"I don't understand why you need my opinion, Savannah, I'm pretty sure Ivy can help you to choose the flowers for your boss' party. It's her job after all."
"I know, dear, but I'm very busy and I know you are too. Lunch time is the only free period for us both today and I'll be able to do three things at once: we'll eat delicious food in the flower shop backroom, I'll pick out the arrangements my boss needs and we'll talk a little."
I nod and smile, it's actually a good plan and I'm happy she's called me to come given that I was spending a really boring morning at the office editing a long text for my own boss. Although I must admit it was taking me more time than I expected for the simple reason that I was zoning out while daydreaming with a certain tattoo artist who has turned my peaceful life into a chaos. I was happy, well, not exactly, but I was doing fine adjusting to my new job and having fun with Savannah occasionally... But now, I can't help craving what I can't have: money, sophistication, confidence, beautiful clothes, a bigger apartment, a more interesting and creative job... The kind of stuff a woman like Ruby Rose, the darling of the cultural elite in NY, would find attractive.
There're so many women going crazy for her, so many to choose from, that I don't understand why she decided to sleep with me twice. And the second one, she stayed... Among all the things that have happened lately, that's the weirdest of them all: she was in my studio when I woke up and even bought me breakfast, she talked to me showing interest for my job, my family and future plans, she said she couldn't wait to read one of my novels and my boss would be an asshole if he didn't publish them, she didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave my home but gave me a sweet kiss when she said goodbye. "See you soon," she let out before vanishing. Like she really wanted to see me again... What woman wouldn't daydream about a tattooed goddess after spending a perfect night and morning with her? She even managed to make me forget about my headache and hangover.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure when we'll meet again since I can't afford it. Judging by my boss' sour grimace, I don't think I'll get another commission in a near future.
"Wow..." I mumble surprised.
"I know, you didn't expect this, did you? When people think about New York's flower shops, they picture some fancy decoration and industrial concrete walls, everything clean and diaphanous, but Ivy sticks to classics."
"This is more than classic, it's lovely... It looks like a flower shop from a picturesque street of a French village in Provence or something like that... I love it." The grey stone wall stands out next to the white wooden frames of two bay windows, there're pots full of flowers hanging both sides of the door and more plants in boxes and on small tables on the sidewalk and stairs. The final effect is so beautiful that some people walking past can't help stopping to take some pictures. "Cloris' Kingdom..."
"The Greek goddess of spring and flowers... Let's go, I bet Ivy is waiting for us in the backroom, you'll love it because it looks like an old greenhouse. My friend inherited this small building from her grandparents and has managed to resist every single attempt from unscrupulous businessmen that wanted to buy it in order to build an apartment block."
"God, I hope she doesn't sell it, this place is beautiful."
"She won't do that, believe me, she earns a good living with her job and, in addition to that, she lives in the apartment above the shop but rents the other two floors, she has enough money. She enlarged the shop covering the small inner yard with a glass roof and it's where she keeps flowers in fridges and works on her arrangements... it's a bit chaotic but gorgeous and relaxing at the same time." I walk slowly trying to dodge pewter buckets full of roses and tulips, old bird cages that display cacti and dark wood shelves full of pots, bowls and porcelain figurines till I reach the luminous backroom where a massive wood table stands out although it's covered with so many flowers, green leaves, colourful paper and ribbons, that's barely visible.
"Hi, girls, I'm so happy to see you. Come on, sit down... where you can. There's a stool behind you, Iselen." Ivy drops the tarot cards she was holding in her hand to hug Savannah and gets closer to me to be able to kiss my cheek, putting her arm on my shoulder. "I'm going to clear this table a little and we'll have lunch, I ordered vegan tacos and guacamole... Are you hungry?" The pretty brunette walks around the backroom swiftly, not tripping over the stuff scattered around, and I realize how strong she is despite looking so skinny and ethereal when she grabs a bucket full of water and flowers like it weights nothing. "Savannah, what do you think about this as centrepieces for your boss' tables?"
"Are those waffle cones inside tall glasses and roses instead of ice cream? I've never seen something like that before... What do you think, Iselen?"
"I love them... Sorry, Ivy." I lean to one side to pick up the cards that fell on the floor when I pushed them with my elbow accidentally trying to move closer to Savannah's phone.
"Oh, don't worry." The florist leans forward too, smiling kindly, and taking one of the only two cards that have fallen face-up. "The Star... I think you're looking for your place in this world, honey."
"Yes, I guess you're right. It's about time to find it..." I laugh, amused. "I'm not getting any younger..."
"And The Empress... This is Ruby's favourite card: it symbolizes creative power and love for art and beauty."
"Yes, that does sound like her," Savannah is taking food from paper bags and licks some guacamole from her thumb before looking around. "What have you got to drink around here?"
"There're some beers cooling in a bucket with ice in the sink," Ivy answers handing me a paper napkin while I lower my head to try to hide my cheeks that turned red a second ago when they mentioned the artist. "Talking about Ruby... Concerning that question she asked me about her new... customer... Tell her that I believe she's a good person and, if she's hiding something, she's not doing it deliberately."
"Really? I think she's a nice girl although a bit weird..." My friend hands me a beer while I stare at them confused.
"Oh yes, she is, but harmless... What colour do you prefer for the roses of the party?"
*****
"I can't believe I'm doing this..." I mumble swallowing hard, fidgeting on the green velvet couch while Thyra talks on the phone to someone leaned on the reception counter. I don't even understand how this has happened. I was leaving work, I was exhausted but it was Friday finally and my plans were to go to the supermarket and spend the weekend sleeping and reading and, all of a sudden, my phone was ringing: it was Ruby telling me that she had some free time right then to do the tattoo I wanted so I should go to the parlour immediately. I stuttered trying to come up with a rational excuse without being rude but she cut me off abruptly and explained that she'd noticed I miss my family a lot and getting my nephew's name tattooed on my wrist would make me happy, that it was a special gift from a friend and I shouldn't worry about money... she gave me 15 minutes to arrive to the parlour.
"Iselen, come here... Make yourself comfortable, you can leave your jacket and bag on that hanger." Ruby gestures at me from the door of her booth and points at the chair before sitting on a stool, dragging a rolling cart closer: several bottles of ink, caps, disposable gloves, needle cartridges, stencil paper, a skin cleaner and a healing ointment for later, sterile gauzes and tape, transparent sealant spray, skin markers... Too much stuff for such a small tattoo. "Lean your arm here, please." I obey reluctantly while she puts the gloves on and frowns, suddenly, looking up surprised. "You're shaking..."
"I'm a little nervous," I admit before biting my lower lip and she smiles sweetly, which doesn't help at all because all of a sudden, in the middle of my anxiety attack, I remember that I've kissed those perfect lips and that toned body has been sleeping stuck to mine in my bed... Ruby is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my entire life, her facial structure is flawless but it's not just that, she always looks so confident... She's so attractive and fascinating... and her eyes shine when they change from green to grey... How does she manage to do that?
"I understand..." she whispers moving even closer to me: our skins graze, her perfume fills my brain and her lips almost touch mines when she talks. "Are you worried about the pain?" I shrug while my eyes are fixed on her jawline, the truth is that I don't know why I'm worried. "You have to trust me, baby, that's how it works. Customers spend hours with me while I give them pain... for a good cause, they become my friends and I become their therapist, they get relaxed on that chair and they tell me things about their lives that have never told anyone before... and they always come back looking for more. I change their bodies forever, do you understand it? I see them naked, not only physically, but emotionally, they have no secrets from me and I understand that opening oneself in such a way is scary sometimes. That's why choosing the perfect tattoo artist is crucial, getting ink done is a commitment for life and I'm the means to get that... If you don't trust me, if our creative minds don't align, this won't work."
"It's just my nephew's name on my wrist, not big deal." I complain quietly, taken aback by her passionate speech.
"No, Iselen, it's more than that: it's the love you feel for him, feeling nostalgic for your home, all the happy memories since the day he was born, your connection with your sister and her son... When this is over, all those feelings will be burnt forever on your skin, you'll see the tat and smile... and maybe you'll remember this day and remember me too."
"Of course I'll do, how could I forget you?" I assure her smiling and Ruby answers kissing my cheek gently before her gloved hand cleans my skin with some gel.
"Choose the one you prefer, I've made three designs with different fonts..." I point at a beautiful name that looks like italic handwriting and she uses the stencil paper to copy it on my wrist carefully. "Do you like it? All right, the time has come... Try to relax, it hurts a little at first but you end up getting used to it and it'll be easier to bear it. Just let yourself go... trust me." I can't help flinching on the chair when feeling the first prick and I realize she's trying to hide her amused grin leaning closer to my arm, I clench my jaw and try to relax as she told me while the black ink sneaks under my skin little by little. Minutes tick by slowly and only the buzzing of the tattoo machine echoes through the booth, a repetitive sound that makes me fall in some kind of trance... "Do you intend to be a cadaver throughout the entire session?"
"Sorry, what?" I ask confused.
"This is how we call customers who refuse to talk to the artist during the entire process... although I prefer them to the Michaelangelos who argue with me about what colours I should pick out, they give me instructions all the time and believe they know more than I do about how to shade." I can't help chuckling and she puts her free hand on my arm, I can feel her warmth through the glove.
"Stay still," she whispers.
"Sorry... It doesn't hurt as much as I expected..." Ruby looks at me for a second, raising an eyebrow.
"I can go faster and deeper if you want..."
"No, it's okay, thank you..." Now it's her turn to chuckle while working on the lines, drawing the curves of the letters with a steady hand... Minutes tick buy slowly again and, despite she was complaining about my silence before, she looks so focused on her job that it seems to me she's fallen in a trance too. Her gloved hand touches my arm carefully while the tattoo machine feels like the sting of a dozen of bees and my shoulder aches due to my position on this chair.
"How are you doing, babe? It's almost done, hold on a little longer... If I stop to give you a break, it'll hurt more when I start again later..." I sigh and relax on the chair, it's getting dark outside and there's no light coming through the opaque window. "What would you like to get after this tat? Come on, Iselen, don't look at me like that... we both know you'll repeat..."
"A Celtic symbol," my answer seems to surprise her and she looks at me puzzled for a second before dipping the needle in more black ink. "I'm from the north of Spain and my ancestors are Celtic people, there're triple spirals carved on the antique wooden doors of my grandparents' house, for example. It's common there."
"Interesting... You should talk with Vinnia, her family comes from Scotland and she knows a lot about Celtic history. It's done, wait, let me wipe the ink away... Adrian... beautiful name. Do you like it?"
"Oh my God, Ruby, this is perfect, better than I've ever expected..." I stare at the beautiful handwriting standing out in black over my reddened skin shocked. "You're an amazing artist, seriously, I can't believe you're able to do something like this with needles... I can't write so beautifully not even using a pencil and a stencil..."
"Thank you, you're really kind, let me apply a little of healing ointment... I love that look, you know, the happy smile when a customer looks at a finished tattoo for the first time, I live for that..." Ruby rubs my arm with her gloved fingers and opens a cabinet to take another bottle of ointment before getting rid of them.
"It's beautiful, Ruby, my nephew will go crazy when seeing it through Skype... My mom will get a heart attack..." I frown, worried all of a sudden while staring at my wrist.
"All moms say the same... Iselen, listen, this is important. Now I'm going to cover the tattoo and you'll have to keep the bandage for a few hours, one day would be better, okay?" I nod firmly while she shows me a small soap bar and a little bottle. "You'll remove it tomorrow and will wash your wrist with this antibacterial soap carefully, your skin will be very sensitive so don't scrub it hard, you'll let it dry later and, when you feel your skin tight, you'll apply a thin layer of this healing ointment. You must do this several times every day during four or five days. Do you understand it?"
"Your explanation was very clear, thank you. Seriously, Ruby, you're amazing... I can't believe I have a tat done by the best artist in NY..." The beautiful woman smiles while putting some tape on my arm. "Are you sure you don't want me to pay for this? There're so many people wanting to sit down on this chair that I feel guilty getting this work of art for free..." I look at the ceiling trying to remember how much money I have in my bank account but Ruby Rose surprises me sitting astride on my lap suddenly.
"I'm used to dealers who want to deal on the price of their tattoo as if this parlour were some kind of auction house, people insisting on paying me for my job aren't that common, to be honest. I don't want money but you can French kiss the fuck out of me instead..." Her face is very close to mine and her breath fans my lips that start tingling while I nod but remain still, she's taken me completely off guard, and she's the one who must lean forward to shove her tongue deeply in my mouth. Sweet, hot, delicious... tearing a moan from my throat while she plays and explores, her pelvis starts grinding against my waist and my guts clench. Temperature rises in this booth and the artist pulls away to be able to take her T-shirt off, wearing only her sports bra, before cradling my face to kiss me again.
"Fuck, Ruby..." I whisper sliding my hands over her soft back skin and her pelvis bucks against my body one more time.
"Fuck, Iselen..." The beautiful woman tilts her head to kiss me in a new angle before sliding her lips down my neck, my nipples get hard under my clothes and I gasp for air. I open my eyes worried when I remember that Thyra is out there and can hear us, probably, but a flash of the lamp light on something metallic inside the supply cabinet grabs my attention out of the corner of my eye. The hell is that?
"Shit," I whisper when my brain manages to process what I'm seeing, finally, and my hands shove Ruby's shoulders to move her away from my body, my muscles get tensed and I feel like crying when I realize that this beautiful goddess and I won't have a future together. It was too good to be true, I guess...
"Iselen?" Ruby stares at me bewildered for a second while I swallow hard and try to push her away from my lap, I avert my eyes to the cabinet involuntarily once again and she turns her head too, confused... till a flash of lucidity illuminates her face. "You know what it is..." Her mischievous smirk could make the butterflies in my stomach flutter like crazy some minutes ago but not now, this is over.