by Hope Ford
Aiden nods and walks over to shut and lock the door. The fluid movements from before are now jerky and stiff. “Are you sure about this? I really can come another day,” I tell him, even though I know it’s not true. I don’t know when I’ll get to come here again.
“We’re doing this, Gracie. Unless you’ve changed your mind,” he says gruffly as he starts doing something with the tools on the counter.
“I haven’t changed my mind. I want you to put your mark on me.”
He grunts and bends over his arms on the counter as he takes deep breaths. In and out, in and out. I’m about to ask him if he’s okay when he turns toward me. His eyes are a dark blue now instead of the lighter teal from earlier. His jaw is tight as he moves next to me. “I want my mark on you.”
I know we’re talking about more than the tattoo, but all I can do is nod.
He blows out a breath. “Lift your dress, honey. Show me where you want it.”
I lie back on the chair that is now more of a bed. I pull up my dress and cringe at the white cotton panties I have on. I definitely didn’t think this through. “Right here,” I say, pointing to my panties on my lower right hip.
He doesn’t say a thing. He’s staring at my lower body. His hand goes to my arm. “I’ll have to pull your panties down a bit. Is that okay?”
I nod. “Yes, my bathing suit would have to cover it. If my dad... it just has to be covered,” I explain. I let my head drop. I’m sure Aiden thinks I’m a child, all worried about what my father thinks or will do, but he doesn’t know Mayor Franklin. Not like I do.
Aiden moves between my legs, lifting stirrups and removing the lower part of the table. This is how I would examine going to the gynecologist would be. He’s standing between my spread legs, and there’s strain on his face. “I’m going to free hand it if that’s okay. Sometimes I use tracing techniques, but I’d like to replicate your drawing if that’s okay.”
I nod. “Sure, whatever you think is best.”
I take a deep breath. I can’t look away from him. His arms are covered in tattoos, and it makes me wonder where else he has them.
“You’ll have to stop looking at me like that, Gracie. I’ll never make it through this. Your eyes are telling me exactly what you’re thinking.”
I clench my eyes shut and lay my head back. I only open them when I know I’ll be able to look at the ceiling instead of him.
My mind is whirling, waiting for his hands to be on me. When I feel them on each side of my hips, as if he’s going to pull my underwear down, my hips flex in reaction and lift off the table as a moan escapes my lips. He freezes, and I do the same. Slowly, I let my hips fall back to the table.
Aiden
Fuck. She’s like a live wire. There’s no way I’m going to last, not like this. She probably doesn’t realize it, but her panties are soaked and almost transparent. They’re stuck to her lips, and damn I’d give anything to put my mouth on her right now.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
She lifts her arm and covers her face. She’s embarrassed, and I don’t want her to be. In a muffled voice, she says, “Yeah, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve never... I don’t know... It’s weird.... I’m aching.”
I’m going to hell... or I’m going to lose my license... One or the other or both, but I can’t make myself care right now. “I can help you with that... help you relax.”
She lifts her head. “I don’t do drugs.”
I laugh. I should probably be offended, but I’m not. “Me either, honey. No, I mean, you’re wound tight... you need a release.”
Her eyes squint in confusion, and if I didn’t already know, I do now. She’s a virgin. She’s more innocent than any woman I’ve ever been around. All I can do is be thankful she came here today. “You’re horny, Gracie,” I tell her plainly.
Her eyes widen, and she starts to sit up and scoot backwards, instantly denying it. “I am not.”
I nod my head, letting her move away from me when the whole time I want to hold her close. “Yes, you are. And it’s fine. Let me make you feel good.”
She’s eyeing me skeptically. “Is this something you offer all your female clients? A tattoo with a side of... well, you know,” she says awkwardly.
This time I do reach for her legs. I wrap my hands around her upper thighs. “No, I’ve never touched another client. It’s sort of a rule I have.”
“Why me?”
I tilt my head to the side. “Because I’ve never felt an attraction like this. You feel it too, right?”
She nods without even realizing it and then stops suddenly. “I’m not asking to fuck you, Gracie. Not yet.” I slide my hand up her inner thigh. “I’ll just use my hand. I want you to come. Then I’ll be able to do your tattoo while you lie there limp and satisfied.”
Her whole body is trembling. She needs this... she wants it but not more than I do. I want to see her come undone more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. I’ve almost reached the edge of her panties, and I stop there, stroking my finger back and forth along the edge. She shifts her body, pushing toward me, but I keep my finger right where it’s at. “I’m not touching you until you tell me you want me to, baby.”
“Yes,” she mutters.
I smile, and instead of diving in like I want to, I ask her, “Yes what?”
She lifts her head up and meets my eyes. “Yes, I want you to touch me and make me feel good.”
I nod. She’s biting her lip again, something I’m realizing she does when she’s nervous. When she lays her head back down, I put my thumb along the wet center of her panties. I stroke back and forth, gathering more moisture onto the already sodden material. Her whole body is pulled taut.
I slide her panties to the side, and she’s all pink and glistening. I would give anything to put my mouth there and taste her. But I don’t. I promised her with my hand only, and that’s what I’ll do. But I sure as hell will be licking my fingers after.
I separate her and stroke one thick finger through her wet, swollen folds. Her hips rise, and she whimpers. “You’re already close, aren’t you, Gracie?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know... I think.”
I keep sliding my finger back and forth, and then paint her swollen clit with her desire. One touch on her nub, and she’s already about to burst with pleasure. “Have you ever touched yourself, baby?”
She nods. “Yes, but not like this... I’ve never... I can’t.”
She’s puffing out answers, but I’m able to make sense of it all. “You’ve never come before?”
She grunts, shaking her head again. She’s so close. I slowly enter her, only knuckle deep, and pump a few times. I circle her clit, then rub back and forth over and over, increasing the pressure until her hips are so far off the table she has nowhere to go. She reaches down and grabs my wrist, but I don’t release her or lighten my strokes. “Do you want me to stop?” I ask her. Sweat is pouring down my face. My cock is hard, and I’m pretty sure I’m about to come with her, but I don’t care. Nothing matters now except for me giving Gracie her first orgasm.
“No. Don’t stop.”
I smile at her strangled command. “Come for me, Gracie. Let go, baby.”
And that’s it; she does exactly that. Her hips buck, but I keep stroking her. I want this to be everything for her and for her to never forget it. I want her to come to me when she needs her release. Only me.
She rides my hand, grunting and whimpering. I grunt with her, because my cock has a mind of its own and had to get in on the action too. I come in my jeans watching her orgasm. And when her hips fall to the table, I finally let her go.
She’s limp on the chair. Her essence has filled the room, and I know I have to taste her. She lifts her hooded eyes, and when her gaze meets mine, I lift my fingers to my mouth, tasting her for the first time.
4
Gracie
I’m still lying here with my arm over my head, thinking. Aiden disappeared into t
he other room and came back shortly later with jogging pants on instead of the jeans from earlier. I couldn’t help but notice when he first walked in, the way his pants were snug, outlining his manhood. He instantly caught me, and I should have known he would. “Eyes up here, Gracie. Or we’ll never get this tattoo done.”
I blushed to the roots of my hair and put my arm over my head again. And this is where I’ve stayed. Besides answering a few questions, I’ve lain just like this while Aiden tattooed me. It was uncomfortable at first, but nothing too bad. Plus, I can’t think about that. All I can think about is what I let Aiden do. I believed him when he said he’d never done that to a client before. Maybe I’m just gullible, or maybe I wanted to believe him, I don’t know. But I’ll never regret what just happened. All my life I wanted to feel freedom, and I got my very first taste of it at the hands of Aiden Savage.
It seems like no time at all passes when he’s telling me he’s finished. He blots my skin, putting a thin layer of goo over it. He picks up a mirror off the counter and holds it, angling it so I can see the artwork. My hands go to my mouth. “It’s perfect, Aiden. I love it.”
He nods. “Well, it’s perfect because your design is perfect. Can I take a picture?”
“To put in the book?” I ask him, worried that somehow my dad will find out.
“No, this is for my eyes only.”
I nod, and he takes his phone and takes a picture. He goes over the care instructions and hands me a piece of paper that I fold up and clench onto.
Looking at my watch, I realize I have twenty minutes to get home before my father does. I jump off the bed, lowering my dress in the process. “I have to go.... my father.”
Aiden wants to stop me; I can see he’s surprised by my sudden need to leave, but he doesn’t try to talk me out of it. “Let me walk you out to your car?”
“I walked. I have to hurry.”
“Let me drive you,” he says.
I’m shaking my head, stuffing the care instructions in my purse as I lift the strap over my shoulder. “No, I can’t. I can walk.”
“Gracie, stop,” he demands, and I stop, looking up at him with a worried glance. “I’m not letting you walk all the way home. It’s on the other side of town.”
I roll my eyes. “Really, Aiden. This is Whiskey Run, not Jasper or anything.”
But he’s already wrapped his hand around mine, threading our fingers together. “I’m still not letting you walk. I’ll take you home.”
But I’m shaking my head. “If my dad...”
“Who is your father?”
I hang my head between my shoulders. “My father is Brandon Franklin.”
“The mayor?”
I nod.
“Well, he seems like a decent enough guy. He wouldn’t be happy that you’re walking across town by yourself at dark. Let me just take you home.”
“That’s just it. He doesn’t want me out, period. And with you? He would probably lock me in a room somewhere if I was seen unsupervised with a man. You can’t drive me home.”
He pulls me to him. “I’m not letting you walk. I’ll drop you off close to home, but this isn’t going to work, Gracie. I plan on seeing more of you, and I don’t care who your father is, he’s not going to stop me.”
Hope flares in my chest. Man, I wish I could believe what he’s saying. But no one bucks the wishes of Brandon Franklin. Nobody. I look at my watch again. “I have to go, Aiden.”
Aiden
“Do you trust me, Gracie?”
She doesn’t even hesitate. “Yeah.”
“Okay.” I pull her with me as I lock up the shop and go out to my car. I don’t release her until we’re standing next to my F150. I open the door for her, gesturing for her to get in. She hesitates, and it goes all through me that she’s this scared. Is it me, or is it the reaction from her father? “I’m not going to hurt you. I’ll take you home. Drop you off down the road from your house.”
She nods and climbs into my truck. I slam the door and walk around to get in. We’re halfway across town before she says anything. “I’m not scared of you, Aiden.”
My hand tightens on the steering wheel. “Who are you scared of?”
She shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. Not really. I’m going to find a way to get away from my father.”
“Does he hurt you?” I ask. I’m holding my breath, waiting for the answer. I may end up in jail tonight if I have to kill a man.
“No, not like that. He yells and stuff, but that’s it. He’s just controlling. I received a full scholarship to Berkeley, and he turned it down. He wants me to go to Jasper Community College and commute. I had hoped to get away from him, and now I don’t know how.”
I barely process what she’s saying before I blurt it out. “You could stay with me. I could help you.”
She shakes her head, and for the first time, I notice the sadness in her eyes. “I can’t let you do that. He wouldn’t let you... I know everyone thinks he’s great and a good man, but he’s not, Aiden. He’s evil.” I turn onto her street, and she points to a side street. “Pull in here. I’m just two houses down.”
I do as she asks and turn off my truck. “You can’t tell me he’s an evil man and then just expect me to leave you like this.”
“I’ll be fine. He wouldn’t hurt me.” But even I can hear the doubt in her voice.
She reaches for the door. “Thank you for the ride... the tattoo... everything.”
“Gracie, I wasn’t lying earlier. I never do that with a client. I want to see you again.”
She’s shaking her head. “I’m not allowed to date.”
I thread my fingers through her hair and grip the base of her neck, tugging her to me. I lean my forehead against hers. “That’s not going to work for me, sweetie. I just tasted you on my fingers. You’re mine now.”
Her hands go to my chest, probably to push me away, but instead she bunches my shirt in her hand and pulls me even closer. I can’t hold back anymore. I press my lips to hers in a first kiss that I feel all the way to my toes. “Open your mouth,” I say against her lips, and she does what I ask.
I slide my tongue in and taste her. Her hands slide around my neck in a hard grip. Fuck, it’s not enough. I pull her across the console, and she comes easily, her breasts flattened against my chest. I devour her, ravaging her, trying to get my fill, but at the same time, I know I never will. She’s going to be mine.
It’s damn near impossible to stop, but I know I have to. I pull away and look at her. Her lips are red and swollen; it’s obvious what she’s been doing. “We have to stop, or your dad will definitely know what you’ve been up to.”
At the mention of her dad, she freezes and pulls away, moving back to her seat.
“I want to see you tomorrow.”
“Aiden... I can’t. I want to, but I can’t.”
“I’m not asking, Gracie. I will see you, if I have to come here to get you.”
“No. Tomorrow is my dad’s poker night. He’s usually drunk and passed out by ten or eleven. I’ll come to the shop after that.”
I want to believe her. “Promise me. Promise I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She nods, her light blue eyes looking back at me. “I promise.”
5
Gracie
I walk into my house in a daze. My father’s car is not in the driveway, so luckily I beat him home. I run up the stairs and into my bedroom. Dropping my purse on the bed, I go straight to my mirror over the dresser. The woman looking back at me looks almost unrecognizable to me. My hair is tussled, wild around my face. My eyes are shades darker, and my lips look puffy and bruised. I touch my fingers to my lips, remembering the kiss that Aiden gave me. With my hand over my heart, I try to catch my breath. I don’t know how long I stand there just like that when my father opens my bedroom door.
He looks at me up and down, obviously noticing a difference in me. “Where have you been?”
I back away from the mirror. “I went for a walk.”
“Don’t lie to me, Gracie.” His voice is stern and sounds lethal to me. He always does this, and it always intimidates me.
“I’m not lying. I did go for a walk.”
He moves in close to me, and instead of pulling back like I normally would, I stay right where I’m at, jutting my chin at him.
He holds his phone up. “Explain this. Who is this?”
I gasp, looking at the picture. It’s of me and Aiden sitting in his truck, when he kissed me. “How did you get that?” I ask, but I already know. From where it’s taken, it was obviously our neighbor that took it and sent it to my father.
“I have spies everywhere. You can’t do anything in this town without me knowing about it. Who is this man?” he asks, pointing at the phone.
“Just a friend, Dad. That’s it.”
His phone dings, and he raises it to his face. “Aiden Savage. Owner of Savage Ink. He is purchasing one of my buildings on the other side of town.”
“Dad, he’s just a friend.”
He lifts his phone and points at it in disgust. “That is not just a friend. You are forbidden from seeing him, Gracie.”
And for the first time in my life, I go against my father. “I’m eighteen now, Dad. I’m an adult. I can see whoever I want.”
I suck in a breath as soon as I say it. The look he gives me is lethal, and even though he’s never hit me before I fully expect him to do it by the way the vein is popping on the side of his neck.
His voice drops low. “No. You are still my daughter, and you will do as I say. If I ever catch you around that man again, I will destroy him. He’ll lose his business and be run out of Whiskey Run so fast it will make your head spin. So if you like this man at all, you’ll save him from this. Don’t go near him again.”
“But Dad...”
He puts his hand up. “No... as a matter of fact, you have three months until your college term starts at Jasper Community College. I’m sending you to your aunt’s house.”
