Cheap & Classy (Hide Your Crazy)

by Hardenbrook, T. A.

  Tossing a new pair of jeans and my red Poison sweatshirt, I quickly dried my hair and put on a layer of war paint. Grabbing my phone, I noticed it had only taken me twenty minutes to get read. Not bad for moving like a damn sloth this morning.

  “So where are we going?” I questioned Reid.

  He was behind the wheel of his big black suburban, and it couldn’t have made me more curious. Normally, Tiny was the one driving, and Reid and I sat in the back seat. I had even forgotten that the man had a license and could drive.

  Reid tossed me a quick smile and turned his attention back to the road, still saying nothing as to where we were going.

  “Well, you’re starting to scare me. Please don’t take me diving. I’m like a freaking beacon of light in the water because of being so white that the sharks would be automatically attached to me. I’m like one bad swim away from being in the next Jaws movie.”

  “Molly Anne, your imagination is wild. It’s the middle of winter, there is no way we are getting in water,” Reid stated, shaking his head at my rambling statement.

  “Well, I just thought you should know my irrational fear of open water. Or really any body of water that isn’t a pool or a bathtub. Okay, technically I won’t swim in a pool if it’s dark or cloudy either.”

  “You are absolutely ridiculous.” Reid reached over and grabbed my hand, smoothly bringing it to his lips and placing a soft kiss upon my knuckles.

  “I might be ridiculous, but at least I know my limitations. I do what I have to do to survive, and that, Mister is staying out of ocean water.” Snatching my hand back out of his, I crossed my arms underneath my chest and stuck my tongue out at the man. Childish, yes, but I wasn’t getting in any body of water, not even for that man.

  “Today’s adventures do not include anything with a body of water, my dear.” Giving Reid a little snort, I tried to not let him see the smile that was making an appearance on my face.

  “You ready for your adventure?” Reid asked as he pulled his car into a parking lot. Glancing around at the tiny strip mall, I quickly tried to read all the business signs.

  “I won’t eat sushi,” I commented, my eyes fixated on the light up Japanese restaurant sign.

  “Look below it,you dork.”

  “Tattoos?”

  Holy shit, he brought me to a tattoo shop.

  Chapter 28

  It’s a lot like taking a punch, to your genitals, with a needle.

  “You took me to a tattoo shop? Are you getting a new piece?” I asked, giving him a puzzled look.

  “Nope; you are.” Reid shut off the Suburban, and opened the car door.

  “Wait, I don’t think this is a go……….” I started to say before he shut the door and started walking over to the shop. Swiftly, I scrambled out the vehicle and ran to catch up with him.

  “Thanks for opening my door, asshole. You’re so romantic,” I sneered, smacking the man in the shoulder.

  “Well, I would have if you didn’t start to give me some lame excuse as to why you couldn’t do it.” Reid looked over and gave me a quick grin.

  Damn it, that man had a point.

  “Reid, I don’t know what I want. This was something that thought should be put into, not just because you thought we should do it.” Panic set in as Reid held open the door for me to enter.

  “Hey Chambers! Long time no see,” a bald headed man behind the counter greeted us.

  My eyes darted around the small tattoo shop, mentally taking note on the cleanliness of the facility.

  “Hey Brock. How you been, Man?” Reid said as they did the typical male handshake thing over the front desk. How all men automatically knew the bro shake was a damn mystery that someone should find out.

  “You getting a new piece, Reid?”

  “Na; just brought my girlfriend in for her first tattoo. Do you have the time?” Reid wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer into him.

  Yeah buddy; go ahead and butter me up because you know this isn’t happening.

  “Cool man. The name’s Brock,” the tall, completely tattooed bald guy introduced himself to me.

  “Molly,” I said back calmly. Sure, on the outside I might look super chill and calm, but on the inside my heart was racing faster than a racehorse that had to pee.

  “So what are you thinking of getting?” Brock asked as he leaned over the glass counter. My smile wavered as the man looked me over head to toe.

  “I don’t really have a clue, considering I’ve never put much thought into it,” I stammered, quickly glancing up at Reid and giving him a hateful glare.

  I don’t know why I was so chicken shit of getting a tattoo. It should have been a natural progression once I started dying my hair, getting piercings, gauging my ears then logically came tattoos. But, the last part never happened. Needles didn’t scare me, and I could handle a pretty high threshold of pain, but I never really put much thought into tattoos.

  “Well, there are some books on the table of stuff I’ve done, or I can draw you up a custom piece pretty quick, too. Just have a seat on the couches and start flipping. I’ll join you two once I move around my schedule a bit.” Brock motioned for the red couches against the far wall, and I nodded cautiously.

  Sitting down, I grabbed a book and hauled it into my lap. I refused to look at Reid for the time being. I couldn’t decide if I was mad at the man for bringing me here, or secretly excited to get one done.

  “We can leave if you really don’t want to,” Reid whispered in my ear.

  “No; I’m going to do this. I just don’t know what yet,” I spit back, shocking myself at the decision my mind had just made. Reid grinned as he leaned back on the sofa.

  After what felt like forever looking at tons of pictures, I had a good thought as to what I was going to ink on my body. Was I certain it was a smart thing to do? Not exactly, but I figured if I hated it down the road I could always get it removed or covered up.

  “So, Molly, what is your pleasure?” Brock asked as he stood on the other side of the coffee table.

  “It’s really simple. Can I show you when we go back?” Brock nodded his head and cocked his head to the back of the shop, signaling for me to follow. Placing the book back on the table, I grabbed my small purse and followed suit. Reid stood immediately and I shot him a glare. “Nope, you’re not coming with me.”

  “What? Seriously?”

  “Yep. Go ahead and sit your ass back down, Reid Chambers. I’ll come get you when it’s done,” I said with a smile.

  I didn’t need his hand to hold while this went down, nor did I need him asking if I was okay over and over again. All the worry he would bring with him would just make me want to punch him in the nads, and knowing eventually I would want more sex, I knew doing that would not be smart.

  “Alright,” Reid stated, raising his hands slightly in the air in surrender.

  “I’ll be back shortly.” Placing a soft kiss to his cheek, I give him a small wave and wandered back to the room Brock was setting up in.

  “So what is this simple secret design?” Brock questioned as he motioned for me to take a seat on a large table looking thing.

  “I want a simple BL on the side of my wrist.”

  “Like the letters?”

  “Yep, just the letters,” I said with confidence. Sure, it was a little stalkerish to get your boyfriends band’s name tattooed on your body. But, technically it was just the initials, and it was my first job here in Seattle. Even if for some ungodly reason that Reid and I didn’t work out, I would still be proud to remember all the good times we had together on tour.

  “Like a BL as in Black Laden?” Brock asked again, giving me a weird look.

  “Yes.” I laughed, twisting my wrist around to show him the exact spot I wanted.

  “Alright, if you’re sure.” Brock shrugged. “Let me go make up a template real quick and we’ll get started.”

  I nodded at Brock as he shook his head and walked out of the room. I had to laugh; knowin
g this man probably had done his fair share of name tattoos that ended up going south faster than the tattoo itself healed. But, something like that didn’t matter for me. For once, I couldn’t see this relationship ending, and I would never regret the time I got to spend with Reid. Either way I looked at it, this tattoo was a safe idea. Way better than a unicorn or a sloth, like I had originally been thinking.

  Brock positioned the template on my wrist and waited for me to okay the position. Once agreed upon, he had me place my arm on a small metal table draped in a blue cloth like fabric and fired up his machine. “Alright, let me know if this gets uncomfortable at all,” he stated.

  “Okay,” I whispered as the first pass of his machine glided across my skin. I held my breath and awaited the terrible pain I thought was coming, but instead let out a small giggle as the needle pierced my skin.

  “That’s it?” I laughed, trying hard to sit still for Brock.

  “Yeah; not bad huh?”

  “Not at all.” My body relaxed and I took the opportunity to glance around the room. Amazing artwork littered the walls, as colorful images seemed to jump off the pages. “Did you draw all of these?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, you are insanely talented; my friend.” Taking a quick peek at the work he had going on, I was shocked to see him already done with the B in the tattoo. “Have you done any of Reid’s tattoos?”

  “All of Reid’s work has been done by me.” Brock smiled, looking up and giving me a quick wink. “I’m super proud Reid brought you to me today; means the man really trusts me.”

  “What? You mean Reid doesn’t bring by all his girlfriends for you to tattoo?”

  “No, and stop fishing for compliments, Miss Molly. You are the first woman Reid has ever brought by the shop, so enjoy that little knowledge, but don’t let it go to your head.” Brock turned off his gun and laid it on the back table. Grabbing a squirt bottle, he sprayed a clean towel and wiped the excess ink off my skin. “What do you think?”

  “It’s perfect.”

  I couldn’t help but let the stupid Cheshire cat grin spread across my face. I had just gotten a real tattoo. Fuck, I had gotten a real tattoo of my boyfriend’s band. Fuck, I was dating Reid Chambers, lead guitarist for Black Laden. Brock slathered some cream on my tattoo and carefully covered it with a piece of slick looking gauze. After going over the aftercare instructions with me, he then walked me out to the waiting room.

  “You already done?” Reid asked as he put down a copy of Spin magazine.

  “Yep, and she took it like a champ.” Brock laughed, gently bumping into my shoulder.

  “Yeah, I am basically a pro at tattoos now. Totally already planning my next,” I babbled, letting the cockiness of my tone ring through the small shop.

  “Seriously?” Reid looked at me in question.

  “Hell no!” Both of the guys laughed as Reid stood up and reached for his wallet.

  “You better not think about paying me,” Brock insisted, shaking his head at Reid actions.

  “Can I pay you?” I quickly butted in, breaking the stare down moment between two friends.

  “I’m not taking either of you guys’ money. Now enjoy the rest of the afternoon and I’ll catch you later. Molly, it was a pleasure meeting you, but drag this scrawny white boy out of my tattoo shop.” Brock chuckled as he pointed to the door.

  “Well, come on, white boy; you heard what the man said.” I laughed, grabbing Reid by the hand and pulling him to the front door. “Thanks again,” I shouted as we pushed out into the drizzling Seattle afternoon.

  “My pleasure, Molly,” Brock replied.

  Walking hand in hand back to the truck, I smiled as Reid glanced down on my arm.

  “So when are you going to show me?”

  “I don’t know; when I feel like it.” I shrugged, pushing the man away and reaching for the car door.

  “Such a tease,” Reid countered, gently shutting my car door and running around to the other side. Looking down at my covered tattoo, I couldn’t help but feel completely smitten with what I had just done. Sure, it was a risk tattooing something permanent like that on my body, but a risk that was very well worth it.

  Chapter 29

  Castration.

  Reid and I stopped at the grocery store on the way back to his place to pick up some stuff for dinner. I guess it was just assumed I was staying to eat, because it never was really asked. We settled on making spaghetti, with French bread and a fresh cucumber salad. I knew boiling water to cook the noodles and dumping sauce into a pan to heat up wasn’t rock science. But, I was still nervous to be helping out in the kitchen.

  “What do you want me to do?” I asked Reid as I was drying my hands off on a clean paper towel.

  “Can you chop the cucumber?” he asked, painting some garlic butter on the bread and wrapping it up for the oven.

  “I think I can manage,” I replied. Reid handed me the large vegetable while I grabbed a butcher knife from the block. “This work?” Waiting for him to acknowledge my knife selection, I carelessly started to wave the blade out in front of me.

  “Please don’t stab yourself,” Reid worried, gently grabbing my wrist to stop me from moving the blade.

  “If you didn’t know, I’m an expert at sharp objects,” I tried to convince the man who looked at me like I was clinically insane.

  “Sure you are, Sweetheart. Now you just need to chop it into pieces this size,” Reid commented, taking the knife from my hand and showing me the size of cut I needed to make. “Got it?”

  “It’s not brain surgery, Reid. I think I can handle massacring this cucumber.” Picking up the large knife from the counter, I held the vegetable in one hand and sliced with the other. “See? I have this perfectly under control,” I stammered, right before I chunked a piece out of my pointer finger. “Cock sucker!” I shouted, instantly dropping the cucumber to the floor and popping my finger into my mouth.

  “Are you okay?” Reid panicked, rushing back over to my side of the kitchen. I knew the cut wasn’t that deep, and I had probably just taken the first layer of skin off the top. I refused for him to banish me from the kitchen. It was just a little slip, and I could help finish the damn dinner if I wanted.

  “I swear to god, I will castrate your sorry ass if you take one step closer,” I threatened, holding the large butcher knife out in front of me.

  “Oh Molly Anne. You’re even cute when you threaten my manhood,” Reid laughed, letting a wicked smile spread across his face.

  “Don’t think I won’t, Reid. I have lost my compassion for your antics; there is only one side of me now, and I proudly parade my crazy out in public.”

  “Molly Anne, you can be barefoot on the front porch for all I care. Just please go sit down before you hurt yourself further.”

  I shook my head and bent over to grab the cucumber off the floor. Picking it up, I pretended to blow the dust off and slapped it back down on the cutting board. “Now, get back to the cooking. I’m getting hungry and that dinner won’t finish itself.” I smirked, this time being a little more cautious with my slicing of our dinner.

  “So when are you going to show me that tattoo?” Reid asked as we cuddled up on a lawn chair out on the deck. The lake was once again sparkling. However, the moon tonight was somewhat hidden between the clouds.

  “I don’t know,” I stated, shifting my body underneath the blanket a little. Being outside on the deck was so relaxing. Sure, it was freezing balls, but with one of Reid’s sweatshirts on, sitting between his legs, and a warm fuzzy blanket draped over our bodies, the cold no longer seemed to bother me.

  “Well, you’re going to have to clean it tonight.”

  “Yes, I remember that part of the lecture Brock gave me. Don’t think just because I’m cleaning the thing makes you eligible for viewing pleasures.” Reid’s arms reached up my body and wrapped themselves tightly around my chest. Kissing the top of my head, I heard a soft sigh escape from his lips.

  “You realize y
ou are driving me insane by keeping it from me.”

  “I know. I think that’s why I’m doing it.”

  “You are totally sadistic.” Reid laughed, resting his lips back on the top of my head. Smirking, I wiggled down a little further on the lounger and stretched my legs. My vagina was still throbbing from last night’s escapades, and I had already turned down the horny teenager at least seven times this evening.

  “Do you really want to see it?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked again if I didn’t want to.”

  Lifting my body up from his warm clutches, I pulled up the sweatshirt and stared pulling on the tape.

  “Now, this wasn’t for you, so don’t go getting a big head or anything,” I warned while pulling the white gauze back. My skin was still a little puffy and red, but the big black letters stood out boldly. Reid was silent as he cradled my wrist in his hand. I didn’t know what to say as the silence continued to overtake our conversation. Glancing up at his face, I tried to find any sort of emotion he was feeling. I understood it was probably a shock seeing your band name tattooed on your girlfriend’s wrist, but I expected him to say something.

  “So…………..um…………….yeah,” I said softly, breaking the hold he had on my arm. Pulling the sleeve of the sweatshirt back down, I tossed the blanket off our legs and started to get up.

  “Don’t leave, Molly Anne,” Reid finally spoke, his eyes begging for me to stay.

  “Well, it’s kind of awkward sitting here between your legs as you stare at the tattoo and say nothing. Nothing like making a girl feel self-conscious about her decision or anything.” I paused next to the lawn chair, and started to chew on my lip.

  “I just don’t understand why you would mark your body with our initials?” Reid questioned sincerely.