No Strings Attached

CHAPTER 14

He's so much more ripped than I thought he would be.

What the fuck were you expecting?

"Done staring? Or do I need to give you a few minutes before the tattoo?" he asks, a smirk forming on his lips as he looks at me.

I scowl at him as I put my gloves on, trying to ignore his stupid fucking comment as my cheeks burn red.

Stupid fucking smug man.

He lies down on the bed and I take advantage of him not being able to see me as I admire his back muscles, his broad shoulders rippling.

I force my mind to snap out of whatever disgusting state it was in and sit down on the stool beside the bed. I gently take his arm and stretch it out, giving me enough room for the whole tattoo before spraying it and pressing the paper onto it, letting the ink sink in to give me a stencil.

I prod at the paper before peeling it off, satisfied with the mark it gives me to trace.

As I begin the tattoo I have to fight every last morsel of self control to not ask him why the hell he came back to get a tattoo; for someone who claims to hate me he sure is coming to see me a lot.

Although it gives me the chance to assess him more personally, letting me figure out his weak spots so when the time comes I can kill him efficiently and without fucking up.

A strand of hair falls over my eyes and I blow it away, smirking when goosebumps form on Vincenzo's skin, his eyes closing as I lean closer to him to properly trace the curves of the snake.

"Why did you come to the auction?" he suddenly asks, making me freeze. I quickly recover and continue the tattoo, "Gabriel knew the previous owner, thought he'd come show his support," I reply simply.

He hums in response, and part of me is thankful he doesn't push any further. All gratitude leaves me when he asks his next question; "Who did the tattoo on your arm?" he asks, my mouth going dry.

"Which one?" I ask absently, knowing which one he means.

He means my matching flower with Mom, the same flower I carve into each of my victims. Maybe I should've chosen a more discrete flower, but what's the fun in that?

"The flower on your arm," he says bluntly, visibly annoyed that I dodged his previous question.

"Ari did it, to match with my Mom," I say, trying to stop my heart from beating so fast.

"It's so, familiar," he says slowly, making my heart lurch.

"It's a very popular tattoo," I lie, knowing damn well that Dad drew the design just for Mom, only we have that tattoo.

He hums in response, saying no further on the matter.

"Tell me Anastasia, do you continue in your parents line of work?" he asks, and now I know why he's here.

He's collecting information on me. I spooked him at the auction and now he wants to know the real reason why I'm here, no doubt investigating me for the hits on his men.

"My Grandfather mostly took over," I reply cooly, trying to signal that I won't talk any further about this topic.

"Is that so?" he asks dryly, his body tensing as I dig the tattoo gun deeper into his skin.

Fucking asshole.

————

I finish the details of the snakes scales and lift the tattoo gun, admiring my work with a satisfactory smile.

He groans as he stretches his arm out, his back muscles flexing as he slowly stands up and shrugs his shoulders back. He turns around in the mirror and arches his neck to see the tattoo, a smile playing on his lips. An unusual sight for a usually grumpy man.

"It's nice," is all he says, and I hum in response as I peel my gloves off and slip my hoodie back on, wanting to cover my tattoo up before he sees it and keeps asking questions.

He doesn't wait for me tape the tattoo up to protect it and starts buttoning his shirt back up, sliding his blazer back on before opening the door.

I walk out in front of him and freeze in my tracks when I hear the familiar sound of my Grandfathers footsteps.

I let out a deep breath when I smell alcohol as he clambers down the stairs.

"Anastasia where the fuck have you been?" he shouts, "You know I want you here every night to discuss how-" he cuts himself off when he reaches the bottom of the stairs, his gaze hardening when he sees Vincenzo.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" he snarls, and I freeze when I see an empty bottle of vodka in his hand.

"I was just getting a tattoo," Vincenzo says cooly, placing a hand on my lower back as I instinctively take a step back, nothing good has ever happened when my Grandfather is holding an empty bottle of alcohol.

"I don't want any of those wretched people in my house again," he snaps at me, breathing heavily as he clutches the empty bottle tighter.

"My house, and he was just about to pay," I say coldly, moving away from Vincenzo's hand as my Grandfather mutters something under his breath before storming back upstairs.

I shake my head and walk behind the front desk, patiently waiting as Vincenzo pays. "A tip for your troubles," he mutters, leaving a hundred dollar bill on the counter before turning around and leaving the store.

I stare at the note and take it before stuffing it in my pocket, letting out a shaky breath before hurriedly walking out of the parlour and to my car, wanting to get away from my drunken Grandfather before anything bad can happen.

I lock my car doors and start the car, deciding to go spend the night with Le Aquile Rosse, they'll know what to think of this whole situation, because I sure as fuck don't.

//

Next chapter will be out tomorrow, so until then have a good day/night and don't be forget to vote!!

Abi <3