The Ink That Brands Us: A Colorado Ink Novel

by Terra Deason

  “Okay I’ll go,” I told her. “But kill me if I make a full of myself in front of...anyone.” She grinned at me and I knew she wasn’t fooled by my last minute change in words. I didn’t like the way she looked at me. That grin usually meant that she was up to something.

  “Oh no, don’t look at me like that,” I warned. “Don’t make me regret agreeing to do this.”

  “Look at you like what?” She was all innocence now.

  “Like you’ll make me regret agreeing to come,” I snickered.

  She tried to look offended, but failed when she laughed.

  “Just be ready to go in twenty minutes, bitch,” she grinned, shaking her head.

  “Fine,” I sighed, walking to the door.

  I headed home to change because there was no way I was going to Colorado Ink looking like I did. I didn’t particularly care how I looked when I went to school. Usually, I would just toss on a pair of leggings, a long t-shirt and my favorite boots, but I felt going for a job interview required more effort.

  I changed out of my long tee and pulled on one of my nicer tops. I didn’t have to do much with my hair since I had lucked out in the hair department. It was curly, but not in a ‘frizzy out of control curly’. It was more of a ‘wash and let it air dry and it looked pretty with no help’ kind of curly. So, I just let it hang down and applied a little mascara to my eyes and called it done.

  Twenty minutes later, Saw burst through my front door.

  “Hel-lo!” She sing songed as she slammed the door behind her.

  I walked out of my bedroom and down the hall. When I rounded the corner she was already making herself at home on my couch.

  “Don’t get to comfortable, I’m ready.” I walked over to door side table and picked up my bag and keys.

  “You look hot,” she noted. “Jensen’s gonna piss himself.”

  “Well that’s gross,” I said, scrunching my nose. “I think I’ll go change, then.”

  “Oh, you know what I meant,” she said rolling her eyes. “I think he’ll be the one checking you out this time.”

  “I was not checking him out!” I demanded.

  “Right,” she smirked. “Is that why you had drool running down your face? Because you weren’t checking him out.”

  “I hate you,” I glared. She just winked at me and pulled the door open.

  When we walked through the front door of Colorado Ink, a man in his early forties was standing behind the front desk. He had this retro, rockabilly vibe, and it was totally cool. I had to admit though, for an older man he was really good looking.

  “Mack daddy!” Saw shouted, skipping around the desk to throw her arms around the man.

  “Baby girl!” He exclaimed, wrapping her up in a hug. “We’ve missed you around here! We don’t see you enough and the guys are too quiet.”

  “I know! I miss being here, school is such a drag sometimes,” she pretended to pout. Saw loved school and getting a degree was important to her, so I knew she was only kidding.

  He let her go and she took a step back to beam at him.

  “I brought you a gift,” she said, grinning mischievously.

  “Oh? What is it?” He clapped his hands like an excited child. She rolled her eyes at him and walked back to stand with me.

  “Mack, this is Freya. Freya, this is Mack. He owns the place,” Saw said, introducing us. “I think Freya here would be perfect to fill receptionist job, if you’re still thinking of hiring someone.”

  Mack looked to me and arched an eyebrow. “Do you have any experience?”

  “With customer service? Yes. anything else I can learn,” I informed him.

  “Got any ink?” He crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing me.

  I smiled. “Not yet.”

  “You’re in school with Saw,” he stated. “We’ll have to work around your class schedule. When can you start?”

  “Right now,” I grinned.

  “Right on,” he chuckled, then stuck out his hand. “Welcome to Colorado Ink, Freya.”

  I took his hand and shook. “Thank you!”

  I couldn’t believe it! I officially had a job and it was in a tattoo shop of all places.

  “Saw, you go ahead and show her how we do things and I’ll go in my office and get the paperwork ready.” Mack didn’t wait for an answer, he turned on his heel and headed into his office.

  I turned to Saw and grinned at her. “Thank you! Thank you!” I couldn't contain the excitement I felt. I threw my arms around her and hugged her tight.

  The front door swung open and three guys walked in. One gave a low whistle and we pulled apart. Saw put her hands on her hips and smirked at them, then took a step towards them and gestured to me. “Boys, this is Freya. She is our new receptionist.”

  The tallest of the three stepped forward extending his hand. He was a big guy, easily six foot and pure muscle. He was either a bodybuilder or a fighter. My money was on the latter. He had a purple mohawk and huge gauged ears. His face was quite pretty and it kind of throw you off.

  I extended my own hand, taking his.

  “I’m Derek, nice to meet you.” He smiled down at me and I almost had to bend my head all the way back to smile back at him.

  “Nice to meet you, too.” It was barely out of my mouth when he was shoved to the side, buy the smallest of the three. He was close to my own height with a lean frame, shaved head, and a baby face. He also looked to be the youngest of the group.

  “I’m Tyler,” he told me, then threw his arms around me. I let out “oh” and gave his shoulder an awkward pat. “You smell amazing.” He sniffed my hair and I shoved him back.

  “Well, that’s not weird at all.” He winked at me and headed down the hall. I glanced back to the others, but they were all laughing, so I just shook my head.

  I took a deep breath as Jensen stepped forward. My body seemed to react all on it's own and I stepped to meet him.

  “Hallo, luv,” he smiled and my breath caught because what a smile it was. “It’s lovely to see you again.”

  Good God that accent did bad things to me. I could only manage a small smile as he took my hand and kissed my knuckles. Goosebumps broke out all over my skin and I had to suppress a shiver. My eyes seemed to be lost in his and I wasn’t sure if I would ever be free.

  Derek muttered something under his breath and I heard him stomp down the hall. I seem to realize then that we were being watched and I pulled my hand away. Clearing my throat, I took a step back and tried to locate my brain.

  Jensen just winked at me and headed down the hall towards his studio. I watched as he went, sighing. There was something about him that just went straight to your head. I turned to Saw, who was just watching me with a smirk on her face.

  “Oh sweetie, you’re in for it,” she chuckled, watching Jensen disappear into his room.

  “I think there’s something wrong with me,” I groaned, my eyes back on the now empty hallway.

  “There’s nothing wrong with you. That man has more charm in his pinky finger than most men do in their entire bodies,” she stated. “Plus, he can smell an innocent a mile away.”

  “I am not an innocent!” We had talked about Josh, so she knew that.

  “Maybe innocent was the wrong word. Someone who’s inexperienced,” she said. “And sweetie, no matter how long you had been with your sweetheart from Kentucky, it’s pretty obvious that you don’t have a lot of experience with guys.”

  She had me there. I was so out of my league.

  “Well, what should I do?” I asked, sounding more desperate than I liked. “I don’t want to go all crazy eyes every time he talks to me or anytime any guy talks to me.”

  Saw just shrugged,

  “You gotta stop making it so easy on him. Show a little attitude if you have too,” she winked at me, then grabbed me by the hand, leading me behind the desk. “Now come one, we have work to do.”

  Five

  I wasn’t too surprised to find that the work was easy to pick up. It
was pretty straight-forward. All I had to do was answer the phones, check in customers and schedule consultations. Other appointments were scheduled by the artists themselves since they would know how long it would take and how many sessions. If there were any walk-in’s I would refer them to an artist that had a free slot.

  The shop wasn’t too busy this early, but the guys said it would likely pick up later. I had been on my own for a few hours and everything was going without a hitch.

  So far at least.

  I was busying myself with straightening and organizing the disaster that was the desk, when I heard the door chime. When I looked up, polite smile in place to find a tall, leggy blonde making her way to the counter. I couldn’t help but notice she was without a doubt gorgeous. I wondered which guy she was going to see.

  “Welcome to Colorado Ink, how may I help you?” I greeted her.

  She narrowed her eyes, smacked her gum and tossed her hair over her shoulder.

  “Get Jensen for me,” she snapped.

  My smile tightened.

  “Of course. What’s your name?”

  She glared at me like I should already know.

  “Mercedes,” she snarled.

  I picked up the phone and dialed Jensen’s extension. The rule was, if they didn’t answer on the second ring, then they were busy and I was to ask the person to wait or take a message. Sadly, I knew he wasn’t busy and he answered on the first ring. I would have loved for the gum smacking hussy to have to wait.

  “Hallo luv,” he drawled.

  Damn, his voice was even hotter over the phone.

  I cleared my throat.

  “There is a Mercedes asking for you,” I informed him, trying to sound professional, but I'm pretty sure I just sounded ridiculous. “The person, not the car.”

  I smirked at her over the counter.

  She just rolled her eyes and kept on smacking her gum. I was starting to feel sorry for it; it was like she was trying to murder it.

  “Be right there,” he clipped, then hung up.

  I returned the handset back to the base and looked up at the girl.

  “He’s on his way,” I said, smartly.

  A few seconds later, Jensen rounded the front of my desk. I didn’t bother looking up, but had to keep reminding myself that it was none of my business and that I barely knew the guy. I could hear him whispering to her and she gave an exaggerated laugh. It took a lot of effort not to groan in disgust. She was so fake.

  It was suddenly quiet, so I thought it was safe to look up, but I was wrong. They were molded together and it looked like she was trying to eat his face. It was gross, and I did groan in disgust this time. They would at least have the decency to go back to his studio.

  They pulled apart and looked at me. Blondie looked at me like I had some nerve butting in on their moment while Jensen had the decency to looked shamefaced. I didn’t bother hiding my disgusted look. He looked back at the girl and lead her out the door.

  It was the douse of cold water I needed. He was clearly taken and from the looks of that girl, I was most definitely not his type. I didn’t look anything close to that; I was short at five-two and had a curvy frame and I didn't look good with blonde hair. I was his girls polar opposite.

  “Who was that?” Saw said from behind me.

  I hadn’t heard her come down the hall, so she startled me. I jumped so high I almost toppled out of my chair.

  “Holy shit balls, Saw!” I shrieked. “Make some damn noise next time.”

  I glared at her, but she was too busy doubled over laughing. I had half a mind to go over there and push her the rest of the way over. She would deserve it, but instead I answered her question.

  “Some girl named Mercedes.”

  She straightened and sighed.

  “I hate that girl,” Saw told me as she took a seat next to me.

  “I should thank her,” I shrugged. “She showed me what kind of girls Jensen’s into and I’m definitely one of them. Plus, they were practically humping in front of my desk.”

  Saw made a gagging noise and a door down the hall opened and Derek poked his head out.

  “Will you guy keep it down?” He yelled. “I can’t hear myself ink!” He smirked, looking rather proud of himself.

  I giggled and Saw rolled her eyes.

  “Very clever,” she called to him.

  He flashed her a devilish grin and retreated into his room.

  “I’m finished for a while, wanna go have lunch?” she asked me, standing.

  “Yes, please!” I was starved.

  “Awesome, I’ll go let Mack know he’s on front desk duty,” she said, heading down the hall to Mack’s room.

  I grabbed my bag and pulled out my phone, deciding to check my messages while I waited for her. There were a few messages from my mom, but I still hadn’t heard from Josh and I was a little depressed about it. I huffed and tossed my phone back into my bag.

  When I looked up, Jensen was leaning against the desk watching me. I gave him a polite smile and looked down, looking for something to make me look busy, so he would hopefully go away. I didn’t have much luck.

  “Freya?” My name was like honey in his mouth and it sounded beautiful when he said it with his lovely accent.

  I took a deep breath and looked up at him.

  “What’s up?” I said, coolly.

  “I want to apologize for my behavior a few moments ago. It wasn’t very, er, professional of me,” he explained, taking me by surprise.

  “Oh! It’s fine,” I shrugged, waving him off.

  “She’s not my girlfriend. Just a client.” Why was he telling me this?

  “Um, that’s none of my business,” I stated.

  I think he should tell her that, not me.

  “I wanted you to know.” His eyes seemed to burn into mine and I had to look away before I got lost and said something stupid.

  I looked to my hands and nodded.

  Saw saved me from anymore awkwardness when she came walking down the hallway towards us.

  “Ready to go?” She asked, coming to a stop beside me.

  I jumped to my feet and slung my bag on my shoulder.

  “Yep,” I said, a little too quickly. She gave Jensen and me a pondering look, then lead me to the door.

  We walked to Jimmy’s since the weather was still nice and it was just around the corner. The first part of the walk was in silence, but I could tell Saw was dying to say something. She continuous glanced over at me and it was grating on my nerves.

  “What!?” I laughed. “Do I have something on my face?”

  She gave me a small smile.

  “No, sorry, it’s just, what did Jensen want? He was looking at you pretty intensely.”

  I shrugged. “He wanted to apologize for sucking face right in front of me, I guess.”

  I was still trying to figure him out. He didn’t strike me as the kind of guy that apologized for his behavior, so I was still confused on the whole thing myself.

  “Good,” she said, but seemed surprised. “He needed too.”

  We arrived at Jimmy’s and seated ourselves at Saw’s usual booth. I swear he was such a regular that they kept this seat empty just for her. We had just got comfortable when Jensen slid into the booth beside Saw.

  “What are you doing?” Saw said, elbowing him.

  “I thought perhaps I’d join you both for lunch,” he told her, smiling. “If that’s okay.”

  Saw shrugged, then looked to me. I shrugged, too, picking up my menu and pretending to look it over. I already knew what I wanted, but it made me look busy. He had my nerves on end and I wasn’t sure if I was more irritated with him or myself at this point.

  The waitress came over and chatted with Jensen and Saw for a moment before taking our order. Once she left, I picked my phone up, but there wasn’t anything new, which was expected. Yet I couldn’t help but be disappointed. I sat it down on the table, looking up at Saw. She was typing something determinedly into her phone, clearly preoccup
ied. That left me with only Jensen to talk too.

  I looked to him and smiled, then asked the first thing that popped in my head.

  “So, how long have you been a tattoo artist?”

  “For about five years give or take,” he answered.

  I looked down at his arms trying to get a better look at his ink. He extended his arms toward me and I took his arms in my hands. He had flames going up one arm and the other arm was clearly a tribute sleeve. They were incredibly done and whoever had done them was very talented.

  “They’re very impressive,” I commented, releasing his arms. “Beautifully done. Where I’m from most tattoos are homemade and look like crap. That’s one reason I don’t have any. I don’t trust anyone to not mess it up.”

  “Where are you from?” He asked, crossing his arms and leaning forward.

  “Kentucky,” I shrugged. “What about you?”

  “England,” he smirked.

  “I gathered that,” I snorted. “Where at in England?”

  “All over,” he shrugged. “What brings you to Colorado?”

  “School, I go to UC Denver with Saw.” My eyes flickered to her, but she was steadily typing on her cell, so I looked back to Jensen. “Why did you leave England?”

  His features tightened, then closed off completely. Saw looked up from her phone, looking at Jensen. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, leaning back crossing his arms across his chest. Saw’s eyes seemed to bounce back and forth between Jensen and me, as if she was waiting to see if he would answer.

  “It’s okay, that’s none of my business,” I assured him.

  He seemed to relax a little, looking relieved that I wasn't going to pressure him into answering. Saw looked disappointed and went back to her phone.

  “So,” I said, changing the subject. “What’s your favorite tattoo you’ve done so far?”

  He looked thoughtful for a moment.

  “That’s a hard one,” he smiled, slightly. “I must show you my portfolio back at the shop, when you have time.”

  “I’d love that,” I smiled.

  Our food arrived and we ate in silence. I wasn’t sure what else to say and Jensen didn’t seem to be bothered by the silence. As I ate I tried to ponder why my question had caused such a reaction. It was a simple question, I thought. Unless he was a fugitive or something, but he didn’t seem like the criminal type.