Tattoo Lust: A Tattoo Romance Collection

by Skyla Madi

  Meet me at Café Randé in half an hour.

  I reread the message a few times before typing a reply. The reply came faster than I expected. With a beating heart, my fingers hovered over the keyboard.

  How will I know who you are?

  I typed and sent it before I could change my mind. I waited with a beating heart for the next reply. It seemed to take longer, and I feared that he wouldn’t answer me, but he did.

  When you get to the café, tell the redhead waitress that you are there to meet Stephen.

  Okay. I was going to do this. I was going to meet a stranger at a place I’d never been before because I didn’t want my father finding out. I just hoped I made it back home again. Typing a quick reply, I pulled on my shoes and grabbed my phone and keys. Both my parents were in the kitchen when I entered. My eyes fell on my father; he was staring at me with narrowed eyes. For a second I thought he already knew, but I quickly pushed the thought aside. He couldn’t possibly already know.

  “I need to get some work from Kate,” I told them. “I’ll be back before the deputy arrives.” At least I hoped so.

  “Okay, honey,” my mom said.

  I walked away before he could say anything. Arguing wasn’t an option at the moment. The sooner I could meet that man, the better. Just thinking about what my father would do made me feel like bursting into tears. I sat in the car for a few seconds before typing the name into my GPS. Another few seconds passed before I found the courage to start the car. We were meeting in a public place. Everything would be fine.

  ***

  When I pulled up in front of the café twenty minutes later, I could feel my stomach drop. The place was public all right, but it was almost completely empty. I thought of just driving away but I instantly pushed the thought away. Sucking in a deep breath, I got out of my car. A bell above the door dinged as I entered. It looked really cozy. The walls were each painted a different color that complemented each other. There were oak tables with chairs for at least five people along with red vinyl booths placed along the walls. A counter was in the middle with barstools around it. Behind it was the kitchen, and to the left were two doors with signs that said, “Staff only.”

  “Welcome to Café Randé. Table for…?” A tall redhead walked up to me.

  I was taken aback by her bright blue eyes and blood red curls. She stood about a foot taller than me with a slim body and curves that made me feel jealous. Planting on a wide fake smile, I glanced around again.

  “I’m here to meet…Stephen.” Her eyes widened as her smile slightly faded. Straightening, she told me to follow her before turning and walking away. We walked to the left of the café where most of the booths were. She led me to the back and to the very last booth that was cut off from the rest of the place by a glass wall with beautiful colorful designs on.

  “Would you like anything to drink?” Her voice had dropped, making me shiver slightly. Instead of being friendly like she was when I entered, her voice was as icy as the blue eyes staring at me.

  “Water, please.” I watched as she walked away before sliding into the booth, making sure to face the front of the café.

  Music was playing softly through hidden speakers. A family sat by the front window and an elderly couple to the left. Some gruff-looking guy sat by the counter drinking coffee. There were a total of three waitresses—the red head, a brunette, and an elderly woman.

  “Thank you.” I gave her a small smile as the glass was placed on the table. I didn’t receive any smile in return, which made me frown. Aren’t they supposed to be cheerful? Rolling my eyes, I pulled my phone from my jeans pocket to text Kate. She replied in a few seconds.

  Smiling, I pushed my phone back into my jeans pocket. The bell dinged again, which snapped my attention to the entrance. My breathing hitched as the man entered. He was tall, about six foot three, and dressed in dark washed jeans that clung to his muscular thighs. A tight white short-sleeved shirt covered his muscled chest. His arms were covered in sleeve tattoos. I could even see some peeking out from the shirt on his neck as well. His hair was light brown, messy, and still slightly wet. From what I could see of his face, he had a square jaw and a straight nose.

  The redhead walked up to him with a bright smile. He smiled as well, showing off pearly whites. Then he leaned down, kissing her. My eyes widened. I could feel heat rushing to my cheeks. I quickly looked away to stare down at the table. When is this guy going to get here? My nerves were starting to get out of control.

  “I knew the picture was fake.”

  With a gasp, my eyes shot up. My breath got caught in my throat. I shuffled to my feet, gripping the booth. My knees were shaky and it took great effort for me to keep them locked so I didn’t slide to the floor into a puddle. It was the man who entered the café just seconds ago. The man who kissed the redhead. The man with at least a hundred or so tattoos covering his tanned skin.

  He was a lot taller than me. His large frame hid my small one from view. Holy shit. My eyes snapped up to his face and his seemed to do the same. His lips pulled up in a smirk, which snapped my attention to them. They were pink. His bottom lip was slightly fuller than the top, but damn, I wanted to taste those lips!

  “Alia Dune.” A shiver raced down my spine as he spoke. His voice was deep and slightly husky with a faint accent.

  “Y-yes.” I dropped my eyes, my body shaking in fear.

  “I’m surprised you came,” he said softly, making my head snap up.

  “I didn’t have a choice.” I tried to make my voice as icy as possible, but it didn’t work. My voice came out shaky and filled with fear.

  His smile dropped, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Sit down, Alia.”

  He didn’t have to tell me twice. I sank down into the seat again. Stephen slid into the booth opposite me. He placed his hands on the table, making my eyes drop to them. They were big and well groomed. How would they feel against my skin? Stop! What the hell are you thinking? He’s a stranger! A stranger who knows I’m a virgin that wants to sell it.

  The redhead appeared by our table, breaking me from my thoughts. “Would you like anything?” She was talking to Stephen, not even sparing me a glance. Bitch.

  “Would you like something?” My eyes snapped to him. Surprise filled me when I found his eyes on me. He raised an eyebrow in question, making me realize he asked me that.

  “N-no, thank you.”

  “Two coffees,” he said to her.

  “It will be out in a minute.” She walked from the table, swaying her hips to draw his attention, yet he wasn’t looking at her.

  His eyes were focused on me. Instead of looking away, my eyes locked with his. The air around us changed. His light green eyes widened slightly, and I could see his body tensing.

  “Jesus.”

  Chapter Five

  I felt weak. My stomach was turning and my hands were shaking. I could feel the sweat breaking out all over my body. How was it possible to be so attracted to a stranger? My eyes dropped first. I couldn’t take the intensity from the peculiar green depths anymore. He cleared his throat as he shifted slightly on the seat. The spell was broken but the tension still surrounded us. I was attracted to a fucking stranger. A hot, tattooed stranger. Oh my gosh! I moved to the edge of the seat. I was ready to hightail it out of here, but the waitress appeared. I froze, watching as she placed the coffee cups in front of us. A small plate was placed down that contained some sugar packets.

  “Can I get you anything else?”

  My eyes snapped up to her. She was leaning slightly forward, which made the top of her boobs visible to every eye. She was smiling at him—her blood red lips pulled up into a small smile. Well, that’s not very professional.

  “No,” he said, dismissing her.

  I glanced at him to find him watching me with a smirk. With a huff, she walked away. My eyes followed her for a few seconds before turning back to him. He was busy mixing some sugar into his cup. I did the same. My hands clutched the cup as
I waited for him to speak, but he didn’t. I sucked in a breath before raising the cup. A gasp fell from my lips when the coffee splashed over the rim and onto me. It burned through the material of my shirt straight to my skin. The cup clattered onto the table, spilling even more coffee, but I couldn’t care less. I gripped my shirt to pull it away from my skin.

  “Are you okay?” He was by my side holding out a white serviette. Tears burned my eyes as the pain intensified. I was aware of him yelling something and then gripping my arm. He pulled me up and down a hall where he pushed open a blue door.

  “Take off your shirt.” My eyes snapped up to his. “I need to check how bad the burn is. I’m not going to do anything to you.”

  He wouldn’t do anything in a public restroom, right? My face was burning with embarrassment as I pulled the t-shirt over my head. I stood in front of a sexy stranger with just my pants and an old pink bra. My skin was still burning. His hands gripped my hips, and before I could open my mouth to question him, he had picked me up to place me on the counter.

  He opened the tap next before sticking his hand beneath the water. I sucked in a sharp breath when he pressed his wet hand against my chest. He did that a few times until droplets dripped into my bra. I kept my eyes on his face when he bent slightly, his eyes falling to my chest.

  “It’s not so bad, but it’ll hurt for a few days,” he muttered. “The best option would be to get some ointment from the pharmacy.”

  “T-thank you.” His eyes caught mine but only for a second before dropping.

  It was like he suddenly wanted to get away from me. He grabbed some paper towels then held them out for me. I took them from him and gently pressed them against the burn. It wasn’t hurting as badly as it did a few minutes ago.

  “She did that on purpose,” I muttered. It was burning hot even though there was milk in the cup.

  When he didn’t answer me, I looked up to find him standing with his back to me. A wave of shame hit me. Of course a man as hot as him wouldn’t be able to look at someone like me. My eyes dropped down my body, making an unfamiliar feeling fill me. The fat around my stomach and hips was clearly visible. I pushed myself off the counter and quickly bent down to pick up my shirt.

  “How old are you?” I paused with the shirt halfway over my head.

  “Eighteen.”

  “Really?”

  I nodded and pulled the shirt down before risking a glance up at him.

  For a few more minutes, he stood like that before turning around to face me. His eyes instantly dropped before locking with mine. He was tense again. His hands clenched at his sides as he stared at me.

  “Why did you post that ad on the website?”

  “Because I want to be prepared when my crush finally makes his move,” I lied easily.

  He raised his eyebrow. “Really?”

  I nodded. He suddenly moved forward, making me step back. My back hit the wall, but thankfully he stopped his movement.

  “Let’s see if I understood you right. So you were willing to have someone pay you for sex so you can impress some guy?” Stated like that, it made it seem bad. It was the first thing I was able to come up with when he asked me that. “Let’s say that’s the real reason—”

  “It is!”

  “—you want to sell something so rare. What if the person who offers you a large sum of money is some old guy?”

  “I heard the older they are, the more experience they have,” I whispered.

  My heart escalated at a dangerous rate when he stepped closer again. There were only a few inches of space between us. This man was towering over me, which made me crane my neck to stare up at him. I sucked in a breath and instantly wished I hadn’t. I got a whiff of his cologne. It smelled delicious and addictive. Trying to be as discreet as possible, I sucked in another breath.

  “It’s not always true.” I blinked. “Even older men take without giving. They don’t last long, and they definitely don’t have the patience for foreplay.”

  “And you do?” The question fell from my lips before I could stop it.

  He chuckled. “Of course I do, Alia.”

  “How old are you?”

  “That’s not a question you bring up in a conversation like this,” he said as he stepped back.

  I crossed my arms over my chest as I leaned against the wall. He had walked across the small space to lean against the door. His back was turned to me once again. With an oath, he turned to face me again.

  “You want to learn about sex?”

  “Yes.”

  “About what, exactly?”

  “Everything,” I whispered.

  For a few minutes, he only watched me silently. His eyes seemed to darken as he watched me. After what felt like hours, he finally spoke up. “I’ve deleted your ad from the website. You want to learn, so I’ll teach you, but we need to make a few things clear.”

  “Okay.” I nodded, waiting for him to continue. Before he could, someone knocked on the door.

  “Stephen?” I felt the anger in me rise when I heard her voice. The bitch who served us. I wasn’t a violent person, but she made me want to beat the shit out of her. “I’m ready to go home now. My shift is finished.”

  I needed to get out of here. Pushing myself off the wall, I stepped around him and opened the door. The redhead stood there dressed in a short skirt with a tight crop top. I felt the jealousy from earlier return as I stared at her. She was glaring at me. Without saying a word, I pushed past her and walked back into the café. Our table had been cleaned while we were in the bathroom. I glanced around to find most of the people had already left.

  “Miss?” An elderly lady touched my arm. “I’m sorry about your coffee.”

  “It’s okay. It’s nothing serious.”

  “Still…you don’t have to worry ’bout paying for it, dear. It’s on the house.”

  “Thank you.” I gave her a small smile before making my way out of the café.

  I was almost to my car when a hand closed around my arm. Stephen stood in front of me, looking grim. “We haven’t finished talking yet.”

  “Your girlfriend is waiting.” I glanced at the redhead standing at the entrance. “I would really appreciate it if you don’t tell anybody about the post. You don’t have—”

  “She’s not my girlfriend.”

  “You kissed her!”

  His lips twitched. “If you looked closely, you would have seen that I kissed her on the cheek, not on the lips.”

  I frowned. The image of them flashed through my mind again. “She wants to go home with you,” I pointed out, making him roll his eyes.

  “A lot of girls want to go home with me,” he said softly. Without warning, he reached out. I sucked in a sharp breath when he traced a single finger down my cheek. I was aware of eyes burning into us, but all I could focus on was him.

  “Give me your phone.”

  “Why?”

  “So I can get your number. We still need to talk about a few things before your lessons start.”

  ***

  I stared at the black dress in horror. Dresses were definitely not on my list of clothes to impress my father’s deputy.

  “You have five minutes!” my mom called from the hall.

  I winced. After I got home she told me she had gotten me something special to wear for tonight. I definitely didn’t fucking expect it to be a dress. A black dress with a plunging neckline. It was beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t me. No way in hell was I wearing this. I walked over to my closet and pulled open the doors. I grabbed a hanger before turning to the bed. I hung it in the closet then grabbed a pair of dark wash jeans and a light blue formal shirt.

  “Two minutes!”

  Pulling on the jeans, I hesitated before grabbing the shirt. The material was thin, but I doubted my bra would be visible. It was a new bra I got during the summer. Kate had forced me to buy it, and I regretted it. The doorbell rang. Father would definitely be angry at me for being late. I quickly did up the but
tons and then pulled on my shoes. Next I brushed my hair before pulling it up into a high ponytail. I added some lip-gloss before stepping out of my bedroom. I hated meeting new people. The voices from the living room made me slow my steps. I sucked in a breath before entering. My mouth fell open. The color drained from my face as I stared at him.

  “Ah, this is Alia,” my father said.

  He turned around, the smile freezing on his face as our eyes locked.

  “Alia, this is my new deputy, Stephen Daniels.” He stepped forward with his hand held out. I swallowed. This can’t be happening, I thought as I stared up at him.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said as his fingers closed around my hand. A shiver raced down my spine when our skin touched. His were dry while mine were slightly sweaty. I pulled my hand from his when my mom entered with Sam in her arms.

  “And this is the baby of our family.”

  Half an hour later, I was forced to sit next to him at the table. His scent drifted across to me, which made me even more nervous. I wiped my hands on my thighs as I waited for them to pass the salad. Stephen was dressed in the same clothes as earlier; the only difference was the fact that his hair was dry now. I added a spoon of salad into my plate before passing the bowl to him. Our fingers brushed, making my stomach turn. From the corner of my eyes I saw him tense at the contact. Why was he acting like that?

  My mom kept the conversation going during dinner. Stephen clamped up every time she would ask him something about himself. He would give her a brief answer before steering the conversation into another direction.

  “Alia can show you around.”

  My head snapped up. “What?”

  “Since Stephen is new in town, you can show him around,” my mom said with a bright smile.

  “I have school,” I said, narrowing my eyes on her.