Page 26 of Going Down Smooth: Part Two

“Are you sure you’re okay? I’ve never seen you look that way,” Mercy leans in to whisper to me as I pull up two chairs beside the tattoo bed. I know for sure that Knight and Lox will want to be in close proximity to her even with them being in the same room.

“Seen me look like what?” I ask nervously. Yeah, you are not hiding anything at all. Good job, Freeya.

“Scared,” Mercy replies.

I pause and turn towards her, hoping the guys don’t hear me. The last thing I need is for Vic to worry and start questioning me. I have no idea who the unknown person is, and I definitely don’t want to talk about my family. At least, not at this very moment. We are all still getting to know one another. I don’t want my pack to regret their decision to mate me. I won’t let my family come back to haunt me, not now. Not when I am finally finding my feet.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle, Mercy. I promise,” I say clapping my hands in excitement and forcing another smile. I lied. Again. I’ve never lied to or held anything back from Mercy. She knows about my family and what they did to me. But I can’t place my drama at her feet, she’s got enough going on. I don’t want her to worry about me as well.

I think this is something I have to show Dez. He will know what to do. Whoever or whatever this person is, he can help me solve the mystery. But I don’t want to bring trouble to their door. Ugh, fuck my life.

“Miss Smooth. What can I do for you today?” Vic asks, pulling me from my thoughts as he crosses over to the tattoo bed Mercy is sitting on. Knight and Lox both take the seats I placed by her side as Mercy holds out her arms to Vic.

“I want to take something ugly and make it pretty,” she says confidently, not a shaky tone at all. I forget my own shit for the moment as I focus on my best friend who’s been fighting her own battles.

Knight tsks. “Baby girl, what have we told you? Your scars are your journey, and they are by no means ugly.”

“Mouse, have I not kissed them enough?” Lox asks, making Mercy’s cheeks heat, and I playfully gag in disgust.

“Oh, come on, not in front of the bestie, please.” I roll my eyes, throwing my hands up in exasperation as Vic laughs.

“Should I counter that with my own dirty words for you, cariña. It only seems fair.” He winks and I shoot daggers in his direction as he focuses on Mercy once more.

“How do you feel about flowers?” he asks as he turns and grabs his sketch pad from his worktable and brings it back to her.

“I like flowers. What do you have in mind?” she asks curiously as he flips a few pages and stops, pointing to something on the page. From where I’m sitting at his desk, I can’t see what they are looking at but by the look of awe on Mercy’s face, I think she likes what she sees.

“A lotus. It’s a flower symbolizing resilience, strength, and rebirth. It grows up out of the muck and mire, but its blooms are pristine, perfect even, despite that. I think it’s fitting. They come in various shades of purples, pinks, yellows, and whites. I can connect each flower with running vines up your arm and we can color and shade them in one sitting. I work fast but I won’t lie, it may hurt a bit.” He grimaces as he begins to study the scars on her arms. “I can work around the scar tissue here and there,” he points out, eyes focused, concentrating on each mark on her arm. He turns her arm up noticing the mark on her wrist.

Mercy smiles and shrugs. “Not a scar. It’s Nate’s mating mark.” She laughs as Vic’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Who knew Nate was a savage?” Vic asks, his eyebrows raised in approval as we all laugh.

“Hey, my brother had to improvise.” Knight chuckles, making Mercy blush again. I know they had to claim her in a rush, so I’m not surprised her bites are all over the place.

My phone chimes again, but I force myself not to look as I keep my attention in the room.

“I think lotus flowers are an excellent choice,” I say to Mercy, distracting myself and offering my girl a lifeline. She’s going to be beet red if they keep talking. Alphas have no shame it seems.

“Well, let’s get you tattooed,” Vic says as he snaps on his gloves and begins.

* * *

“I make good on my promises don’t I, cariña?” Vic’s body covers mine from behind as he sucks on my bare shoulder where his mate mark resides. My eyes roll to the back of my head as he slams into me, his reverse prince albert piercing making me cry out each time the circular barbell hits home.

“Yes!” I shout in pleasure. He kicks my legs out further, forcing me to arch my back as he shifts his hips, changing the angle as he drives into me. I bite down hard on my lip, groaning against the leather tattoo table Mercy had laid on getting her tattoos done only an hour ago.

“I enjoy fucking you, cariña. You scream so beautifully. You are so perfect.”

He grabs my ponytail and yanks my head back and to the side; his lips latch onto mine as he kisses the oxygen right out of my body. Vic’s kisses are pure ecstasy, I can kiss this Alpha and lose myself for hours without coming up for air. Damn him and his talented tongue.

“Vic!” I cry out and take a deep life affirming breath as he pushes me back down against the bed and slaps my ass.

“Yes, baby, say my name!” he replies. His slight Spanish accent coming through, the sound alone makes me moan as he massages my ass so hard I know he’s going to leave a mark. “Fuck, Freeya!” he shouts, and I know he’s close, he only says my actual name before he comes. In such a short period of time I have learned them all so well. His fingers find my clit and he works my sensitive flesh hard, making stars burst behind my closed eyes.

My phone chimes and my orgasm wanes for a second as my eyes spring open in panic. Then it chimes again.

Vic growls. “I won’t cum, not until you do, cariña. I am all for delayed gratification, but Omari is blowing up your phone. We mustn’t keep our Omega waiting now, must we?” he asks through clenched teeth, and the relief I feel for it being Omari and not this unknown stranger sends my orgasm crashing through me like a freight train. I scream Vic’s name over and over again, a prayer, a chant, I don’t know, but I let go as I cum all over the tattoo table. I’m so wet I am sure there’s a puddle of my release dripping to the floor.

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