91. Rory
Ninety-One
Rory
Ariel was ready to start the eight-hour tattoo process to finish her back piece.
I didn’t think it would take that long, but her scars might make it a little more challenging.
It was painful going over scar tissue. I knew from experience, but Ariel had taken the outlining like a champ, and it was her first tattoo. I was honestly surprised.
I told my women I would be at my studio for most of the day and part of the night working on a big tattoo.
I wanted to believe it wouldn’t take me long, but I added a couple extra hours just in case.
Ariel was the only tattoo I scheduled today so I could focus on the details and not be in a rush to finish it.
Ariel knocked on my door, and I let her in.
Since I was the only artist, I kept my door locked and only had clients through appointments.
Sometimes I felt like I should have a few more artists, but I liked having my own space.
It was mine, and I could work whenever I wanted.
Ariel got comfortable on the tattoo bench.
She would be lying here for the next few hours.
“Are you ready for this, girlfriend?”
“I took my gummies. I am ready.”
“I’m sorry about that delay.”
“No need to be sorry. I hope you are doing better.”
I jumped right in focusing on the intricate details of the dragon first since it was the main attraction, adding shading and fine details to it.
I would add highlights once everything else was done.
Dragons were one of my favorite things to create, even if they were one of the hardest when I started tattooing.
I always drew when I was younger. Drawing was my escape, and then I learned to tattoo.
It took a few months to perfect it, but I fell in love with it almost immediately.
I liked challenging myself, and creating realistic dragons was one of the hardest things I’ve tattooed.
Now the thing I was working on would be realistic portraits, but I wouldn’t be upset if I never perfected it.
It took three hours to complete the dragon, and the sun was starting to set.
I let Ariel sit up and stretch her legs as I added pink ink to my table for the cherry blossoms. Ariel wanted mainly greyscale, but she wanted the cherry blossoms to have a hint of color in them.
I thought it was a nice touch. I asked her permission to send a picture to Hades so she could see the progress, and she consented.
“How long have you and your girlfriend been together?”
“Me and Hades have been together officially for almost a month. Vesper and I are somewhat official, and Widow is still being stubborn.”
“You have three?” she asked, her eyes wide in disbelief. I laughed and nodded. Maybe dumping my life story on her wasn’t the best idea, but I was never one to keep my business to myself. “Wow. I can’t even get a text back.”
I laughed again, wrapping my tattoo gun in more hot pink tape. “I knew Vesper and Widow for years. My sister made it hard to date, but she’s gone now. I know she would want me to be happy. I met Hades a few months ago. I didn’t think much would come from our relationship.”
“Wow, that’s nice. I’m sorry about your sister.”
“Me too. I know she’s watching over me.” I wasn’t accepting anything, but it was too complicated to tell someone what’s going on with Cinder. “I think I have maybe another three hours, and we can start highlighting.”
Flowers were one of my favorite things to tattoo. They were delicate, yet so beautiful. The stray cherry blossoms scattered in random spots, added dimension and made the dragon stick out more against the pink. It was an impressive piece, and possibly one of my favorites to date.
I stretched my back, hearing it crack as I dipped my needle in white ink.
We were almost done with her tattoo, and I was ready.
Adding highlights and the final touches took another thirty minutes, making the grand total for her back piece six hours and forty-five minutes.
I did one final wipe and told her to check it out in the mirror.
She turned, peeking over her shoulder into the mirror, admiring the intricate design.
“Wow.” She arched her back slightly. “It’s amazing. It’s everything I wanted and then some.”
“I’m glad you like it. Thank you for letting me do it.
Can I take a few pictures for my portfolio?
” She nodded and I snapped a picture of her in the mirror, looking back at her tattoo.
It was a perfect shot. Then I took a few pictures of her back.
“Clean it with antibacterial soap, and keep it clean. Use a fragrance-free ointment to help the healing process, and if you need any touch-ups after it’s healed, just shoot me a message and we can work something out. ”
Ariel paid me before giving me a tight hug and thanking me again.
I let her out of the shop before locking the door once more.
I told my woman I was done, and told Vesper I expected her to be waiting for me in her bedroom.
Tattooing took a lot out of a girl, and I wanted to rejuvenate with Vesper—and maybe even have Hades watch.
I turn on Def Leppard and start cleaning my shop while messaging Hades and Vesper.
Cleaning was a lot harder when I was sexting—and by sexting I mean sending reaction memes to what Hades and Vesper said they would do to me when they had me together.
It seemed I had to do a lot of yoga or something because they would bend me into a pretzel.
I stopped when my music stopped; the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The broom fell from my hand and crashed to the floor. I didn't turn at first because I knew who would be there when I did. Why was he here and how did he get here? Why was he doing this?
I turned on my heels and came face-to-mask with the intruder. He was there by the door, holding my speaker. He wore a mask because he was a fucking coward, but he was smart.
Don't panic. Deep breath, Rory.