start working for you right now? I mean… that’s great, but I’ll probably need to know some more details, and—”
“I pay well. You’ll make more than you do here.”
“Oh. I wasn’t… I meant…”
He raised his brows. “I assume you do want to be paid.”
I imagined all the ways he could compensate me, but none of that deliciousness would pay my rent. “Yes. I just…”
“I don’t bite. You really don’t need to be nervous around me.”
I’d been hoping he did bite. In all the best places. “Are you sure? Cathy says you’re—” I clapped my hand over my mouth. “Forget I said that. Cathy hasn’t told me anything about you.”
“I certainly hope she hasn’t given all my secrets away.”
“I just think… I mean… You look kind of dangerous.”
“I am dangerous. Just not to you.”
If he knew the way I fantasized about him, he would know how wrong he was. I glanced back at Cathy, and she waved me toward the door, a huge smile on her face. I hoped she wasn’t so tired of having me work for her that she was throwing me to the lions or rather, lion, singular, though, I wasn’t sure I’d mind if he wanted to eat me.
We entered the tattoo shop, and I stared at the gorgeous images of vibrant, intricate tattoos Leo had on the walls. There were pictures that had been taken close-up and others that showed more of the person’s body. I’d never considered getting a tattoo—I was much too chicken—but even with my very basic knowledge, I could tell this was top-notch work.
“These are amazing.” I moved closer to a photograph of a woman’s back that was covered in rose vines. The colors were beautiful, pinks and yellows, and the roses were so realistic. “Did you do all these tattoos?”
Leo moved closer to me. “I did the one you’re looking at, but some were done by the other artists who work here.
Leo gave me a tour of the workstations and the offices at the back, which he’d told me he rented out, but he remained very mysterious about exactly who rented them or what they did. Did Cathy know? Was that part of what she hadn’t told me. Surely she wouldn’t have encouraged me to work for him if she knew Leo had some dark secret, right?
After the shop tour, he walked me through the details of using the complex—to me at least—appointment calendar. He explained that there would always be someone else in the shop with me, usually him and multiple artists. The shop was closed on Sundays and Mondays. My hours would be twelve to eight Tuesday through Saturday, but he could be flexible if I had an appointment or something that came up.
I stared at the tablet I’d be working from and worried about how long it would take me to figure out the appointment system and do things the way Leo wanted them done.
Did I really want to take this on? Could I work for Leo and look like I had more than one or two brain cells? I wasn’t the best waiter, but I liked Cathy, and I was comfortable at the café. At Devilish Ink, I’d have to meet a whole new lineup of clients, but with the higher pay, I might eventually be able to move out of the freezing cold, microscopic apartment I’d found. Maybe I could even start taking classes again if I figured out what I wanted to do.
There was a huge chance I’d screw something up, though. Leo might be very forgiving about me spilling water at his table, or splashing coffee over the edge of his cup, or dropping my order pad nearly every time I served him, but I didn’t think he take it as well if I did something that jeopardized his business reputation. How quickly did he expect me to figure it all out?
“You can always ask me—or anyone else here—if you’re not sure about something.”
I frowned. “How did you know what I was thinking?”
“You looked lost.”
I wanted him to find me.
When I didn’t respond, he collected a folder from the desk and motioned for me to join him in the small waiting area. We sat next to each other on a couch, and even though we weren’t touching, I was sure I could feel the heat coming off his big body.
I wanted to reach out and touch his thigh to find out if his muscles were as firm as they looked. When I glanced up,