Chapter Six
Travis
I throwmy phone on the seat of my truck as I climb in. Out of all the gyms in the area, I had to go and pick hers. She is the one person I’m trying to avoid in this town, and she’s every-fucking-where. It was torture watching her work out right in front of me, wearing those tight little shorts and a sports bra that leaves little to the imagination of what’s underneath. I’ve never been so hard in my fucking life, and trying to lift weights with a massive boner is not fun. Thank God the gym was almost empty, or I would have scared the members off, thinking I was some perv who got his thrills off at the gym.
I can see why Nathan went out of his mind for her. She can bring a guy to his knees with just one look. That’s exactly why I should keep my distance. Max comes first, and a girl like that would be like a tornado force coming into our lives with the possibility of leaving us both in her destructive path.
I shouldn’t have kissed her, but I don’t think Jesus himself could have stopped me. She tastes just as good as I remember. God, those lips will be the death of me. Everything about herwill be the death of me. Maybe I just need one night to get her out of my system, and my life can go back to normal. Something tells me, though, that since meeting her, nothing will ever return to normal.
I pull up to my house and walk inside to take a shower. I’ve got a client coming in to add more to his back tattoo. He’s been with me since my brother and I opened Inked and is driving down to see me today. The opening of Inked here is going better than I expected. Charlie’s clients were impressed with some of the work I’ve done and easily stayed with me when Charlie retired.
I’ve hired three other artists who were looking for work that came highly recommended by some friends of mine in the art community. They are bringing in more clientele faster than we can keep up. My name isn’t exactly a secret in the art world, so when word got out that I was opening another shop, it didn’t take long for people to start showing up. At this rate, I’ll have to hire another artist soon to pick up the slack.
I plan on finishing the jobs with clients who have work in progress like the one today and then only take select clientele so I can focus on my art at home. Working from home allows me to spend more time with Max, and in the end, he’s all that matters. I try to fill that void of not having a mom in his life, and it’s hard to balance it all by myself, but we’ve managed over the years and will keep being fine just the two of us.
He’s only asked about his mom once, and I was at a loss for what to say. How do you tell a child that their mother simply didn’t want him? You don’t. I made up some bullshit story about how his mom has a very important job and works far away, so Daddy takes care of him. Thankfully, at his age, he didn’t ask any more questions. He’ll eventually learn the truth when he gets older, but for now, I’m going to shield him fromthe parts of life that can be cruel and protect him for as long as possible.
I quickly take a shower and make myself a sandwich before heading into town for my appointment. Inked is in a prime location in town, right in the heart of the downtown area. I couldn’t have asked for a better spot to bring in the customers. People walk these streets all day long to browse the stores and restaurants. I made sure to put some of my best tattoo sketches and pictures in the front window. People can’t help but stop and admire the work, and before long, they are coming inside to make appointments.
Van looks up from his work and smiles at me when I walk in. We didn’t have to do too much when I bought the place. Charlie had kept it nice and clean, so all that was needed was a fresh coat of paint. The wooden floors are old, but they’re the originals. I love the character it brings to the place, so instead of redoing them, I left them as is. We have four areas set up with chairs for the tattoo artists to work at and one private room in the back for the clients who need privacy. You would be surprised at how many people need to undress because of the spot they’ve chosen to tattoo.
I put my touch on the place and added artwork on the walls to showcase some of my favorite tattoos that my brother and I have done.
“Here for your four o’clock?” Van asks as I walk by.
“I am. How’s it going?” I stop and glance down to admire the artwork that he’s doing. Van is one of my artists who loves to work with colors, and he’s damn good at it. I won’t hire anyone but the best. If I don’t trust them to put a tattoo on me, then I won’t hire them.
“It’s going good. This is my last piece of the day.” I look at all the colors woven in to create a blend of images. It’s so life-like it feels like it could reach out and grab you.
“Beautiful job.” I smile down at his work and all the tiny details.
“Thanks, man. Dylan and Brandon should be back soon for their last appointments today. They stepped out to grab a bite to eat since they worked through lunch.”
“Sounds good.” Van gets back to work, and I go over to my station to get my tools set up. I do the occasional color tattoo, but I prefer to stick with black ink only. It’s what I have on my body and what I really enjoy working with. My brother is the same. We make sure to hire artists who specialize in color so we don’t have to.
My four o’clock arrives, and I prep his back and transfer the image I’ve drawn up before I get to work. My thoughts clear my mind as the buzzing of the tattoo machine lulls me into my creative space, where I go into my zone.
Three hours later, I sit back and admire my work before wrapping it for the client. Once he’s paid and leaves, I’m the only one left in the building. I clean up my area and lock up before getting on my bike.
My phone dings next to me, and I glance down to read the text from my brother, Jake.
Jake
How did the appointment with Seth go?
Travis
Went good. I finished the rest of the back area. Looks badass like I knew it would. How’s Max?
Jake
Max is good. He had a blast at the zoo today, and we wiped him out. We’re going to watch a movie now, but I doubt he will last the next thirty minutes before he passes out from exhaustion. Hell, I’m tired from chasing Max and Miles around the zoo all day.
I grin at the thought of keeping up with those two. Jake and Miles drove down last night to hang out with Max and I. Ryder had to work all weekend, so he couldn’t come. They took him to the zoo today so I could get some work done. Max was thrilled to spend the day with his uncles.
Travis
I bet he had a blast. I’ll be home soon. I just locked up the shop.
