by Holly Renee
“You know it’s sacrilegious to work in a tattoo shop and not have a tattoo, right?” She was sitting next to me behind the desk, thumbing through a magazine while waiting for her next appointment to show.
“It is not.” I rolled my eyes. “It may be bad for business, but it’s not sacrilegious.”
“Why don’t you get one?” She set down her magazine and started looking over my skin as if she was looking for the perfect spot.
“I want to.” I added another appointment into Parker’s schedule. “It just makes me nervous.”
Staci laughed, in a full on unattractive snort-laugh that made me like her more.
“Don’t be a pussy, Liv.”
“I am not being a pussy,” I said the last word quietly which only made her laugh louder.
“What would you get?” She started looking around the walls at the artwork that was featured there for customers to choose from, but what I wanted wasn’t on those walls. It was in a portfolio under my desk.
I had looked at the drawing every single day that I had worked there, and every single day, I wanted it more and more.
“I wouldn’t get anything on the wall.”
Staci looked at me like I was a bit crazy and maybe I was. I pulled the portfolio out and pointed to the drawing that I couldn’t quit thinking about.
Wild at heart.
Staci whistled when she saw the drawing I was talking about before she put her feet up on the desk. “Good luck with that one.”
“Why?” Typically if a client had requested a tattoo, it was pulled out of the portfolio. I didn’t see anything that stated someone had claimed it.
“Because I’ve seen about a hundred people ask for that tattoo and the answer is always the same.”
“Which is?”
“Nope.” She clapped her hands theatrically, startling me a bit.
“Why?” I looked back down at the drawing. It was easily one of the best pieces of art I had ever seen.
“Because Parker won’t let go of it. Someone always asks and he always says no.”
“Well couldn’t you tattoo it on me?” I batted my eyelashes at her, and she rolled hers.
“That,” she pointed to my face, “doesn’t work on me, and no, I can’t. It’s Parker’s work. Only Parker can do it.”
I thought about her words before sliding the drawing back in place. I loved it. Absolutely loved it, but there was no way in hell I was letting Parker tattoo me. It wasn’t happening.
“Well then what good are you?” I teased, putting the portfolio back under the desk.
Staci’s eyes lit up and the grin that took over her face scared me a bit.
“What is that look for?” I motioned toward her face as she had mine only moments before.
“How much time do we have before my next appointment?”
I looked at the appointment book. “Twenty minutes or so, why?”
“We should pierce something.” She said it like most people don’t take a day or two to think these things out. There was no hesitation or doubt.
“What?” I screeched.
“I already told you not to be a pussy, Liv. Let’s do it!” She clapped her hands together like she just won the lottery, and I watched her like the crazy person she was.
“Your nose would be really cute.” She turned my face this way and that. “Or even your lip. Or we could always.” She held her hands over my chest and motioned like she was grabbing my tits.
“Wouldn’t that hurt?” I rubbed my breasts just thinking about the pain.
“Only for a minute or so, but it’s totally worth it.” She winked at me.
“Do you have yours pierced?” I whispered even though we were the only two in the shop. Brandon and Parker left about an hour ago to run a few errands.
“Of course. I also have my hood pierced, and let me just tell you, I love that baby.”
“Your vagina?” I shrieked.
“Yes. My vagina.” She patted me on my head like a puppy. “Do you ever get laid, Liv?”
Her question was innocent, but she didn’t realize how close to the truth she was because I wasn’t getting laid. Not regularly. Not even semi-regularly. She would die if she knew it had been over a year, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. Instead, I just shrugged my shoulders and let her question roll off me.
She shook her head as if the thought of not getting laid made her physically ill. “Okay. Let’s start with the nipples.”
My eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. Live a little.” I wasn’t one for peer pressure, but I couldn’t deny that the idea of having my nipples pierced excited me.
“This stays between us.” I pointed my finger back and forth between us before Staci grabbed my hand and pulled me into her booth.
I watched her work, setting up her equipment, looking like a surgeon with all her sterile materials.
When it came time for me to take my top off, I only hesitated for a second. I was sitting in her chair naked from the waist up, and she was smiling at me like a loon.
“This is going to be perfect. You have a great set of tits.”
I laughed and had the urge to cover my chest.
“Do you talk to all your clients like this?”
Staci shrugged. “No. Not all my clients have great tits. Some come in here with tits to the floor and still want them pierced. Which is fine, to each their own, but it makes my day when I know someone down the road is really going to appreciate my work.”
“You’re insane.” I gripped the edge of the chair as she made her way toward me with a clamp that looked like it was used to torture people.
“Maybe, but I know a great set of tits when I see one.”
The metal bit down around my nipple, and I tensed, preparing myself for the pain.
“Will you stop talking about my tits?” I said through gritted teeth.
“Okay. Are you ever going to tell me about your history with Parker?”
Her question came out of left field and I wasn’t expecting it, but before I could contemplate how to answer her, pain seared through my breast and my only thought was that this bitch lied.
That fucking hurt.
L I V
Four Years and Five and a half months earlier
People come into our lives for a multitude of reasons. Some come for fleeting moments, some are there for a lifetime, and then there are those, the ones who it doesn’t matter how long they are a part of your life. They make such an impact that a moment with them is more poignant than a lifetime with someone else.
That was what my moments with Parker were like.
When we finally walked out of the karaoke bar, my heart was racing, my shirt was damp with sweat, and my cheeks were hurting from smiling.
He pulled me to him when I leaned up against his truck, and I didn’t think I had ever seen him smile so much.
“Those people in there think you’re a rock star.” He pointed over his shoulder toward the bar.
“Well I kind of am.” I rolled my eyes dramatically.
“Uh huh.” He chuckled and his hips pressed into mine. “I didn’t know I was going to have to share you so much on our first date.” He looked down at me, the flecks of gold in his green eyes shining in the neon lights.
“Well take me somewhere you don’t have to share me,” I whispered, my hands tightening in his t-shirt.
He pressed his forehead against mine before letting out a ragged breath.
“Let’s go.”
He pulled the door open and helped me into the truck. As soon as he climbed in, he lifted the console that separated us and patted the seat next to him. I had dreamed of riding in that spot forever, and when I finally settled in next to him, it felt like it was exactly where I belonged.
His hand rested on my knee, the warmth of his skin against mine was the best feeling in the world, and I watched his fingers trace circles against my skin while he drove.
I didn’t know where he was taking me, a
nd I didn’t care. All that mattered was that I was with him in that moment and there was nothing anyone could do to ruin that.
We pulled up outside his grandfather’s old house. I knew the place from coming out here a hundred times over the years, but we had never been here alone.
The property was pitch black, and I wouldn’t have known where to step if it wasn’t from memory. We walked around the back of the house wordlessly. Only the sound of our steps against the ground heard against the backdrop of the creek.
There were two old rocking chairs sitting in the back yard overlooking the water. They had been painted white at one point, but they had since chipped and peeled away, showing the years of use. Parker’s grandparents use to sit out here and watch us play, but that was before his grandmother passed away and his grandfather went to a nursing home. Those rocking chairs had shared years of stories, laughter, and love.
The wood creaked under Parker’s weight as he sat down. The house was beautiful, an older white farmhouse, but it was easy to see that his grandparents hadn’t been able to take care of it over the years.
I sat down in the chair next to him pulling my knees to my chest.
“I love this place.” He was looking out over the creek that ran along the back end of the property, and he looked so peaceful.
“I do too.” I ran my finger over a piece of paint that was barely hanging on. “I used to love coming out here when we were kids.”
“Yeah. That’s because my grandparents spoiled you. They thought you hung the moon.” His head was pressed against the back of the chair, and he turned it to face me, a lazy smile on his face.
“Who says I didn’t?” He smiled bigger. “You can’t blame them for loving me. I’m pretty awesome.”
“No. I can’t.” He was staring at me, and every second his eyes were on me, I felt my breath leave my body. “He would love to see you, you know?”
“Who?” I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear that had fallen out of my bun.
“Papa. He asks about you all the time.”
My chest ached as guilt filled it. Parker’s grandfather was the closest thing I had to a real one, and it had been a long time since I went to see him. Too long.
“Let’s go see him. Will you take me?”
“Of course.” He nodded his head. “I planned on going tomorrow. Do you want to go with me?”
“Yeah.” Plans. We were making plans. I told myself I wouldn’t let myself get hopeful about whatever the hell we were doing, we were just going to see his papa, but it was impossible.
He stood from his chair before he reached for my hand. I had no idea where he was taking me now, but I didn’t care. He pulled his phone from his pocket and fiddled with it for a moment before music played from his speakers. Still gripping my hand, he pulled me closer to him and wrapped his other arm around my back.
“What are you doing?” I giggled.
“Well, I didn’t really get to dance with you at the karaoke bar.” He started moving against me causing my body to move with him.
“Okay?”
“I’m done missing out on things with you, so I’m dancing with you now.”
He spun me around playfully before pulling me back against him, and I laughed, the sound getting lost in the trees that surrounded us.
“I never expected you to be this guy.” I ran my hand up his chest before resting it behind his neck. I knew that Parker’s girlfriends had loved him, but I never expected this. I had never seen this side of him before.
“I’ve never been this guy.” He stared down at me, the moonlight illuminating his face, and I felt like I was in a dream.
It was all too good. Parker was too perfect. This night was too amazing.
“So why now?” I teased, feeling overwhelmed by the way he was looking at me.
“I think the better question is what took me so long.” His words were muffled as he came closer to me, but I tasted them against my lips. I didn’t realize how starved I was until that moment. Then his lips touched mine, the first drag of his lips stealing my breath.
I had thought about this moment forever, dreamed of it, wished for it, but I never imagined it would be this good.
His hands gripped in my hair angling me exactly where he wanted me, and I gasped for breath as he pulled my bottom lip between his teeth.
His tongue ran along the same spot before it entered my mouth, and I only thought I was starving before.
We became a mess of lips, tongues, teeth, and hands. He gripped my waist in his hand before he pressed me against the house. I hadn’t even realized we had moved, but I didn’t care. I wrapped my legs around him, which seemed to shock him but only for a moment. He pressed into me, and I could feel him everywhere. I was surrounded by him, and I had never wanted to be somewhere so badly in my life.
My stomach was coiled tight, almost in pain, and I knew that I needed more from him. One of his hands was holding my weight under my ass while the other felt like a brand on my thigh. Searing me. Setting me on fire. I ran my hand against the edge of his t-shirt before running my fingers against the ridges of his stomach.
He shuddered under my touch, and I pressed my center into him harder, needing more.
His mouth pulled away from me, his forehead pressed against mine, but I wasn’t ready to stop. I tried to bring his lips back to mine, but Parker took a step back, dropping me back to my feet.
I was leaning against the house, not trusting myself to hold my own weight yet, and he was staring at me, his hand running through his hair.
“Why’d you stop?” I asked, my voice breathless. My chest tight with anticipation of his answer.
“Because I’m about to lose every bit of control I have left.” He took a deep breath. “Fuck, Livy.” His gaze ran down my body, and I could feel it as if it was his hands. “Fuck.”
P A R K E R
Present
“What do you think about this one?” Emily held the fork out to me with another bite of cake on it. After fifteen different choices, they were all starting to blend together.
“It’s good too.”
“Ugh, Parker. We have to pick one. We don’t have much time.”
I wanted to tell her that we wouldn’t be in this predicament if she hadn’t fired the first baker, but I was smart enough to know that comment wouldn’t be appreciated.
“Then I say lemon cake with that vanilla frosting.” I pointed to the yellow cake that was getting lost in the sea of all the others.
“Really?” She snarled her lip. “I liked the chocolate one.”
“Then get the chocolate one.” I had to force myself not to roll my eyes. I didn’t know why she brought me to this shit anyways. She didn’t really care what my opinion was.
“Babe, I have to go. I have another appointment at one.”
She smiled a tight smile, clearly irritated with me. “Okay. Love you.”
“I love you too.” I kissed her on the top of her head.
She didn’t look back at me again as I walked out. Instead she was deep in conversation with the baker, pointing to the chocolate cake.
I pulled my phone out and checked the time. I only had about twenty minutes until my appointment, and I was grateful. I needed to get lost with the vibration of my gun in my hand. It would clear my head.
Livy didn’t even look up when I walked into the door of the shop and that was fine. We had been pleasant toward each other since she started, having no problems, but we weren’t friendly. I could hear her joking around and laughing with Brandon and Staci while I was in my station, which was great, but as soon as I entered the room she tensed up. She tried to hide it, but I could see it.
We could all see it.
I began setting up my equipment, the routine almost robotic. I had just got it set up when my client walked in the door. We shook hands, and I adjusted my chair for him.
Before I even had to ask her, Livy had my music playing through the speakers. I got to work on the massive back piece I was fini
shing. I had already spent about six hours on it about a month ago, doing all of the outline, and now he was back to have all the color work done.
An hour into it, I was completely zoned out and didn’t even hear anyone else come into the shop. It wasn’t until I heard Livy’s voice and the words it was saying that my attention was pulled away from my work.
“I’m sorry. I already told you that we are completely booked out.”
We were booked out pretty damn far, but not indefinitely.
“Seriously, Livy. I know Parker has something. You can’t refuse me an appointment.” It was a woman’s voice. It was vaguely familiar and slightly annoying.
“First, don’t call me Livy. It’s Liv. Second, we have the right to refuse service to anyone we want.”
That got my attention.
“Give me a second,” I said to my client, and he just nodded his head.
I poked my head around the door of my workspace to see who on earth Livy was being so rude to. We never refused to tattoo anyone unless they were underage, drunk, or just wanted something so incredibly stupid that I couldn’t bring myself to tattoo it.
As soon as I saw the head of blonde hair that I knew belonged to my ex, Madison, I knew I might be in trouble. Livy was staring at her with murder in her eyes, and I didn’t dare interrupt them. Madison stopped by the shop about once every six months. Every time she came by, I refused to see her, but it never seemed to deter her.
“You’re a bitch, Liv.” Madison sounded out her name.
“Yeah, well you’re a fucking leech, Madison. Still trying to get close enough to suck the life out of him, huh? Didn’t you hear he’s getting married?” Livy was leaning over the desk precariously close to Madison.
“I did, actually.” Madison swept her hair over her shoulder. “But I think the two of us have that in common, not giving a fuck if he’s taken or not.”
I could see the anger filling Livy, and I knew from experience that girl had quite a bit of fire inside her. When she burned, everyone else burned with her.