“They’ll still be there when we get off,” Goldie said.
Paco nodded. “If you don’t need anything else, I’m outta here.”
Goldie lifted his chin. “Catch you later, dude.”
Two guys walked in and approached the counter. “We’d like to get a tattoo,” the taller one said to Kelly.
She turned to Goldie. “You available?”
He eyed the two guys. “How old are you?”
The shorter one turned red and looked at the floor, but the tall one said, “Eighteen.”
“Bullshit. You guys don’t even look sixteen. Show me some ID.”
“I left my license at home,” the tall one said; the short one kept staring at the floor.
“No ID, no tattoo. Pretty simple.”
The tall one shifted from one foot to another. “We heard you guys were cool here. That this was owned by the Night Rebels.”
“It is owned by the Night Rebels, and we’re cool as fuck. I still need to see your IDs. If you’re eighteen, you’ll go back to one of the rooms. It you don’t have any IDs, then you’ll have to come back when you do.”
“But we have the money and are ready—”
Goldie held up his hands. “Now you’re just pissing me off, kid. I’m not negotiating with you. I’m telling you that you’re not getting a fuckin’ tattoo without any ID telling me you’re eighteen. So hit the pavement.”
The shorter teenager moved away from the counter. “Let’s go, Tyler.”
“We’ll just go to Bent Needles.” Tyler glared at Goldie.
“Do whatever you want, but you’re not getting tatted in this shop.”
“I’m not going there. My cousin went there and got a massive infection in his leg. Let’s just go home. My mom will be pissed if I’m late again tonight.” The shorter guy moved toward the door.
“Just shut the fuck up, Brandon.” Tyler clenched his fists and stormed out.
Goldie, Skull, and Kelly laughed.
“I’m so glad I’m not a teenager anymore. Those years were hell,” Kelly said as she wiggled on the stool.
“You’re not kidding,” Skull said as he glanced at two men who’d just come in.
Soon Skull was in a room with one guy and Goldie was with the other. Thankful his customer wanted a simple design, Goldie stood and stretched forty-five minutes later while the man slipped on his shirt. “Remember to keep the bandage on until the morning. No sun for at least three weeks. Follow everything on this sheet of paper and you should be good. It you have problems or questions, give us a call.” He handed the aftercare list to the customer, who paid Kelly and handed a twenty to Goldie. “Appreciate it, man.”
The client nodded and walked out.
“Why’d you shave off your beard? I thought Army bet you couldn’t grow it longer than Diablo’s.”
“I couldn’t fuckin’ stand it. It itched, and I was scratching my face all the time. I gladly gave Army his winnings.” He ran his hand over his smooth face.
“I like you either way, sweetie. Skull’s still working on his guy. I’ve gotta pee.” Kelly slid off the stool and scratched Goldie’s back with her fingernails. “I like your muscles. They make me horny.” She winked at him and leaned in. “You wanna fool around?”
Her body was soft against his, and the scent of orange blossom invaded his nostrils. He wasn’t fond of overbearing fragrances, and many of the club girls bathed themselves in it, including this one. He stepped back. “I thought you had to pee.”
“I do. Just thinking about when I get back.” She squirmed in place, then rushed to the bathroom at the end of the hall.
He watched her go. Normally he’d be all over it, but right then he wasn’t feeling it. He was restless and had been for a couple of months. What he was restless about, he couldn’t say; he just wanted something different from what he had. Of course, he had his pick of women, and he was the first to admit unabashedly that he was a player. What could he say? He loved women—all types. But for the past couple of months, he hadn’t felt that energized when he’d been screwing the club girls. It’d begun to seem routine.
He perched on the edge of the stool, pulled out a copy of Easyriders, and thumbed through it. As he was reading an article, the door opened and loud giggling filled his ears. He looked up and saw three women, but the one in the middle made his blood pump. She kept covering her full pink lips with her hand as if to suppress her snigger. Her chestnut hair had blonde streaks in it as though the sun had kissed it, and it cascaded past her shoulders, which were bare.