Page 30 of Joyride
“This is a cute little place,” Wren says.
“I thought you’d like this place. Wait until you try the food,” I tell her. We walk inside and get seated right away. The waiter takes our drink order and walks away.
“I brought something to show you.” I pull out my book of drawings and open it to the latest piece I’ve been working on. Wren’s lotus flower. I hand it to her. Her eyes widen and a smile stretches across her face.
“Sketch, it’s beautiful. It’s perfect.”
“It’s you,” I say. Her eyes come to mine.
“It’s me.” She holds my stare for a beat. Her smile is breathtaking. “Thank you.”
“It was my honor. I can’t wait to tattoo it on you.”
She blushes at my words. I’ve never known her to blush easily. At this moment, I wish I knew what was going on in her mind. I’m sure she’s thought about having to be topless for this tattoo. I sure as fuck hope she doesn’t think that’s why I’m so excited about this. Shit. Maybe that’s why she blushed.
“Did you have a day in mind to do the tattoo,” she asks, still blushing.
“I thought we could do it Sunday. It’ll take four or five hours, plus the shop is closed, so no one else would be there.”
She nods her head. “That works for me.”
We spend the rest of dinner talking about how everyone back home is. By the sorrow etched on her face, I can tell she misses everyone. I’ll give her some time, but my goal is to take her back to Texas with me when it comes time for me to go back.
* * *
Yesterday was the fourth.Gator had everyone over to the temporary clubhouse for a BBQ before a group of us went down to the river to watch fireworks. Watching Wren’s eyes light up with joy from the fireworks display made my night. For her, it’s all about enjoying the little things in life.
Wren will be at the shop any minute now. I’ve been here for twenty minutes getting my station set up so we can get started as soon as she gets here. I’m scrolling through my phone, searching for some music to play when I receive a text from Wren telling me she’s here. I unlock the front door to let her in, locking it again once she’s inside.
“Hey,” she says softly.
“Hey.” I grin. “Ready to get started?”
“Let’s do this.” She smiles her megawatt smile, making my heart skip a beat. Leading her back to my station, I turn on my rock playlist on my phone. I have the Bluetooth connected to the speakers hooked up throughout the shop.Under Your Scarsby Godsmack is the first song to play.
“You can sit here.” I gesture to the table she’ll be laying on when I start her tattoo. “You didn’t wear a bra, did you?”
“Nope, I put pasties on before I left the house,” she tells me.
“Ah, right. Good thinking.” I fidget with my notebook. “You can take your shirt off and lay back.” Out of the corner of my eye, I watch her slip her shirt over her head. Once she’s lying on the table, I put on a pair of black nitrile gloves, then grab a couple paper towels and spray some green soap on them.
“This might be cold,” I warn her. She nods her head and I clean the area I’ll be tattooing. “I’ll put the stencil on, then let you check it out in the mirror before starting.”
“Sounds good,” she replies. I get the stencil ready and carefully lay it out in the middle of her sternum, a fraction beneath her tits. I smooth it out to ensure it transferred completely, then peel it up.
“Go ahead and check it out.” I hold my hand out to help her sit up. Her cheeks are a permanent pink. She stands, moving to the mirror. Her eyes go wide and a smile stretches across her face.
“Sketch, it’s fucking gorgeous.” Her eyes find mine in the reflection. Her cheeks deepen to red before she turns and comes back to the table.
“I’m glad you like it. Wait until it’s done.” I smirk. She lays back again, still smiling. “Let’s get started.”
20
Wren
Sketch rubs Vaselineover the stencil he placed, and the buzzing of the tattoo gun starts. He glances at me as if he’s making sure I’m truly ready. I give a curt nod and it’s all he needs. He brings the needle to my skin and I inhale a sharp breath. I have a high pain tolerance, but it still stings pretty good.
“Keep breathing,” he reminds me. “One of the worst things you can do is hold your breath.”
