Bad Rep (Southern Ink Book 1)

by S. N. Garza

  “You in a sorority? Also, Johnny’s gonna be mad that you let someone else ink you.”

  “The guy who did this knows him.”

  “Who?”

  “Mark Fluner.”

  “Oh, yeah. He was in the service with Uncle Johnny. Still. Let me see.” She came closer to inspect the letters and after a few minutes let go and nodded. “He did a good job. So you staying for the holidays?”

  If I was going to chat with her I was going to sit down and do so. I sat down on the edge of the side walk and she did the same.

  “Yeah. I’m here for the rest of this week.”

  “Don’t you get two weeks?”

  “Yeah, but I have plans for when I get home and I’m taking that time to work. Even though I have a full ride, I still have to pay some things living in a sorority house. I have bills.”

  “I heard that, girl. You’d think being in a small town would suck…well for me, being from a big city, but I love it here. SoIn is actually busier now than it’s ever been. With the town growing, and Johnny, being who Johnny is, people drive out here to get their tat’s done. I thought he was crazy when he moved out here when I was a kid. Said that his wife grew up here, and since she’s buried here, he wanted to stay close to her. He was an amazing, and quite famous tattoo artist in California. I don’t blame him. It’s grown on me. Well, I won’t keep you. I have to finish up here before I begin setting up the stations for the guys. And yes, they are still here. Bunko and Castor miss you too. Don’t be a stranger, Penny. Just because Deke was a complete dick to you, doesn’t mean that we didn’t care about you, too. We all hurt when you left.”

  Fuck. Guilt became seeping in. “Trixie—

  “It’s okay. You did what you had to do. Trust me, no one here blames you. Just don’t be a stranger. You were his family. That meant you became our family. You still are.”

  “That’s good, because I’m pretty sure my parents are regretting me staying here.”

  “Yeah. Well, they really haven’t changed. But then, no one really sees them too much. Come by sometime, Penny. Maybe you should get a piercing along with that tattoo.”

  “Maybe.” I got up and dusted my behind, “I just might take you up on that.”

  She winked and walked back inside the parlor. I returned home, only to find myself feeling worse than I just did when I left Trixie.

  She was right. Bunko, Castor, Johnny and Trixie had become a make-shift family for Deke and for me when my parents were working so much. I didn’t say bye to them. They had always been kind to me. Although I think Johnny knew when I said bye, it was our last good bye. Now I felt like crap.

  I walked home and ate a light lunch, and my parents were still sleeping. They didn’t even have a Christmas tree up. What was up with that? Did they think since they had no kids at home that it wasn’t worth celebrating?

  I wasn’t having it. I wasn’t coming home to just be a bump on the log. I went out to the garage, and up into the attic. It was stale and dusty up there, but I got enough to start. My parents weren’t that old that they couldn’t put up their damn tree.

  Most of the day consisted of me putting up the tree, sans instructions at that. Then the ornaments and lights. By the time my parents woke up, it was time to make dinner. I made one of the good meals I’ve learned to make back in Arizona. A sausage, cheese and potato casserole. They were reluctant, but after the first few bites, they devoured it. We had just enough for them to take to work.

  “Penny?”

  “Yeah, dad?”

  “Why did you put up the Christmas tree?”

  “Because it’s Christmas. Did y’all not put it up last year?”

  Dad shrugged and mom said, “No one else was here. No point.”

  “Well, it’s up. Where else am I supposed to put y’alls presents under?”

  “You don’t really have to get us anything, kiddo.”

  “Dad, its Christmas. Let’s have a good week. It’s almost been two years since I’ve seen you two. Or is me being here not what y’all want? Am I bothering you?”

  “Oh, no! We’re glad your home, Penny.” At least mom sounded sincere. “It’s about time we begin heading to work, dear.”

  “Why don’t one of you retire? Or get a day job so y’all don’t have to continue working nights? It’s about time isn’t it?”

  “What? And become lazy like your brother?”

  Oh, hell no. He did not just insult my brother.

  “You know what, it was a mistake coming here. I’m too tired right now, but in the morning I’ll be gone.”

  “Why Penny?” Did my mother’s voice sound anxious? What did she have to be afraid of?

  But that didn’t stop me from turning to my dad and giving him a piece my mind.

  “That is my brother! He works his ass off. He worked like hell to make a home for me that summer and trust me, I’m pretty sure he makes more money than the both of you combined. Your backwoods, ridiculous beliefs are so old fashioned. Get with it.”

  I didn’t even see it coming. All I knew was that my head jerked to the side and I ended up catching myself on the couch before I almost smacked into the ground. My cheek blazed with pain.

  He actually smacked me.

  “You’ll watch your tone, young lady. We didn’t raise him to be a faggot. You go to church—

  “No, I don’t. I’m sorry I even came here. I knew it was a mistake.” I turned to go to my room, ready to pack my things.

  The sting from my father’s backhand surprised me. He’s never lifted a hand to me or mom. Or Patrick when he lived here. Tears stung the back of my eyes, but I kept my cool. I wasn’t going to let them see me cry. They had been okay to me over the years but they’d never win the parents of the year award.

  “Now, Patrick. Penny, let’s calm down. There’s no need to get our feathers ruffled.” She looked at me with a silent plea in her eyes.

  “Fine. But don’t talk about my brother like that. He might be your son, but you abandoned him. He’s worked very hard to get where he is now. I’m not going to stand for it.”

  “Alright.” My mom smiled agreeably, trying not to stir the bubbling pot any more. I never argued with my parents before.

  The fact my father was so vehement about him was reason enough to not stay here. But I saw the sadness in mom’s eyes and I didn’t want to just leave. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. But this changed my relationship with my father. If he got angry enough, he could get worse. Has he ever hit mom? Things could have changed lately. Mom hadn’t let on that everything was not right. She was always happy when we spoke over the phone. But then, she could be really good at hiding things if she had to be.

  “We need to head on out. Come on, Pat.”

  They turned and went to their room, shutting the door behind them. I really didn’t want to stick around but the look on my mother’s face made me pause. Like she was almost pleading for me to stay.

  That alone made me decide to stick around until the end of the week, just in case father acted any more out of the ordinary.

  Did I get it all wrong? She was genuinely shocked when she first saw me, but her eyes did light up as if she was happy for me. What the heck was going on here?

  Chapter 16

  Deke

  I was walking with Castor into SoIn when the talkative noise around me quieted. Only Trixie and Johnny were here and Trixie was wiping down her station when Johnny headed to the back shaking his head.

  Before disappearing he said, “Tread carefully, Trixie.”

  He glanced at me before the hall swallowed him up. I looked back to Trixie who had a smirk on her face. But then, she always had a sarcastic smirk on her face so there was nothing new there.

  Castor was adjusting his equipment when he said, “So, I saw this hot looking chick this morning when I was getting coffee. She had a body like daaamn, nice, bouncy tits and a tight, round ass like whooa. I ain’t never seen her around these parts before.”

  Trixie began snort
ing and then bowled over with laughter.

  “What’s going on with you, Trix?” I finally asked. Their hushed conversation stopped when we walked in and I knew her laughing had something to do with it.

  Her eyes sparkled with mirth when she said to Castor, “You are going to get punched for saying that.”

  Castor threw up his hands in a helpless gesture. “Girl, you should’ve seen the way she looked. I hope that hot little piece is in town for a while because next time I see her, I don’t care what I have to do, I’m going to get her underneath me. All that short hair, you could see her long neck. She was toned, tanned and…” He gestured with his hands a woman’s figure and bit his lip in appreciation. “Mmmm. Damn.”

  Trixie only shook her head and then looked right at me with curiosity. She gave me a once over and then giggled to herself.

  “What the hell, Trix?”

  “You won’t believe who I talked to this morning?”

  Uh. Not one of the girls who thought they’d captured me. I hadn’t been with a woman in a few weeks. I tried keeping my sexual congress outside of Lilton and for the most part, I was getting good at it when Johnny told me it was time I learned how to do the business part of the shop.

  I thought I was doing alright, but he wanted me to get a degree. Like what the hell was I going to do with that? After the last six months of going to college, I saw how much I needed to know. I admit, learning business crap and numbers was actually pretty interesting.

  Even though Trixie was his niece, I knew Johnny leaned heavily on me to learn how to run his business once he decides to ‘retire’. I didn’t think he would ever retire so much as get me to be the front man. I would never replace the man he was and he had been such a great friend, father figure, and boss a guy could have.

  Looking at Trixie, she was just like Johnny, but female. Tough, smart and kind. You wouldn’t think Johnny was kind or giving when you looked at him, given the rough, tough, biker guy exterior. You wouldn’t think he’s ever been in the military either, but he had been. His heart is gold and Trixie was just like that.

  So when I looked at her, I waited patiently for her to tell me. The spark in her eyes looked like she was dying to tell me, I shrugged and said, “Who?”

  “Well, I’m sure Castor didn’t recognize her—

  “Recognize her? She ain’t ever been here before. I would have remembered a body like that. That girl who I saw jogging was sex personified. A walking, hopefully not too much talking, sexified woman who I bet knew what looking like that does to a man. Damn. My dick was rock hard just looking at her. And thinking about what she had underneath that crop top. I mean, hell. She was sweating too. That even made her sexier. Then when she stopped and did squat jumps? Oh dear God. I almost lost it. That woman was made for sex.”

  Trixie laughed and said, “Oh, you are really going to regret that when you find out who that—what you called her? Oh, a woman made for sex?”

  Castor looked at me and groaned, “Dude, you should have seen her. I was too busy stuffing my mouth with food or else I would have left and introduced myself.”

  “You and food, dude.” I looked at Trixie and raised my brows in question. “Well? Who was she?”

  “Penelope.” The way she said that name, was like she knew what kind of effect it would have on me by pronouncing her name slow and clear.

  Holy hell…that meant the girl Castor, I looked at him sharply in which he blanched.

  He was muttering, “No way. That’s not possible. That woman was not Penny.” He looked to me, knowing I was getting pissed at him saying all that about her. “Dude, I swear. That girl looks nothing like Penny.”

  He raised his hands in supplication and turned, muttering no way to himself over and over.

  I looked to Trixie, hoping she was just kidding. She shook her head. “Nope. I was out cleaning, and there she was, jogging.” She snickered at Castor who just shook his head and kept his face away from mine. “I stopped her and chatted her up some. She’s doing real well. Told her not to be a stranger. And with that tattoo on her collarbone—

  Both Castor and I said, “Tattoo?

  “Oh, yeah. It’s not big or anything, but she’s in a sorority and that was a part of their initiation or something. Can you imagine? Our Penny in a sorority?”

  “Yeah. Did you get a good look at her? She fits right in that scene.”

  My head whipped to Castor, “Cas.”

  “What? I can’t appreciate a fine looking woman?”

  “Not that one.”

  “Whatever, Deke.”

  I would have liked nothing more than to punch Cas in the face but just then a few customers walked in. But that wasn’t what preoccupied my thoughts all night long.

  Penelope was home? Suddenly I couldn’t wait to leave.

  I was finishing paperwork in the office when Johnny walked in and leaned against the door jamb. Quiet. Waiting.

  “What is it, Johnny?”

  “You’re going to go see her, aren’t you?”

  Was that disappointment in his voice? I looked up, trying to gauge his expression but like always, his was stoic and pensive, not really giving anything a way.

  “Is that a problem?”

  He sighed and shook his head. “Don’t mess with her, Deke. You gave her up, remember?”

  “Not now, Johnny.”

  “Boy, in all my life, I’ve never seen a girl hurt like she did when she left running in that damn rain. Her soul split apart in that moment. I know and understand your reasons for doing what you did, but that girl deserves—

  “What? Better than me? I know that, Johnny. Why do you think I did what I did?”

  “Deke, you’re a good man. You deserve a good woman like Penny. But—

  “Johnny, I don’t wanna talk about Penelope.”

  He threw his hands up in the air and said, “I just hope you know what you’re doing, boy.” Then walked away.

  I hope I did, too. But I can’t not see her. I can’t not see how she’s doing. After that phone call, when she overheard who my bed partner was…that had been a complete disaster. I had tried getting her out of my head, and when she left, Vera had come on really strong. After she kept begging and begging I felt sorry enough for her that I went to her bed. And it was unsatisfactory at best. I was such a dick to Penelope. Every word I said to her that day had been a bald-faced lie.

  After the best night of my life, which was exactly that, the best night I’ve ever had before—and nothings topped it—that morning I had woken up earlier than usual and went to get a water when I noticed a few college envelopes on the counter. They were already opened and I wondered if she had already looked at them. I didn’t feel bad for taking out the letters and what I saw made me proud. She was accepted to each one; one, a full ride to Arizona State and the other partial scholarship to Texas. Did she know? I would have thought she’d tell me if she knew. Her parents could have opened it for her. Her father was sneaky like that. I can’t see how Penelope didn’t know what a dick her father really was.

  Did she make love to me because she knew she’d be leaving and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity? I didn’t think she’d be that way. Everything about her was pure and innocent. The way she had given herself to me willingly and wantonly, I knew once I had her, one time wouldn’t be enough. That second time, she came to life and took everything I had. With reckless abandon, she fell into me and I didn’t know where she began and I ended.

  But knowing that she had an opportunity to get out of this town, how could I keep her? She deserved to live happy. Go to college and get a life that didn’t include this crap town, and me. Because I knew I could make her stay. I wasn’t going anywhere. I loved my job at SoIn. It let out every artistic need I wanted and with Johnny pushing me to go to these ink shows, my designs were becoming popular.

  How could I let her stay when she had the perfect opportunity to follow her dreams? I wasn’t going to steal her freedom. I didn’t account for her brother thoug
h. He swept her from right underneath me. I thought I had the summer to get her to forgive me, maybe mend our friendship. It was stupid, but I wanted—no. I needed her friendship.

  Things had slowly began changing between us and I knew it would have happened eventually. I avoided taking her to my bed, well, her bed. Hell, it was our bed the way I stayed there so much. I loved being next to her. For years, her bedroom had been my safe place. Her bed was the only one I could rest free and easy without having to worry about anything. Her body curved into mine was the only warmth I ever wanted.

  She was so petite, curvy and her body fit mine like a glove. She was made for me. I knew she was.

  Of course I had to make her hate me. She wouldn’t have left otherwise. I knew how hard it would be to make her hate me too. She had so much faith in me, I’ve never known that kind of loyalty.

  And making love to her? Even thinking about it now, after all this time—hell, who was I kidding, I compared every woman I’ve slept with to her and none of them held a candle. But thinking about it right now made my body tight and my dick flare to life. What I wouldn’t give to feel her again. Johnny thought he could warn me away from her? That I should watch what I do…if I do anything? If I’m smart, I wouldn’t go nowhere near her.

  Am I?

  Not really. Trixie should’ve kept her fucking mouth shut if they didn’t want me going anywhere near her.

  Too late for that. And the way Castor spoke about her? Made my blood boil hot with rage. It wasn’t jealousy. Hell the fuck no.

  I rushed through the rest of the paperwork, made sure everything was locked up tight and went to my bike. I knew exactly where I was going. I drove right by her parents place, slowing down, making sure she heard the rumble of my bike as I passed. It was still early, only ten o’clock. I drove around the back alley until I pulled up to the back fence and turned the bike off.

  I walked to the fence, and yup, the two pieces of wood were still loose. The grass in their back yard was long, in desperate need of cutting. I waded through it, and walked up to her window. The room was dark except for a LED light flashing on and off. Who the hell was she talking to?