Pretty In Ink Read online

  I ran my hands along my thighs and pressed the wrinkles from the fabric. With Riley’s help, I had found the perfect little black dress at the mall. Her loan of a pair of shoes and purse topped off the ensemble, and I felt much prettier wearing all of it than I had in a long time.

  I folded my arms in my lap and gazed out the window again. “Don’t change the subject. You can’t. You can’t just send a car for me because it’s raining. I mean it was really nice, but…”

  “Not to interrupt, but I’m fortunate in that respect. Let me ask you a question. If you saw a man living every day out in the weather, and you found out that five dollars would change his life, and provide him with shelter, would you give him five dollars?” he asked.

  I turned to face him. “Sure, but it’s only five bucks. That’s different.”

  He grinned and nodded his head once. “Well, to me, that car cost about five dollars.”

  “Sorry, Wilson, they left the window sticker on the window. It was eighty fucking grand,” I said.

  “Eighty grand to you and eighty grand to me are two totally different amounts. On a good day, I may make eighty thousand dollars in a matter of minutes. I gave you the car because I could. It’s a gift, and it’s rude to return gifts. So, keep it, enjoy it, and when you drive it, remember our first meeting under the awning at the store,” he said.

  The car came to a stop. He shifted into park and pushed the button on the dash, stopping the engine. Sitting in his seat with a grin he couldn’t wash from his face, his eyes fell to my lap, down the length of my legs, and slowly shifted up along my body until they met mine. Slightly frustrated at his insistence about keeping the car, but coming up with very little ammunition to fight him with, I finally chose to lash out at him in another manner.

  I shrugged my shoulders and narrowed my eyes. “What are you staring at?”

  “The most beautiful woman in the world,” he responded as he reached for the door handle.

  It’s really hard to be a bitch when you say things like that.

  He stepped out of the car, nonchalantly walked to the other side, opened my door, and held it. As he reached toward me with his free hand, I stared at it for a moment, uncertain of what he was doing. After a short pause and a little confusion, I came to the realization he was simply offering to help me from the car. I reached for his hand and carefully got out, now well aware that spending time with Wilson was going to be totally different than what I was accustomed to.

  Differences I would have never guessed I could accept.

  But for some reason I was enjoying them immensely.

  WILSON

  I had been taught it was rude to stare, but not staring at Stevie was close to impossible. Having never been in the presence of a woman who was as interesting as she was gave me many reasons to pay close attention to her every move, but her beauty made tearing my eyes away from her nothing short of impossible.

  So I sat and stared, well aware that my actions were rude, but incapable of changing them completely.

  “What can I get for you?” the girl behind the counter asked.

  I nodded my head toward Stevie, who stood staring into the display case of donuts. The girl shifted her eyes away from me and grinned as she seemed to admire Stevie’s tattoos. As the girl ran her eyes along the length of her arms, I, too, admired Stevie; her sleeveless black dress, and the depth of her very colorful hair.

  “I like your sleeves,” the girl said as she eyed Stevie’s arms.

  “Thanks.” Stevie exhaled in apparent frustration. “I’ll have a chocolate Long John, and one of the coconut donuts. No, make it two Long Johns, and the little coconut guy. And a cup of coffee with cream and sugar.”

  “And for you?” the girl asked as she turned toward me.

  “Give me two of the strawberry jelly donuts and a caramel Long John. And I’ll have a cup of coffee as well,” I said.

  “What size coffee would you like?”

  “Large,” we both responded.

  We both ordered a large.

  And something as simple as ordering a cup of coffee seemed, at least in my mind, to draw us that much closer. It was all the proof I needed to convince me our meeting at the grocery store wasn’t a mistake. We had both ordered a large coffee at the exact same time. We were two proverbial peas in the same pod.

  As I paid the cashier, another girl filled a small box with our donuts and poured the coffee. After being handed our drinks and a box of dinner donuts, we walked to a empty table and sat down. I stared down at the box of sweets and realized just how out of character it was for me to be eating donuts for dinner. Typically conscious of everything I ate, and rarely eating processed foods or sugar, eating donuts as a meal was contrary to everything I believed in as far as my diet was concerned.

  I had a feeling Stevie could convince me to do many things I had previously believed to be in my worst interest.

  Much to my surprise, after a brief moment of sitting across from me, Stevie stood, moved to my side of the table, and sat down. I pushed the top of the box open and smiled at the thought of eating a donut.

  “Didn’t like that side of the table?” I asked.

  She shook her head as she gazed down into the box of donuts. After pulling a chocolate Long John from the box and stuffing half of it into her mouth, she responded.

  “I don’t want to have to yell across the table to have a fucking conversation with you,” she said over the mouthful of donut.

  “I see,” I said as I watched her stare intently at the uneaten half.

  She quickly poked the other portion of the donut into her mouth and after a moment of chewing, took a drink of her coffee. After swallowing everything, she peered into the box. A few seconds later, she turned to face me.

  “We’re going to need more donuts,” she said.

  “At least we don’t have to go far to get them,” I responded as I pulled one of the jelly-filled donuts from the box.

  “I fucking love donuts,” she said.

  I bit into the jelly donut, somewhat self-conscious of making a mess, only to have the filling ooze out onto the corner of my mouth. Eating jelly-filled donuts in a graceful manner was impossible, and for me to think I could do so was ridiculous. As I scanned the table for a napkin, Stevie reached up, wiped the strawberry from the side of my mouth, and licked her finger. To her it may have been simple maintenance; but to me it was yet more proof of our compatibility.

  “Oh shit,” she said as she shifted her eyes toward the box.

  “What?’ I said as reached for my coffee.

  “Those are real strawberries,” she said.

  I nodded my head as I swallowed. “I think so.”

  “Trade?” she asked as she pulled the chocolate Long John from the box and wagged it in the air.

  “Not for that one, no. I’ll trade for the coconut one,” I said as I swallowed my coffee.

  “Fuck that. I want the coconut one. Trade me for this chocolate fucker. It’s yummy,” she said as she continued to wave it in the air.

  I pushed my chair away from the table and turned to face her. “The jelly is a much better donut. To trade for the Long John would be foolish. Unless…”

  “Unless what?” she asked.

  “Supplement the trade with something else,” I said as I lifted my cup of coffee. “To make it more even.”

  I gazed over the top of my cup of coffee and studied the floral tattoo on her upper arm as she seemed to be thinking of what to do. It was my intention to try and coerce her to go on another date. As I continued to sip my coffee and held the remaining portion of my jelly donut in my left hand, she extended her arm and waved her Long John directly in front of me.

  “I’ll suck your cock on the way home,” she said as she tilted her head toward the half-empty donut box. “Road head has got to even the deal up.”

  A little more than surprised by her offer, I coughed until coffee came out of my nose. The thought of her offering to suck my cock for a donut could have been
perceived as adorable or downright disgusting. I chose to view it as adorable, but I was shocked at her offer nonetheless. With coffee dribbling from my nose, I fumbled for a napkin and placed my remaining portion of donut on it, pulled another from the dispenser, and wiped the coffee from my lip. As I attempted to clean myself up, she explained her offer further.

  “And no, I’m not a slut,” she said as she wagged her finger in the air. “It’s just…being around you is…I don’t know…it’s making me do and say dumb shit. I mean look at me. I got dressed up for this, and I never get dressed up. I just met you this morning, and you’ve already sent me a car and took me on a donut date, who wouldn’t want to suck your cock? And just so you know, I wouldn’t offer to suck just anyone’s cock for a jelly donut, if that’s what you’re wondering. But you’re just really fucking cute, so I’ll suck the shit out of yours for that one.”

  I sat and stared as I wiped my nose with the napkin. I believed everything she said. Right or wrong, I was convinced she was not a slut, and her offer to suck my cock for the donut was a one-time trade from a very nice girl with a foul mouth who simply wanted a jelly donut. Really wanted a jelly donut.

  Or she may have had a burning desire to suck my cock.

  She cocked an eyebrow. “We got a deal?” she asked.

  I nodded my head eagerly and reached for the Long John.

  She released the chocolate donut from her grasp, grinned, and reached for the jelly-filled trade. “Fuck yes. What do you businessmen call this? A win-win?” she asked.

  “Excuse me?” I asked with a laugh as I watched her devour the donut in two bites.

  She finished chewing and took a sip of coffee. After swallowing, she licked her lips and took a shallow breath.

  “A win-win. I mean I got the strawberry donut and I get to suck your cock on the way home. It’s called a win-win, right?”

  I had no idea how to respond, but if she believed sucking me off on the way home was a “win”, who was I to argue with her logic?

  “I guess it is a win-win, yes,” I said as I began to eat the Long John.

  She grinned as she reached into the box for the other donut.

  You still want more donuts?” I asked as I nibbled away.

  “No,” she said. “After I eat this little coconut fucker I’m going to be full.”

  I glanced into the box and realized I was one and a half donuts away from a blowjob. As I shifted my eyes toward her I couldn’t help but grin.

  If you think you’re full now, just wait until you start to pay off that debt.

  STEVIE

  I always wondered how I would act when the right guy came along, and I guess I got a pretty good idea after my date with Wilson. I now felt like an absolute fool, and I found myself doing and saying the things other girls did and said, but I had previously made fun of them and laughed at them when they did so. Now one of the girls I had always despised, I had to refrain from being honest about what I was feeling or thinking for fear of ridicule.

  “So you sucked his cock for a donut? On the first date?” she asked.

  I exhaled and shook my head as I placed the needle in the tattoo machine. “No, I sucked his cock because I wanted to. I used the donut as an excuse.”

  “It doesn’t matter, Stevie. You sucked his cock for a donut in his mind. And on the first date. I swear,” she said.

  “Well, I have a new rule about fucking on the first date, so that was clearly out,” I said.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “I don’t do it anymore,” I said.

  She shrugged her shoulders and chuckled. “Since when?”

  “Last weekend,” I responded as I nodded my head toward her thigh. “But now that we’re past the first date, he better be ready, because I’m going to fuck his brains out.”

  She closed her eyes, shook her head, and sighed lightly.

  “You ready?” I asked as I dipped the needle in the ink.

  “Not yet,” she responded. “Back to the donut blowjob. Did he at least like it?”

  I wrinkled my brow and cocked my right eyebrow slightly. Riley’s eyes widened as she waited for me to respond. Actually, I enjoyed this little bit of banter about Wilson. I had never really been able to talk about my sexual experiences with another girl, and doing so with her while watching her facial expressions was pretty entertaining. Even though we were the same age and sex, we were worlds apart.

  I leaned forward and rested my forearm on my thigh. “Fuck yes he liked it. I don’t just suck a man’s dick. I make an event out of it.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “I switch it up. A little hand action, no hands, I’ll bang it against the back of my throat a while, deep throat it, short stroke it, lick it, suck his balls, and when I’m not sucking ‘em, I’m playing with ‘em. But I always try to maintain eye contact and make sure he’s enjoying it,” I responded proudly.

  “Did he…you know?” she whispered.

  I coughed a laugh. “Jesus, Riley. Are you fourteen? Did he what?”

  She glanced around the empty shop, and after satisfying herself that no one had snuck in, responded.

  “Did he cum?” she whispered.

  I stood from my stool and glared at her. “Well, it wouldn’t have been much of a blowjob if he didn’t, now would it?”

  Sitting on the side of the chair with her legs dangling over the edge, she looked up and wrinkled her nose. “In the car? He came in the car? While he was driving?” she asked.

  “No, he didn’t blow a load in the seat of the Porsche. He came in my cute little mouth,” I said as I sat down.

  “So you like him?” she asked.

  “Here we go again with the high school shit. I sucked his cock, didn’t I? I don’t go sucking random dude’s dicks very often, and I especially don’t if I hate them. Jesus. Yeah, he’s pretty cool. And just so you don’t spend all fucking afternoon wondering, he isn’t cool because he sent me the car. He’s cool anyway. And he’s fucking pretty,” I said.

  “Pretty? Guys aren’t pretty,” she said. “I bet he’s handsome.”

  “He is handsome. But he’s pretty. Just wait, you’ll see,” I said. “Now, you ready?”

  “Just wait a minute. When are you going out again?” she asked.

  “Tonight,” I responded.

  “Two nights in a row?” she asked.

  “Really? Don’t act like I’m some idiot. You and fucking dude are always together, like every day. Seriously, did you just ask me that?” I snapped back.

  “I was just asking. It just didn’t seem like you, you know, going out two nights in a row. Sorry,” she said.

  “Well, like I said. He’s cool. And he’s fucking pretty. Now sit fucking still,” I said as I stepped against the switch.

  As the machine began to buzz, Riley sat up straight and prepared for the punishment. Without much warning, I dug the needle into her thigh and began to outline the peony I had drawn on her leg.

  “Fuck, that’s tender,” she whined.

  “It’s supposed to be tender,” I said without looking up. “It’s a tattoo.”

  Half way through the outline of the tattoo, the door buzzer caught my attention. Quite shocked that we had both forgot to lock it, I shifted my gaze from Riley’s leg to the front of the shop. As my eyes became focused on the door, a huge arrangement of flowers walked in with a man close behind it.

  “Holy crap,” Riley gasped. “That’s huge.”

  “Uh huh,” I said as I stood from my seat.

  “Stevie?” the man behind the flowers asked.

  “Right here,” I responded with a nod.

  I made every effort to hide my excitement. In my entire life, no one had ever given me flowers. I had no real idea if the way Wilson was acting was typical behavior for him, or if it was because he was trying to impress me. But if this was the way he was always going to be I could sure get accustomed to it pretty quickly.

  “Right there on my tool box,” I said as I tilted
my head to the side.

  The size of the arrangement was humongous, and the aroma from the flowers filled the shop immediately.

  “Where do you want the others?” he asked as he glanced around the shop.

  My mouth curled into a huge smile. “You got more, do you?”

  He nodded his head as he continued to survey the shop. I glanced down at Riley and grinned.

  “Just bring ‘em in. We’ll tell you where to put them,” I said.

  After his sixth trip into the shop, the place looked like a florist shop, not a tattoo parlor. As the smell from the flowers became thick in the air, Riley walked from arrangement to arrangement, sniffing each one and plucking the cards from the little plastic sticks that held them in place. I did my best to act uninterested in the details, and stood at my station grinning at the sight of the dozens upon dozens of beautiful flowers.

  In reality, I felt like I was six foot three, and not fractionally shy of five foot, but I didn’t dare say a thing. I didn’t need the verbal repercussion Riley would bring if I opened my mouth. Having someone like Wilson treat me in the manner he was treating me was sure to make even Riley jealous if I did anything to rub it in.

  “This is ridiculous, there’s one word on each card,” Riley huffed as she walked toward me.

  Riley’s shoulders slumped slightly as she handed me the cards. After studying them individually for a moment, I spread them apart in my hands and stared.

  Flowers.

  Girl.

  For.

  Beautiful.

  A.

  Beautiful.

  I placed the cards on the seat of my stool and shuffled them around until I solved the puzzle.

  Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl.

  Riley glanced down at the cards and inhaled a slow deep breath. After a moment, she sighed and looked up.

  “They’re beautiful. I’m sorry…it’s just. I don’t know….it’s just like a movie or something. You know the romantic comedies where the guy does all the right things? This is crazy. I mean. God, look around. This must have cost a small fortune,” she said as she turned in a half circle and shook her head.