Inked in the Steel City Series (14 page)

Garret shuffled back to a room that was presumably his bedroom, leaving Eric and a mildly disappointed Mina alone. Now that she knew Eric was really interested in a relationship with her – the real her, not the girl on the poster – she wasn’t exactly eager to go home to wallow in the loss of her job.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he said, “but I have an idea, and if it sounds good to you we’ll need to leave here anyway.”

She looked at him, curious. “What is it?”

“About your job – I’m sure you need a new one, and I might be able to help. The pay’s nothing to brag about, and I don’t really know how it compares with what a bank teller makes, but if you need a position fast, this would definitely be that.”

She tried not to sound too desperate at the thought of possibly finding a new job so quickly. With the crappy economy, thoughts of a months-long job search had been tormenting her ever since she’d walked out of the bank. She had no savings and the rent was due in two weeks. She’d be willing to at least consider almost anything. “Oh yeah?”

He nodded. “We normally have two receptionists down at Hot Ink, but one of them quit a few days ago and Jed needs someone to take her place as quickly as possible. He’s been having the other girl work crazy hours and filling in himself when she’s not there. Is that something you might be interested in?”

The mere mention of working not only at a tattoo shop, but the same one as Eric, had immediately kindled her interest and her curiosity. “So I’d be at the front counter answering phones and scheduling appointments?”

He nodded. “That and answering some clients’ basic questions, selling the little bit of merchandise we carry, handling payments and stuff like that.”

She loosened her hold on her coffee cup just as the liquid was about to spill over the top. “That sounds great. Do you think Jed would be interested in hiring me?”

Eric grinned, and it fueled her enthusiasm to see that he seemed just as pleased at the prospect of her working there as she felt. “I’m sure he would be. You have experience with customer service and handling transactions, plus your image is already being used to advertise Hot Ink. I’d say that makes you perfect for the job.”

She beamed back at him. Maybe she wouldn’t have to tell Jess she was unemployed after all. “Do you think you could recommend me to Jed?”

“I can take you to talk to him right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hired you on the spot – he’s working the front desk and he hates it.”

****

Mina tapped her pen against the counter, thinking of Jess as she stared out Hot Ink’s large storefront windows at the darkened street beyond. It was a quarter after eleven. The shop was supposed to have closed at eleven, but Eric was still working, finishing a tattoo that was taking longer than anticipated, thanks to the fact that the client receiving it couldn’t seem to hold still for more than a minute at a time. He’d be done soon – hopefully, anyway. The other artists had left just a few minutes ago, leaving only Mina, Eric and his client behind. She didn’t really mind. She’d started at Hot Ink three days ago, but this was the first time she’d worked at night. She was supposed to work mostly during the day, but the other receptionist had left her shift early, sick. When Eric had called Mina to relay Jed’s request that she fill in for a few hours, she’d agreed after a quick phone call to Karen, who’d promised to swing by Mina’s apartment and check on Jess. With Jess taken care of, Mina didn’t feel too guilty over leaving her home alone at night. After all, she could use a couple extra hours on her paycheck.

Not that her pay was bad. She’d assumed she’d be taking a loss by accepting the job, but as it turned out, when she counted the tips the artists paid her in return for her booking them appointments, she was actually making a little more than she had at the bank. She’d decided on her first day that she loved working at Hot Ink, and the pay revelation had been icing on the cake. Besides the money, there was the fact that she could basically wear whatever she wanted to work. Today she wore jeans, a casual sweater and her favorite flats. The ensemble was infinitely more comfortable than what she’d had to wear at the bank. More importantly, she didn’t have to deal with anyone like Ashley. In fact, she liked everyone she worked with – especially Eric.

She glanced at him over her shoulder, where he was hard at work tattooing his restless client. He was lost in concentration, but he frequently made time for her when he wasn’t with customers. Working together made it easy for them to spend time with each other, even if it was just chatting from opposite sides of the glass display case that housed the shop’s selection of body jewelry. She smiled when he put down his gun and looked up at her as he mopped excess ink from his client’s bicep.

He returned her smile before turning back to the other man. “All right. We’re finally done.” He put down his ink-stained towel and proceeded to clean the fresh tattoo, cutting an appropriate length of bandage and securing it.

Mina reached into the cubby beneath her register and pulled out a sheet printed with aftercare instructions. She handed it to the man before he left, tucking one of Eric’s business cards with it. When he was gone, she turned to face Eric. “Long day, huh?”

He flashed her a wry grin. “Too long.” He strode over to the door and locked it, simultaneously flipping the switch that turned the shop’s electric sign off. “No other clients are getting in here until one tomorrow.” That was when the shop would open the next day.

“Sounds good to me.” She stifled a yawn, glancing at the clock that hung on the wall to her right. Only half an hour until midnight. She was used to going to bed earlier, since she’d had to rise early for work at the bank. Sleeping in – at least, on the weekends, when she didn’t have to get up to take Jess to school – was another thing she liked about working at Hot Ink.

“Tired, huh?” he asked, stepping behind the counter and laying a hand on her arm.

A shiver of delight raced down her spine, her body warming. She
had
been tired, but his touch dispelled her drowsiness, making her feel as if she’d been sleeping all day and had just now come awake. Ever since she’d visited his apartment briefly, the affection he’d shown her had been light and sweet; the occasional brush across the cheek or five-second press against her lips. She knew he was holding back. So was she, but why, exactly, she wasn’t sure. “I feel like I could stay up a little later,” she said. Now that the client was gone and the time had come for them to part, she was reluctant to leave him.

He pressed a kiss against her mouth, and though it started out gently, she tempted him by parting her lips, inviting him to slip his tongue inside. He obliged, sliding his tongue over hers and moaning as he reached deep into her mouth. She sensed that whatever sense of restraint had been holding him back over the past few days had broken, and her heart fluttered. She pressed her hands to his sides, seizing fistfuls of his shirt as he leaned her against the counter, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her tight against his chest. The edge of the counter dug into the small of her back and she shifted against him, uncomfortable but unwilling to end the kiss.

He pulled away. “Am I hurting you?”

Her lower lip jutted out of its own accord. “Don’t stop.” She’d been daydreaming about him kissing her like this for days. Now, every fiber of her being throbbed and tingled, aching for more.

“Only for a second,” he said, pulling her away from the counter.

Moments later, they were on the couch in the waiting area, pressed side by side and entwined in the middle of the cushions. Eric nipped her lower lip between his teeth before she could suck it back in, and her nipples tightened beneath her clothing. She opened her mouth, letting his tongue slide inside again as she clung to him, her nails biting into his shoulders.

He slipped a thumb beneath her sweater, running it over the curve of her hipbone. She sighed, her breath rushing over his lips. If only they were somewhere other than the shop. True, it was closed and locked, but the large glass windows destroyed any notion of true privacy. If they’d had that, she wouldn’t have stopped him from doing anything that involved his hands on her body.  The couch was facing opposite the window and partially obscured by an alcove, but that wasn’t enough cover for the things she wanted to do with him.

As he continued to tease her tongue, she moaned. He’d tucked his thumb beneath the waistband of her jeans, and her pussy was quickly dampening in response. It had been so long, she’d almost forgotten that anyone was capable of making her feel this way. She shifted against him and the seam of her jeans pressed against her clit through her panties, sending bolts of fire through her belly and leaving her feeling like she might die of unfulfilled desire – not that she had anyone to blame but herself. He’d meant to kiss her sweetly at the counter, but she’d encouraged him, and now they were here; locked in an increasingly heated embrace that could end in nothing but frustration. She had Jess and he had a roommate. This would be the only time they’d get alone together tonight, before they said goodbye and parted ways at the nearby parking garage. She knew that, but she couldn’t resist arching her hips, letting his fingers slide beneath the waistband of her jeans to join his thumb.

He kissed her harder and pressed his fingertips against her burning flesh, stroking the soft edge of her cotton panties, a hairsbreadth away from touching the curls beneath. She moaned, letting her lips go soft against his. He took advantage, plunging his tongue deep inside her mouth. Her clit throbbed harder than ever, now that his fingertips were within a few agonizing inches of it. “Touch me,” she said, pulling her lips the barest fraction of an inch away from his when he let his hand rest. “Please. Even if it’s only for a second.” If his fingertips didn’t make contact with her swollen nub soon, she wouldn’t be able to stand it.

He responded with alacrity, finding her clit and beginning a slow massage that made her toes curl inside her comfortable black flats. Her heart raced, and every nerve in her body buzzed with sensation as her muscles tensed, leaving her feeling as if she might shatter. It felt too perfect to last for long – she’d either come or simply fall apart beneath his hands. He touched her in deep, lazy circles, and all the breath rushed out of her lungs in an involuntary gasp. The tension in her core mounted, growing more and more unbearable until…

He stopped. She bit her lip, barely managing to contain a sigh of disappointment as he pulled his fingertips away from her inflamed flesh, leaving nothing but soft cotton and denim against her tingling skin. Why couldn’t he have touched her for just a moment or two longer? The want hammering in her heart and surging through her veins made her head spin, and thinking that it would go unsatisfied was unbearable. But he was standing, leaving the couch and her behind, heading for the door. “Eric?” she asked, trying to keep her sudden uncertainty out of her voice. Had she done something to turn him away? Was he really going to leave her like this?

His voice was surprisingly husky when he replied. “I’ll be back in a second.” A quiet click followed his promise, and all the lights went out.

Chapter 7

Relief flooded through her, along with excitement, as she realized that he’d risen to turn off the lights. Her clit was still throbbing, aching and swollen, and though she could only make out his outline as he crossed the waiting area, she could hear his footsteps clearly. Her head swam as her imagination went wild, speculating over what he planned to do to her in the dark. When he stopped behind the couch and placed his hands on her shoulders, she leaned back into him, letting her head rest against his firm belly.

“Mina.” He slowly pushed his hands downward, caressing the curves of her shoulders before cupping her breasts below, his thumbs trailing over their peaks, causing her nipples to harden, even beneath the cover of her clothing.

An anticipatory shiver raced down her spine as she imagined his palms and fingertips against her bare flesh, holding the weight of her breasts and teasing her nipples just as he was now. Below, her clit throbbed harder than ever. She’d never wanted anyone this badly.