The Tattoo Artist and the Girl from the Coffee Shop

by Terry Towers

  “Did you even have sex?”

  “Well, no.” But I more or less offered and he took off on me, she silently added. She was beginning to sway. Maybe he wasn’t as into her as she’d thought. Maybe he wasn’t being chivalrous but plain wasn’t interested.

  Pulling open the milk dispenser, Samantha pulled the 8-gallon milk bag from the machine to replace it. “Then go out with the hottie lawyer and see where it goes. One date does not an exclusive relationship make.”

  “I suppose. Maybe I’m overthinking this whole thing.”

  “Of course you are.”

  Tessa sighed. “All right.” She pushed herself off of the counter and headed toward the back of the restaurant to finish cleaning the pots. “I guess it can’t hurt.”

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  Tessa

  Tessa had just finished putting a pair of gold loop earrings into her ears, the final preparation for her date with Eric, when her mobile phone beeped with a message. Grabbing the phone, she looked down at the screen to see it was from Chase. A wave of guilt washed over her and she immediately chastised herself for feeling that way. She’d been doing some thinking and determined that Samantha was right, hell, he may have a half a dozen girls on speed dial, one for every night of the week. But she still couldn’t help the guilt. Curious, she swiped the screen and the message popped up.

  Chase: I’m so sorry I didn’t contact you until now. Things got insane at the shop.

  Her finger hovered over the reply button as she attempted to assemble what she wanted to say. She was about to reply when a second message came in.

  Chase: I hope you’re not angry. I had a great time the other night.

  Tessa smiled. She wasn’t angry, far from it, although she’d been slightly disappointed.

  Tessa: I was thinking maybe your discovery in my kitchen scared you off.

  Chase: Hardly. My head is still reeling from the possibilities…

  Even though he wasn’t in front of her, Tessa still felt a blush colouring her cheeks and a smile form on her lips.

  Tessa: I thought you said you were green when it came to that stuff.

  Chase: I have a good imagination.

  Tessa: So are you saying you’ve been fantasizing about me?

  Her newly French manicured finger hovered over the SEND button, not sure if she should be brazen enough to send the message or not. She knew exactly the types of message she’d be inviting with her comment. To hell with it. Grinning, she pressed the button and waited on bated breath.

  But she didn’t have a chance to wait for the reply. The unmistakable roar of Eric’s car came from the driveway. With reluctance, she turned the ringer off on the phone and stuffed it into her handbag. Whatever his answer, it would have to wait until after her date. The irony that she hadn’t had a date in years and now she’d had two in three days wasn’t lost on her.

  Tessa gave herself one more look in the mirror and nodded her approval. While Chase was cool with whatever she wore whether it be Snoopy pajamas or a sundress, she suspected Eric wouldn’t be quite as easy to please. She just got that impression of him, and she suspected that was why she’d been reluctant to call him in the first place. Whatever standard Eric set for his women she had no intention of struggling to meet that expectation.

  Maybe I’m just misjudging him.

  Making her way through the house, Eric was knocking on the door just as she entered the kitchen. She opened the door and was shocked to see he’d replaced his finely tailored suit with a grey V-neck sweater and jeans. He leaned casually against the door jamb, crossed his arms over his chest and flashed her a smile, a smile that carried through to his blue eyes.

  “You look stunning, Tessa.”

  She looked down at the dark green sundress she was wearing, which matched her eyes perfectly. “Thank you.” Unlike the dress she’d worn with Chase, one that clung to her curves and was meant to be sexy, this one was soft and unassuming. She looked back up into his eyes. “I think I like this more laid-back look on you.”

  Chuckling, Eric straightened and stepped back, giving her a look of amusement. “Oh, I get it now.”

  Cocking a brow at him, she stepped out onto the porch and closed the door, locking it behind her. “Get what?”

  “You thought I was a pompous prick, that’s why it took your co-worker to make this date for us for you to go out with me.” Slipping his arm around her waist he led her to the car and opened the door for her.

  She opened her mouth to respond then snapped it shut. “That’s not entirely true.” She spun to face him before getting into the car, feeling bad she’d come to that conclusion without getting to know him first.

  His expression grew more amused. “So only a little true. That’s what you’re saying.”

  “No. I…” She groaned and thrust a hand into her dark locks.

  Laughing, Eric motioned for her to get into the car. “No need to explain. I’m only teasing. I assure you I’ve been called much, much worse. Get in.”

  Relaxing, Tessa slid into the passenger seat and Eric closed the door behind her. As he walked around the front of the car she couldn’t resist sneaking a peek at her phone. Sure enough there was a message. Two in fact.

  Chase: I haven’t stopped.

  She clicked to the next message.

  Chase: I’ve just met you and you’ve become my favourite distraction.

  She could feel the heat colouring her cheeks again and quickly put the phone away when Eric opened the driver’s side door, feeling guilty over having checked the phone. She was with Eric right now, he deserved her attention. However, guilt seemed to be a go-to emotion for her, one she tried in vain to rid herself of but couldn’t regardless of how hard she tried.

  “So, I was thinking we could have a nice dinner.” He slid into the seat and started the car. “And maybe go from there?”

  Tessa looked over at Eric and smiled. “That sounds wonderful.” Despite her words, it was killing her not to pull her phone from her purse again so she could respond to Chase. As nice as the evening would no doubt be, Eric simply wasn’t the man she wanted to be spending the evening with. She silently cursed Samantha for putting her in this awkward situation.

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  Chase

  Chase waited and waited and waited some more for her to respond. He wouldn’t lie, when she didn’t reply to his last message he was disappointed. Putting his phone back onto the counter behind him, he wheeled his chair over to his present client, a female tattoo virgin who was getting a tattoo for her 18th birthday while a group of her teenage friends stood by giggling and chattering.

  The past two days had been insane, it was as if everyone in the city decided all at once they wanted tattoos. But business was business and he certainly wasn’t in a position to turn it down, not if he planned on buying out his brother’s share of the art gallery before he died of old age. He needed to get out from under his brother’s hold. Had to.

  Chase was about to press the stencil onto the girl’s thigh when she stopped him. Cocking a brow up at her, Chase lifted his gaze to meet the girls.

  “Umm. Like, I kinda changed my mind.”

  Thank fucking god! She was his last client of the night and it was just early enough to stop by and see Tessa. He flashed her a smile. “That’s no problem. I’d rather you knew you wanted one for sure then…”

  “No, no. I do, I do. But I changed my mind on which tattoo I want.”

  Ahh fuck! He had to fight to keep his smile in place as he gave her a reassuring nod. “Of course. What were you thinking?”

  She passed him her phone to show him a picture of a finely detailed peacock. He groaned inwardly.

  “I was thinking my outer leg.” She showed the space of two feet in length, from hip to nearly her knee. “Would it be too much hassle to do this one instead?”

  Yes! he wanted to say, but forced himself to keep a smile on his face. That tattoo was going to run him at least six hours, most likely eight. It would be into the we
e hours of the morning before he had it complete. The original tattoo would have had him out of the shop on time, 10pm. Maybe he’d get lucky and with her being a virgin canvas she’d tap out after an hour. It wasn’t the greatest attitude and he was slightly ashamed of feeling the way he did, but he was exhausted. Too many hours working and not enough sleep.

  “It’s going to be way past midnight by the time it’s done.”

  She grinned. “It’s okay, it’s the weekend, we’ve got all night.” Her entourage of friends all mimicked her answer, with a mixture of excited squeals.

  “Great.” Shit. Taking the phone from her, he went back to his desk and began to mimic the design, but with his own flair added to it. Once he was finished he turned back to the girls.

  Her eyes lit up when she caught sight of the design. “It’s perfect!”

  “Wonderful.”

  Taking a deep breath in and slowly releasing it, Chase set to work.

  He was nearly halfway through when he heard his phone buzz, indicating a new text message. It was Tessa. It had been four hours since her last message; took a long enough time. Maybe she’s just not too into me? He shook his head, dismissing the thought; that was an impossibility. He was being conceited, but knew he hadn’t imagined their connection. Maybe she’s seeing someone else? It was a Friday night, date night.

  “Ouch!” His client stared at him, a frown on her teenaged lips.

  Oh fuck me. Shit, shit, shit. He pulled the needle up from her skin to see he’d gouged her. “Sorry, sweetheart. Give me a minute, okay?”

  She nodded.

  Placing the tattoo gun on the table next to the table he rolled the stool back to the counter where he’d laid the phone. Picking it up, he was pleased to see it was indeed a message from Tessa. If she was on a date he was relieved to know that he was at least still on her mind; as far as he was concerned it meant the date wasn’t so spectacular that he was out of the picture. He had no problem fighting for what he wanted, if he had to.

  Tessa: Then why aren’t you here?

  Why indeed.

  Chapter 6

  Tessa

  “Now was that so bad?” Eric asked, his tone teasing as he walked Tessa to her door, standing before her, thrusting his hands into his pockets and rocking back on his heels.

  Tessa laughed and shook her head, gazing up into his eyes. He was so handsome and charming; he really was the perfect date. Any other time she’d have considered herself lucky to have a chance with him, but sadly he wasn’t the man who’d been on her mind all evening. “No, it wasn’t. I had a good time, Eric. I’m sorry, I’ll admit I judged you before really getting to know you. It was a really horrible thing for me to do.”

  He smiled. “Apology accepted.” He took a step toward her.

  Tessa knew what was coming next, could see it in the way he looked down at her. Before she could decide what to do, he’d pulled her into his arms and his lips didn’t hesitate as they claimed hers.

  Her body tensed for a split moment, but she forced herself to relax and fall into him. Just one kiss, just to see. His lips were firm against hers, his kiss sure and confident. The kiss was nice, but… She sighed and gave him a hesitant smile as the kiss ended. Sadly, it didn’t have the fire she’d felt when Chase’s lips were on hers. The kiss didn’t make her body hum or her mind spin with the possibilities.

  “But…” he said, as if reading her mind.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but she had no idea what to say. She wasn’t good at rejecting people; she’d been guilty of allowing relationships to last much longer than necessary just to escape being the “bad guy.”

  “I can see it,” he urged.

  “See what?”

  “There’s a ‘but’ coming up. You had a great time, but…”

  Tessa bowed her head and sighed, feeling guilty for not returning the attraction he felt for her. Guilt, damned this guilt, she silently cursed. The black cloud of guilt refused to leave her.

  He stepped into her and gave her a brief hug. “It’s fine, my ego can handle it.”

  “I just don’t think I’m ready…” She was so full of shit, but what else was she supposed to say? She might as well just say, “it’s not you it’s me,” the line she used was just as tacky.

  Releasing her he took a step back and gave her a knowing nod, releasing her from the awkwardness. “However, if you’re willing to give me another shot to attempt and redeem myself, give me a call. All right? Either way, I understand.”

  Returning his smile, she relaxed, thankful he was letting her off of the hook. “You’re a really great guy, Eric. I really did have a great time.”

  Leaning in to her, he brushed his lips across hers and then straightened. “Goodnight, Tessa.” Turning, Eric didn’t look back as he got into his car and sped away.

  Tessa watched the taillights disappear down the street, until he turned the corner and was out of sight. It all worked out, she told herself. He’d have another woman on his arm by midnight tomorrow, she had no doubt on that.

  She kicked the door closed with her heel as she dug into her handbag searching for her phone; it had beeped a couple of hours ago and while she hadn’t looked at the message she knew who it was from. Swiping at the screen, Chase’s message popped up.

  Chase: Give me three hours and I will be.

  Tonight? This late? She looked at the timestamp on the message. The message had come in nearly three hours ago.

  Uh-oh. She began to type, attempting to clarify if he actually meant tonight when the roar of a motorcycle came pulling into the driveway and moments later a knock came at the door at her back. She yelped, nearly dropping her phone as she spun to face the closed door.

  A second knock came, springing her into action. Quickly peering into the mirror by the door she raked her fingers through her hair, smoothing down the strands before opening the door.

  “Chase.” Despite having read the message she could hardly believe he was standing there on her doorstep. “It’s past two.”

  His eyes scanned her from head to toe and back up again, his expression remaining unreadable. “You were on a date.” There was no accusation in his tone, but a simple statement of fact.

  “I… Umm…” she raked a hand through her hair, her face growing warm.

  Chase didn’t wait for an invitation, stepping past her as he shrugged off his leather motorcycle jacket, hanging it up and then making his way into the kitchen. Placing his helmet on the countertop, he perched himself on her kitchen stool and pulled open the drawer to the coffee packets.

  “Why… So.” Tessa huffed. “Why would you say that?” She closed the door and walked over to him, taking the coffee packet from his fingertips.

  “Because you didn’t reply to my text message, it’s Friday night and because last time I showed up at your place you were wearing Snoopy, not looking like…” His eyes roamed her body again.

  Getting over her surprise, she crossed her arms over her chest and, cocking a brow up at him, she waited for him to come up with an adjective to describe how she looked.

  He shrugged, giving her a sheepish grin. “Like you just went out on a date.”

  Laughing, she gave her head a shake. “And what if I did?”

  “I’d think it must not have went well.” Chase gave her a sexy, self-assured grin. “He’s not here.”

  The Keurig machine chimed and shut off. Grabbing his coffee, she slid it across the counter to him. The smug bastard needed to be brought down a rung or two. “You weren’t at my place at 2am either.”

  “Ouch.” He grimaced, but a smile remained on his lips. “That stung a little bit.” Bringing the mug to his lips he took a tentative sip, gave a little nod and took a bigger drink.

  “Besides, for all I know you’ve been out with a half a dozen girls since our date.”

  He laughed. “No, as a matter of fact, I haven’t. So tell me about him.”

  “Who?”

  “This man I’m competing with to gain your affecti
ons. Is he hot, abs of steel? Gym rat type? Or is he one of those hippie types who recites poetry and spends his life trying to fix the planet and save baby whales.”

  “He’s neither of those things.”

  “What does he do?” Chase took another sip and waited, his expression unreadable.

  Rolling her eyes at him, Tessa sat on the stool next to him and decided to play along. It was evident he planned on keeping up with this silly interrogation until it no longer amused him. “He’s a lawyer.”

  “Ohh. Lawyer. Does he drive one of those expensive sports cars that are reserved for pompous douchebags? You know what they say about men who drive those types of cars…”

  “A Jaguar.”

  “Wow. A Jag. Really pompous then.”

  Tessa laughed. “No. As a matter of fact, smartass, he was a really nice guy. And a partner at the firm.”

  Chase’s mouth dropped open in an expression of mock amazement. “A partner. And he drives a Jag. Wow. Double wow.”

  Groaning out loud, Tessa attempted to remain serious, but it was hard. Really hard when he was being so over the top.

  “So then, where is this hotshot lawyer who has abs of steel and who is intent on sweeping you off of your feet? Do I need to worry? Has he seen your secret collection?”

  Laughing, her face flushed at the mention of her secret stash. “No, he hasn’t seen my collection. And I don’t think I’ll be seeing him again.”

  Chase frowned, but the frown didn’t follow through to his eyes. His eyes sparkled with mischief and amusement. “Was I right about the small –” he motioned to his crotch “– package?”

  “Yes.”

  His smile widened.

  “I mean, no.” She groaned out loud. “I mean, we didn’t get that far for me to find that out. We went on one date, tonight. Had a little kiss goodnight and parted ways.”

  Chase cocked a brow up at him. “Ya kissed him, huh?”