Page 51 of Gigi and the Gym Rats

Or under his boot.

“Sorry,” I mumble, hurrying around him to sit behind the desk. The computer is already booted, the page showing me the list of appointments.Hell.“Won’t happen again.”

“Sure hope not.” His frown hovers like a storm cloud at the edge of my vision. The alpha is the owner of Ink and Shadows, a well-known tattoo artist himself who decided to rent booths to younger artists like Ronin and the other two resident tattoo artists, Ryder and Cash, giving them a hand up.

I check the appointments, and sure enough, Ronin has one set for early today.

Earlier than my arrival.

Fuck.

Ronin’s booth is closed. I can hear the sound of the tattoo gun. The other two booths are still empty.

“Is everything okay?” Cole is still nailing me with his gaze. It’s as if he can see right through me. Could see right through me from the start, when I stumbled into his tattoo shop and practically begged for a job.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” I click on the appointment list, making sure I know when the next appointments are. “You got a customer in?—”

“—half an hour. I know. I can also use the computer, you know. I’m not that old.”

My heart is thumping hard. “Of course not,” I say. “Again, sorry I was late.”

“It happens.”

Not often, I’d bet. I wonder if any of his assistants who came to work late lasted the month.

Cole has to be around forty. He has the crow feet and the laughter lines to show for it, but he’s fit like a twenty-year-old, not an ounce of fat on his powerful body. He never talks about himself, so I don’t know if he has a pack. I’ve caught glimpses of framed photos inside his booth but he prefers to take care of his equipment himself and he usually puts the pictures face down when he isn’t there.

A private man.

“Grey…” He’s looking at me as if he’s expecting something and I desperately try to remember if there’s anything I forgot. The pounding headache isn’t helping.

“Yeah?”

“You can always talk to me. If you need anything. You know?”

I nod, a jerky motion, because no, of course I can’t talk to my boss. He’s not my father or older brother. He’s not my family. And what little family I had is not mine anymore, so…

So better get used to it, Grey. Get used to the fact you have no home.

“Thank you. I’m good.” I settle back in the office chair and run the daily plan through my head. “I should go check the booths, make sure they’re ready.”

He nods. “You do that,” he says quietly and goes back to his coffee, leaving me to get back to my usual drill.

16

GIGI

Googling gay sex and threesomes is an eye-opener.

After the first shock, that is. I mean, obviously, I’m aware that guys and girls get together in packs in many different ways, and that you also have couples of only men or only women. I wasn’t born yesterday.

I just never thought about it… for me.

I know I like boys. I know I’m a beta. The biggest part of the population are betas and we usually go for single partners.

See why this is kind of new to me? Not the concept, not the knowledge, only the idea that it might appeal to me, personally.

I mean…whew. I close my laptop and lean back on my bed, thoughtful and frankly quite aroused. Lucky Bee. What a reality to live in.

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