t blue, Brycie. They’re purple.”
Her nose scrunches before she walks right past me, her middle finger flicking up. “Fuck off.”
“I love the way you flirt with me!” I call as she steps outside.
Ignoring that, Bryce heads across the street, leaving me here alone. I clear my throat and try to shake the tension from my muscles. With my legs spread wide, I lean over my small leather table and fidget with the order of my supplies again.
I’ve always hated wearing rubber gloves, so I’m glad when I finish and can snap them off. They fall silently into the garbage before I stand and head to the front desk.
My appointment book is somewhere under the mess of invoices and receipts that I haven’t been assed to sort the last couple of weeks.
Recently, Daisy has started taking it upon herself to organize them for me, and I’m a bit nervous to mess up her system.
Her fiancée might be a rottweiler, but Daisy isn’t always a golden retriever.
On a rare occasion, I’ve watched them switch roles.
My head snaps up immediately at the sound of the door opening. Half expecting Bryce already, I’m pleasantly surprised to glance up and see a blonde, bright-eyed princess instead.
“Good morning, Millie,” I say, unable to help the rasp that drips from my tone.
Her spine snaps straight as she stares at me, a blush already tinting her cheeks. She shifts on her heels and pulls one leg in front of the other, crossing them.
I follow the movement, having to grit my jaw to avoid blurting out my thoughts.
Despite the early October chill, this girl is still in a skirt.
Even with the thin beige tights beneath them, I know she has to be cold.
The long coat she’s wearing over a white blouse with a bow between her tits matches the colour of her tights, and Jesus Christ—I keep looking at her legs.
I’ve never seen legs like hers. Or maybe I have but never noticed them. I’ve got no idea why I’ve become so fascinated with the long, lean shape of them, but here I am. If I thought getting a stiffy from a few innocent texts was bad, I should be embarrassed by the one I’m sporting now.
“Good morning,” she replies coolly, her eyes focusing on everything in here but me.
I’m no fool. Her cheeks are pink because of last night, and just like I have been, she’s still thinking about it. If she wasn’t, why isn’t she looking at me the way she was yesterday?
“I wasn’t sure when to expect you today, considering you never told me before you . . . Oh, what was it that you got up to last night?”
“What?”
“What did you get so busy with last night that you couldn’t tell me when you were coming in today?” I ask.
“I fell asleep.”
“Oh, did you? That’s nice, then. I’m sure you needed a good night’s sleep,” I drawl, keeping an unbothered front.
Her gaze snags on the wall behind me, and I turn to see what she’s grown distracted by. The photo of one of my favourite pieces is a newer one and has been moved from further in the studio to front and centre. A flaming dragon on the back of a woman whom I’ve been tattooing for the last five years.
“She let you take that photo of her?” she asks, surprising me.
“What do you mean?”
Her hand lifts, a finger pointed at the photo as if I don’t know which one she’s talking about.
“It’s—She’s . . . it’s hung up on the wall.”
“Her name is Ruby, and the pose was her idea,” I say, keeping a cautious eye on Millie’s reaction.
“She was okay with being photographed naked?”
“She’s not naked, princess. But, yes, she was very okay with being photographed in only her panties.
To keep the entirety of the piece unobjected, she couldn’t wear anything above the waist, and she chose to be without pants.
There wasn’t anything sexual about the pose. The focus was on the dragon.”
It’s obvious she doesn’t believe me. Her eyes are busy, providing me with an insight into her mind. It’s not surprising that she doesn’t understand. We don’t know each other well yet, and I have a feeling she knows nothing about this type of art.
“The confidence that must take is incredible,” she reveals a moment later.
“It is. Everyone has it in them, though.”
Her smile is weak. “I wouldn’t say everyone.”
I round the desk and come to stand in front of her. She follows my every move, holding herself perfectly still. Slowly, her eyes lift to hold mine.
“Feeling confident is a skill that takes time to master. Little by little, you can grow it until you’re a cocky motherfucker like me,” I tease.
The smile that breaks through her small frown is dangerous. “I don’t think I want to be that confident.”
“If you’re going to insult me, maybe wait until you’re off shift,” I say with a wink.
Her eyes widen. “Oh, right. I guess I should ask what you want me to do for you.”
Oh, I’m so screwed here. My groin tightens, and I wet my dry lips before shaking my head. The way she truly has no idea what she’s doing to me should be studied because it’s got me aching.
“How good are you at organizing paperwork?” I ask tightly.
Some of the colour leaches from her face. “Um, I’m not sure.”
“You can figure it out today, then. I’ve got stacks of shit on the desk that I haven’t had a chance to get to in a while. When Bryce gets back, I’ll have her give you a rundown of Daisy’s system.”
“Who’s Daisy?”
“Right. She’s Bryce’s fiancée. Bryce is my best friend and the only other person who works here besides myself, and now, you.
There will be calls for both of us on the phone, and she has her own appointment book, so you’ll need to run any potential appointments past her before confirming anything,” I say.
She nods quickly, still pale and almost overwhelmed already. “And for your appointments?”
“My book is on the desk and somewhat on the computer. I’m shit with transferring appointments from paper to the computer, so I’d go off of the book.
Just take a look at what day I’m booked till and go from there.
I’m about six months out right now for small to medium pieces and a year out for large.
Oh, and I don’t work Sundays. I’ll take occasional Saturdays but prefer them off too.
If you aren’t sure where to schedule someone in, just let me know. ”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“Let’s just start there for today,” I suggest, taking in the worry written all over her face. “We’ve got time to get you working on other things.”
She nods and releases a long breath. “Sounds good.”
“I’ve got someone coming in at ten, so if you need anything after that, Bryce will be your girl. She’s free until noon today. All of the log-in information for the computer is on a sticky note on the desk. Probably under all of the papers.”
“That’s a terrible place for it.”
I hold back a grin. “Find somewhere else for it, then.”
She keeps her gaze on me until the door opens again. Turning, she focuses on Bryce, her jaw loosening slightly. I laugh under my breath.
“Is that your car out front?” my best friend asks, her sharp blue eyes piercing into Millie.
I expected some sort of examination from Bryce, so I’m not shocked when she gives Millie a quick up-and-down look. She’s reacting the exact way I thought she would. Like she’s gone back in time.
Bryce might be a tattooed, dark-haired force of nature now, but there was a time where she was playing dress-up in her parents’ mansion, wearing handmade clothes and debating throwing her diamond earrings into the rose garden.
As she stares at Millie, I know she’s thinking things that I’m grateful I can’t hear.
Millie recovers quickly, ignoring the eyes on her. “That is my car, yes.”
“What’s it doing here?”
“This is Millie, Bryce. She’s taking the front desk position,” I say, flashing her a pointed look.
Bryce blinks and darts her eyes over to me. “She is? Since when?”
“Since yesterday. And because you’re here early, you’re going to show her how Daisy started organizing things.”
“I can try it on my own,” Millie puts in, the nervous vibrations in her voice giving away how she’s feeling as obviously as the tap of her toes does.
“It will be easier if Bryce helps.”
Bryce slowly looks back at Millie. “What experience do you have?”
“I’ve already hired her,” I say sharply.
“Have you filled out the proper paperwork?”
Millie takes the questions on the chin without crumbling. She’s growing less nervous as the questions come, until suddenly, she’s uncrossing her legs and straightening.
“I’ve been here for all of five minutes, so no.”
I swallow slowly, revelling in the sharp lash of her tongue. The switch between nervous and smart-mouthed keeps my mind running as I watch the both of them, waiting.
Bryce lifts two black brows and cocks her head just slightly. Then, the scowl on her lips begins to transform into a crooked grin.
“Alright. I’ll get it for you before we start,” she tells her.
Millie stares at my friend, confused at the switch up. I’m not. Bryce respects a backbone, and after nothing more than a first impression of a rich girl with an expensive car, she was waiting to see if there was one hiding beneath the fancy clothes and perfect hair.
After spending the time I have with Millie, I had a feeling there was one just waiting to introduce itself to Oak Point, but I’m pleased to have seen it so soon.
Millie nods at Bryce. “Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”
“How do you take your coffee?” Bryce asks her, lifting the two cups she brought from the diner.
“I’m not big on more than an espresso shot.”
“Try this.”
She hands one of the cups to Millie, and I watch as she takes it and sniffs the small hole in the lid. “What is it?”
“Shade’s.”
“Mine?” I guffaw.
Bryce stares at me, deadpan. “Did you think I was going to give her mine?”
“I was hoping, yeah.”
“Get your own, asshole.”
Millie’s giggle snags my attention, drawing my eyes. I focus on her, watching as she lifts the cup to her lips and takes a small sip, staring at the both of us. Warmth fills her face before she takes another one, this one longer, making her throat move harder.
“Look at that. You both like mochas,” Bryce states, reading me like a fucking book.
I chuckle, crossing my arms. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do that.”
Millie takes another drink of my—her—coffee before lowering the cup. “I’ll pay you back for it.”
“You won’t. Coffee comes with the job, even if I need to go get myself another one. I’ll be back before my client gets here,” I say, already pushing past Bryce to the door.
Bryce’s smirk is devilish, and I’m already prepared for the comment before it comes, quiet enough for only me to hear.
“Don’t worry too much while you’re gone. I’ll take care of her for you.”