Page 12 of Worship Me (Men of Inked 7)
I loved clients like Martin. He never bitched or whined about the pain and never complained about a damn thing. He lay there with his eyes closed and sometimes chimed in on our conversation with some witty, smartass comment. He’d been a client for years, and he wore at least a half dozen pieces that I’d created specifically for him.
An hour later, Anthony came strolling out the office. “Who is this chick?”
I glanced up and noticed he was holding Kat’s portfolio. “I pulled her file. I think she’d be a great fit.”
“Her work is amazing.”
“I know,” I told him, dipping my needle into the blood red as I filled in the drops of blood that were running down the dragon’s mouth on Martin’s back. “She has older brothers too, so she’ll be able to put up with your bullshit.”
“Lemme see that.” Joe grabbed the portfolio from Anthony’s hands and flipped through the pages. “I say bring her in for an interview.”
“I’ll call her when I’m done,” Mike said, pointing to his workstation because somehow, he’d been elected keeper of the business. “I don’t want any of you shitheads scaring her off.”
Joey tossed it onto Mike’s workstation and stalked back toward his area. “If she scares that easily, she’s not right.”
No truer words. Whoever filled a seat at Inked needed to be ready to give as good as they got. Working with Anthony, Joe, and Mike sure as fuck wasn’t easy and I was their sister. I wondered how a newcomer would be able to handle their bullshit. It would be nice to see them choke on their male chauvinist attitudes every now and then.
By the time Martin walked out the door, bloodied and sore, my back ached and I was in need of some serious alcohol therapy and a little girl time. I had texted Suzy, Mia, Max, and Angel when I took a break from Martin’s backbreaking tattoo to plan a little something for tonight, and it was the only thing that got me through the day without popping my lid at my brothers.
“Peace out, bitches,” I said over my shoulder as I pushed open the door and walked outside.
They weren’t too happy to hear about the kid-watching duties each of them would be doing tonight since the mommies were going out without them. Since the kids were older, it was easier for the men to handle them and get them to bed without too much of a fight.
By the time I walked into Caliente, the newest and swankiest Mexican place in Spring Hill, the girls already had a table and had downed almost an entire pitcher of margaritas.
“Well, don’t you look like shit today,” Max said before I even had a chance to put my ass on the chair.
“Fuck off, Max. You try leaning over for seven hours and look as wonderful as you do after playing with clothes all day.”
Suzy started to choke, covering her mouth, and looked at me with wide eyes. I said it. I had no problem going there with my sister-in-law. Yes, she always looked flawless, but hell…if I played dress-up Barbie all day, I would too.
“That shit is hard work, Iz. You try making a meaty man look more like a million bucks than an overstuffed sausage.”
I didn’t know why, but an image of a guy wearing a sausage costume flashed through my mind, and I started to laugh uncontrollably. Max pushed an already filled glass of margarita in front of me and smiled. “We’re celebrating.”
“What?” I asked, still laughing and trying to get the drink to my lips without spilling a drop.
“Mia’s been nominated for a prestigious award from the state. Something about helping the needy.” Max rolled her eyes.
“We’re so proud of you, Mia.” Suzy grabbed the pitcher and refilled her glass. Thank God she’d grown into a drinker instead of just the fruity umbrella drinks she used to enjoy. I’d always felt like I was going out with a kid instead of a sister.
I set the glass against my lips, taking a small sip instead of chugging it. Tequila and I had never been friends, but there was something about a margarita that made it more copacetic to my system. “Congrats.”
“Thanks, ladies. I’m excited our little clinic is finally being recognized. Plus,” she said and took a sip of the salty yet sweet drink and winced. “The large grant we’ll receive as part of the award will help tremendously.”
The entire family was proud of Mia. She’d accomplished something important and made a real difference in our community. Her clinic gave families an alternative to going to the emergency room and having to mortgage their houses if they were sick. Every single person in our family had volunteered there, especially in the beginning.
“Another round,” Angel told the waitress as she passed by our table. “We’re not leaving here until we’re shit-faced.”
“I have Uber on standby,” Suzy added with a devilish grin.
I turned to face her with my chin practically on the floor. “You getting drunk, Suz?”
“Tipsy.” She laughed. “I don’t do drunk well.”
I didn’t want to be the one to tell her that she didn’t do tipsy well either, so I kept that to myself. Suzy’s been part of my life for almost fifteen years, and she slowly came over to the dark side, but it wasn’t easy. She couldn’t pretend to be a good girl after marrying my brother. We knew she was as dirty as the rest of us, hidden behind her sweet smile and wholesome beauty. Over the years, the gir
ls—the ones who sat beside me now—had worn away at her shiny exterior and finally pulled her out of her shell, and her badassery had skyrocketed.
My brothers did well when they picked their wives. Not one of them was a cunty asshole I couldn’t stand being around. Each one of them was my friend, probably my best friends, and I was lucky to call them sisters.
“So…” Angel leaned back in her chair. “Izzy, want to tell us about your weekend?”
I placed my drink on the table and smirked. “What did you hear?”
“Not too much. James doesn’t like to discuss your sex life, but I know you went to Taboo.”
Max sat up straighter and rested her head on her hand. “What’s Taboo?”
“Kink club in Miami,” Angel answered instead of letting me field the question.
I leaned back, fingering the base of my margarita glass. “It’s the club James used to be a member of a long time ago. We were following a lead in one of his cases. No big deal.” I shrugged it off, but I could tell they wanted more, and I hadn’t said anything to deter their interest.
“Ooh. Do tell,” Suzy said, turning toward me. “Did you meet some of James’s old friends?”
“I met some interesting people.” I didn’t want to talk about it. The ladies always had a million questions, and for some odd reason, I figured they were always picturing me naked with James pulling on a leash. “We’re going to hire a new girl at Inked,” I said to change the subject.
The table grew silent, and every set of eyes landed on me.
“Excuse me?” Max said, jolting backward.
“I’m sick of being the old chick. We need new employees, and we’re starting with a woman.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at them as they gawked at me. By the looks on their faces, I could tell they weren’t happy.
“How can we trust someone else around our husbands all day?” Max asked with a little bit of a snarl.
“Yeah,” Suzy joined in, usually the quietest of the bunch.
I held up my hands before the lynch mob started. “Have you all gone mental?”
Never had I know any of them to be the jealous type, but I could see the flashes of insecurity behind their eyes as they thought about a woman starting at Inked that wasn’t a member of the family.
I needed to quash this before they had a chance to whisper in their husband’s ears and we ended up with yet another dick at Inked. “Ladies.” I leaned forward, clasping my hands and keeping a straight face. “Calm your tits, please. Your men love you, so there’s nothing to worry about. Plus, do you think I’m going to hire someone more beautiful than me?” They didn’t look convinced as they glanced at each other and brought their eyes back to mine. “I’ll make sure she’s married, okay?”
“Married women cheat all the time,” Max added with a smug look.
“Oh, please.” I slapped my hands on the table. “I’ll never make everyone happy, but know this, my brothers love you for some odd reasons, and I’ll rip their dicks off if they even flirt with the woman.”
Angel grabbed her drink and lifted it to her lips. “She’s right,” she said before taking a sip.
“Yeah,” Suzy said on a sigh. “We trust you, Izzy.”
“I got you girls, but I can’t deal with another man at Inked. Those three meatheads are enough, and I need a little girl power to even shit up.” The table was entirely too quiet still, and I knew I hadn’t fully convinced them, so I changed back to the topic I knew they wanted to talk about. “I met the Master that trained James.”
They were filled with questions, and all thoughts and insecurities over hiring another female at Inked were forgotten, and we drank until Suzy fell off her chair and it was time to Uber our asses back home.
James
“Finally tracked Victoria down,” Flash said as he breezed into my office just after three in the afternoon.
I peered up from my computer as he slid into the seat across from me. “And?”
“She’s safe. She went to visit her mother in Detroit.”
