by Ruby Carter
~ Chapter 6 Dani ~
We haven’t talked about what happened at the bar 4 days ago. I won’t let Zara. Every time she goes to bring it up, I shut her down.
It doesn’t need to be revisited after what I said as we left the bar. It’s the way I feel about myself and no one, not even my best friend, can tell me otherwise, she may not agree with it but that is how I feel.
“Your next client is here, Jake” I say, as I walk over to his station and give him a cup of coffee and a bottle of water.
“Cool. Thanks Squirt. Hey, is everything ok with you and my sister? I know something is up and you probably don’t want to talk to me about it but the atmosphere isn’t good for business,” he says as he looks at me with concern.
“We are ok. We just had a misunderstanding. I will sort it out with her. Promise.” I give him a sincere smile and a wink.
I go back to make Zara a coffee and grab her favorite energy drink. I slowly make my way over to her station and it’s empty. She must have popped to the toilet. I plop down on her seat and wait for her to come back. She rounds the corner, looking down to the ground, and looks up as she get to her station, her eyes going wide with a flash of surprise. “I come bearing gifts, and hoping we could talk?”
She looks at what I have placed on her table and back at me and says, “Dani…look, we are fine, babes, but I hate that you think that about yourself. You know you are not damaged or broken, don’t you?!”
I sit there, looking down at my hands, playing with my fingers for a few minutes, when Zara comes and sits next to me, taking my hands in hers. I look up at her. I shrug and continue to play with my fingers. “Dani, the sooner you realize that you are strong and brave, the better! You are not damaged or broken. Dickhead tried to break you, yes. He may have tried but you are still here living and proving him wrong. You are so strong! Please, at least listen to me and take what I am saying in. I’m your best friend, babes, and it hurts so much that you feel this way about yourself.”
I just sit there, in absolute disbelief. In the past few years, this woman has never spoke this way too me. Tears roll down both our faces as we cry silently, for her words and for what I went through to get to the place I am now. I reach over and haul her into a big hug, whispering into her ear, “I promise I will try, Zar. I love you lots.”
"I love you too, babes. Lots. Please try!" she replies with thick emotion in her voice.
It’s about 3pm and Zara and Jake are finishing up with their clients before I get to do some more training on the gun. Before I pull out money from the cash tin, I shout over, "coffee and treats, guys?" Jake looks up from his client and nods, adding a wink.
I walk out the shop to go next door to the bakery that my friend Jenna owns. Once I step inside, the smell of fresh pastries, breads, and coffee hits my nose. Mmmmm. Nothing beats that smell when you are craving caffeine and naughty pastry goods. The doorbell chimes, notifying Jenna. She looks up at me and smiles. "Hey girl! How you doing?" I smile and walk up to the counter, leaning my elbows on it with my face in my hands.
“Good. We are coming up to a break so I thought I would come to my favorite café and order the best coffee and cake in town!” I say, messing around with her, a cheeky grin on my face.
“Haha! The usual then, hun. 2 black coffees and an iced caramel macchiato? What cake would you like today, hun? I have a new cake out: a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing in the middle. Sound good to you?” Jenna asks. She knows my weakness is peanut butter. “Yes to the coffees, of course. The cake… mmmmm, of course! That sounds amazing. One slice of that, Jake’s cheesecake, and Zar’s blueberry muffin. Thank you, huni. You are the best.”
I am in the shop for a good 20-30 minutes talking to Jenna when I realize I should be getting back. I thank her for the goodies and tell her I will see her soon. As I get back to the shop, no one says anything to me. I go to give them their orders. I say to Zar, “I am just popping out the back to the loo first, and then I will be in the kitchen enjoying my cake. I won’t be long, huni.” I’m eager to tuck into my slice of yummy cake. “That’s fine, babes. Don’t worry.”
I get back to the kitchen and enjoy my gorgeous, chocolatey, nutty, soft, gooey cake. It’s making my mouth water even more with each bite. I’m half way through the cake when I hear the studio door open and shut a little while after. I can now also hear a few men’s voices out the front, as one has a deep, booming voice that carries through the walls. I wonder who that is. I know we haven’t gotten anyone in for a while.
I enjoy the rest of my cake and as I slowly leave the kitchen to walk back to the front of the shop, I hear Jake’s and Bear’s voice. I turn the corner to see Jake talking to Bear about his tat. He is lying face down on Jake’s tattoo table, talking colors and where he wants them. As I walk past Bear. He looks up and smiles a small grin, asking, “Hey, Daisy is it? Sorry, I’m not good with names but faces. I remember you. What color d’ya think I should choose for the body of my dragon?” he asks, pointing with his thumb over his back. I just stare at him for a while, looking away from his face quickly and to his back.
I walk over, look at the outline, and ask, “It’s Dani, don’t’ worry. What color were you thinking? You have tanned skin. Maybe different shades of blues with shading over the scales, with black talons. Just an idea… I mean you can have whatever colors you like.”
“You’re right, Jake. She does have a great eye for colors. Let’s do this, motherfucker.” He nods and smirks to Jake.
“Errrm. You don’t have to do that, Bear. What if you don’t like it? At least let me sketch you a sample and show you before you decide.” I implore him to listen to me without looking at him fully in the face, hoping he will listen, as it would be a beast to cover up if he didn’t like it.
He shakes his head at me and then smirks, “Nahhh, don’t worry about it, Dani. Us bikers, when we make our minds up, we stick to it. I have never been wrong once, so I don’t expect to start now.” He says with ease in my direction.
“Ok, but at least let me go grab all the different blues out the back so you can choose the shades.” I say to him but more at Jake, as Bear still intimidates me a lot and I can’t meet him in the eye.
“Sure thing, Dan. There are some colors out there I have been dying to try out that are new,” Jake suggests to me. As I walk back out of his station, I hear him ask Bear, “So what time is your boss coming in to chat to me about this business?”
“Oh yeah. Anytime now, bro. Will say now, though, you show him respect and you will get that tenfold from him!”
I overhear the last bit from Bear. It must be his motorcycle gang he’s talking about. I doubt he works a 9 to 5 job in an office. “Ha!” I laugh out loud and shake my head to myself in the stores room.
I am walking back to the front of the shop with a box full of different shades of blues, looking down, not paying attention to what I’m doing and my surroundings when suddenly….I feel him in the room before I can even see him. My skin comes alive, and my body tingles all over. Then I can smell his scent. It hits me like a ton of bricks. Leather. Fresh air. Just all MAN!
God, how can he be here, in one of my safe places? He affects me in a way I didn’t think possible. Is this normal? What is this? My heart is beating so fast, then I feel the heat starting at my cheeks and neck, traveling down over my heaving chest down to my core where it throbs!
He hasn’t even touched or spoken to me yet. How can this man, who I hardly know, be real and be so, so beautiful?
That is the only way to describe him. Beautiful.
His gaze draws my eyes and leaves me breathless, and near enough panting on the spot with my core throbbing with want from just looking at him.
Hold up. Axe is here, talking to Jake with Bear and his friend from the bar, too.
Shit. Axe is Bear’s boss.
The penny drops. He wasn’t wearing his leather jacket with his club emblem on in the bar, as it was too hot.
But there, on the front of h
is jacket in black and white, is written ‘President’.
Axe is the fucking president of “Devil’s Reapers”.
~ Chapter 7 Axe ~
Well, fuck me sideways and color me bright pink!!
Dani is in the studio! Dani is here, standing right in front of me, pupils dilated, wide eyed, and fucking blushing all over. Just fucking DAMN!
What is she doing here? She is standing there, with a box of ink in her hands, like she works here. JESUS. She’s Daisy, who Bear was chatting about the other night at the club. I am standing here quiet as she and I have locked eyes. Neither of us have said a word to one another. I am rubbing the base of my neck with a puzzled look on my face.
She moves towards us, handing Jake and Bear the box of what looks like blue ink. I am not really looking at what’s in her goddamn hands. I am more concerned at what the hell she is doing here.
“Here you are, Bear. These are a few colors I was talking to you about earlier. I think this one and this one will be great to start with. Maybe add a little bit of the royal blue and flecks of white on the scales to look like its shining. What d’ya think?” HOLY FUCK, she does work here. My suspicions were right. I am just standing deathly still, with my eyebrows pinched together. I go to open my mouth to ask her a question but nothing comes out. I see ink on the inside of her wrist. How did I miss that? Well, to be fair, last time I saw her, I wasn’t exactly looking at her wrists. What is that? A bird of some sort, but it’s in a tribal design. Hmmmmm...
She turns around, looks around me, and goes to walk off back to the front desk, dodging me but I quickly reach out and grab her by the wrist and she stands, stock still, and looks at the ground. “What you doin’ here sweetness?” God, her smell, her touch on my skin. I don’t want to let go of her wrist but I can feel her pulling away, so I reluctantly let her go.
“I ... I ... I work here. I work on the front desk and as a trainee tattooist,” she stutters whilst blinking rapidly and nervously licking her lips.
“Well, sweetness, looks like I will be seeing more of you now.” I lean in close and smirk, whispering softly in her ear, “I can’t wait to come back and get your gorgeous little hands on my body.” Her breathing hitches. Her breathing has gotten shallow and you can see her chest moving up and down under that black t-shirt, hugging her curves. She exhales as I move my head back to look at her flushed cheeks. “Whha what do you mean? Hands on you?” I shake my head at her with a smile on face.
“Well, me and Jake have come to an agreement. My club and… myself will be coming to get our tattoos done in future. So you see, sweetness, I will be seeing a lot more of you. Maybe you can practice on me?” I raise my eyebrow and chuckle at her flushing cheeks. “Ermmm errr I mean, I am not even a fully trained tattooist yet, so…” I shut her up by reaching my hand out and cupping her jaw, rubbing my thumb against her shiny, full lips.
She looks up at me with her eyes, so big, beautiful. I can feel her pulse in her neck hitch as soon as I lay my hand on her. God, her lips feel so soft. I look down at her for a long while. She hasn’t even noticed that we are looking each other in the eyes for more than a minute.
I slowly move closer into her space. I look into her eyes, nose to nose. I inhale her scent. Mmmmm flowers. I press my lips to hers and I am greeted with a sharp inhale of breath. God, her taste is like nectar to me and I slowly lick the seam of her lips. She opens her mouth to me and I slowly tangle my tongue against hers.
Fuucck!! Fucking hell it shouldn’t taste this good. No way in hell is this taste even real!
I am just about to kiss her deeper, harder, when she suddenly pulls away from me. She snaps her head up to me, her lips swollen where I have kissed her, eyes dilated so big they almost look black.
“What the fuck, asshole! Don’t do that again! You…. you can’t do that again!” she goes to walk off to the front desk, but then quickly changes her mind and walks to where her friend from the bar is standing in the doorway to the back. Too fuckin’ cute.
“Sweetness. You didn’t seem to mind when I had my tongue wrapped deliciously with yours in that pretty little mouth! Can still taste you on my tongue!” Isn’t that the truth…? I have to adjust myself as my cock is pressing up against my zipper. I hear her grumble something as she gets to her friend. Her friend is grinning at me like the Cheshire cat and shrugs her shoulders as she turns with her friend down the hall.
I turn back to speak to Jake and he looks pissed as hell. “What the fuck was that you just did to Dani? We just met, Axe, but I haven’t agreed to this shit with you and your club! Dani is like my baby sister and she doesn’t deserve to be played or messed about!”
“Fucking hell, dude. I only kissed her! I ain’t gonna mess her about. We have hardly spoken a few words to each other. Well actually it’s her who has hardly talked to me.”
“Yeah, that may be but Dani isn’t like other girls. She’s different. She’s a lot different to the club whores you’re used to.”
“I hear you, bud. I get that and that’s why I am so drawn to her. She just draws me in. I can’t help myself. I respect you having her back, and I mean that. But until she physically tells me to go fuck myself, I am not giving up a chance to get to know her.”
He stands there staring at me and he’s obviously having an internal war with himself. Then after a minute, he nods and replies, “until she says fuck yourself, it’s her choice. Don’t make me regret it, Axe, or I will pull my business. Fair enough?”
Jake has balls, talking to me this way. Not many could get away with it, but fair dos. I respect him more, standing his ground with it having to do with Dani.
I nod and shake his hand. I will be seeing more of this cute little pixie.
Dani.
~ Chapter 8 Dani ~
Who the fuck does he think he is, kissing me? Kissing me in the shop! I feel so stupid…. God, why can’t I stop thinking about how his perfect lips felt against mine and the way he held my face? I felt smaller than normal in that moment. He made me feel special...but then I came to my senses and broke away.
Not just for myself from getting my heart broken by Axe. Axe the president of “Devil’s Reapers”, fuck! I am saving him from all of the hardship of being with me. Who wants to be with a girl who second-guesses what people ask her, all because of my goddamn past?
We are tidying up the shop just before we leave and my phone starts ringing from my bag. I quickly go to grab it and answer it before looking at the screen, as I am expecting my mom to call me. We always ring around each other at least once a week and I haven’t spoken to her yet.
“Hi, Mom. How-- “
“Shut it bitch! I told you before. You can’t get rid of me! Now come back to me, Danielle. We can forget this whole thing, you leaving ...” I don’t stop to hear what he has said. I drop my phone to the ground in shock. Zara comes rushing over to me at the front of the shop, wrapping her arms around my shaking body. She knows who it was without asking, as this isn’t the first time this has happened. She turns me around, says, “Come on. Stay at mine tonight, babes. No ifs or buts. Let’s have a sleepover. Yeah, DVDs and junk food. Yeah?”
“O-o-ok hun. As long as you are sure?” I reply shakily.
“Come on, huni. Let’s go.” She pulls my arm out of the shop. Once we have locked up, we walk arm in arm to my Jeep. We round the back of the shop to our own parking spaces. What we see there stops us both in our tracks… “OH MY FUCKING HAIRY BALLSACKS! What a dickhead. You, girl, are definitely comin’ home with me tonight, ok?! Right, I’m ringing the police”…
I would laugh my head off at that last statement as that is so Zar, but I can’t. I am frozen. I don’t hear Zara on the phone. I am just staring at my car.
My fucking car I paid for, my gorgeous black Jeep, now has red and white paint all over it with writing over the side of it “WHORE” and “BITCH”, with all my tires slashed and the front screen smashed to bits. I slowly start coming round when I hear the police pull up behind me.
&nb
sp; I go over everything that has happened since me breaking up with Paul and the police say they can’t charge him with anything, but can go around to his apartment and ask him questions. As me and Zara pull up to her house, I go up to her fridge once we are inside and pull out an ice cold bottle of Rosé and Zar grabs it and puts it back. “No, babes. This is the time for something a lot stronger. You go sit down on the couch and I will be right in, huni. Ok? “
I sit down on shaky legs, pulling my legs up underneath my chin as I hold onto my knees like my life depends on it. What the hell have I down to Paul for him to act this way? Nothing! I finished with him what over 9 months ago.
He’s psychotic, acting like this. God, my neck and shoulders are so tense.
Zar comes and plops down next to me, putting her arm around my shoulder and gently placing a tumbler glass in my hand. I use both of my little hands to hold onto the glass tightly. My knuckles turn white under my grip. “Here Hun. Get this down, then once you have had that, you are going to have another and then another.”
I knock the amber colored alcohol straight down my throat. It burns like fire down my throat. I cough and my eyes water from the strength of the Bourbon.
“Here huni you will need a few more of these you’re in shock at the moment. You need a few more and then we will get to bed. Dya wanna talk about it?”
“I need some more, Zar. What do you want me to say? I feel sick with worry, what if he is going to do the same to my apartment, the shop, or to you guys?” I was snapping at my best friend because of that dickhead who I used to be with. It’s not her fault, but I can’t help but snap at her. She doesn’t say anything, but I know I am being a jerk. “I’m sorry, huni. I don’t mean to be such a bitch, but he has me all on edge and nervous. I feel sick. I don’t want you guys or Jake’s business to get trashed if he is going to result to this kind of behavior.”
