Into The Fire (20 page)

It was Tony.

Why the hell was he calling me?

What did he want?

Did he butt dial me?

There was no way. That was too much of a
coincidence.

What do I do?

“Are you going to answer that?” Ash asked.
“Or is it just a telemarketer? Because I know no one calls you.”
His tone was full of humor.

I didn’t even listen to what he said. I
walked back into the bedroom as the phone continued to ring in my
hand. I approached the bed.

Ash had his arms behind his head. “What’s
up?”

“It’s Tony.” It felt weird saying it out
loud. “I can’t think of any reason why he might be calling me.”

His eyes immediately furrowed in anger and
smoke practically came out of his nostrils. He was like a bull that
had just been let out of the pin. “Looks like I did my job a little
too well.” He snatched the phone from my hand then took the call.
“Yo, it’s Ash.”

I could hear Tony’s voice on the other
line.

“Uh…I’m calling for Alessandra. Is she
there?”

“My lady’s in the shower.” Hostility radiated
from his voice. “Is there something I can help you with?” He
threatened him without actually saying the words.

“No.” Tony’s voice came out submissive. “I’ll
try later.”

“No,” Ash snapped. “Don’t try later. Don’t
call her. Period.” He hung up and tossed the phone aside. “Fucking
jackass.”

I was in too much shock to care about Ash’s
rudeness. “What does he want?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked. “He pictured me
fucking you and realized he misses it. There is no other
explanation.”

“Why would he propose to someone if that were
true?”

“Because he realized you were an amazing
catch after he saw me treat you like a queen. That guy has a lot of
fucking nerve. If he thinks he’s going to get you back, he has
another thing coming.”

I still couldn’t believe it.

“If he bothers you, let me know. If he comes
by your apartment, I’ll run over here and break his hand so he
can’t call or knock on your door again.”

I knew he was being serous. “I doubt he’ll do
any of those things.”

“He’d be stupid if he did.”

I sat on the edge of the bed and processed
everything that happened.

Ash stared at me, his eyes practically
coals.

I knew something was on his mind but he
didn’t want to spit it out. “What?”

“Promise me something.”

“Okay.” I’d promise him anything for no
reason at all.

“Don’t ever take him back. I mean it.” Ash
was bossy and stubborn but he never told me what to do before. Now
he was actually commanding me to follow an order. It wasn’t like
him.

“What makes you think I would?”

“It’s natural to feel a little happy when
your ex admits he misses you. But don’t fall for it. He didn’t
treat you right the first time. And he won’t do it a second
time.”

I didn’t have feelings for him anyway. The
only guy I ever thought about was right in front of me, cynical and
beautiful at the same time. He was the man in my bed almost every
night, and he was the person I confessed all my secrets to. As
scary as it sounded, I hated picturing my life without Ash. “I
won’t.”

“Promise me.”

“Why is this so important to you?” My voice
came out as a whisper. Deep in my heart, I hoped he would say what
I secretly wanted to hear. I wanted him to admit there was
something between us, something meaningful. My deepest thoughts
were coming to the surface every day we spent together.

“You deserve the best. He isn’t it.”

It was a sweet thing to say, but not exactly
what I was fishing for. “Thank you…”

“So, you promise me?” He held my hand.
“You’re the coolest chick I’ve ever met. You need to be with
someone that’s just as amazing. I hate seeing gorgeous chicks with
whatever guys. It’s a pet peeve of mine.”

Ash was amazing—more amazing than I
was
. “Yes.”

He released a sigh and relaxed. “Good. I can
sleep tonight.”

Would he be jealous if I got back together
with Tony? Would he be jealous if I were with anyone? I knew I
would be jealous if he were with someone else. After I found out he
went on a date, I was wounded. But when he left her just to take
care of me, the jealousy went away.

I moved into his chest and lay on top of him.
My hand rested on his flat stomach, and Ash immediately moved his
fingers through my hair. I wasn’t sure what this was, but I loved
it and never wanted it to end.

***

My workweek was boring—a snooze fest.

Whenever I was at the office or with a
client, Ash was on my mind. I wondered what he was doing. Was he
inking at that very moment? And if he was, what was he inking? Was
he thinking about me? Were we thinking of each other at the same
time?

I preferred the weekends because I saw him a
lot more. He usually came over Friday after work and stayed
throughout the whole weekend. Even when I left to escort a client,
he stayed in my apartment until I returned.

It was like having a boyfriend.

“Can you toss me a paperclip?” Shelly
asked.

I couldn’t get him out of my head. His
fingers brushed through my hair in just the right way. He made me
laugh without even trying. His lips were always so tasty. When we
were in bed together, it was a spiritual adventure. Our souls were
connected as we moved together. We didn’t speak but we communicated
with our bodies.

It was amazing.

“Uh, hello?” Shelly said.

“Hmm?” I turned to her when I realized she
was there. “Sorry?”

“Your head is somewhere else today. Actually,
it’s been somewhere all week…”

“I guess I’ve been distracted.” I found a
paperclip in my desk and tossed it at her.

“Thanks.” She clipped her papers together.
“What’s on your mind?”

“Just stuff…”
Ash
.

“Stuff like a hot bad boy with lots of ink?”
She gave me a knowing smile.

“Maybe…”
Was I that easy to read?

“You guys are still fooling around?”

“We’ve been fooling around for three
months.”

“Three months?” She dropped her papers.
“Damn, that’s a long time to fool around with someone. Wars have
lasted less than that.”

“I know…” I bit my lip in thought.

Shelly examined my movements. “You’ve fallen
for him, haven’t you?”

“No… I don’t know… I’m not sure.”

“I think you are.”

“It’s just…” I shook my head.
“Nevermind.”

“No, tell me,” she pressed.

I didn’t know where to begin. “He said he
doesn’t do the girlfriend thing and he never will.”

“Shocking…”

“But he’s so sweet to me. I mean, he can be
arrogant and all of that, but he has a heart of gold underneath all
that muscle. When I got sick, he left a date just to take care of
me. And he kisses me and spends all his time with me. And when Tony
called me, he got kind of jealous. Sometimes…he acts like he can’t
get enough of me. He’s always around me. But then he says he
doesn’t want a relationship…” I shook my head. “It’s so
confusing.”

Shelly listened without interrupting. “He’s
into you, Alessandra.”

“You think?”

“Come on,” she said. “He’s with you all the
time. You said it yourself. You think he would do that if he didn’t
want more than just meaningless sex?”

Those were the words I wanted to hear.

“No guy spends all his time with a single
girl unless she’s special. Has he slept with anyone else?”

“No, I don’t think so. But then again, I
haven’t asked him.”

“Ask. If he hasn’t, you have your
answer.”

“You think?” I asked.

She nodded. “If he hasn’t been with anyone
but you for three months, it’s love. No girl is that good in
bed.”

The idea of being something more with him
gave me butterflies. “But if I’m wrong, I could ruin what we have.
He told me from the beginning he didn’t do commitment.”

“And I’m sure he meant it. But things change.
Go for it, Alessandra.”

“You really think I should?” I got nervous
just thinking about it.

“Yes,” she said firmly. “But ask if he’s
slept with anyone first. Then go from there.”

I nodded. “Okay.” Wow, I was actually going
to do this. Surprisingly, I wasn’t scared. I know exactly what Ash
said in the beginning but things were different now. I didn’t
assume he was in love with me but I knew there was something else
there.

I had a good feeling about this.

***

“Yo, cream queen.” Ash walked inside and
immediately headed to the fridge.

I was sitting on the couch. “Yes, please come
in.” My voice was full of sarcasm.

He grabbed a beer then sat beside me. “How’s
it going?” He leaned in and gave me a deep kiss before he drank his
beer.

He greeted me like a boyfriend would. There
was no denying that. “Good. You?”

“It was a long day,” he said. “Let’s just say
I can’t wait to get my shop running.”

“Someone piss you off?”

“Not necessarily. My appointment cancelled on
me and I had nothing to do but my boss wouldn’t let me leave. So I
sat around all day and did nothing.”

“So, you got paid for doing nothing,
right?”

“I make a lot more having a client. When I’m
just sitting there I only get minimum wage, and minimum wage is
basically spare change you find in the pocket of an old pair of
jeans.”

“Well, I think we’re pretty close to getting
your money.”

“Me too.” He drank his beer then set it down.
“You have to let me ink you when I open my shop.”

“Why?”

“I want you to be my first customer.”

“But I don’t want any ink.”

“Come on,” he said. “Let me give you a tramp
stamp or something.”

“No…”

“Then something in the front. You know…down
below.” He had a wicked grin on his face.

“Not there either.”

“Then let me pierce your clit for you.”

“You don’t like me the way I am?” I
challenged.

“No, I do,” he said quickly. “But you could
be so much more.” He kissed my shoulder. “Trust me on this.”

I wanted to ask my question but I didn’t know
how. Wouldn’t it seem out of context to do it now? I tried to think
of a way to bring it up. “So, do you sleep with your clients?”

“My clients?” he asked as he drank the
beer.

“Yeah, the girls you ink.”

“Oh…sometimes.”

My heart sank. “Like, recently?”

“Uh…” He pressed his lips together as he
tried to think. “The last time was about…four months ago. Yeah, her
name was Layla or Lillian…something like that.”

My heart picked up again. “Where do you meet
other girls? At bars?”

He snapped his fingers. “Laura. It was
Laura.”

“Oh.” Like I gave a damn what her name was.
“So, you pick up girls at bars?”

“Yeah, I guess. Or the gym. Wherever.”

“When was the last time you slept with
someone?” I tried to keep my voice casual.

“You—last night.”

“Someone besides me.”

He searched his brain again. “Uh…” He rubbed
his temple. “I can’t remember.”

That wasn’t good enough.

“Like, a month ago?”

“No…I honestly can’t remember.”

“Have you slept with anyone since you met
me?” I hoped I wasn’t making it too obvious.

He drank his beer and continued thinking.
“No, actually.”

My heart exploded into a thousand fireworks.
Happiness rushed through me. I wanted to jump on the table and
start dancing. That had to mean something. I wasn’t just making
assumptions, right? That wasn’t normal for Ash.

“Hmm…interesting.”

Isn’t it? Okay, I think I should tell him how
I feel. There was a good chance he felt the same way. Why would he
ask me to brunch and spend all this time with me if I didn’t mean
something more? I knew I wasn’t searching for something that wasn’t
there. “Ash, lately I’ve been feeling—”

His phone rang in his pocket. “Sorry.” He
fished it out and looked at the screen. “It’s the shop…that’s
weird.”

I wanted to continue my conversation but it
could wait a minute. “Take it.”

“Sorry, hold on.” He answered the call. “Yo.”
He listened to the person on the other line. “I’m kind of busy
right now.” Then he listened again before he released an irritated
sigh. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He hung up
and shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Damn.”

“What is it?”

“I have to head to work. My appointment
showed up. She thought she said eight in the evening, not eight in
the morning.” He rolled his eyes. “So stupid.” He leaned toward me
and gave me a quick kiss. “I’ll see you later, cream queen.”

I was disappointed but I tried to hide it.
“Yeah. Have fun.”

He sighed. “Working the night shift is not
fun.” He walked out and shut the door behind him.

I didn’t want him to leave but I didn’t want
to rush through the conversation either. There wasn’t a deadline to
the conversation. Ash already told me what I needed to know. I
could wait until I saw him next.

CHAPTER TEN

Ash

I walked inside the bar then searched for
Sawyer.

“Over here.” Sawyer whistled then waved at me
from the booth.

I headed in his direction, and once I got
closer to his table, I realized he wasn’t alone. Two cute brunettes
were with him. “Just got off work.” I slid into the booth and sat
beside one of the girls. “What’s up?” Sawyer texted me earlier and
asked me to meet him there.

The girl twirled a strand of hair in her
fingers. “I’m Lacy.”

“Hi.” I extended my hand. “Ash.”

She didn’t take it. “Ash…I like it.”

Anyway…
I turned back to Sawyer.
“Guess what happened to me today. I inked this really sick dragon
on this eighteen-year-old girl. It looked sick, but she’ll regret
it one day.” I pulled out my phone and showed him the picture.