Sold: Highest Bidder

by Willow Winters

  Zane

  I pull up to the shop with a huge ass grin on my face.

  I fucking love how much I shocked her. That flush I saw on her cheeks makes my dick jump in my pants. I can imagine that blush on her chest, rising up to her cheeks as I pound her tight little pussy. Fuck, I want that. I groan as my dick hardens and my balls fucking hurt. I need a release. This broad has me so worked up.

  Peaches. My sweet Georgia Peach. I’m definitely getting her under me. I don’t give a fuck how hard she pushes me away. She wants me, and I want her.

  I almost had her in her kitchen. I’m surprised she let it get that far. She’s definitely losing her will to fight this. I’m enjoying it though, breaking down her walls.

  I’ll have to wait and play this right. I wasn’t sure if she was really that sweet innocent thing I thought she was pretending to be at the bar. But she is. A little uptight, too. Which makes it all the more challenging.

  “Yo, Needles!” My partner in crime turns around at the desk when I come in.

  He’s young. Just turned twenty-two last week, which was a fucking fabulous night out. He doesn’t look it though. He’s got pale blond hair and a patchy beard that looks like he’s going through puberty.

  Poor bastard. The clean-shaven look only makes him look that much younger. He tatted himself up pretty good to add some age to him. He did a shit job on his left arm though. That’s how we met. He had to come to a professional to fix it up.

  Ever since then it’s been the two of us running this place. There are a few other artists working out of our shop. But we’re the only ones here open to close, and we’re the reason the shop is so well-known.

  At first Vlad didn’t like it. It’s not good to be in the spotlight. But then he saw it as the perfect opportunity to launder some big accounts through here. I don’t know how big, and I don’t ask questions.

  I set my keys on the counter and take a look around. The place is everything I ever wanted. The entrance is spacious and open with floor to ceiling windows, and a large granite-topped counter in the center. The back wall is lined with art we’ve done. There are four sofas, two on each side, and a coffee table in between the two sets. Photo albums of what we’ve done in the past sit on the table.

  Two hallways lead to a total of eight rooms in the back. We're always comfortable while we're working since the other five artists helped decorate our rooms exactly how Needles and I wanted. Room six is our stockroom, and the last two are for the mob. They’re always locked, and I haven’t even looked in them for nearly a year. I like to forget Vlad has his hands in my shop. Some days I don’t even notice when the Koranav come in and out. For the most part, we ignore them, and they ignore us.

  It makes it easy for us both, and that’s the way I like it.

  It feels like home in here. I fucking love this place.

  “What’s going on?” he asks, turning from organizing a station cart. We’ve got all sorts of products for aftercare that the customers can buy.

  He looks back over his shoulder and then does a double take. “What's going on? Why the hell are you so fucking chipper?” he asks with a grin.

  “What? I can’t be happy?”

  “At eight in the morning? No. You’re a real unpleasant fucker this early.”

  I laugh at him and take a seat at the counter. “Met a girl who keeps pushing me away.”

  He chuckles and shakes his head. “She’s smart.” He stands up and takes a last look at everything he’s refilled. Looks good to me. I trust Needles to handle this shit. He can handle the business aspect of things.

  “You take a look at your first client?” he asks and I know why, too.

  “Yeah, gonna be fucking boring, but I got something fun planned later on.” My first client needs a touch-up and his ink refreshed. It’s fading and looking an ugly shade of green as a result. It sucks because it’s mindless work, just coloring in what someone else has done. I’m gonna do some fading on it though. I’ll give it a professional touch, but it’s still mindless.

  I hate doing those jobs almost as much as those damn anchor and butterfly tattoos. Nothing’s worse than when a young girl comes in and picks a generic tat out of a book, something that I’ve done a thousand times. I could draw them with my eyes closed at this point.

  If only I could get my hands on peaches. I bite down on the inside of my cheek thinking about how fucking smooth her skin was. I wanna press my lips against her neck and kiss down her collarbone. Farther. I’d kiss down her breasts. I know just how they’d feel in my hands.

  I could put something there for her, something on the underside of her plush tits. Maybe have it travel down her side. Fuck, she’d be so fucking sexy with a touch of ink. She’s got a beautiful sun-kissed tan. She’d look even more beautiful with my art on her. Not that she isn’t already gorgeous.

  But she’s a good girl. I bet if she has anything on her body it’s just some sweet little butterfly on her shoulder. And I didn’t see a damn thing on her shoulder. Her tight body's just the perfect canvas for my art.

  Just as I start thinking about every inch of her body and what else I’d love to do with it, Marky comes in. He’s a regular. He’s retired and comes in here all the time just to hang out. When we remodeled a few years ago he even did half the work. He didn’t want to be paid, just wanted to be useful.

  I gave him a free tat and we called it even.

  I like that he comes in here just to hang out and keep us smiling. He brings a good vibe into the shop. Adds to the comfort of this place.

  “Zane, Needles,” he says in a gruff voice as he sets down a carrier with four coffees. He’s got his own in his other hand. Trisha and Logan will be in soon to snag their coffees. Marky’s pretty fucking reliable for bringing in the morning brew.

  Trisha wasn’t into it at first. She’s a picky broad. But Marky was determined to break down her walls and it started with getting her latte right, or whatever the fuck she drinks. Out of all of us, she opens up to him first when she has something she needs to get off her chest.

  “Yes!” Needles grabs his cup and doesn’t even check the temperature before guzzling it down. I take mine in my hand, but I don’t like mine kissed-the-fucking-sun scalding hot like he does. I vent the lid, giving it a chance to cool off some.

  “Thanks, man. What are you up to today?” I ask Marky.

  “Not much.” Marky grabs his usual seat in the chair next to the counter. “Just needed to get out of the house this morning.” He lost his wife a while back. They’d been married for nearly forty years before cancer took her from him. I know it still hurts him to live in the house they'd had together since they got married. But the stubborn fuck won’t leave.

  Can’t say I blame him, but I don’t envy him either.

  “What’s new with you?” he asks. “You look too fucking happy for not having had your coffee yet.”

  Needles snorts. “See, told you.”

  I look between the two of them like they’ve lost their damn minds. “What the fuck?”

  “Just saying, you’re not much of a morning person is all.” Marky looks at me expectantly.

  “I can’t be happy?” I ask.

  “Quit fucking around,” he says, rolling his eyes.

  “Met a girl,” I say with my grin spreading into an all-out smile.

  Needles laughs at me, and Marky cracks a smile.

  “She’s that good in bed, huh?” Needles asks as he slaps my back and sets his cup down on the counter.

  The smile leaves my face. I don’t wanna tell them I haven’t tapped that yet. But at the same time, some part of me also kinda does. There’s something about having to chase her that I fucking love.

  “She’s not that kind of girl,” I say before taking a sip of my coffee, trying to play this cool.

  Needles looks at me incredulously. “You’re hung up on a girl you haven’t even had yet?” Marky chuckles at him and leans back in his seat. Needles has no fucking room to talk. I don’t even know the last
time he got laid. He's all talk, no game. So he can shove it.

  “Fuck off,” I say. “She’s a challenge. I like that about her.”

  His brows raise. “Ten bucks says she’s too good for you. Either that or she’s stuck-up.”

  My jaw tics at his words. I don’t like either of those thoughts. I also don’t like that the first one is true. Yeah, she’s too good for me, but good girls love bad boys. So I have a shot. Even if she thinks she can get away from me.

  “What’s her name?” Marky asks, snapping me back to the present.

  “Madeline, but she goes by Maddy.”

  “Madeline is the name of a bitch with a stick up her ass,” Needles immediately blurts out. He says the words confidently, and he’s real close to getting his ass kicked. I don’t like it. I don’t like how he’s thinking about her, and that it’s so easy for him to talk about her like that.

  “Your fucking name is Cody. I don’t think you have much room to talk, you preppy jock, you.” Marky laughs at the two of us. Cody Lewinsky is as far from a jock as you can get. He’s lanky and goth as fuck. At first I wasn’t sure I’d like him, to be honest. And he didn’t talk much during our first session. Apparently, he doesn’t like other people inking him. Can’t blame him for that though, because I don’t either. As soon as I was finished with the first session and he saw my work, he started talking and hasn’t stopped since.

  We bonded over our shared passion for tattooing and I really got to know him. He’s a funny guy, but real standoffish. I like the fucker though. And his art is on point and on trend. That’s what people go to him for, and it works out nicely for the business.

  “Where’d you meet her?” Marky asks as Garret walks through the front door.

  Garret Duncan is best described as Vlad's go-to henchman. He’s tall and classically handsome like Jackson is, but he’s fucking ruthless and coldhearted. One look at him and you can tell. What’s worse is the fucker doesn’t like me. He sees me as a threat because the rest of the mob is too fucking scared of me beating their asses to fuck with me.

  I’m no threat though. I have no intention of being any more involved with the mob than I already am. I don’t want to be Vlad’s lapdog. But Garret does, and he thinks everyone’s a threat to that goal. I’m just waiting for the day he steps up, thinking he can take me. I’ll be ready though.

  “Garret!” Needles calls out as he walks toward us. “It’s in the back.” He keeps his voice even, but he’s tense. No one fucking likes Garret being in here. But once a week he comes to get the cash.

  It’s a necessity. An unfortunate one.

  As Garret walks past us with a simple nod and not a single word said, I see Trisha walking toward the front door. She spots Garret and does an about-face. She fucking hates him. Trisha is short and petite, doesn’t have an ounce of muscle on her. She also doesn’t have any visible ink on her either. She’s tatted up though. She’s got a UV tat on her back. It’s fucking gorgeous.

  When people come in, they’re surprised a cute little thing like Trisha is an artist. She went to school for ballet, for fuck's sake. She’s an artist through and through. And she’s damn good at her techniques. Her specialty is in unique tattooing methods. She doesn’t work much because of it, but she’s happy with that.

  Trisha can be a strong force when push comes to shove, but she’s a smart woman. She avoids conflict whenever possible. And for her that means staying away from Garret, and the rest of the mob for that matter.

  She’ll come back when he’s gone, I’m sure. I feel for her though. She’s a damn good artist and a real sweetheart. I hate that I put all of them through this shit. But I’m firmly under Vlad’s thumb. There’s nothing I can do to change this shit. Maybe someday if Nikolai ever takes over things will be different, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. Not with Garret in the picture.

  “So?” Marky asks, and it takes a minute to remember what the hell he’s talking about.

  “So what?” I ask.

  “The girl, Maddy?”

  The tight feeling in my chest lets up and an asymmetric grin slips into place. I can’t fucking stand Garret being in my shop, but I can get the fuck over shit I can’t change. I don’t let things I can’t help keep me down. If I did, I’d be one real miserable fucker. Besides, we're used to this. It’s coming on four years now of this routine. It’s easier to just ignore it.

  “Met her at the club the other night.” I take a sip of coffee and stare at the label. “Turns out she’s my neighbor.” I don’t tell them she took off that night and now she’s stuck with me. My grin widens; her ass really is stuck with me this time.

  Needles chuckles. “That’s a real fucking tease.”

  “You’re telling me.” I think about how she pushed me away. She’s teasing both of us. I fucking love it.

  “She’s a good girl and real fucking smart, too.” I took a look at her books when I helped her unpack. I have to admit, the more I get to know about her, the more I like.

  “Sounds like she’s out of your league.” Garret walks past us as Needles puts his two cents in.

  Out of my league? Probably. But I still fucking want her. Besides, I'm just talking about a fuck. Every good girl likes a little taste of the bad boy.

  “If she’s a good girl, and she’s not slumming it for the night, my money is on her staying far away from you.” It’s like he read my mind and he’s determined to put me in a bad mood. I know how she felt with my body pressed up against hers. I know she wants me.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” My fist clenches, and my brow furrows. What the fuck? Needles is like my fucking brother. He's supposed to be on my side.

  “I’m saying she’s too good for you.” He takes a look up from the books and realizes how pissed off I am. “Not that that’s a bad thing. She’s probably stuck-up and wound too tight anyway.”

  “All 'cause her name is Madeline?” He doesn’t even know her.

  “No,” he says in a hard voice. “'Cause you wanted her, and she turned you down. She’s the bitch from the club who left you hanging, isn’t she?” Fuck, I wish I hadn’t told him that.

  “Watch it. She's not a bitch.” My voice drops low and I narrow my eyes at him. Yeah, she turned me down. Nothing fucking wrong with that. I need to take it easy and slow with her, but I’m going to have her. I fucking know I will.

  He puts his hands up in surrender and gives me a look I’ve never seen from him before. A look as if he’s scared I’m gonna kick his ass. And he should be scared. I don’t like the way he’s talking about her. This protective nature in me is something new to me. But I can’t help it. I don’t want my best friend talking about her like that.

  “I’m just saying, if she doesn’t like you, then that loss is on her. That’s all I’m saying.”

  I let it slide and try to get this tension out of my shoulders and just relax. He’s only looking to defend me. He doesn’t like her for running off, but he doesn’t know enough to judge. If he met her, things would be different. Just that simple thought calms me enough to let it all roll off my shoulders.

  “Who’s that?” Garret asks. As far as I’m concerned, it’s none of his damn business.

  “Just Zane’s neighbor,” Needles answers, and I wish he hadn’t. I don’t want Garret knowing about her. Or Vlad, for that matter. They sure as fuck don’t need to know where she lives.

  Garret’s brows raise and a crooked grin grows on his face. I don’t like it. My stomach sinks, and I have to set my coffee on the counter.

  “She givin' you a hard time?” he asks with a wicked twinkle in his eyes. Both he and Vlad have been known to rough up women. That, and fuck women a little too close to being too young. My first thought is to make it very clear that I want him to stay far away from her, but I can’t say that. Knowing him, he’d go after her if he knew that’s what I wanted. Just to fuck with me, and just to hurt her.

  “Not at all. She’s just making me work for it.” I try to come off casual, and I thin
k it works.

  Garret lets out a humorless laugh. “Well if you need any help taming her, I’d be happy to join in.” A sickness rolls through me and Needles is quick to look away. His face is pale, and he keeps his eyes on the floor. He forgets all the fucking time who we’re dealing with, and what Garret’s capable of. I’m the only one in here who’s a member of the Koranav. I’m the one who has to deal with these fucks. I try to keep the two separate, but I wish Needles would shut the fuck up sometimes.

  Marky starts to say something, but I cut him off. “All good,” I say. I’m quick to just shut it down. “If I ever need anything, I’ll ask for it. But on this issue, I’m all good on my own.” I hold his gaze, daring him to push any further.

  He tilts his head and grins. “Alright then.” I hope I didn’t tempt him. I don’t think I did, but I’m sure as fuck gonna be keeping a closer eye on Maddy, and Katie, too.

  “Catch you boys later,” Garret says. I give him a nod, still holding his gaze until he turns away.

  It’s quiet in the shop for a minute. I take a sip and cut Needles off as he starts to apologize to me. I shake my head and reassure him, “It’s all good.”

  “So about this girl?” Marky asks. I stare back at him, wondering if I should even go for her. She is too good for me. I shouldn’t bring her into this shit. I’ll look out for those two if Garret starts coming around, but I shouldn’t bring trouble to her doorstep.

  “You really hung up on her?”

  I cluck my tongue against the roof of my mouth. It’s not like I wanna marry her. I’m just intrigued by the challenge. And I know she wants me. I remember the way she molded her body against mine. I remember the spark between us. Fuck, yes. I need to have the broad.

  I clear my throat and give Marky a small smile as my first client walks through the door. “She’s a real good girl who’s gonna find out what it’s like to be with a bad boy like me.” I give Needles a smile which finally puts him at ease.

  He chuckles as he says, “Yeah, okay. I’ll believe it when it happens.”