Bad Boy Ink (Get Ink'd #5) - Ali Lyda Page 0,70

thoroughly bleak funk. I was grumpy as I set out my inks, preparing for any walk-ins. On the one hand I was glad I didn't have a client lined up for the day. On the other hand, walk-ins could be hit or miss. I'd either have a kick-ass new client who gave me a lot of freedom or I'd have some douchebag who wanted an American flag on his ass.

The hours were dragging. There were no walk-ins. I stared at the clock and listened to Dane crack jokes. He was telling a story about a cucumber getting put in an orifice where cucumbers did not go and how he grateful he was for his doctor hubs, and I wasn’t laughing.

Maybe he noticed my stoniness, because Eryk came over to my station, and I prepared myself for whatever round of flirting he thought was still appropriate. Only this time he didn't flirt.

“Let's go for a walk,” he said. “You look like you could use some fresh air.”

“You do know that it's fucking freezing outside, right?” I grumbled.

“Good thing we both brought jackets,” he retorted, flashing teeth in a smile that held an edge of mettle. “Now come on, let's go.”

It said a lot about my mental state that I simply stood and followed him to the coat rack, grabbing my jacket and pulling it on before following him outside. Eryk started walking and I settled in beside him. To my surprise, he maintained a friendly amount of space as we walked.

After two blocks of the only noise being the crunch of our boots in the salt lining the sidewalks, Eryk spoke. “What is up your ass, dude?”

I sniffed. I could lash out. Pick a fight and see if it made me feel better. But fighting didn’t come naturally to me. It was, in fact, the very thing I was stewing over. Well, that and the job, which suddenly seemed far out of reach. “Do you think I’m being a dick for being jealous of my boyfriend, when he’s likely taking my dream job from me?”

Eryk gave a low whistle. “That sucks. You both want the same job, then?”

“Yep. And there's only one position open. One of the recruiters met with us today and I was obviously not his top choice. In fact, I don't think he even noticed I was there. He only had eyes for Aiden. Aiden, with his perfect grades and his perfect education and his perfect last name.”

Even though I knew that last name meant nothing to Aiden, there was a good chance it might to someone else, especially someone who’d likely done some light digging into Aiden’s past and would only see the wealth and the prestige. And even though Aiden would want to pretend otherwise, that kind of thing could have a lot of influence, especially compared to some nobody like me who was technically homeless for years and finishing college years too late.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt the resentment burrowing in, making an uncomfortable home in my chest.

“To be fair,” Eryk said in a gentle tone, “your boyfriend is very good looking. Who could blame someone for having eyes for him? But,” he continued before I could get pissed, “I can tell that this is eating you up and I'm sorry for that. It's a tough situation to be in. My only advice is, as you work through your jealousy, try to make sure your emotions are directed to the right person.”

I kicked at a can with my boot, listening to it bounce and clang along the sidewalk. Eryk stooped down to pick it up and tossed it in a recycle bin.

“I know that, I do,” I said. “But that's one of those easier said than done sort of things, right? I know that I shouldn't blame Aiden, but on the other hand he's my competition. And that job was my way to make up for not being able to protect someone I love. She’s okay now, but I fell in love with the idea of giving her the peace of mind of knowing competent people were out there catching the bad guys. I wanted to be one of the people catching the bad guys. It was…my chance at redemption, I guess.”

We rounded a corner, and I saw that Eryk had led us in a circle, bringing us back toward the shop. He'd been right, though. They air nipped at my cheeks, and I was very glad for my thick