Chapter's song: Only love by Shaggy and Pitbull
I tried to distract myself and by six, I'd already called half of the suppliers on the list Bryan gave me. My eyes slid to the little clock in my screen for the sixth time in less than ten minutes, and I knew I had to call it a night. I took off my coat and folded it when someone knocked on my door. It was Bryan, with his chef coat in one hand a black leather jacket on the other.
"Are you ready?"
My mouth went dry. No. So not ready. "Yeah, I guess..."
He smiled and bobbed his head to the side. "Let's go, then."
The ride to the shop was awkward. For me, at least. Bryan drove through narrowed streets taking a shortcut to downtown. I wasn't scared of getting a tattoo, I was worried because I couldn't stop picturing him half-naked in my mind, wondering what he had and where he had it. Not to mention that the car smelled like him and it was driving me crazy.
My lips were pursed through the whole ride and I fidgeted with the sleeve of my sweater. I turned towards the window, while biting my lip. Bryan didn't say much, but I noticed the grin on his face as he turned to the left. I imagined that he probably though that I didn't want a tattoo, when I just wanted to rip that shirt of his to see where he had his.
Bryan parked. The car jolted forward as it stopped. "We're here."
Suddenly, my chest felt tight and warily, I turned to him. His eyes were glinting in a mischievous way, sparkling like a little kid that was planning something naughty while he grinned. That lopsided smile is going to be death of me.
One thing was clear, he was the most handsome man I'd ever met in my life.
His gaze was intense as he added, "You don't have to do anything that you don't want, okay?" I nodded slowly, too embarrassed to say anything without sounding breathless. He studied me for a moment. "Come on. I swear that Mark is nice." He frowned for a second and smiled again. "Once you pass the initial shock of meeting him." My eyebrows shut up and my pulse accelerated. "But I wouldn't have brought you if I didn't trust him." He sounded confident before he stepped out of the car.
Okay. That wasn't reassuring at all.
I took a deep breath before leaving the car myself. "Okay. Let's do this."
Bryan suppressed a smile. "Just a heads-up, Mark rarely calls anyone by their name. He'll give you a nickname as soon as he sees you."
Tilting my head, I gazed at him. "Really? How does he call you?"
He cracked up. "I'm just Bryan."
Huffing, I crossed my arms. "Well, that's not fun."
Bryan's eyes glint amused. He took a step closer and leaned next to my ear. "I have news for you Jessie. I'm pretty boring." He pulled away and my heart was racing too fast from having him so near.
I didn't dare to contradict him out loud, but he was wrong. He was too darn interesting.
Bryan opened the parlor's door for me, and a little bell chimed at our entrance. The shop was small but it looked classy. The walls were painted in a deep turquoise color adorned with artistic black and white pictures. A small caramel-leather sofa was placed in the corner, right next to the dark chocolate door where a large tattooed-man sauntered out.
I blatantly gaped at him. He was completely bald and his arms were buff. He looked like he could lift a whole car if he wanted to. He had a black t-shirt and every inch of his skin was covered with tattoos and he had two rings on his upper lip.
"Hello, man! It's been a while," he shook hands with Bryan and I shut my mouth close. His eyes turned to me. Despite the rough appearance, they were warm like cinnamon. "And hello to you, too."
"Hi," I managed to croak out.
He tilted his head, "I like your hair color." Self-consciously, I brushed a lock of hair out of my face. His enormous hand reached out to touch my hair and my eyes widened. "It's soft, like a peach." He grinned a toothy-smile, "but you seem spicy like a pepper."
And that's when I knew exactly what I wanted.
"I want that."
Mark and Bryan shared a look. "What?" Mark asked bemused.
I bit my lip before a wide smile played in my face. "I want a pepper tattoo." I glanced excited at Bryan who was watching me with a small smile on his face.
"Where do you want it?" Mark asked amused too.
Squinting my eyes, I thought about it. I wasn't getting it because I wanted to show it off. I wanted it for myself, so it has to be a place that it's usually out of sight. "I want it here," I signaled at my hip bone.
"Okay. I assume you want something small, right?" he uncrossed his arms while thinking about it. "I think I have an idea of what you might want, give me a second and I'll sketch it for you."
"Awesome." I couldn't keep still since I was too excited.
Mark turned away and went to the back room. Bryan placed a hand on my arm. "Jess, are you sure this is what you want?" his tone was concerned and his eyebrows were furrowed.
"Yes," I smiled reassuringly. "But how much does this cost?" My eyes roamed around the room. "This looks expensive."
Bryan shook his head. "It's not. Don't worry about it."
"But-"
"Seriously," his tone was firm, there was no way I could talk him otherwise. I was about to protest, when he passed a strand of hair behind my ear. My whole body froze. I couldn't utter a sound. Bryan had no idea how hard my heart was thumping or how fireworks had ignited inside of me from the slight touch. He smiled. "A pepper, huh? I should have known. It's perfect for you."
The incessant butterflies fluttering in my stomach were making me feel dizzy. Especially at the way Bryan was gazing at me, as if I were the most beautiful girl in the world.
Mark came back in, waving a paper in his hands. "I think I've got it!" His steps faltered for a moment as he glanced at us. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Do you want to see it?" he asked in a quieter tone as he came closer.
"Yes," my tone was high-pitched, making me blush even more. He handed me the piece of paper where he'd drawn three peppers. I liked the little one. "Is this a habanero?" I cringed, almost certain that I hadn't pronounced it right. I glanced at Bryan whose lips cracked up slightly. "I want this one. It's different."
Mark chuckled, "I like you, pepper girl." I chuckled at his nickname. "Let me set everything up and I'll call you in a minute, okay?"
I bit my lip, nodding shyly. My eyes followed after him. "In a scale of ten, how much does it hurt?" I asked to Bryan without really looking at him.
"It stings, a lot. I'm not going to lie to you."
Wide-eyed, I frowned at his words. "Okay," I trailed unsure as my eyes roamed around the room. "Do you have one?" I asked nonchalantly, looking everywhere but him.
Bryan laughed. His cackles made me smile too. "I'll make you a deal. I'll show you mine, if you show me yours." My eyes cut to him. His smile was confident, cocky even.
"You've got yourself a deal."
We shook hands and I could have sworn that neither of us wanted to pull their hand away.
When Mark called me, Bryan sat on the sofa. "I'm right here if you need anything." I stepped towards the back room and I could feel his eyes were following my every move.
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