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Bossiness and control radiate from him in waves, and I should be turned off by it, but I’m not. Oh no. Far from it. My sweaty palms and tingly lady parts are definitely signs that I like the thought of him taking control. Of me.
“I’m not permanently marking your luscious skin until you’re sure, Skye.”
I blow out the breath I’ve been holding and ask, “Can I have a little time to think about it?”
I’m expecting him to be upset I wasted his time, but Slade surprises me when relief shines from his dark cocoa eyes. “Take all the time you need, Who.” He helps me up and almost drags me to the front door. I feel like one of those cartoon characters with the birds circling above their head as he goes from wanting to tattoo me to wanting to get me out of his shop within the blink of an eye. “If you decide to go through with it, call and set up an appointment.” He practically shoves me out the door before I’m able to formulate a response.
As I walk across the busy town center, I wonder what in the world just happened? This crazy town is obviously rubbing off on me.
* * *
Since I havethe rest of the afternoon free and I don’t want to sit at home second-guessing myself, I decide to head over to the boutique and see if Jazzy needs help. From the first week we opened, we’ve had a steady stream of new clientele and regulars.
Most of our new collections sell out before we’re forced to discount them, and we’ve had to hire part-time employees to keep up with the demand. Life should be great, but I still feel like something is missing. Part of my soul.
When I walk into the store, Jazzy looks up from the computer and frowns. “What are you doing here?”
I cross my fingers behind my back and tell the first lie that comes to mind. “I was bored and thought I’d come by and see if you need help with the front window.” She’s been asking me to change out the front display for days, and today is as good a time as any.
“Oh.” My sister’s eyes narrow, and I hold my breath, waiting to see if she calls me on my lie. “That would be great. I got several pieces from the spring line steamed and ready to go.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and throw myself into redressing the mannequins before my sister can give me the third degree. Of course, Sally fights having her arms stuffed into the silky light blue puff sleeve. “Come on,” I mutter to the blonde mannequin. “Give me a break. This would go much easier if you cooperated.” Yes, I talk to mannequins. I’ll start worrying when they talk back.
I’m finishing up the display when the bell over the door rings. I glance over and see one of our regular customers strolling in. “Hi, Eve.” I give her a little wave. She’s been coming in since the week we opened. The stunning redhead is a little taller than my five-foot-one and a half and much curvier, especially up top. I’m not going to lie, I’m jealous of her gorgeous figure.
While she’s very friendly, Eve never talks about herself. I’ve tried to find out what she does for a living, but she’s pretty tight-lipped. I do know one thing: whatever she does pays well because she spends some serious dough on clothes.
“Hey, girl.” She smiles at me. “I need a special outfit for tonight.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me. “The sexier, the better.”
“You came to the right place. We have a new collection from an up-and-coming designer.” I throw myself into work, attempting to forget all about the hot tattoo shop owner and the effect he had on me.
After helping Eve find several dresses from the new collection to try on, I set her up in one of our fitting rooms. “Let me know if you need help with anything.” She knows the drill. There’s a button on the wall that sends a message to the front counter.
“Thanks, luv,” she calls to me as I head out.
As I walk by the rack where my favorite dress in the whole place is hanging, I reach out and grab my size, telling myself it’s time to splurge. Who cares if it costs more than my monthly car note, I deserve the beautiful black silk dress.
After hanging it up in the back with my name on a hold tag, I head out to grab my checkbook out of my purse. I might need to do a little creative accounting to make it work, but I’ll do whatever it takes. It’s time for me to throw caution to the wind and live, and this dress represents my first step since getting a tattoo is out of the question.
I’m sitting at the computer, talking myself in and out of buying the expensive dress when my phone vibrates in my pocket.
I glance down at the screen and see an unfamiliar number. I should let it go to voicemail, but my curiosity gets the best of me. “Hello.”
“Hello, Who.” His deep voice sends electricity racing down my spine.
“Who is this?”
“Don’t tell me you already forgot about me.” Is he flirting with me? “It’s Slade.”
“Hi.” A thought suddenly occurs to me. “How did you get my number?” And why in the heck are you calling me?
“I have my methods.” He sighs. “I got your number off the form you filled out earlier.” Shoot. I forgot I had to fill out a questionnaire online when I made my tattoo appointment.
“Why are you calling?” I see my sister walking across the boutique and realize I need to get him off the phone before she realizes I’m talking to a man. I’ll never hear the end of it if my two sisters get wind of what I did this morning.
“You left your driver’s license at the front desk.” Freaking heck. I totally forgot I gave the first tattoo artist my license so he could make a copy. Could this day get any worse?
“Darn.” Now, I have to go back to get it—and see Slade again. I’m not sure if I’m scared or excited by the prospect. The tingling in my lady parts tells me it’s the latter. “Can you hold on to it until tomorrow? I’ll come by after work to get it.” I need the time to re-enforce my heart against him. And hey, maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll be busy.
