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“It’s so good to see you,cher. I wish I could break away but I’ve got someone coming in for a consult any minute.”
“She’s your nine o’clock.” The annoying voice of the receptionist cut through Jade’s lust induced haze.
She had forgotten for a minute that she wasn’t there to make out. Hannibal looked down at her, a wicked thought sparkling in his eyes.
“Is that so?”
She nodded and tried to gather her thoughts. “It is. I’ve had this appointment for almost two months.”
“Well then. I guess you’ll have to follow me into the back. I can’t wait to find out how you want me to put my mark on your body.”
His words were so wonderfully dirty they sent a shiver across her skin. Giving herself a mental slap, she followed him. She couldn’t wait to see what he thought of her ideas either. Jade bit her lip as she watched Hannibal’s ass as he led her through to the back of the shop.
Hopefully, this was going to be a more unique consultation than she had imagined.
Chapter 11
If I had a dollar for every time I got distracted, hey you look fucking hot.
Hannibal
Hannibal had been surprised by how much seeing Jade at the front of his shop lifted his mood. The last two days of silence between him and Ink had been rough. The fight was his fault, but he wasn’t sorry.
Backing down wasn’t an option. He loved his Brother in a way few people understood. And while he was willing to make allowances for Ink’s issues, he was tired of not even being able to discuss what they wanted in the future.
It wasn’t solely about Jade. He wanted him to be open to the possibility of something more. This beautiful, dynamic woman was only the catalyst to make him wake up and realize that if he kept putting off the discussions, the two of them would end up old and alone.
Over the last two days, he’d learned everything he could about their precious Jewel. When he hadn’t been losing himself in work, he’d been watching videos and reading blogs about her. She was incredibly strong in both body and soul.
What she could do on a Parkour course was nothing short of amazing. There’d been a couple of videos of her doing tricks that he’d had to watch several times before he believed it wasn’t special effects.
The girl could run up a fifteen-foot wall, leap and flip over gaps and heights that would have left normal people shivering. Her showing up at his shop had been a wonderful surprise. His first thought when he saw her was that she’d gotten tired of waiting for them to contact her. That she’d come here to yell at him and Ink.
He wouldn’t have blamed her for being upset. Hannibal had thought about texting hundreds of times. Hell, he’d wanted to see her. Every time he watched a new video of her, he’d had the urge to text and tell her how unbelievably talented she was.
He’d held back, not wanting to talk to her until he’d worked things out with Ink. It wouldn’t be fair to her to give false hope. When he wasn’t sure if his Brother was even willing to still meet up with her that weekend.
Finding out that not only was she his next appointment, but that she was his last appointment for the night, made him come to a decision. He wasn’t gonna hold back anymore. Ink was either going to pull his head out of his ass or get left behind.They never had rules about playing with a woman alone, so he would not hold back.
That thought pulled him up short. No, he would never abandon Ink. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t indulge his fantasies. Really get to know this woman and figure out why she drew him in so strongly.
Hannibal guided Jade through the black velvet curtain that closed off the back private tattoo stations from the front of the shop. Then down the hallway and into his and Ink’s office. Well, they called it an office. But it was more where the two of them hung out when they didn’t feel like dealing with customers or the other artists.
The room held a big comfortable couch, perfect for catching naps. A large table was in the center where the two of them sometimes did their sketching. There were no desks or usual office furniture.
Prints of drawings lined the walls, not only their art, but of other tattoo artists as well. Jade smiled as she walked in and immediately started studying each and every one.
Along the back wall were the high-end printers they used to create stencils for their work and two large, closed cabinets. One held back-up supplies for either drawing or tattooing. The other held their back-up BDSM gear that they kept here because it was closer to the city than their house. They’d learned to be prepared if either of them got the urge to play with a willing sub.
“That’s not your work.” Jade pointed to an intricate tribal pattern running down a masculine arm.
“No. Only about half of these are ours. The others are some of our favorite artists. Inspiration for us. Maybe a little competition.” He winked at her.
She laughed. “So being in the top five percent on the ‘best of’ lists is not enough for you guys?”
He clutched his heart in mock horror. “Are you saying we’re not in the top two percent?”
She laughed. “If they judged by talent alone, probably. But you don’t pander to the celebrity crowd or social media. So I doubt they’ll ever rank you that high.”
