Tatted Up
A Novella Tale
By
Phoenix Rayne
www.phoenixrayne.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or people living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 Phoenix Rayne
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For more information, please contact the author.
Fiona Waters met Asher Barker on a rainy-day one September afternoon. She walked into the new burger shack over in The Gulch to meet some girlfriends. The Gulch is a neighborhood on the southwest fringe of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, it’s near Interstate 40, Interstate 65, and Interstate 24. It is known to be a trendy and hip neighborhood, and a popular destination for locals, college students, and the new age hipsters. She placed her clear bowl style umbrella in the umbrella holder. She took her raincoat off and walked over to her friend's table. Fiona is a local plus size model. She has a walk that would put the catwalk to shame. No matter wherever Fiona went, she always turned heads of men and women. She’s built like a thick coke bottle, big breast, and extra wide hips. She wore a black cold shoulder tunic with a pair of tall esperellas. She wore her light brown hair straight down her back. Her manicured bronze nails matched her pedicure toes. She has dark chocolate skin. She has light brown eyes and she always keeps her lips glossy. After Fiona had given the waiter her order, she excused herself and sought out the ladies’ room. Fiona walked her famous strut after many years of training she didn’t even know she was doing it anymore. She passed a couple sitting at a two-seat top table. Fiona continued passed the couple not noticing the man staring at her. Asher Barker is a Butcher at a local Butcher shop down the street in the Gulch. Asher has been a Butcher for over eight years. He dealt with any and everything that a Butcher would handle. Asher saw Fiona coming towards his table, and her natural spell immediately bewitched him. Asher was a 6’5 meathead. He kept his muscular physique by throwing and picking up slabs of meat daily. He used to be out of shape, but when he started working for the Butcher shop that all changed. His flab all turned to hard muscle, and his floppy stomach ripped tight. Asher had an alabaster skin color with copper color hair. He wore his hair in a low cut, and he wore a well-tamed beard. He drove an old flatbed Chevy pickup and a Harley. Asher had put in a lot of work on his truck. He just finished painting it flat black, and he replaced all the old piping with chrome ones. He wore a fitted black Harley Davidson Tee with a pair of loose fit jeans. Asher always filled his jeans well and heard nice ass constantly from women. When Fiona passed by Asher, he followed her with his eyes. He noticed she went back towards the bathrooms. He excused himself and followed the plus size model. Fiona finished her business and came out the ladies’ room. She opened the door and walked down the long hallway. She saw a biker guy at the end of the hall; she got a little nervous. If she had her purse on her, she would have held on to it a little closer. The biker guy was bent down looking at his phone when she passed him.
“Excuse me?” He said to her. She turned and lifted her eyebrows at him. Asher thought she was the prettiest creature he had ever seen. She was pushing her sleeves up.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Fiona frowned up at Asher. She gave him a quick chuckle and then she turned on her heels and strutted back to her table. When she sat down, Asher pulled up a chair right next to her. He was sitting backward in his chair. Fiona’s friends all looked over at Asher with wide eyes. Fiona looked horror stricken over at him.
“Hello ladies, I’m Asher, and I asked your friend here if she had a boyfriend, but she wouldn’t answer me. So, I came over to ask you, beautiful ladies, if she has a man.” Fiona's mouth dropped open, and her girlfriends were all giggling at him and her. One of Fiona’s friends shook her head no at Asher. Fiona's eyes widened and then she glared at her friend. Her friend cringed away from Fiona’s glare.
“Ah ha, so you are single?” Asher teased Fiona.
“So, what’s your name, beautiful girl?” Fiona turned away from Asher and started sipping on her Sprite Zero. Asher looked over at the redheaded friend again. He cocked an eyebrow at her and gave her a crooked smile.
“Her name is Fiona” Evelyn belted out to Asher. She glanced at Fiona and then she winced from the glare. The waiter showed up with their order. He sat Fiona’s burger and fries in front of her. Asher grabbed a fry off Fiona’s plate.
“So, Fiona, you’re single and ready to mingle huh? He teased her while he bit off the fry.
“Excuse me?” She told him with venom in her voice.
“You’re excused” He teased her again. One of Fiona’s friends watched Asher very carefully. Her forehead wrinkled, and Asher noticed.
“I don’t have any kids, I’ve never been in jail, I don’t do drugs, I drink beer, and my back and chest are covered in tatts,” He told the glaring woman. He held his hand out for her to shake.
“Asher.” He greeted her; she slowly gave him her hand.
“Waverly,” she told him with a sly smile. Asher gave her a wink. Waverly leaned over the table towards Asher and whispered.
“You’re not her type Asher,” She told him with a wicked smile. Asher looked over at Fiona, who was now nursing her Sprite Zero.
“Why not?” He asked looking at Fiona. She didn’t answer him right away, she let him stew for a bit.
“Well, first of all, you look like a biker.”
“I am a biker,” he told her with a frown.
“Yes, but you look it” She looked down at him in pity.
“And?”
“I mean, you're like a Biker, Biker. Not one of those cool hipster bikers with a vintage bike. You look like you ride a hog.”
“I-do, what else?”
“Uhmmmm you have an old man’s beard” She frowned.
“I’m 28,” He told her.
“Yes, but you look like an old man,” She told him with a blank stare.
“Whatever, what else?”
“What’s your 9 to 5?” She asked Asher. The whole table fell silent. The two silent girls sitting at the table glanced at each other then they both watched him. Fiona even sat down her Sprite Zero and crossed her arms. Asher now had everyone’s attention. He swallowed and then he took in a deep breath.
“I’m a Butcher in a Butcher Shop.” All the women at the table gasped. Evelyn threw her hands over her mouth. Asher looked down at her plate, and she was eating a garden salad. Asher had a sick feeling she was a vegetarian, and he wondered why she was even in a burger shop. Evelyn’s pale face turned even paler, and one of the silent girls wrapped her arms around her. Asher apologized, but it didn’t seem to reach anyone’s ears. Asher stood, and Fiona was looking at him. She wasn’t staring or gawking at him; she was just looking at him. He pushed the empty chair back up under the table, and he walked away. When he finally got back to his table, Kerrigan was staring at him.
“Shit, you do remember you asked me out to lunch, right?” She asked him in an annoyed tone. She looked back at the table he had just left from.
“So why were you at the pop princess table? She teased her big brother. Asher shook his head and gave her a small smile. Their waiter came with their check; Asher paid, and then he stopped the waiter.
“I want to pay for all the ladies at that table's order too” Asher nodded at Fiona’s table, and the waiter nodded back. Asher h
anded the waiter five twenty dollar bills, and he wrote his number on a napkin. It read “Fiona call me sometime.”
Chapter 1
Asher Barker liked the simpler things in life. He rented the loft over above the Butcher Shop. His boss Levy Raines didn’t charge Asher’s rent. Asher was the alarm system for the Butcher Shop. Levy let him move in seven years ago. He used it for storage for years but after the shop got broken into three times he begged Asher to move in upstairs. Asher was sleeping on a friend’s sofa and was saving up for his place. When Asher’s boss Levy asked him to move in upstairs Asher jumped at the opportunity. Levy did some major upgrading on the loft to make it livable for Asher. Asher and his little sister Kerrigan grew up in poverty. Their mother was a single parent on a waitress salary. Asher started working when he was 10 to help his mother out. He had three paper routes, and he walked dogs during the summer. Asher worked in a bar for a few years then he started at the Butcher Shop. He made 18.50 an hour and saved almost every penny. He liked working at the Butcher Shop. He had benefits, a place to stay, and a damn good boss. Asher was taking an order when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He wrote the lady standing in front of him order down with his wax pencil on wax paper. He filled her order then he went to wash his hands. He pulled his phone out and didn’t recognize the number. He listened to the voicemail.
“Hi this is Fiona; I met you a couple of weeks ago at the Burger Republic in the Gulch. I was calling to see if you wanted to get a cup of coffee or something. Talk to you later.” And then she was gone.
“Yes!” Asher balled his free hand up in a fist.
“What is it?” Levy asked him
“She called,” He told him with excitement in his voice.
“The super model?” Asher nodded back at Levy. Asher didn’t know what Fiona did for a living, but he told Levy she looked like a super model. Asher called her right back. She answered on the second ring.
“Hello.” she greeted.
“Fiona this is Asher, I’m returning your call.” There was silence on the line; Levy stood right next Asher trying to ease drop. He had been wiping the same spot for two minutes now.
“Yes, I called to see if you wanted to get a cup of coffee or maybe we could grab drinks.”
“I get off at 6, and I will need to clean up a bit so how about 7?” Asher asked.
“I’m not free until after my show tonight and I will need a stiff drink after that. How about 9:30.”
“Show? What kind of show?” He asked.
“I’m a model, and I have a show tonight at the convention center.” Asher looked over at Levy with his mouth wide open. He mouthed at him “She is a super model” Levy gave him a high five.
“I’d love to come to your show,” He told her. There was silence on the line again.
“You want to come to a fashion show?” Fiona asked him surprised.
“Yes.” He told her. Fiona gave him the shows information and told him she would have a ticket waiting at the front entrance for him. Asher told her he was looking forward to seeing her, and Fiona said nothing in return.
Asher showed up at the convention center and stood in the extremely long line. His phone buzzed in his pocket; he reached down for it.
“When you arrive go to the front door, I have you on the VIP list” the text message read from the name super model he had stored on his phone. Asher stepped out the line and walked to the front entrance. Two bouncers glared at him and then the one holding the clipboard bit out “Name” in a clipped tone. Asher gave him his name, and the bouncer unhooked the black ropes and let Asher pass through. The other bouncer handed him a VIP lanyard to wear around his neck. Asher pulled the lanyard on around his neck. He walked through the doors and then he was escorted with a tray of wine and beers. Asher chose a beer from the tray and then he was escorted to his seat. Asher quickly noticed he was sitting next to Fiona’s friends all of them greeted him with a smile. Except for Waverly, she watched him with tight eyes. One of Fiona’s quiet friends from the restaurant a couple of weeks ago clinked her beer against his.
“I knew we’d see you again,” she told him in a cocky tone.
“How did you know?”
“Because she was quiet, she’s never quiet.”
“Really?”
“Yes, there’s something about you biker boy” She smiled at him, and Asher smiled back at her.
“I’m Hil”
“Hil?”
“My name is Hilda, but I hate that name, so everyone calls me Hil.”
“And the other quiet one” Ashe nodded over at the lady in the black dress with the tall red heels.
“Oh, that’s Nickey, she doesn’t talk that much” Asher nodded at her. The lights dimmed, and the music blared, and everyone started cheering. Asher took another swig at his beer.
“That biker look works for you biker boy” Hil assured him. Asher nodded at her and felt better about his clothing. He wore a fitted black t-shirt with a pair of dark washed jeans. He wore a pair of snakeskin boots, silver chained necklace and painted twisted coppered wire bracelet. The show started, and 15 different women came out wearing swim suits. None of them were Fiona and Asher was a little disappointed. The designer came out with all the swimsuit models, and they all bowed. There were three more sets and still no Fi. Asher could barely contain himself. He had two more beers during the swimsuit shows. Asher was anxious to see Fiona; his left knee bounced up and down. Hil leaned over and watched the anxious knee. Asher gave her a small smile and then he took another swig of his beer.
“Don’t worry she’s in the next segment.”
“I hope I recognize her” he whispered over to Hil. She laughed, and he smiled at her confused.
“Trust me; you won’t miss her,” Hil assured him. The music started blaring again, and all eyes were on the stage. Two models came out at a time during this show. Asher thought this must be a swimsuit show because these models wore swimsuits as well. About ten models came out, and then the music changed suddenly and the announcer belted into his mic.
“Y'all better get on your Mutha Fuckin feet for the baddest curviest diva in the world. Y'all give it up for Fi.” Everyone cheered and stood to their feet. Suddenly, the spotlight was on a figure at the very end of the stage. The figure walked out wearing a white and gold floor length cover up robe with a hoodie. The figure walked a mean walk and Asher knew it was her. He couldn’t forget that strut if he tried. She wore gold heels, and her legs were shiny like lip gloss. When she got to the middle of the stage, she yanked off the hoodie and dropped the cover up to the ground. Her hair down passed her butt in a long ponytail. Everyone gasped when they took in the sight. She wore a white and gold one piece, but it had slashes going up the side. The front was a serious V-neck that stopped right above her belly button. The corners inward of her breast peeked were peeking out. Fiona was right and tight in all the areas a man would enjoy. It was obvious the swimsuit was custom made for her. Looking at her from the side you could see exposed slashes of her skin. Asher's eyes were wide, and his mouth mimicked everyone else’s, wide open. Fiona stood with her hands on her hips and the floor underneath her spun around in a circle, and she followed. She stood still with her hands on her hips as the turntable under her spun her slowly. When the turntable stopped, she started her strut again towards the end of the stage. She stopped and looked out into the silent crowd; they were obviously all mesmerized by her. It was the slashes of skin showing, and it wasn’t even really the swimsuit. It was all her, and she owned the room. Fiona turned on her heels and strutted back towards the way she came. There was so much cheering and screaming now; you couldn’t even hear the music. Asher dropped down into his seat when she exited the runway. Hil looked over at Asher.
“Do you need some water or a fire extinguisher? She teased. Asher shook his head and drank the very last of his beer.
“Does she realize how beautiful she is?”
“No, she doesn’t” Hil looked off into dead space when she answered hi
m. Asher shook his head and looked directly across from him, and a Spanish man was glaring at him with his arms crossed.
“Oh, don’t mind him, he’s just jealous of you,” Hil told him.
“Who is that guy?”
“Fi’s ex.”
“What?”
“You and you're in his seat” Asher looked back over at the Spanish man who was now up and walking towards their side of the stage. All the models came out now with the designer. Fiona was hanging on the older man’s arm and everyone cheered. He kissed Fiona on her lips, and she placed both of her hands on the sides of the face. They turned and then they walked back towards the way they came. Asher then noticed the Spanish man was getting even closer to them. He was about two rows away from them now. The announcer started belting into his mic about after parties and then he mentioned the after, after party. Asher stood to his feet ready for the run-in with the Spanish man. Hil wrapped her arm through Asher’s and then she grinned wide at him.
“Did you like the show?”
“I like Fiona”
“Well duh, I’m sure half the straight men in here are nursing a stiffy.” She laughed. Hil looked passed Asher and then she turned towards Waverly. She yelled something to her, and Waverly rushed to stand on the other side of Asher. The Spanish man stalked up to them, but when he finally took in all 6’5 of Asher and then truly noticed his body dept, he took a step back.
“Leo” Waverly greeted in a clipped tone.
“Let me guess, she’s dating a plumber now?” Leo said in a grating voice.
“No Bitch, I’m the Butcher.”
“Bitch? Wow, what powerful vocabulary you have.”
“You’re acting like a Bitch, so I called you a Bitch, Bitch,” Asher told him.
Well hot rod, there’s not going to be many more of those Bitches.” Leo warned. Asher laughed a big throaty, and boisterous laugh.
“Was that your threat? I guess it’s time for us to pull our dicks out now?” Asher unbuckled his belt buckle and unbuttoned his pants. He frowned and then looked Leo over. “No wait, you seem like the kind of Bitch that would enjoy that too much.”
Tatted Up Page 1