Finding A Way (34 page)

Shay calmed Callie down by showing her the tattoos she already has done. The chick has quite a few. They're all well done, too. When I asked her where she got them done, she brushed me off by changing the subject. Not that it really matters. I was just trying to make conversation anyways.

“So how long have you and Trent been friends?” she asks me.

I shrug, letting out a chuckle.

“Long enough to know that when his ass is this late, he's definitely getting laid.”

Shay straightens up in her seat, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“He's late all the time. I mean not like it matters. He owns the place.”

I sense some kind of motive in her statement, and before I can try to dig deeper, the door opens and Trent walks in with a leggy blonde attached to him.

Shay frowns as she watches them before getting up.

“It was nice meeting you two. Callie, let’s hang out sometime.”

Callie and Shay exchange phone numbers as Trent makes out with the blonde by the door. They whisper to each other as the blonde spins on her heel walking out, but not before Trent smacks her ass during the process.

“Shay, don't you have work to do instead of annoying the piss out of my friends? This isn't fucking social hour. I’m paying you to work,” Trent snaps at her.

Shay glares at him, her eyes showing no remorse.

“Maybe if you weren't twenty minutes late, I wouldn't have to play guest speaker,
Trent
.”

Her words are definitely laced with venom which she hopes will kill Trent slowly. She has every right though. He's being his true dick self. She spins on her heel, storming away back to the safety of her small reception desk.

Trent turns to us, addressing Callie.

“So what am I inkin' on that beautiful virgin skin of yours, princess?”

I shoot daggers at him until Callie answers.

“Well it's a surprise, he can't know until it's done.” She waves.

Trent’s eyes light up with the thought of getting her alone and getting to put his hands on her. He turns toward me, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Well then, follow me.” He extends his hand toward his station.

They've been back there way too fucking long.

I sit on the couch with a clear view of Trent sitting in his seat, leaning over Callie. She's lying down so I can't even fucking see her. I'm losing my mind here. I hear them both laughing, but only Callie's giggle rings in my ears. Every now and then, Trent will look up at me, and flash an aggravating as fuck grin. He knows this is pissing me the fuck off, and he loves every second.

I stand up to go back there and break up their little love fest they've got going on, but instead I hear Trent calling me over.

Thank fucking God.

I walk around the short wall which hides Callie, seeing her smiling wide with anticipation.

"Hey sweetheart," I say, leaning down and placing a kiss in her hair.

She wrinkles up her nose at me, smiling too.

"Hey. You can't look until it's done."

I grab a folding chair that sits against the wall and pull it over so I can sit by her head. I could easily see whatever she's getting is on her thigh, but I can't quite make out the dull stencil which lies on her skin.

Callie squeezes my hand, looking up at me with the damn sparkle that’s always in her eyes.

How did I get so lucky?
This woman is fucking with everything I once thought I never wanted. She invaded my mind, and my heart, like a parasite. Sucking every thought of a woman who isn't her out of it. I swear, I feel like she's a part of me. Her heartbeat is my heartbeat.

I'm snapped out of my thoughts by Callie sucking in a deep breath as Trent puts the needle to her skin. She blows out a long shaky breath attempting to calm herself.

"You all right?" I ask her, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

She looks up at me, nodding her head.

"It's not that bad. I see why you have so many."

I let out a laugh, imagining her covered in them like I am. She'd look sexy as fuck.

"Maybe you will get more then?" I question, raising my brows at her.

"Let me get this one first, and then we'll see what happens."

I lean down, placing a kiss on her lips as I speak.

"Love you baby."

"I love you too, Mac."

"All right beautiful, that's it. Ya survived your first tattoo." Trent cleans up his shit and Callie sits up.

"Are you ready to see it?" she asks me, beaming with excitement.

I grab her hips, swinging her around to face me.

"Let's see it, my sexy inked girl," I say.

She angles her thigh my way and I stare in astonishment.

Her thigh now has the words
All good things are wild and free
written in a fancy script with highlights that make the words pop off of her light skin. Underneath it is a calla lily adorned by water droplets so realistic which make me forget it's a tattoo.

She looks fucking smoking with ink on her body and I want nothing more than to fuck her right here. I could give two shits who is watching now. She got my words permanently marked on her body. If it isn't some kind of proclamation of her love for me, then I don't know what the hell is. It fucks with my head that we weren't on talking terms when she decided she was getting this.

"Do you like it?" she bites her lip anxiously.

"I fucking love it. You look goddamn sexy with me on you," I confirm, leaning down to suck her lip into my mouth.

She kisses me back, my hands finding her thick hips, squeezing them tightly. I pull her in my lap and her arms wrap around my neck.

"It's not too much?" she asks between kisses.

I smile against her mouth.

"Nothing you ever do will be too much, sweetheart."

My heart swells with pride and my ego swells right along with it.

"What did you get?" I hear from the opening in the cubicle.

I spin around, seeing Shay standing in the makeshift doorway, staring at us with curious eyes.

Callie scoots out of my lap, going over to show her. Shay’s way taller than my girl, so she leans down to get a better look at it.

"That's really awesome! It came out great. Ink looks good on you, Callie. You better come back for more," she says kindly.

"I think I will," Callie confirms.

Shay turns around to leave as Trent comes booming in behind her.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Shay. I told you this isn't fucking social hour. If ya don't have work to do then bang out, and go the fuck home. I'm not paying ya to do jack shit."

Whoa. I didn't expect that. Trent is taking his hate for this chick to a whole new level. I watch Shay's face. She looks like she wants to cry from his harsh words, but she quickly sucks it up, her facial expression turning angry instead.

"What the fuck is your problem, Trent? Jesus, I don't have to deal with this shit! You can't talk to me like I'm a piece of shit in front of people. You're my boss, not my goddamn boyfriend. Even then, I wouldn't put up with your shit!"

Trent laughs cruelly at her, shaking his head.

"If you don't like it Shay, then there's the fucking door. Make my life easier, please. I could get a dude to do the paperwork and then I wouldn’t have to put up with your crazy ass. Don't be mad because you want my dick again, princess."

Shay looks up at him like he just slapped her in the face. She spins around, flipping him off, and heading back to wherever she came from in the shop.

Callie looks over to Trent, speaking low.

"Why are you such an asshole to her? She seems nice."

Trent glares at Callie, answering in a clipped tone.

"She's the fucking devil. There ain't anything
nice
about that bitch."

I shake my head at him from my seat. Little does he know, he and Shay are a match made in heaven. Two people so stubborn for each other, neither of them will give in—if they haven't already.

"You ready to get out of here, baby? I got other plans for us which involve my bed." I pull her over me and toss her over my shoulder like I have done a lot lately.

"Mac!"

I turn toward Trent, Callie still tossed over my shoulder.

"Thanks, man. Let me know how much I owe ya."

He nods his head at me.

"Ya can pay my bar tab next time we're out."

Mac was like a mad man when he got me back to his apartment. I've never seen him so eager to get me naked. I lost count of how many times we made love, and I’m pretty sure my legs will never work again. I'm not complaining. He kept running his fingers over the covering that Trent put on my tattoo. He told me over and over again how much he loved that his words were on my skin. I love it, too.

I'm so deep in with this man. So invested I can't see anything past him. I think about a future with him, a life where we're ninety sitting on the front porch of our home in our rocking chairs. I try to block out the thoughts of what my parents will say when they find out, but chances are they won't know until we're married, and have kids, since they still haven't called me back.

"You wanna do anything today?" Mac asks me, snapping me out of my thoughts.