AllFreeNovel
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“She’s welcome to swim at our place. I bought that house partially because it had a pool for you.” He grins.
“I know. I’ll let you know where I end up.” I love my big brother and all that he’s done to take care of me and help me with a car, college, and a safe place to live. I feel guilt creeping in that I’m lusting after his best friend. I understand how Roman feels, but I still believe we can make our own choices.
“Be safe.” He leans in and gives me a hug, and then he’s out the door.
The shop is quieter than usual today, with only two of the guys here now that Forrest is gone. Legend is working on a back piece that will take up the remainder of his day, and Roman is starting a sleeve for a client that will take several sessions. He has nothing on his books after this, so it’s a slow afternoon for me.
I don’t mind. It gives me time to clean and work on getting things more organized. It’s also mid-June, so I need to get an ad posted for my replacement. I leave for school in August, and it would be nice if we could find someone soon so that I can get them trained and know that I’m leaving the guys in good hands.
With the quiet of the shop, I’m able to clean the entire break room and sweep the lobby. I’ll wait to mop until after all the clients are gone. I even went as far as cleaning out the refrigerator. The shelves are sparkling, and all the science experiments the guys were growing have been tossed into the trash.
I’m bending over, grabbing more appointment cards from the storage shelf behind the desk, when the chime on the door rings. I finish my task and stand to find a man standing at the counter. “Welcome to Everlasting Ink. How can I help you?”
“I came in for some ink, but leaving with you might be a better option.” He rakes his eyes over my body.
I keep a polite smile on my face, even though I’d love nothing more than to tell this asshole to kick rocks and find a different tattoo studio. However, instead, I remain cordial and smile. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. Do you have an artist here that you work with?”
“You.” This time his eyes travel to my tits and stay there.
“If you’re here for a tattoo, we can talk about that. Anything else, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” My voice is firm, and the nice girl persona has been dropped. I’m over this asshole.
“Come on, sweet thang, let’s go grab a drink.” He reaches over the counter as if he’s going to touch me, but pulls his hand back.
The words are barely out of his mouth when I feel the heat at my back, and two strong arms cage me in as Roman braces his hands on the counter. “Hey, baby girl,” he says huskily.
I take a step back, bringing me closer to Roman. “Hey, Rome.” He wraps one strong arm around my waist, and the other falls to his side.
“What can I do for you?” Roman asks the man, keeping his hold on me.
“I was just telling the lady here I’d like some ink.” The guy stands taller, not that he has any chance of going up against Roman.
“Ink, you say?” Roman asks.
“Yeah, looking to get my Harley on my bicep.” He points to his bare bicep thanks to his sleeveless T-shirt.
“I hear there’s a good shop across town.” Roman’s words are said casually, but I can feel the tension in his body.
“Heard this place was the best,” the man says. His eyes drop to my tits again. “Lots of… nice help.” He cackles but starts to cough. Looks like Mr. Asshole needs to lay off the cigarettes.
“You’re right,” Roman tells him. “We are the best.” The hand that’s not wrapped around me points to the wall with all the awards the guys have won over the years.
“That’s why I’m here,” the guy replies, his eyes again flashing to me.
“I didn’t catch your name.” I can tell by the tone of Roman’s voice and the way his body stiffens that he’s about to lose his patience.
“Name’s Jerry.” Asshole, I mean Jerry, thrusts his hand out toward Roman, who doesn’t move to shake his hand.
“Jerry, this is how this is going to go. You’re going to turn around and walk out of my shop. If I see you in here again, I’ll call the police and have you escorted. If I have to file a restraining order, I will.”
“The fuck?” Jerry replies, his voice rising. “Do you treat all of your customers like this?” he asks.
“No. We cater to our clients, but those clients respect our employees.”
“Come on, man. She’s a dime piece,” he says, his eyes again taking me in.
“She’s a beautiful woman, and she’s mine. If I see you looking at her, hell, if I hear you’re thinking about her, you and I are going to have problems.”
“It’s a free country. I can look.”
