KIERAN
Jez hadn’t been interested in any more bullshit excuses, as he’d put it.
One day he’d been an hour late, and his client had needed to be rescheduled.
He’d then cancelled and gone somewhere else.
The piece would have required a few sessions and been over a couple of grand, which was now lost. That was when Jez had flipped.
“I’ve got a client in ten minutes.”
“Well, clean your station up instead of standing around doing fuck all.”
“My station’s clean.”
“Don’t fucking start with me. I don’t need your shit today. Just do something instead of standing around. When Mr Kincaid comes in, send him straight back to my office,” he snapped before storming off.
His boss being an arsehole wasn’t unusual, but he was close to blowing his fuse right now and thinking “fuck it” and getting a new job.
He could live off his savings for a few months if he had to.
No job was worth being made to feel like shit all the time.
But Kieran’s mood switched from anger to fear in a nanosecond. The mention of Grant had stopped him.
He was coming into the shop? What was he supposed to do?
He’d been ignoring the man’s messages and calls for the last two weeks.
Was there a way Kieran could stay out of sight while he was with his client?
The shop wasn’t big, and there were only two other tattooists plus Jez.
Kieran’s station had a faux wall which didn’t go all the way to the ceiling, but gave the client some privacy.
The tattooist could be seen if you were looking, though, and he suspected Grant would look.
Before he could come up with a plan, the door opened behind him.
Please be my client. Please be my client.
“Well, well, well. Look who it is,” said a familiar Scouse accent.
“Mr Kincaid,” said Kieran, turning round with a smile. “Jez said for you to go straight through to his office.”
“He can wait. I want to talk to you, Kieran.”
“What about?”
“Yeah, that faux innocence doesn’t really work for me, Kieran. You promised me a date, and yet you’ve been ignoring me.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve just had a lot going on.”
“Anything I can help with?”
“No, just work stuff, you know.”
“What work stuff?” he asked with a frown.
What was he supposed to say? Kieran didn’t know what Grant’s relationship with Jez was. The last thing he wanted to do was slag his boss off and annoy either of them any more than he already had.
“Nothing to worry about,” said Kieran. That was a safe response.
“Let me be the judge of that, Kieran. I want my employees to be happy, so if something or someone has upset you, I need to know about it.”
“Did you just say your employees?”
“Yes. I own this shop. Jez runs it for me.”
How did he not know that? Nobody else had mentioned it. Why would Grant Kincaid have a tattoo shop in the city? From what Kieran had found out from his extensive online research – on some dodgy websites – this wasn’t a typical business for Grant.
“It’s nothing to do with work,” said Kieran.
“There’s one thing I hate more than anything, Kieran, and that’s people lying to me. Are you going to tell me what’s going on, or do I need to speak to Jez?”
“No, please don’t speak to Jez.”
Kieran might think his boss was a prick, but if he was going to leave, it had to be on his terms. He couldn’t be fired again.
He’d burned enough bridges at other tattoo shops, and it wasn’t a large community.
Word would get out, and he’d struggle to get another job.
Kieran was a long way from having the financial means to be self-employed.
“I see,” said Grant.
“See what?”
“Jez,” he shouted. “Get your fucking arse out here . . . now!”
Jez came rushing out from the back, frowning. He looked at Kieran, and his face changed to pissed off.
“I told you to send Mr Kincaid straight to my office, Kieran. Can’t you follow basic instructions now?”
Kieran wasn’t sure what to say. He dared not look at Grant, so all he could do was put his head down and hope he wasn’t about to get fired.
Kieran heard a loud crack, followed by a thud.
He looked up to see Jez on the floor holding his face, with Grant standing over him, his fist clenched. What the fuck had just happened?
“You do not speak to my staff like that,” he snarled. “You’ve disappointed me, Jez. Do you hear me?”
Jez nodded, and it was the first time Kieran had seen him looking terrified. Jez was built like a tank, even bigger than Derek. Grant was tall and clearly had some muscle on him, but he was lean, not broad, and he’d just put Jez on his arse with what seemed like one punch.
“Now, is there something else I need to know about what’s happened between you two this week?”
Kieran shook his head. He wasn’t sure his voice would sound normal if he spoke. He could feel his entire body trembling. Grant looked at Jez, who sighed.
“I gave Kieran a final written warning because he’d been taking the piss for the last two weeks. He’s been late every day and lost us a big client.”
“Kieran, what’s your side of the story?”
“Er . . . I was late a few times.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Just transport stuff. It’s just been a bad couple of weeks.”
“I see.”
What did that mean? Before anything else was said, Kieran’s client walked in. His eyes widened when he saw Jez on the floor, with what was already a nasty bruise on his face. How hard had Grant punched him? Jez scrambled to his feet, not saying anything.
“Hi, Frankie. Do you want to grab a seat at my station, and I’ll make you a brew and be over in a minute?” said Kieran.
“Sure,” said Frankie, looking unsure, but he went to Kieran’s station.
“Jez, get in the office. We need to talk,” said Grant. “Kieran, I’ll call you later. If you don’t answer, I’ll be very disappointed. Do you understand what that means?”
Kieran thought he was going to be sick. All he could do was nod his agreement and scurry off to his client. What the fuck was he going to do now?
“I can’t believe you said yes to going out with him,” said Hassan.
“What was I supposed to say?”
“No!”
“You didn’t see how terrified Jez was of him.”
“I don’t give a fuck who he is, Kieran. You have the right to say no.”
“It’s not like I don’t find him attractive.”
“What?”
“The guy’s hot as fuck.”
“So was Ted Bundy!”
“Yeah, I know, it’s pretty fucked up, but it’s not like it’ll be anything serious.”
“Are you seriously thinking of fucking him?”
“He’s taking me out for dinner. You can’t say no after someone buys you dinner. It’s rude.”
Hassan gave him a sympathetic smile and pulled him into a hug. He kissed Kieran’s temple and rubbed his back. Hassan was taller than him and had a solid physique. Kieran always felt safe in his arms.
“I’ll keep saying this until you listen, Kieran,” he said, not letting go. “You don’t owe anyone anything, and you’re worth more than one night. Some guy is going to be lucky to have you one day.”
Kieran wanted to believe what his best friend was saying. It was something he’d wanted for so long, but his track record spoke for itself. He came with a lot of baggage, which was an understatement – he was basically an airport carousel. It was just easier to be a slag. He couldn’t help but snort.
“What?” asked Hassan with a chuckle. He knew Kieran too well.
“Intrusive thoughts.”
“Not about Grant Kincaid, I hope.”
“Of course not.”
“Or your stepdad.”
Kieran involuntarily tensed, causing Hassan to break the hug and look at him in that intense way he sometimes did. It was as if he was reading his mind.
“Only you could take daddy issues to the next level.”
“Get fucked,” he said, laughing and shoving Hassan’s shoulder.
“Isn’t that what you want from Papa Bear?”
“No.”
“Sure! So, where is Grant taking you?”
“Way to kill the mood, bestie.”
“Maybe you should go somewhere public that’s really busy. I can hide in the background.”
“I think I’m good. It’s just dinner and a fuck, and probably a good one. I have a feeling that guy knows what he’s doing. I need to get back out there after what happened anyway.”
“Yeah, but pick up a big-dicked nerdy guy in the city, not a fucking gangster.”
“Clean-cut guys are more your thing.”
Hassan looked wistful for a second.
“Who is he?”
“Nobody.”
Kieran wanted to probe, but the look from his friend made him back off.
He needed to learn that look so he could get Hassan to stay out of his business, though there was little chance of that ever happening.
And although it could be annoying, knowing someone cared about him so much meant everything to Keiran.
Grant said he was sending a car to collect Kieran from his flat, which made him feel special.
He’d never had a guy collect him for a date, but then, he rarely had dates, mostly just the occasional pickup in a bar or from the apps.
That always made things easier. Arranging a fuck over an app was like a contract negotiation, and most of the time, they stuck to the terms. He shuddered, thinking about Domtop69.
Thankfully, it looked like the guy had gotten the hint.
Walking out the door and onto the street, he was surprised to see Grant waiting for him.
The guy always wore a suit, so to see him looking more casual was a surprise.
He still had a shirt and trousers on. The shirt was tailored, so it was fitted to his muscular physique.
Kieran would enjoy exploring that later.
It was happening, so he might as well get on board.
“Good evening, Kieran,” said Grant, taking his hand and kissing him on the cheek.
Kieran practically swooned, and had to keep saying “mob boss, one night only,” in his head before he got carried away.
It wasn’t the first time a handsome older man had turned his head and he’d thought something more could happen, but Kieran wasn’t the type people wanted to get serious with.
Grant opened the car door for Kieran, and he got in.
The car was a sleek black Mercedes. Grant got in the other side and took hold of Kieran’s hand. The driver pulled out.