Page 16 of Ink Wars

I sit for a while and stare at my design. A beautiful, colorful falcon with the bright sun behind him. It’s one of the best designs I’ve come up with. My colors are what is going to give me the edge here. Corbin won’t use any and, in this case, it’s going to hurt him.

I can’t wait for him to eat his fucking words.

“Almost done, William, just hold still,” I say.

This guy is a pain in the ass. He won’t hold still and this tattoo is taking longer because of it. It’s a skull with a rose and after the outline, he had to take a half-hour break. It’s killing me but I’m trying not to lose my patience with him. I understand everyone has a different pain tolerance.

“Damn, how much longer?” he groans, holding tightly to the arm of the chair.

“Just a little more red in the rose and you’re done. Just take a few deep breaths,” I instruct.

When I get the final bit of color on, I think I’m just as relieved as him. I wipe away the ink and he hisses again.

“You did great. Go check it out and see what you think,” I say, getting the ointment ready.

When he gets in front of the mirror he finally smiles. “Shit, that’s amazing. Worth that pain.”

I laugh as I walk toward him. “Always is. This is an ointment to keep it moist, make sure you use it and no pools or sun until it’s completely healed.”

I rub the ointment on and when I’m done, I pull off my gloves, admiring the tattoo. Even with all his moving it came out great.

“Come pay upfront and I’ll get you out of here,” I say.

He follows me and just as he finishes paying, the door opens. I glance up and see Lucas walk in. My heart begins to pound as my stomach drops. It’s late and I know he’s had his dinner with Corbin already.

He’s here to either make me or break me.

“Thanks, Leah. I’ll be back,” William says.

I hope not, but I smile as I nod. Lucas smiles as he walks toward me. “Great tattoo.”

“Thanks, not a very easy client,” I say, laughing through my nerves.

He nods his head for me to step out front with him and I do, wringing my hands together. I can’t remember a time I’ve been this nervous.

As we step outside, I see Corbin and my stomach sinks.

He fucking beat me.

“Here’s the thing,” Lucas says, looking between us. “There’s absolutely no way I can choose between these two designs. They are both amazingly unique. So I’ve come up with an idea. I would like for you two to collaborate together, combining your ideas, to come up with the ultimate design. I’ve visited many tattoo artists, and none even come close to the talent you both possess. So, what do you say?”

What the actual fuck? Work with Corbin or lose my chance. It’s actually something I need to think about because I’m not sure either of us would survive working together. We had to do it once, but we never collaborated together. That’s another beast entirely.

“If Leah is willing, I am,” Corbin says, giving me a smirk.

Asshole. Thinking it through is no longer an option. I will never allow him to look like the better person. I smile back and hold out my hand. “I’d love to.”

Corbin shakes it and we have a couple of seconds of a stare off and I know this is going to be fucking horrible.

“This is amazing. I’ll give you guys a couple weeks to come up with something. I’ll be back with some of the cast and crew to review it all and hopefully begin our tattoos. You both have my card so if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call,” Lucas says, holding his hand out for me to shake before extending it to Corbin.

As if on cue, his car pulls up and he steps off the curb as the door is opened for him. “I’ll be in touch. Blow my mind, guys, I know you can.”

With that, he gets in the car and drives away. I sigh before turning my attention to Corbin. He has his arms crossed as he stares at me.

“Well, I guess we start by showing each other the design we made,” I suggest.

“What time you done?” he asks.

---