Page 39 of Four Tattoos

“You should be who you are,” Zipper says. “If people don’t like it, that’s their problem.”

I watch Rose processing these comments, and I can tell the advice isn’t easy for her to take on board. I imagine if you spend so many years trying to please other people, it would be hard to imagine living your life any other way.

“Are you ready to get started?” I ask her, softening my voice to soothe her.

She nods, and I talk her through what’s going to happen and give her tips on handling it. “We’re each going to outline our sections,” I explain, “and then we’ll rotate back through, adding shading and color.”

“Okay.” Her voice is shaky and she lets out a big breath.

“It’ll be fine,” I tell her. “Look, I had all this done, and I’m still standing.” I tug off my t-shirt to remind her of all of the art that covers my chest.

“Maybe you should all take your shirts off,” Rose says with a shaky laugh. “You know, just to remind me of all of the tattoo applications you’ve survived.”

The other men grin at her and do as she requests, and Rose’s eyes roam around between us, taking in all of the artwork on our bodies.

“Ready to go?” I take her hand in mine and give it a squeeze as Hutch gets started.

She flinches and grips my hand tightly, but she stays quiet, and after less than a minute, her body starts to relax.

“Not so bad, right?” Christian asks.

“It’s tolerable,” she says. “I imagined worse.” After another few minutes, a song she loves comes on, and she silently mouths the lyrics. Christian runs his outlines, then Zipper, then me. Rose keeps impressively still through it all.

“Time for a break,” Christian says. “And a relaxation treatment.”

Rose turns her head to him. “Relaxation treatment? What’s that?”

“You’ll see.” He starts to undo the top buttons of her shirt, making her eyes go wide before her mouth curves into a knowing smile.

“I like where this is headed,” she says, leaning back in the chair.

As Christian bends to mouth her nipple through the bra, I prepare to do the same on the other side. We know from experience that Rose loves it when we team up like this.

I realize she was still holding a lot of tension in her muscles when I feel her body start to relax under our mouths and hands. Her bra is moved aside for better access, and when her breathing comes faster, I slide my hand down between her legs, where I rub over her pussy through her thin cotton underwear.

She starts to squirm, so I slip my fingers into her panties, find her clit, and press circles around it until her hips buck in the seat and she cries out my name. God, I love making this woman come.

She mews like a kitten as Christian and I continue to suck on her nipples, keeping her flying high through a nice, long relaxing orgasm.

She smiles at both of us when she comes back to herself, her heavy-lidded eyes sparkling. “Is that a special service you offer to all of your clients?” she asks.

I give her a look that shuts down her teasing question. Nobody gets this treatment but Rose.

29

ROSE

“You can continue with the tattoo whenever you’re ready,” I tell the men. “I’m much more relaxed now.”

Hutch gives me a look that tells me he plans to be in on the action next time, but for now, he puts on his professional face and gets back to work. It’s still painful, but somehow now, it feels like a tantalizing combination of both pleasure and pain.

When I comment about this, Mace says, “Some people actually get turned on while being inked.”

“They get off on the pain?”

He nods. “I suspect it’s the mixture of pleasure and pain, like you said.”

Curiosity gets the best of me, and I can’t keep from asking, “Have you seen that happen?”

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