Skin Deep

by Trista Jaszczak

  Skin Deep

  Copyright 2015 Trista Jaszczak

  First Edition

  All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of these publications may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the Author. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Formatting by ShoutLines Design

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Copyright

  Dedication

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  DEDICATION

  To the Dom who brought out the baby girl sub in me, thanks for the training! And thanks for helping me to make this book something that I am proud of.

  To those who didn’t desert me when I dropped my pen name, I’m lucky to have you in my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  Damned if I do, damned if I don’t. I’ve been staring at these damn applications for hours and I’m not getting anywhere. For once in my life I actually wish that I wasn’t so picky. But here I am, shuffling through the pile of applications and portfolios, again. Like I expect them to evolve into something great. Ha. What a joke. I knew that opening Skin Deep wouldn’t be easy. I knew that it would be hard work. What I didn’t know, however, was that four years from the day I opened two of my three tattoo artists would be bailing on me. It’s not that I blame them for wanting to get out of Cincinnati, but it would have been nice if they'd left at different times. You see, tattoo shops are a dime a dozen here and I pride myself on having the best. I also take pride in the fact that at twenty-five years old, I have a shop that people travel from miles away to come to. Losing two of the three artists I have on the payroll is taking a toll on me. I’m bound and fucking determined to keep this shop open. I have to. I love it too much to close it. Ugh, I can just hear my family now, if they ever heard that I had to shut Skin Deep down because I couldn’t find artists, they'd never let me live it down. I’m the black sheep in my family, the Jar-Jar Binx if you will. They always said I would never amount to anything. When I left home at eighteen, they were sure I'd come running back to them groveling for a place to stay. But I proved them wrong, I got a job, a place to live and started paving the way for my dream, Skin Deep. I opened three years later just after my twenty-first birthday, it’s been booming ever since. Casper, or Cas, as we call him; was my first hired artist. I had shorter hours when I first opened the shop. Cas and I were the only artists until I hired Kade and Archer. Now Kade and Archer have picked the same damn time to go sow their wild fucking oats in New York and L.A. I love them to death, but right now I want to kill them both. I’m stressed, annoyed, and completely happy for them. If I could just make something good pop up from these applications. That would be fucking awesome.

  “Lola,” I hear Cas walk up behind me. He places a steaming, hot cup of coffee on the counter for me. “You’ve been at this for hours, don’t you think you’d better get home?”

  For as long as I've known Cas, he's had this serious issue with me closing the shop alone. He says that it’s dangerous. I don’t mind it, but I feel awful that he’s been stuck here the entire time that I've been here. I give my head a little shake, pick up the coffee and have a sip. “You know, you can leave Cas. I've told you before that you don't have to stay. I just have to find someone to hire. Just one decent person.”

  “Those are the same damn applications and portfolios you’ve been looking at for days. If you didn’t find someone in them before, there isn’t going to be anyone in there now.” He tells me, giving my shoulder a pat.

  Thank you, Captain Obvious. I drop my head on the counter. “I have to find someone Cas, anyone. There has to be someone in this town that actually knows what they’re doing.”

  “You’ll find someone, Lola. It’ll just take time. I know that Kade and Archer picked a hell of a time to leave, but you and I can, and will manage this place.” He reassures me, patting my shoulder once more.

  I look up at him, his gray eyes are obviously tired, and worn. We already put our heart and soul into Skin Deep, just to make it run. I’ve needed to hire more people for a long time, but I’m so damn meticulous that I haven’t. Now I’m risking my business and Cas’ job.

  “How about this,” he starts, “what if you hire someone to come in, just to keep the place in order. You worry about the books of course, and you and I do the art?”

  I shrug. “It may work, I just have to find someone willing to be the maid.”

  He laughs. “We can handle this. Stop worrying. Are we all set for Kade and Archer’s going away party?”

  “Yes, I have the food coming in from Fat Boy’s catering and I ordered the cake from Triple Layer. I just need you to pick up the drinks, maybe some beer. I can give you cash.”

  He shakes his head. “Don’t worry, I got it, you’ve already done enough. As long as I get a few pieces of cake from Triple Layer.”

  I laugh. “I've got you covered, Cas. Don’t worry.”

  “You ready to get the hell out of here? We’ve been here long enough today.” He tells me, pushing the applications from my view.

  I let out an aggravated sigh even though I know full well that he’s right. I got here at six o'clock this morning to do the books, we were scheduled solid and it was just Cas and me all day. Luckily, tomorrow is a shorter day and we’re not nearly as booked as we were today. I have a continuation for a full sleeve coming in at ten, but it'll only be three hours since we break larger tattoos into multiple shorter sessions. I finally give in, giving him a nod while gathering all the applications and portfolios and put them in my desk drawer... Tomorrow is a brand new day, who knows what could happen?

  I actually slept in today, by sleep in I mean I set my alarm for eight and didn’t drag my ass out of bed until nine. It may not be much, but I got some extra sleep, which I desperately need, and still managed to get to the shop in time to open by ten. Go me! Archer is walking up to the door at the same time as me, that's one thing I'll miss when he's gone. That little asshole could be out all fucking night and still get to work on time, in an excellent fucking mood to boot. He hands me a large chai tea from our favorite coffee shop, No Doze, from just down the street. I feel some pesky tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. Archer always does this for me. What will I do while he’s off being reckless out in L.A.?

  He puts his arm around me and gives me a tight hug. “I’m not leaving forever.”

  “No, but you are leaving,” I tell him. “What will I do without you and Kade? We’re a little family here. How am I supposed to get by without you guys?”

  “You have Cas,” he reminds me, running a hand through his messy, chocolate blonde hair.

  “I know I have Cas, but Cas and I can't run this shop alone Arch,” I say, letting out a sigh as I unlock the door to the shop. “It’s gonna be damn near impossible.”

  “How do you know that your next great artist won’t fall right into y
our lap today?” He teases, having a gulp of his own coffee.

  I laugh and shake my head. “It would be a fucking miracle Arch. I've been going through applications and portfolios for days on end and none of them is up to my standards.”

  “Well, that’s what you get for being so particular.” He teases as I push the door open.

  I laugh as he lets me enter first. I look at him and sip my tea, “I’m picky for a damn good reason, Arch. This business needs artists who produce work good enough to draw people in. I don’t want to be running some shop where you get ink that looks like you got it in your neighbor’s, cousin’s basement.” I grumble, walking to the back, plopping my purse into a drawer in my desk.

  “Don’t worry so much, Lola. We’re not leaving forever and you never know, someone could walk in the shop today who is an amazing artist, has years of experience, and just sweeps you off your feet.” He takes a minute by the mirror to ruffle up his chocolate blonde hair as I stare at him like he’s insane for that last part.

  “If you know where this amazing artist is, then by all means tell me, because I've been looking for them since you and Kade put in your notices. I'm getting fucking nowhere, Arch.”

  He turns and shoots me a playful pout. “You'll be fucking awesome and you'll find a killer artist.”

  I scoff. “Then find him for me. Someone, anyone who knows what they’re doing. Please!”

  “Please what?” Cas says, as he walks in and closes the door behind him.

  “Please find me an artist, just one, that knows what they’re doing.” I grumble, having a drink of my chai tea.

  “Lola, you are too stressed about this. You've got to lighten up. What if I told you that I have a friend who has this friend…”

  His voice trails and I fight the urge to roll my eyes. A friend of a friend, who knows my brother’s cousin’s neighbor. Yeah, I’ve heard these stories before and I've never once met any of these people. I can't count how many times I've heard the “I have a friend, who knows this guy! I will tell him to stop by with his portfolio.” I’ve yet to actually see any of these people, so I don’t know why he’s even trying.

  “Don’t you give me that look,” he scolds me immediately. “I'm serious Lola. I know the guy, and this dude is a close friend. He has about eight years of experience and from what I am told he’s fucking awesome. I guess he’s the one who gave my buddy his Phoenix Guitar tattoo.”

  My eyes narrow in on him only because I know exactly the tattoo he is referring to, and the detail in it is so damn amazing it almost makes me want to cry. If Cas can get me this guy, I will fucking love him for the rest of my life. I finally give him a nod. “We need someone, Cas. We can't run this shop with just the two of us.”

  “Well, this dude is supposed to be stopping in, so you be nice and seriously look at his portfolio.”

  I nod and playfully roll my eyes. “When is he supposed to be here?”

  He shrugs, crossing his arms as he leans back in his chair. “Not sure. I just know that he’s coming in.”

  “Okay, this could work out. We could pull this off.”

  He and Archer both give me a nod.

  “We can do this Lola. So what if we get a little tired. We won’t let the shop just fizzle out. I promise you that.” Cas tells me, giving Archer a whack in the arm in a failed attempt to make him drop his coffee.

  I let out a sigh. I really hope he’s right because this shop means everything to me. It’s my livelihood and my biggest passion. I busted my ass to see this shop take off and now that it has, my biggest fear is losing it. I do hate being so particular, but I take pride in the fact that we’re small and our work is immaculate, customers get exactly what they want. Bringing someone in with too little experience, who doesn’t take pride in their work could ruin the shop’s reputation. I rub my temples and release a breath.

  I can do this. Cas just said we can. I say we can.

  We won’t let the shop die out. We’re too damn good for that.

  I walk up to the front counter and have a look in our appointment book. We’re booked pretty steady throughout the day. A few returning customers for continuations on larger pieces. A few smaller ones here and there for an ankle, wrist, or hand. One set of wedding rings. We’ll be busy until late in the afternoon, especially if we have the occasional walk-in as we usually do. I look back at the clock. Cas has the first piece of the day. A tribal back piece. It shouldn’t take him more than an hour or two. My first appointment isn’t until two in the afternoon, which gives me plenty of time to do payroll and order refills on some of the supplies we are running low on. I have a swig of my tea. “Alright boys, I have some work to do. Try not to kill each other. Cas, your back piece will be here in just a few. Holler if you need me.”

  They both laugh and nod happily as I walk into my office to get some work done. At least all the busy work will take my mind off things. I look down at my desk where I have a few post it notes about Archer and Kade’s going away party. It’s in just a few days and we’ll be closing Skin Deep for the occasion. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t sting. We’re a family here. We’ve been together since I opened Skin Deep and I love them like brothers. Now, here they are leaving me. I understand why, but they’re leaving me none-the-less and I'll miss them. We’ve had a lot of good times in this shop. I doubt anyone could actually fill their shoes. I blow out a breath of air, pushing my hair from my face and scribble a few notes for myself. I have a four-hour session to continue a full sleeve tomorrow, I need to call Triple Layer and Fat Boy’s Catering and confirm the going away party. Cas is handling drinks and beer. I wonder for a moment how much Arch and Kade would hate me if I made them wear party hats. I let out a silent little laugh when I hear someone clear their throat in the doorway of my office. I’d know anywhere who it was and look up smiling to see Kade. He’s in a sleeveless tee shirt to show off his full sleeve. The one that I did for him. His short dark hair has a just rolled out of bed, messy look that is somehow fitting for him. His face is clean shaven and he’s smiling widely. I stand up to greet him with a hug. Not standard protocol for any other place of work, but, when you work with me at Skin Deep, you’re family. It’s as simple as that.

  “Busy Lo?” He asks, stepping back, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

  I shake my head. “Just making some notes for your going away party. I have to call the caterer and cake place.”

  “Aw, we get cake!” He beams, laughing.

  “You do get cake, delicious cake from Triple Layer.”

  “Make sure Cas doesn’t eat it all,” he grins.

  I giggle, “Well, then you better get here early because I promised him a few extra pieces.”

  “I wanted to see if we could do something the day of the party, just me and you? Coffee at No Doze for old time’s sake?” He smiles brightly. I'm gonna miss his smile. He has a way of warming up the shop. We all fit together here and that will be hard to replace.

  “I would love to,” I tell him. “I can set up delivery times with Fat Boys and Triple Layer and have Cas here to make sure they set up. You and I can head to No Doze and then walk back here. I’m making sure we have cabs for tomorrow night too in case we all get completely drunk.” I laugh. “Cas insisted on a keg and some other drinks.”

  He nods, rubbing his chin. “Well, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t go out with a bang.”

  I laugh again and shake my head, “let’s not destroy the shop though, okay? I’ll be the one stuck cleaning it.”

  “So, me and you, No Doze, tomorrow before the party?”

  I give him a nod. “Me and you, one last time.”

  “Meet here and we’ll walk together?” He suggests.

  I feel my eyes become misty. This is really it. Two of my artists and best friends are really leaving. “Sound perfect.” I tell him, blindly wiping under my left eye.

  “Just no crying. You know I hate that mushy stuff.” He winks, making me laugh.

  I let out a sig
h and nod. He’s right. There’s no sense in crying. He’s going off on an incredible journey. Archer too. They were already hired by respectable shops and have whole new lives waiting for them. I am happy for them both. I'll just miss them so much. They're pretty much the only family I have. And that is what hurts the most.

  Skin Deep was only open two hours today for the first time ever. I had a small ankle piece that barely took me the two hours allotted for it. Cas is on the phone with Fat Boys making sure they have the address and delivery day right because as of right now, they’re an hour late for set up. As long as they get here, it’ll work out in my favor since Kade and I have plans to slink off to No Doze one last time. I stare at Cas and throw up a hand silently asking him what’s going on with Fat Boys. He gives me a nod letting me know we’re all good when I hear a knock at the door. Triple Layer is here with the cake. Jesus help me. I have to leave Cas here alone with this cake. We may very well come back to an empty cake platter. I smile and prop open the door, making it easier for them to get the cake inside. They’ve assured me that this cake will be a life-like replica of a tattoo machine. I know they’re good at what they do, but this ought to be interesting. I scribble a note for Cas, Kade will be here soon. Going to No Doze. Keep it standing. Be back for the party. Cas gives me a thumbs up just as Kade walks in. I give him a bright smile, but right now he looks how I feel. The day is upon us. Kade and Archer are seriously leaving Skin Deep after five years, it's almost unbelievable.

  “Everything still on for our little party?” He greets me with a warm hug.

  I give him a nod. “Cas is on the phone with Fat Boys now. They’re running late but it works out for us, we can go to No Doze without worrying about the time now.”

  “How are you feeling?” He asks as I turn behind me to grab my purse from the counter.

  I give him a slight shrug as I pop it on my shoulder and follow him out the door. We both wave to Cas who offers us a small wave and we head out into the beautiful sunlight for our six block walk to the coffee shop. “It’s happening. It’s actually happening. You and Arch are leaving me.”