Riveted: Drawn Series Book 1 (4 page)

“She is hot! Do you think you could give me her number?”
asked one of the guys sitting in the waiting room. He looked like a Neo Nazi
skin head, but I knew Abby was taken. She had been married for three years to
the most incredible man, who was a high school gym teacher. His name was Lamar.

“Sorry buddy. She’s married and her husband is scary,” I
replied, answering the ringing phone behind me. He shrugged and went back to
his battered magazine.

At ten that night, I left to go get
some dinner. The shop usually closed at eight, but tonight Axel and Matt had
appointments. Abby had left, not looking too happy after talking to Axel, and I
figured she had met up with his little friend.
 
I would have to ask her about that snotty little bitch when we got
together. Blowjob Barbie had left right after Abby did, and the ebb and flow of
the shop was steady. Seeing as how I have nothing better to do, I volunteered
to stay back and help them out. Hence the dinner runs for the shop. I walked
down the street to the deli and I looked around the neighborhood. It was mostly
small business and a few apartments. I got to the deli just as they were about
to close, but they let me in. I ordered a chicken wrap and some subs for the
guys and walked back to my brother’s shop.  Sitting out on a bench to the
side of the front door, I took off my boots, and sat there, my legs tucked
under me. Gazing up at the starry sky, I let out the breath I was holding. The
door opened next to me and a tall, well-dressed older man with blonde hair and
tanned skin walked out. He was buttoning the cuffs of his pale yellow dress
shirt and he smiled at me. Tossing his suit jacket into the back seat of his
car, I have him a little wave as he got into his white BMW. He nodded to
me and pulled out of the parking lot. Grabbing a hair tie off of my wrist,
I tied my long black hair up in a sloppy bun and started eating my sandwich. As
I ate I pulled out my phone, seeing that there were already a few messages from
Abby, mentioning going shopping with her this weekend. She was not letting me
out of this one it seemed. So much for giving me a week. After I replied, I
stuck the phone back in my pocket and leaned against the bench once more.

“What are you doing out here all alone? “Turning around,
I smiled when I saw it was Jack. I made room for him on the bench and he sat
down. I handed him his turkey sub and he nodded in thanks, as he unwrapped it.

“Eating dinner. Sorry I did not bring your stuff in right
away, but Matt said you were still working on that guy and I did not want to
interrupt,” I replied.

“Now worries, thanks for getting the food by the way,” he
said. He nudged me playfully and I grinned.

“It’s a beautiful night,” I replied. He took a bite and
smiled.

“I agree. Nights like this make me sometimes wish I could
stay outside all the time,” he whispered.

“Yeah but if you did that, you would be able to do what
you do in there,” I said, motioning toward the shop.

“And what exactly would you call what I do in there Ms.
Drawn?” he asked, with a sexy ass grin.

“Make things beautiful,” I whispered. He nodded, and I
did not know what to say after that. I felt like a huge cornball and I had no
idea where that had even come from!
 
We
sat there in silence for a while, enjoying one another’s company and not
talking, not really needing to. I was afraid if I opened my mouth again, I was
going to say something ridiculous again.

“Well I better get back inside,” he said, after a while.
He wadded up his empty sandwich wrapper and tossed it into the trash near our
bench.

“Thanks for sitting out here with me,” I said. He nodded
and turned to walk away, my eyes following him the whole way in. 

Midnight found me sitting on my
brother’s front porch sipping a glass of sweet tea. A tall woman had followed
him home, and although I did not agree with his bed hopping, I was relieved it
was not Blow Job Barbie.  I seriously could not deal with her face right
now. Leaning against one of the pillars on the porch, I closed my eyes as the
gentle breeze drifted over me.

“Lonely?” said my brother’s voice. Sitting up suddenly, I
shot him a questioning look. He had scared the crap out of me.

“I thought you were
busy
,” I replied, the sarcasm
evident in my voice. He smirked and sat down next to me. He was wearing jeans
and nothing else. At least it was better than the towel.

“She passed out on me. I may be a lot of things, but I
don’t take advantage of passed out chicks,” he replied with a sad smile. He sat
next to me and put his legs on my lap.

“How noble of you.Is that like the Man whore Mantra or
something?” He nudged me and laughed. I poked his side with my big toe.

“Bitch,” he said.

“Asshole,” I replied.

“So I see Abs came in to scold you,” he said.

“Yeah. I did not realize how much I missed her! She and I
are going to hang out this weekend. She wants to take me clothes shopping,” I
said with a frown.

“Yeah she might be on to something there. You look like
hell,” he said. I punched his arm. He laughed, stood up and padded into the
house.

“Hey Axel?”

“Yeah?”

“Are things okay? I know you said things were crazy, but
are they better?” I asked. He looked at me, acted like he was going to say
something, but then his face completely shut down. He shook his head and then
walked into the house without say a word. What in the hell??? Why wouldn't he
just talk to me? What in the world was going on? I started to stand up and
follow him, but I knew that he was just as stubborn as I was and I was not
going to get anywhere tonight.

 The next
morning, Axel left before I had even climbed out of bed. I figured I was going
to make this day easy. Grabbing some coffee at Starbucks on the way to the
shop, I bought some for everyone else too.  Pulling in, I opened the door,
climbed out with the coffee holder and shut the car door with my hip. Nudging
the front door open with my butt, I set the coffee down on the counter. Jack
walked in from the back and smiled at me.

“Good Morning Bleu. What’s that you have there?” he
asked, eyeing the coffee and smiling.

“I thought I would be a nice shop mom and bring everyone
coffee.” I replied. He sighed happily and clasped my hands, hopping up and down
a bit as he did it.

“Marry me???” he asked with a fake French accent.
Laughing, I handed him a cup of steaming coffee.

“Thanks for the offer. Are you that hard up for coffee??”
I asked incredulously.

“Coffee maker at home broke. I forgot to grab some this
morning and this is one of those days where I freakin need some coffee! “He
replied. I nodded in understanding. He hugged me and grabbed a cup. Smiling, I
again admired how great he smelled. He was wearing baggy carpenter jeans, a
Ramones t shirt and a button down short sleeved shirt on top of it, unbuttoned.
He had some brown Docs on, scuffed and well loved. Me on the other hand, I had
on a pair of jeans again with a hole artfully placed on my right knee, a blood
red tank top with skulls all over it and a black hoodie. My hair was flowing
over my shoulders. Abby would so not approve and part of me dressed like this
just to spit her.

“Well seeing as how I have a sneaking suspicion that your
intentions are less than genuine and may have something to do with early
morning coffee offerings, I am not sure, but ask me tomorrow, I just might
consider your proposal,” I replied well naturedly. He smiled, held up the
coffee in thanks and headed to the back room. How I loved watching that man
walk away from me. Hell, I liked watching him walk toward me too.

“Close your mouth loser,” said my brother, coming in
behind me, snagging a cup of coffee. Shooting him an angry look and rolling my
eyes, I stuck my tongue out at him. Matt was not far behind him; he gave me
thumbs up as he took his coffee and went in the back.

“Shut up. I wasn’t doing anything,” I replied. He
snorted.

“Yeah ok. After being with someone like Carl, I would
have had sex with a parking meter.”

“I am NOT you. Far from it! And besides, didn't you get
arrested for almost having sex with a parking meter???” I asked. He smirked.

“It was Spring Break and I was faded,” he replied, like
it was nothing.

“Yeah your ass was faded and your dick was chafed. Seriously
though, I have no intention of sleeping with anyone, Jack included,” I
remarked. Axel looked up and over my shoulder. I nearly choked when Jack came
back in.

“What’s going on guys?” he asked, raising a perfectly
shaped eyebrow. Shit!!

“Just remember sis, virgin or not, the apple does not
fall far from the tree,” Axel whispered and walked past Jack with a smirk.
Asshole! Jack was still standing there.

“Keep it up asshole and I will not bring you coffee ever
again!” I shouted over at my brother. He shook his head and I could tell he was
laughing the snarky bastard.

“Oh it was nothing. Usual sibling shit. My brother can be
an ass sometimes!” I said to Jack.

“Don’t I know it!” he laughed and walked back into the
tattoo area. It seemed like whenever I turned around, he was there. I would let
him stalk me any day. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I walked behind the
counter and booted up the computer.

The shop was not that busy, so I
decided to clean up the waiting room a bit. Walking back into the shop, I
walked over to the supply closet door, opened it, looking for cleaning
supplies. Grabbing a bottle of Windex and some paper towels, I shut the door
behind me. Matt came out of his station and escorted a heavy guy out to the
front desk. The guy’s arm was wrapped in what looked like Saran Wrap.
Maneuvering around them, I walked out into the lobby. A man was sitting in one
of the chairs, wearing a business suit. Matt was still talking to his client
and I figured it would be awhile before he needed to be cashed out. I looked
over at the man in the business suit and smiled.

“Can I help you sir?” I asked. He looked at me and
smiled.

“I am just waiting for those guys over in the garage to
finish up my inspection, but thanks,” he replied.  Turning around, I
grabbed the Windex and started spraying the top of the counter. Jack walked out
of the back and he shot me a smile.

“What’s up?” I asked as he walked over to where I was
standing. He wiped his hands with a rag.

“Skeeter over in the garage was waiting for someone to
come in for an appointment. In fact you know her, Barbie. Have you seen her
come in? Oh and thank you again for the coffee, it was a big help.” He said,
the last part making him laugh.

“To answer you about Barbie, I have not seen her yet. I
was in the back for like a minute, but the only one who came in was the
gentleman over there,” I replied. He nodded.

“If she comes in, just come get me please? She can be a
handful, especially when it comes to her car, and Skeeter is afraid of her.,”
he said.

“And so is my brother apparently,” I replied. He nodded
his head and went in the back.

Axel walked in the front door. He looked around a bit and
then his eyes settled on me.

“I thought you were in back?”I asked. He looked at the
gentleman sitting in the chair and nodded. The man smiled back.

“I was, but I had to deal with something,” he replied,
distracted. He looked like he was going to jump out of his skin again, fiddling
with his lip ring and hopping from one foot to the other. Looking over his
shoulder, I saw Barbie leaning against her car. No wonder he was acting like a
punk.

“Someone needs to,” I said with a snort.

“Hey now,” he said softly. Raising an eyebrow, I gave him
dirty look.

“What is her vagina made of gold or something?” I asked.
He glared at me. I squared up to him and his eyes lost a little of their steel.
He stared at me for a moment and then he looked away guiltily.

“It’s not something I can explain right now. Not here
anyways”, he said and walked into the back of the shop before I could argue any
further. Since when was he the Man of Mystery? Was my brother in trouble? I was
so frustrated that he would not even talk to me about it. I could help him, I
always did. He better not have Blowjob Barbie bailing him out. I would hate to
be beholden to the likes of someone like her. If she had some hold on him, ooh
boy, I would snap her little neck like a twig.

Sitting on the red velvet couch in
the back, I was reading something on my Kindle, when my brother walked out of
his station. Looking up, I groaned inwardly as Barbie walked out. Her back was
to me, so she did not see me at first. Suddenly, I could feel her icy gaze.
Fantastic.

“Well, well, well. I see you are still working here.
What’s the matter? Was Kmart not hiring?” she asked with a nasty smile on her
face. Hitting the button to turn my Kindle off, I looked at her for a moment
before answering. My brother just stood there and did not say anything and I
was going to kick his ass for it later. He did this back and forth thing,
waiting to see who was going to explode first. Reigning in my temper, I took a
deep breath.

“Do you get some kind of sick pleasure out of being a
bitch? Because let me tell you, you have that skill honed,” I retorted. She
snorted elegantly.

“Aww, the little girl is offended. I guess it does not
take a lot to get a rise out of white trash?”  I stood up and moved close
to her.

“I don’t have to defend myself to a rich bitch like you.
Out of respect for my brother, you are lucky I don’t kick your privileged ass
right now. Stay out of my way, or I will beat the shit out of you!” I said
quietly, but in a way that made her step back, her hand to her chest. 
Turning around, I saw that I had an audience. Matt, Jack and Chloe the piercing
chick, they were all standing around looking at me. Jack’s jaw had dropped.
Barbie stormed past us and we heard the bell jingle on the door. Axel followed
after her, not saying a single thing.

“That was awesome!!!” said Chloe. She came over and
patted me on the shoulder. She had an elated smile on her face and she was
doing this little hopping from foot to foot dance.

“Thanks I guess. I don’t know what the hell my brother
sees in her, but damn, I am no mood to deal with her bullshit today,” I
muttered. Jack and Matt had gone back to what they were doing. Chloe sat down
on the couch with a satisfied smile on her face. She was all of five feet with
pale white skin and long white blonde hair, with a few red streaks here and
there. She had a glittery mini skirt on with black tights under and pink flats.
She was wearing a black halter top that showcased some funky tats with flowers
and goldfish. Her eyebrow was pierced as was the corner of her lip. She looked
like a Tinkerbell who was very very naughty.

“That’s your brother’s story chica. But I have to say, I
have wanted to tell her off for SOOO long. But I didn’t want to lose my job. I
really don't know why she can't just be nice,” she muttered. Her hands
fluttered the whole time she talked. I wondered if I made her sit on her hands,
would she still be able to talk.

“Yeah well, just because Axel is my brother, it does not
mean I have to put up with her crap, even if she is a lunatic. I have no idea
what possessed me to square up to her like that. I am not usually like this. I usually
just let people walk all over me. I cannot believe though, that he just stood
there and let her call me white trash, the little asshole!!!”

“Maybe you are finally coming out of your shell?” she
asked. Shrugging, I stand up.

“Maybe. Who knows?” I said with a smile, walking back to
finish my work. She gave me another smile and walked to the front of the shop.

After the lunch rush, I walk out to my truck to get my
cell and I nearly threw up. The whole driver’s side was keyed to high hell.
Deep dug in gouges that could not be seen from the shop because my driver’s
side was facing the street. I looked in the cab and my cell phone was smashed
too. My messenger bag was sliced up too. Looking down, I also saw that my tires
were slashed and flat.

“What the hell???!!” I shouted. Sitting down on the curb,
I put my head in my hands, feeling hot tears forming in my eyes and coursing
down my face. This is what I get for opening my mouth, for mouthing off to her.
Wait. As heinous as she was, I could not be totally sure that she did it. The
neighborhood was not so stellar and she really did not look like the type to
get her hands dirty, no matter how offended she was. I looked at my feet. This
was going to be expensive and I needed to save any money that I made. I could
not live with Axel forever, especially with the way he had been acting lately.
This sucked, right now my life sucked. First Carl and now this bullshit. What
the hell was going to happen next? Getting jumped by a gang of militant Neo
Nazis who hadn’t had sex in a year??

“Fuck!” I yelled. A shadow fell over me. Not really in
the mood to deal with anymore bullshit, my head snapped up and I was ready to
square off.

“Not usually the response I get,” said Jack, his hands up
in defense. Matt was standing behind him, smoking a cigarette. They glanced
over my shoulder and whistled when they saw the damage to my truck. Jack looked
back at me and saw my face. He sat down next to me, putting an arm around my
shoulders. Matt walked around my truck and assessed all the damage. I heard him
swear softly.

“Now don’t cry,” Jack said softly. I was not ready to cry
until he said those words. Tears flowed freely and I got angry because I hated
to cry. I rubbed at my eyes with a clenched fist.

“Sorry, I can’t help it. So much has happened, all at
once. I should not have mouthed off like that. But I was so pissed. And for
Axel to just stand there! What the hell?” I replied, sniffling.

“You do not deserve to be treated the way she was
treating you. You would not have lost your job; I am partners with your
brother. BUT, you don’t really have proof that it was her. I have had the
windows of my truck smashed before out here.And a lot of businesses have gotten
broken into as well.
 
Just calm down. I
am glad you stood up to her. And I really don’t understand why your brother
just stood there,” he said softly. He had the most amazing brown eyes. My heart
skipped a beat.

He stood up and held out his hand. Looking at him for a
moment, I told myself to trust him. Taking it, he hoisted me up.

“Come on. Trust me, I don’t bite.  Just come with me
for a minute.”  He looked at Matt.

“You got this? “He asked him. Matt nodded.

“Yeah man, I’ll call the cops. If I need you I will give
you a call,” he replied, taking his cell out of his pocket. He punched in some
numbers and walked off, talking to someone on the other end.