I make my way over to her. She slides her hands through her hair and takes in a huge gulp of air. Red, blood-shot eyes stare at me.
“Mom,” I whisper.
She wraps her arms around me and squeezes as she buries her face into my neck. I can’t breathe, but I don’t know if it’s because she’s holding on so tightly or because of the guilt that’s slowly seeping its way back into my consciousness.
“I love you, Henley. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to let you do this,” she mumbles.
“Just think of it as not having a choice. You can’t stop me.” I pull away from her embrace, and my eyes meet hers. “Dad gave me the car I’m driving. I have a little money I’ve been saving, and the only thing I’m taking from this apartment is my clothes. So, if you look at it from my point of view, you’ll see everything I’m taking with me belongs to me, and I don’t need your help. So….” I step away from her, because I know that even though she may seem upset, there’s an evil bitch hiding behind those tears and it’s about to rear its ugly head.
“You mean your father already knew about this?” she screams.
“Yes, he’s known for months and completely agrees with my decision. He didn’t ask any questions. Only told me to call him if I needed anything,” I tell her as I take a few more steps back. The more distance I place between us, the better off I’ll be.
“Did you tell him where you’re going?” she asks. Her voice is full of anger and disbelief.
She doesn’t like my dad. At all. I can’t believe the two of them were together for seven years and they are both still alive. He is super laid back, like he doesn’t have a care in the world. I can tell him anything. He never gets rattled. His only downfall as a parent is his inability to be
present in my life. But I blame that on the crazy, thoughtless woman standing in front of me. She seems to have the ability to chase everybody away. Especially men.
“No, nobody knows where I’m going, and I want to keep it that way.” I pick up my last box of clothes from the floor. “I’m leaving now, alone. I will not be back, ever. So don’t attempt to find me.” I grab my keys from the counter and walk out the door, never looking back.
Eighteen
Henley
Present Day
I push through the door and make my way into the lobby of The Drunken Peacock. Suddenly, my reason for being here seems ridiculous. Chasing after a guy who walked away from me only a few weeks ago. Geesh! What am I thinking? Panic surges through my veins as I try to figure out what to say to the two smiling faces standing in front of me.
“You okay?” Rex asks me as he steps around the counter.
Rex. Hmmm… everything about him screams arrogant asshole. He’s hot. I’ll give him that much. With his dark blond hair and turquoise-colored eyes, he is almost too pretty to be a guy. But pretty and hot aren’t enough. The truth is he’s not Caleb, and right now, that’s the only guy I want to see. I quickly scan the front part of the shop, but he’s not here. Maybe he’s in the back working. I take a few steps toward the counter so I can determine whether there’s any sound coming from the hallway. Suddenly, Rex’s towering body is only inches away from me. I blink a couple of times and then allow my gaze to find his before I answer his question.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” I bite my lip nervously. Can I just turn around and walk back outside like this never happened?
“I don’t know. You tell me. You tore in here like somebody on a mission and now you’re chewing your bottom lip like it’s your last meal. Not to mention, your face is about four shades of red.” Rex laughs as he closes the gap between us.
Do I really look that nervous? I glance toward the counter at Brant. He’s completely focused on some magazine. He couldn’t give two shits as to why I’m here, but Rex? He’s a different story. He’s enjoying my few minutes of torture. There’s not a stupid bone in this guy’s body. He definitely knows something’s up. I can see it in those greenish-blue eyes.
I take a quick look over my shoulder toward the door. As if I’m praying for someone to suddenly appear, scoop me up, and take me away from this incredibly uncomfortable situation.
My mind is racing as I try to determine what I’m gonna say. But before I have time to form a complete and rational thought, the words start flowing from my mouth.
“I’m here to get a tattoo. Yeah, I want a tattoo. Hmmm… on my right shoulder. Can somebody do that for me? I mean, now?” Shit. I did not just say that.
I’ve been playing my Gibson in front of The Drunken Peacock for a couple of years now. Sure, the thought has crossed my mind on more than one occasion. To make such a permanent decision in less than a few minutes is not me. Definitely not me. But the damage is done. So I guess today is as good as any to put permanent ink on my body.
“You want a tattoo?” Rex’s eyes widen and a smirk forms on his face.
“Are you laughing at me?” I place my hands on my hips and stand firm. This asshole will not make fun of me.
“Of course not, Henley. I’m smiling. There’s a difference.” He takes a step back and winks before continuing, “Why would I laugh? You only asked me to do my job. That is, if it’s me you want to pop your cherry.”
That fucking smirk on his face just became a full smile. Now I know he’s holding back the laughter. Asshole.
“Pop my cherry?” I mumble.
“Yeah, you know, be the first one to put ink on your virgin skin. It’ll hurt some, but I promise to be gentle.” He throws his head back as his laughter fills the room.
Shit. I didn’t mean to say that out loud. “I’m not an idiot. I know what you meant, but what if I tell you this isn’t my first? I may have one or two tattoos hidden under my clothes.” I cut my eyes toward Brant, who is still lost in his own world.
“Oh, sweetheart, you don’t have any ink hidden under those clothes. I can spot a virgin a mile away, and you are definitely one. Do us both a favor and follow me so I can fix that.” He winks again then turns away from me and moves toward the hallway. He wants me to follow him to his station, where we will be alone. My body shudders at the thought. But not in a good way. The thought of being alone with all his arrogance makes me want to tell him the real reason I’m here, and it’s not for him to put a tattoo on my ‘virgin’ skin. He’s actually the last person I want touching me. I want to see Caleb. No, I need to see him, so I can tell him how I completely screwed everything up. God, I need… to apologize and beg him to forgive me for always being such a complete bitch and to reassure him that I really do have a heart.
“Wait!” I blurt out loudly.
“Change your mind already?” He stops walking and looks back at me.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the guts to admit to anything, so I continue to lie, “No. Why would I change my mind?”
“Maybe because you have a look of terror on your face and you’ve barely made eye contact with me since you walked through the door.”
“I just thought you would want to know what design I wanted before we went to the back,” I tell him.
He shakes his head and faces me again. I force myself to make eye contact with him, so he knows I mean business.
“We can discuss it once we’re in the back. Now, if you’re serious about this you need to follow me, because I’m not trying to be a dick or anything, but I have other clients today,” he grumbles.
“Of course I’m serious. Lead the way.” I nod in the direction of the hallway.
I follow Rex toward the back of the shop. This is the first time I’ve been out of the lobby. The walls in the waiting area are covered with pictures of designs and quotes but once I’m in the hallway, everything changes. It’s as if I’ve stepped into a naughty peep show. The walls lining this narrow passage are covered with pictures of clients baring it all. Tattoo after tattoo after tattoo covering skin from head to toe, and trust me, these people don’t care if their tattoo is on their face or their ass. They are extremely proud of their ink, no matter where it
is. Images of breasts covered in flowers, butterflies, and the moon and stars are plentiful. There are also lots of skulls, dragons, faces, and tribal designs on chests, backs, arms, legs, and even a few hips and asses.
“Enjoying the view?” Rex asks as we stop in front of an open door I assume to be his station.
I look away from the wall toward him, and he nods toward the image directly behind me. I glance over my shoulder, and my hand immediately covers my mouth. I desperately try to suppress a scream from escaping.
I’m staring at what might possibly be the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and it scares the hell out of me. It’s a penis inked in green with eyes looking directly at me and to make things worse, it’s hard. Who gets an erection after…?
Never. Fucking. Mind. I refuse to go there.
Rex laughs at my reaction before grabbing my wrist and pulling me into his room.
Of course, the curiosity gets the best of me and I have to ask, not about the erect part of it, but just in general.
“What the hell was that?”
Rex closes the door once we’re inside his station. Oh, shit. Closed door. I take a deep breath and try to pretend this situation doesn’t make me uncomfortable.
“What? The worm picture?” He lets out another rumble from deep in his chest.
God, he’s such a jerk. I should have never agreed to this tattoo.
“Don’t be an asshole. You know what I’m talking about,” I tell him.
He moves around the station, preparing it for my tattoo before turning toward me, and saying, “That was a dick, sweetheart. And I would ask you if you’ve ever seen one before, but I already know the answer to that question.” His voice is matter-of-fact, as if he knows something.
“Whether or not I’ve ever seen a dick is not your business, and the answer you think you know is based solely on assumptions. So don’t judge me, and I’ll try to forget you’re an asshole,” I huff.
For some reason, I have made an awful lot of piss-poor decisions lately. Coming here today is most likely the worst, but it was just as stupid to sleep with Caleb. Because I have a feeling Caleb probably told Rex that we had sex. Ugh! I bet they all stand around when they’re not busy and talk about all the women they’re screwing. Shit. Rex knows. That’s why he so quickly volunteered to pull me back here to his station—to get me alone. He probably thinks since I had sex with Caleb that I’d do the same with him. Anger slams into me like a freight train. The feeling is heavy, making it difficult to breathe. And to make matters worse, I’m trapped in this room with Rex who’s scanning my body from head to toe with those turquoise eyes.
“I’m leaving,” I blurt.
“Wait, I thought you wanted some ink?”
Just the sound of his voice annoys the shit out of me. If only I had my baton, I would knock some sense into his arrogant ass. I can’t believe I even considered letting him put his hands on me.
“I changed my mind,” I tell him with a shaky voice.
“Suit yourself. I’m not gonna beg. There are plenty others out there who would love for me to put my art on their bodies. So this,” he motions between the two of us before continuing, “is wasting my time and costing me money.”
He turns, walks over to the door, and opens it. He leans into the doorframe and taps his foot as he impatiently waits for me to leave the room.
I straighten my stance, take a deep breath, and walk out of the open door.
Nineteen
Caleb
“Hey, man, how’s business been today?” I ask Brant as I enter The Drunken Peacock. He’s standing behind the counter, looking at his phone.
“Kind of slow, but it’s still early. You know it’s Friday and all hell will probably break loose before the day’s over.” He chuckles.
“Yeah, I hear ya.” I walk over to the computer and pull up my schedule. My first client isn’t for another hour. I figure since it’s early and my mind is still fresh, I’ll head to my station and work on some new art.
“I’m gonna be in the back if you need me,” I tell him. He obviously doesn’t give a damn, because he hasn’t looked up from his phone since I walked into the building.
I head toward the hallway and am greeted with two voices coming from Rex’s station. I was hoping he wasn’t here today, because that would mean one less asshole I would have to deal with.
I take a step across the threshold of the hallway, and my gaze meets hers. Henley. She’s walking out of Rex’s station with him following close behind her. His eyes lift from watching her ass to looking directly at me.
What the fuck?
Henley hangs her head as she walks by, breaking our eye contact. Rex raises his right shoulder slightly in a half shrug and then tilts his chin upward before asking, “What’s up, man?”
Every muscle in my body tenses as my breath catches in my chest. I don’t know if what I’m feeling is anger or jealousy, but right now it doesn’t matter—because the only thing I can focus on is Henley walking out of Rex’s station with him staring at her ass.
I ignore his question as I stop my trek to my station and turn toward Henley. She’s rushing in the direction of the door. It’s like she can’t get away from this place fast enough. Or maybe it’s Rex she’s running from. I fucking hope for his sake he didn’t do anything to hurt her, because if he did he will pay for it.
“Henley,” I force myself to say. Honestly, it would be easier to assume the worst and let her walk away. But I can’t. I can’t because she’s all I’ve been thinking about. I can’t because I’ve missed the shit out of her. She drives me crazy, but there’s just something about this chick that I can’t seem to shake. Maybe it’s the way she snaps back at me with every word I say or the sound of her voice when she sings in front of the shop, or maybe it’s the way her body melts into mine with only my touch.
She stops just as she makes it to the door. One hand resting on the handle, waiting to escape The Drunken Peacock. It really doesn’t matter who she’s running from. All I need to know is that she’s okay. Because if she’s not, then I need fix it.
She glances over her shoulder in my direction, before saying, “Don’t, Caleb… I have to go.” Shoving the door open, she walks outside.
“Wait, what?” I mumble to myself before moving quickly toward the door. She’s gonna fucking talk to me. Why was she here? Did she get a tattoo? That thought fucking infuriates me. If she let him put his hands on her body….
“Don’t do it, man,” Rex’s voice rumbles from somewhere behind me.
“It’s not your business,” I tell him as I rush to catch Henley before she is lost in the crowd of people moving down the sidewalk in front of the shop.
“Don’t be a pussy. If you chase after her, that’s what you’ll be—a pussy.” I can hear the cockiness in his voice. The fear of losing Henley to the streets of New Orleans is suddenly replaced with the need to put that motherfucker in his place. I stop moving toward the door and turn around. Rex is standing in front of the counter with his arms folded across his chest and that fucking smirk covering his face.
My movements are smooth and quick as I find myself standing in front of him in only a few steps. My fist clenches only seconds before it makes contact with Rex’s nose. A loud pop vibrates throughout the lobby just before he covers his face with his hands.
“Fuck!” His voice is muffled. But he doesn’t flinch. His eyes watching, waiting for me to make my next move. But I’m done with his ass. At least for now. I just hope I don’t lose my job and the apartment. The sound of Stone’s voice replays throughout my head. “If it doesn’t work out then—without sounding like a dick—you’re on your own.”
I can’t worry about that right now, because I need to find her. The need to know she is okay is the only thing that matters. I take a couple of steps back and glance to my right at Brant, who is looking at Rex with a smile plastered on his face. Looks like I’m not the only one who thought Rex deserved a broken nose. Dammit! I’m probably goin
g to jail. I survived being completely fucked up for years in Las Vegas without getting into a fight, making a scene, or going to jail and now that I’m sober, it’s gonna happen. But it was completely worth it.
“I told you it wasn’t your business!” I roar. Then I turn away from him and head out the door, hoping like hell I can find Henley.
Twenty
Henley
I rush down the sidewalk like a girl—I mean a woman—on a mission. The mission being to get as far away from Rex and The Drunken Peacock as possible. Today has been a day like no other. I’ve learned more than I really care to know about myself.
I’m impulsive, I’m indecisive, and I’m a bit needy. What went wrong with my life? All I’ve ever wanted is to just be me. Without wanting or needing anybody else. Damn Caleb for being in Smitty’s apartment that stormy night.
“Henley.” Caleb’s deep voice is quickly approaching me from behind.
I stop walking just as he wraps his arm around my waist. An immediate sense of warmth encases my body and all the tension of the day fades away. I fold myself into him because I need to be closer. I want to feel the vibes of security that radiate from his body. Then I close my eyes and rest my head on his chest just above his heart. God, this feels so good. He slowly moves our entangled bodies away from the crowded sidewalk and against a brick wall.
When our feet stop moving, I pull my face away from his chest and tilt my head upward. My gaze meets his only seconds before he crashes his lips into mine. God, how did he know I needed this? Maybe he still wants me, even after he walked away that afternoon not so long ago. There are people moving along the sidewalk but neither of us cares. Right now, it’s only me and him.
Beautiful Tomorrow: A Twisted Fate Novel Page 10