Vida was determined to shut him down before things could go any further. She was about to let him have it for his mistaken assumptions when his mouth closed over hers, his tongue driving all thoughts of denial away until he lifted his head, taking his mouth away from her and rising to his feet.
“Now you can go to sleep, if you can.” Colton’s thick voice had her wanting to drag him back.
Vida rolled onto her side, her body in turmoil and sleep no longer close by. It took time for her body and mind to calm. Her body wanting his and her mind telling her to jump up and escape. Weariness finally overrode both, providing her with the sleep she needed.
Chapter Thirteen
Vida took a long time getting ready for work the next day, which provided her with the perfect excuse to ignore Colton. The morning ride to the tattoo shop had been full of nervous tension for her. Colton, on the other hand, was laid back as if he actually believed all he had to do was wait and she would fall in with his plans of having sex.
Vida didn’t try to straighten his misconceptions out. She had plans of her own that didn’t include an overconfident horn dog with the scruples of an alley cat. Vida’s lips twisted at her comparisons, but they were the truth. Every woman that came into his shop was given the same gorgeous, seductive smile; they didn’t stand a chance against his sexual chemistry that seemed to put them under his spell. Vida was going to be the exception, the one that could respite his fuck me smile. She took it as her personal mission to help these women fight back against his sexual allure, whether they appreciated it or not.
The shop was busy enough that with the extra part-time tattoo artist Colton had hired she could pick and choose which artist was given clients. It was easier to do with the appointments scheduled on the phone, but she learned a system of penciling in clients then erasing them and going over it in ink for the clients that came in the shop with nonscheduled appointments.
It took a couple a days before Colton became suspicious. By the fourth day, there was no doubt left in his eyes when he escorted his last client, a trucker who wanted a tattoo that would take at least a couple of hours. Vida gave him an innocent smile, but couldn’t prevent the smile of satisfaction from her lips as Tessa’s next client, who looked like a lingerie model and wanted a bunny tattoo, looked longingly at Colton as he left the room.
Later that evening, Vida powered down her computer, packing it away in her backpack, as she waited for Colton to clean his room so it would be ready for the morning. Colton drove everyone crazy on his habits of cleanliness, but Vida respected his concern for his clients.
“Did you lock the door?” Colton asked, coming in the room.
“Yes. Ready?” Vida stood up about to reach for her backpack.
“In a minute. Come back to my room. We need to have a talk.”
“Can’t it wait until we’re back at the apartment?” Vida didn’t like the grim expression on his face.
“No, it can’t.” Turning, he left the room while Vida followed reluctantly.
Entering the room, she saw he had his tray set out. She thought he would have put it away for the night.
“Have a seat.”
Vida sat in the chair he used to tattoo his clients.
“Ever wanted to get a tattoo?”
Vida, expecting him to take her to task for the clients he had been given, was surprised into giving an honest answer.
“Yes.”
“Why haven’t you gotten one?”
“I really don’t know. I couldn’t make up my mind which one to get or exactly where I wanted one.”
“Trust me?”
“Yes.” Vida had seen his work since she had started at his shop and it was really good.
“Then, you’re getting your first tattoo.”
“My first? I only want one,” Vida objected.
“Nobody has just one tattoo,” Colton said absently as he pushed the stool closer to her. Moving her top to the side, he took a cloth and wiped where she thought he planned to put her tattoo. Vida stared ahead as he began to work on the front of her shoulder next to her collarbone.
“I will,” Vida said adamantly.
“We’ll see.” He continued to work on her. It wasn’t as painful as she thought it would be, but was glad it wasn’t overly large. She kept trying to look down to see what he was doing.
“Stop it, or your lines are going to be crooked.” Vida stopped moving, straightening in the chair. “The shop’s been busy this week,” Colton said matter-of-factly.
“Yes, more money for you and your partners.” Vida joked half-heartedly, dreading where this conversation was heading.
“Yes, it is.” He swiveled on his stool and then dunked his needle in ink before swinging around to begin drilling into her again. “You doing okay?”
“Yes.”
“I noticed something a little strange this week.” He continued to work steadily.
“Oh really?” Vida tried not to look down at what he was doing.
“Um, hm.”
“What did you notice?” she asked when he didn’t continue. Her nerves were stretching to a breaking point.
“I have had three women this week. Two that are happily married, and one that wanted her wife’s name on her arm.”
“That’s so sweet.”
Colton paused, looking up at her with narrowed eyes. “Yes, it was. Can you explain how I had such an overabundance of male customers when I saw several female clients in Tessa, Reverend’s and Carlito’s rooms?”
“Luck of the draw?” Vida pretended to stare at one of his drawings on the wall.
“If you give me another trucker that hasn’t bathed in a week, or a businessman who wants a pussy tattoo without it being my turn again, I’m going to turn that ass up and smack it until you can’t sit down.”
Vida swallowed hard. “I didn’t—”
“Yes, you did. Don’t deny it.” Colton didn’t look up at her, merely continued working, wiping her shoulder off. He slid his stool back. “You’re done.”
Vida got out of the chair, going to the mirror to look at her new tattoo. Staring, she was tempted to touch it, but didn’t. If was a beautiful butterfly. Its fragile, colorful wings were captured in whirls of lines and colors.
“Thank you, Colton. It’s beautiful.”
“Glad you like it. Now let’s go home.” He put his equipment up after cleaning his station while Vida admired how professional he was, and surprisingly meticulous.
“Let me wrap it.” Vida turned back to him as he placed a wrap on her tattoo. “I’ll put some lotion on it later. Make sure you don’t get it wet when you shower.”
“I won’t.” Vida nodded happily at the same time that Colton smiled indulgently.
Turning of th
e lights in his room, they closed the shop and drove home. The night air on his bike always refreshed her, but much too soon, they were at his apartment.
Vida went to the kitchen to fix them something to eat. By the time Colton got out of the shower, Vida had fixed them chicken and rice. She had discovered both of them had big appetites, but didn’t like cooking. To stay fair, they took turns cooking.
They ate while Vida questioned Colton how he had began tattooing.
“I always liked to draw and was really good at it. In the Predators, one of the brothers was a tattoo artist. He gave me my first tat then, seeing I was interested, took me on as an apprentice.”
“You’re really good,” Vida complimented. “Do you miss not being in the Predators?”
“Yes, they became my family. My dad took off when I was ten-years-old and never came back. Mom remarried; he was cool, but I could tell he wanted Mom to himself.” Colton shrugged, taking the dirty dishes to the sink before grabbing a beer from the refrigerator and sitting back down at the table. “So when I was sixteen, I started hanging out at the Predators’ clubhouse.”
“Your mom didn’t mind that you were hanging out with outlaw bikers?”
“No, because my stepdad was a Predator.”
“Oh.” Vida didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t ever imagine willingly letting a child of hers become involved in a motorcycle club.
“They’re not all bad, Vida. The Predators are loyal. Their activities may not be completely legal, which is why the brothers can’t let me visit without notice. If I’m around drugs, guns or convicted felons, I could lose my parole.”
“I’m not going to say anything negative about them, Colton. They helped save me from Digger, and if they scare him enough to get Sawyer back, I’ll owe them a big favor.”
“Don’t tell them that or you’ll be giving private performances for the brothers at the clubhouse,” Colton said seriously. “I’ll handle any gratitude they have coming.”
Vida packed her own dishes into the sink and then filled it with hot water. “You going to strip for Ice?” Vida teased.
The dishes didn’t take long, Colton sat at the table until she finished.