‘…like a lizard man?’ I suggest. ‘Nah, never was a big Doors fan.’
Her face is surprised into a grin. ‘That’s right – the Lizard King! How’d you know about that?’
‘My dad. He’s into the Doors.’ It comes out gruff.
‘But not you?’
‘Not really.’
She steps closer, absently hands her smoke to Snowie, who takes a long drag. Leela puts her hands on her hips, looks up at me. ‘You got nice eyes.’
‘Um, thanks.’
‘Yeah, but you’re not gonna be inkin’ hiseyeballs, are you?’ Snowie says, rolling his own eyeballs.
‘Shut up, Snow.’ Leela makes a little pirouetting motion at me with one finger. ‘Lemme see your back again?’
I turn obediently.
‘You’re never gonna go to fat,’ Leela says quietly. She could be talking to herself. ‘Not the body type for it. Maybe get a little thick in the gut, when you’re older. But your back’ll always be nice. Something here, I reckon.’
When she traces one short red-painted fingernail from my shoulder blade to my kidneys, I feel it.
‘Something sinuous… Not a lizard.’ Her hand turns me by the arm. ‘Ever thought of a dragon?’
I shrug, but my face must show my distaste. Dragons are for wankers.
Leela’s eyes narrow. ‘What about a snake?’
My eyes drag back to the flash on the wall. There’s snakes there, all types. Some of them punch out of flesh, fangs bared. If I’m gonna go through with this, I don’t want anything grotesque.
‘Not like that,’ I say.
‘Nah, but look at this.’ She points at a picture high on the wall. ‘King cobra. No colours, just monochrome. Or this.’
She taps another picture. I see a stark angular head, muscular brown coils.
‘You put that on many people?’ I ask.
She smiles, showing teeth. ‘Only you, baby.’
Sounds like bullshit to me, but she’s walking back behind the counter now, grabbing latex gloves. She pats the dentist’s chair invitingly. ‘C’mon up here. Straddle backwards.’
‘Nice choice,’ Ando says, nodding his approval.
I baulk. ‘You’re just gonna ink it straight on?’
‘Draw it first.’ Leela snaps into the gloves. ‘Check the fit, then we start.’ She looks over at Snowie. ‘Two sessions. He’ll need touch-ups and shading next week. Three hundred.’
‘Jesus.’ Snowie looks reluctant for the first time. ‘C’mon, Leel. Don’t I bring business in?’
Leela shrugs. ‘Two-fifty.’
Snowie gives me a look of appeal. ‘You don’t wanna go for something smaller?’
Leela makes a disgusted noise. ‘You want him to get a tramp stamp? Fucking hell, Snow.’
I raise my hands, like I’m helpless. Actually, I’m kind of enjoying watching Snowie squirm.
