Page 41 of Brandishing Beginnings

Slade glanced up at a clock on the wall and shook her head. “Sorry, dude. I’ve got an appointment at five.”

I looked up,it’s already a quarter to five?“Damn.”

Slade laughed. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

“How long you’ve been here, Little Dreamer?” Nico asked.

“All day.” I laughed.

“We got breakfast at like eight?” Slade said. “Then we came here. Couple tattoos, a new piercing, and voilà! My girl is even hotter than before!”

Nico’s grin turned wicked. “I’d say.”

I rolled my eyes, despite the blush coloring my cheeks again.

“And you’ve got an appointment, Slade. Sounds like I came just in time to take Maya out to dinner.”

The buzzing of the tattoo gun stopped and Slade put down her gun. The next few moments Slade slathered my tattoo with ointment before she dressed and wrapped it. Then I carefully pulled on my jean shorts and tank top. My shorts, once buckled, cut in a little too tight around my new butterfly tatt, irritating things, so I unbuttoned the jeans, and arranged my flowy tank top over it, so it wasn’t noticeable.

Nico’s blue eyes were dark, as he watched me dress. “Fucking hot, Little Dreamer.”

I smiled coyly up at him. “You’re taking me to dinner?”

He nodded and stalked around the tattoo chair, coming for me. I held my ground and waited, smile still on my face as I tilted my chin up. His finger traced down the side of my jaw, before he hooked it under my chin and pulled me closer. His kiss was slow and sensual, gentle.

I moaned when he pulled away, cutting the kiss entirely too short.

“No sex in my shop,” Slade called from the back room.

“We won’t,” I called back. “What do I owe you for today?”

“Dinner!” Slade yelled.

“That’s it?”

“Yep! Double cheeseburger with bacon and extra cheese from Jimmy’s.” Slade lowered her voice as she moved closer.

Nico and I walked around the curtained off area and met Slade near the cash register. “Are you sure?” I asked, not wanting to take advantage of my friend.

“Absolutely, girl! I already ordered it; you just need to pick it up and pay. Then bring it to me. My next appointment is only forty-five minutes, but my six o’clock is four hours long. I won’t have time to eat.”

“Shit girl,” I shook her head. “We should have stopped hours ago.”

Slade grinned. “We were having fun. Plus, I missed you.” Slade leaned and hugged me tight. “Today was on the house. The rest, you pay for.”

“Alright,” I nodded. “Come on, pretty boy. Let’s go pick up her dinner.”

We spent the next hour or so picking up Slade’s dinner and dropping it by her, before we dropped my car at home. Then I changed into more appropriate clothes to ride a motorcycle in. I picked out a pair of faux leather pants—because the waistline was elastic and didn’t bother my new ink like my jeans had—pairedwith a sexy red tank top, black combat boots, and red lip stick. I looked fucking fantastic.

I put my long curly hair up into a ponytail, pulling out my longer bangs to frame my face, before I grabbed a red bandana and tied it over my hair. Making sure my bangs fell around my face still in front of the bandana. I nodded to myself in the mirror before I walked out of my bedroom.

I walked through the empty living room and had just reached the front door when my mother called after me. “Where are you going, dressed like that?” My mother’s disapproving voice called out from the kitchen.

“Out, mom,” I called over my shoulder, not stopping.

“The hell you are! You look like a whore!”

I walked out, slamming the front door behind me. I headed down the long driveway, to where I had told Nico to wait. Stopping by my car, I grabbed my sunglasses for the ride. Having never been on a motorcycle before, I was nervous and was trying to anticipate all the things that I might need. Nico had already told me that pants were required, as well as sunglasses.

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