Compromising Positions (An Erotic Romance Novel) (14 page)

Four hundred! “Oh? As if the first one wasn’t enough to make me run for the hills?”

“If Gabe’s wrong, and you’re fired, the loan is due within thirty days, or you have to pay taxes and penalties on the money.”

“Oh…” The weight just returned to her shoulders. Full force. “Thirty days? What would I pay in taxes and penalties?”

“Um…about five thousand?”

“Hell!”

“Sorry.” Tracy shook her head. “Maybe you should just give up? Buy something else.”

“I can’t give up. My mother wants to live in her own house. I can’t let her down. Shit!”

“I wish I had the money—I mean, I do, but it’s tied up right now. I’d loan it to you if I could.”

“No, that’s okay. I wouldn’t take a loan from you, anyway. You know that.” She swallowed a sigh and some more salad. “I just have to come up with another idea.” She glanced at her watch. “Better get back to work while I still have a job.”

“Sorry I couldn’t be more help.”

“You were. Just listening to me rave is a help. Gets it out of my system.” She flagged the waitress and asked for a box and the check.

The waitress nodded, handed her the check and then ran off to get a box. Disappointed that Tracy hadn’t handed her an easy solution to her problem like she’d hoped, Fate gave Tracy her share of the tab and tip, thanked her again, and returned to work. Still no better off than she had been when she’d left.

This just plain sucked.

Was there a way?

She half-ran to her office.

“You’re in a mighty big hurry,” Gabe said from somewhere behind her.

She spun around. “Hi.” She wanted to drop into his arms. Instead, she just shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I had lunch with Tracy, my friend. We were talking about my mom’s house.”

“Did you get some news?”

“Not good news.”

He backed away one step. “I’ll call you in a minute.”

What was he up to now? “Okay.” She went back to her office and read over the work she’d finished that morning. It wasn’t bad. But was it good enough to save her job?

About a half hour later, her phone rang. “Hi, sexy,” Gabe drawled. “So, what has you looking so miserable?”

“My mom’s house appraised twenty thousand dollars too low, and I don’t have the cash to make up the difference.”

“I can loan it to you.”

“No way, but thank you.”

“Why not?” He sounded hurt.

“That’s really sweet. Thanks.” She leaned back in her chair. “But what if something happens and I can’t pay?”

“You’ll pay it back.”

“What if I’m fired? I won’t be able to pay anything if I don’t have a job.”

“Would you quit with that? I told you, you’re not going to get fired.”

God, she wanted to believe him. “How can you be so sure? Duncan said they won’t keep two marketing directors.”

“He was just messing with you. He has a sick sense of humor.”

No way. “Now, I know you’re lying.”

“I can’t believe you just said that! Please, let me loan you the money.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Because it would make me happy.”

Oh Lord, he’s going to make me cry. She closed her eyes and rubbed the tension from her neck. He was being so nice about this, still… No, she couldn’t take his money.

“Fate, are you still there?”

“Yeah. Can you call me back in a few?”

“Sure. Bye.”

She scribbled some figures. Mortgage, utilities, food, car payment, insurance… Her budget would be stretched to the upper limits, and she hadn’t included a payment for his loan. Even if she took two years to repay it, she’d have to come up with a whopping eight hundred per month.

Impossible!

The phone rang, and she answered it. “Hello?”

“I’ve written the check.”

“No!” She slumped forward, resting her chest on her desk. She had no energy.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t. I won’t.”

He sighed. “Okay, stubborn. Why not?”

“Even if I keep my job, I couldn’t repay you.”

“What if I helped you another way?”

“In what way?”

“A second job.”

Now that suggestion had promise. “What kind of job?”

“Working for a friend of mine. It’s a different kind of place. I’m not sure you’ll like it, but he pays well.”

“Just tell me I get to keep on my clothes.”

He laughed. The sound was so soothing. “Hell, yes! I wouldn’t send you to a place like that. Although, the way you stripped last night—”

Her face heated instantly. “Forget it! Now, tell me more about this other job.”

“Well…what do you think about tattoos?”

“They’re okay, I guess. But I’d never have one. Why? Do I have to get one?”

“No, but my friend owns a tattoo shop in downtown Royal Oak. He does tattoos and body piercing.”

“Oh…” She knew it! Too good to be true. Conservative, squeamish, she’d never fit in at a place like that. “Maybe I’d better look for something else.” Like flipping burgers at a fast food restaurant.

“Come on! Give it a try. You can handle one day, can’t you? It’s not like you’ll be doing any tattooing or piercing. Just taking appointments over the phone, selling jewelry, that sort of thing. Like I said, the pay is great.”

Why was it the man made the impossible sound logical? How did he do that?

She leaned back and tried to imagine the inside of a shop. Dark, smelly, smoky. Weird characters lying on tables. The buzz of tattoo guns—is that what they were called?—in the background. Selling kinky leather bodysuits and jewelry…

Actually, that part was kind of interesting.

“Okay. I’ll give it a try. One day. If it doesn’t work out, though, I won’t go back. You’ll warn him, right?”

“Already did. You start tomorrow morning. Ten sharp. You can thank me later.” He chuckled.

She knew exactly what kind of thank-you he expected.

That sent another rush of heat to her face and between her legs. “Fair enough. And thanks. Seriously. I owe you.”

“Not a problem. I told you, I care.”

“I’m really starting to believe that.”

“It’s about time. Just remember, everything I do is for you. Now, where’s my market analysis?”

“Right here on my desk.”

“Excellent! I’ll be there in one minute. That’s the final section. I’ll compile the whole thing this weekend and give Duncan a copy Monday morning. He likes to tweak things, change a word here and sentence there before it goes to the brass. Nothing major.”

“Okay.”

“You in the mood to celebrate tonight?”

She hadn’t slept a wink last night, not after the way he’d rushed out. And her confusion had morphed into downright disappointment by morning, after hours and hours of stewing. “I’m kind of tired, to be honest.”

“Okay,” he huffed. “We can wait until tomorrow night. But I won’t take no, so be prepared.”

“That sounds great.”

He hung up the phone, and as promised was at her door in two heartbeats. Her insides did a little dance when she opened the door and he flashed that million dollar smile.

“Miss me?”

More than I’d ever admit. “Nope.” She smiled and stepped aside to let him in. “But I think your tippy desk does.”

“Yeah, old Bessy and me, we had a thing goin’ there for a while.” He stroked the desktop, and her insides melted as she watched the way his hands moved. They’d touched her the same way just last night…

She forced herself to walk around her desk, despite her legs being as soft as butter in the sun. “Here’s the analysis.”

“Great. Thanks, and good work. I couldn’t have done better myself. We make a great team.”

“I hope the suits see that.”

He flopped into the chair on the other side of her desk. “They will. Now, quit worrying about it, would you?”

“Are you sure you don’t need anything else from me? I don’t think we’ve done the sales projections yet—”

“I took care of those. Go ahead, take it easy the rest of the afternoon.”

“But I can’t sit around here and do nothing. That’ll only prove I’m not needed. You know, Duncan’s right. After the company is launched, what would they need two marketing directors for?”

He leaned forward and reached for her cheek, palming it and thumbing her lips. She loved the way he touched her. “Has anyone told you that you worry too much?”

“Yes.”

“Then, listen to them. I gotta go.” Manila folder in hand, he stood and headed toward the door. “Oh,” He stuffed his free hand in his pocket and handed her a card. Their fingertips brushed as the card was passed between them. “Here’s the info on my buddy’s place. Ten o’clock. Good luck tomorrow.”

She watched him leave then glanced down. Original Skin Tattoos. “What is this? The “S” is a snake! She felt herself scowling as she stared at the card. “And look where the tongue is!”

“Yeah, Paul, the owner, has a great sense of humor, doesn’t he?”

“Oh, just great.” What in God’s name was she thinking?

Sometimes guardian angels dress in camouflage.

The rest of the afternoon dragged by at a lame elephant’s pace, thanks to the almost deafening silence in her office and the total lack of anything constructive to do. She tried to busy herself by reviewing old sales reports and scouring the phone book and newspaper for competitors’ advertising. Michael didn’t once stop in to see her.

He’d abandoned her.

She was a goner.

Maybe the tattoo place would be more of a savior than she’d originally planned. And so, after battling a mountain of reservation all afternoon, evening, night—yes, she couldn’t sleep again!—and morning, she dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and drove to the heart of trendy Royal Oak. The shop was just south of the main drag, Main Street, where all the clothing, furniture shops, and restaurants were located. It sat inches from the road, no parking lot, so she parked around the corner on a side street. Once parked, she sucked in a few breaths and walked to the white house-turned-tattoo shop and headed inside.

Okay, the place didn’t smell like she’d expected it to. And, for the most part it didn’t look like she’d expected, either. It was clean, tidy, with two rows resembling dentist’s chairs. What few patrons there were looked normal enough. The men’s hair was a little longer than she was used to, and they wore a little more leather than she might see in a more conservative setting, but otherwise it seemed an okay place.

A young guy, built, with spikes sticking out his lip, eyebrows and ears stepped up to the counter. “Hi, welcome to Original Skin. Can I help you?”

“I’m Fate. Gabe sent me.”

“Fate!” He stuck out his hand, adorned on both inside and out with black ink. “Good to meet you. I’m Paul.”

She took it and gave it a quick shake. “Good to meet you, Paul.”

“Love the name, by the way. Did your parents give it to you, or did you choose it?” He gave her a friendly smile.

“No, I give my folks all the credit.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, this is my place. Most of the tattoos are done out here, and some piercing. The others, um…more personal ones are done in the private rooms in the back.”

“Okay.” She didn’t want to imagine what that might entail.

“Do you have any tattoos?” He led her around the counter.

“No. I’m untouched…er, a tattoo virgin.”

His gaze swept up and down her body. “Well, we just might have to change that.”

She took a step backward. “What does that mean?”

He laughed. “I’m just kidding. I love to scare the shit out of the new help. Mark my words. After working here for a month, you’ll have at least one.”

“I doubt it.”

He rattled his tongue ring in his mouth. “Either that, or you’ll have one of these.” He stuck out his tongue.

She cringed. “I definitely won’t have one of those. To be honest, I don’t see the big deal with them.”

He laughed. “You will.”

She didn’t ask him what he meant by that.

“Okay. Well, you’re in charge of taking phone calls, setting appointments. Here’s the appointment book.” He slid a large book in front of her. “It’s pretty self-explanatory. Each of us has a column, and obviously you don’t want to overlap appointments. Piercing takes fifteen minutes. Tattoos range depending on how intricate the design. People wanting a tattoo are first booked for a consultation and then they make an appointment for the artwork. Got it?”

Her head was swimming, but she was following so far. She nodded.

“Don’t let the clients intimidate ya. Some of them are plain scary looking, but I guarantee they’re a bunch of teddy bears.”

“Okay.”

“Any questions?”

“No… Oh, what time do I leave?”

“That anxious already?”

She glanced over and caught sight of a guy stabbing a needle through a young woman’s belly. Her stomach turned. “No.”

“You’ll be fine. Just don’t watch.” He guided her back to the counter. “Stand here. Smile.” He shoved a magazine at her. “Here, you can even read this to pass the time. We won’t get busy ‘til later. And you’re done at seven. You can take lunch whenever you like. Just let me know before you leave.”

“Okay.” Lunch? If she watched another mini-sword slice through skin, she doubted she’d be able to hold down a bite.

The young woman zipped up her pants, cringing, and headed for the door.

Why the hell would anyone do that to themselves?

She opened the magazine. The first picture was of a singing star wearing a crop top and hip hugger jeans. A red jewel glittered in her belly button. Okay, maybe that was a little sexy…

Another young woman walked in, sending the little bell tied to the door into a fit of tinkles. The woman approached the counter.

“Hi, may I help you?” Fate asked.

“I’d like to get a body piercing.”

“Okay. Let me just check our book, see when we’ll have someone available. What sort of piercing would you like?”

“My nipples.”

“Oh.” She fought the urge to cringe. Yikes! “Looks like someone is available now. Let me just verify. If you’d like, you can take a look at the jewelry while you wait.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Fate stepped from the counter and made a beeline for Paul’s last known location, through the back door. But as she opened it, she realized it led to a narrow corridor lined on either side by doors. Which one?