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She made gimme-gimme hands and grabbed the drink. “Ah thank you. Just give me five minutes to chug this down and we’ll be ready.”
“You don’t have to chug it.”
Kia pointed to the sign. “No food or drink.”
“That goes for you guys, too?” he asked.
“At the stations, yeah. Water only.”
He looked around the shop. “I guess that makes sense.”
Kia took a long sip of her drink and closed her eyes as the sweet coffee slid down her throat. Damn, that was good. When she popped her eyes open, four sets of eyes stared at her. “Sorry.” She chuckled. “Clearly I don’t get out much.”
Gonzo eyed her almost empty coffee cup. “That was impressive. I bet you rock at boat races.”
“I rock at everything I do. Especially tattoos.” She winked. “You all sticking around to see your boy get inked?”
“No,” Jeff declared.
Ryan slapped Jeff on the back. “We’re gonna stay for a bit to make sure he doesn’t puss out or faint or something.”
“Bite me, dickhead.” Jeff hip checked his friend. “They aren’t staying.”
It was nice seeing Jeff with his friends. The way they laughed and joked with each other like brothers spoke of the strong bond between them. And once they all got this tattoo together, that bond would only be stronger. Ink was a powerful medium. It was one of the things she loved about tattooing. Marking a moment in time forever on someone’s skin. Good or bad, it became a piece of them. And for Jeff and his friends this experience would be amazing. She’d make sure of it.
She downed the last sip of her coffee and dropped the cup into the recycle bin. “Alright, come on back.”
Leading the way through the shop, she stopped in front of her station. She always had one extra chair for guests but needed a couple more if everyone was staying. At times like this, she really loved the open floor area in Viper’s shop and how much room was allotted for each section. It gave clients the illusion of privacy without making the staff sacrifice the bonding that happened when you worked closely with a team.
“You ready?” she asked Jeff.
“Yep. How do you want me?”
Her eyes snapped up to his face. Now that was a loaded question. His eyes narrowed as he looked back at her. What was wrong with her? He was a client. Just like any other client. Whatever little whispers of attraction she felt every time she was around him, she needed to lock that shit down. She prided herself on being a professional and being damn good at her job. This was no different from any other tattoo.
“I’m gonna need your shirt off.”
Jeff peeled his t-shirt off and turned to face her. Her eyes lingered on his chest. She licked her lips as she let her gaze trail over his pecs, then down over his washboard abs. The way his V-cut, drew her eyes made her mouth water. Okay, this definitely didn’t feel like any other tattoo.
“Did you just flex your pecs?” Gonzo asked.
“What? No.” Jeff glared at his friend.
“You totally did.” Gonzo stood and struck a pose. “Oh Kia, look at my big strong muscles,” he pitched his voice into a ridiculously high noise.
Jeff threw his t-shirt and hit Gonzo in the face and laughed. “You’re an idiot.”
Suddenly, everything shifted, and it felt like any other tattoo. Kia grinned over at Gonzo. His antics were exactly what she needed to get back on steady ground. She pointed her finger at him. “If I let you stay, keep the shenanigans to a minimum. I can’t have him turning to smack you in the middle of a line.” She flicked her thumb toward Jeff.
Gonzo brought his hand up to his forehead and saluted her. “Understood.”
She quickly ran a razor over the area to be inked. Kia picked up the stencil and carefully positioned it on Jeff’s chest. She stepped back to eye the placement. Satisfied, she said to Jeff, “Take a look and make sure you’re happy with it.”
He strolled over to the mirror and looked at himself from several angles, turning each way before finally walking back. A lot of people just quickly glanced but didn’t really look. She liked how he took the time to make sure he was happy with the way it was placed on his body because once she started, there was no going back.
“Looks good,” he said when he returned to her station.
“Alright then, let’s do this.” She sat on her stool as Jeff lay back on her table. “You comfy? If you need me to stop and go to the bathroom or you just need a break, let me know. There are no awards for suffering. So let me know what you need.”
