by Nicole James
“You’ll get it when I give it to you, and you’re not going to say another fucking word about it. And do you know why? Because if you do, I’ll tell your precious boyfriend the truth. You think he’ll stick around if he knows you’re just a little street-rat con artist who’s in town to take him and his brothers for another load of cash?”
“That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it? Depends how you look at it. I bet I could put a spin on it that would have him believing you’ve been setting him up since the moment you hit town.”
“You wouldn’t do that; it would expose you, too.”
“Think I give a shit what he thinks about me? But you, on the other hand, you my dear sister care about what he thinks of you, don’t you?”
“I’m not going to live a lie, Vano. I won’t.”
“You’ll do whatever I tell you to do and shut the hell up about it.”
Velvet stared at her brother, and she knew what she had to do. She had to tell Liam, because she didn’t want to be a part of any of this any longer. She didn’t want to be a part of Vano’s crimes. It was all so wrong. She’d have to take her chances with Liam and hope he’d believe her explanation.
Vano was running a horrible con; one she wanted no part of.
She thought about going to the police, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn him in. It was ingrained in her—you don’t turn on family. That was the gypsy code. But whether she gave him up or not, she knew she couldn’t have anything more to do with it, and she wouldn’t allow Vano to hold telling Liam over her head to keep her in line. The only thing she could do was to tell Liam herself before Vano did. Besides, she knew she couldn’t keep her past a secret. She couldn’t keep hiding it forever, not if her and Liam’s relationship was real and not if she wanted a future with him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The photo shoot was scheduled for the next night.
Velvet arrived as soon as she could get away from House of Ink. She didn’t want Vano to know what she was doing or where she was going. It didn’t give her much time to spare before she was supposed to be ready. She’d brought some outfits, not knowing if they would have a stylist with wardrobe changes.
When she arrived, she saw it was truly a professionally run job, with a hairstylist, makeup artist, and even a lighting crew.
Liam hugged her. “You’re just in time. I was going to call if you weren’t here soon.”
“I’m sorry. I got away as soon as I could.”
He took her hands in his, threading their fingers together. “That’s okay. You’re here now.”
“Liam, could I talk to you?” She looked up imploringly. She’d decided she couldn’t go another day without confessing the truth to him. She should have told him days ago. Hell, she should have told him weeks ago.
He dipped his head. “Sure, baby. What’s up?”
She glanced around the lobby where they were setting up the lighting. “Um, maybe in the break room or somewhere more private?”
A blonde woman approached. “I need to do your makeup and hair now, sweetie.”
“Go with her. We’ll talk after the shoot, I promise.” Liam kissed her forehead, and the woman guided her to a chair in front of the mirror. Hair and makeup were a blur; all she could think about was how Liam would take the news she planned to drop on him later tonight. She closed her eyes. She had to put it out of her mind if she was going to do this shoot with all the professionalism it deserved.
Before she knew it, they were being called to the shoot. They’d dressed her in a skimpy bikini, and Liam was shirtless. The blinds were drawn and black paper was put up over the glass front door so that the shoot taking place in the lobby would be private.
The photographer motioned to her. “Over here on this leather couch would be great.”
Velvet walked to the couch against the brick wall. Above it were several framed covers of Inked Up magazine - issues with Jameson on the cover. There were also beautiful examples of their work.
Liam sat down, his legs spread.
“Velvet, could you please sit on his lap, facing him, but look back at the camera.” She got into position, and the photographer clicked off shots, pausing occasionally to adjust the lighting. “That’s great.”
Liam had his hands on her back.
“Okay, now move around the couch and get behind him.” She climbed up and spread her legs over his shoulders, then leaned down to run her hands down his chest. They gave the photographer a lot of great shots. It was hard not to get caught up in the moment with Liam. All he had to do was look at her, and desire ran through her veins. The passion sparking between them, the heat, the intensity of emotion, none of these were put on for the camera. They were real.
“Now get back on his lap and face him again.” She did. “Velvet, can we lose the bikini top? Show off your back?”
She looked at Liam.
“I’ll make sure they don’t see a thing, baby, but it’s up to you.”
She reached back and gave the tie a yank, pulling it free and dropping it to the floor.
He put his hands under her arm pits, his fingers stretching over her shoulder blades and pulled her to him, tilting his head up to look at her as she dipped hers down to stare into his eyes. His biceps covered the side of her breasts as he pressed them skin-to-skin.
The camera clicked off shot after shot. “These are great.”
Jameson and Ryan stood in the back, watching the shoot. Velvet was used to having people watch her do photo shoots, and it didn’t bother her.
The photographer moved in close for a few shots, and then backed off. “Velvet, can you face the camera?”
Liam looked up at her. “I’ll cover you.”
As she turned, he wrapped his forearm across her breasts.
The photographer clicked off a dozen more shots. “Turn sideways on his lap.”
She did, and he stepped up to raise her arm. “Put your arm up like that, there with your palm against the brick.”
It was her left arm that he moved, and the position had the inner side of her bicep right in front of Liam’s face. He was gazing up at her with such heat and desire in his eyes. Every touch of his hand on her body had passion flaring through her and she couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have him in her life.
Then his eyes dropped to her arm and focused in on the tattoo he’d inked there so many years ago, the unmistakable free hand sketch of a bunch of wild flowers. She watched his brows drop and then his eyes flicked up to her. She dropped her arm.
“Velvet, sweetheart, can you put your arm back?” the clueless photographer asked, but she barely heard him. The blood rushed to her ears, as the fact that Liam remembered that ink hit her.
“Liam—”
He put his hands on her waist, gripping tightly, and then he shoved her off him onto the couch. He stared at her in horror.
“You?”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Liam stared at Velvet in shock. The room had tilted, and suddenly he was transported back ten years to the day he tattooed a young fifteen-year-old girl with a fake ID…
He stood, cleaning his station up, smiling to himself at the thought of how happy his last client had been with the work he’d done. He tattooed a lot of people, and often the tattoos were unimaginative and repetitive, and he would almost tune out. But some days there would be that one special client who would be so affected by the art and so happy with the finished product that it would make all of the less than imaginative designs worth it.
That girl he’d just tattooed had been one of those special ones.
The bell over the door jingled, and he heard footsteps across the floor. An irate, belligerent woman began yelling.
“Where’s the owner? Which one of you criminals tattooed my underage daughter? I’m going to sue, that’s what I’m going to do. I’ll see this place shut down, and I’ll take every dime you’ve got!”
Liam walked to the counter, and his eyes landed on the girl. He couldn’t
believe it. She was his last customer. His head pulled back at the look on her face. Her mother had a hold of her arm and was dragging her to the counter. The girl looked at him, her face a mask of shame and guilt.
Jameson came to the front and heard the woman’s claims. A tick began in his jaw as anger flared through him. He glanced at Liam, and his eyes said it all; he couldn’t believe Liam had been this stupid.
Liam had never felt as big a fool as he did in that moment. He watched Jameson count money into the woman’s greedy hand, paying her off to sign the consent form and go away.
Liam knew, standing at that counter, witnessing that scene, that he had let his brother down in a way that would affect the shop and their business for possibly years to come, and he’d never forget it.
Velvet’s voice brought him back to the present.
“Liam, please, let me explain.” She covered her breasts with her hands.
“It was you that day. It was your mother who shook Jameson down for a grand, and you just stood there and let it happen.”
“I couldn’t stop her. I’m so sorry.”
“You knew. All this time we’ve been seeing each other. Of course you knew. You’re standing in our damn shop, and you never said a word. You never had the guts to come clean to me.”
“Liam, I wanted to tell you. I tried to tell you.”
“Not hard enough.”
“Please, you have to believe me.”
“I don’t have to do shit.” He stood, staring down at her.
The photographer, the hair and makeup artists, the lighting guy, the reporter, and Jameson all stood staring, listening to every word.
Jameson shouldered his way forward. “Liam, what are you talking about?”
“Remember about ten years back when you’d barely opened the shop, that woman shook you down for a thousand dollars because I’d tattooed her underage daughter? This is the girl.”
Jameson frowned. “You’re sure?”
“It’s her. I recognize the ink I put on her that day. I just saw it under her arm. I guess I hadn’t noticed it before. That or she’s managed to keep it hidden.” He spun back on her. “I don’t suppose you’d want me to know, would you?”
“Is that true? It was your mother who took me for a thousand bucks?” Jameson snapped.
“I couldn’t stop her. You have to believe me. Please.”
“And you’re in town at House of Ink. Why? The truth this time,” Liam insisted.
“My brother talked me into coming to help him.”
Liam’s brows shot up. “That piece of shit is your brother?”
She nodded.
Jameson glared at her. “He screws customers over on a regular basis. Must run in the family. Your mother, your brother, you… You’re all a bunch of thieving cheats, ain’t that right?”
“No, please, you have to listen to me.”
“Liam, get her the hell out of here.”
“No, Liam, please, please just listen to me.”
“Just get out, Velvet.”
Jameson’s face turned stone cold. He looked over at Ryan and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Looks like this photo shoot is a bust, man.”
“I was just fifteen. I’m sorry. Please, you have to understand—“
“I’m done with you. It’s all been just another joke to you, hasn’t it?”
“No. I swear.”
“You’re not who I thought you were.” He grabbed up his shirt and tossed it at her. “Get out.”
She grabbed his arm. “Liam.”
“If you’ve lied about this, what else have you lied about, or would you lie about in the future?” He yanked his arm free. “I just can’t…” He couldn’t look at her.
“I had no choice, don’t you see?”
He spun back. “I see a liar and a thief. How could I ever be with someone like that? Someone like you?” He pointed at the door. “Get out!”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Out on the sidewalk, Velvet stood in shock. It took a moment for everything that just happened to sink in. Shame flooded her body, quickly replaced by overwhelming pain and loss. Her shoulders shook, and she covered her mouth to keep from crying out the silent sobs that rocked her body. Liam’s flannel shirt that she’d quickly shrugged on did little to protect against the night’s chilly air, and she clutched her arms tightly to her chest.
Everything Liam accused her of, she couldn’t deny. Her brother was conning people, and she had known it. Most importantly, she hadn’t been honest with him about who she was, and she should have, right from the start, when he first approached her that night in the bar of the Excelsior Hotel. Perhaps then she could have explained everything; perhaps he would have listened then. But not now; now he was completely closed to anything she had to say, and hadn’t he warned her that day up in the mountains when he’d confessed how closed off he’d been to relationships for fear of getting hurt?
Perhaps, deep down, she’d known this day was always coming, but that didn’t make the overwhelming aching loss any easier.
She heard the door behind her open, and she turned to see Ryan Kelly stepping out. He approached her and held her trench coat up.
“I brought your coat. You left it inside.” He held it open, and she turned and slipped her arms into the sleeves as he pulled it up over her shoulders.
“Thank you,” she murmured, quickly wiping the tears from her cheeks.
“You okay?”
She shook her head silently and managed to choke out a shaky response. “No.”
He looked uncomfortable and jammed his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry the shoot ended that way.”
She huffed out a breath, her eyes on the starry night. “I’m the one who should apologize. I hope this hasn’t been a waste of a trip for you.”
Ryan moved to stand next to her, studying the night sky as well. “Not at all. We got some fantastic shots. You and Liam have amazing chemistry, and it comes across in the photographs. The fireworks after… Well that proves there are deep feelings between the two of you.”
“There were.”
He looked over at her. “I’m sure there still are.”
She spun on him then, the thought suddenly crossing her mind that this man could exploit everything he’d just witnessed in the article he planned to write. “Please, Mr. Kelly, don’t use that part about them tattooing me when I was a minor in your article. It would ruin their reputation.”
He searched her eyes. “That was quite a revelation in there. And call me Ryan, please.”
“Ryan, I’m begging you, please. I’ve been the cause of so much harm already. If that went public, I…” She extended her arm toward the shop and let it hang there in the air a moment before letting it drop to her side. “I’d never forgive myself.”
“I get the feeling you have quite a story yourself to tell. All you’ve been through—”
She pounded her palm to her chest. “I’m not important. Don’t you see? It’s Liam I don’t want to hurt… At least not any more than I’ve already hurt him. Please, you can’t print it.”
He looked non-committal, and her heart lurched. Oh God, he might actually put it in his article.
“I’ll make you a deal. I won’t include that part if you do something for me.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her lip curled up. Fucking hell, the guy was going to want sex in exchange for keeping silent. He was just another slim ball. “And what would that be, Ryan?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Not what you’re thinking, I swear. I just want you to tell me your true life story… on the record, for an article—about you.”
Her mouth fell open. “You want my story? Why?”
“Because it sounds fascinating. I think it would make an amazing article.”
“No. I can’t, I…” Her voice trailed off, and her stomach dropped at the very thought of putting her life out there for everyone to see.
“It’s up to you. I certainly can’t force you to tell it.”
Her eyes shifted to him. Oh, but he’d certainly use the revelations exposed to him today as leverage to get it from her, wouldn’t he? Hadn’t she been used and exploited her whole life just so other people could make a buck? She huffed out a laugh. Why would she think any of that had changed now? Wasn’t that the recurring story of her life?
But if she didn’t go along with him, could she live with herself when the article was printed about Brothers Ink and it destroyed everything they’d worked so hard to build? Could she do that to Liam?
She knew the answer to that.
Still it irked her that Ryan was using this to his advantage. She lifted her chin and stared him down. “You know. I’ve let a lot of people use me in my life. I’m afraid you’re just another one, and I’m done with that.”
“I’m not trying to use you, Velvet.”
“Oh, really? And why would you be any different? Why would you want to tell my story?”
“Because I feel like it’s probably a really good story. Much more interesting than just a pretty girl with a lot of tattoos.”
She bit her lip, considering. “And if I give you my story, you’ll leave it out about them tattooing me?”
“Absolutely. I have no interest in ruining these guys.”
Her brow rose. “You’ll tell my story the way I tell it? The truth, no embellishments or omissions?”
“Well, just one omission—the part about Brothers Ink.”
“Let me think about it.”
“Don’t wait too long. The magazine has a deadline, and my flight out of town leaves at noon tomorrow.” He turned and walked back into Brothers Ink.
Velvet’s eyes followed him, peering inside as the door opened for any glimpse of Liam, but he was nowhere in sight.
She turned back and watched a motorcycle roar past and thought of her first ride with Liam. She knew she’d never have another one, and the tears welled up again at all she’d lost. His kindness, his humor, his caring sincerity… she’d lost all of it.
Finally she turned and headed home. Thankfully, Vano was not there.
