by Amber Burns
“Do you care if I join you with food?” Cade asked.
“No, I mean, yes… let’s eat.”
They made their way back to the buffet and despite having a plate already sitting at the table, she awkwardly grabbed another plate and stood in line with him. He loved her quirky mannerisms. She was awkward in heels and clearly nervous around him. He hoped that meant she was as interested in him as he was her. They took their plates back to their seats and sat down. Neither actually taking bites, they kept stealing glances at one as their food grew cold.
“So, what do you do?” She asked him as she finally sliced into her roasted chicken and took a small bite.
“I own my own business actually. I am a tattoo artist and I own the shop on Main Street, Inked Dragon.” He also took a quick bite of food, hoping his profession wouldn’t be a deal breaker. He had met women in the past who ran from the idea of a motorcycle riding, inked up, tattoo artist.
“Oh, that explains your arms and chest. Did you design any of those yourself?” Her blue eyes shown with genuine interest and so he continued to divulge.
“I actually designed the dragon on my left, but I have let many of my friends custom draw the other ones.” Not realizing he was stroking his beard, he stopped and ran a hand through his hair.
“That is really awesome. I have always wanted a tattoo, but I have never known what I would want permanently on my body.” She took another bite. He wanted on her body. He wanted all over her body.
“Well, you should come by some time and I can show you my book. I would be more than happy to sketch you something.” He winced. He wasn’t supposed to talk shop.
“That would be great, maybe next week?” She smiled at him again.
“Yea, definitely, any day. Uh, do you like coffee?” He hoped she would say yes, he would love to take her for a coffee date before she came by the shop. He wanted to ease her in so she wasn’t intimidated when she met some of his pierced staff.
“I love coffee, are you kidding!?”
They chuckled.
“Well, I would love to meet you at Loco Joe’s if you would like, maybe Tuesday? Would you be available for an afternoon coffee?”
“I should be done with my shift by noon. Here, let me give you my cell so you can call me.”
He pulled out his phone and punched in the numbers as she read them. After they grew more comfortable in company and conversation, they finished their plates. They were so distracted that they didn’t even see the bride and groom cut their cake or head straight towards them with two giant slices of red velvet.
“Here you go, lovebirds.” Tommy smiled and turned to Heather, wrapping his arm around her waist, they made it back to their own table.
They both had a bite of their cake and when they were finished, he noticed Cindy had a lick of frosting on her cheek. He was tempted to wipe it away and have a taste of her sweet rosy lips. Instead she wiped her cheek and sipped her champagne. They continued to talk for what felt like hours, he learned a lot about the woman sitting in front of him and shared some about himself. Soon the guests had begun clearing out and Tommy and Heather once again approached them.
“Hey guys, time to wrap it up.” They smiled and kissed each other, then hugged Cade and Cindy good night. Cindy looked at the time and then at Cade.
“So, you want to go grab a beer?” She asked him and he grew excited.
“Yes, I definitely would like a beer.” They called a cab and rode in silence as the cab driver took them to a bar back in the city.
5
Cade paid the driver and rushed around to open Cindy’s door. She smiled and together, they walked arm in arm inside the still bustling restaurant. They sat at the bar and Cade ordered himself a beer. Cindy ordered a glass of wine and they continued their talk.
“Well, one time, a little old couple came in for a gunshot to the butt. His wife had shot him, then brought him into the emergency room. When the police questioned her, she said ‘well, I was tired of his lazy ass leaving laundry everywhere. I told em’ if he din’t get his act together, I would pop him in his ass, so I did.’ It was the funniest and most bizarre thing, but her husband didn’t want to press charges. He apologized for not listening to her.”
Stacey tried to stifle her laughter as the story ended, but Cade’s laugh drew out her own.
“Well, we once had a guy come into the shop with his girlfriend, they were barely eighteen. He wanted her face tattooed around his left nipple, and he wanted us to pierce the nipple. Somehow, he expected us to make his nipple look like a pierced septum to match his girlfriend. It was the strangest request, but we somehow managed it. He came back a few months later requesting a cover up since they had broken up. Later in the week that same girl brought another poor guy into the parlor wanting her face tattooed in another, far more disturbing location. We apologized but refused the service. She was furious, but I am pretty sure I saw them a few weeks later, leaving Inked Spirit. He was limping and she had a smug look on her face.”
“Oh no! Did he come into your shop for a cover up too?” She took a sip of her wine and looked at him over the glass, her beautiful blues shining.
“Not yet, ha.”
He took another sip of beer. For the first time, in a long time, he was truly enjoying the company of another. In the past, conversation dwindled quickly and most of the time his quests turned into one-time sexual encounters. This was different. Cindy was different. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, and he thought it was too soon to feel so attached to someone but he wanted to learn more. He also wanted to learn the curves of her body.
She stretched and let out a soft groan and he realized she was still wearing those terrible silver shoes and her bridesmaid dress. She had to be uncomfortable. She tipped back her glass and finished the red liquid. He also finished the last bit of beer and placed his empty frothy glass on the counter, waving to the bartender.
“Ready to get out of here?” He asked.
She nodded and he paid for their drinks. They were only a few blocks from his apartment, but he wasn’t quite sure if she was actually ready for that or not.
“I live a few blocks away, would you like to come back for a drink or would you like me to call you a cab?” His heart skipped a beat as he waited for her response.
“Your place.”
She wrapped her arms around herself, and he saw gooseflesh rise on her arms and shoulders. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. They started walking down the sidewalk and a few feet away, she stopped.
“Damn it,” she cursed under breath and she slipped off the silver heels, preferring to walk barefoot than to keep walking awkwardly in those heels. He hooked and arm around hers and took her shoes in his other hand.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You are welcome. Those shoes are killer, are your feet ok on this pavement?”
“Yes, I have worn nursing shoes for years, barefoot is the best, trust me. Besides, what were you going to do, pick me up and carry me away? My trusty steed?”
“If I needed to, yes.”
Cade played it off as a joke, but he was serious. He did not want her to have to walk in pain. She just chuckled at his response. They arrived before long and he stopped and looked at her.
“This is it,” Cade announced.
She smiled and looked up at the old brick building, vines growing up the side. The nightclub was alive with the sounds of music and they headed up the stairs. Once inside, she set down his coat and looked around his apartment. He wished he had spent some time cleaning it up, but he also didn’t realize he would be bringing a woman back to it tonight. He rushed to the fridge and took out two bottles of beer, popping off the tops he handed one to her. She looked at it for a second and smiled.
“I love a good Indian Pale Ale.”
She took a sip and moaned from the refreshing flavor. He was in love. A woman that could appreciate beer and talk about gunshot wounds was a woman for him. He had to get her on the ba
ck of his bike to see if she would like that too.
“One sec,” Cade interjected as he walked over to his television and put on a music station for them to listen to. Then he cleaned off his coffee table and invited her to the couch beside him. She walked over and looked out at the town square before joining him.
“Such a beautiful view!” Cindy cooed.
“Yea, I lucked out with this spot. I guess most people are not a fan of the nightclub below, but that has never really bothered me. I actually find the music to be a little soothing sometimes.”
He took another sip and watched her. Cindy had spotted his drawings on the coffee table and was bent forward picking through them. Having his work analyzed by anyone had always bothered him. Not that he was afraid of a critique, positive criticism was wonderful, but for some reason it had always irked him if someone looked at his art work before he was finished. When Cindy looked at it, he was feeling nervous but not perturbed. He wanted to know what she thought, but he wanted her to tell him without any prompting or questioning.
“These are amazing Cade. You could win competitions or even be on television like that one female tattoo artists that’s really big. I can’t think of her name right now, but yea, this is awesome!”
It thrilled him to hear her say that. He caught himself staring at her again. Her neck was long and exposed from her blonde hair being pinned back and her collar bones were inviting him to kiss and nibble along them. Her chest was rising with each breath and he caught a small glimpse of cleavage with each heave. He soaked in her whole body, small waist, wide hips and long legs. She was beautiful and he wanted to explore her.
She looked up at him and their eyes met. She set down his drawings and her half-consumed bottle of beer on his coffee table and unpinned her hair, letting the blonde curls cascade and rest on her shoulders. She bit her lip as she looked at him. His yearning had returned and a heat overwhelmed him as he grew hard at the sight of her. He moved closer to her and set his own beer next to hers. Turning to face her, he placed his hands under her chin.
“May I kiss you?” He asked.
His vision was slightly blurred with lust and she parted her lips and nodded. He leaned in and softly kissed her, first just tasting her lips. She inhaled and he felt her tremor as he took her mouth deeper, exploring her. She was intoxicating. He laid her back on his couch and planted soft butterfly kisses along her jaw, down her neck, and resting at her collar bone, he kissed and ran his tongue across her flesh. More gooseflesh rose, but not from the cool night air this time.
He could see her chest rising and even through the satin gown, he knew her nipples had grown erect and hard with desire. Each feather light kiss caused ripples and trembles from her arching body. She pressed her hips up towards him, teasing him with what was to come. He slipped a hand under her and began to unzip the lavender gown. He pulled it down below her waist, her round creamy breasts exposed. Two deliciously taut beads of flesh tempted his mouth and took one of them in and licked around as he cupped her other breast.
She moaned as he took turned taking each nipple in his mouth, playing with it as he moved it around his tongue and teeth. Then he kissed down her chest, to her belly button. Her skin was soft, each kiss she moaned and rocked those beautiful hips. He slipped the dress completely off of her body and moved to taste her hips, pulling the lacey pink underwear down and around her ankles, she was completely naked on his couch, hips rocking with wanton desire.
Between her legs was smooth skin, a perfect juicy mound of pink flesh, slick with her lust. He continued to plant kisses on her flesh as he made his way to that soft pink center. She continued to moan as he slowly licked her clitoris and spread her lips to explore her deeply. Her taste was sweet and her scent was clean and floral like her hair. He continued to explore her, her hand coming around to hold him in place at her center as she rocked her hips against him, wanting more. Her moaning and panting grew more frantic, and he slowly slipped a finger inside of her. The one finger was welcomed and squeezed tight, sending shudders through him. He wondered how he would fit, if she was this tight with just one finger.
She continued to rock against his hand as he licked her clit and continued to tease her with his finger. She gasped and cried out as she climaxed for him and he moaned, wanting to feel that sweet tightening and pulsing around his hard cock. He stood up and she laid there, sprawled out, wet and practically humming from the orgasm. He began to undress, but before he could take off his pants, she sat up and stopped his hands. She unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, pushing them down and he kicked them off.
Her eyes grew large as she saw the large bulge hidden by his boxers, and he pulled them down, his giant cock exposed to her. She gasped and then took his throbbing member in her hand. She squeezed, a little too hard, but her hands felt so good. She then licked his head with her pink tongue, slowly flicking her tongue in circles. That felt really good, he shuddered and she stopped. Setting back against the couch, she placed her hand on her stomach and looked up at him, her hips rocking again. Cade moved to take a condom from the drawer of his coffee table. After he was covered, he placed himself between her hips and kissed her deeply.
Parting her, he rested at her entrance for a second, feeling the heat from her radiating up against his erect head, he slowly entered her. She moaned and gasped as he stretched her with his first thrust. Her tight pussy squeezing him so tight, he didn’t know how long he could last. He began thrusting and she wrapped her legs around him, taking him in as deep as he could go. He hit that back of her womb and felt her pulsing and throbbing. She arched her back and cried out as the ecstasy of orgasm washed over her again and she panted against his chest. He grabbed her hips and thrust harder, causing her to cry out with pleasure. She tightened around him and bucked her hips in his direction, not quite matching his pace, but sending ripples of pleasure through him until he finally lost himself inside of her.
He moaned and kissed her as he throbbed inside of her, still reeling from the orgasm, he just wanted to rest on her soft flesh, deep inside of her. He inhaled her scent and nibbled her ear. Out of breath and sweaty, he rolled away from her.
“Mmmm, I would like to do that again,” she purred as she laid there naked and worn out on his couch.
Her legs twisted together with his and she stretched. He smiled and pinched her still hard nipple.
“Oh, I planned to,” Cade mock threatened. “I just need a little break first, and some pizza.”
She laughed at him and sat up. It was late, but he managed to find one pizza delivery still running. They each ate a few slices and snuggled up together. To Cade’s dismay, round two did not happen. Cindy had drifted off to sleep on his shoulder, a soft and steady snore coming from her lips. He kissed her on her forehead and laid her down so her head rested on a pillow. Covering her with a blanket he made his way to his own bed.
By the morning, she had already cleared out. The blanket left neatly folded on top of the pillow on his couch. Cade immediately reached for his phone, but then stopped.
Since when did I feel the need to call a woman immediately after sleeping with her? Well, she had stayed the night, which was further than most women got.
Trying to distract himself, Cade left for work. All day, clients came in droves for tattoos and piercings. Many had to be rescheduled, but for those that just wanted simple flash art, Cade saw that they were inked. He checked his phone but no messages lit up his screen. He would give Cindy a few days and then call.
A few days passed and still no word from Cindy. After arriving outside for the afternoon shift at his shop, Cade leaned to the side, resting his bike against his leg and picked up his phone to call her.
“Hello?” She sounded out of breath.
“Hey, Cindy, it’s Cade.”
“Hey! I was wondering when you would call me.”
“Oh, I thought you would have called or messaged and I didn’t want to disturb you,” Cade tried to excuse himself.
“Well, I mig
ht have, if I had your number.”
Cade paused, realizing he had gotten her number, but she had not his. He shook his head at himself, cursing himself for not calling her sooner, but thankful she sounded upbeat about everything.
“I had a fantastic time the other night, and I do remember you mentioning coffee for tomorrow,” a playful tone entered her voice.
“Yes, around noon,” Cade confirmed. “If you are still up for it.”
“Of Course, see you there.”
When Cade entered the shop, he was surprised to see Tank in the lobby.
“Hey Tank, finally come for your tattoo?”
“You wish,” the large man guffawed.
“What is going on buddy?”
“That kid with the pale skin you fought a few weeks back. He has been causing trouble at the club and asking around for you. I thought I would warn you.”