"I really had to go." Kelly's voice broke through the intensity of the moment. The woman turned away, and her friend whispered something to her. A peal of laughter erupted from them.
Kelly came behind the counter and he stood away from the stool so she sat once more.
"Can I help you ladies?" he said. I hope she wants a clit piercing. I bet her pussy is as pink as her mouth.
The two women next to her shoved her forward, saying, "She wants a tattoo." They laughed. She shooed their hands away from her and shook her head, then looked at him again.
He groaned inwardly and his cock stirred as she skimmed the tip of her tongue over the contours of her lips, lips that were made for sinning.
"Is it a yes or no?" He threw her the smile that melted most women's panties. She shrugged. "Have you been thinking about this for a while, or did you have a couple of drinks and come over here?"
Laughter burst from all three of them and it made him grin more. She's fucking sweet.
Kelly tapped her fingers on the counter. "Do you want a tat or not?" The women quieted down.
Anxious not to break their jovial mood, he turned to Kelly. "I'll handle this." She rolled her eyes, then looked down at the magazine Goldie had on the counter.
"Hay's been thinking about it for a while. That's all she talks about," the dark-haired woman said.
"Especially when she's had a couple of White Russians," the other woman chimed in. That made them start laughing again.
Goldie moved in front of the counter. "Are you drunk?" His voice was low and gravelly.
She darted her eyes to his and their gazes locked. The laughing hyenas, Kelly's aggravated sighs, the whir of the needles all faded out; there was nothing in the room but him and her. Heat stirred within him as his hungry gaze devoured her rounded hips and long shapely legs. Her cheeks burned brightly as she shifted in place.
"So are you?" he asked.
"Am I what?" she breathed.
His eyes climbed slowly from her pretty sandaled feet to her bright red face. "Drunk?"
"Hay's not drunk, but we are," the dark-haired woman said between sniggers.
"So, Hay's getting the tattoo?" He locked gazes with her again. She nodded. "Where do you want it?"
"On her butt." Her friends giggled.
He raised his eyebrow. "Your friends seem to be doing all the talking. Is that where you want it?"
"Uh … yeah. I've been thinking about it for a while now. I'm also not drunk. I've had a couple of drinks but I'm good."
"Do you know what design you want?"
She nodded. "It's nothing too big or anything." She pointed to Kelly, whose head was buried in the magazine. "Is she the one who's going to do the tattoo?"
He shook his head. "She's the receptionist. I'm going to do it." She gasped as her hand covered her pretty mouth. He chuckled. "You seem to have a problem with that."
"Oh, go on, Hay. I'm sure he's seen a lot of asses before. It's like a doctor. After a while, all asses and boobs look alike." Her blonde-haired friend pushed her forward a bit.
"Stop it, Claudia. You and Rory are starting to get on my nerves."
Mine too. "You're not going to find a woman artist in Alina, or the county for that matter. If you go to a bigger city you'll find them there." I bet she has a gorgeous ass.
"Is it like Claudia said? I mean, you must do a ton of these. It's probably like no big deal."
He pressed his lips and ran his eyes over her face. "Yeah. I do a ton of these, but it's up to you. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."
Snickering, she threw her shoulders back. "What the hell. Let's do it."
A celebration complete with horns and streamers broke out inside him. "Yeah. What the hell. Follow me."
"Can my friends come too?"
The last thing he wanted was the giggling duo, but he was afraid if he said no she'd back out. He nodded and walked down the hallway, the clacking of high heels echoing behind him.
He opened the door to a room that had a padded massage table. The walls were adorned with drawings of tattoos, and there was a small black leather love seat against one wall, a built-in desk with a computer, and several bookcases stuffed with black binders and books on various designs.
"Do you have a design in mind?" Goldie asked as he gestured for Hay to sit on the table. "I want a standing trunk with a bunch of flowers wrapped around it. I don't want the trunk real thick, and I want the flowers to look like they're in watercolor."
Standing in front of the bookcase, he pulled out a thick binder and leafed through it. Then he walked over to her, pointing to a floral design. "Something like this?"
A smile spread across her face. "That's exactly what I want. It's beautiful. Is it your design?"
He nodded, then went over to the sink in the corner of the room and washed and dried his hands. "What's your pain tolerance?"
"I'm not sure. Is it going to hurt?"
"A little. Everyone is different. I can put a numbing cream on the area. I usually don't do that except for areas that can be extra sensitive, which the buttocks can be."
"Really? I wouldn't think that since there's so much flesh there."
Yeah. I bet she's got a soft, squeezable ass. "Doesn't seem to matter. Some people breeze right through it. Others squirm a lot. It's up to you." Reaching down, he pulled a bottled water from the small fridge near the sink and gave it to her. "Drink up. I want to make sure you're hydrated."
"If I do the numbing thing, how long will it take?"
"Usually about thirty minutes to an hour for it to take effect."
"Let's just go without it. I'll be brave. I promise." Her bright smile pulled him in, and he craved to press his mouth on her full lips.
"Okay. Slip off your panties and lie on your stomach. You allergic to latex?"
"No. Why?"
"Just wondering what type of gloves to use." As he watched her wiggle out of her lacey panties, his dick pulsed. He hadn't even seen her ass and his cock was already misbehaving. He shook his head and came over to her, waiting for her to get comfortable. Lifting her skirt, he sucked in his breath as two rounded ass cheeks came into view. They were perfection. Damn. I gotta concentrate on what I'm doing, not on how badly I want to bite and smack her ass.
"Can we see the design?" Rory said. Grateful for the intrusion, Goldie nodded and handed her the binder. "Oh wow. It's beautiful. I may just have to get me one of these." She smiled and caught his look.
Diverting his gaze back to the most beautiful ass he'd ever seen, he began to adorn it.
An hour later, he secured the bandage over the tattoo and helped her up. Claudia handed Hay her panties, and she giggled as she began to slip them on.
"Make sure you follow all the instructions on this sheet. Since you got your tat higher up on your cheek, it should be easier to sit. Just make sure you keep it clean and moist. You don't want to wear anything too tight, and you may want to reconsider wearing panties for a couple of weeks."
His lips twitched when crimson streaked her face.
"Thanks," she mumbled as she took the sheet from his hands before she rushed to the door and walked down the hall with her two friends in tow.
"You forgot to sign in." Kelly's voice bounced off the walls. "And put down your phone number."
"Why?" Hay asked.
"That's the rule."
Kelly's nails scraping against the counter grated on his nerves. He went into the reception area.
"We ask for customers' phone numbers to check up on them and make sure they're not having any problems," he said.
"Do I have to?" She looked everywhere but at him.
"No. It's optional." Goldie watched as she hesitated, then quickly wrote something down.
"Let's go." She and her friends went through the front door, nearly colliding with a couple of guys as they came into the shop.
Goldie watched the three women disappear into the night. If she left her number, I'll give her a call tomorrow to see how she's doing. He walked over to the front counter and glanced at the sign-in sheet. He jerked his head back and a sudden coldness spread through him as he read the name "Hailey Shilley." What the fuck?
"Goldie, did you hear me? Are you zoning out?" Kelly's voice pierced through his veil of shock.
"What do you want?"
"These guys want tats. Are you available?"
He nodded slowly. "I can do one and Skull can do the other. Buzz him." He turned to the twentysomethings. "Where do you want the tats?" They both said their upper arms. "Okay. Give me a minute while I set things up."
Walking to one of the rooms that had a black leather chair that resembled a barber's chair, he gripped the counter and shook his head. He still couldn't believe the woman he'd had a hard-on for, the one whose ass he'd seen and touched, was Hailey Shilley.
Is it possible that this is just some fucked-up coincidence? But he knew it wasn't. He only knew one Hailey Shilley, and she was the little sister of his best buddy, Ryan. But when he'd last seen Hailey, she'd just turned fourteen. Their dad was transferred to New Mexico and that was the last time he saw or thought of her.