“I’ll just wait.” Ivan returned to his own customer.
In an attempt to get in the zone, he leaned over to assess what needed to be done. “Have you been in the sun?”
She pursed out her lip. “Just a little.”
“You need to stay out of the sun if you want this to look right.”
“Maybe you can take me out some night and I’ll be so tired, I won’t be able to get outside in the daylight.” She reached over and touched his Mohawk.
She asked him out and he exhaled, knowing he was probably the only man on the planet who realized the irony. However, he was not as indecisive as his business manager and he opened his mouth to respond.
“You’re chick is here.” Carson came by and slapped him on the shoulder. “I think she got caught in a storm.”
“You have a chick?” Angie leaned up on her elbows.
She came. Lindsay was there. With his stomach rolling, he lowered Angie’s leg and looked over to watch Lindsay tear into the shop. “I don’t know.” It took effort not to run to her. He stood and ripped his gloves off. If she came only to do her books, he would ask her to leave and they could take him to IRS jail.
With her chest heaving, Lindsay glanced around the room until she found him.
He ground his teeth, willing his feet not move, no matter how small and scared she looked with her dirty face and messed up suit, not to mention her hair. Something happened, but he couldn’t care what. He just couldn’t.
She came forward, her gaze falling on Angie with her exposed leg out at his station, and she stopped.
He shoved his hands in his pockets.
She blinked and continued her trek to him.
Still, he didn’t say a word. If she needed to talk she could start.
“Shane.” Her voice was no more than a cracked whisper.
“I’m right here.”
After another peek at Angie, she shut her eyes. “May I please talk to you?” She pointed to the private rooms.
“Is this about my accounting?” If she decided to give him another update on his reconciliations or whatever, he didn’t need to hear it.
She shook her head.
“All right.” Without touching her, he spun on his heel and charged to the back, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor behind him.
He guided Lindsay into the room first, closed the door, before leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms. Until further notice, this was her show.
She paused and stared at her foot moving around one of the square patterns. Finally, she raised her head. “Shane will you please do me the honor of letting me take you out?”
Did she actually curtsy? As if on automatic pilot, he took a step forward. The guts it took for her to ask him made him want her all the more.
“I know I never formally accepted your invitation and I kept you waiting, so if you can’t do it Saturday, just let me know when would be good for you.” She held out her hand, stopping him. “That is if you want to.”
His heart melted, turning into a warm goo and soothing the sour acid swirling in his stomach all day. “I won’t let you take me out.”
The red in her cheeks instantly vanished.
“I will, however, take you out Saturday night.” He hooked his finger under her chin, tilting her face up. “It would be my honor.” Unable to resist how beautiful and worried she appeared, he bent down and gave her a soft kiss.
His lips roamed as he took in her smooth, flawless skin and light floral scented remnants of her perfume.
When Lindsay gasped and grabbed him around the waist, he became instantly aroused and he pulled her tight against him, pressing their cheeks together. While his guy downstairs lay dormant with Angie, he certainly came to life so close to Lindsay. “I missed you.”
“Me too.”
Suddenly, vintage punk rock music came over the speaker, and not one to pass an opportunity, he whispered. “I only slow dance.”
“Too bad it’s not mariachi music.”
They embraced and swayed, shifting their weight from one foot to the other. “Maybe a song about bucking society is more our speed.” He unclipped her barrette, allowing her hair to spill down her back. “You have beautiful hair.” He slowly trailed his lips, feather light along her jaw line.
Lindsay linked her fingers in his belt loops.
“You’re delicious.” Her flavor reminded him of butterscotch candies, sweet, creamy, and with that quality that made him either want to let his tongue linger, or dig in and take a bite. When she tilted her head granting him full access to her neck, he almost lost it.
“Shane?”
“Yes.” He moved against her and located her naked earlobe.
She whimpered when his tongue traced the outline of her ear. “Please Shane.”
“Oh, man.” He kissed her behind her ear and she pushed into him, grinding her body against his. “Lindsay, kiss me right now.” He gripped her chin to turn it up to him.
“Hey.” The door slammed open and Ivan charged in clapping. “There you two are.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Shane abruptly straightened and attempted to shield his girl. “What’s your problem?”
“I need Lindsay.” Ivan put his hands on his hips.
“She’s a little busy at the moment,” Shane growled.
“Yeah, well Angie’s bitching that you left her with her legs open a half hour ago.”
Shane arched his back when he felt Lindsay tense and dig her nails into his side. “How bad do you need Lindsay?”
“Enough to not care that I interrupted your make out session.” Ivan tapped his foot.
“All right.” He thought fast. “Five minutes with Lindsay and you take over with Angie.”
“Seven minutes.” Ivan crossed his arms. “And Angie sure as hell isn’t going to like it.”
“Six minutes and I don’t care if Angie’s pissed.” Shane held his hand out for a shake.
“Six minutes, but you leave.” Ivan pointed to the door.
“Nope.” Shane dug in. “Seven minutes, you take over Angie, but I stay.”
They shook hands then Shane draped an arm over Lindsay’s shoulder. “Here she is.”
Lindsay sighed and turned to Ivan. “What’s going on?”
“What happened to you?” Ivan wrinkled his nose. “Did you get in a fight?”
Shane exhaled. He’d meant to ask her that too, but with the kissing and the going out and everything else, he forgot.
When she didn’t answer, Ivan lifted his chin to Shane. “What happened to her?”
“We had a bad couple of days. I thought you had business to discuss.”
“Fine.” Ivan reached in his back pocket and handed her a thick envelope. “First, Hugh and Stubbs wanted me to give you this.”
“What’s this?” Shane leaned over.
Lindsay gasped. Inside the envelope was a stack of cash, a few receipts, and a folded piece of paper. She read the note aloud. “Dear Little Lady…”
Ivan chuckled at the nickname. “That’s cute.”
“Shane told us all about how you perform miracles. Please start work right away, take what you need as a deposit for your fee.” She held out the entire ensemble. “Shane?”
With a smile Shane made a huge production of counting the cash and reading the note again. “Is ten percent good?” He peeled off some of the bills.
She jutted her jaw out.
“I still have five minutes.” Ivan snapped his fingers.
Shane put his arm around her. “Go on.”
Ivan rolled his eyes then dug something from his back pocket and held it up with two fingers. “Help.”
Lindsay took the tattered envelope, went to the counter and smoothed it flat. “This is from the IRS.”
“Don’t say that.” Ivan came up next to her.
“I didn’t, the envelope did.” She started to open it.
“No,” Ivan yelled.
“It’s okay, she’s a professional.” Shane
needed to interject. “That makes her immune.”
“Why don’t you guys open your mail?” She glared at Ivan, opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.
Ivan shut his eyes. “Please fix it.”
Shane rubbed her neck when she pressed on the bridge of her nose. He knew she was craving a pencil between her teeth.
“You’re an independent contractor?” She folded the letter.
Ivan nodded.
“Didn’t you pay any tax?”
He shook his head.
“Did you think you were exempt?”
Ivan turned to Shane who generously answered for him. “He thought no one would catch him.”
She stomped her foot. “Didn’t you ever hear the death and taxes line?”
Ivan pressed his lips together.
Lindsay groaned. “Benjamin Franklin said it and I quote, ‘In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.’“
“If Benjamin Franklin said it, I guess it’s true.” Ivan pushed a hand through his hair. “Lindsay, I don’t trust anyone else.” He took her hand and put it to his heart. “Please, I’m scared.”
“You’re scared?” She laughed.
Shane peeled Ivan’s hand from his girl. “The deal didn’t include touching.”
“You were doing enough of that for the both of us.”
“I would still be doing that if you didn’t come in here and stir up all of Lindsay’s accounting hormones.”
“Shane.” Lindsay shook his arm.
“Yes, we can kick Ivan out and resume our dance.” He grinned, but the mood had died. He saw the gears in her mind spinning.
Ivan got down on his knees. “I’m begging you.”
Shane pulled her in for a hug. “Look at it this way … you have an entire cottage industry. Some people work for the stars. You’ll be the accountant for the tattoo industry.”
“We could get you a lot of customers.” Ivan added. “Tim from Tiger Tattoo has a mess over there and he seemed interested when I told him about you. Hey, you could branch out too. We have suppliers and customers.”
“Good thinking.” Shane’s wheels spun, he took his cell phone and scrolled the names.
“But I have a job.” She grimaced. “At least I think I still have a job.”
“What’s wrong with your job?”
“I had a bad week.” She turned away.
Shane put his arm around her. He’d need to ask her more about that later.
“Ahem.” Ivan cleared his throat. “I’m still in the begging position.”
Lindsay turned. “All right, but you need to do something for me.”
“Anything. What does Miss Lindsay need?” Ivan bowed.
She cupped her hand over his ear. After a whisper she sighed. “Please.” She bit her lip.
“Can Carson do it so I can take care of Angie?”
“Do what?” Shane stepped between them.
Lindsay nodded and then leaned closer to Ivan. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“I’m on it.” Ivan held his hand out, and Lindsay shook it as Carson knocked on the doorjamb.
“Dude, I need you to do me a favor.” Ivan announced.
“Hold up, I have to go run a fast errand.” Carson said.
“Good you can do this on the way.” Ivan put his arm around Carson. “It’s for Lindsay and it’s important.”
Shane set his eyes on Carson. “What errand are you running?”
“I need to go get our big brother after your chick ditched him without a ride in the hills of Beverly.”
Lindsay covered her face.
“Well, that‘s exactly what I needed you to do, so my work here is done.” Ivan gave a pleased grin. “Now, I need to go finish an inner thigh tattoo.”
Shane watched Lindsay’s still covered face. “Dillon?”
She lowered her hands and faced him. “Dillon came to my office, I ended up at a work function with him and when I knew I was in the wrong place I acted selfishly, snuck out and just left your brother there.”
“Is that why you look like this?” To make his point he brushed some dirt off her sleeve.
“I snuck out … and to do it unseen, it meant crawling through a bush.”
“You crawled through a bush to get to me?” He needed to make sure he got everything straight.
“Yes.”
Without hesitation he took her chin and kissed her.
“You’re not mad?”
“Were you going to tell me?” He kissed her again this time like he wanted to, finding her tongue with his own, and pulling her in tight. He moved to kiss her again when she stopped him.
“Yes, Shane, I was going to tell you.”
“Good. Why were you embarrassed?”
“I never do things like that, leave people stranded.” She looked up into his eyes. “Shane, why are you so mad at Dillon? Why is this a Dillon-free zone?”
“I don’t really want to get into it right now.”
Chapter Fifteen
“I’ve got to get going.” Shane wiped down his workstation and tore off his gloves.
“What are the plans for tonight?” Carson came over and lent some assistance.
He turned off his light and went to the front. The shop was quiet for a Saturday, the calm before the storm, and with him out that night, it would be even more serene. His poor brother spent hours rearranging his schedule, but it was totally worth it. “I’m going to change, take her for sushi and then to that club we got tickets to.”
“Sounds like what we do every weekend but without anyone else.” Carson laughed.
“We don’t need anyone else.” He grinned and checked his wallet. “Later.”
“Hold up, let me get you the mail.” Carson raised his hand and disappeared to the back.
As his last assignment for the day, he went to the filing cabinet and unlocked the new metal cash box.
“Ready for your hot date?”
He clenched his jaw at the sound of his older brother’s voice. “Get out.”
“I’m just waiting for Carson.” Dillon shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the door. “He works here, too.”
“It’s my name on the mortgage, so I say who gets in.” He tossed some cash into the box.
“I believe it was my suggestion that you buy instead of rent.”
“I believe it was my suggestion that you get out of my shop.”
“Should have been part my shop,” Dillon muttered.
Shane slammed the drawer closed. “That was your decision.”
“You didn’t protest.”
“I had no one to protest to.” He stared his brother down.
“So, how did you get her to agree to go out with you?”
Shane took out his wallet again and made a deal out counting money. “Last time I checked, she crawled through dirt to get away from you and came running to me.”
“I think she felt a little out of her league after hanging with your crowd. Seriously, what are you doing with her?”
“That’s none of your business.” He tightened his fist around his wallet to prevent from decking his mother’s firstborn. “Seriously, what’s your deal?”
“She’s special.” Dillon held his arms out. “You’re going to screw her and then really screw her, messing her up for every decent guy that comes along.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“She’s all enamored now, the bad boy from Hollywood with the soft heart, and she’ll fall in love and sleep with you. She’ll try to change you because no girl ever really wants someone like you, they just think they do. When she can’t change you, you’ll be done and leave her.” Dillon moved closer.
A million deep tattoo needles had pierced his sensitive skin, but Dillon’s words did more damage. “I think you just described every 1980’s teen movie I ever saw.”
“Why do you think they had that plot over and over again?” Dillon shrugged. “Maybe because it’s true?”
“Well then you’re in the perfect position since after I break her heart she goes running after the good boy.” He needed to get out of there, change and pick up Lindsay.
“You’re not good enough for her.” Dillon blocked his exit. “Exactly what do you have to offer her?” He spun around the room. “A life of this and a huge heart break? Nice.”
The slacker tattoo artist and the classy accountant. What was he going to do with her? Take her to a questionable club? Out for drinks? Or maybe they could talk about his audit? For the first time he didn’t have a comeback. Instead, he turned to leave through the back.
“Have fun,” Dillon called.
Shane rushed through the shop, slamming right into Carson. He grabbed his brother’s collar. “I told you not to bring him here! Can’t you follow a simple instruction?”
“I told him to wait outside for me.” Carson’s eyes widened.
“Until you can do what your boss tells you, don’t come back here.” He thrust Carson away from him.
“Shane.” Carson held the mail up. “Come on, man.”
He snatched the mail out of Carson’s hand. “Decide what you’re going to do and I’ll decide if I still have an apprentice.” With that he pushed his little brother aside and headed to his car.
Overheated and shaking, he put the key in the ignition. Rock music filled the car. He threw the mail on the passenger seat and prepared to drive away when one letter caught his attention.
A simple white envelope with the IRS return address sent by registered mail taunted him. Dread like spilled ink oozed over him. Since Lindsay took over, he hadn’t seen any letters from them, let alone registered ones, and he doubted they would send something telling him the audit had been called off.
His first instinct was to throw the letter away, stuff it between the seat cushions, or bury it with the other mail of tattoo magazines and party invites and pretend it didn’t exist.
No.
Lindsay made him promise he would open his mail, so he picked up the envelope.
He took a deep breath and decided that he was actually thankful for the letter. It would give him a moment to calm down and Lindsay would be so proud of him for facing it. Nothing in those letters was as bad as he thought. Lindsay kept repeating how they were only going back a year. This was probably just a confirmation.
Permanent (Indelibly Marked) (Volume 1) Page 15