Tattoos and Transformations (10 page)
Read Tattoos and Transformations Online
Authors: Melody Snow Monroe
Chapter Nine
This was probably the dumbest thing Morgan had ever agreed to do, but part of him was thrilled to go into business with Dakota.
Seeing her in action would give him the chance to judge her in a professional manner. So far, most of his interactions came from watching her with his sister, and then again when she’d been naked with his brother.
Christ
. The image of her pressing her finger into her pussy was still etched in his brain. After that episode, he’d gotten little to no sleep. Maybe that was what had driven him to be in this situation now.
He still couldn’t figure out what she had been thinking when she flaunted her pussy like that. According to Jade, Dakota rarely dated and had hardly slept with anyone. Damn, but the woman had fried his brain and made his cock too hard too often.
He returned his attention to the promise he made in order to get her to work at the tattoo parlor. Once he told her he wasn’t ready to have his father see the tat, she promised the tattoo she’d create for him would be inconspicuous.
Morgan waited until after dinner to go over to her place, but when he got to the store, the downstairs wasn’t lit. Since Dakota was renting the factory from his sister, he knew the routine to get in. He pressed the button that would ring upstairs.
His damned palms were sweating. What was up with that? It wasn’t like he was afraid of needles, but rather that he was afraid that once she had her hands on him, he’d give in and make love with her.
Once he did that, their fate would be sealed.
The light popped on, and Dakota pulled open the door. “I wasn’t
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sure you would come.”
Blood rushed from his head to his groin. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, and she had hairclips to hold back her hair. Her jeans had some holes in them and her T-shirt was actually rather baggy. To say she looked adorable was an understatement.
“I want my business to survive.” Her shoulders tensed.
Damn
. He shouldn’t have said that.
“Come on upstairs. I have my instruments of torture ready to try out my technique on human flesh.”
Great
. He followed her to her apartment, enjoying how her cute ass swayed and swished with every step. While he’d been here a few times, the fact that Dakota was renting Jade’s factory made all the difference in the world. She’d changed out some of the photos, but pretty much the place looked the same as when Jade had it.
“You sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll do my best work on you. You are, after all, the boss. Yesterday, I stopped by the store and asked Harley for some pointers.”
He hoped he wouldn’t regret this. He followed her into the bedroom, and the second he spotted the bed, his thoughts ran in all the wrong directions.
Focus
. On the counter sat a disposable razor, alcohol and swabs, and her inking paraphernalia. He figured since she was the artist, she wouldn’t need to transfer the design.
“Take off your pants.”
“What?”
She planted a hand on her hip. “You said you wanted it in a place where no one would see the tattoo. It’s either your ass or your cock.” He swallowed his smile. “I’ll do the ass. Turn around.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” While she rolled her eyes, she did as he asked.
After he kicked off his boots and dropped trou, he removed his underwear and carefully placed his briefs inside his folded jeans. He
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wished his cock wasn’t hard as a rock. He lay facedown on the spread, hoping she never learned how much he wanted her. “Okay.”
“First I need to shave the area I’m going to tat.”
“I’m not hairy.”
“All of us have fine hair. You don’t want the skin to get infected.” He kept his mouth shut and let her do her thing. She shaved the area and cleaned it with alcohol. Her fingers were quick and sure, but having her fingers on his ass invaded his mind. He was having a hard time keeping his mind off of her and the image of her naked.
“What are you going to tattoo?” He was pleased he kept his tone conversational.
“Something that fits you.”
“What?”
She patted his butt. “You’ll have to trust me.” He wasn’t sure he liked the chuckle in her voice. “I do trust you, but this is permanent so I want to know.” She better not be a smart-ass and tattoo a heart with his name and her name inside.
“Fine. I’ll be tattooing a black panther.” He liked that. Such a fine animal represented power and control.
“Why did you pick that?” Is that how she saw him? She said it would fit him.
“It reminded me of you.”
“Cool.”
He’d hoped she’d elaborate, but instead she got straight to work.
The first prick made him clench. Her giggle shot right to his groin.
She tapped his butt. “None of that. If you tighten up, there’s no telling what this thing will look like.” Clint was the one who often scolded the women about clenching their asses when he was about to have anal sex with them. Morgan forced his mind to clear, but it was damned hard with her palm on his rear and a needle pricking him.
She took her time. Whether it was to tease him or because she wanted to make the design perfect, he didn’t know. From where the
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needle dipped into his skin, whatever she was creating wasn’t more than four inches long and maybe an inch high.
She must have taken at least an hour before she sat back up. “I think that does it.” She put a large bandage over the area. “You’ll need to keep this on until tomorrow. Then you can put on some cream.”
He’d do the bandage, but there was no way he was slathering cream on his ass. “Can do.”
“I’ll step out of the room and let you get dressed.” He wasn’t sure why his gut soured. Had he expected her to jump his bones? As soon as the door closed, he pulled on his jeans and boots, careful not to rub against his new addition. He wanted to peel off the bandage to see the design, but he’d be good and wait until the allotted time.
When she didn’t return, he stepped out of the room. From the noise, she was doing something downstairs in her living room. As he was coming down the stairs, she emerged from the kitchen carrying two glasses.
“This calls for a celebration. First tattoos are a big step.”
“Clint said you had a few.”
“I do. But like you, they’re personal and I like to keep it that way.”
He admired her restraint, though she hadn’t used any when piercing her face. To be honest, he could barely see the marking for the eyebrow ring or nose piercing.
They toasted, and he finished his glass in a few swigs. He didn’t need to be standing around waiting for her to come onto him. “Thanks again.” He placed his glass on the coffee table.
“I’ll walk you down since I have to lock up.” He wasn’t sure why he was disappointed that she allowed him to leave without even flirting with him. He had to admit her professionalism surprised him. When he slid into the car, he could tell where she’d placed his tattoo, but it wasn’t as tender as he’d expected
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it to be.
* * * *
Morgan spent all night tossing and turning. With the new addition to his ass, every time he rolled over, he woke up. To be honest, he didn’t think that was what kept him up. It was the fact that Dakota really had matured. Maybe since he’d lusted after her all these years, he hadn’t taken a good look at her until now.
Every time he saw her with Jade, she was the crazy punk kid he remembered. Now she’d changed. Seeing her in the red business suit made him realize that he’d been the one who didn’t look past his pre-conceived notions of her. The woman had an amazing talent, and getting to have her own studio seemed to be the impetus for her to change.
From now on, he’d look at her in a new light. Hopefully, if she worked at the tattoo parlor, not only would his cash flow improve but he’d have an excuse to see her.
Not that he needed an excuse, but since he’d acted like an ass, he needed to make it up to her. He could only hope that she’d forgive him for some of his cruel comments.
* * * *
Dakota shouldn’t have been disappointed that Morgan didn’t call her the next day, but she was. She thought he’d mention something about the detail being incredible or at least that he liked the design.
Even she had to admit, it was her finest piece of work, and she was her harshest critic.
Maybe he was having trouble with getting the pad off. Sometimes the covering stuck to the injured area. Perhaps she ought to go over and check it out.
Who are you kidding?
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“Shut up.”
Whatever the real reason, this was a good excuse to head on over.
To make sure Morgan was at the ranch, she called Clint. Sure, she should have contacted Morgan directly, but he’d tell her he was fine.
It was better if she just showed up. Most likely he wouldn’t be riding the range today given the location of the panther.
Clint answered and they chatted a bit. “Is Morgan there?”
“Yeah, you want to talk to him?”
She explained that his brother had asked her to work at D’Ink Coda a few days a week. In return, she insisted on giving him a tattoo.
“That’s rich. He never mentioned anything.” That didn’t surprise her at all. “I’m going to come over.”
“Oh, darlin’. I’m looking forward to that.”
“You don’t have a lawn to transform?”
He laughed. “Just got back. Come on over. I promise to give you two some space.”
She could almost see him winking. “Thanks.” Before she headed out, she picked up a tube of Tattoo Goo to put on his skin. She could have told him to take off the bandage after two hours, but he probably wouldn’t have cleaned it well and it might have gotten infected. To make sure her work would show well, she wanted to do the aftercare.
Since Morgan wouldn’t be expecting her, she hoped he’d answer the door. Clint claimed he’d be off doing something. She rang the bell and waited. No answer. She decided to head on back to the pool area.
Her mind raced to the last time she was there. She probably never should have been so bold and pranced naked in front of Morgan.
Maybe that had been what turned him off.
Morgan was resting on a lounge chair, reading a book.
“Hello.” He looked up and grinned.
Her stomach tumbled. Seeing him smile made her panties dampen.
She waved the cream. “I came to check on your tattoo.”
“I haven’t taken off the bandage yet.”
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That surprised her. Was he too embarrassed? Though, she had said to keep it on for a day. “Good. You’ll need to wash it with an antibacterial soap, pat it dry, then apply a cream that will keep it clean.
I figured you wouldn’t be real good about following directions, so I’ve come for a follow-up visit.”
“Come on in.” He got out of his chair and greeted her at the door.
She checked him out to see if someone else had invaded his body.
Where had the taciturn man gone?
“We’ll need to take care of this in the bathroom. Then you can examine my handiwork.”
“Okay.”
She couldn’t believe he wasn’t going to toss her out or say he could do it himself.
Wow
. “I forgot to mention about not swimming for two weeks.”
He grinned and wrapped an arm around her waist, further confusing her. “I have Internet. I can read. I looked up the aftercare and will follow the instructions.”
She blew out a breath. “Okay, then. Let’s get you naked.” He laughed. “Most women who’ve said that are willing to return the favor.”
“Who are you and what did you do with the real Morgan Callen?”
“I had a mini epiphany last night. I just decided not to fight it.”
It?
What did that mean? Before she got a chance to ask him, he’d taken off his boots and was removing his pants. Having him stand facing her wasn’t going to work. “Turn around.”
“What’s wrong, babe? You afraid of seeing a little cock?” Clearly, he was trying to push her buttons. If he thought she’d turn tail and run, he had another thing coming.
She planted her hands on his hips and rotated him so that his ass was facing her. She tried to lower his underwear, but it got hooked on something big and hard.
He chuckled. “Let me.”
Her pulse was racing thinking about his why his cock was hard.
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She searched the bathroom for a washcloth but found none. Guess she’d have to use her hand. “I might get water on the floor.”
“The tile is used to it.”
Smart-ass
. He had some antibacterial soap in the shower. She wet her hand and poured a small amount on her palm. “Can you bend over some more?”
He chuckled. “I’m usually not the one in this position.” Her mind flew to all the wrong places. He didn’t want her, so why the hell was he teasing her? She pulled off the bandage and was pleased with the result. “It looks good.” There was a bit of plasma around the edges, which was normal. “I’m going to clean the tattoo now.”
“You do whatever you need to do.”
So as not to hurt him, she gently washed the area. Now she had to rinse his ass. The best thing would be if he got in the shower and did it himself. Only that would mean she’d see all of him. “I’ll turn my back and you can step in the shower and rinse.”
“You’re welcome to look.”
Bastard
. He was goading her, but for what purpose? The thought of making love to him had her body vibrating. She still wasn’t sure what turned him around so fast from not wanting her in his house to wanting to fuck her.
His shirt dropped to the floor. The shower turned on. She waited for him to rinse and turn off the water. The glass door opened and she pictured him stepping out on the mat, dripping wet. “Don’t rub your ass with the towel.”
“You gonna help me?”
Why did he have to inject such sweetness into his question? If he made the move on her and she gave in, she wouldn’t put it past him to revert to his old sour self.
“Sure.”
A towel passed by her peripheral vision. She took it and turned around, expecting him to be facing the shower. Instead, he was
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dripping wet with his cock rock hard.
Oh, my God.
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