Vehn (Exotic Ink Book 1)

by LS Anders

  Lunch progressed without further incident now that Callie remembered to cease the horseplay with Cale for Evana’s sake and relaxed, savoring her food.

  Evana touched her lightly on the arm gaining her attention. The girls exchanged a grin and a satisfied moan as they both chewed another delicious bite.

  The grilled salmon, as always, was fabulous. It was cooked perfectly. A thin layer of crust on the outside locked in the moist flakey center and had just the right amount of lemon and thyme seasoning, simple but not too overpowering. Callie wished Rayna were here so she could ask her how to replicate this dish. The girl was a culinary genius. Everything she’d cooked that Callie had ever tasted was amazing.

  “You know, I’ve been thinking about closing the shop at the same time every day for lunch,” Evana said around another bite. “I think a little down time would break up the chaos during the day and would be beneficial for everyone. Given everything that’s happened recently, I think we could all use an hour to decompress. And, I miss all you guys. We don’t have many opportunities to enjoy each other’s company without the phone ringing off the hook or the chaos of half a dozen clients in and out of the studio.”

  “I think that’s a great idea, Evana,” Callie agreed.

  Avie giggled at something Cale said drawing Callie’s attention to them as dessert arrived. “What do you think they talk about?” she asked Evana, nodding in the couple’s direction.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Probably nothing to us, but it’s everything to them. You know how it is when you’re in a relationship where the world revolves around that other person.”

  Callie shook her head giving her a blank stare. No, she didn’t know. Actually, she had absolutely no fucking clue what that was like.

  After the mess Ryder had made out of her head, she was pretty gun shy when it came to dating, and she had no desire to jump back feet first into a relationship. She was finally living on her own and was falling into a comfortable contentment.

  Strange. She hadn’t caught a glimpse of Ryder creeping around lately. She wondered if something had happened to him and prayed his absence wasn’t due to a distraction with some other poor soul he had found to torture.

  The last time she recalled seeing his crazy ass was about a month before, loitering across the street from the studio. She’d tried her damnedest to remain at the front desk to prove to him and herself that his presence didn’t bother her, but she’d ended up high tailing it back to her work area.

  Leaving thoughts of Ryder behind where he belonged, in the past, she brought herself back into the moment, rejoining the rest of the group. She caught the tail end of Cale’s answer to Evana’s inquiry about where he and Avie were celebrating their one-year anniversary.

  “…then we’re gonna head over to The Kraine Theatre. Avie wants to see Chalk.”

  They all lingered a little longer than normal after their meal, sharing a few more laughs before Avie and Cale said their goodbyes leaving Evana and Callie at the table to wait on another cab until Sebastian made another appearance to escort them out, both girls giving him goodbye hugs before sliding into the backseat.

  Callie opened her mouth to speak, but snapped it shut when Evana held up her hand. “Not one word comes out of your mouth about me and Sebastian.”

  Callie shrugged her shoulders in defeat, signature grin firmly in place as they rode in companionable silence back to Exotic Ink.

  “I’m on my way, bitch!” was announced after Vehn answered his cell. Tegan didn’t even give him a chance to say “Hello” so he knew his friend was pumped and had landed that job. Tegan wasn’t one to show emotion, but Vehn had learned to read the guy's actions a long time ago.

  “For real? Or, are you fucking with me?” Vehn turned away from the printer that was churning out the photo he had decided to use for his homework assignment.

  “No, bro, I’m not fucking with you. I’ll be there sooner than expected though. You got a problem with that?”

  “Absolutely not! I already have the room ready for you. Any time you can get here is good with me. So, when you coming?” Vehn asked excitedly.

  “I start at the new place next week. I’ll be rolling in on Sunday,” Tegan said. “I mapped it. It’s pretty damn close to you.”

  “What was the name of the studio again?” Vehn asked.

  “Exotic Ink. It’s in the SoHo area on Grand Street.”

  “That’s right, I remember now. That’s awesome. You won’t have much of a commute. Do you need help finding movers?”

  “Movers?” Tegan scoffed. “What the hell do I need movers for? I can move my own shit. I’m not some pussy model. I actually put my muscles to use. They're not just for looks, you know.”

  Anyone listening in on one of their conversations would have thought Tegan was a total dick, but Vehn knew, buried beneath all that surliness was a solid gold interior. You only needed to barely scratch the surface to discover the truth. That is, if you were brave enough to try. Tegan was pretty damn intimidating, and most people weren’t too keen on getting that close to him.

  “You’re such an asshole, T!” Vehn laughed at Tegan’s ribbing. “No, seriously. You’re going to want to hire movers. You don’t want to have to drive a truck in Manhattan and fight to find a place to park on the street in front of my building. I mean, if it’s a money issue, you know I’ll front you. Anything you need, all you've got to do is ask.”

  “I know, man, thanks. But I don’t need the money, and I’ll be paying you rent, too.”

  “Yeah, that’s so not happening. You’re my guest, dickhead,” Vehn tossed back.

  “Pfft. If you talk to all your guests like that, it’s no wonder no one comes to visit you,” Tegan replied.

  “Holy fuck, Tegan, are you smiling?” Vehn needled. “I think I heard your face cracking over the phone.”

  “Funny.”

  “I thought so. Hey, did you call mom yet and tell her about your move?”

  “Just hung up with her. She said she’s really happy we’ll be back together and to try not to kill each other.”

  “That sounds like her.” Vehn grinned, trying to keep some of the sentimental tone out of his voice. “It’s going to be great having you around all the time. I really missed you, bro.”

  “Am I detecting the lack of a Y chromosome? Jesus, man, don’t chick out on me or I’ll change my mind and not come at all!” Tegan cleared his throat before admitting. “I missed you, too. Fucker.”

  “Will you please stop with the hairy eyeball, Callie? I’m not gonna slit my damn wrist,” Rayna bit out.

  Callie was momentarily stunned when the docile girl she thought she knew so well jumped all up in her Kool-Aid over nothing more than… well, maybe she was staring a little too hard. But she couldn’t help being concerned over her fragile friend.

  Rayna had just been through an incredible ordeal that would have left the strongest of people quivering in their shoes. But not Rayna. She was currently in Evana’s kitchen cutting up limes for the batch of margaritas for their sleepover like she hadn’t just buried her 30-year-old husband.

  “I didn’t say you were, Rayna. But, you know, if you want to talk about anything, I’m always here for you,” Callie said, sitting down on a bar stool at the counter that separated the kitchen from the living area.

  “I know. Thanks for that, but I’m ok,” Rayna said, giving her a sheepish look. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like such a bitch.”

  “Don’t apologize. You have a perfectly good reason to be a bitch today. Just not sure what your reason is for being one all the other days of the year.”

  Rayna gasped, throwing a lime wedge and hitting Callie in the middle of her cleavage.

  “Nice shot, Shaquille O’Neil.”

  “Well, it’s kind of hard to miss those puppies.”

  “Look who’s talking. You’re not exactly flat chested, Miss C cup,” Callie said, fishing out the lime from between her breasts. “You’re like a fucking Barbie doll. It really
pisses me off, too.”

  “Whatever, Callie. You know, that song about the brick house was written about you.”

  “Not possible, Rayna. That song is older than me, and it was about a girl being built like a brick house. It wasn’t about a brick house. Anyway, I would love to have your figure. I’m thinking about a breast reduction –”

  “Have you lost your damn mind?!” Rayna interrupted. “I’m telling Evana. Just wait until she comes up here. I can’t believe you would even consider doing something like that!”

  “Pipe down, girlie. I said I was thinking about, not definitely doing it. Sheesh!”

  “Well, feel free to think about it all you want, but you’re not having it done,” Rayna argued.

  “Ok, ok. I give. I’ll keep the damn things,” Callie conceded, but continued to regard her as if Rayna had sprouted another head. “How about hooking me up with one of those?” Callie lifted her chin indicating the full pitcher of margaritas.

  “Nope, we gotta wait for E.”

  “Fine,” Callie pouted, laying her chin on the counter, looking up at Rayna with her best sad puppy dog eyes.

  She didn’t have long to wait, watching as Rayna levitated about a foot off the floor when Evana exploded through the door that led downstairs to Exotic Ink Studio.

  “Woohoo!” Evana shouted. “We have a new tattoo artist starting next week!”

  “That’s awesome, E!” Callie said.

  “That’s great news. You know, if you need me to stay, I’ll cancel my trip. I don’t want to put you in a bind,” Rayna offered.

  “Absolutely not, Rayna. I didn’t mean for it to sound like that,” Evana said, pulling her into a hug. “You need to get away. Take your trip, have fun, and relax. Don’t worry about this place. We will manage just fine until you come back, with or without the new hire.” Evana held her at arm’s length, a shimmer of tears washing over her eyes. “Oh, Rayna, I’m so sorry you have to go through this.”

  “All right, no tears, ladies, or I’m leaving right now,” Rayna gently scolded. “You all have to promise me that you won’t mention anything about Brent or the funeral. This is girls' night. We’re supposed to have fun, not sit around crying in our drinks.”

  “Rayna, you can’t keep it in. You need to grieve,” Evana disagreed.

  Rayna pulled away from Evana, putting a hand up to stop her. “Listen, I think I have grieved enough already. My marriage wasn’t like yours and Kyle’s, E. There were things in my relationship with Brent that you all didn’t know anything about.” Taking a deep breath, Rayna appeared to be gathering strength to continue with her story. “We have been estranged from one another for a long time. He hasn’t been a real husband to me for the past couple of years. It’s not that I’m glad he’s gone or anything. I mean, I’ll miss him in more of an old friend kind of way. Don’t misunderstand, I wouldn’t wish what happened to him on anyone, but we were headed for divorce. I’d already found an attorney. I just hadn’t filed yet.”

  “When did all this happen, honey?” Callie asked, her voice laced with concern.

  “He started cheating on me about five years after we were married.” That statement earned a shocked gasp from Callie and Evana, sending two pairs of eyebrows skyward. “Maybe before that, but I don’t know for sure. Anyway, I tried to ignore the red flags for as long as I could, but my woman’s intuition kept needling me, and I was just so suspicious of his unusual behavior. I just didn’t want to believe it, but he always seemed to have one excuse after another for not coming home directly after work or for leaving unexpectedly at night. So, I followed him one night. He ended up at a girl’s house that I recognized. She had been one of the clients he’d worked on that day. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, telling myself that maybe she was having a problem with her tattoo and needed some advice, but then why wouldn’t he meet her at the shop?”

  Rayna went on to admit she had hired a private investigator soon after that incident, and then revealed more cases of Brent’s extra-curricular activities over the past three years. Callie couldn’t have been more shocked had Vehn Mathieu burst through the door, dropping to one knee and begging her to marry him.

  Like that shit would ever happen!

  “Once I accepted that this was really happening, I started to get worried he would end up bringing some disease home, and I quit having sex with him altogether. Avie suggested an attorney, whom I consulted with and was about to retain when, you know… he died.”

  Callie had never known Rayna to air her personal business, and could only blink her disbelief. She wasn’t sure what had shocked her the most, Brent’s whoring or Rayna airing her dirty laundry.

  “Jesus fucking Christ, Rayna! I had no idea,” Callie burst out.

  “No one did. I tried to keep it quiet. I was just so embarrassed.”

  “How is that in any way embarrassing to you? You weren’t the one running around Manhattan sticking your dick into anything with a heartbeat,” Callie shouted.

  “Think about it, Callie. He was sleeping with everybody else but me, and I was his wife! He didn’t even complain when I cut him off over a year ago. What does that say about me?” Rayna threw her hands up dramatically.

  “That you were too good for him! That he was a fucking idiot! I swear if that asshole wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him myself,” Callie bellowed.

  “I have to agree with Callie on this, Rayna. He was the one with the problem, not you,” Evana seconded.

  “Wait. You said Avie gave you the name of a divorce attorney? Why would she know any divorce attorneys and if you didn’t tell anyone what was going on? How did she know?” Callie questioned.

  “Um, I don’t know,” Rayna answered, shaking her head. “I never thought much of it. I had finally decided to find a lawyer and was reading online reviews between clients when she walked in my room at the studio and handed me a name and number on a piece of paper. I called it and made an appointment and… that was it.”

  “Is it just me or do you all think Avie is a little… different? I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love her to death, but sometimes, when I look at her, it’s as if something more than just a twenty-one-year-old girl is looking back at me. Do you know what I mean or am I crazy?”

  “No, I don’t think you’re crazy, Callie,” Evana said. “I’ve wondered the same thing myself.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Rayna added.

  The girls all exchanged uneasy glances. The temperature in the room seemed to drop, making Evana shiver.

  “Alright, that’s enough Avie talk. Trying to figure her out always gives me a headache,” Evana said, rubbing the back of her neck as she turned up the thermostat.

  “So, tell us all about this new guy.” Callie didn’t miss a beat, clapping her hands together and wiggling in her seat, seemingly happy to change the subject.

  “I will, but first things first. Where’s my drink?”

  “Oh! Yes, ma’am!” Rayna agreed. Turning back to the counter, she rimmed three glasses in salt, poured in the sweet and sour concoction from the pitcher and handed each girl a glass.

  Callie was now looking at Rayna with a new-found respect. Sheesh, Rayna’s situation had her wrapping her arms around herself. If all that shit had happened to Callie, she would have crumbled. She had pretended to be such a hardass on the outside when she was anything but on the inside.

  Rayna, on the other hand, was the real deal. She might come across as this shy, quiet, meek female, but that girl had a cast iron interior not easily scratched. Rayna seemed to have digested the train wreck that had been her marriage, come to terms with the permanent loss of her spouse, and had come out virtually unscathed, even more resilient on the other side.

  Relocating to the living room, Rayna chose one corner of the overstuffed sofa, while Callie plopped down on the other end. Evana sat in the matching overstuffed chair, tucking her feet under herself.

  Evana licked the salt from the rim of her glass and took a long pull on her drink before teas
ing them. “Wow, Rayna, these are so good. I can never make them as good as you, and I follow your recipe exactly. So, what was it we were talking about?”

  “Stop stallin’ and start talkin’. Tell us about the new guy!” Callie huffed.

  After Evana had shown the girls Tegan’s portfolio, they were as anxious as her to get on with the interview. His work really was that good. They all thought he would make a fabulous addition to the studio.

  “Well, he seems really nice and easy to talk to. He has this really deep voice, and I can’t wait to see what he looks like!”

  Rayna and Callie exchanged a curious glance. It was so unlike Evana to show interest in any man. Callie had mentioned the comment made over lunch that she was going to ask him to finish her tattoo, and now she was remarking on his voice!

  “He interviewed great, answered all my questions intelligently. His current employer is allowing him to leave before his two-week notice is up, so he can start next week. He’s only worked for the one guy since his apprenticeship. He said he was leaving for personal reasons that had nothing to do with his current employer, who gave him rave reviews. Oh yeah, he mentioned he’ll be moving in with a friend who lives not too far from the shop.”

  “Well, I don’t know about you two, but my curiosity is definitely peaking over here,” Callie commented.

  Rayna nodded her agreement, sipping her drink.

  By the time the second pitcher of margaritas had made the rounds, the girls had changed into comfy pajamas and were lounging harem-style on a pile of various pillows in the middle of Evana's living room floor. Lights from the city twinkled fuzzily through the floor-length sheers covering the massive windows in Evana's apartment.

  Callie had found Evana's stash of Men's Health and had distributed them out evenly between the three of them. Fueled by a serious buzz, a trading game had developed out of each girl trying to collect her favorite issues based on the cover model.