Draw Me In

by Regina Cole

  Before I could ask, he spoke again. “And this was my second piece. It’s a Dia de los Muertos skull.”

  “Oh yeah, sugar skulls,” I said with a smile, glad to be on familiar ground. “I loved The Halloween Tree when I was a kid. I always thought Day of the Dead skulls were so cool.”

  Neill cracked a smile at that, looking straight at me for the first time since he’d walked in the door. “Me, too.”

  Neill

  It was a relief to hide behind the instruction for a while. I pointed at different tattoos on my legs, talking about placement, sizing, detail, color, mistakes, anything and everything I could think of to keep the conversation from turning personal. Hailey seemed fascinated, but I was relieved that she didn’t ask to touch any more of my ink. Dammit, when she’d been there, bending over my leg, so close I could have pulled her into my lap at any second, it had been all I could do to keep myself still.

  Even now, an hour later, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pull her into my arms or ask her to leave. She was playing havoc with my head, and the mindfuck felt too good.

  Hailey was bent over the end of the tattoo chair, writing in that notebook with a purple-tipped pen. It was as if every word that fell from my lips was worth something to her. I shook my head in the silence. No way. That was the start of a short trip to being an egotistical maniac, and I wasn’t a fan of that destination.

  Frankie’s voice buzzed through the com. “Hey, boss. You’ve got a customer.”

  Hailey stood and hastily shut her notebook. “Sorry. I should get out of your way.”

  I shoved my socked foot back in my boot, lowering my pant leg. “Nope, you don’t get out of this that easy. Stay. Your shift doesn’t start for another two hours, so you get to hang out with me and watch.”

  Hailey’s brows winged high with excitement. “Really?”

  I nodded and stood. “Yep. Let’s go.”

  It was hard not to feel good at the way she reacted to me. It was hard not to feel special as she followed me from the studio. But I tightened my jaw and remembered the cold lump of hurt that nestled at the back of my chest. This was simply a business arrangement. We could be friends at best, and nothing more than that, ever. It was for her—and my—own good.

  “Hey,” I said to the woman at the counter. She was mature but attractive, dark hair with only a couple of gray dashes at the temples. Her tailored casual clothes indicated that she was well off but not stuck up. “I’m Neill.” I offered my hand, and she shook it.

  “Hi,” she said with a smile, glancing from Hailey to me. “I’m Jessica. I wanted to get a tattoo, if I could.”

  “Sure. What were you thinking about?” Hailey was standing behind me, but I was trying hard not to think about that. I had a job to do.

  “I wanted to get a pinup girl. You know, like a Gil Elvgren kind of housewife mishap? It’s my fiftieth birthday next month.”

  “Congratulations.”

  She smiled and dipped her head, the motion making her look much younger than she was. “Thank you. I did some modeling when I was younger, so I wanted to honor that.”

  I nodded. “Where did you want it?”

  She turned and dropped her hip, pointing to her side. “Here, along my torso.”

  I gave a low whistle. “You know that’s going to hurt like hell, right?”

  Jessica lifted her shirt on the opposite side, revealing a lacy-looking tribal swirl. “I know.”

  I grinned in appreciation. “Okay, then, badass, I’ll get something drawn up. This is my apprentice, Hailey. Is it okay if she watches?” Putting a hand on Hailey’s shoulder, I gently drew her forward. Her skin was so warm . . . I dropped my hand like it had been burned.

  “Not a problem at all,” Jessica said, reaching out to shake Hailey’s hand. “Hi.”

  “Hello.” Hailey’s voice was polite, confident, making it hard to be indifferent toward her.

  “Jessica, why don’t you have a seat here, and I’ll start sketching.” I pointed toward the black leather couches in the center of the lobby. “We’ll be right back.”

  “No problem.” Jessica sat, pulling her phone from her expensive bag as her heels clicked across the polished black floor to the couch. “I’ll be here.”

  “Come with me,” I said to Hailey, then led her into the office. It would be easier to use the drafting table to sketch a piece this big.

  “Okay.” Her words trailed after me, and I wished I could outrun the delicious feeling her voice stirred in me. No hope for it, though. I’d committed too much to her. This apprenticeship would be hell on earth if I didn’t start handling myself better.

  “So, Gil Elvgren,” I said, ripping a large sheet of paper from the roll at the edge of the table. “Ever heard of him?” I glanced toward Hailey, who was shifting from foot to foot by the door. “And come in here. How are you going to see anything from there?”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know.”

  I nodded toward the large bookshelf that dominated the back wall of the office. “Top shelf, lavender spine. Grab it.”

  She brushed past me, a necessity in the narrow space between the drafting table and the bookshelf, and I fought the blood stirring at her touch. Grabbing my pencil, I spread the paper on the large surface and waited for her.

  “This one? Oh yeah, well, it’s got his name on it.” She stretched high, and the hem of her shirt rode up, revealing the creamy skin at her waist. My fingers tingled, longing to caress her, see if that skin was as soft as it looked.

  “Oh,” Hailey breathed as she pulled the book free and revealed the cover. “Wow.”

  “Gil Elvgren, one of the finest pinup artists of all time, arguably.” I took the book from her and flipped it open, smiling at the familiar images. “Remember that suntan lotion ad from a long time ago, with the little girl and the dog pulling her bathing suit? That was him, too. But his pinups are something special.”

  I pointed to the image that had fallen open first, a blonde kneeling atop a polar bear–skin rug. Her head was tilted and her smile mischievous. “See? Color, shape, attitude.”

  Hailey nodded almost reverently. “That’s gorgeous.”

  “So, Jessica wants a pinup girl: naughty housewife, she said. So, page through there and give me some ideas.” I set the book on the drafting table in front of us. Moving half a step to the side, I folded my arms, tapping the end of my pencil against my bicep.

  “Okay.” Hailey bent over the book, and it was easy to see she was moving much faster than she wanted to. That was good. She was keeping the customer in mind, which some artists didn’t do well. A little ego was a good thing. A ton could be a career killer.

  “What about this one?” She pointed to a full-page spread halfway through the book, a buxom brunette opening an oven, her hand over her mouth as she saw smoke pouring from the stove.

  I nodded. “It’s a great image, but think about it as a tattoo. Would you want an oven on your side?”

  Hailey wrinkled her nose in that adorable way she had. “Maybe not. Try again?”

  “Yeah. Go for it. Picture it on her skin, right there along her rib cage.”

  She bent to the book again. I focused on my breathing, even and steady. She was gorgeous, she was sweet, she was Hailey. My apprentice. And that was all she’d ever be, because I couldn’t take any more than that.

  No matter how much I wanted her.

  Chapter Twelve

  Hailey

  I stared at the pages of the book, wishing like hell I could examine each one in detail. God, they were beautiful. I loved drawing figures, but I hadn’t really delved into the pinup thing before. They’d always seemed too difficult to capture, that mixture of innocence and sexiness. Staying safer was easy. This would be a challenge.

  “Here.” I stabbed my finger at the book, smiling as triumphant confidence flooded me. “This one is perfect.”

  A beautiful blonde lay in a bed of blue velvet, winking up from the page. Her cream-colored dress flowed around her, revealing ge
nerous cleavage and thigh-high garters. In one hand she clutched pages from a letter; the other hand piled her curls atop her head.

  Neill bent to look at my choice, pursing his lips slightly. My confidence faltered just a touch. “What kind of problems might I run into tattooing this image?”

  “Well . . .” I thought about it. “The color of the dress?”

  “That’s one thing. That’s a lot of white, and over large areas, it won’t show up very well.” Neill nodded. “Anything else?”

  I bit my lip, staring at the picture. In my mind’s eye, I saw Jessica lifting her shirt to show us where she’d wanted her tattoo.

  “The picture would need to be reversed; otherwise it’ll be oriented toward her back.”

  Neill tilted his head in agreement.

  “But we could recolor the dress and reverse the picture. If she liked it. I think lavender would be an awesome color against that bright blue.”

  Neill broke into a grin then. “Yup. Let’s sketch this up.”

  Putting pencil to paper and using the picture as a guide, Neill started drawing. I moved closer. Watching him was almost like watching the image come alive under his pencil. Quick lines flew, the curves of the woman’s calves, her bountiful curls, the cupid’s bow of her lips.

  Neill’s hair fell into his eyes and he shoved it away impatiently, his eyes glittering as he glanced from page to book and back. The muscles in his forearms twitched and flexed as he moved, turning the page this way and that to get the lines perfect.

  I wrapped my arms around my middle, trying to keep my emotions in place. They were all over the map as I watched him work. Awe of his talent, trembling desire to feel his strong hands on me, wariness that I might be in over my head, fear of what might happen if I screwed this apprenticeship up.

  The room was dim other than the lights trained on the drafting table, shadows falling like autumn leaves in the small office. It was intimate that way, almost too much for me to handle.

  I squeezed my eyes shut and took in a cleansing breath. When I opened my eyes again, Neill was straightening. “Let’s go show Jessica what we’ve got.”

  I looked at the drawing. It was simpler than the original, but I knew the detail would come in the actual tattoo. He’d captured her perfectly, just backward. The coy smile, the sparkling wink, the sexy come-hither pose.

  “It’s great.” My voice held a trace of the awe I was feeling. He was so talented. Why did he want anything to do with a stupid, damaged girl like me?

  Neill looked down at me, and I didn’t think I was imagining the pleased light in his eyes. “Thanks. Now let’s go make it amazing.”

  He lifted the drawing from the table. Wanting to be helpful, at least a little bit, I grabbed the art book and started to close it, intending to put it back on its shelf atop the crowded bookcase.

  “Why don’t you take that with you.”

  I paused in mid-flip, almost closing the book on my finger. “Really?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, of course. You’ll have to learn how to draw all kinds of stuff for customers. It’s better to get started with a variety right off the bat. Take it with you, and try to draw some of them.”

  I couldn’t stop my happy grin. “Thanks.”

  As Neill made his way toward Jessica’s seat on the far couch, I went straight to the now-empty front counter and tucked the large book inside my messenger bag. It was about the size of one of my textbooks but a helluva lot more fun. I couldn’t wait to try drawing some of those pinups. After watching Neill capture the look so perfectly, I wanted to see if I could echo any of that in my own rendition. Frankie waved at me as he came out of his studio to return to the front desk. I hoped he didn’t resent the fact that I was here and not working the counter, but his friendly wink told me I was worrying for nothing.

  When I returned to Neill’s side, the picture was spread out in his hands, and he and Jessica were standing in front of the couch, talking.

  “I love it,” Jessica said, a genuine smile on her face as she looked down at the drawing. She traced the edge of the pinup’s skirt. “Really, it’s perfect.”

  “Great. You ready?” Neill said.

  She shouldered her bag with a happy nod. “Let’s do this.”

  With my notebook in hand, I followed Jessica and Neill into the studio. Nerves flooded me, and I wondered why. It wasn’t like I was getting a tattoo today. As I tucked myself beside the door to be out of the way, it occurred to me: I was actually helping with the tattoo. As tiny as my involvement had been, this tattoo was the first thing I’d had a hand in that would be a permanent part of someone’s life. It was exciting but kind of scary at the same time.

  “Lie down here for me, Jess.” Neill tapped the arm of the tattoo chair as he moved past. “Keep the side you want it on facing up.”

  Jessica did as she was told as Neill gloved up and grabbed his cleaning and shaving gear. I watched the whole thing, making notes as Neill said or did different things. The procedure was important, he’d told me the night before. I wanted to make sure I memorized what he did and when.

  “Hailey, grab some gloves.”

  I jumped. “Me?”

  Neill laughed. “Yes, you. You’re going to help me prep, if Jessica doesn’t mind.”

  Jessica made a waving gesture in the air. “Go for it.”

  I quickly set my notebook aside and pulled a pair of black gloves from the box on the counter. As I pulled them on, my insides started to vibrate. Was it fear? No. Something more than that. Terror and excitement mixed into the most delicious feeling. I snapped my gloves into place and took the spot beside Neill. “I’m ready.” Words had never felt so good.

  With Neill’s guidance, I taped Jessica’s shirt high beneath her arm, covering the edge to prevent staining from ink and blood. After showing me the proper way to wash and shave the skin, Neill had Jessica stand, and he applied the stencil, showing me the best way to position the image. At that point, I removed my gloves and started taking notes again.

  Once they were both satisfied with the placement, Jessica lay down again and Neill sank onto his stool.

  “All right,” he said as his machine buzzed, the tip sinking into a tiny cup of ink. “Ready for this?”

  Even though the question was directed toward Jessica, I found myself nodding, too. I was ready for this. More than that, I was hungry for it.

  My doubts—if I’d had any—were gone. I wanted to be a tattoo artist.

  Neill

  I wiped the last traces of excess ink from Jessica’s skin. “All right, are you ready to take a look?”

  “Hell yeah,” Jessica said, her voice as strong as ever. She’d come through the piece like a trouper, not a complaint, hissed-in breath, or grunt ever betraying her pain. I smirked to myself as I thought of my own rib piece, a tall ship on my left side. As much as I loved ink, that hadn’t been fun. Probably my most painful one to date, and while I’d been proud of how tough I was at the time, I hadn’t been as stoic as this woman.

  “Oh my God, you guys!” Jessica stared in the mirror, her eyes bright and her smile wide. The corners of her eyes crinkled, and she bit her lip before continuing. “It’s perfect! I love it.”

  Hailey stepped closer, pulling her cellphone from her pocket. “Hey, would you mind if I took a picture of it?”

  “No, not at all.” Jessica turned obligingly, and Hailey snapped a picture. My heart thudded slightly harder at the sight of Hailey’s face. She was in awe, but more than that, there was pride there. Almost as if she’d realized that she was part of this tattoo. And she was, in a way. Suddenly, it was really important to me that Jessica know that.

  I cleared my throat. “Hey, Jessica, Hailey here found that picture. And she suggested the color of the dress.”

  Hailey blushed as Jessica examined the lavender gown on her side. “It’s perfect. I don’t know that I’d have imagined putting the deep blue and that color together, but they’re wonderful.” Jessica reached out for Hailey’s hand. “Than
k you, Hailey.”

  The blush that had become as reliable as a sunrise bloomed again as Hailey looked toward the floor. “You’re welcome.”

  Minutes later, I had Jessica’s tattoo freshly smeared with ointment and covered, and our trio moved out to the front counter, where Frankie was chatting with a short man who had close-cropped hair.

  As Jessica and I chatted over the credit card machine, Hailey moved behind the counter. I glanced at the time on the machine. It was almost time for her shift to start.

  “Here,” Jessica said as she filled in the receipt. “Can you give part of this to Hailey? I know she’s new, but she was great.” She glanced over at Hailey, who was completely preoccupied with a stack of forms, too far away and absorbed in what she was doing to hear. “And by the way, you two make a great couple.”

  “We’re not . . .” I trailed off as Jessica’s brows winged high. “Yeah. I’ll give it to her.”

  As I took the receipt and waved Jessica goodbye, I took in a deep breath. The day had started out pretty shitty, but it had definitely taken a turn for the better. Nothing much more fun than doing a great tattoo on a great person. Then again, I didn’t think it would have been such a pleasant experience without one important element.

  “Hey, Hailey, can you come here for a minute?”

  She put the pile of forms beside her computer and glanced shyly up at me. “Sure.”

  I led her to the break room because it was closer to the front counter than my studio. Once she’d entered, I closed the door.

  “Listen, Jessica wanted you to have this.” I jammed my hand in my pocket and pulled out a couple of twenties.

  “What for?” Hailey didn’t move to take the money; she just looked up into my eyes. God, why’d she have to look at me like that? I wasn’t special, I wasn’t important. I was a fucked-up loser who happened to love drawing.