there, not ready to fall. It’s exactly how I feel. “That’s perfect, Break. Thank you.”
“Take your shirt off and lie down with your right shoulder to the light. I’ll get the needles and ink.” He pushes away and leaves the room.
I take my shirt off and do as he says, lying on my stomach. When he comes in he takes a seat and swings his chair around to me, getting things ready.
Suddenly his warm hands smooth something down on my shoulder. “Check it out. Is the placement right?”
I peek over my shoulder at a mirror and eye where the tattoo will be. “I love it.”
“Good.” He pats my lower back. “Lie down. This is going to hurt. There’s no way around it. Be still. Don’t jerk or breathe hard or I might mess up. If it hurts too much, let me know and I’ll stop. Got it?”
“Got it.” I can’t stand pain. I lay with my head on my hands.
“So who is he?” he asks as a buzzing starts up.
I hiss when the needle touches my skin, biting my lip and refraining from moving. “Who?”
“Who else do girls get tattoos for?”
“I’m see-through, aren’t I?”
“No, you’re falling. We’ve all fallen, or will fall. Hell, I’m kind of falling for you.”
“You’re the only one,” I reply bitterly.
He chuckles. “Show him your tattoo. If he’s a real man it’ll turn him on.”
“The whole point is never seeing him again.”
“Is that the point or the game?” He doesn’t wait for me to reply. “You women love to play games. Wind us up and watch us go. And then when we go, you get mad. You can’t hold that against us.”
We’re quiet for some time. I bite my lip when he starts filling the tattoo in. As I lie there going through this pain, I blame Kent for every single ache. I want to show him, look, you’re killing me too.
When Break is done with my tattoo I scrutinize it in the mirror. The word ‘Falling’ slowly cascades in elegant pink letters that curl in on themselves across my right shoulder blade. Dark swathes of shadows reach up to devour it, but the word hangs in the balance, not completely ready to give in.
“Don’t you like it?” Break asks, eyeing my glossy eyes.
“I love it.”
“Hang out with me.” He pauses in the middle of putting away his gear and looks at my body in the mirror. I’m standing in my shorts, bra, and wedges. I’ve never been this naked in front of another man except for Kent. I don’t feel that buzzing attraction at all. “Let’s go get a drink.”
“We’re not having sex.”
He smiles. “Challenge accepted.”
“I mean it.”
“Uh-huh.”
I laugh despite myself. “Whatever. You’ll see when you’re begging for it.”
“I don’t have to beg, baby. You’ll do enough begging for both of us.” He gives me a naughty smile. “Come let me put some ointment on it. You might want to wear a tank top. I can get one from the back.”
“Sure.”
He ducks out of the room and returns with a black tank top. He holds it out and I carefully fit my body inside so it doesn’t touch my tattoo. He turns me around and then rubs some ointment on it. “You should wash this with soap and water for a few days. Don’t scratch it.”
“Yes, boss.”
“I can be your boss.” His breath is on my shoulder.
I pretend it’s Kent’s breath. It makes me shiver. “What’s your first order?”
“You’re going to have a drink with me.”
I’d love one, Kent. I close my eyes so I can’t see his tattoos in the mirror. “And then what?”
“We’re going back to my place.” Kent reaches up to touch my arms.
I lean back against him. It feels so good to touch him again. If feels like we haven’t touched in a painfully long time. My mind and heart stop hurting. “Are we going to try again?”
“Hmm?” he asks, and my fantasy shatters.
Kent’s gone. “Nothing. We can have a drink but we’re not going back to your place.”
“Eh,” he says, laughing uncomfortably. “Sex and a drink’s my final offer.”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
He shrugs unapologetically. “I want to have sex with you. Why pretend otherwise?”
I gawk at him. “You’re right. Why pretend? I would never let you touch my body.” I grab my shirt off the end of the table and my purse.
“You’re welcome for the badass tat.”
“Thank you!” I growl and then stomp into the parlor.
“Let me see,” Max says, sitting backwards on a chair with his shirt off while