Chapter Five
Twisted Ink
Dominic
The doorbell jingles as I walk inside the cool building. The business is different from your typical tattoo parlor. Or at least, it’s not like the seedy ones you see tucked into a broken-down building.
Twisted Ink is a top-notch business with talented artists who’re frequently showcased in magazines. From the time I drew my first portrait of an anime character on my arm at ten years old, I’ve been obsessed with the intricacies of art and its expression on the human body.
My mother wasn’t excited. She thought it was a sure sign I was going to end up like my father–broke, drugged out, in prison, and abandoning her for the fast life.
I roll my shoulders to ease the tension that settles there anytime my father’s face pops into my head. Thankfully, I didn’t turn into him. Maybe it’s because I still feel the sting of his broken promises. Or maybe it’s because of my mom and my friends. Either way, I walk a tightrope, never veering close to the edge of breaking the law.
“Hey, Dom.” Rissa smiles from behind the cash register. “Happy to see your gorgeous face this morning.”
“Thanks.” Heat covers my cheeks. “I’m sorry I’m late. I had an errand to run this morning. I should’ve called to let you know.” This is the first time I’ve been late since I started the job.
She leans her hip against the counter and eyes me up and down. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything’s good. I had to drop something off with a friend.”
“A girl?” She waggles her eyebrows as Rob, one of my other bosses, glances up from the tattoo he’s inking.
“Yes.” I laugh and rake my hand through my hair.
I trust them both, but there’s no secrets in the tattoo shop. It’s like a hair salon or a bar. People pull back the curtain and confess all their sins once they get into one of our chairs while simultaneously pretending they’re not seeking advice.
“You have a friend?” Sam steps out of my room and slaps his hands on his hips. “A girlfriend? How do I not know about this? You haven’t had a girlfriend since high school.”
The air around me stops moving, and the only sound is the thudding of my heartbeat in my ears.
“I don’t have a girlfriend.” I stomp over to the scheduling book and groan. No wonder Sam is here. He’s my 12 o’clock appointment, and I get to spend the next hour putting ink on his shoulder while avoiding twenty questions. Of course, today would be the day he has off. “I was dropping off something for Bella.”
His jaw flexes as his eyes narrow into slits. “What were you doing taking something to my sister?”
‘It’s none of your business’ is on the tip of my tongue, but I bite it instead of spouting off. The faint metallic taste of blood signals that the bite was harder than I anticipated.
I swallow it down and march toward him. When you’re facing the enemy, it’s best to feign annoyance and own the conversation. I’ve been playing this game for years. “She needed something.” I straighten my shoulders and cock my head sideways. “I took it to her. End of story.”
“It had better not have been your dick she needed,” he growls while standing his ground. “I told you when you called to remember the deal. No ‘hitting and quitting’ my sister.”
“Lord, you two are cute. This reminds me of my brothers when boys first started noticing I had boobs.”
“Rissa, leave me out of this.” Rob returns his attention to his client as the faint hum of the tattoo gun resumes. “I’m not about to get involved in the love life of one of our employees.”
“You two are not helping,” I retort without taking my gaze off Sam.
“Asshole.” Sam’s nostrils flare. “I’m going to kick your ass. My sister deserves a class act guy who’s ready for white picket fences and a bunch of babies in the backyard.”
“I’m aware of that.” He doesn’t have to spell it out to remind me I’m not good enough for Bella. My history says it all. Deadbeat dad, who spent most of my life in prison. A mom in recovery. Secondhand clothes while growing up. Surviving on three jobs and a scholarship to make it through college. I’m aware that Bella deserves a guy who can give her the moon and stars.
“Then what’re you doing with my sister?”
I brush past him and drop my bag on the counter in my tattoo room. “Brock was giving her a hard time yesterday when she was over at the house. I ended up talking to her about it.”
“That asshole.” Sam’s hands ball into fists as he follows me inside. “I’m going to kick his ass. Is he still working with his dad?”
“I don’t know.” I roll my shoulders and neck, easing some of the tension. “I purchased a phone for her on my plan, so he couldn’t find her number. She was going to get a new one, but she hadn’t given the last number to anyone, and he still found it. I’m guessing he’s paying for one of those address search services to get her number. If it’s on my plan, he won’t know how to find her.”
“That is the sweetest thing ever, Dominic,” Rissa sighs and clutches her chest from her position in the main lobby.
“I’m going to kick his ass.” Sam paces from one end of the room to the other. The room is barely large enough for both of us with the tattoo chair in the middle. “I can’t believe he’s still calling her.”
“You knew about it?” I grip his shoulder, forcing him to stop. “Why haven’t you straightened him out yet? If she was my sister, I’d have already told him to get lost.”
“Asshole.” He shoves me hard in the chest, but I don’t move against his weight and, in return, thrust him backward, causing him to stumble over his feet. “Do you honestly think I’d let some loser stalk my sister if I knew about it? I knew they broke up. I knew he’d called her a few times, but I didn’t know he was stalking her. She said everything was fine, and he wasn’t bothering her.”
“Right.” I nod and step back. “Sorry. That’s her standard answer. Everything’s fine. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
He’s still as he studies me. “What else is going on with her?”
“Nothing that I know of.” I shrug but then frown. “She did mention that school wasn’t going as she expected, but she didn’t elaborate.”
“I knew she’d hate accounting.” He chuckles and tugs his shirt over his head, tossing it onto a nearby chair.
“Then why is she doing it if she doesn’t want to be an accountant?”
“Because she’s a good girl.”
A shiver rips along my spine as I force down a groan. Bella is the perfect good girl. Sweet. Gorgeous. Obedient. With just the right amount of sass.
She’s not yours. Remember that.
I clear my throat and straighten my shoulders. “Let’s get that tat going.”
I’ve got to stop obsessing over her. She’s got to figure out her own path and that doesn’t include me. One day, she’ll find a man who’ll worship her. Who hands her the moon and stars. A guy who’s rich. Or influential in politics. Or a sports star who shoves her into the spotlight where she belongs.
Son of a bitch. I’m ready to choke this Prince Charming out and he doesn’t even exist.
Rage curls in my gut. No, he exists. I just don’t know him yet.