Skin Deep

Page 54

I did go to the shop, though, instead of going home, intending to spend the day with Luke and Brandon. Jackson had a few meetings today, so he wouldn’t be around and the only one at home was Doug. Not that I minded his company but Brandon had fed him egg salad yesterday, so I was trying to avoid him until the danger had passed. By that I mean that I wanted to be able to walk through the house without a gas mask on.
I walked into the shop and said hi to Brandon who was helping someone at the counter before heading back to Luke’s studio. The door was open and he was sitting on his stool talking to Jadalee who was standing across the room looking at a picture of a tattoo that Luke had just done. I ignored her and went to Luke, who jumped up and pulled me into his arms, kissing me thoroughly.
I pulled back and shot a glance under my lashes toward Jadalee who was standing with her fists clenched. I couldn’t help it; it made me smile. And when I say smile, I mean actually that I grinned from ear to ear while I turned my head and actually looked at her. There ain’t no shame in my game! Boo-ya, bitch!
“So, you’re officially on Christmas vacation!” Luke said, grinning right along with me. “Does this mean that I get you all day every day until you go back?” He looked so hopeful and happy, but I couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Well, Allie asked me to stay at her house for a few days, so I told her that I would. And then its tradition to spend at least four nights with my mom and dad right after Christmas, so…” I let my words trail off, giving him what I hoped was a rueful expression.
His face fell but then he tried so valiantly to hide it and put on a happy front that I couldn’t keep it up anymore. I broke down and laughed, yelling, “I’m kidding, geez! Yes, you have me for all the time you want me until I go back to work!”
“You little witch…” he growled, stalking toward me.
I squealed and turned to flee but started laughing when he snagged me around my waist and lifted me up against his chest, burying his face in my neck. I laughed even harder when Jadalee rolled her eyes and stomped out of the room, muttering to herself.
I pushed against Luke and he released me. “Listen, I was thinking.”
Luke interrupted me, saying, “Oh, Lord, that’s bad. Does your head hurt?”
I glared at him and smacked his shoulder as he laughed at me. “Seriously, focus. I think I want you to tattoo me again.”
He quit laughing, his eyes growing wide with excitement. “Really? What do you want? Where do you want it?”
“Well, I don’t want it right now and I’m not sure. That’s why I was thinking that I would let you just draw something for me and give me your ideas of where it should go. What do you think?”
“I think that you trust me an awful lot, sugar, and that turns me on. Want me to close the door and you can ride me while I go ahead and give you a new tattoo on your titty?” He waggled his eyebrows at me, grinning like a loon.
I rolled my eyes. “Very funny, ha ha. Well?”
He turned serious, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead before saying, “I was being serious when I said you trust me an awful lot. And it does turn me on…just fyi. But, yeah, I can do that. I’d love to do that for you, sugar. And I just plain love you.”
I smiled and kissed him gently, whispering, “I just plain love you, too. Now go draw me a tattoo, bitch!” I smacked his ass and turned to sashay out the door, but that didn’t work. His eyes gleamed and I gulped.
I squealed and took off out the door to the lobby as Luke lunged for me, hiding behind Brandon who started laughing, along with the people waiting for tattoos or piercing or whatever. Luke chased me and we looked like two little kids playing around. I was using poor Brandon as a shield, my fingers twisted in the sides of his shirt, moving him every which way to counter Luke’s grabs. Brandon was laughing uncontrollably, especially when Luke’s hands would miss me and grab his sides, inadvertently tickling him.
Of course, since I’d just found out how ticklish Brandon was, I couldn’t resist pulling my fingers out of his shirt and tickling him mercilessly until Luke got a hold of me and pulled me away, lifting me in his arms and throwing me over his shoulder. I hung there, upside down and grinning, while he called his next client back. The woman followed him, laughing as I propped myself up a bit on his back and introduced myself to her as he strode down the hall to his studio.
I stayed at the shop until they closed and then Jackson met us at Griff’s for dinner, a little karaoke, and maybe a few drinks. Karaoke night was usually Monday night at Griff’s but the band that he had booked as a special before Christmas act cancelled at the last minute because they broke up, so Jeremy had come in to cover and do karaoke/dance party night instead. Weird for a Tuesday night, but hey. Who am I to complain?
We were finishing up our dinner (I’d ordered the pizza rolls, as usual…yum!), when Jadalee came through the door, walking over to Jeremy with an exaggerated sway of her hips. I snorted as I watched her lean over and thrust her boobs out, trying to seduce poor Jeremy, I suppose. Too bad she’s barking up the wrong tree…he’s been happily married to his high school sweetheart for fourteen years and they have six kids.
She apparently picked out a song to sing, and since no one else had put a name in after the last guy who’d been up there, she went ahead and took the stage with the microphone. I shook my head when the notes for Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend started and Jadalee began to sing. She sucked. I mean, don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t horrible, but she definitely shouldn’t quit her day job. She bounced around the stage, but her eyes were for Luke, who, bless his heart, was shaking with laughter.
I nudged him to let me out of the booth and went up to talk to Jeremy. I shook my head when he asked if I wanted my usual start off song, and whispered in his ear what I wanted. He didn’t have it, but thank God he’s one of them hi-tech kinda karaoke guys, so he was able to tap into the bar’s wi-fi and get what I wanted.
I smirked as Jadalee sashayed off the stage, a little embarrassed for her since only a couple people clapped for her. And because I was about to blow her out of the water. I didn’t even have an ounce of stage fright tonight, because this was gonna be good.
The beat started, giving me my starting notes and I belted out the lyrics to Halestorm’s It’s Not You, and I was singing it directly to Jadalee. Of course I played with the lyrics a little bit, but I was making a point.
Instead of singing I’m or Me during the chorus, I was singing, ‘He’s in love with somebody, Found someone who completes him, Oh-he’s in love with somebody, oh yeah, and it’s not you!’, and I was singing it directly to Jadalee. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I was rocking it, too. I got a standing ovation from everyone in the bar, with the exception of Jadalee, who stormed out of the bar like her ass was on fire.
Christmas Eve day was spent just hanging out with the guys and Allie, who had come over to do our Christmas together since she would be spending the day with her family tomorrow, on Christmas Day. We watched movies and played outside in the snow that had started falling in the middle of the night, sticking and coating everything with sparkling white. I was so happy that we were going to have a white Christmas!
Before she left, we exchanged gifts. She loved everything I gave her and I was ecstatic with what she’d gotten me. It was a killer pair of black suede peep-toe stilettos, with a tapering stacked, patent leather four and a half inch heel. I loved them and couldn’t wait to wear them! She’d also given me a gift card to buy more books for my Kindle, because she knows how much I love to read.