1. Chapter 1 #3
“Ladies first.” He waves his hand in the direction of the velvet curtain, where I’m assuming the work gets done.
“I don’t mind waiting.” Once he’s gone, I can make a run for it like the chicken he accused me of being.
“I insist.” He takes a seat on a sofa, rests his ankle on his opposite knee, and relaxes back like he has all the time in the world. “Good luck. Hope it doesn’t hurt too much.”
“It hurts?” I wheeze.
“Only a little.”
I never thought about the pain. “He’s trying to scare you.” Sally clasps my wrist and drags me through the curtain and into the room.
And it worked.
I glance around at the orange painted walls with band posters in vintage frames hanging on them. A Persian rug covers the floor, with a large black leather chair on top, next to a table holding pots of ink and a large looking needle. Suddenly, the alcohol gurgles in my gut.
“What was happening out there?” Sally asks with excitement. “If you had a few extra minutes, I thought you were about to get fucked on top of the counter.”
“Shhh.” I cup my hand over Sally’s mouth. Even though the tattoo artist is busy setting up and appears not to be paying attention to us, it’s not the kind of conversation I want to have in front of a stranger. Also, Kade’s on the other side of the curtain; I don’t want him to overhear us.
Sally nods, and I drop my arm.
“I have to say one thing. That man is hot. Forget about getting a revenge tattoo. Go have revenge sex with him.”
I cover her mouth again. “Enough,” I say on a harsh whisper. “He might hear you. If I take my hand away, will you stop talking about this?”
She nods.
“Are you sure?”
She nods again.
I tentatively drop my hand, prepared to cover her mouth again if I need to.
“We have so much to discuss when we get home,” she whispers. Sharing an apartment means we can’t part ways at the end of the evening and avoid whatever conversation she wants to have. Even if I barricade myself in my room, she’ll find her way in.
“So, you want Kade’s name tattooed?” the woman asks. Her lips twitch with a grin.
I don’t want to. It’s more that I need to prove I’m spontaneous and not scared of a little dare. “Is he still out there?”
Sally peeks through the crack in the curtain. “Yep.”
I let out a long breath. “Then yes, I am.”
“What color, font, size and position do you want?”
“Umm… I’ll have it in black, blocked letters and as small as you can make it.”
“And where do you want it?”
The skin where he touched tingles. I point to the side of my breast. “Here, please.”
“No problem. It’ll only take a moment for me to draw it up.” She walks to the side of the room and leans over a bench to get my design ready.
My heart pounds so hard and fast it feels like it’s lodged in my throat. I glance at Sally. She’s grinning from ear to ear, looking like she’s having the best time.
Too soon, the tattoo artist is back. “Okay, let’s get started.”
I remove my jacket and blouse. Next, I unhook my bra with fumbling fingers and slide my arms out of the straps.
Holding the cups over my breasts with one arm, heat creeps up my neck.
I sit sideways on a chair and move my arm out of the way so she can get to my side.
She cleans my side with a wipe before she places the stencil where I wanted the tattoo, then asks, “You’re still happy to have it here? Is this size and font okay?”
I glance down and swallow hard past the lump in my throat. “Yes.”
When the buzzing of the tattoo gun starts, I take a deep breath and prepare for the sting. When it touches my skin, I breathe a sigh of relief that it doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. Thankfully, being such a small design, it only takes a few minutes.
“All done,” she declares as she swipes a paper towel over my skin. “Take a look. I hope you like it.”
“Getting a tattoo of a stranger’s name must seem a crazy thing to do,” I say, a little embarrassed. She must think I’m a moron.
She chuckles. “I’ve seen a lot crazier tattoos in my time. This is nothing.” She pulls off her gloves and drops them in a bin next to the bench.
Still holding the bra to my chest, I make my way to a full-length mirror on the wall and check the tattoo. K.A.D.E
My stomach twists into a knot.
Sally sidles up beside me. “It looks great. Do you love it?” She claps with excitement.
Coming down from my alcohol high, my head’s pounding, and my mouth’s dry.
This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.
Tomorrow, I’ll Google tattoo removalists.
“How can I love a stranger's name on my skin?” I quickly put my blouse and jacket on.
Hopefully, covering up his name will make me stop thinking about it.
“Let’s think up an acronym for it. We can work out what the letters stand for when we get home. It will be fun,” Sally suggests with a giggle as she takes a seat.
I watch while she gets her tattoo. Inspired by my design, she’s decided to ditch the dragonfly idea. Instead, she’s opted for her childhood dog’s name, Benji, to be placed on the back of her shoulder.
“We are two badass bitches,” she declares with a fierce expression on her face when we’re both done.
I laugh. “So bad.” Then my face screws up, and my stomach twists into a sick knot. “What have I done?” This is not me. I’m not impulsive. I’ll research sneakers for hours before committing to buying a pair, and they’re not permanently attached to my feet.
“It’s fine. After a couple of days, we’ll forget they’re there.”
“Easy for you to say. Yours is on your shoulder. You can’t physically see it without a mirror. I’ll always see mine.”
“It’s a reminder that you can be spontaneous and a little wild.”
I don’t feel spontaneous or wild. I feel queasy. That could also be the aftereffects of alcohol.
I wonder if Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous is still on the other side of the curtain.
Hopefully, he’s gotten tired of waiting and left.
Part of me doesn’t want to face him again—he makes me feel things that I shouldn’t feel for a stranger.
And the other part wants him to be waiting so I can feel those things. Am I losing my mind?
Holding my breath, I cautiously step out from behind the curtain.
I spot him immediately. His large presence is hard to miss.
He’s flipping through a magazine like he hasn’t a care in the world.
When his head lifts, our eyes meet, and I exhale on a shuddery breath.
His stare is so intense that my body tingles from head to toe.
He tosses the magazine onto a small round table next to him. “All done?” he asks casually, like he has no idea what he’s doing to me. Like the look he just gave me didn’t just practically singe the clothes from my body.
“Yes. Still think I’m chicken?” I put a little sass in my tone and pump out my chest. There’s no way I’m going to let him know it was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.
“I need to see proof.” His gaze zeros in on my chest.
“You want proof?” The sass is replaced by something sounding meek and tinny.
To give him proof would mean I’d have to lift my blouse, and I didn’t put my bra back on.
How much side boob would he see? I could tell him no.
Who is he to demand proof? I know it’s there.
I can still feel a slight sting and the clingfilm on my skin.
But like my hands have a mind of their own, or he is some magician who can make people do things they normally wouldn’t do, I raise the side of my blouse, exposing the soft curve of my side boob.
He rises from the sofa and ambles over to me, where he bends and leans forward to get a better look. His warm breath fans over my skin. I bite my lip, waiting for him to touch me again. When he doesn’t and pulls away, I deflate with disappointment and drop my shirt.
“Nice,” he says.
Nice… Nice. That’s all he has to say? I’ve branded his name on me. He could at least show a bit more enthusiasm.
He doesn’t say anything else as he ambles toward the curtain.
“Wait.” He stops and turns. “A deal is a deal. My name’s Daisy.
D.A.I.S.Y,” I spell out. “Would you like me to recommend a place you can put it?” Where would I get him to place my name?
Over his heart? Ha! Like he’d ever do that.
Maybe on the side of his torso to match mine.
“No.”
“Why not? It only seems fair since you suggested where I put mine.”
With an impassive look on his face, he says, “I’ll never tattoo a woman’s name on my body. Goodbye Daisy Chain. Enjoy your new tattoo.”