by Zoey Parker
After half an hour he’d decided to get the lyrics to his favorite song inked in ornate lettering across his chest.
“We’re pretty busy,” the guy at the desk said apologetically as he glanced at his laptop screen. Given the quality of the work on display, this didn’t surprise Max.
“I was hoping to get it done sooner rather than later,” he admitted.
“Well,” the guy pressed his lips together thoughtfully. “We can fit you in if you don’t mind an apprentice working on your tattoo? We’ve just had a new girl start with us.”
For a moment Max was apprehensive. He wasn’t sure he wanted someone with little experience making a permanent mark upon his body. But then he reasoned that they needed to start somewhere and how hard could some ornate text be?
“Sure,” Max nodded and gave a soft smile. “That sounds fine.”
Chapter Thirteen
Brittany nodded nervously.
“I know it’s only your second week here,” Nancy explained, her expression kind, “but you’ve been making some great progress, and text is relatively easy to work on. It’s a big piece though so you’ll probably need a few sessions with the client.”
Brittany nodded again. She’d worked on a few small tattoos since the start of her apprenticeship but always under the watchful gaze of her mentor, Nancy. But if Nancy thought that Brittany was ready to handle a client on her own, then she trusted her judgment. And the thought of working alone on someone was as scary as it was exciting.
“If you have any problems, I’ll be in the next room so you can just give me a shout, okay?”
“Okay.”
Nancy placed her hands firmly on Brittany’s shoulders and looked down at her, which was easy for her to do since she was an impressive 6ft 2in. With her bright blue hair, she looked like some sort of ethereal Goddess whenever she walked down the street. Her arms were adorned with ornate snake tattoos that curled up towards her shoulders and licked at her neck. Brittany hoped that one day she’d be able to look as fiercely beautiful as Nancy always did.
“I have faith in you,” Nancy gave Brittany’s shoulders a gentle squeeze.
“Thanks.”
“And if that brother of yours wants to pop round again, he’s welcome anytime,” Nancy added with a playful wink. Brittany squirmed awkwardly. She got that Zack had the whole brooding thing going on, but it was still embarrassing every time Nancy talked about how hot she thought he was.
“The client is through there,” Nancy pointed to a closed door and Brittany took a deep breath. She hoped that whoever was behind the door would be patient enough to allow her to work on them over the next few weeks. Progress would be slow thanks to her inexperience, but she hoped that Nancy had taught her enough in a short time to let her at least be competent.
Chapter Fourteen
With his shirt off Max waited for the apprentice to arrive. Thankfully, it was warm in the room so he didn’t mind being half dressed. His naval-themed sleeve was in stark contrast to the rest of his pale, muscular upper torso. Dark ridges of old scars criss-crossed over his chest, scars which Max hoped to one day hide completely with tattoos. He wasn’t one for showing his scars. It made him feel oddly vulnerable.
Whenever women saw his scars, they wrongly assumed that he’d acquired them during his time riding with the King. But the stab wounds and cigarette burns had all been souvenirs he picked up during his years living rough. It was a time he was keen to forget altogether.
The door creaked open, pulling Max away from the dark memories of his past. He felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw her walk into the room and hoped she hadn’t noticed. She was a vision. Wearing dark skinny jeans and a loose-fitting black tee she was effortlessly beautiful. Dark hair bordered an angelic, elfin face. She was so unlike all the woman Max usually encountered who’d plastered on makeup over craggy faces to try and look halfway decent. This woman was a natural beauty. She didn’t look like she belonged in some small tattoo parlor in Colridge. She looked like she belonged in the pages of some fairy tale book.
“Hi,” she greeted him softly, her voice as sweet as her pure, beautiful features. “My name is Brittany, and I’m going to be your artist.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Brittany.” He liked the way her name felt in his mouth when he said it – exotic yet oddly familiar. It was a name he could say a thousand times and never grow tired of it.
“I’m Max.”
“Hi, Max.”
He gave her what he hoped was his most alluring smile. She maneuvered around the chaise lounge and started gathering together materials. When she bent over, Max couldn’t help but take in the view of her impressively perfect ass. His hardening cock reminded him of how he ached with longing. Despite the hangover, which hung around him like a foggy cloud, when he saw Brittany he just wanted to grab her waist and haul her over onto the chaise lounge. He wanted to see her pretty face crumple in ecstasy as she cried out his name.
“Black?” Brittany was looking at him expectantly. Max blushed. Could she sense what he’d just been thinking?
“Sorry?” he felt dazed, confused and slightly embarrassed.
“You want black ink for the tattoo, right?”
“Yeah,” Max smiled nervously, rubbing his neck. “Black ink works just fine.”
Chapter Fifteen
Brittany woke up before her alarm had a chance to shrilly ring out through her apartment. She practically bounced out of bed, because she was so eager to start her day.
It was her third appointment with Max this morning. His tattoo was pretty much complete, but she kept adding tiny, ornate details – a skull here, a small dagger there. Pretty much anything she could think of to keep him coming back while still maintaining the integrity of a beautifully designed tattoo. There was something about Max which made Brittany desperate to get to know him better. He was sexy, mysterious and had an irresistible air of danger. It was engrossing, she was utterly captivated.
So far, she had learned that he was in Colridge for work and was staying at a local motel in town. When he’d told her this, her pulse had quickened. Wondering if it was perhaps some thinly veiled invitation to spend the night with him, which of course, she wanted to do. Each time she saw his hard, toned chest she wanted to rake her fingers down it. As she leaned over him, working, doing her best to remain locked in concentration, she could see the steady rise and fall of his chest. His beating heart was so close. He was so vulnerable, so exposed and so…so sexy.
Brittany couldn’t stop thinking about him. In the shower, cooking lunch, even in her dreams Max was there. He had a warm smile and kind eyes. Brittany loved making him laugh during their sessions. But she knew it couldn’t go on forever, at some point his tattoo would be complete, and they’d go their separate ways.
The thought of not seeing Max again was disheartening for Brittany. She knew she was being silly, he is a client and this is life, it goes on. She just couldn’t stop thinking about how much she loved their conversations and yearned to know more about him – like how he’d acquired the scars which made a tragic map across his body.
As she dressed for work Brittany made the decision that she has to ask Max out. After all, the worst thing that could happen was that he’d say no. And the best? Well…maybe she’d get to check out that motel room of his.
Chapter Sixteen
“Morning” Brittany tried to appear bright and bubbly as she walked in, pausing to tie her hair up so that it wouldn’t fall onto his chest as she worked, as it had during their first session together.
“Morning,” Max replied in his deep, gentle voice. Brittany soaked up the sound, letting it envelope her like soft, sumptuous silk.
“Did you sleep okay?” she inquired politely as she began preparing her equipment.
“Well, I was alone. So no.”
Brittany paused, taking in a nervous breath, trying to hide her now blushing face. Was he flirting with her? Suggesting that he longed for her to be in his bed as much as sh
e did? She told herself that she was being ridiculous and tried hard to plaster on a look of indifference as she turned around to face him.
“You think we’ll get this finished today?” he asked.
“I hope not.” Brittany realized she said that all too quickly but couldn’t remove her gaze from him. His eyes made her feel as though she was falling. She waited for a crack in his smile to tell her that he felt the same way or any response for that matter. But he just kept staring straight back at her.
Brittany dared to let her heart guide her, not giving her mind a second to tell her she was being crazy, that she was taking too great a risk. She approached Max and placed her bare hands upon his chest, which glistened with the dark freshness of his almost-complete tattoo. Max reached around her waist for her ass and gripped it, pulling her tight to him. When their lips connected the kiss wasn’t soft, it was intense, almost carnal. Brittany let his tongue hungrily press against hers as Max leaned back on the chaise lounge, pulling her with him.
She was straddling him as they kissed passionately, there was nothing romantic about this kiss; it was a longing. She could feel the bulge of his excited penis throbbing tantalizingly close to her. As his hands eagerly covered every inch of her body during their kiss, she wanted to throw off her clothes and just ride him then and there. There was something about Max. When she was around him the shy, uncertain girl of her past was gone. He made her feel liberated, made her feel like a woman.
They were still kissing as Max started to unbutton the blouse she was wearing. Brittany knew that she needed to stop things before they went too far. Anyone could walk in at any moment and if found in such a compromising position, she’d surely be fired. But instead of pulling away and ending their embrace Brittany was fumbling with the zipper of Max’ jeans, desperate to free his dick. When her hands finally clasped around it, she uttered a blissful sigh. Max was well endowed but not large enough to scare her. At school, Brittany had heard stories of guys being built like coke cans and she always feared how she’d react if she were presented with such an appendage.
But Max was perfect. His dick was rock hard and pink in her hands. She stroked it, teasing the tip.
“Let me fuck you,” Max growled deeply at her. “Let me fuck you so hard, you’ll come until you’re dizzy.”
That was all the invitation Brittany needed. She wriggled free of her jeans and panties, letting them drop to the floor. Max used his strong hands to guide her hips into place. She was still straddling him as he entered her. Brittany gasped as she felt the full length of him glide up within her. He was big enough to make her breath catch in her throat.
“Fuck! You feel amazing.” he said approvingly. Slowly, Brittany started to grind up and down his dick. With each rise of her hips, she felt a storm brewing inside her. Her whole body felt chaotically excited, the way you do on a rollercoaster when you’re slowly ascending towards the one big drop.
Max gripped her hips and pushed against her hard and fast. Brittany tumbled over the top of her rollercoaster. She leaned her head back as she fell and delighted shudders resonated through her body.
“Yes,” Max groaned as he fucked her. “Come for me. Fuck, yes,” his body tensed beneath Brittany. For a brief second he looked pained and then his expression changed to one of deep enthralling ecstasy.
“Wow,” he breathed.
“Yeah,” Brittany self-consciously tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she climbed off both Max and the chaise lounge. Now that their moment of passion had passed she felt nervous once more.
“That was,” Max was fastening his trousers back up, smiling to himself. “That was amazing,” he finished.
“Yeah,” Brittany was glancing nervously at her hands as if she no longer recognized them. Two weeks into her new job and she was having sex with a client on her work chair. Who was she?
“Look,” Max stood up and cupped her cheek with his hand. There was a tenderness in his voice which instantly soothed Brittany.
“What we just did was…admittedly a little crazy. Amazing. But still a bit crazy.”
Brittany nodded.
“How about you let me take you out to dinner tonight, maybe even take in a movie? So that next time we might wind up at my motel together instead of you risking losing your job? That sound like a deal?”
Brittany tingled at the thought of having sex with Max again. He was so powerful, so handsome, and God knows she fantasized about being in his motel room, so this would be like a literal dream come true.
“Yeah,” she agreed with a smile. “Deal.”
Chapter Seventeen
Max could hardly take Brittany out for dinner in Colridge considering that he was supposed to be keeping a low profile. But he was eager to spend time with her, to get to know her better and go on an actual date, so he invited her out to a movie. He figured it was the perfect setting considering the darkness of the theater. No one would be able to see him, and he wouldn’t risk his cover being blown.
“I love going to the movies,” she told him flirtatiously in the lobby as they bought snacks. Max was struggling to focus on anything other than her slender legs, which were on full display thanks to the tight-fitting pair of hot pants she was wearing. Max was grateful for whoever had designed such a piece of clothing. He, himself was wearing loose fitting dark denim jeans a tight fitting white T-shirt which showed off his impressively toned abs and arms. He particularly liked the contrast of his dark naval sleeve tattoo against a white T-shirt. He knew he’d worn the right outfit when he met Brittany at the theater and her eyes widened with approval and lust.
“Do you go to the movies very often?” Max asked, trying not to think about the last time they were together. How she had straddled him right there in the tattoo parlor until he came. A strange expression flickered across Brittany’s pretty features. It was a mixture of sadness and regret. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced once again by her coy, flirty grin.
“Sometimes,” she placed a piece of popcorn between her pink glossed lips and Max shuddered deliciously, thinking about where he hoped she’d be placing her full lips later on in the evening.
“What about you?” Brittany tossed her hair over her shoulder as she asked the question. “You go to the movies much?”
The simple answer was no. Max rarely went to the movies. He rarely read a book. The main passion in his life was music. He loved traveling around the country listening to local trash metal bands. But he wished he’d grown up going to the movies, whether it was on dates or with friends. He wished that his reading ability hadn’t been so swiftly squandered and that he could actually focus long enough to be able to read an entire book if he wanted to. The Kings didn’t care about Max reading ability, or lack thereof, or his interest in movies. All they cared about was that he could handle himself in a fight and knew how to think quickly on his feet when he got into a jam. But to Brittany, Max wanted to be more than that. He wanted to be interesting and suave. He wanted to be a man she could admire.
“I go now and then,” Max replied vaguely.
“Sounds mysterious,” Brittany mirrored his stride as they left the foyer and wandered around to their relevant screen.
As they sat down in the back row, Max was grateful to notice that there was no one else around. That was the beauty of a twenty-five screen cinema – most showings on weeknights were always blissfully quiet. They settled down together, and after some monotonous advertisements and a few movie trailers the lights dimmed and the movie started.
Max wanted to enjoy the film. He’d chosen an action thriller which he’d hoped would be exciting enough to hold his attention. But it was no reflection on the movie that he struggled to follow what was happening. He couldn’t stop glancing at Brittany’s bare legs which were so irresistibly close to his own. Looking up he traced the curve of her bosom beneath the flimsy T-shirt she was wearing. Clothes which he could remove in less than a minute. The thought of seeing her naked made his pulse race. And h
er scent. She smelled so sweetly of vanilla that each time he inhaled she flooded his senses. Groaning Max tightened his hands on the arms of the theater seat.
Brittany must have noticed as she put down her tub of popcorn and turned towards him, her nose grazing his neck before she began to playfully pepper it with kisses. Max groaned again, louder this time. As Brittany kissed his neck, her hands began to travel towards the zipper on his jeans. Max leaned back, loving how sensual her kisses felt against his neck. He didn’t even care if she gave him a hickey; it just felt so good.
She undid his zipper and reached into his boxers. He was already hard when her hand found his dick.
“Good boy,” she purred into his ear approvingly. Max grinned widely and tried not to cry out in delight. He’d sensed that there was something special about Brittany. Most girls would insist on having an entire date before giving in to their desires, but not Brittany. She was brave enough to go after what she wanted, to give into the heat that sizzled between them. And the heat was undeniable. Max struggled to think about anything other than Brittany since their first meeting in the tattoo parlor.
