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[I think I told you about Matt. He’s very happily boyfriended, so don’t worry about it. Did it work though? <3 Will you find some time?]

Hint hint. I want to be boyfriended too.

Again, a bit of a break before his next response. [I suppose I can make it work if I close the studio early today. So... what do you want to show me, other than your cherries?]

I grin at my phone like the Joker as I type. [It’s a surprise. Wear comfy clothes and shoes that can get muddy.]

“Your face.” That’s Matt, who sat in his chair when I wasn’t paying attention. “Does that smile mean he’s coming?”

I never high-five. I find it a pretty lame thing to do, but right now I hold my palm up and Matt slaps it. “Yep, I’ve got a date.”

Vex just doesn’t know it yet.

Chapter 12

Vex

I put on a fresh T-shirt and then comb my hair in front of the mirror. It’s longer toward the front of my head, and so if I style it right, dark strands fall in my face in a way people find sexy and mysterious.

The innocence of the naughty picture Aaron sent me earlier does something to me. How could I refuse him? So maybe I did have to move my plans for whatever he’s up to, but I’m too curious of what he has in mind to say no.

Especially when he’s usually the one coming to my place yet this time insisted on picking me up today. Does he want to do some surprise sex thing outdoors? He did tell me to dress in something comfortable and, presumably, easy to take off.

Yasmin looms behind me and knocks on the open door. “You sure it’s such a good idea to move a customer’s appointment? What if they see you tonight and find out you’re not actually too unwell to work on their ink?”

I exhale, but what can I possibly say in this situation? I know she’s right. I know dropping work at Aaron’s last-minute call is not professional of me, but am I not allowed to be a bad boy at times, just because I’ve been reformed?

“I’ll be incognito.”

When my phone buzzes, I’m a bit overeager to read the text, and I can see that in the judgment all over Yasmin’s face.

[Almost there! <3] Aaron writes, which makes me worried. Is he texting and driving? I don’t answer, in case he has the stupid idea to pick up the message behind the wheel.

Yas cocks her head with a smirk. “Is this a date-date?”

I snort, even though the question sends my imagination to unexpected places, where Aaron leads me through some romantic maze, just to spend time with me away from it all. “Nah, I don’t have time for that. A real relationship with someone would take too much of my time, and you never know when my fifteen minutes of fame is gonna end. Just having some fun,” I say and pass her in the doorway, heading to the shop downstairs.

I’m outside just in time to spot Aaron parking his car. It’s a Volvo, and while I don’t know much about cars, the black vehicle does not look cheap. Then again, nothing about this guy is.

He feels luxurious every time I taste him.

“Hey,” I say, dashing inside to avoid being seen by the client whose appointment I moved to next week because this guy here showed me his nips. The interior of the vehicle is all pale leather, which feels soft to the touch.

Why does he live in a dorm?

Aaron smiles, and leans in as if he’s about to kiss me, but then pulls back. “Too public?” he asks. He’s wearing tea-colored pants, a buttoned up cardigan and knee-high boots. I’m guessing this is his idea of casual, and while it makes him look good, there are people in the street, and I give him a tense smile.

“Let’s go somewhere more private. Can you now tell me what the surprise is?” I ask and place my hand on his thigh.

He beams at me. “No, you’ll see when we get there,” he says and starts the car.

I’m starting to wonder if this is some kind of occasion. “Is it your birthday?”

He laughs as he drives down the road at the pace of a grandpa. “No. My birthday's on the fourteenth of December. Put that in your calendar, ‘cause it’s a big deal. I’ll be twenty-one.”

I chuckle and find the date in my phone calendar. Of course I’m gonna add it. Gotta keep my sweet boy toy happy. “And what do you want for that special birthday? A beer? A stout cake with twenty-one candles?”

Aaron shrugs. “Surprise me.”