We experienced all the pier without Skyler being recognized. He had incognito down to a science, turning away from people who glanced his way. We did the touristy thing, getting tchotchkes from the memorabilia stand, and walking along the beach, letting the waves chase us.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” He punctuated his question with a squeeze of my hand.
“Skyler, I’ve never..it’s…” How did I explain what I was feeling? “There’s just so many songs. Do you know what I’m saying?”
He smiled sweetly at me and nodded his head gently. “Yeah. I know what you mean. New feelings, and a lot of them.”
“Yes!” I almost screamed with joy. He understood. He may not experience it the same way I did, but he could see what was happening to me. I jumped into his arms and hugged him tight, joy warming every inch of my body.
“I got a crazy idea. Are you up for anything?” His eyes were full of mischief.
With how I was currently feeling, I was ready to agree to anything. I’d been in a perpetual state of joyfully overwhelmed since making love. Then there was the motorcycle ride. It was a day for new experiences.
Be brave…be bold…be badass.
“I’ve had quite a few firsts in the last few days. My music video, first time making love, first motorcycle ride, and it’s even my first time on a Ferris wheel. I think I’m developing a pattern here…”
“Attagirl!” Taking my hand, he took me back to his bike, and off we went.
A half-hour later, we pulled up to a tattoo parlor with a bright red neon sign out front displaying their name–Rockers Ink.
“You’re getting a tattoo?” I asked as I dismounted and removed my helmet.
“We’re getting tattoos.” Skyler emphasized the ‘we’ as he took my helmet and stowed it away, giving me a chance to absorb what he said.
“A tattoo?”
“Yeah.”
“Me?”
“Ayup.”
He may as well have told me he had an extra head. I’d never thought about a tattoo before. In fact, I avoided all thoughts about my skin and altering it.
“I’ve been thinking about getting one for a while now. For Benny.”
Could this man get any sweeter?
“Did you have something in mind?” I asked as he took my hand and drew me into the shop. The interior was small with a desk, pictures of tattoos and designs on every inch of the walls, and two curtained off stations toward the back.
“Yes.” Skyler took out his wallet and pulled a small piece of folded paper from the billfold. Smoothing it out, he handed it to me as if it were a piece of gold.
The design was about four inches tall; a tricked-out Fender Stratocaster circled by musical notes. Underneath it was Benny and Brother Forever, followed by the dates of his birth and death.
Tears welled up in my eyes, shocking me. It was so easy to experience my feelings around Skyler. I didn’t need a song to pull them through me. The tattoo and its sentiment choked me up, making it hard to form complete thoughts.
He was getting a tribute to his best friend on his body forever. Suddenly, it didn’t feel like we were doing anything frivolous or crazy. When he’d challenged me at the Pier to do something spontaneous I imagined paintball or karaoke. This was deeper and if I thought about it, infinitely more Skyler. It was a memorial with deep meaning.
At that moment, I knew what I wanted on my body forever.
“This is amazing, Skyler. Where are you going to put it?”
Skyler took off his leather jacket and pulled up the sleeve of his Henley tee, pointing to the inside of his forearm. “Right here. So when I strum my guitar I’ll see it.”
This man. My heart melted.
“Yo, Dalton!” A voice called from behind us.
The man who greeted us was a giant. He stood at least two inches over Skyler’s 6’5”, had a bald head, more muscles than I knew a body could hold, and skin covered in artwork.
“Dex!” Skyler reached out and clasped the man’s hand in his.
“How the hell are ya? Haven’t seen you in a while. Finally got the itch?”
“Yeah, something like that.” He glanced over at me before handing the man his sketch.
“Oh, man. This is gonna be amazing.” Dex’s eyes were somber as he looked from the drawing to Skyler. “I haven’t seen you since it happened. I was real sorry to hear about it.”
Skyler swallowed hard and nodded. The moment was swimming with emotion for all of them. Taking his hand, I squeezed, quietly adding my support.
“Dex, this here is my lady, Elsie. Elsie, meet Dexter Ryland, official tattoo artist for Mechanical Disturbance.”
I held out my hand and shook Dex’s substantially bigger one. Looking at him, I’d thought his handshake would’ve been overbearing, but he was extremely gentle.
“Ms. Elsie. It’s a pleasure. Will you also be partaking?” He wiggled his eyebrows excitedly and I laughed.
“Yes. I’d like to design my own as well.” I wasn’t sure how this worked. Skyler drew his but I couldn’t draw a stick figure to save my life.
“We can do that. Roxy! Get out here.” Dex hollered toward the back of the shop.
A young rockabilly woman came strutting out of the back, her hair done up in a 50s updo. She wore a fitted black and white dress that looked like it came from Audrey Hepburn’s closet. Her arms were completely covered with ink and she had several pieces of shiny metal twinkling on her face. Her makeup was intense, finishing her look with a heavy dose of drama.
“What can I do ya for, Dex?” She smiled at him, then saw me and Skyler. She was surprised but didn’t ogle over him, which I appreciated. She clearly only had eyes for the big man.
“You remember, Skyler. This is his lady, Elsie. She wants to design a tattoo. You got some time?”
“Anything for you.” She winked at him and turned, motioning for me to follow her.
I turned to Skyler, and he motioned for me to follow her. “I’ll be right over there with Dex.” He pointed at one of the curtained-off booths. “Come find me when you’re done.”
I reached up and kissed him on the lips, then followed Roxy into the back room.
We walked into what was clearly a break area with a large table, microwave, and posters of bands and other tattoo artists. I smiled when I saw all of MD’s posters hanging proudly in frames with both Skyler and Benny’s signatures. These people weren’t just artists Skyler patronized, they were his friends.
“Have a seat, Ms. Elsie.” Roxy grabbed a sketchpad and a bag of pencils, sitting at the table. “Did you have something in mind?”
Sitting next to her, I smiled. “Yes. I’d like a guitar with musical notes dancing around it. And my mother’s name.”
“Nice! What’s your mother’s name?”
“Hannah Clarke.”
Roxy paused what she was doing and looked at me, simultaneously thrilled and incredulous. “The Hannah Clarke? That’s your mom?”
“That’s her.” I smiled, happy to see someone else remember her fondly.
“Damn. I’m sure you hear this a lot, but she was amazing. My family listened to her all the time while I grew up. I love her music. The world lost a good one in her; I’m very sorry for your loss.” Roxy was so sincere. I immediately took a liking to her.
“Thank you. She left me this old acoustic guitar I play and I think of her whenever I play it. I’d like something like that, not an electric one.”
“I can do that.” Roxy drew furiously. I sat and watched her, giving only small bits of feedback when she asked for it.
“So, you and Skyler Dalton?” Roxy asked after we’d finally settled on how the guitar would look. Her smile was mischievous, and she bounced her eyebrows suggestively.
I giggled and nodded. “Yeah. Me and Skyler.”
“He’s one of the nicest customers we’ve ever had. Haven’t seen him around since Benny died. Those two used to come in here between tours and get something done up. Always something matching. If
I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought they were a thing, but Benny was very open in his appreciation for Dex.” We both laughed, imagining Benny drooling after the giant tattoo artist.
“Well, who could blame him?” It was my turn to smile and wiggle my eyebrows at Roxy.
“Not a person in this world.” Roxy’s red lips turned up in a sweet smile, her eyes not meeting mine. I wondered if they were an item or if she was just living in a state of unrequited love.
“Are you and Dexter…”
“Oh no. Heavens, no.” Roxy was quick to say. “Dexter is what he likes to refer to as a free agent.” I could hear a hardness to her words.
Placing my hand over hers, I waited until she met my eyes. I could see sadness there; I could hear a song of love given and denied. It flowed through my body, the melody and the words overwhelming me.
“He doesn’t know what he’s missing.”
Ink Me All Night Long
Skyler
Following Dex into the small booth, I sat down on the dentist-looking chair and pulled up my sleeve. The room wasn’t anything special, but it was uniquely Dex. Pictures of motorcycles draped with half-naked women lined the walls, along with his custom artwork, and a framed photograph of him standing between me and Benny. We had goofy grins on our faces and looked ready to take on the world. That was the first tattoo we ever got with Dex when our first tour ended. We were riding high and didn’t want it to end.
Dex pulled out small vials of colored ink and sat them on a small tray. Prepping his needle and gun, he didn’t even look up when he said, “So, I bought your new album.”
“I’m sorry.” My laugh was self-deprecating. “Did you want a refund?”
He grinned. “Nah. It wasn’t that bad. All artists go through a funk, it’s part of the process.”
“Will you tell my manager that?”
“Who? Camille? Pshaw. Yeah, I can handle her.” His grin was lascivious and his eyes sparkled.
“Dude…no. I don’t want to know.” I cringed, not wanting to think about Dex getting down and dirty with my hardass manager.
He just laughed, and I watched him shave and treat my forearm, prepping it for my tattoo. I’d forgotten that Dex and Camille knew each other. They met at one of MD’s album release parties. I didn’t have direct confirmation, but I was pretty sure they hooked up. Camille liked men who serviced her, and Dex was always willing to be of service.
“What are you working on now?”
“A new solo album. I’m actually done with it. Other than a few details, we have to work out. Elsie’s been writing songs with me. It should be much better than the last one.”
“Elsie? As in…” Dex tilted his head toward the back of the store.
“Yup. That Elsie. She’s a songwriter…won a shit ton of Grammys. Fuckin’ talented, man.”
“No shit. She looks so young.” He deftly affixed the tracing on my arm, making sure I was happy with the placement.
“Yeah, she’s twenty-four. I thought she was sixteen the first time I saw her. Freaked me out.” I laughed at the memory. “You don’t think she’s too young for me, do you?” The thought had occurred to me and made me worry, but I had no one to talk to about it. I used to laugh at people I knew who dated much younger women, saying they were ‘mature’ for their age. It skeeved me out men in the industry would date women born after they could legally drink. My perspective had changed, to say the least.
“Nah. You’re what, thirty-eight? So, fourteen years between you? Nope.” He shook his head but kept his attention on his work. “Did you know Rod Stewart’s wife is twenty-seven years younger than him? That means he was a twenty-seven-year-old man when she was born. You were only fourteen when Elsie was born, which is below the legal age of consent; so, as far as I’m concerned, you’re in the clear.”
I couldn’t argue with his logic. It served me too well. I wasn’t one of those men who had a series of relationships with younger women, trading one in for a fresher model every few years. Haley was the only woman I’d been linked with officially, at least I think she was. I should probably check with my publicist. How surreal, having to refer to someone else about my supposed dating habits?
“So…you and Roxy?” I could tell Roxy had a thing for Dex, but I wasn’t sure how the mountain of the man felt about his diminutive coworker.
“Nope.” His answer was quick and terse.
“That’s all? Nope?”
He stopped and looked me in the eye, eyebrows creased, clearly frustrated.
“I don’t shit where I eat.”
“Well, that’s a gross way to get your point across.”
“Gross or not, can’t go there with her. Got enough drama in my damn family, don’t need it at work.”
Again, I nodded and watched him trace the stenciling on my arm. The Stratocaster was going to be bright cherry red, like my bike. And Benny’s favorite color.
“Skyler, I’m going to ask you something. You can tell me to shut the fuck up and mind my business, but I need to know…what really happened to Ben?” Dex whispered his question, almost as if he thought the quieter he asked, the softer the question would hit me. He busied his hands, unable to meet my gaze.
A lot of reporters had asked me that question, and I refused to answer every time. But this was Dex. He wasn’t as close to me as Benny was, but he was good people and I’d include him on a list of friends. Not just a friend to me, but he’d been a friend of Benny’s too.
“Well, after mom died, he distanced himself from me some. Benny’s family didn’t take too kindly to having a gay son, superstar or not, so he clung to my mother like a bumper sticker since college. I didn’t mind sharing. I loved the man; he was like a brother to me.” I began to tell Dex everything, as I watched him apply the ink to my skin. His hand was confident and quick as I knew it would be.
“I don’t think he was able to fully grieve her loss. I knew he’d started drinking again. When I tried to say something, he blew me off so I just let him be, trying to give him space to work his shit out.
“When the tour finally ended, he told me he was going home for some much-needed ‘alone’ time. Any normal man would assume he was going to stay home, watch Netflix, and beat off for a few days. But when they found Benny, he was naked as the day God made him, completely blue, with a needle in his arm.”
“Jesus Christ.” Dex stopped what he was doing and gave Skyler his full attention.
“Yeah. They found him at some male prostitute’s house down in South Central. We kept that bit out of the papers, thank God. I didn’t want to give his asshole family another reason to lambast him in the papers.”
“Yeah, man. Good thinkin’. I swear, they ever walk through my door, someone’s getting a size thirteen up their ass.” Dex bent his head and resumed what he was doing.
I laughed, glad to have someone else to talk to about this with. Camille tried to get me to see a grief counselor, but I’d refused, deciding instead that a solo album would be a good way to distract myself. That didn’t work out too well…
A gentle knock sounded on the wall outside the curtain.
“Come in,” Dex called out.
Elsie pulled back the curtain and walked in, shutting it behind her. I smiled. Every time I looked at her, I couldn’t stop myself. Something just took over my body, happiness ricocheted in my heart.
“Did you decide on something?”
“Yes!” She grinned and handed me a piece of paper. It was a guitar, but not the same as I was having done. It looked just like the one in her bedroom; musical notes circled it and her mother’s name was printed on the side paneling along with her birth and death dates.
“This is amazing, El. Where you gonna put it?”
She held up her arm, the one with scarring, and pointed to her inner forearm. It was the same place as me.
“So she’ll always be playing with me.” Her smile gentled, and some sadness crept into her eyes.
“She’s always with you, El.” Rea
ching for her hand, I squeezed, offering her the same support she’d given me. “And she’d be so goddamn proud of you.”
I must have said the right thing because she leaned down and kissed me hard right in front of Dex. Grabbing her neck with my hand, I held her to me until I got my fill and gently released her with a peck on the nose.
“Thank you, Sky,” she whispered against my lips.
“Always, baby.”
“Okay, okay…when did this become a whorehouse?” Dex joked, invoking his inner Kevin Hart. “We’re almost done, Elsie. If you want to take a seat right next to Skyler, you can hold his hand so he doesn’t cry from the pain.”
Every Scar is a Story
Elsie
Dex and I laughed while Skyler attempted to defend his masculinity. The tattoo went on quicker than I thought it would. When Skyler held out his arm to inspect the artwork, I was amazed. It was so clear and colorful.
“Amazing as always, Dex.”
“Naturally,” the man said with a hint of smugness as he spread cream on Skyler’s arm and wrapped it. “Ms. Elsie, what you got for me there?”
I handed him the drawing Roxy made.
“Nice. Didn’t know it was theme night.” He looked closer at the image. “Hannah Clarke? You a fan?”
Grinning at Skyler, I shook my head. “Well, yeah. She’s my mother.”
I’d finally said something that surprised Dexter. His head whipped up to look at me, his eyes widened and he stuttered. “No, shit?”
“No shit,” I confirmed.
“Well. How about that? Skyler, I do believe you’ve been outmatched. Hannah Clarke is more famous than even you.”
Skyler scoffed, and I giggled, thoroughly enjoying myself.
“Where would you like it done?”
I held up my left arm and pointed to the same spot Skyler had done. He held my arm, looking at my skin and the scars running up my arm. Before I could get uncomfortable, he said, “You know, if you’re ever interested, I can do some great work over these scars. Some of my best art has been done over burn skin. I can show you some after we’re done.”
Scarred Melody: A Rockstar Romance: Bold Melodies Book One Page 19
