Page 40 of Brandishing Beginnings

Shaking her head, Slade grumbled. “Not since the funeral. She sent a wedding invite to some new guy she’s with in Florida, but I’m not interested.”

I winced, “That’s rough girl.”

Slade shrugged a shoulder and bent back over my side, continuing her work on a large butterfly piece that spread from boob to hip on my right side—the wings curling around my front and back with bright multi-color designs interlaid. Slade was working it free hand as we spoke, bringing a gorgeous masterpiece to life.

I was lounged back in the tattoo chair in my bra and panties, to give Slade the room to work without clothes getting in the way. Thankfully Slade had adjusted the air conditioning, so I wasn’t freezing my ass off. Comfortable and alone in the shop with one of my oldest friends, I hadn’t minded when Slade only moved the privacy curtain to our view of the door.

Wednesdays at the shop were slow, Slade had said, until the evenings—that’s when things picked up. It had been just the two of us throughout the day, until she had the occasional customer, but her staff and appointments didn’t start until that evening, when most people got off of work.

The door chimed, signaling a walk in, before a familiar male voice called out. “Yo Slade, you here?”

“Give me a minute,” Slade called back as she was finishing a line she was shading.

“Yeah, no problem,” he replied.

“Nico?” I asked.

“Little Dreamer, that you?” Nico walked around the curtain and grinned broadly. Dressed in his Devil’s Psycho’s cut, with a white T-shirt and blue jeans, he looked hot as hell. His blond hairwas pulled back into a ponytail and his blue eyes shone in the sunlight. “Hot damn, pretty lady.”

I giggled and reached a hand out to him.

“You guys know each other?” Slade asked, a cheeky grin on her lips as she looked up from her work.

“Something like that,” I murmured, before Nico took my hand in his and bent over to give me a kiss on the lips.

“She’s ours.” Nico told Slade as he pulled away from the kiss. He kept his fingers laced with mine and grabbed a rolling stool from the next tattoo station, taking a seat next me.

“Whaaa?” Slade looked up from her work, dumbfounded. “Bitch, you didn’t say shit! All fucking day!”

I blushed immediately. “It’s new… it’s—I don’t even know how to describe it.”

Nico chuckled. “You’re cute, Little Dreamer. It is new, I’ll give you that. But you came home with us, and you agreed, you’re ours.”

“As in Jason’s and Marcos’s, as well?” Slade raised an eyebrow, smirking.

I blushed scarlet red, covering my face with my free hand, while trying to drop Nico’s hand.

“Yep,” Nico said, popping the p for emphasis.

“Hot damn, Maya!” Slade grinned.

I shrugged, rolling my eyes. “They grow on you… like mold.”

Nico laughed deeply and squeezed my hand.

“Well, good for you! And Nico, I’ll kick your fucking ass and never tatt all three of you again if you hurt my girl here. She’s my sister from another mister.”

Nico’s laughter ceased immediately as a look of horror passed over his face. “What the fuck?”

“You heard her.” I smirked up at him.

“I—you don’t have to worry about that with us, babe.” His eyes were so earnest as he spoke. He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles.

My heart pounded in my chest and butterflies erupted in my belly.God damn, I was so fucked.

“Whatcha here for, Nic?” Slade asked, changing the subject and returning to her work. She was only doing the black outlining on the butterfly today. I would have to come back for multiple sessions to finish the coloring and shading, but it already looked amazing. Paired with the two other smaller tattoos Slade had done earlier that morning—I had finally put a dent into the list of tattoos I had wanted done.

“Was going to see if you had free time to work more on my back,” Nico said.

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