I walk in to work on Friday morning like a total zombie. Friday's are always the busiest days at the studio and it makes work that much more a drag because it's so close to the weekend. I love what I do but by the end of the week I'm more than ready to fall face first on my bed and happily not set an alarm for the next day.
I pull my beanie lower, taking a sip of my coffee as I walk inside Make Your Mark. Cora is slumped in her chair with her chin resting in her palm, her eyelids drooping. I snort and set down the coffee I grabbed for her on the reception desk and she immediately straightens up.
"Oh my God. I love you." She grabs the cup and inhales deeply, sighing. She looks at me over the rim as she takes a sip. "I was talking to the coffee, by the way."
"You're welcome, bitch." I laugh and head deeper inside the studio where everyone's offices are.
One by one, I deliver everyone's respective morning pick me ups. Lavender does a little victory dance. Corbin claims he's considering going straight for me. Gia and Titus are fucking on his desk when I walk in and screams erupt before I quickly deposit the coffee on the floor and shut the door behind me like I didn't see that. My eyes are wide as I try to get the image of Titus's ass out of my head because nobody wants to know what their boss's ass looks like. Suffice to say, I'm officially awake now.
"What was that?" Lavender pokes her head out of her office.
I walk past her and shudder. "You don't want to know."
Thankfully, things are blissfully uneventful after that. My morning appointments drag on since I only have two. The rest of the time I spend sketching for our catalogue and bothering my co-workers if they're not busy. I'm practically ready to gauge my eyes out when it's finally time for lunch. I grab my favourite takeout from the street vendor around the corner and come back to the studio, flopping down on the couch in the break room. I'm halfway through my burger when Corbin walks inside.
He nods in satisfaction when he sees me, sitting beside me. "I like the tomboy look."
"Thanks." I look down at my outfit—camouflage pants the colour of fire paired with a black long sleeve crop top and my signature Doc Martins. The beanie pulls it all together alongside the millions of colour bracelets adorning both my arms.
"No problem." He munches on some cucumber sticks. "You've been too busy dressing up for your man lately and looking like a seductive badass. I missed tomboy Lenny."
"I haven't been doing that, asshole." I glare at him. "And he isn't my man."
"Could have fooled me." He grins. "That man is yummy. I would gladly lie down on the floor and let him walk over me like a red carpet."
"Odd choice of visuals." I laugh. "And don't you have a boyfriend now?"
"He's more like my fuck buddy. We haven't even gone on a date yet."
"So ask him. You seem into him."
"I'll do it when you do." He looks at me knowingly and I roll my eyes.
"Wolfe is just my friend. Do I think he's attractive and would fuck his brains out if the opportunity arose? Absolutely. But that hardly means I'm going to date him. That's a completely different story."
"You guys are cute. I'm just saying." He shrugs. "He sure does make you smile a lot for someone who doesn't talk."
"He doesn't need to talk." I snap. "He's fine the way he is."
"Woah, babe." He bursts out laughing. "Relax. I'm not shitting on him. I'm just saying that it's hard to get to know a mute but you've done a good job getting through to him and that's why you two work so well. You probably make him feel seen and heard. It's nice of you."
"Oh." My cheeks warm when I realize I got defensive for no reason. I can't help it. Ever since I became friends with the big guy I've noticed how people treat him and usually it's crappy. They act like he's a shadow in the background and don't even bother trying to talk to him or at least act like he's not invisible. It pisses me off to no end how quickly people write him off just because he's different. So what? He's cooler than anyone I know and the world is missing out because it's full of assholes.
Corbin pats my knee, not at all offended. "I'm glad he has someone like you. He's surprisingly shy for someone who could snap a human in half like a glow stick. I personally enjoy seeing you kick ass for him. You guys...I don't know...compliment each other."
"We're complete opposites." I point out.
"So? Opposites always attract."
"Well, it's not like that." I look down at my burger and pick at it. "And I don't date. You know that."
"You also don't go out of your way to impress anyone or care what others think but he's got you doing both." He stands up and kisses my forehead, patting my head once. "Just something to think about."
Fuck me. I don't want to think about any of that and freak myself out. I leave the rest of my food untouched, no longer in the mood to eat.
"I hate you." I grumble.
"Love you too, sexy." Corbin winks before leaving the break room.
"Ugh." I groan, my head falling back against the armrest.
I frown up at the ceiling. Don't tell me I'm actually developing feelings for the big guy. I haven't had those in, well, forever and I'm not about to start now. My life has been a series of being let down and abandoned, a life of solitude where it's me against the world. I'm used to being my own saviour and I'd planned on keeping it that way for good. Until this stupid crush. I scowl at myself, crossing my arms. I can't believe I have a goddamn crush. That too on the absolute last person I expected to cross paths with. How could I have predicted that the one man I actually developed feelings for would be this beastly but surprisingly gentle man who doesn't speak a word? It doesn't even make sense. And there's no telling if he has feelings for me too which makes me feel like a stupid girl chasing a boy for attention. Lenny Parks doesn't chase. Lenny Parks gets chased.
"It's just a crush." I mumble to myself, balling up my trash violently and discarding it. "Little girls have crushes. Crushes don't mean jack shit and neither does this one."
Fuck, I need to ink someone. I don't want to think about this anymore. I check the clock and sigh in relief when I realize my next appointment should be here in five minutes so I head to my office to set up while I wait.
I've just assembled the tattoo gun when there's a knock on my door and I call out, "Come in."
"Hey." A guy pokes his head inside. "I'm here to see Lenny?"
"That's me." I wave him in.
He steps inside and closes the door behind him, brows going up. "I, uh, expected you to be a dude."
"Common misunderstanding." I shrug and raise a brow back. "Is it a problem if I'm not?"
One thing I fucking hate is how stereotyped women are in this industry. Men think that women can't ink as well guys and that's bullshit. It's also why I consider it a perk going by Lenny because no guy is going to take an artist named Melanie seriously.
"No problem at all." He grins, eyes doing a slow graze of my body. "This is much better actually."
I roll my eyes. That's another thing I fucking hate—the douchebags that have a fetish for female tattooists and try to hit on them instead of letting them work. I've had guys pay for appointments only to not want ink at all and instead try to convince me to let them take me on a date. It feels so fucking derogatory, like they think I'm only good for a piece of ass and not the profession I worked damn hard for.
"Sit." I demand. "And don't piss me off because I'm the one with the gigantic needle in my hand."
He laughs, sauntering over to the recliner in what I'm sure he thinks is a tough guy walk. "Aren't you feisty? I like that."
"I didn't ask what you like." My mouth pinches in irritation. Not even two minutes in and he's already not taking me seriously.
"Relax, sweetheart." He winks and my jaw clenches. I fucking hate pet names. "I'm just trying to make this fun."
Don't punch him, don't punch him, don't punch him.
I give him my kindest smile. "Well, this isn't fun. This is business so let's get to it."
He nods back. "Straight to the point. Now that's something you don't see in women. They usually bitch and cry instead of saying it like it is. Fucking headache, if you ask me."
"I didn't ask." I repeat.
I inhale deeply through my nose and try to calm my rising blood pressure. If one more idiotic thing comes out of his mouth, I might stab him with my needle. Actually, I know I'm going to stab him so it's lucky timing that Cora opens the door and interrupts us. I reluctantly turn off the tattoo gun and frown at the needle that's inches away from his skin. So close.
"Hey, sorry to barge in." She winces.
"Don't be." I deadpan. "What's up?"
"There's a problem with the main computer. It wiped out the entire appointment schedule for today and now it's frozen. I've tried everything and everyone is on their lunch breaks except you. Could you help me figure it out before Titus comes back?"
"Sure." I exhale in relief. Maybe I can convince this jackass to reschedule with someone else if I take long enough. I barely glance at him as I head outside. "Stay."
"Sure thing, sweetheart."
"Sweetheart?" Cora scrunches her face just as I slam my office door closed.
"Misogynistic asshole." I explain as we walk to the main room. "According to him, us women bitch and cry and give him headaches."
"You should've stabbed him."
"I was about to when you walked in."
"Damn, I kind of hate myself now."
That gets a much needed laugh out of me. I already want to call it quits for today but I have several hours left in my shift.
"Alright." I rub my hands together when we get to the reception desk. "Let's see what we can do here."
I'm no genius with this kind of stuff but I at least know the basics. I play around with the computer and try a multitude of things to get this thing going but Cora is right—this shit is stuck. I don't want to restart the computer for fear that I won't be able to retrieve the appointment schedule and that'll just be a mess because Friday's are always the busiest, especially at night. I know that between the four tattoo artists working, myself included, we have about twelve more appointments to go before we close. Eventually I just kick the damn thing out of frustration.
"What the fuck is wrong with this piece of crap?" I kick it again and groan. "Today is not my fucking day."
"Maybe asking you wasn't the smartest idea." Cora mumbles when I kick the computer a third time, yanking me away.
"We'll just have Titus call the repair guy or whoever the hell fixes this shit."
Cora groans. "This is going to be the second time this month. I'm going to get in so much shit."
"Maybe he should get this replaced. I doubt you're the one fucking it up."
"I'm still going to get yelled at. Titus has temper problems."
"No." I emphasize dramatically, rolling my eyes.
"Maybe you could ask your hot date if he can figure it out." She jerks her thumb toward my office and I snort.
"Over my dead body." Then I pause, realizing something. "But I do happen to know a computer whiz."
"Really? Who?"
"Wolfe." I say, already typing out a text to him.
Me: Hey, big guy. Are you free to come by the studio right now? I need your help with something.
"Are you serious?" Her question draws my attention back to her. She's slack jawed. "Hot and brainy? Where the hell did you find him?"
"Actually, he found me." I mutter, recalling the first time I met him and the way he snatched me up like I weighed nothing in the middle of my meltdown. A small smile escapes me at the memory. I can't believe how much I hated him when he did that and how I was seconds away from gouging his eyes out. Now, he's arguably someone I'm genuinely starting to trust and I haven't got a lot of those.
My phone buzzes with a new notification and I check it, shaking my head at the thumbs up emoji he sends back. There's something highly amusing about the big guy using emojis.
"Let me know when he gets here." I instruct Cora. "I have to get back to Captain Assface."
"Poor you." She pouts sympathetically.
Poor me, indeed. I reluctantly head back to my office and open the door to His Highness poking around my desk.
"What are you doing?" I scowl.
He doesn't even pretend to be remorseful that he got caught. "I was looking for clues to see if you're single or not."
Fucking gag me.
I narrow my eyes on him. "Didn't you say you like saying it like it is? You could have just asked me but now you're bitching and giving me a headache. The irony, no?"
"You're quick as a whip." He winks. "How do you feel about whips, by the way?"
Why do I feel like I'm experiencing karma right now? No doubt for someone I beat up in the past.
I speak through clenched teeth. "Please take your seat. If you can't maintain professionalism then I'll have no choice but to ask you to leave."
"That sucks." He scoffs but follows my instructions, flopping down on the recliner. "I didn't peg you to be uptight about flirting. You seem like the kind of girl who would dish it back. Are you a lesbian?"
After this conversation convincing me that men are cancer, I might just become one.
"Just sit." I sigh. "What's the tat you want?"
He pulls out his phone and shows me the picture. It's the name "Amy" in cursive.
"Sister?" I almost beg.
"Girlfriend." He corrects.
Oh, Jesus. "I don't think your girlfriend would appreciate you flirting with me."
"She wouldn't appreciate it if she knew." He grins.
"So you can't commit to her but you want me to tattoo her name on you?"
"Who says I can't commit to her? Just because I hook up with other girls doesn't mean I'm leaving her."
Oh my God. I almost kick him right out but Titus would be up my ass for that. So I pull in a breath, suck it up, and send out a prayer for Amy as I etch her name on to his skin for life. I can mentally add this to the list of crazy stories I've gathered from being in this profession because there's a whole fucking lot. People are maniacs.
Thankfully it takes all of fifteen minutes to get the tattoo done and wrap him up. I might have fucked it up a little bit in my haste to get rid of him but I find myself not giving a damn. I doubt he'll even notice when he has an entire girlfriend that he turns a blind eye to. Poor fucking girl.
"All done." I pat the wrap on his bicep. "Remember, it's cash only."
"Yeah, yeah. Here. Call me." He hands me a couple of bills and his business card. I flip it over and read the print, eyebrows going up to my hairline.
"You make your own soap?"
"I guess we're both artists." He smirks and that might be the most offensive thing he's said all day. "Plus, soap bars are a great place to stash cocaine. No one suspects it."
Are you fucking kidding me?
My jaw unhinges. "Out. Now."
"Bossy." He leans towards my face until I grab him by the collar and forcefully drag him out of my office. He laughs as we stumble out into the main room. "Damn, you like being in charge. That's hot."
I suppress the urge to smack the absolute shit out of him, tightening my hold on his shirt. Cora turns to me with wide eyes, looking between the two of us curiously. Oh, gross. She doesn't actually think we hooked up did we?
And that's when I notice Wolfe is here too. His hands pause their typing above the keyboard, eyes landing on us, and the look on his face is...downright terrifying. I've never seen the big guy look so pissed off before and if I didn't know him the way I do, I would be shitting my pants right about now. I glance nervously to my client who's watching Wolfe like a deer caught in headlights, clearly realizing the murder on Wolfe's face is directed on him.
This should be good.
"Is this your friend?" My client laughs uneasily, looking to me for help.
Wolfe's eyes go to my hand that's still gripping the douchebag's collar and I immediately let go, realizing what this looks like. I don't know why I care so much about making sure he doesn't get the wrong idea but I do.
I clear my throat, slowly walking to the reception desk. "Hey. Ah, is everything okay? You know, with the computer?"
A muscle ticks in Wolfe's jaw as he stares at me with an unreadable expression. I might not be able to pinpoint what's going through his head right now but it doesn't look good. When he merely grunts in response to my question and looks away, my stomach sinks. Just fucking great. He's showing me the Wolfe the world knows, not the one I know. His walls are back up and I could snap my client like a twig for causing this.
"You." I glare at him over my shoulder. "You're done here and you're no longer my client so I won't hesitate to kick your ass if you say or do one more thing to piss me off. Get out."
"Jesus, fine." He mumbles. He looks warily at Wolfe and then back to me. And then like a total idiot he asks, "You're going to call me right? I could take you out tomorrow."
I open my mouth to tell him to fuck off when Wolfe suddenly growls low in his throat, pushing away from the counter and stalking right up to him. All I can do is watch, completely immobilized in place from shock, as he grabs the douchebag by the collar and lifts him up like a sack of potatoes and heads right for the door. He opens it up and throws him out onto pavement, slamming the door shut behind him and not even bothering to make sure he didn't hurt the guy.
My jaw is on the floor the entire time Wolfe walks back to the reception desk and continues typing away on the computer like he didn't just become the hulk. He's completely casual, his face back to its stoic and unwavering expressions. I want to say something but my voice is stuck in my throat, my brain short-circuiting every time it tries to command me to speak.
What. The. Fuck.
I know I haven't known him that long but I've never seen Wolfe lose it that way before. He literally flung my client out like yesterday's trash for fuck's sake. Wolfe isn't like that. He may be a big guy but he wouldn't ever hurt anyone. I'm completely floored and admittedly a little turned on. Do I have problems? Absolutely.
I look to Cora who's staring at Wolfe's back like she doesn't know if she should call the police or make babies with him. I totally get it.
I lick my lips nervously, glancing outside and discovering my client is long gone. If he files a complaint I'm going to be in so much shit. Titus is going to kick my ass, possibly even fire me. Slowly, gradually, common sense replaces my initial shock and now I'm pissed. Not only did Wolfe have no right to behave the way he did, but he jeopardized my job by being a total hothead. What the hell is it with him and playing my knight in shining armour unprovoked? I'm not a fucking damsel.
I cross my arms and fume in silence, not even bothering to hide the fact that I'm glaring at him. Wolfe notices and he at least has the decency to look a little guilty but he's still pissed off too. Cora watches us with wide eyes like we might explode any second now. I'm pretty sure she's right to think that.
A few minutes of tense silence pass and by then, Wolfe and I are equally enraged and breathing hard, glaring at each other. What the fuck is he so pissed about? He's the one that most likely cost me my job, a job I worked really fucking hard to earn. And I called him here to help me, not make shit worse.
He breaks the intense eye contact to look at Cora who squeaks when the attention is on her. He merely grunts, pointing at the computer and Cora nervously shifts her gaze. Her expression switches like a light at whatever she sees.
"You fixed it!" She claps her hands. "And look, the appointment schedule is all there. God, you're a life-saver."
"A real hero." I deadpan, scowling at him. "My office. Right now."
I don't bother to make sure he's following me because he knows as well as I do that if he doesn't, I'll kick his ass. I'm just about ready to explode when I shut the door behind us and turn to him. He's sitting on the recliner, glaring right back.
"What the hell was that?" I demand, stalking up to him. "You can't just beat up my clients. If he files a complaint then I'm going to be in deep shit. You potentially cost me my job!"
A flicker of remorse cracks his facade, his anger instantly fading. He guiltily shifts his stare down to the floor and I groan, feeling like an asshole. How is it that one second he can be a straight up beast and the next, he's like an innocent child that didn't realize he did something wrong? I can't figure him out for the life of me.
"I had it handled." I say firmly but keep my tone soft. "I can defend myself, big guy. You don't need to come swooping in like some hero."
He meets my eyes again, frowning a little before looking away. Now he looks offended. What does he want me to say?
"I'm serious. There was no reason for you to step in. Nothing happened between us. He was a misogynistic jackass that booked me to tattoo his girlfriend's name on him while he flirted with me the whole time. I had to literally drag him out of my office because he wouldn't quit. That's what you saw."
Wolfe actually double takes at my words, blinking in shock. Then his mouth curls up in what can only be described as disgust and I laugh despite myself.
"Exactly. So you had nothing to worry about." I tilt my head, realizing something now that my anger is gone and I can think with a clear head. "Hold on. Why were you so worried anyways? Don't tell me you were jealous."
I only meant it as a joke but have to press my lips together to stop my smile when the tips of his ears go pink and he looks away, scowling at the floor. No fucking way.
Laughter bubbles out of me. "Holy shit. Were you actually jealous?"
He frowns harder at the floor, rubbing the back of his neck, and I find myself curiously watching him. He's the weirdest mixture of innocent and badass I've ever met and I'm seriously growing a soft spot for him. And the thought of him feeling jealous over me? I should not feel as flattered as I do. What does it mean though?
"I'm teasing." I shove his shoulder lightly when it's clear how uncomfortable he is. The last thing I wanna do is make shit weird with us. "But thank you for looking out for me. It might piss me off because I'm not used to others having my back but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it."
He finally meets my gaze again, shrugging a little bashfully this time. I hold back a smile. This fucking guy.
I take a seat beside him, joining him on the recliner and nudging him with my elbow. "You know what the worst part was? That you actually thought I would go for someone like him. It hurts to see how little you think of me."
He side-glances me, doing the sign for cute in ASL that I taught him a few days ago. My eyes narrow on him.
"Are you seriously saying him and I looked cute together?"
His mouth twitches. Oh, hell no. I wrap my arms around him in a headlock, laughing at the shocked look on his face when I suddenly pull his head down and rub my knuckles across the top.
"Think you can make fun of me, asshole?" My laughter increases as he struggles against my hold.
I should have known it was too good to be true. In a blink, I'm suddenly thrown over his shoulder caveman style and I let out a screech of surprise, my hands gripping his belt and using it as an anchor.
"Put me down!" I smack his back. He's not even struggling. It's like I weigh nothing more than a bag of toothpicks to him.
I'm way too aware of his forearm pressed into the back of my thighs as he holds me upside down against his shoulder. Just a little higher and he could be touching my ass and...well...I wouldn't complain.
"Dude! This is so unfair! It's like fighting a building, you piece of shit." I kick my legs in the air and try to fight my way out.
And then he sets me down so fast I go dizzy for a moment, grabbing his arms to balance myself. Jesus, for such a huge dude he moves gracefully.
"That wasn't funny." I narrow my eyes on him.
He's smiling again. I can't even be mad because his smile...fuck. It makes a bitch weak.
"I'll get you back for that." I promise, kicking his boot. "Now get out of here. I have another client coming."
The humour on his face slips briefly, replaced with a flash of disappointment. He doesn't want to leave, I realize, and my mouth curls.
"See you on Monday." I remind him gently.
He nods, heading for the door. I watch his broad shoulders move as he quietly slips out of my office. Before closing the door shut, he glances over at me one more time and I offer him a half-smile.
When the door closes shut, my entire smile reluctantly peeks through. Didn't I say he was trouble? Fuck me.
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A/N
MY. HEART. I love them! I was grinning wide this whole chapter, especially Wolfe going alpha. Yes, please!
Please VOTE, comment and share if you like this chapter.