Del planned to put the word out soon for a couple of ranch hands prior to paying a visit to the Carlisles’s. Chance and Clay had invited him out to their ranch to look at livestock, to bypass the middlemen at the cattle auction in town, after meeting him face-to-face at the hog hunt. Lily knew they would treat him fairly when he’d told her that he would take them up on the offer.
At the rate she was going with school, she’d be done an entire year sooner. Her degree would be one more step away from JT and the life he’d forced on her. She was the one in control of her destiny.
Gently wrapping the flexible silver wire around the nails on the wooden jig for the cloverleaf clit clip, Lily murmured, “I think I’m going to stop by Cheaver’s on my way out to the ranch and see if Rosemary can set me up with something pretty for The Dancing Pony.”
A wide smile crossed Clay’s face, and he murmured, “Lily Valentine in snug jeans, cowgirl boots, a sexy low-cut top and a cowgirl hat. Nice.” He emphasized the last word suggestively with a slow nod. “Ride ’em hard, cowgirl.”
Lily snickered. “In that case maybe I’ll get chaps and spurs, too.” An idea formed in her mind, and she smiled secretively. She pulled out her phone and sent a text.
“Hey, Rosemary. Do you have chaps for women?”
A minute later, Rosemary replied. “You nasty girl! I love it! Yes, I can set you up, but you’ve gonna have to find your own G-string! We don’t sell those here!”
Luckily for her, Lily was already expecting a package that week from Hips and Curves. Red satin G-string, check! Red satin push-up bra, check!
* * * *
Wednesday morning, Del sat beside Lily as she lay quietly on the padded table in the backroom at Divine Ink. The hem of her T-shirt was folded upward and out of the way and a sterile drape was tucked into the waistband of her yoga pants and undies, leaving her abdomen bare.
“You okay?” she asked softly as she squeezed his hand.
Seth appeared oblivious to the muted conversation as he worked. Music played in the background, muting the buzz of the tattoo machine somewhat. Del was a little awed that Lily lay unmoving. Every so often she tugged her lower lip with her teeth but otherwise showed no sign of discomfort or anxiety. At the very least he thought she would be squeezing his hand and seeking support.
“I’m fine, honey.” Glancing at Seth’s work, Del said, “It’s looking great.”
Seth stopped working and wiped at the tattoo with a cloth. “Okay, if you want, you can take a break.” He sat there and waited, like he expected her to jump up and run out of the room. Del was impressed when she didn’t take the opportunity.
Lily raised her eyebrows and smiled. “I’m okay. How long will you work on me today?”
Seth’s typically stoic face showed a little surprise. “Maybe another hour to an hour and half. You sure you don’t want a break?”
Lily grinned and said, “If you need a break, I don’t mind but I’m doing okay. None of what you’ve done has been so bad I couldn’t take it. The first few minutes were rough, but I’m okay.”
Seth chuckled and stretched his shoulders and arms, seeming either impressed or pleased.
“Fine, then we’ll continue on. At the rate we’re going, I should be able to get your outline done and probably Del’s as well.”
“Not taking a break will save that much time?”
Seth nodded. “I’ve learned to factor in extra time for breaks and…the occasional drama.” Seth lifted the tattoo machine and went back to work on the sweeping design that stretched from hipbone to hipbone, methodically camouflaging the original design a bit at a time.
Lily smiled at Del and then turned her head and watched in the mirror Seth had set up for her as he worked. “Do you have a lot of drama queens?”
Seth grunted and gave a slight smile as he focused on his work. “Drama kings, too. The screamers are the worst. But those are the exceptions. Most people are pretty cool.”
Lily seemed to mull that over for a minute, and Seth looked up at her. “You didn’t get to take breaks when you got this, did you?” He tapped the old mark lightly. Lily shook her head minutely, and as Seth made eye contact, he said, “So drama would have been off the table, too, huh?” Her little nod answered the question. “Well, if you need a restroom break or something to drink, all you have to do is let me know. To answer your question, you wouldn’t believe some of the things people say and do while getting tattoos.”
“I’ll bet you’ve seen it all,” Lily said, and Del noticed she seemed grateful for the change of subject.