I shrugged. “Your operation, Boss.”
“Oh,” she said, that wistful sound she’d given the other guysfinally coming out for me. It was like I caught her off guard and she forgot that she hated me for a second. “When do you need it?”
“Whenever you can,” I said. My hand itched to reach for her shoulder in a reassuring touch. I obviously didn’t do that, instead I waggled my eyebrows. “Now, when are you going to let us ink you up?”
Color bloomed over her face as she shifted in her seat. “Never! Amá would kill me.”
“Amá?”
“My mother,” she clarified, a smile ghosting her face. “She’d be all,‘aydios mio, Mija! Para que es eso? Lávate’.”
We all blinked at her and she blushed even more as she ducked her head, clarifying, “She’d try to wash it off.”
My mouth tipped up at the sound of her perfect Spanish. I didn’t know that about her and found myself filing away the information for future examination. “Well, your Amá doesn’t have to know. C’mon. I bet your sister is still waiting for you to show it to her.”
She huffed exasperatedly. “She is, becauseyoulied to her and told her I have one!”
“Right,” I smiled, remembering the look on both girls' faces that day. “So now you have to get one.”
Her eyes rolled, and she shook her head. “No, never.”
“Never say never, Boss,” I said. “Just let me know when you want one. I’ve got first right.”
“No fair!” Lana said. “I want to pop the virgin’s cherry.”
“Ew, Lan. Don’t say it like that.” I scrunched my nose.
She crossed her arms. “Can’t help if it’s true.”
Alta shook her head, her red cheeks just staying red as she looked around confused, “But I’m not?—”
She stopped abruptly, realizing her mistake almost as soon as she made it. If she could go any redder she would.
Tucking her chin she murmured softly, “You guys were talking about tattoos, huh?”
“Technically,” Quis said as he leaned an elbow down on the counter. “But go on and tell us more of whatyouwere talking about, Big Al.”
She flamed, her shoulders going up over her ears as her head turtled in to protect herself from the snickers and laughs filtering around the room. I felt my own laugh well in my chest, but it didn’t escape past the hot feeling of my own skin as I let my eyes travel over her.
Sonota virgin then. I wouldn’t have guessed, but now the knowledge had me wanting to retroactively meet and kick whoever it was she’d been with last. It was a strange thought, I chalked it up to the fact that over these months of working with her twice a week I’d gotten to know her a little, and from what I knew she probably wasn’t one to give it up to just anyone. Which meant whoever had gotten that privilege had seen a side of her I haven’t. Would never. Not with her hating me like she did.
Feeling my gaze heavy on her, Alta looked up at me again. Her flaming cheeks and neck were no less red and her embarrassment no less apparent. But she couldn’t hide the fact that her eyes were wide and searching, so she skirted them away hastily a second later, wiping her hands along her pants to busy herself.
I scoffed quietly.Okay.
Pointing to my band of idiots, I said, “Hey, knock it off. None of that around the princess.”
Her eyes snapped back up toward mine, and damn if she didn’t actually look offended. “I’m not a princess.”
“Sorry,” I said. “A saint then.”
Her eyes narrowed, giving me that look again. That, ‘I hate you as much as I could ever hate anything,’ look I knew so well as the sole recipient of it. But it was broken by the sound of a phone ringing. Mine.
Jarred by the noise, Alta’s attention caught onto her watch.
“Shoot,” she said, lifting out of the chair. “I have to run. Sorry I didn’t get much done today guys.”
The crew just grunted, uninterested as she began to pack up. I barely paid attention as I stared at the area code lighting up my phone screen.
