31. Cooper
31
Cooper
I needed to get away from Trinia or I wasn’t going to stop fucking her. She’s the sweetest, most dangerous drug. In a city full of sin she beats it all. She’s my perfect high.
Now she walks next to me, in a short black lace dress and a pair of Doc Marten combat boots with her fingers laced with mine. Guiding her into the elevator I wrap her in my arms and pull her back against my chest.
“I’m glad you’re here with me.” I murmur, resting my chin on top of her head, seeing her smile in the golden mirrored reflection of the door.
“I’m glad I am too. We always wanted to travel together, remember?” She turns around and my hands fall from her shoulders to her hips. “I still want to see the world with you Cooper.”
“We have the rest of our lives, zhena.” I kiss her softly as the doors open.
We walk across the casino floor, past some shops and restaurants before leaving the building and making our way up the STRIP to the convention center.
After flashing our badges and signing in we walk through the doors and the space is massive. It feels even bigger than last year. There are rows upon rows of booths for vendors and other artists.
Some people are already getting tattooed, and a couple women are making out in the corner. Metal music plays through the speakers as we make our way through the maze of tables and curtains. Rounding a corner I spot an arrow marker for the VIP and the curtains of the booths change from a black linen to a red satin.
I spot our tables stacked with boxes and I watch Trinia stop as she eyes the neon sign that says La Trinia Tattoo.
“Come on my little siren.” I tug her along and she giggles as she follows me
We work in silence as she helps me set up before she says, “I still can’t believe you named your shop after me. I should have known.”
I smile as I straighten, “How was that not a dead giveaway when you accepted the job?”
She looks down, shaking her head before finally giving me an answer. “I don’t know. I think maybe I was in denial. My brain didn’t even register the possibility but I wasn’t surprised after the shock wore off. You were always an amazing artist.”
I watch her for a moment scuff her boot on the carpeted floor like she is fifteen years old kicking rocks in her driveway past curfew.
If you ask me everything happens for a reason.
The fates of the sea brought her back to me. I remind myself as I thank the gods again.
That’s one of the reasons I’ve never been able to leave the coast. Not only do I love it but while Trinia is a natural reader, a lover of literature, I had to work a little harder when it came to academics.
While she was reading novels written by authors with Russian surnames I could barely pronounce, I started to read up on things that I found a bit more entertaining. I would have done anything just to be next to her.
Freshman year of high school is when I started reading all the lore and folktales of the sea. Along with pirates, sirens, the Nordic and Greek gods, and all the mythical creatures that linger beneath the mysterious surface.
After she left I whispered my wish into stones and threw them into the dark waters on the nights I couldn’t escape the memories of her.
Trinia might call it a coincidence. Others may call it prayer or manifestation. I, however, chose to believe the gods heard my pleas and ordered the fates to step in. Her voice pulls me from my memories and when I turn to look at her I see she’s watching me.
“I’m proud of you, Cooper. All this.” She gestures her hand around the booth that’s starting to come together. “The life you built for yourself. You and Theo are doing so well now.” I see a hint of emotion in her eyes.
Walking over to her I cup her face and she wraps her arms around my waist. Weaving her fingers behind my back.
“We all are, dorogoy.” I say before I kiss her lips. “Watching you every day at the shop is so sexy. With your glasses and your calculator.” My eyebrows dance and she smiles.
“Jeez you make it sound like a bad porno.” She huffs as she fights back her laugh.
“Oh baby girl, people would line up around the block to watch our security footage.” Her eye roll makes me chuckle and when she shoves away from me I laugh even harder.
Just then I hear a woman clear her throat and when I turn around I’m confronted with the convention center’s program director. The same woman I remember from last year and she gives me a polite smile as she holds her clipboard to her chest.
Her name tag reminds me of her name as I reach out my hand. “Candice, it’s good to see you again.”
Shaking my hand she nods, “It’s nice to have you back again Cooper. The turnout is expected to be double what it was last year. I hope you brought in some help.” She looks at Trinia.
“This is Trinia, my wife and bookkeeper. She will be handling all the client intake and future bookings. I also have a couple other buddies coming in as celebrity artists.” I feel Trinia’s elbow in my gut.
“I’m the girlfriend, not the wife.” Trinia holds out her hand shaking Candice’s.
“Nice to meet you girlfriend, not wife.” Candice nods before her face falls and she looks over in my direction. “I see your hours were cut. Is this an error?” She looks down at her clipboard.
“No error, that’s what I put in my schedule ticket. Last year almost gave me carpal tunnel. I adore you Candice but I can’t have you ruining my career.” I joke, placing a hand over my heart but in all seriousness it was kind of miserable.
I was going solo and was so tired and hungry by the time the high of the excitement wore off. I burnt out each night. By the end of the convention I was in agony, each day my mood grew darker than the night sky walking out of here.
When the program director starts giving me some shit about my hours not adding up to be enough to keep my VIP status, I pull her aside, while Trinia continues setting up.
Quickly I’m able to sweet talk her into keeping our VIP status. I’ve always been a natural charmer as I recall a memory from over a decade ago.
One summer when Trinia was fourteen she was meant to be grounded. She allegedly disrespected one of the uncle’s friends at a gathering and her mother was always more punish now, ask questions later. It didn’t matter to her that the man was harassing her.
All Sasha ever cared about was how she and Katrinia were perceived by the men in their social circle. Reputation and beauty was everything to her. A vain belief she brought over with her from the old country.
However, when I heard a band Trinia loved was coming to the fairgrounds, I couldn’t not get us tickets. So I knocked on her front door with Theo behind me. I smiled, holding three tickets for that night when her mother opened the door, a lit cigarette resting between her fingers.
“Katrinia is grounded. She can’t play with you boys tonight.” Sasha cocked her hip and raised a suspicious brow my way.
“Well ma’am I know. I heard she was grounded but I got these tickets to see a band at the fairgrounds and I would hate for them to go to waste. Please can she come just for tonight? I’ll clean your car for a month. What do you say?”
“You already bought the tickets, huh?” She scoffed with a thick accent as she snatched the tickets out of my hand to look them over. Sweat beaded on the back of my neck as she took a swig of a clear liquid from her glass.
“Yes ma’am. It was supposed to be a surprise. Katrinia doesn’t know.” I said covering for her in an effort to convince her mother to let her out.
“Fine but make it three months and this one needs to do the lawn.” She pointed the tickets at Theo and I nodded reaching for them.
Walking back from around the corner I smile when Trinia shakes her head after catching sight of me making my way up the row.
“You can talk your way out of anything. You should have been a lawyer. Use your evil powers for good.” She teases.
“Oh I use my evil for good. Don’t you remember all the filthy things I whispered into your ear just this morning?” I wink and she blushes.
Her cheeks flame as she dips her head. I love how she can be such a desperate little slut for my cock but still be so innocent at the same time. She’s the perfect woman and she’s all mine.
As more and more artists and vendors start to funnel in I can see the men starting to stare at her. The last three times she’s been bent over a box I’ve caught men shamelessly checking out her ass. Trying to snag a peep up her skirt.
I look back at her after catching an artist from New Jersey grinning in her direction to find her dress has ridden up and the fucking creases of her ass cheeks are nearly peeking out. I stomp over and grab the box, lifting it up I place it on the table.
“No more bending over.” I whisper my demand in her ear.
She fusses with the hem of her mini dress before sighing my name in annoyance.
“No walking around alone either. If you need to go somewhere you wait for me, one of my buddies, or one of their girls to go with you.” I know at least one of my friends is bringing his lady with him.
“Come on.” She rolls her eyes and continues unpacking the box I set on the table.
“I mean in Trin. Vegas is sketchy.” I’m not lying. Especially if she is getting the type of attention she is already.
“The bathrooms are right over there. Can I go piss by myself or does my new leash not reach that far?” She huffs and I can tell she is annoyed but she is only half joking.
“You can go to the restrooms but that’s it. Any further and you run the risk of choking.” I know I’m being jealous and possessive but I don’t care. We aren’t home anymore and Vegas is unpredictable. The people are overstimulated, sleep deprived and pumped full of booze and Lucifer himself only knows what else.
“Yes sir.” She mumbles as she sets up the shop brochures in their caddy on the table.
“Oh I like that. Say it again, baby.” I nuzzle her neck and she giggles. Swatting me away with a handful of brochures.
“Let’s get this done, we have to meet your friends tonight right, or is that tomorrow?” She points to another box and I lift it up. Setting it down with a pleased nod.
“Tomorrow night. Tonight is just for us before the convention starts in the morning.”