by Amy Davies
“Thanks, Jay, you’re a lifesaver.”
“No problem. Happy to help a damsel in distress.” I wink at her. She scrunches her face up, looking cute as fuck.
“Damsel? Me?” She looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. I shrug and offer her the trademark Castle smirk that has women dropping their knickers.
“That,” she lifts her hand, pointing a finger at my face, and swirls it around, “will not work on me, Mr Castle. No siree.”
“You think so, huh?” Fuck, what the hell am I saying? I should not push this, it’s way too soon after Rachel leaving. Hell, I need to get away from her, she’s making me see and feel things that I surely shouldn’t. I straighten up some, and step around her. “Anyway, I’d better finish my run. I have a few appointments today. It was nice seeing you again, Cassie.” I run up the path, away from her. I can’t be feeling these things yet; my heart is still healing from recent events. It wouldn’t be fair on Cassie if I start something with her now. I push my body harder than before, forcing all thoughts out of my head. Making myself concentrate on my breathing.
Sweat is pouring down my body, soaking through my sleeveless t-shirt by the time I reach the top, but I don’t stop. I quickly turn around and make my descent. I know that I’ll come across Cassie again, but I need to just nod my head in acknowledgement and carry on running. ACDC’s ‘If You Want Blood’ blasts through my ears as I reach Cassie. She’s looking right at me as we close the distance between us. I see her little blonde ponytail swish back and forth with each step, and her breasts… Holy fucking shit. Even with her sports bra on her breasts bounce with each step. I swear my tongue is hanging out of my mouth. How the fuck can a woman look so elegant and sexy as sin when running? Me, I look like a sweaty homeless beast. I know I’m sweating profusely, and my hair is slicked to my head. My clothes stick to me and are drenched with sweat.
Damn, she looks so good.
I shake my head to clear all naughty thoughts of her as we pass. Our eyes stay locked and we turn our heads slightly to keep the connection. I keep my gaze locked on her body for a few more seconds, even after she turns to face the way she’s running. Me, being the knob I am, keep my gaze locked on her pert, little arse in that tight black lycra, which causes me to stumble when I lose my footing. But, being a Castle, I regain my balance and act as if nothing happened. I look around and see that no one saw my little stumble.
BOOM.
Yeah, nailed it.
I get to my car not long after. I love this hiking path, it gives you a workout going both up and down. I unlock my car and pull open the boot, I know I have some water in here somewhere. I never go to a workout without an extra bottle of water. I open the bottle and lift it to my lips, downing the entire content. Dropping the empty bottle back into the boot, I reach for my towel and give my face a wipe over, then close the boot. Pulling open the car door, I climb in and start it up. Music starts playing instantly through the car’s speakers’. I press a button and my window goes down, allowing fresh air to float through the car, which is a good thing since I stink to high heaven. I turn up the music and pull out of the car park, heading home to shower and change before I go to work.
* * *
I set my pencil down and take a good look at the design I’ve been working on for the past hour, it’s pretty badass if you ask me. The girl is having a Coy fish, surrounded by faint waves and cherry blossoms. The colours are going to look amazing. She only uses Castle Ink for her tattoos, she trusts only us to ink her. Dex did her full sleeve, and it’s fucking awesome. We take huge pride in what we do here at Castle Ink. It took us a while to get where we are, but fuck it feels good to be here. A knock comes from my door.
“Come in,” I call out. I look up at the door and see Vee standing there in all her glory. She’s a beautiful woman; long ink-black hair that reaches her backside. She’s wearing a tight v-neck t-shirt and a pair of tight arse jeans. But she does nothing for me, besides the fact that she’s a lesbian.
“Hey, Vee. Come on in.”
“What’s up, Jay?”
“Same old shit, different day. So, I finished adjusting the design, let me know what you think.” I hand her the sheet of paper so she can inspect the design. She smiles brightly and nods her head in appreciation. I mirror her smile, because I know I did a bang-up job on the sketch.
“Oh man, this is beyond fucking perfect. Can I add a little something to it?” she asks me, and her smile falters a little.
"Oh shit, has something happened?"
“Yeah, ummm, shit.” She chokes on her words. I stand and guide her to the chair.
“Sit, take your time.” She coughs and dislodges the emotion trapped in her throat. I know it’s bad, her face and voice tell me all I need know.
“My cousin died two weeks ago. He had a brain hemorrhage. He went to bed one night and never woke up.”
“Shit, I’m so sorry, Vee. That's awful for you and your family to go through. We can add anything you want to the design. Anything.” Vee’s cousin's death makes you realise that life is too fucking short to be second guessing the decisions you make. Live for the now. I rub her arm, soothing her.
“Can we add his date of birth into the waves, please? Also, have one of the cherry blossoms in blue, it was his favourite colour.”
“Of course.” I get up and start to set up everything that I’ll need. Vee’s having the tattoo done today, it’s been a long time coming. It took her weeks to decide what she wanted, and then she pondered what colours. She’s a perfectionist. Hell, aren’t we all. I get the design set in the correct place on her ribs and we get started. It should take about two hours. It’s a good thing we get along so great.
“So, how's work?” I ask Vee. I hate a quiet room while I ink someone up, that's why I always have music playing in my room.
“It’s good. I have a few more gigs booked. I have a big summer festival in Magaluf at the end of August, seriously can’t wait for that. My cousin was going to come with me. I wanted to cancel, but my aunt told me that Rob - that’s my cousin - would be pissed at me if I pulled out. He would have loved all those sexy bitches walking around in bikinis. Damn, it will be a very hot and wet event, if you know what I mean.” She winks at me.
“God, Vee, you’re fucking crazy. If I called a woman a ‘bitch’… I would have my head bitten off. But I’ll agree with you, I would be a very happy man watching all those sexy ladies strut around in barely-there bikinis.” I chuckle as I make another outline of a cherry blossom.
We talk all the way through the tattoo, and Vee tells me more about her cousin. How he loved music just as much as her. He was a huge Manchester City fan, hence the pale blue Cherry blossom. Vee tells me about the set that she’s looking at doing at the summer festival. Me and the boys went to one a few years ago, and it was fucking epic, we fucked like crazy. The ladies love tattooed men. Dex even ended up working a shift in a tattoo studio over there, now that was some funny shit. The word spread like wildfire that Dex was there tattooing, and the girls came from everywhere to get tattooed by him. Lucky bastard.
Liam and me sat next to him and lapped up the extra attention we got from being at Dex’s side. The ladies got close to us, to get to him, but we didn’t give a fuck. We were there for fun, booze, and women, and by fuck we got that. There was one chick that wanted Dex’s name tattooed on her tit, but Dex refused. Instead, he tattooed a silhouette heart, because she refused to leave without having a tattoo from him. That pleased her, she kissed him and bounced out of the room, bragging that she got a tattoo.
Just over two hours later, I clean up Vee’s skin, wiping away the excess ink from around the tattoo. Vee is a fucking champ, she never complains when getting inked. I drop the paper towel into the bin and give the design one last look over before telling Vee she’s done.
“Dude, you’re done. Take a look.” I gesture to the mirror. I sit and watch Vee walk over to the full wall of mirrors, and inspect the tattoo. A lump forms in my throat when I see t
ears roll down her face. I feel her pain. I remember when Fiona died; it’s heart-wrenching. You never forget a loved one who has passed away, they are always in your heart.
They may not be here in body, but they’re here in spirit, I have always believed that.
Vee and me shoot the shit for a little while, as I cleaned up her new ink. Luke came in and I made the introductions. It was funny as fuck to see Luke flirt with Vee, and not clicking on that she was gay. Priceless, I tell you, fucking priceless to see his face morph into shock, and then smug as he passed it off as a test to see if she could resist him. Dopey bastard. I say goodbye to Vee and walk back to my room to prepare for my next client, who just so happens to be a wicked older lady, who has her grandkids names tattooed on her shoulder blade in an awesome scroll. Her daughter just gave birth to twins, so we get to add two more names today.
Twins… Now that sounds like a handful, but I would love to have that handful one day. Hell, even just the one baby. It will happen one day. I know it.
cassie
I wake with a start, my dream leaving me shaking, sweaty, and horny as hell. Damn the sexy thing of a man. Jay Castle. I’ve only bumped into him a few times, but he’s left a mark on my lady bits, and he hasn’t even touched me there...yet. Like I said, damn him. It’s like he has this Jedi-lady-parts-power. With one look, he can have you tingling in a matter of seconds. The day I saw him in town was the first time I had seen him outside of Castle Ink. He had asked about my new tattoo that his brother Dex had just finished up. The thoughts that ran through my foggy brain when he leaned down a little and touched my healing skin… Well, let’s just say that the thoughts belong in an erotic novel. Damn him.
I climb out of bed and walk downstairs to start the kettle. I need my morning cup of tea. I’m not a coffee drinker, it upsets my stomach. I hear the tapping of tiny claws hitting the hardwood flooring, and turn to see one of my babies walking towards me. My darling little MJ prowls towards me, slowly but surely. MJ was my first ever pet. I have no clue what breed of cat she is, but she’s perfect in every way. She is completely white, and I’ve had her since I was fifteen. She’s ten years old, which is good for some cats. I pick up a mug from the draining board and add the tea bag and milk. MJ rubs her body against my legs, purring as she goes. She’s a soppy old girl. Loves cuddles. It doesn’t take long before my new furbaby comes storming into the kitchen. This baby holds my heart; he’s only three months old. He was dumped, along with two of his brothers, at the back of my grooming salon. They were newborn at the time, so I took them in and helped them get better. The two other boy pups went to good homes, but Stark had something about him that made me keep him.
Stark - and yes, he was named after Iron Man. Can you blame me? Tony Stark is amazeballs! - comes to a sliding halt and almost crashes into the chairs at the kitchen island. I chuckle at his fearlessness. He has no fear at all, he’ll climb up on things, and try to jump gaps he’s far too small to cover, I swear he is a toddler at heart. I bend down and pick Stark up, nuzzling into his white and brown fur. He licks my face, giving me morning kisses.
“Okay, little man, let’s get you outside before you do your business in my house, and not in the garden.” I carry him outside and set him on the patio. He bolts towards the grass and over to his favourite tree at the bottom of the garden. I leave the door open, as the weather is nice for a November morning. It isn’t ridiculously cold; the sun is bright but deceiving. I carry on my morning business while waiting for Stark to come back into the house. I notice that MJ walks out and comes straight back in a few seconds later, yeah, that old girl doesn’t like the chilly weather much. I sip my cup of tea, loving the feeling of the hot liquid warming me from the inside out. Even in the summer I drink tea, my family and friends think I’m crazy and that I should drink a cold drink. I don’t bother closing the door while I go upstairs to shower and get ready for work.
Thank God, I own my own business. I’m a dog groomer, have been for the past five years. I’ve always loved animals, and my parents always said that I would work with them one day. I opened ‘Cassie’s Cuts’ right after I passed all my courses and on-hand experience, thanks to Kelly at Messy Mutts. It was during this time that I met my best friend, Chris. We became fast friends, and have been ever since. I never had many friends in school because I was seen as the nerdy girl. I was always reading books, comics, and watching action movies. That’s why when he-who-shall-not-be-named came into my life, I threw my heart into our relationship, while he threw his dick into every other girl around town.
I am a huge Marvel fan. My dad calls me a movie buff, because I spent most of my teenage years watching films; I still do now. Anything from The Punisher to Transformers to Fifty Shades of Grey. I love watching films, and TV shows. When I’m not grooming or walking dogs, you’ll find me reading or watching something on the TV. Hence why I have a fifty-two-inch flat screen TV in my living room, and a thirty-inch in my bedroom. Hey, size does matter.
My shower is super short, and I’m quick to get dried off and dressed. My short blonde hair dries easy, but today I’m going to leave it to air dry, so it’s looking waving and pretty. Well, I think so anyway. I throw on my blue skinny jeans and a white t-shirt, push my feet into my brown ankle boots, and then make my way back downstairs. I walk through the kitchen and over to the back door, calling Stark’s name, trying to get him to come back into the house. I need to pick up Chris on my way, his car is in the garage.
“Stark, come on, little man, we have to go to work. Let’s go.” I whistle to get his attention, and he finally drags his little butt over to me. He looks up at me like I just stole his favorite chew toy, big, puppy-dog eyes. Yeah, right, that doesn’t work on me. Ask the dogs at the salon. I finally get Stark into the house and pick up my handbag, phone, and car keys. I let MJ roam around the house. She’s well house-trained, so I never come home to any nasty surprises. I’ve been training Stark to walk by my side, and once we get outside, I click the small clicker as he starts to move away, but when he hears the simple click, he comes right back. I know it will take time, he’s still a baby. I bend down and scratch behind his ears and praise him.
“Good boy. You got this, pooch.” I click the fob and my car unlocks. I love this car; it’s super good on fuel. My dad bought me a Dacia, Duster, because it’s an eco-car, and it has a huge boot for when I need to take the dogs for a walk. Most salons don’t offer dog walking, but I do. Plus, it’s good exercise for me, too. I attach Stark’s lead to the hook in the boot and climb into the driver’s seat. I know the drive won’t take long to pick up Chris, he doesn’t live that far from me, and it’s on my way to the salon, so I don’t see the point in taking two cars, anyway. Radio One plays through the car as I drive down the roads to Chris’s house.
I beep twice when I pull up outside his place. I wave to the old lady next door, who’s looking through her curtains. Her curtains snap shut when she sees I’ve noticed her. I chuckle to myself and wait for Chris. He comes out a few moments later, dressed in dark blue jeans and a tight blue t-shirt with my salon’s names on the front. His hair is perfect. Oh, did I mention that Chris is hot as hell, but totally, one hundred percent gay. My mum always says, ‘the best ones are always taken - or gay’ and damn, she’s right. Chris turns heads when he walks into a room, men and women both. He reminds me of Ben Barnes with his short hair. I loved him in Dorian Gray.
The door opens and Chris climbs into the passenger seat with ease. It’s hard to believe that this six-foot-one, sexy thing, is a dog groomer, but looks don't tell you a person’s story. Only they can do that.
“Hey, babe,” Chris says, leaning over to kiss my cheek. It was his thing he does with the important women in his life.
“Morning. So, what did you get up to last night?” I wiggle my eyebrows at him. I know he went out with some guy he met while out walking the dogs, so I wanna know the details. I pull away from his house and start the journey to work.
“Oh, babe, he knew what he was do
ing. Damn, the way he would suck my d-”
“Shhhhhhhhh. I do not need to know how you like your things sucked!” Chris bursts out laughing. I don’t care that he’s laughing at me, I so do not want to know about some random bloke sucking his dick. Don’t get me wrong, I am no prude, but he’s my bestie for Christ sakes. I don’t tell him about my sexcapades, not that much has been happening lately. And by lately, I mean at least ten months.
“Aww, come on, Cass, you know you wanna know.” I huff at his response. “Go on, ask,” he prompts me.
“You aren’t going to stop, are you?” He shakes his head, with a cocky smile on his face. Shit, I know I’m gonna regret this.
“Fine. How big was he?” I ask in a bored tone.
“Fucking huge, he had this curve to the end of his dick, so it pointed up to his belly button. And damn, could he pound. My arse was sore when I woke up this morning.”
“Okay, I didn’t ask for that much info.” Chris laughs next to me, causing Stark to bark from the back of the car. “Yeah, dude, you tell him. He doesn’t need to make my ears burn with all this dirty talk. Sweet and innocent here.” I point to myself, making Chris laugh harder.
“Hahaha, now that is funny. Sweet my sexy, tight arse. I’ve heard you scream when you’re being pounded, young lady.” He arches a brow at me.
“Can we please stop using that word?”
“Which word? Pound?”
“Yes. It sounds so barbaric.” He chuckles.
“Oh, sweetheart, we need to get you shagged good. What about that lad you told me about? The tattoo one.”
“What about him?” Keeping my eyes forward at the road, avoiding eye contact with my best friend sitting next to me, I flip the indicator and turn down the road that leads to my salon. I love my building. We painted it all black, with the business name in bright pink, with some white paw prints. The same paw prints that I have tattooed on my wrist, right along with a human footprint. It’s a symbol that animals walk with me.
