“I can tell,” I responded. “It sounds like you need a friend. Someone you can be real with.”
“A friend?” He looked shocked, almost humored by what I’d said. “At my age, I’ve made all the friends I plan to make. I don’t trust easily. But why? You want to be my friend?”
I raised my hand to stop him. “I don’t do friends.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not friendly.”
At that moment, the waitress returned with my drink. I took a sip as Ink ordered something for himself.
“I thought you had another tattoo to do.”
He nodded. “I do.”
Clutching my hand, he stood, pulling me up. I nearly lost my balance and fell into him.
“What are you doing?”
I dug my heels into the floor when he began pulling me to his station. He tugged harder and I gave in to avoid falling on my face.
“I told you. I’m about to do my last tattoo,” he replied, over his shoulder.
“But not on me, crazy. I’ve already gotten one and I’m done!”
Once he had me in front of the chair, he stood in front of me, still holding my arm as I glared stubbornly back up at him. There was no way I was about to sit down in the middle of a packed club and do that with him. Not that day and not ever.
“Sit down.”
“No.”
“So, you don’t trust me? I thought we were friends.” He smirked and then licked his lips. I almost lost strength in my legs. The man was so fuckin’ sexy, it was ridiculous.
“We aren’t friends. I said you needed a friend, but I never said the friend was me.”
“Well, I choose you and this is your initiation. Sit down and relax.”
I felt my defenses crumble under the intensity of his stare. My skin prickled from the feel of his thumb running over the top of my hand. It was calming but turned me on at the same time.
“Trust me,” he said.
Those two words sealed my fate.
“Okaaaayyy.” I dragged the word out as I reluctantly gave in. “How should I sit?”
His stare was still intense as he observed me under hooded brows. “Face me. Put your back to the crowd.”
“But they won’t be able to see anything.” I frowned, wondering what he was up to.
He winked. “That’s the point.”
With my lips firmly pressed into a straight line, I did as he asked.
“Alright, everybody, Ink is about to begin his last tattoo of the night. If you didn’t get a chance to get inked by the god of ink himself, you’ll have to visit him at his shop, Official Ink, to get it done at another time. Now I’m about to drop the beat to something sexy for the sexy lady he got in his chair. If you think you sexy, too, wind your muthafuckin’ hips to this muthafuckin’ beat. Let’s go!”
The beat came in and I watched Ink carefully as he lifted a tool in his hands. It looked different from the one that he had used the other day in his shop, but I didn’t ask any questions. Without looking at me, he dipped the tip into a small container of black ink.
“Spread your legs.”
Knotting my brows, I hesitated, wondering if I’d heard him right.
“Not happening.”
“Not wide,” he clarified. “Just enough so I can slide my hand inside.”
I sucked in a breath and separated my knees a bit, feeling like I could hear my heart beating in my ears. Strobe lights danced through the room around us, enveloping us in a kaleidoscope of colors.
“Can you see?” I asked, suddenly feeling nervous about the dim lighting in the club.
“Not everything. But I can see enough.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what he was referring to, but I left it at that.
He slid his left hand between my legs, gripping my thigh, and the other he used to hold firmly onto the tool in his hands. Flickering his eyes up to mine, he widened them a bit.
“Ready?”
“Yes,” I replied almost breathlessly.
His head dropped and my sex throbbed as he went to work. He pressed the machine on my thigh, and I groaned in pure ecstasy, closing my eyes. The vibration went right to my clit, quaking it just right. I bit down on my bottom lip, trying to keep myself from crying out.
My legs parted further, and my body jerked when I felt Ink’s hand creep even higher up my thigh. I tensed and opened my eyes, searching his face, nearly on the brink of panic. I wanted that feeling so bad, but we were in public, sitting dead center in the club.
“Relax,” he said.
With a slight frown bending my brows, I looked around us, thankful for the dark and the fact that Ink had me positioned so that my back was to everyone sitting in the club. Suddenly, he pushed a button, speeding up the vibration on his machine and my eyes nearly rolled back when the sensation hit my clit. My lips parted slightly, and I closed my eyes once more.
“Oh god…”
I nearly came.
Ink’s hand moved again, and that time I didn’t try to stop him. I welcomed his touch. Using his middle finger, he nudged my panties to the side and parted my southern lips. My passion flowed like a river and I gushed honey all over him. He sent the tool into another setting and the vibration increased as he continued to probe me, no longer even trying to pretend that he was holding my thigh. With all fingers forming a fist, except for the one that was deep inside of me, he pumped into my moistness, curling his finger towards him as if beckoning my body to release. His knuckles rubbed against my clit as he sunk his forefinger as deeply as he could into my pussy.
“You’re sexy, right? Then wind your hips,” he commanded, repeating the words of the DJ.
“You have to stop. Ink…” I gasped out my words, feeling short of breath.
“You’re so fuckin’ wet, baby. Cum for me.”
I opened my eyes and saw his attention zero in on my chest, where my rock-hard nipples had pebbled up through the thin material of my dress. He licked his lips with longing and dove his finger in deeper inside of me. I was so turned on that I began to do as he’d asked, winding my sex against him. I drenched him in my sweet love potion.
I felt my legs begin to shake. My cheeks flustered. I couldn’t believe what I was allowing him to do to me in a public place, but it felt so good, there was no way I could make him stop.
“You need this.” He beckoned my mind with his words while doing the same to my body with his fingers. “Release it for me.”
“Not here…”
“It’s only you and me here,” I heard him say. “There is no one around but you and me. Let go of it for me, baby.”
Still kneading my center, he used his thumb to press down hard on the most sensitive part of my clit and I had to gnash my teeth together to keep from crying out. My body jerked and my toes curled. With my mouth open, forming a perfect ‘O’, I released onto his fingers, bathing them in my sweet and sticky juices. He removed himself from inside of me and I couldn’t help the twinge of disappointment that I’d felt once he was gone.
“Mmmm.”
I opened my eyes to the sight of him dipping his finger into his mouth. He ran his thumb across the top of his lip, spreading my scent right under his nose.
“You fuckin’ taste and smell as good as you look. You’re perfect.”
Unable to respond to that, I dropped my head to look at the tattoo on my thigh. There were two words that read “Infamous Ink.”
“I branded you so you’re mine,” he said before laughing at the horrified look in my eyes. “I’m kidding. It’s a different kind of ink. Like henna. Just give it a minute and it’ll wash off.”
“It better.”
Huffing out a breath, I tried to fix my clothes, suddenly feeling self-conscious and stupid about what I’d allowed him to do. That wasn’t like me. I was controlled, thoughtful, careful. I wasn’t spontaneous and I never did things without thinking through the consequences or making sure I had myself covered. Getting fingered in the middle of the club was the opposit
e of me. It was something Lola would do.
But, crazy enough, I loved it.
“I’ve got to get out of here.” I was speaking more to myself than to him.
Running my hand over my head, I wiped the beads of sweat from my forehead and smoothed them on top of my hair.
“Don’t be in a rush to wash me off,” he joked with a smile.
Lifting one brow, I glanced at his fingers and then remarked, “I could say the same to you.”
“But you don’t have to.” He lifted his hand to his nose and inhaled my scent. “Real shit, I ain’t never washing this hand again.”
My cheeks were blazing hot.
“Have a good night.”
With weak legs, I struggled to my feet and stretched the hem of my dress over the fresh ink on my thigh before stalking away. Leaning over the V.I.P. booth, I snatched up my clutch and then made a beeline for the exit.
Ink didn’t even try to stop me from leaving. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to.
9
Ink
* * *
I’ve had enough of this ratchet shit.
With my jaw tight, I stared out of the third-story window of my building and took in the scene of the city. Atlanta was a beautiful place but so much had happened since the day I made it my home that it was hard for me to still see the beauty in it.
“What do you mean, you won’t be home?”
I could hear Tami’s annoyed sigh come through on the other line. Before she even opened her mouth, I knew that whatever she was about to say, I wouldn’t like it.
“That’s exactly what I meant, Ink. I won’t be home. I’m going out and then I’m meetin’ up later with Tracyi.”
My brows pinched. “Tracyi? Who the hell is that?”
Another sigh. This one much heavier.
“I already told you ’bout her before. See? This is what I’m talkin’ about. You never listen to me, barely act like you know that I’m here. You don’t give a damn about me, Ink, but you always have shit to say when I want to go out and hang with people who do!”
“Because you have our daughter. Mothers don’t do this shit, Tami. You’re not some lil’ young chick who ain’t got shit to do but party hop. What’s so hard about stayin’ home and takin’ care of your kid? That’s the only damn thing I ask you to do!”
My temples throbbed. I ran a hand over my face, trying to suppress my rage but it was getting harder and harder to control myself.
“I deserve to have a life, Ink,” Tami replied with a flat tone. “I’m more than a mother so if you got a problem with me goin’ out and bein’ with my friends, that’s on you.”
With that said, she ended the call.
I shoved the phone in my pocket and held my arms behind my back. As a man, I had no problems assuming responsibility for the decisions I made, whether good or bad. But marrying Tami was the one thing I’d always regret.
“Yo, Ink, I hate to bother you but that chick from the other night is back.”
I turned around to Kale and my mind instantly fell on Sage. I hadn’t seen her since she’d stormed out of the club about a week before. All the fuckin’ talking we had done, and I still didn’t get her number. I could easily pull it from our system but that felt too much like some stalker-shit. I would rather she gave it to me when I saw her again. My assumption was that she would have surfaced by then, but I was learning that Sage wasn’t as predictable as the other women that I’d met.
“Is it Sage? The one with the hummingbird tattoo?”
The smirk on Kale’s face said that he knew I was hoping it was, but the slight shake of his head told me that it wasn’t.
“Nah, not her. The one with the red hair.”
I frowned. “Brisha.”
Shit.
With a slight chuckle, Kale nodded. “Yeah, that’s the one.”
“Why you ain’t tell her I left for the day?”
He threw his hands up in the air. “I did! So did Indie. She told us we were lying. Said she saw your car out front. I told you a while ago to start using your parking space ’round back so these crazy ass broads won’t know when you here.”
He was right so I couldn’t say shit, but I made a mental note not to make the same mistake again. In fact, there were a lot of mistakes I wouldn’t be making again. Including fuckin’ around with crazy chicks like Brisha.
“I’ll be down in a minute. She on some bullshit, I already know.” I sighed and ran my hand over the top of my head. “I should’ve never fucked with her. I knew something wasn’t right ’bout her when I first saw her.”
Kale shrugged. “Don’t blame yourself. Shawty fine as fuck. Who would’ve known she was the clingy type? She looks like she could have any nigga out here so I don’t know why she actin’ all thirsty for your ugly ass.”
That got a laugh out of me. “Shut yo’ dumb ass up, nigga. Don’t you got clients to tend to?”
With a salute, he turned on his heels and began to walk away. “I got the hint, boss.”
“Fuck outta here with that boss shit,” I said to his back right before he slipped out the door.
With another deep sigh, I ran my hand over my face and tried to get my mind right to deal with Brisha. I wasn’t a heartless man and I hated to hurt a woman’s feelings, even if she deserved it. Even when it came to Tami, I had enough respect for her to not have her out there looking stupid. I had done my dirt with other women, but I was choosy with who I decided to share my dick with, making sure that I never dealt with messy broads or women who could step to her about me. I only messed around with women who had pride and something to lose.
Brisha had seemed like that type at first. She was sexy as hell and was working towards a law degree… or so she said. Thinking back on it, it was more likely that she was the type of girl who only went to college to find a husband to take care of her ass. After she had given me head at the shop, I had met up with her in the club. It was on a rare night when Kale was able to convince me to go out: his birthday.
I was sitting in VIP, minding my own business, when I decided to take a trip to the bathroom and Brisha ran dead into me. The glass of Hennessey that I was finishing up flew out and spilled straight down the front of her all-white dress. It was Versace, something I only knew because she screamed the shit at me once she saw it was ruined.
I apologized and shot her some cash for a new dress and then one thing led to another and then another, which led to me fucking her inside of the V.I.P. bathroom. That wasn’t my style, but I was backed up as fuck. Tami had started wilding out and how she was acting when it came to our daughter disgusted me so much that I couldn’t even get my shit hard enough to do anything with her. Plus, Brisha was gorgeous. The problem was, I didn’t know the chick was crazy, too.
“Ink, I was about to come up and get you,” Indie said, nearly running into me the second I stepped off the elevator. “That girl is here and she’s getting loud.”
The judgment in her eyes was clear and obvious. Indie was always getting on my case about the women that I chose to deal with, telling me that I didn’t know my worth. What kind of shit was that to say to a nigga? To me, that seemed like stuff chicks would only say to other chicks. And even if it wasn’t, I knew what my worth was. That’s why I wasn’t dealing with those basic broads on no real level. For me, it was simply sex. It wasn’t my fault that they couldn’t understand that.
“I’ll take care of her.”
“Ink…” She paused, and then looked down as she sighed.
“What?” I asked, slightly annoyed because I knew she was about to get started. I didn’t need that right then. I’d just been pissed off by one woman and was about to walk right into a situation with another.
She opened her mouth to say something and then stopped and shook her head.
“Nothing. Just… just handle your business.”
That said, she walked away swiftly, as if I was a bomb about to explode and she was trying to get away as quickly as possible.
Wo
men, I thought, cutting my eyes at Indie before following her towards the front of the shop.
“What the fuck you doin’ here?” I said as soon as I saw Brisha, speaking low enough to not be overheard but stern enough for her to know that shit wasn’t going to go the way she planned it.
Pouting, she poked her lips out and ducked her eyes. It didn’t move me at all because I’d seen the act a million times before. She would go from sad to a fuckin’ crazy bitch in less than five seconds and I wasn’t in the mood for her theatrics after arguing with Tami.
“Why are you so mean to me, Ink? I only came to say that I’m moving soon.”
My eyes widened with relief. That was the best news I’d heard all day.
“I finally got in law school,” she continued, running a hand through her long braids. “I have to do some prep program during the summer before the fall semester starts so I’ll be gone in a week or so. I thought you should know.”
With hopeful eyes, she looked up at me, expecting for me to say something that meant I gave a damn. I didn’t even have the heart to lie to her. What was the point in giving her false hope? Hearing that she was leaving for good made me a happy man.
“Congratulations. I wish you the best.”
My tone was flat, my face had no expression. Behind me, I heard Indie make a sound—a grunt of some sort, which let me, as well as Brisha, know that she was all ears. With narrowed eyes, Brisha cut her eyes behind me to where I assumed Indie was sitting before flashing her pretty browns back to my face. I had to admit, she had such soft, attractive features for a bat-shit crazy lunatic.
“That’s all you have to say?”
I couldn’t help but frown. What was it with that chick? I didn’t want to be rude but shit like that was why people took me for an asshole. I didn’t want to be all that but when it came to women like Brisha, it’s what I had to be. They couldn’t take a hint, so I had to dish it to them raw.
“What else you expect me to say?” I shot back through gritted teeth. “We ain’t friends. You ain’t my chick. You ain’t even a client anymore. If you came all the way over here expectin’ a nigga to give a damn that you ain’t gon’ be around here no more, you wasted ya time.”
Addicted to You Page 4