by Lulu Pratt
This is a client. This is a client. Lord help me, but this is a client.
“I own City Ink three blocks away. I know everything nearby,” he responds as I feel my eyebrow arch on its own and we start walking to the lobby. That explains all the ink that covers his arms and likely other parts of his body. Other parts of his body… oh my. I wish that I could ask to see every single one of them.
This is a client.
“I see. That is quite different from your dad’s business, isn’t it?” I ask as Tanner shrugs.
“I’m good at drawing. I became addicted to ink early on and gave it a go. I’m lucky with the shop.” Though his voice is casual as we stop along the wall, out of the way of others, I know that nothing else is casual between us. There is a sexual tension that you could cut with a knife and the look in his eyes promises me only the best sin that life should offer. “We could talk more about the campaign.”
“That seems to be all worked out now, apart from the calls I have to make,” I assure him as he leans closer to me.
“Make them, Penelope, and have lunch with me.” His voice is begging me to break my rules as I suck my lower lip into my mouth. I never see clients outside of business meetings or events, and this particular job has no event other than photo shoots or commercials. I didn’t need to meet him for lunch though the wet piece of lace between my legs tells me otherwise.
“I can’t. I am… busy. I’ll be in touch about the ads though.” Tanner’s responding gaze is challenging. I think over my answer and know that it’s the best one. “Have a wonderful day, Mr. Lincoln.”
“That’s my father. I’m Tanner.” He slips his hand into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a wallet, from which he removes a business card. “Call me anytime. I can give you a great tattoo, take you to lunch, or anything else you might need.” Tanner gives me that card, moving a little closer before pushing back from the wall as I look down. It is for his shop but this card includes his cell phone number.
“Do you give this out to everyone?” I ask him, raising my eyes to meet his amused gaze.
“No. Those are reserved for special people.” He pushes back further as the voices of Marshall and Norm trail down to us, licking his lower lip. “See you later.”
Tanner walks to the elevator, and I watch the way his body moves. He is in excellent shape and his ass begs to be touched, preferably as he’s deep inside of me.
Oh, God. I’m losing my mind.
I glance over to see Marshall coming my way and hide the card with my hand. He respects me because I follow the rules and do the right thing. I could not mess that up with this campaign.
“That went well,” I tell him as Marshall smiles at me.
“I think that the son has a thing for you, Pen. Watch out for that unless you think it might help with the campaign.” Marshall winks playfully at me, more than likely assuming that I hadn’t noticed. I managed to balance work and my previous relationship before this and now that I am single I throw everything into this job. He has no cause to worry and I won’t give him one.
“Hardly. He’s just one of those kinds of guys,” I assure him as I look across the building. “I’ll go make some calls and see what we can get set up.”
“Lunch at one. I want to celebrate,” Marshall tells me as I nod with a smile. I look at Clara for a moment, seeing the seething look that she is shooting me as I smugly smile. I could give her the card that Tanner gave me, but no. I might need it if the devil on my shoulder takes over.
I turn to go to my office, closing the door as I breathe in deeply. My entire body is on fire just from spending an hour tops with Tanner.
How is that possible?
I work with men for ads all the time and never feel like I do right now. I remind myself again that he is a client as I walk to the desk and find the telephone numbers I need to set up a photo shoot and a commercial. We use the same people all the time so I manage to get a few time slots for the commercial in a couple of weeks, so we can put together a solid idea of just what we are going to do with Norm and Tanner.
I’m friends with the photographer, Mollie, and call her next. I go over the plan and she asks who the model is. I say his name and she starts laughing.
“I know Tanner Lincoln. I get ink done there all the time. You know what? I am going tonight and you should come along. We can discuss ideas together while Trinity is working on my tattoo. He’s there every night.” I blush at the idea of seeing Tanner tonight, so close to today. Seeing him in his element would probably be so much worse than here in this building.
“I don’t know, Mollie. I can just call his father and see what he wants to do.”
“You are passing up the chance to see Tanner in person? Come on. He’s gorgeous, right?” Her voice sounds incredulous as I close my eyes. “I know you think so, Penelope. Come with me. Talk to him. Get a tattoo, for fuck’s sake. Shake things up a bit.” Mollie has been trying to get me to loosen up for as long as I have known her.
“A tattoo? No!” I protest as she laughs at the other end.
“Come with me while I get mine. Talk about ideas and I’ll add my two cents, then we go get dinner and a drink. You can write that off for work since it is with your photographer, right?” Mollie teases me as I imagine Tanner’s intoxicating blue eyes in my mind.
“What time is your appointment?” I ask her after a long sigh.
“Eight. You know where it is?” Mollie asks me as I run a hand through my hair.
“Yes.” We end the call with a promise to meet at the shop and I rest my head in my hands.
What am I getting myself into?
I email Norm and give him the times for the commercial, including Marshall in the exchange. I plan to tell Marshall about my meeting with Mollie later, skipping the part about going to City Ink. Technically, there was nothing wrong with going there but I like the idea of it being a secret, at least for now. I spend a little while jotting down ideas on my computer as well as to kill time before lunch with Marshall since Mollie will be the one to determine the details on the photo shoot.
Once I finish with the notes, I check in on my other projects and the teams I have working on them with me. I trust my people implicitly and work closely with them, promising to stop by after lunch to talk to them. I spend the better part of my day with my teams in the afternoon after meetings with Marshall and today is no exception. I need to think about work, not Tanner.
CHAPTER 4
TANNER
I head to the shop after running some errands, hitting the private bathroom in the back for employees after I tell everyone hi. Penelope has me all kinds of worked up and I can’t get the sweet scent that she wore out of my nose as I rip the button of my jeans open.
Damn it. I look back to assure myself that the door is locked before I take my hard, painful cock into my hands. The second I saw Penelope, I got hard. I want to send my dad and the head guy out of the room and nail her right there on the desk. Her ass is juicy and tits just the way that I like them. I could see some innocence in her big green eyes but the part of me that is hot right now wants to change that.
I want to make her scream my name, begging for more. I saw the look in them as I damn near pressed her against the wall in the office, wide and hungry. Her style is business conservative but I imagine her wearing a black lace bra and panties underneath, at least until I rip them off.
My hand moves hard and fast with the images and I close my eyes as I lean my head back. I just fucked a girl two nights ago after giving her some ink. I should be fine for a little while but no… I’m hard as fucking steel and need to come before I think about anything else today. I shoot down to the floor, not caring about clean up right now.
“Fuck me,” I hiss as I jerk forward with the movement, surprising myself with the force of the release. I glance down as there’s a tap at the door, wincing as Trinity calls my name.
“Tan? You in there?” she calls as I reach for tissue to clean off my cock, breathing in at the
sensitivity of it. That is new with jerking off.
“Yeah. I’ll be right out.” I clean the floor and toilet seat, checking it again before I wash my hands. I’m not an asshole.
I leave the bathroom and go to the front where my head artist is at the desk, looking over appointments for the day. “What’s up?”
“Do you think we can get a sandwich at the deli before we have our meeting? I got up late and I’m starving!” Trinity looks at me with pleading brown eyes as she tosses her pink-this-week hair over her shoulder and I let out a drawn-out sigh.
“Fine. If we must.” She knows how much I love the place and it’s not an issue. Hell, she is my best artist and I’d buy her lunch. It is a write-off for me. She gave me a sweet, fake smile.
“Thank you, boss.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I murmur as I lean over to take a look at the day’s schedule. “Pretty full.”
“Mollie’s coming in to finish her back tattoo tonight, though. I think this is it.” Trinity beams and I smile at her. It is probably some of the best work in Trinity’s career and I look forward to seeing the finished product.
Mollie is hot too, so seeing her wouldn’t be a hardship. She flirts with me every time she comes in but I haven’t tapped that. I was dating a girl for a few months up until two weeks ago when I decided to end things. I didn’t feel too much for her to begin with and being more than casual was all her idea.
“I can’t wait to see it, Trinity. That’s a great angel, and that’s not normally my thing.”
I did the most portrait tattoos in the shop, which were a hot item. I glance at the clock, knowing the shop opens in a little while before reaching for the keys.
“Let’s get some food and then we can take care of the meeting stuff before we open shop for the day.” Even if we ran a little over, she has some wiggle room with time since her first client isn’t going to be in for an hour after we unlock the door.
I am glad that we leave a little after twelve-thirty because there are a few empty tables in the restaurant. “Grab a table. I’ll get your usual.”
Trinity kisses my cheek before walking to a corner table as I shake my head. We’d grown up here together in the city. Our dads were friends back in the day so we were kind of stuck with it and luckily, we get along fine. I walk to the counter and order as a formality since they already know what we like, adding a couple of beers. I’ll need every bottle the restaurant has to get the pretty blonde from earlier out of my head. I turn to take the bottles to the table, earning a grin from Trinity before I go to get the order a minute later.
We discuss shop business over lunch, dragging it out a bit as I sip the beer. I can’t get buzzed since I have a few scattered appointments today, but it tastes fucking good after my morning. It’s thinning out a bit inside when I hear the chime, feeling something new in the room. I glance around, looking right at the door to see a familiar pair walking into the deli.
I narrow my eyes as Marshall leads Penelope to the counter with his hand on the small of her back, both laughing.
“What’s wrong with you?” Trinity asks me before she follows my gaze. “Do you know them?”
I hear the laughter in her tone since Penelope isn’t my type but my focus is on the way he leans close to her. Maybe Penelope isn’t a good girl and she’s fucking her boss. Maybe he just wants her too.
“Tanner?”
“What?” I snap at her as she raises a perfect eyebrow at me. “Who’s the blonde?”
“Tanner?” Marshall calls out as Trinity swings her head over to look. “Is that you?”
“Marshall,” I say dryly as I look at him, carrying a tray with sandwiches and sodas. “Fancy meeting you here.” I know he’s doing the ad so I’m not a total dick but my eyes rest on Penelope as she blushes and tries to hide behind him.
“It is the best. Come on, Penelope.” He moves to the table next to us and she slips into the seat as Trinity tilts her head at them. Penelope glances at me and then Trinity as I watch distress cross her face, making me wonder if she’s jealous. The idea makes me grin and I feel Trinity’s hand on my arm before I stare at her.
“What are you doing?” I hiss at her as she smiles.
“Who’s the girl, Tan?” Trinity asks in a low voice as her eyes light up at me, knowing that Penelope is seeing everything.
“I’ll tell you later.” I drink some more beer, draining it as Trinity smirks at me. Her hand is still on my arm and I know that she’s doing it to make Penelope jealous. It’s what we do for each other all the time but today, it feels wrong. I pull my arm down and rest it on my leg, glancing over to see Penelope staring at me with a mix of heat and something else in her eyes. Is it insecurity? Did Trinity do too good of a job?
CHAPTER 5
PENELOPE
Once starving, I now pick at my sandwich.
The whole room is filled with Tanner now that I saw him and I alternate between listening to Marshall and staring over at Tanner. I look to the girl he is with, her hand covering his arm as she smiles and I realize how gorgeous she is. Her hair is a bright pink but her skin and eyes are dark and the tattoos covering her body give her an edge.
Tanner probably likes girls like that. I see them speaking in low voices as he glances my way a few times.
“Pen?”
Marshall is looking at me and I have no clue what he just said, “What did you say, Marshall?”
“Aren’t you hungry?” Marshall searches my face and I gave him a small shrug.
“I think I drank too much coffee today. I’ll wrap it for later,” I offer as he turns his head to look at Tanner’s table. “You know me. I work late anyway.” I think of the text that Mollie sent me about later, telling me to wear something I wouldn’t consider wearing to the office. I plan to leave by seven tonight, or around there. If I’m to change, I need to get to my apartment six blocks away and catch a ride back to the shop.
Am I really going to go?
I look at Tanner again, seeing the intensity in his beautiful eyes as I breathe in. “I’m going to use the bathroom,” I tell Marshall and rise to make my way to the back. I can cancel tonight and just make phone calls to Norm, or have Marshall handle it. Mollie knows her stuff and she could handle this on her own.
I walk into the bathroom and lock the door, looking into the mirror. I’m pale with bright pink spots on my face, making me frown as I splash some cold water on my cheeks. I am a hot mess. I decide to just get out of there, hoping that I could sneak by Tanner and his date.
Pushing the door open, I walk out and right into a body. I raise my hands to stop the collision but I shiver as hands wrap around me.
Tanner.
“Are you seeing him?” His voice purrs into my ear as he pushes me into the wall.
“Who?” I whisper as I hit the wall.
“Your boss. Are you sleeping with Marshall?”
I shake my head at him, staring into his eyes.
I feel my lips parting and suddenly it’s a struggle to even breathe.
Tanner leans down and presses his lips against mine. My knees weaken and I grip his T-shirt as his tongue slides between my parted lips. Tanner is aggressive and his kiss tells me that he knows what he is doing. I surprise myself by returning it. My tongue darts into his mouth and slides along his. He tastes like beer and sex. My body responds instantly and I can feel the wetness and warmth radiating from my pussy.
He lazily pulls away as if we aren’t in a public place at all. I feel scattered and as if I’m drunk as I stare into his eyes.
“Are you sleeping with your date?” I ask softly as I remember the pretty girl waiting for him at the table. What did I do? He’s here with someone!
“No. She’s a partner in my business,” he assures me as I realize that I will see both of them later tonight. I regain my composure and blink as I straighten up, pushing him away slightly in the process.
“I have to go. We have people waiting on us,” I look at the end of the hallway that leads back to real
ity, “I have to get back to work.”
“Is work all you think about? When does Penelope get to relax and have a little fun?” Tanner moves in for the kill as he brushes the skin under my ear gently with his mouth, stirring up even more desire inside of my body. I never knew that felt so good before. Tanner drags his tongue against my skin and I sigh as I drop against the wall again. What is this man doing to me?
I hear voices coming our way and straighten again, pushing him away. He smirks at me as I try to turn and make my way with grace to the bathroom to check my appearance again. I hear his chuckle as I stumble into the door and rush to the mirror, flooded with embarrassment and something else.
Heat.
It is pulsing through my chest and my nipples are hard and needy for Tanner. My thighs are heavy and aching, my underwear is soaked with desire.
I fix my appearance as best I can through the fog that has taken over my mind and hurry back to the table, seeing that Tanner left.
“Sorry about that. I got a call when I was just outside the door.” I pat my purse to confirm the lie and Marshall looks oddly at me. “Gotta get back. I have to check on something that I left at the office.”
He seems to go for the plan and we leave the already clean table as I hold my sandwich in my hand. Marshall wrapped it for me and I thank him as we walk down the street, still thinking about Tanner’s kiss in the hallway.
I head straight over to my teams for the rest of the day, even though I am not all there. If I have learned one thing in life, it is how to fake it and that is just what I do. They all make a lot of headway in their projects and leave at seven, claiming that plans and friends are waiting.
I go to my office and pull the sandwich out of the small fridge that Marshall provided for me, eagerly eating it now. I feel so hungry and I chew large bites as I consider the kiss from earlier. If I leave now, I could just make it to the shop and I’ve kept myself so busy that I didn’t call Mollie to cancel. I didn’t want to turn down the chance to see a friend since it didn’t happen often. The tattoo shop is just a part of that. I could also tell her something has come up and I could meet her for dinner a little later. I didn’t want to go home feeling as restless as I did.