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Viper grins right back at me, stopping by the reception desk. “That’d be a tragedy, baby,” he coos, ever the flirt. “Perhaps Big Jim needs to pull his head out of his ass long enough to see your potential and finally give you a bigger space.”
I laugh, not even bothering to respond, knowing Big Jim isn’t going to let that slide, and sure enough, his head lifts from the calf he’s been working on for a good portion of the day. “Perhaps you need to quit the roids, and then you won’t have issues fitting your double-wide at Kyah’s station,” Big Jim throws back at him, a wicked grin lingering on his lips. “Besides, if you think I haven’t noticed her potential, you’re dead wrong. I don’t keep people on if they can’t keep it real, and Kyah . . . You know she’s one of my best.”
“Know it?” Viper scoffs. “Why do you think I have her doing my ink and not you? Watch your back, old man. If you’re not careful, Kyah’s gonna take this place off your hands.”
Big Jim rolls his eyes, that cocky, too-sure grin settling on his lips. “I fucking hope so,” he says. “This’ll all be hers one day.”
My brows arch, and as I meet Jim’s gaze across the shop, he gives me a subtle nod, letting me know just how serious he is. My heart races, my mind momentarily falling out through my ass and splattering across the polished concrete floor. Getting to own High Voltage Ink one day is a dream of mine, but I’ve never allowed myself to have hope because, let’s face it, Big Jim is the kind of man to hold on to something until he’s lying on his deathbed, and even after he’s gone, he’ll continue to haunt the halls of this shop just to make sure I don’t screw it up.
Big Jim built High Voltage Ink from the ground up. It’s been his baby since before I was even a sparkle in my dead-beat father’s eyes, and he’s not about to let it slip through his hands. He’s like a father to me, and when I was a struggling kid, heading down a bad road at seventeen, he took me on, taught me everything I know, and from there, it’s only gotten better. Now at twenty-three, I’m one of the best tattoo artists Brooklyn has to offer, and I owe it all to Jim.
On the other hand, Viper is the Vice President of the Grim Reapers’ motorcycle club and has been asking me to marry him since the moment I turned eighteen. Despite my constant rejections, he continues to visit me every month to get inked and always makes sure to tip well. Hell, he’s the reason I’m able to pay my rent on time each month. That, and the fact he recommends me to all of his men, keeping my chair constantly booked out. Though, it leaves me wondering if I am booked out because Viper demands it from his club, or if I am just so good they don’t want to go anywhere else.
Checking the time, I realize Viper is twenty minutes early for his appointment, but he’s not exactly the type of guy to care about someone’s schedule. When he wants something, he generally makes it happen, and when he can’t . . . that’s not anywhere I want to be.
As a general rule, Viper is cold, callous, and cruel, and yet for some reason, he treats me like a queen. But today, his inability to stick to a schedule works out perfectly for me. The sooner I get started on him, the sooner I’ll be out of here tonight, not that I have anywhere to be, but it’s been a long day, and I’m more than ready to get out of here and drop down onto my bed.
We’re working on his chest today—a demonic skull that winds up around his throat, and considering the size of his chest, this artwork is going to be huge. It’s fucked up and chills me to the bone, but it’s one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever worked on, and the fact that Viper can sit down and shut up while I work, instead of whining like a little bitch, only makes it that much better.
Cleaning up my sketches and my tablet, I make a neat little pile on my table before getting myself set up, and as I do that, Viper talks shit with Big Jim. As I scurry around my station, making sure everything is just right, the bell over the door chimes again and I glance up, Crew strides through the door.
His gaze comes to mine first, just as it always does, and I give him a tight smile before his stare shifts toward Viper. His smile instantly falls away, and I let out a heavy sigh. The two of them have never got along, purely because they both want to claim something that neither of them will ever get—me.
Crew Ledger is one of my closest friends and works in the station just to my right, and most of the time, he’s the best kind of devilish angel. Sexy as sin, tall and broad and covered in tatts with the most panty-melting grin that sends a thrill through me every time he looks at me, but he’s also a colleague, and I value this job too much to cross that line with him and he knows it. He respects it though . . . most of the time. I’m not going to lie, there has been the occasional night where we’ve maybe had a few too many drinks that have ended up with me on my knees, but come morning, I draw the line back into the sand and we’re right back where we were.
Crew is the kind of man to treat me like a kid sister. He values my input and comes to me with his problems, but those few times where we’ve crossed that line, he treats me like a dirty little secret, and that’s never sat well with me. Viper, on the other hand, treats me like a queen, and while I know the sex would be mind-blowing, he’s also not the kind of guy who’s looking for exclusivity. So while he may want to marry me, there’s no telling just how many other women he’s whispering the same promises to, and I just can’t get down with that.
I’m not a prude. I love a little sharing in the bedroom, but when that sharing comes along with deceit, that’s when I get pissed off, and let’s face it, I can be a crazy, jealous bitch when I need to be. I’m not looking to adopt drama into my life, not now that everything is going so well for me.
Crew glares at Viper, and knowing just how much he gets under his skin, Viper smirks back at him. “Viper,” Crew grunts, striding past him and toward my station. Viper doesn’t bother responding as Crew steps right into me, his big, strong arm circling my waist. He pulls me against his chest before dropping a kiss to my cheek. “Hey baby,” he murmurs, pulling away, respecting my space. “How are you doing? Everything good?”
“Mmm-hmm,” I murmur, my gaze narrowing on his face, not liking how withdrawn he seems. “What’s up?”
“Nothing, just didn’t realize your biggest fan was going to be here, otherwise I would have scheduled my client for tomorrow,” he tells me, moving around his station, getting his shit set up. “You working on his chest today?”
“Yeah,” I say, skimming through my sketches and finding a copy of the tattoo that’s halfway done on Viper’s chest. I hold it up for Crew, certain I haven’t shown him this. “You like it?”
Crew glances at the sketch before doing a second take, and I grin to myself. Only something worthy deserves a second glance when it comes to Crew Ledger. “Fuck me,” he mutters, crossing into my station and taking the sketch out of my hand. “This is great, but it’s a shame it’s wasted on that asshole.”
I roll my eyes and snatch it back. “Don’t you have a tramp stamp or a BFF tattoo to prepare for?”
Crew mutters under his breath, striding back to his station. He’s a ladies’ man, too fucking pretty for his own good kind of ladies’ man, and to add the cherry on top, he’s the biggest flirt I’ve ever met, even when he doesn’t mean to be. The women absolutely love it. They come flocking in here just to have a moment of his time, which generally means his schedule is jam-packed with infinity symbols and tiny little hearts placed on the inner wrist.
He’s more than bored of it, but when it pays the bills, how could he say no?
With everything ready for Viper, I glance across the shop and catch his eye before indicating the chair he’s become all too familiar with.
Viper moves across the shop, not stopping until he’s standing right in front of me, those jet-black eyes gazing right into mine. “Kyah,” he murmurs, his deep tone making me shiver.
I tilt my chin, holding his gaze and knowing how it gets him off. He’s mentioned more than once that there are not a lot of women who can bear holding his stare. It’s intense, but when you’re not terrified of him, it’s not so hard to handle. “Viper.”
His big hand falls to my waist, his fingers nearly wrapping halfway around me. “I’m growing impatient,” he says. “When are you going to give up this hard-to-get act and become my old lady?”
“I’m twenty-three, Viper,” I remind him. “I’m not looking at being anyone’s old lady anytime soon. Besides, you and I both know that if I were to agree to this, I’d be property to you, not an equal.”
Viper grins and fingers the hem of his shirt before pulling it over his head, putting that magnificent chest on display, not denying it one bit. “You’ll cave soon enough,” he tells me, leaning in until his lips are barely a breath from mine. “I see it in your eyes, Ky. Every time you’re working on me, you’re thinking about just how good it would be, and you know it will. You clench those pretty thighs every time you touch me, and you know that I can make those tight little walls shatter.”
My pussy starts to throb, and I mentally remind myself just how much of a bad idea Viper would be. “Are you done trying to turn me into a slip-N-slide?”
