Tattoos and Cupcakes (Amulet of Queens Book 1)

by Everly Taylor

  “There’s no question it’s her?” Damien glanced at Adrien.

  “Did you say something?” I thought I had heard him but his lips hadn’t moved, so I wasn’t sure. He shook his head so I continued. “It’s no big deal guys, just a necklace that was left with an unwanted little girl.”

  “I’m glad she left it with you Cupcake, it suits you.” Adrien flicked his finger across my cheek, giving me a smile. Damn, he had a smile that even in a fucked up situation like this could melt your panties right off. It wasn’t fair.

  I tried not to gape at him as he walked past me to the back of the shop with Damien. “We’re going to see if there is some wood out back to board up that window.”

  I watched them stroll through the shop, pushing aside the mess on the floor as they went, the chairs already up righted and out of their way. I thought about the day I had opened the shop, when everything still fresh and new. The scent of paint filled the air instead of green soap and ink. My parents and Sam had both been there on opening day, so excited to see me succeed.

  Sam had shocked me by insisting on being my first customer, she hated needles. She chose a tiny heart for the outside of her ankle, saying she loved me enough to get one, but not enough to get a big one, a heart proved it. I proudly inked my first tattoo on her and I loved her all the more for it.

  In the beginning few people had wanted to work for me because I was a woman. After word started getting out about my art and how I ran the shop, people started showing up looking for employment. I had worked hard to make sure that my shop was top-of-the-line and a success. To see it like this now was devastating.

  They each came back in carrying a large board, which I didn’t remember having even seen outback.

  “Were you expecting someone to come into work today?” Adrien asked.

  “My manager was supposed to be here by now, but she never showed. Why, what’s up?” I questioned, seeing the concerned look on their faces.

  “Just making sure you’re not expecting anyone, wouldn’t want them walking in on this mess,” Damien said, quickly.

  “I messaged everyone not to worry about coming in. We should be good,” I told them, watching them curiously.

  I started sweeping up the glass while Damien searched through my closet for a hammer and nails. Adrien leaned the boards against the wall and set a trashcan out for me to toss the glass into when I was done.

  Finding what he was looking for, Damien came back to the front of the store. They carried the boards out front with their supplies.

  “Just tell her,” Adrien stated.

  “We will tell her after the rest, not right now,” Damien insisted.

  “Is everything okay you two?” I called through the broken window.

  “Yeah, it’s all good.” Damien grinned at me before he gave Adrien a sharp look to quiet him.

  I paused for a second, watching them while they debated the best way to attach the wood to the window frame. They seemed to come to an agreement and started shifting things around, so I went back to cleaning up the mess.

  Damien lifted the first board against the side of the building, holding it in place so Adrien could secure it. I tried not to watch, I really did, but when Adrien slid a nail between his lips, it was like everything moved in slow motion. His arms reached above his head to drive the nail into the board and his shirt slid up his torso, revealing that ‘v’ that dipped below his pants, into parts that heaven for-fucking-bid made my lady bits sing.

  Shifting the plank to make sure it was straight, Damien’s own shirt lifted, his muscled stomach not quite as defined as Adrien’s, but every bit as sexy. He turned to pass Adrien a nail and the waistline of his jeans slipped, riding so low his hip was peeking out, a practical peep show in front of my store.

  Backing up, I started to tell him his pants were all but dropping off his ass, but tripped over the dustpan and landed on my own—thankfully in a place I had already cleaned up. They came rushing through the door when they heard the noise. “What the hell happened?”

  “I just tripped, it was nothing,” I said, my cheeks flushing. Go ahead, tell them you were oogling their abs, while you salivated all over yourself, because you were hoping their pants would fall the rest of the way down. Then you could discover boxers, briefs or hell, commando would have been even better.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Damien asked, not looking convinced. The embarrassed torture on my face probably didn’t help satisfy their concern.

  “Yup, fine, totally fine.” They helped me stand and I willed my voice not to betray me. “I’m almost done and we can leave. I’ll have someone come clean up the rest.”

  “Sure, try not to trip on anymore inanimate objects, okay?” Adrien laughed, walking back outside.

  I put my face in my hands, real smooth Lena. Just try to get through the rest of this so you can figure out what the hell was going on and things can get back to normal.

  We finished what could be done for the day and put everything in a corner out of the way. I took one last look at the shop before turning out the lights, the place was a wreck. How the hell had this happened? Those two better be prepared to get me some answers and soon. I locked the door, not that it did much good because if someone really wanted to, they could come through my window. Talk about a false sense of security there.

  On the sidewalk I turned to them, and inquired, “So when do I get my answers?”

  “Why don’t we go get you something to eat first? I know you probably haven’t eaten much all day. Give you a chance to calm down, before you have to take in all of this new information.” Again, Damien was postponing giving me answers.

  “How about not? My stomach can wait, and I think I can handle getting a little more upset.” Staring between them, I waited for an answer.

  “Damien’s right, you really should eat. We don’t know how long it will take once we get there, so you should have your energy up.”

  “Let us say sorry for ruining your shop. At least let us get you an early dinner and then we’ll get you answers.” Before I could stop him Damien rushed on, “No one is at the club right now so it’ll just be us.” He looked so sincere it was really hard to say no. They had saved me from the men trying to do whatever it was they were doing. Sure, they destroyed my shop in the process, but that really wasn’t their fault.

  I hesitated before saying no again. I had waited for answers this long, what would it hurt to wait a few more hours? “Okay, food and then answers.”

  “Yes!” Adrien jumped in the air with a grin on his face. Realizing what he did he straightened his shirt. “I mean I think that’s a great decision.”

  “Whatever.” I laugh as I walk to my car. “See you there!” I shouted over my shoulder. No way was I going to be trapped in a car with them so I could make a fool of myself again.

  Chapter Eleven

  Selena

  When I walked into Reflections, I didn’t know what my reaction was going to be. Repulsion, excitement, I just wasn’t sure. My best friend had been drugged here, and I had to carry her out all but unconscious. On the other hand, I was about to spend time alone with some seriously sexy men and get some answers that I desperately wanted. I was torn on how I felt, but determined to get through tonight so I could move on.

  I waited at the railing for the men to join me. As I studied the club now, I noticed it looked a lot different than it had when it was packed full of people. It really did seem like they took care of everything. The leather looked like it had been wiped down and shone under the light from above, the tables were clean and regrouped together again. Even the floors gleamed brightly, reflecting the soft glow from the golden trim tastefully etched around the room.

  As a business owner I could appreciate someone who took the time, and even seemed to pride themselves on taking such care of something. Especially in a place like this, where I was sure people would come regardless if it were well maintained or not. I still hesitated with my approval though, surely the owner
would know what was happening in their own club? How could they be okay with people getting drugged and taken advantage of?

  Adrien came behind me and walked with me to the stairs, Damien joining us at my side. “This place really does look different when it’s empty,” I commented as we descended to the lower level. Thank goodness I wasn’t wearing heels this time, it really was much easier to manage these stairs without them.

  “I don’t know,” Adrien said shaking his head. “You seemed to enjoy the view last time when we had a full house.”

  Damien snickered next to me, and I cocked my head to the side, grinning at him as we reached the bottom of the stairs and arrived at our table. “Maybe I did, but it wasn’t the view in front of me I was enjoying.”

  “Oh really, then what did you enjoy about our club?” Adrien asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

  “You weren’t the only dancer up there, you know.” I laughed when Damien’s head shot around to look at me. “You weren’t either,” I stated matter-of-factly.

  They both looked at me curiously. “There was a third dancer up there, and I’m sorry boys, but he had both of you beat, hands down. Those rugged good looks, the rockin’ abs, that gorgeous body, and let’s not even talk about the way he moved. Damn, the way he moved…” I tucked my tongue into my cheek as if I was remembering, and I was, but it wasn’t the other guy on stage. I hadn’t even seen him honestly, but it was fun to watch these two squirm for once.

  “Let me tell you, the way his long hair fell over those intense eyes of his, it made a girl hot and ready for more. And there was so much more to see.” I shook my head in appreciation.

  The two just watched me, shaking with laughter. I don’t know what was so funny, I had just told them I preferred their friend over them. Seeing them cast a glance over my shoulder I looked behind me. Oh fuck!

  “Please keep going, what more did you want to see?” The blond-haired man stood there, those same intense green eyes dancing with amusement. Fuck me, the one time I thought I could fuck with someone I went and put my foot in it.

  “Uh, yeah, I just wanted to see what these two were going to feed me for dinner,” I stammered. Holy shit, how did I always find myself in these situations? Just play it cool and maybe he’ll believe you.

  “No, pretty sure you were describing the third dancer on stage with these two Neanderthals. Something about rockin’ abs, I think?” Grinning, he ran his hand up and down the front of his stomach, those very same abs apparent even through his tailored shirt and suit. “And damn the way he moved, I heard it made you want to see more?” He rocked his hips, laughing.

  I could admit when I was busted, but I sure as fuck wasn’t going to stand here while someone mocked me, especially the man who stood by while my friend was taken advantage of. “Okay, sure, laugh at Lena. Real funny asshole,” I snapped spinning around on him. He was at least a foot taller than me so I had to look up at him but I didn’t care, I was still pissed at him from the other night and this made it worse.

  “First, I only said what I did to fuck with those two. Their ego is big enough that they didn’t need to know I enjoyed watching them. I didn’t even pay attention to your limp dick act over there, so get that through your thick head.

  “Second, I don’t want to see more from you now or ever. You stood by while my best friend was drugged and taken advantage of. That is not okay.” I emphasized each word by poking him in the chest, my finger confirming that those muscles were definitely rock-hard.

  “Are you done yet princess?” He looked down at me, not mad like I thought he would be, but amused. What the fuck was with him? Did he not understand I was pissed? “If you’re done,” he continued, “I actually heard you were coming here and I came down to apologize.”

  I stared at him. “Apologize?”

  “Yes, my behavior was unacceptable. You’re absolutely right. I was just surprised that you were so intense I guess. Not many people would battle so hard for a friend, let alone one who was clearly not having it. I didn’t think your friend was in any danger. I knew who she was with and he would have never hurt her.

  “Still I saw you trying to help and I should have stepped in sooner, and for that I am sorry.” His apology sounded sincere, the deep timbre of his voice washing over me somehow making me believe it’s truth.

  “I appreciate your apology, but I still don’t understand how you can be okay with people being drugged in this club.” I was here for answers and I might as well start now since one was in front of me.

  He looked between Adrien and Damien, who still standing at the other side of the table watching our exchange. “No, not them, me.” Glancing at the two men, I dared them to disagree.

  What do I tell her? I heard the blond ask.

  “How about you try the truth? You want me to accept your apology? Start with telling me why you stood by and let Sam be drugged in the first place?” He stared at me slack-jawed. I didn’t understand what was so hard about telling me the truth. “Well? They aren’t going to answer for you,” I insisted, seeing him look behind me again.

  He look resigned. “Your friend was perfectly safe, nothing would have harmed her. I would not just stand by while a hu- while anyone was hurt in anyway. You have my word on that.” Again he looked sincere and I had no choice but to believe him. The other two seemed to be close with him, and they had done nothing but protect me since they came hurtling into my life.

  “I’ll take your explanation for now. But if I find out any differently though, it won’t be pretty.” What was I going to do? Step on his big fucking toe? He didn’t need to know that though, did he? “So do you have a name?”

  “Aldrich.”

  “It’s nice to have a name to go with the face.” I glanced down, intentionally pausing at the bulge in his pants. Damn these men were packing.

  He laughed. “This one is full of it, isn’t she? Nice to finally meet you, Selena.” Motioning to the table, he invited me to sit before him.

  I took a seat between Adrien and Damien, with Aldrich sitting across us at the circle table. I had no idea how they had managed it, but they had food already prepared and brought to us as soon as we were seated. I thought back to the night they had the car ready in the valet. This place must be a lot fancier than it looked, and it looked pretty fancy. They were probably watching for when we were ready so they could bring everything out.

  “Wait, Aldrich, I never told you my name.” I looked at him suspiciously. How the hell had he known my name?

  “I must have heard one of these two say it since you came into the club the other night. You are quite the beauty to watch.” His response seemed to make sense, and I knew I was probably overthinking it. I just couldn’t remember if they had said my name where he might have overheard it.

  “Hmm. Maybe.” I still wasn’t sure, but had no reason not to believe him. “So how did you all meet?” I asked around a mouthful of food.

  “We all met here.” Adrien nodded, indicating the club.

  “At the club?” I questioned, disbelieving that the three of them had come together because of this place.

  “Yeah, it kind of saved us all,” Damien replied, looking serious.

  “How would a place like this save you?” I couldn’t believe any of them needed saving, they were all so strong and confident. What would they need saving from?

  “We all came from different places, different backgrounds. It’s not the time to share those stories, but after those stories became our past, we needed somewhere to go and this became that place for us. It took us in when no one else would,” Aldrich explained with pride clearly resonating in his voice.

  “At what cost? Making you dance naked in return for your gratitude? That’s ridiculous. You know you’re all better than that.” Not letting them respond, I continued, “You don’t need to keep living this life if you don’t want to.”

  “Selena, it’s not like that. We choose whether to dance or not. We aren’t made to do anything… It’s more like a fa
mily than a place to work,” Damien clarified.

  “We really do all look out for each other here. And if someone needs something, we make sure they get it,” added Adrien.

  They truly did care for this place a lot. You could tell by the way they talked about it. Maybe I had overreacted originally about Sam. Everyone seemed convinced that she was never in any danger. You never heard the mafia defend their people or place of work as much as these guys did. That had to mean something, right?

  “None of us would be who we are today if it weren’t for this place, it’s helped us get to where we are, Lena. Most of all me,” Damien said, looking lost in thought as dessert was brought out.

  Looking down at the plate placed in front of me I laughed. “Really?” Adrien had to be the one behind this. “Cupcakes?”

  “I had to make up for the one that got crumbled,” Adrien chuckled. “I know how much you like them when they’re cooked right after all.”

  “I swear, between you and Sam, I’ll never live that down. If you hadn’t had me so damn flustered…” I bit into my cupcake, it was really freaking good. I let out a small moan, chocolate was definitely my weakness. This place even had a chef that was a god and I really needed to figure out how to meet that deity.

  “Never,” Damien responded dramatically, as he laughed at me with the other two. Aldrich had apparently been let in on the story of Adrien’s excitement during his tattoo. The three of them really did seem like they were great together. Their different personalities mixed seamlessly, making them look like they said they were, a family.

  I studied them around the table. Adrien was fun and flirtatious, quick to laugh, and such a tease. He was sexy as hell with that careless, just rolled out of bed look. Damn, I wanted to climb that man like a spider monkey. Ugh, I shook my head a little to clear it, this was not the time for those kind of thoughts.