“Not gonna happen, just like I told you last time. You leave here with the bandage. After that, it’s up to you if you want to keep it on or not. But I suggest you don’t be a dummy.”
I smiled. I liked her attitude.
Kat didn’t walk her customer out of the shop. Instead, she pushed her stool over to the counter to take a massive swig of a canned energy drink while he made his way to the door himself. That was when I got my first look at her.
Long dark eyelashes surrounded shockingly blue eyes. I trailed my eyes over high cheekbones and full lips. When she stood, I saw that her black tank-top and skintight jeans left little to the imagination, showing every slight curve on her thin body.
Damn.
I wasn’t expecting to be hit with a fireball of lust in the first ten minutes of my new job, but there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. This chick was hot.
And we were going to be working just feet away from each other.
“Take a picture.It’ll last longer,” she said with a little smirk.
I laughed lightly. “You've been holding onto that since the fifth grade or what?”
“Kat, this is the new tattoo artist,” Piper interrupted, reminding me that she was still there. “Blade, this is Kat.”
“Blade?” Kat repeated with a quirked brow. “That’s…unique.”
“What can I say, I’m one of a kind.”
“Is that why someone busted up your lip?”
I reached up and ran a thumb over the fresh wound. The swelling had gone down since last night, but the skin was still split and would take a couple of days to heal.
“What can I say? I’m a charmer.”
Kat snickered, and the bell above the door announced the arrival of another customer. I looked around and realized that Brie had already left, presumably resuming her position at the front counter.
I spent most of the rest of the day watching Kat and Piper work, getting a feel for the way things were run around here. Perusing the drawers, I was impressed by how well-stocked they were. Brie ran a tight ship around here, and I had a feeling that I was going to fit in well. As long as I didn’t screw it up somehow. My eyes lingered on Kat.
Yeah, it was probably not a good idea to go there.
This was confirmed when the end of the day arrived, and we were all leaving. Looking around the parking lot, I saw that there were only two cars and my bike. I opened my mouth to ask if someone needed a ride, but before I got the words out, a man on a Harley pulled into the parking lot.
He pulled up in front of the four of us, and Kat stepped forward.
“See you guys tomorrow,” she said and pulled a helmet on. I watched her wrap her hands around the man’s waist, and my gut clenched.
I told myself that there was no reason to care if that guy was her boyfriend. I just met this woman. Sure, she was sexy, but there were plenty of good-looking women out there. I didn’t need to get hung up on Kat. I wasn’t a one-woman kind of man, anyway.
I glanced at the time on my phone and hurried to my own motorcycle. I was expected to be at the Blue Dog in ten minutes for the Outlaw Souls meeting. My sex life would have to wait. I arrived with no time to spare. Everyone’s bikes were already in the parking lot when I parked. I caught the eye of my sponsor for the motorcycle club, Trainer.
He was a big guy with a full beard and long hair. He looked like trouble, with his closed-off expression and large stature, but the truth was, he was a great guy. Trainer was a devoted husband and father to two kids that turned him into a big softie when they were around.
I had bought my bike off him months ago, a Sportster with the prettiest red paint job I’d ever seen. The thing was a hell of a smooth ride, both in town and on the highway. He bought bikes cheap and fixed them to be resold, and he was good at his job. I loved my motorcycle and had gotten to know Trainer when I bought it.
He was the Road Captain of the club and nominated me to become a prospect. It wasn’t fun, I had to admit. There were two of us, myself and Axel. We did all the grunt work for the club but hadn’t earned any of the rewards yet. It reminded me of pledging to join a fraternity. You had to do whatever they said and prove yourself. Until then, you weren’t directly involved in club business. Tonight, Axel and I would be keeping watch over the bikes during the Outlaw Souls meeting.
It was dull unless someone got stupid enough to try to mess with the motorcycles. Outlaw Souls were good people, overall, but that didn’t mean you wanted to piss them off.
“Cutting it close, aren’t you?” Trainer asked when I joined him in front of the building.
“Yeah, I got a job today at a tattoo shop. I just left.”
“Good for you. Just try to stay out of trouble.”
