Page 24 of Spring Break Fling

Marcus snorted as he wiped down the chair. “You know this is what keeps the lights on, right? Quit complaining.”

“I’m just saying, I didn’t spend years honing my craft to churn out daisies and ‘Bestie Forever’ tattoos.”

“You’ll survive,” he said with a shrug. “Different schools do Spring Break on different weeks, but the last of them will be gone by next week. Then you can go back to tattooing flaming skulls or whatever keeps your cold, dead heart beating.”

“I do more than flaming skulls,” I muttered, though not much these days.

I was longing for a really cool, daring piece. Something that got my juices flowing. Something that challenged me.

Marcus called his next client. I checked the sheet and wanted to cry. Chloe. I just knew it was going to be a butterfly. Probably on her hip bone.

I took a deep breath and called Chloe over. As she approached, all bubbly enthusiasm and a dazzling smile, I prepared myself for yet another cliché. “So, what are we doing today?” I tried to keep my tone neutral, despite my preconceptions.

Chloe flashed a pageant-worthy smile. “I want something unique! How about a butterfly? But like, with some tribal elements around it?”

Internally cringing, I nodded slowly. “Sure, we can definitely do that. Any particular colors in mind?”

“Surprise me!” she chirped, hopping onto the chair with the grace of someone who’d probably had one too many seaside cocktails.

“Where are we putting it?”

She grinned. Mischief flashing in her eyes.

Three, two, one.

She unbuttoned her shorts and jerked them down just enough to expose her hip. She started giggling. “I’m wearing a bikini. I want to make sure the tattoo can be seen.”

As if the sight of her skinny little body was going to bother me. I had inked boobs, butts, and some other places that didn’t typically see the light of day.

“Have a seat,” I said.

I started the outline of the butterfly on Chloe, focusing on making each line perfect even though it was a design I could probably do in my sleep by now. The hum of the tattoo machine was usually soothing, but right then it was just a reminder of how repetitive my job had become during this season. As the needle moved, I found myself thinking about other possible designs that would have excited me more—the detailed dragons, the intricate full-back scenes, anything that required more creativity and skill than this.

Chloe chattered on about her friends and their plans for the night, oblivious to my lack of interest. “Does this look awesome or what?” she asked, and without waiting for an answer, she continued her saga about last night’s party.

Finished with the outline, I began filling in the colors. I tried to breathe some life into the fairly common tattoo. It was a silent effort to make the piece slightly more bearable for me, even if Chloe would likely never appreciate the nuances of shading or the precise way I blended the colors at the edges.

She had her phone in hand and was snapping selfies.

I switched needles for finer detail work while she was rapid-fire texting.

She took a picture of me working on the tattoo.

“I’m going to get so many likes,” she said. “I have like two hundred thousand followers. Everyone is going to want to come here. I hope you’re ready for a lot of business.”

For the love of God, no. “Cool.”

I glanced over at Marcus who must have overheard. He shook his head, clearly feeling the same as I did. It wasn’t my favorite thing, but these quick little hundred-dollar tattoos paid the bills.

By the time I wrapped up my last client, the shop had emptied out. Marcus and Diego had already called it a night, leaving me and Jessie to close up.

“Anything more from your crazy ex?” Jess asked as she swept.

I sighed. “Nope.”

“Think she’ll come back for more?” she asked.

“Hell if I know,” I said. “Maybe. Probably. But I think her little boyfriend might have something to say about it. And I don’t want any of that drama.”