“King wouldn’t let you get rid of me, would he?” Mischievous laughter erupted as Vida was unable to hold back. She could practically see the smoke coming out of his ears. Desperately trying to dampen down her amusement before he strangled her, Vida gathered her control. It wasn’t easy, but she finally succeeded.
“You think you have it all figured out, don’t you?” Colton questioned, neither confirming nor denying his plan.
“Damn, Colton, I think I’m smart enough to know that the last thing you want is me in your apartment. If King refused to let me leave, your only other option is to get me to want to leave,” she mocked him, leaning back in the swivel chair and placing her arms across her chest.
“What you didn’t think about is that I actually don’t mind living with you, despite your revolving bedroom door. It’s better than sleeping in the same room as one of King’s women, who are giving blowjobs or fucking before I can get out of the room. It’s damn sure better than letting Digger get me and it sure as hell is better than leaving before I find Sawyer.” Vida’s voice was practically yelling at Colton as he stood dumbfounded at the woman he had mistaken for being a timid little mouse.
Vida almost started laughing again at his expression, but decided she had pressed her luck far enough for the day. The bell rang, letting them know a customer was coming in the door. Seth came towards the counter with a genuine smile on his face, carrying his computer.
“I’m off today. I thought if it’s okay with you that I would hang around and. when you weren’t busy, you could help me code?” Seth nervously waited for her reply.
Vida returned his smile with one of her own. “I’d enjoy it, Seth. I get bored between customers now that most of my classes are finished.”
Colton just stared back and forth between the two for several seconds.
“Make sure you keep track of the clients,” was all he said before disappearing.
The day was much better with Seth keeping her company. Tessa merely eyed Seth when she came out front. Vida could tell she was wondering just what their relationship was, but she didn’t ask and Vida wasn’t about to volunteer the information.
Colton came out with his client; a woman, not much older than Vida, who had wanted a tat of an owl on her shoulder. She had gushed her admiration of his tats when she had caught sight of him. It wasn’t much better now that her tattoo had been completed and wrapped.
Colton had been about to call his next appointment when the woman grabbed his arm, keeping him by her side. “Call me?” Vida had become used to the forwardness of the women that came into Colton’s shop.
“Sure thing, sugar.” Colton gave her a smile that looked insincere to Vida, but she was also sure that she would see the bleached blond doing the walk out of Colton’s front door during the wee hours when he was done with her.
“Colton, my man, I see you still have the touch.”
Everyone’s eyes turned towards the loud voice to see a middle-aged man standing in the doorway, letting the door close behind him as he came further into the room. He was extremely attractive with hard angles, yet laugh lines were leading away from his amused eyes as they took in the young girl pleading for Colton’s attention.
“I see three years in the state pen hasn’t hurt your mojo any.” The man was as large as his voice.
“Shut-up, Max,” Colton said, trying to disentangle himself from the grip, which had tightened on his arm.
“You’ve been in prison?” Instead of fear, Vida clearly saw arousal on the woman’s face.
“Yeah, I just got out a couple of weeks ago,” Colton answered.
“You sure you don’t want me to wait around until you get off? I don’t mind waiting.” She moved closer to Colton.
“I’m sure, Lara. I’m busy tonight. I’ll call you next week.” Vida rolled her eyes, more like he had another woman scheduled for tonight.
Lara paid her bill then left when it became obvious that Colton wouldn’t change his mind. Vida sat beside Seth, reaching out to point to a figure he had missed, feeling the eyes of the newcomer on her. She steadily ignored the curious eyes on her as she heard him talking to Colton.
“Have I met you? Your face seems familiar to me for some reason.” The silence in the room forced Vida to look up, knowing the voice was addressing her.
“I don’t think so, I would have remembered.” It was the honest truth; the man was very striking, both in features and in the way he dressed. By his looks and from the motorcycle he owned that was parked outside the glass door, Vida assumed he was in a motorcycle club. He had on jeans and a t-shirt with a leather jacket that had several patches on it, most held a club name that was constantly in the news for the criminal activities it was said they had committed.