Page 27 of Blue

Blue

Unfortunately, Sarah had a shift at Razzle Dazzle, the MC owned strip club that day. So, no tattoo for her. But Blue had scheduled Dylan. Which meant she had work to occupy her mind that wasn’t Mooky.

Someone else could consume her. Or well, something else. She wasn’t sure she was ready for anyone else toconsumeher. She needed to stop thinking about shit like that.

Be professional.

As Stella’s tattoo machine buzzed behind her, Blue bopped her head to Brent Smith of Shinedown singing “How Did You Love.” Sitting at the front desk of Rune the Skin, Blue bent over her sketch pad.

Dylan asked for something patriotic. Since he worked in security and was a veteran, he wanted to honor that. It might not really be her wheelhouse, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. He said he was open and Blue could really show off her drawing skills. So, she had some creative license.

He’d been a sweet talker. A smile spread across her features as she considered the idea of someone actually trusting her to ink an original design on his skin. It’d be there forever—something from her brain permanently on another human. That was trippy.

Mooky requested that.

She pushed the thought out of her mind. It didn’t matter what he said, it mattered what he did. This guy offered fresh skin and had never been inked before. Mooky was married. As long as he remained that way, she needed to forget he existed.

If it ever changed, then maybe—maybe she could reconsider. When and if he became single, she could revisit the tattoo idea on his body.

There. Problem solved. If only her brain would get on board.

For now, she needed to focus on Dylan and what he commissioned. He was her first genuine customer. He wasn’t taking pity on her for being an apprentice. This guy asked for what she offered.

Heat blossomed in her chest. Pride shoved aside all the negative feelings that had taken root and spread. This was about her and her alone. Now, she needed to focus on the eagle with the spread wings. That seemed like the most traditional option.

Tapping her pencil on the pad, she referenced the photo of an eagle on the tablet in front of her. Was she going too big? This was his first tattoo. He said for his back. Maybe she shouldn’t go so large.

He might not be able to sit for anything too big.

She probably wouldn’t be able to tolerate the vibration in her hand that long.

Her mind drifted to the hand massages she gave Mooky. He often did large pieces. It stiffened up his muscles at the end of the day.

No.

Stop thinking about him. Focus on Dylan. She needed to concentrate on the piece in front of her.

The phone rang, and Blue knew the entire world was against her. Grumbling, she placed her hand on the receiver. After taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

Calm.

This could be a potential tattoo for her. Maybe.

Unlikely, but she had to treat every call like it could be.

“Thank you for calling Rune the Skin. This is Blue. How can I help you?”

“Hey, I’m so glad it’s you.”

Blue let the pencil fall.

“Dylan.” Her mind raced with the reasons for his call.

He could cancel his tattoo. He could want a new artist.

“Did you have some ideas you wanted to share with me?”

Mammoth’s clients texted him all the time with ideas. She’d seen him scrap so many drawings after his phone vibrated. Sometimes they sent him pictures of other tattoos or reference material. Dylan could do the same.

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