So she looked through her shirts one last time and settled on a black Eve to Adam tee. It was a little more snug around her small breasts than most of her other t-shirts, but she didn’t care. It was rare that a shirt hugged her like that.
Even though it had been hot outside earlier in the day, some gray clouds had drifted in. She wouldn’t have minded rain, but the clouds were just teasing. She decided to walk so she wouldn’t have to beg Lacey for a ride. Lacey had a date that night and was fretting over her own shit, so Kory ate an apple and then headed out a little after six, wishing Lacey good luck with her date.
She kept gnawing over the idea of where. There were so many different areas on her body where she could put the tattoo, but she couldn’t make a decision. Stone had told her away from bone, where she had a little more padding, would be the best place. She considered her lower abdomen and then decided she wouldn’t be comfortable with his hands on her there…yet. She was keyed up enough without adding another layer of nerves. Her ass and thighs were off limits for the same reason, so that left her arms—upper or lower. She couldn’t decide and thought she might discuss it more with Stone when she got there, but at least she had narrowed it down to a particular area.
Kory felt her nerves relax just a little as she walked closer to the downtown area. The exercise alone did that for her and partly took her mind off it. Only partly, though, because even when she wasn’t thinking about the tattoo, she was thinking about Stone, and she couldn’t forget the mind-blowing kiss he’d given her the other night. Amazing. Out of this world.
If she were easily rattled, she knew she would have had a hard time looking him in the eye the next time she saw him…but Kory was not that kind of girl. Still…that kiss he’d laid on her? That had to be the most amazing thing she’d ever felt. Sure, she’d had sex and a few make out sessions in the past, but she didn’t think she’d ever felt like that before, not the way Stone had made her feel…and that feeling is what would have made her blush like a berry if she’d had it in her.
She got to the shop about ten minutes before seven, and this time she didn’t even check in with pimply Richie. Nope. She had an appointment with the guy with the gun, and maybe it was standard protocol to check in with the guy at the front, but she’d grown tired of Richie’s judging eyes long ago.
That didn’t stop him from saying something, though. “Hey, Kory.” When she turned around, he said, “I hope you don’t mind me calling you Kory.”
“That’s my name.”
He had a knowing smile on his face. “Stone never takes a seven o’clock on Friday night. He must like you.”
Well, if that didn’t put more pressure on her frazzled nerves, nothing would. She decided Richie might provide a welcome distraction while she waited, though, so she walked over to the counter instead of sitting on the brown couch like she’d planned on doing. “So…how many tattoos do you have, Richie?”
He shrugged. “Three.” Kory nodded. “Stone did the last one, and I’m going to have him give me a sleeve sometime. He’s been working on the design. The problem is there are more and more things I think of that I want to incorporate.” He considered Kory as she paused in front of the counter. “What did you decide on?”
“I don’t know.” She saw no reason not to be honest. “This is my first one and you’d think I’d know exactly what I want, but I really have no idea.”
“Stone’s good. You’ll be happy with his work.”
Kory heard the door to the back swing open and Stone walked to the counter with a big beefy guy that Kory knew she’d seen around town once or twice. “Call when you’re ready for the other one.”
“Will do, man. Thanks.” The guy stuck out his hand and pumped Stone’s arm twice and then started talking with Richie.
Stone smiled at Kory and said, “You ready?”
She let out a breath. “Not really.”
He put an arm around her shoulders and started leading her to the back. “Well, you have some decisions to make. I found some tiny flash tattoos that you might like.” When they got to the door, he pulled it open and waited for her to walk through. “I considered doing something freehand, but I don’t want to do something stupid and fuck up your skin. Anyway, do you know where you want it?”
“I don’t know. I thought about my upper arm.”
“Yeah. That’d be good.” They got to the area of the room where she’d seen him working dozens of times before and he waved a hand toward the chair. She took a deep breath and sat down. Then he walked to the counter and sat on a rolling stool. He rolled up next to her and she noticed a bunch of items on a silver tray, almost like at the dentist’s office. But she looked at Stone, who held what appeared to be a couple of sheets of paper. “Okay, so here we go. Look through them. There’s a heart, a girlie shoe.” Yeah, she was not the girl to put a high-heeled shoe on her skin. But her eyes were scanning the paper and she saw exactly what she wanted.
“What about the musical note?”
He pointed to the black eighth note. “That?”
“Yeah.”
He cocked an eyebrow and said, “Cool.” He rolled back to the counter and started doing something, so she leaned her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes, listening to the Five Finger Death Punch song playing above her head. When he rolled back, he asked, “Right or left?”
She opened her eyes. “Hell, I don’t know.”
Stone frowned at her. “You have to live with this decision, Kory. Don’t make it lightly.”
“It’s a tiny tattoo. The side it’s on won’t matter.”
“Then I’ll just do it on this side. I’m here already.”
She couldn’t help but smirk. “Fine. I’m right-handed anyway, so it’ll just highlight that.”
He shook his head. “Okay, so where on your arm?”
“I told you my upper arm.”
“Here?” He touched her upper arm close to the top where it turned into her shoulder. Yeah, it was just his index finger, but it felt nice.
“Yeah.” He nodded. In less than a minute, he was cleaning the area (or so she thought), but then he pressed the little picture up against her arm. After a bit, he peeled it off, leaving the outline of the note on her arm. “Oh. Just like the fake tattoos we used to wear when we were kids.”
“Guess so. Except when I’m done, it won’t wash off.” She tried to stay calm as he put on a pair of blue gloves and picked up the little gun. He must have seen her eyes, because he said, “Kory, nothing to worry about. I’ve done hundreds of these, and there’s nothing to it. Hell, I’ve had lots of them, and it’s no biggie.” She scanned his eyes—she did trust him, but that didn’t remove the fear she felt. “You’ll love having a piece of art on you forever. I know you will.”
“Yeah. I know you’re right.” And she was fine until he turned on the gun. That buzzing sound made her stomach knot up. It too sounded like a dentist’s drill, but it made her think of something else…a memory that wouldn’t quite form in her mind. “I have to close my eyes,” she said as she felt his hand on her arm.
Oh. Okay. So, yeah, it hurt but…it was a weird sensation. It was kind of like a shot—but not. And it burned. And then…
“Oh, fuck. Stop. Stop.” He did. She was looking at him.
“What’s wrong?”
Her breathing was shallow. “I don’t know, Stone. Something…weird.”
“Weird how?”
“There’s something I should remember, but I can’t. Something freaky.”
His dark eyes were searching hers. “You want me to stop or keep going?” She looked over at her arm. He looked at it and wiped it with the cloth in his left hand. “Look how much is already done.”
He was right. He’d already drawn one of the straight sides of the note. But her heart was beating so fast. She knew she was afraid of that damned thing, but this was the craziest reaction. “Uh, okay.”
“You sure? You okay?”
“No, but let’s just get it ove
r with.”
“All right. I promise to make it as fast as I can.”
She gripped the arms of the chair and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on the Starset song that started playing above her head. The music wasn’t loud enough to drown out the drone of the gun. Even if it had been, the vibration and hot sensation couldn’t be ignored. That was nothing, though. What left Kory feeling completely out of her mind was what was going on in her head. Maybe, as her therapist used to tell her, she should let it come and then face it head on. She was strong enough for that, right?
Okay, no more fighting. Stone was right there, holding her arm, doing the work. It was him beside her, not the monster she could see in her mind. So let him come—the bastard couldn’t hurt her anymore.
There was a memory washing over her, but she figured it had been enhanced by the time that had passed and her fears, but she had been young. What age, she couldn’t remember now. Just before puberty, she thought. And there he was—Art, her mom’s live-in boyfriend, approaching her. She could see it in her mind like it was yesterday. In her head, she was sitting on that old ugly green recliner her mom used to have sitting in a corner of the living room. It must have been summer, because Kory was wearing a thin nightgown that ended mid-thigh, and she was trying to wake up. Art was saying something to her, just having exited her mother’s bedroom. He’d made some comment about her legs and, as he got closer, he hunched over, forcing Kory to look at him. She realized her mother wasn’t home—at work maybe? And there was Art, laughing and sneering, and he touched her knee. He kept talking, keeping her off guard, but when he started sliding his hand up her thigh, she let out a kick and jumped over the arm of the chair to run to her bedroom. She could hear his laughter behind her.
“You okay?”
It was Stone’s voice, and she forced her eyes open. They’d been squeezed shut and she’d completely tuned out everything else around her. She could feel perspiration on her upper lip and her breaths were shallow. There was no pain in her right arm, though. She looked at him and nodded.
The look on his face told her what she needed to know. She must have looked like an insane woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She swallowed and tried to remove the worry and fear from her eyes, forcing a smile…and a few words. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“It’s done. Want to take a look?”
Already? She peeked over and looked at the tiny tattoo on her arm. It was perfect. A little black musical note decorating her arm…forever. The skin around the tattoo looked red and swollen, irritated by Stone’s gun, but she was glad she’d powered through. She looked up at him. “I love it.”
He smiled and started talking about tattoo aftercare, but Kory’s mind was still wrestling with a demon she’d forgotten she had—and she wondered if she’d ever be able to get rid of it.
Chapter Eight
THAT NIGHT WHEN they left the tattoo shop, Stone had taken Kory out for ice cream before driving her home, but when he dropped her off, there was no mind-blowing kiss. Instead, he pulled her into an embrace and held her close. How the hell had he known that was what she needed? If she had managed to find her guts, she would have asked him to do that all night long.
She really should have, because she had nightmares throughout the night. It started with dreaming about getting the tattoo—the sensation of the gun vibrating against her arm, causing her pain, followed by Art approaching her in monster-like fashion, ready to devour her.
She knew it was stupid.
She’d thought she had moved on. After discussing the guy with her therapist ad nauseum, she thought she’d managed to let it go.
Yeah, Kory had figured becoming a slut the last year or two in high school had proved she’d let go of any scars left behind by that twisted man, but now she was beginning to think she’d just stuffed it all down and pretended it didn’t exist. In fact, the only reason she’d curbed her slutty behavior was because she’d discovered a guy who made all other guys pale in comparison. Despite that, she’d thought all the sexual behavior had eliminated the need for therapy, had somehow healed her. What she’d seen in her head last night convinced her she hadn’t let it go—not by a long shot. And somehow that tattoo gun had pulled it out of her.
Now she thought maybe she better understood her fear of needles. Only it wasn’t a fear of needles. It was a fear of being hurt by someone she was supposed to trust.
She was beginning to think Stone was psychic too, because somehow he knew she needed time to process. He didn’t text her until Monday, and when he did, it was to ask how she was doing. She let him know she was fine. Then he called. “Are you really fine or are you just saying that?”
She didn’t know, but she wasn’t going to tell him that she was considering calling her old psychologist and getting back into therapy. “I’m fine. The tattoo’s healing nicely, by the way.”
“I figured it would. And sorry to ask. You were just…pretty out of it Friday. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“I am. Really. I’m a survivor.” Shit. Did she really have to say that? “Thanks.”
“When do you have your next night off from work?”
She knew the next three nights were work nights, which was fine, because when all the stocking and cleaning was done, she usually had an hour or so to work on homework. She needed to do a little catch up because she’d spent far too much time over the weekend reliving parts of her childhood that she wished would just get out of her head. She wanted to see Stone, though. That idea made her feel warm and happy. “Thursday.”
“Wanna do something?”
“Yeah. What do you have in mind?”
“Well, really, there’s not much to do in this town except drink. We could go to the movies or go bowling or do some laser tag. I’d invite you to go hiking, but I don’t think it’s a good idea doing it at night.”
“That might be kind of exciting. You wouldn’t see a bear until you were right up on it.”
“Exactly. So what’ll it be?”
She smiled. She didn’t think she’d ever really dated a guy before, so Stone’s attention, while foreign to her, was welcome. “How about you surprise me?”
“Oh, that’s how it is. You’re gonna be a pain in the ass and make me choose. Then when you don’t like what I pick, you’re gonna give me massive loads of grief.”
“Damn straight, so you better choose wisely.”
“Ah…the pressure’s on. I’ll call you Thursday with details.”
Somehow, just knowing she was going to be spending more time with Stone eased the pain of her memories.
* * *
As she threw on some jeans, Kory wondered if this would be considered a second or third date. The tattoo experience didn’t quite feel like a date, but they’d gone for ice cream after. She didn’t know that she considered it a third, but she felt so much better about Stone—like maybe they were actually compatible.
Like they had a chance.
Unlike her usual self, she wore a flimsy, see-through button-up top with short sleeves. It was black and filmy, and its only redeeming quality was that it had white skulls all over it. Underneath it, she wore a tiny black tank top that showed the curvature of her small breasts.
Stone picked her up at her apartment. Lacey winked at Kory as she headed out, and she couldn’t help but grin back at her roommate as she walked out the door. Stone stood, looking cool and composed, but Kory wondered how he really felt. He’d called her earlier that day and told her he still hadn’t settled on what they were going to do, so he’d surprise her that evening. “So?” she asked, prodding him.
“I thought you said you wanted me to surprise you.”
“Oh, that’s evil.”
He smirked. “Get used to it.” It was hot out but there was a slight breeze, and she loved the way it pushed his bangs in his eyes. She smiled back at him.
“Shall we?” He placed his hand on her back, urging her toward his truck.
Fortunately, Kory thought,
Stone was as obsessed with metal music as she was, and he cranked it on the way to wherever they were going. It wasn’t just playing in his shop (although at lower levels); it was more than a bad ass image. He really liked the music. That was a plus in Kory’s eyes. So, rather than talk, they listened to some Hellyeah cranked to the max.
He pulled his truck into the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant where Kory had eaten once before. He looked over at her as he pulled the keys out of the ignition. “You better like Mexican food.” She almost laughed, wanting to ask, “Or else what?” but she knew that was the response he’d been expecting, and she didn’t want to do what he expected. She’d rather keep him guessing. She shrugged and opened the door to her side of the truck and slid out before he could make it over there. When he met up with her, he asked, “You do like Mexican food, don’t you?”
Ha. It had worked. “Doesn’t everybody?”
He laughed. “Guess so.” Once they were seated, the waiter brought them menus and chips and salsa, then asked what they wanted to drink. Stone said he wanted a Cuervo and then said he changed his mind. “Just bring me a water.”
“Two,” Kory added. Once the waiter left, she kept her eyes on the menu but asked, “Why no beer?”
“You can’t have one, so it doesn’t seem fair if I have a drink without you.”
She shrugged. “I don’t care.”
“I do, and I’m fine without one.” Kory wasn’t going to continue debating it with him, because she thought it was sweet that he was being so thoughtful. That, perhaps, was the worst part about the age difference between them, but if somehow they worked out, it would only be a few months before she was of the age where she could drink alcohol in restaurants too.
The waiter came by and took their orders and then Stone dipped a chip in the bowl of salsa. Kory said, “So why don’t you tell me more about your job.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. What inspires some of your art, maybe, or what you like about it?”
He cocked his head and said, “I don’t know. I don’t always have a choice in what I’m doing, you know? If I have some little chicky come in and tell me she wants Hello Kitty on her, I have to find some flash and just trace it on her. Maybe she doesn’t want Hello Kitty, but she wants a kitten. That’s not really my thing, so I’ll try to find some flash that meets her needs. As far as my actual art…have you seen it?”
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