“Can I get you anything?” I ask as I push more hair from her eyes.
She shakes her head. “Just a little tired,” she tells me softly. “Sleep doesn’t sound like a bad idea. I could just sleep here all night.”
I shake my head. “I won’t let you sleep in the dark room princess. This is just for fun, you know that. When you sleep, you sleep in the bedroom.”
“I’m just so tired,” she says, pushing her face against my chest.
“We still need a bath, princess. Just a little bit longer and then I'll let you sleep.”
She gives me a sleepy little nod as I cradle her spent body in my arms. I can’t remember a time where I've been so content that I’ve wanted to sleep in this room myself. I’d always separated this room from the other part of my life. The dark room, as Lola has named it, is where we get our sexual release. The master bedroom is where I can be Daddy or just River. There doesn’t have to be any expectations, we can watch TV, relax, and Lola can come down off the high that sometimes happens after being in the dark room. I let out another sigh as I reluctantly pull myself from the bed. I bend down, pick Lola up, and carry her into the master bathroom. It’s a bath followed by bedtime for the both of us.
I can’t say that I remember too much of my bath. I remember sinking into the hot water as River washed my body and hair. When he started rubbing my shoulders, things became really fuzzy, I slipped into a euphoric twilight-type state, I was half awake and half asleep, leaning comfortably against his chest. I know that he brushed my wet hair, slipped me into a pair of creamy, orange lace panties and one of his white tee shirts before carrying me into his bedroom. I remember kissing him goodnight and him holding on to me. I was comfortable, content, and happy. So why in the fuck, I am up right now is beyond me. I glance around the dark bedroom and can tell that’s it’s nowhere near daylight. I yawn as I try to figure out what’s just woke me up. River is sleeping soundly next to me, his arms still wrapped around me. I raise my head off the pillows and look over his shoulder. The clock on his nightstand says it's just after three in the morning, the bright red numbers feel like they’re too bright for my tired eyes. It’s calm and quiet. I let out a little sigh and let my head drop back on the pillows as I close my eyes. I can practically feel myself drifting to sleep when I realize what woke me up. My cell phone is ringing. I let out a little groan and start to reluctantly move.
I feel River stirring as he pulls away to stretch. “I’ll get it, princess.” He leans forward and reaches over me for my phone on the other nightstand. He holds it over us and even on dim, the light is too much for our eyes. When my eyes focus and I get a look at the screen, I nearly jump out of the bed. Kade’s name and a photo of his smiling face are lighting up my screen. River takes a moment to wake up a little more and sees that it’s Kade who’s calling. I let out a sigh and shake my head as I sit up and drop my face in my hands.
“Lola,” River sits up, clicking on one of the table lights. “You trust me, right?” I feel his hand on my back as I look at my phone and see that Kade is calling again.
I look up at River and nod. “I trust you.”
“I'm going to answer this. I'm going to talk to him. I want you to lay here in bed. I will take care of this.” He tells me, rubbing up and down my back still. “Do you understand?”
I give him a little nod. “I understand.”
“You know that I would never tell you to fire Kade right now. I know that you need someone else in the shop to cover appointments, but Lola, I strongly suggest, that once Archer gets here, you fire Kade.” He tells me as my phone lights up again with another phone call from Kade. “I'd never tell you how to run Skin Deep, you and I have a firm agreement that the shop is yours and that’s that. I don’t try to step in and run things, but Lola, he hurt you and was about to do God fucking knows what to you.”
I give him a silent little nod as I stare at my phone, Kade is calling for the hundredth time tonight.
“He won’t stop until you answer.” He tells me, pushing my messy hair from my face. “You know that as well as I do.”
I nod again and for some reason I feel…sad. I’ve lost my best friend in all of this. Kade has lost his mind. All I can think about is how he acted the other night. How forceful he was and how much it hurt both mentally and physically.
“I know that this is bothering you. You thought Kade was your friend and I understand that, but Lola, I will not sit back and let him hurt you.” River tells me, tenderly touching my face. “And, he did hurt you. You have the bruises to prove it.”
I give him another silent nod because I feel as though my words are suddenly caught in the back of my throat. I can’t get my mind off Kade shoving me and pinning me into the corner of his couch. I can’t even imagine why he would be repeatedly calling right now or why he would even think that I would want to talk to him.
“Now, I am going to ask you again,” River lifts my chin with his fingers and makes my eyes meet his, “do you trust me?”
“I trust you,” I say softly.
He leans in and kisses me. “Lay back, stay under the blankets and relax. I am going to step out of the room and talk to him.”
I nod and obey as I sink into my pillows, letting River pull the down comforter around my body. He leaves another kiss on my lips and one on the center of my forehead before he climbs from bed and steps into the hallway. I hear River answer “hello” in the smooth, stern tone that he uses on me when he's telling me to do something. I let out a sigh and roll onto my side. Everything with Kade has escalated so quickly, I for one don't understand why at all. I get that he liked me for more than a friend, I understand that he's jealous of River, but he agreed that he would call a truce. Granted, running to him after my punishment triggered such horrible memories of my past wasn't really smart, but it shouldn't have had him acting like a raving lunatic. It is clear that he has issues with River, even though he doesn’t really know him. I let out another sigh as I hunker under the blankets. Everything has happened fast. Not just Kade, but River as well. Fucking him in the shop, then after at my apartment, and then being tossed into a BDSM style relationship and being trained to be his sub. It has all been fast. Trying to adjust and understand the lifestyle. Trying to even understand why I like some of this so damn much. From being spanked and controlled, to the aftercare and being babied by River. Making sure that I'm a good sub because if there is one thing I love, it’s pleasing River and making him proud. When he tells me he’s proud of me, some part of me swells with happiness. I don’t know how to explain my feelings, but I know that through submitting to River, I feel more connected with him than I have anyone in my life. We’ve bonded and through the bonding and submitting to him…I’ve fallen in love with him. Hard and fast. Kind of like our sex life.
On top of being a new sub, I’ve been trying to make sure Skin Deep doesn’t go belly up. I have to ensure that we have all slots covered, that the guys work the slots when they have their appointments booked, and that we have all the proper equipment we need. Kade being an asshole was the last thing I needed. What makes me feel even worse is the fact that I trusted Kade. I trusted him enough to tell him about my shitty mother and all the years that she abused me. How she would toss me out of the house for days on end to live on the streets and have me return just to beat me with a wire clothes hanger with me kneeling on frozen peas while she did it. I’m not exactly an open book and I'm selective about who I share things with. I feel like I made a mistake by telling Kade so much, but since he’d told me about his past, I felt like we had a strong connection. Apparently, I was wrong.
I strain my ears to listen for another moment. “If you ever put your hands on her again, I won’t be so nice…” I hear River from the hallway. His voice is smooth and stern. I can tell he’s upset, but he’s not getting into a childish yelling match. He’s simply telling, well, maybe more like daring him to touch me again. I know full well that if Kade ever touches me again, River may end up in jail. Cas, Archer, an
d I will have to pool together some bail money just in case. Might be a wise idea to have extra since Cas and Arch aren’t exactly happy with Kade’s actions either. I may end up having all of my employees and my Dom in jail because they beat Kade half to death.
I hear River creep into the bedroom. He gives me a little smile as he places my phone on the nightstand. “I thought you’d be asleep.” He says, slipping under the blankets with me.
I shake my head. “Can’t sleep without you.”
“Well, I can fix that.” He pulls me into his arms and I press my head against his chest, leaning into him. His fingers begin running through my hair and he kisses the top of my head.
“What did you say?”
“I told him not to touch you again, not to approach you. I told him how I felt and left it at that.”
I let out a sigh. “So, it’s all done? That’s that?”
River gives me a little nod. “I doubt he’ll be coming into work anymore, baby. I'm sorry it all ended up this way, but it’s for the best. I can't have him treating you like that.”
I inhale slowly and release it. I know he’s right. Kade crossed some serious lines and became violent with me, but it doesn’t lessen the blow that my friend has lost his ever loving mind. “I know and I completely understand. I’m just shocked he acted that way towards me. I always thought that he cared about me as a friend.” I gasp softly as I pout. Suddenly I remember my pink tattoo machines had been a gift from Kade. I can’t work with them each day knowing that he gave them to me. I’ll always have a reminder of the friend I lost due to his violent actions and that’s the last thing I need.
“What’s wrong, princess?”
“My tattoo machines,” I say softly, “my pink ones. They were a gift from Kade.”
“I can fix that,” he says pushing my hair back. “That’s an easy fix. Don’t even worry about it.”
“I would never ask, but I don’t want to look at them every day and be reminded of him and how things ended up.”
“Oh baby, no, don’t feel bad about asking me for new tattoo machines. I understand why you wouldn’t want to work with them anymore,” he gives me a soft kiss, “the memories behind them have changed. You don’t need that.”
“I can order some for myself,” I tell him, “I won’t ask you to replace them.”
“You’re not asking me, you’re expressing your concern that you still have the ones he gave you,” he says, “I'm telling you that I'll replace them for you.”
I let out a content sigh. I honestly have no idea what to say to him. I lean in and wrap my arms around him letting my head find that right spot just under his chin. “Thank you, Daddy.”
Lola has been working on a small ankle piece for just under an hour now. I’ve been holding down the shop, making a few appointments for myself and Cas, as well as doing anything I can do occupy the time until my own appointment shows up in a few hours. I’ve cleaned the front of the shop and gone through the mail, separating the junk from the important items for Lola. It’s been a rainy, chilly day, not unheard of for an Ohio October, but it’s definitely safe to say that summer is no more and the rain is taking its toll on us all. I’ve constantly been yawning myself and want nothing more than to crawl into bed with Lola and stay there until the rain stops. I make myself busy by going through the appointment book again. Lola has written down all of our upcoming appointments and has been working our schedules to make sure that we are in the shop for them. Now that Kade isn’t working here anymore, Lola has had to phone his appointments and have them switch to either Cas or myself. Luckily, no one really minded the switch since they’ve seen samples of our work. Most of them are really simple ideas anyway and won’t take long. I yawn again and reach for one of the magazines that have tattoo artist supplies for sale. Lola still needs some new tattoo machines and I haven’t quite found a set that she would love. I know that she loved the pink, but honestly I'd rather do something different.
I hear the shop door open and look up smiling. As soon as I see who’s standing in the doorway my friendly smile fades. “Kade.”
He holds up a hand. “I’m not here to talk to you, I need to speak to Lo.”
“She’s busy, but even If she wasn’t, there’s no way in fucking hell that I'd let you see her.” I snap, stepping around the counter and stepping directly in front of him.
“You can’t fucking boss her around. Why don’t you let her make fucking decisions for her fucking self?” He shoots at me, shaking his head.
“You need to pull your head out of your ass little boy,” I tell him, “stop holding fucking grudges. Lola is mine, she’s done with you. You fucking scared her out of her mind the other night.”
He chuckles. “I’m willing to fucking bet that you haven’t told her your little fucking secret.”
I shake my head. “That’s none of your fucking business. That’s for me to tell her. Not yours.”
“You know full well that as soon as you tell her she’ll walk away. You fucking lied to her and have been lying to her since you met her.” Kade growls.
I shake my head. “You’d do anything to fuck up what she and I have.”
“You know it’s true,” he tells me, “she will walk away from you.”
“And what, you think she’ll just come running back to you?” I laugh. “You’re fucking stupid if that’s what you think.”
Kade stands up straight as Lola and her customer walk to the front of the shop. Lola is explaining the care of her new tattoo and tells her that if she has any questions she can feel free to stop by or call any of us. Lola looks at me and then to Kade. I can tell that she’s become uneasy but politely finishes with her customer, charging her credit card, and passing the receipt and care instructions to her. Lola smiles, giving her lotion recommendations and tells her to enjoy her new ink. The customer smiles, as she passes between Kade and me making her way to the door.
As soon as Lola sees the customer is out of sight, she steps next to me. “What is going on?”
“I came to talk to you, Lo,” Kade tells her.
“Did it ever occur to you that after the other night, I wouldn’t want to see you?” She gives her head a little shake. “I can’t do this right now Kade. Not in the shop. I don’t want to see you right now.” She lets out a little breath. “I just…can’t…not right now.”
I step forward, “You heard her. I think it’s best you leave.”
“What’s the problem…bro?” Kade spits. “Don’t want your little brother to get to know your new twisted sub?”
Lola gasps as she looks at me and then to Kade. “What?” Her eyes move back to mine as she stares at me confused. “What is he talking about River?”
“You mean he didn’t take the time between fucking you and spanking you to tell you that I’m his half-brother?” Kade laughs. “I’m pretty fucking crushed bro, how could you not share such sensitive information with Lo?”
She looks at me and I see the hurt in her eyes. I’ve betrayed her. Broken our bond. I should've told her months ago. When I first returned to Cincinnati, I had no idea that I'd be applying at Skin Deep. I had no clue that Kade had worked there or that he and Lola had been close. When things became so heated between Lola and me, it was like I froze. I didn’t know how to tell her. Then the issues with Kade came up to make things worse. I certainly should've known that he'd open his fucking mouth at a time like this and tell her. I knew all the stories from his past were completely fabricated. I’d been the abused one. His father beat me daily until, at sixteen, I decided to take matters into my own hands. My mother was of no help. Kade was barely fourteen if that. I’d started working and saving so I could leave their house. I took the mental and physical abuse from his father and eventually my own mother. I endured them letting Kade speak to me like I was a piece of trash. Then I had to put up with them talking shit about my dead father, who was a better man that Kade’s dad could ever dream of being. When I hit eighteen, my ass took off. I had just enough to get my o
wn house, I spent years paying on it and making it my own. I knew that I wanted to be a tattoo artist, so I continued to work my ass off. I nabbed an internship here in Cincinnati that I stuck around only to complete. That’s when I headed to New York. NYC Ink’d was an immediate fan of my work and wanted me to work for them. But, after years up north, I missed home. As bad as the memories were, I had the house that I loved and was the first thing I'd owned. I spent years renting it out and when the family decided to move, I decided it was time to go back and take over my old house, to build a real home for myself.
“You’re his…” she pauses and looks at me heartbroken and confused, “you’re half-brothers?”
I give her a silent nod. “But I can explain, Lola. I never wanted to hurt you. I knew that it would be difficult to take in since Kade has lied to you so much. I was the abused one, Lola. Not him.”
“No,” she snaps, “you lied to me. What happened to all of this trust and bonding and all this bullshit that you’ve been feeding me?”
“I wasn’t feeding you bullshit, Lola. I just didn’t know how to tell you. It would be a lot to take in,” I admit, taking a step closer to her. “If you just give me time to explain we can work this out.”
She shakes her head and brings a hand up to her day collar. “You fucking lied to me. All these lines of being honest with each other and trusting each other…it was all bullshit. You could have fucking told me!”
“Lola, he’s lied to you so much,” I tell her, “I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t know how to start, I didn’t realize that I'd move back into my house, or start to work here. I didn’t know that you and Kade had been so close,” I glare at him. “He used my abuse as his own story and used it to get closer to you. He used it to make you feel sorry for him.”
“You both fucking lied to me!” She screams. Tears are beginning to fill her eyes. “Both of you….lied to me.” Her eyes move up to me. “But Kade doesn’t even fucking matter. I'm your sub! You're supposed to tell me this shit, even if you don’t know how.” She wraps her fingers around her day collar as she shakes her head. “I trusted you, River. I trusted you to tell me the truth. You lied. Everything was based off some lie.” She yanks hard at her day collar breaking it from her neck. I gasp as she drops it to the ground. “I’m done…with both of you. Don’t fucking talk to me again. You’re both fucking liars.” She sniffles as she purses her lips. She gives her head another shake as she heads for the door where she walks out into the rain.
Skin Deep Page 21
