Priceless Ink: A Small Town Romance

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  “Well, obviously, I’ll need someplace to clean up and some new clothes.”

  I snorted and then started laughing. “Sure, I’ll get right on that, Princess.”

  She pursed her lips and thrust her hands on her hips. “You can’t seriously expect me to just sit around in these filthy clothes all day.”

  “Of course not,” I said, standing. “Feel free to strip and give us all a show.”

  She screamed and stomped her foot. The door to Andrew’s bedroom opened and he walked out in just his boxers, but he stopped and raised an eyebrow when he saw Sofia standing there.

  He shrugged slightly at the sight of her. “Not exactly what I picture when I bring a woman home, but she’ll do.”

  “I am not some whore to be passed around,” Sofia said hotly. “I come from a respectable family. I’m a Lancaster, for God’s sake!”

  “A Lancaster, huh?” Andrew looked at me and shrugged. “Never heard of ‘em.”

  “My family is one of the oldest families in Chicago.”

  “Ah, well, that’s where you lost me. I don’t go to Chicago. Yeah, I’m more of a local hero, if I do say so myself.”

  “Who have you ever saved?” I asked.

  “Hey, I’ve saved plenty of people. I saved Kat when I brought her that pizza,” Andrew said indignantly. His eyebrows pulled together in thought. “Just give me a minute and I’ll think of someone else.”

  “This is ridiculous. I can’t stay here! I don’t belong in a dingy apartment that gross men stay in, and whores come and go as they please!”

  “Hey, Stacy is not a whore,” Andrew snapped. “She’s a friend that comes over for a good time.”

  “Well, this has been fun, but I’m gonna take a shower,” I said, jerking my chin at Andrew. “Oh, and hey, Sofia, if you want to make yourself useful, why don’t you scrounge up something for us to eat.”

  “Like what?”

  “Food,” I said, confused by the question. “I’m sure there’s something in here you can cook.”

  “I don’t cook.”

  “Well, then I guess you’re gonna starve.”

  Sofia

  I couldn’t believe the nerve of him. The crazy ape-man just left me to fend for myself. He wanted me to cook. I didn’t even know how to use a stove! As he walked into the bathroom and slammed the door, my chin started to quiver. This was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I was still in my corset. I had trudged through the forest in my bare feet and they were killing me. My manicure was ruined. I had no money, and I smelled terrible. I just wanted a shower and my nice, warm bed.

  “Hey, don’t cry,” Andrew said, walking over to me. He wrapped an arm around me and gave me a squeeze. “It’s not that bad, is it?”

  “I have nothing,” I cried. “My fiancé is screwing another woman. I ran out of my wedding. I look terrible and I smell.” The tears were pouring down my face and my shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. I don’t remember ever being so miserable. “My life is over!”

  “Andrew?” a feminine voice called out. “Is everything okay?”

  “Stacy, this is…uh…who are you again?”

  I wiped the snot dripping from my nose on my wrist. What did I care? I was already filthy. “I’m Sofia Lancaster.”

  “Right, she’s a Lancaster.”

  I didn’t miss the way Andrew nodded as he said Lancaster, like he was trying to clue her in somehow, but she didn’t get it.

  “It’s very nice to meet you.” Her eyes trailed down my body and she grimaced. “You look like you could use some new clothes.”

  “Yes! Maybe you could buy me some new things? I don’t need anything special. I’m sure you don’t have any Gucci, but maybe there’s a Von Maur around here?”

  “A what?”

  My face fell. It was hopeless.

  “I can bring you back something to wear. We’re not really the same size, but I’m sure I can come up with something that will work.”

  She smiled at me and then glanced at Andrew before leaving. Sighing, I walked over to the couch and plopped down on it, holding my head in my hands. I felt Andrew sit down beside me and place his arm around my shoulders.

  “It’s really not that bad.”

  “Of course it is. She’s probably going to bring me back something dreadful from a thrift store or something.”

  “I’m surprised you know what that is,” he said with a grin.

  I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m not completely naive. I donate my old clothes for poor people.”

  He nodded. “That’s very kind of you.”

  “I know, right? I’m a good person. I don’t deserve this.”

  “So, why didn’t you just marry the guy that cheated on you? Sounds like he could have given you the life you wanted.”

  “He could have,” I sniffled, wiping at my face. “We would have been perfectly happy.”

  “Why do I not believe you?”

  My face crumpled and I leaned back into the couch, doing it for the first time. I had never been allowed to sit on a couch like this before, but with everything that had happened, I didn’t care about keeping up appearances.

  “Because it’s a lie,” I finally said. “How could I marry a person that obviously didn’t care at all about me?”

  “Well, you shouldn’t.”

  “But he would have given me everything.”

  “Money isn’t everything.”

  I sighed and glanced around the tiny apartment. “And you’re happy living like this? In your tiny, dirty apartment with no money?”

  “Who says I don’t have money?” Andrew asked.

  “Do you?”

  “That’s between me and my bank account.”

  “If you have money, why would you stay in a place like this?”

  He shrugged. “It’s not so bad. I mean, I really liked living at my brother’s place in the country. It was my parents’ old house, but they left it to him.”

  “That’s kind of shitty.”

  “Not really. He let us stay there as long as we wanted.”

  “So, why did you leave?”

  “Because he and his fiancé want to start a family. They needed space. And Joe needed help with the rent, though he’d never say it. He just started up his business a while back and he’s doing well, but he doesn’t need to be spending all his money on rent. So, I stay here and split all the costs with him. I don’t really need a lot.”

  “But why wouldn’t you stay someplace nicer if you could afford it?”

  “You know, when you save money and don’t spend it on useless shit, that’s how you build your wealth.”

  “And what do you do for a living? Let me guess, a mechanic? Or maybe you drive a garbage truck.”

  “Wow,” he nodded. “You’re not only a rich snob, you’re a bitch too.”

  “I’m not a bitch. I’m just saying that someone of your…class, probably has a working man’s job.”

  He grinned at me, shaking his head. “Joe’s gonna have his hands full with you.”

  “Well, not for long. He’s taking me back home tomorrow. Until then, I guess I just have to deal with this place.”

  “Do yourself a favor…don’t piss Joe off.”

  “Why? Is he dangerous?” I asked, a little concerned that I had spent so much time with the man already.

  “Joe? He’s as harmless as a kitten. He’d give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.”

  “Yeah, well, he took his jacket from me last night and made me sleep in just this,” I waved to the corset.

  “Then you must have pissed him off.”

  There had to be some way to get back home other than waiting on Joe. “Maybe you could just give me money for a cab?”

  “I said I would take you home,” a gruff voice said from the doorway.

  I sat up and glared at Joe. This resting bitch face was becoming a new look for me. “Yes, but not until tomorrow.”

  He shrugged. “Take it or leave it.”

  A
ndrew grinned, slapping his knees before standing. “I gotta bounce. Stacy is coming back with some clothes for her. It was nice to meet you, Trophy Girl.”

  I watched as he walked out, mulling over the term Trophy Girl. I hated it, but he wasn’t wrong. That’s what I would have been, just a trophy wife that someone would walk all over.

  “It’s your turn in the shower.”

  After everything that had happened, I was exhausted. I just wanted to lay down, but there was no way I could do that in my current state. I shoved past him into the bathroom, only to realize that if I was going to get out of this damn thing, I was going to need his help.

  “Would you mind helping me for a moment?”

  He turned, grinning mischievously at me. “Sure, anything the lady needs, the lady gets.”

  “If that were true, I’d be staying in a nice hotel right now with a hot tub and spa.”

  “What do you need help with?”

  “My corset. I need it untied.”

  I turned and pulled my hair over my shoulder. Half was hanging down my back and the other half was in a mess on my head. In the mirror, I could see him examining the strings and trying to figure out how to get it undone.

  “You just need to pull the strings.”

  “Yeah, they’re coated in mud. That’s not gonna work.”

  I heard the snick of his knife and then he was slicing through the strings laced up my back. I gasped as I felt the blade pressing against the fabric, sure he was going to rip through it and cut me open, but the slice of pain never came. The corset started to fall and I quickly pressed it against my chest to preserve my modesty. His eyes met mine in the mirror, burning with an intensity that I had never felt before. I felt one of his hands on my back, sliding up my spine as if he were soothing me.

  “That thing is a torture device. You have red marks all over your skin.”

  I swallowed hard when his hand rested at the base of my spine, just above my underwear. “I had to wear it with the dress, otherwise it wouldn’t have fit.”

  “Then you should have gotten a bigger dress.”

  I huffed out a laugh. “That’s not the way it works. I had to fit into the dress, not find a dress to fit me.”

  His eyes dropped to my back and then I felt his hand slide across my skin to my waist. He gripped me tight for just a second and sighed. “You’re too skinny as it is.”

  I turned red at his comment. My mother had always told me I needed to lose weight. My friends all agreed that I needed to lose weight for the wedding. I wasn’t used to anyone thinking I was too skinny. He stepped back and then looked up one more time, then he was gone.

  * * *

  After only ten minutes of scrubbing, my hot water ran out and was replaced with cold water. I had barely gotten a chance to scrub my hair, but I needed conditioner. There was no way I could detangle my hair with only men’s shampoo. I needed something more feminine for my hair.

  I wrapped myself in a towel and grimaced at the dirt still under my nails. I needed a manicure desperately. It was bad enough that I broke a nail yesterday, but now they were all chipped from my excursion through the wilderness. Not to mention that my feet were torn to shreds from not wearing my shoes. I picked up the corset and dirty underwear. They were of no use to me now. Cracking open the door, I didn’t see anyone in the living room, so I hurried out and plopped the garments into the trash. When I turned around, Joe was standing there, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at me.

  I gasped and pulled the towel tighter, hoping he couldn’t see anything. These were not luxury towels. They barely covered my body and were way too short, but if I read Joe’s thoughts right, he liked that it wasn’t covering my body.

  “What are you staring at? Haven’t you ever seen a woman in a towel before?”

  “I have. Just none as beautiful as you.”

  I should be flattered, right? I had never received compliments like this before. All the compliments I had received were so generic in the past. You’re so beautiful. You look lovely. That dress looks amazing. But the way he told me I looked beautiful as his gaze raked over my body, it made me feel like he truly meant it.

  Joe stepped forward with a plastic bag and held it out to me. “Stacy came by with some things for you. I’m sure they’re not what you’re used to, but they’ll do for now.”

  I took the bag and nodded, my manners taking over. “Thank you.”

  “I have to head down to the shop and get some work done before I open. The remote is by the TV and there’s food in the fridge.”

  “Wait…” He stopped and stared at me, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say. I just wasn’t sure I wanted to be left alone in this apartment, even if it was with him.

  “Yeah?”

  I cleared my throat and dropped my eyes. “So, tomorrow?”

  “I told you I would take you back tomorrow. Josh dropped the bike off this morning.”

  I looked up at him and frowned. “But…you said that it wouldn’t be done until tomorrow.”

  He grinned. “I did say that, didn’t I? Well, it was done this morning. But you’ll be fine here for another day. After all, it’s not like you want to go home and face all that bullshit, right?”

  I glared at him angrily. “That wasn’t for you to decide.”

  “Well, I made it my decision.”

  “I would think you would want to get rid of me,” I snapped.

  He nodded. “You would think so, wouldn’t you?”

  My mouth dropped open, not sure how to respond to that. But before I could come up with something, he was out the door, letting it slam behind him. I took the bag to the bedroom and pulled on the clothes that Stacy brought for me. There was underwear that was obviously new because of the price tag. Five whole dollars. Cheap underwear that would probably chafe my skin. And there was a bra, but it was a sports bra and cheaply made from what I could tell. Still, it was better than sitting around in a towel. I pulled on the shorts and tank top that she provided for me, ignoring how loosely they fit my body. Stacy was a skinny girl, but not as skinny as me. It would have to do for now.

  In the silence of the apartment, the reality of my situation really started to sink in. He hadn’t taken me home when he knew his bike was ready. But why would he do that? He obviously didn’t like me, aside from thinking I was pretty. It was clear that we were like oil and water. But he kept me here anyway, and I had a feeling it was because he knew I had no plan in mind.

  I sat on the lumpy couch and thought about my options. I could go home, face my parents’ wrath, and possibly end up married again by the end of the week. That’s if Graham took me back after everything that happened. Or, I might go home and get kicked out for disobeying my parents. I knew they would be furious, but I had no idea what they would do when I returned. I needed to contact Lanie and find out what happened after I left.

  Looking around the apartment, I couldn’t find a phone anywhere, so I pulled on a pair of men’s flip flops that were way too big on me, and headed out the door. Joe said he owned the shop downstairs, so I walked down the dimly lit staircase and pushed the door open. The sunlight practically burned my eyes and I wished more than ever that I had my sunglasses.

  I smiled at a man that passed and stared just a little too long at me. I knew that I couldn’t just stand on the sidewalk forever, but I didn’t want to go into the tattoo shop either. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door and stepped inside. It was dark and the walls were covered with artwork. Some of it was terrifying, with skulls and crossbones. Then others were very beautiful, but I still couldn’t see putting any of this on my skin and marring it forever.

  “Hello?”

  I heard the shuffle of feet and then Joe appeared from the doorway at the back. “Hey, you need something?”

  “Um…I was wondering if I could use your phone to call my friend.”

  He nodded and pulled out his phone, handing it over. “Sure.”

  He turned and headed back through the
doorway and I followed, curious to see what he was doing. There was a long hallway that had several rooms on both sides. The first was a room with a table, chairs, and fridge, and the room across from it was a bathroom. There was another room further down, and when I peeked inside, I noticed it was some kind of spare room that stored boxes.

  “What are you doing?”

  I spun around and saw Joe sitting at a desk, staring at me curiously. “Sorry, I was just…” I cleared my throat and stood up taller. “I was just curious about this place. I’ll return your phone in a minute.”

  He nodded and I walked back down the hallway, dialing Lanie’s number as I went. It rang, but she never picked up, probably because I was dialing from a number she didn’t recognize. I dialed again, and this time she picked up.

  “Hello?”

  “Lanie,” I breathed out. “Thank God.”

  “Sofia, what the hell happened after you left?” she whispered. “Everyone is looking for you.”

  “My parents don’t know where I am?”

  “Not a clue. In fact, your mother is over here right now, talking with my mother about all this. She’s not happy.”

  “Well, I didn’t think she would be. How bad is it?”

  “Graham’s pissed. Apparently, there was some business arrangement tied to your marriage and now that’s all gone.”

  “Shit.”

  “And that’s not it. Your father already hired someone to find you. He says he’s going to drag you back here and make you marry Graham.”

  I closed my eyes and just breathed in and out. The thought of going back to be forced to marry Graham made me shake.

  “Lanie, I can’t marry him.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know, but if I go home…you know what it was like for me. I can’t imagine Graham will be any better, especially after I left him before the wedding.”