Freeing Tuesday (10 page)

“I didn’t dismiss you, bitch,” Hailey snarls.

“Did she just call me a bitch,” she asks and I respond with a small nod. Spinning back around to face her she leans in. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You just slid your skanky ass between me and my man and you didn't think I was going to do anything about it.”

“Your man?” Tuesday asks calmly and Hailey nods with a snide look on her face. “Funny story, Hailey… It is Hailey, right?” She looks back at me for approval and I nod.

“How do you know my name?”

“You see, Hailey,” Tuesday says, ignoring the question, “it’s been almost two years since he’s been
your
man. I'd appreciate it if you would leave me and my
fiancé
to our night. ‘Kay? Thanks.” Hailey’s eyes widen as Tuesday leans back into me.

Uh... Fiancé? Say what now
?

She leans so her head rests in the crook of my neck and I slowly slide my hands so they rest on her hips, watching her out of the corner of my eyes in case she decides she doesn't want to play this game anymore. She slides her hands over mine, holding them there as the corner of her mouth tips up and she stares at Hailey.

“Bull shit,” Hailey screeches over the music, “he’d never marry someone like you. Hell, he said he’d never get married at all.”

Tuesday laughs and shrugs, “Evidently he just didn't want to marry you.” She pulls her left hand off mine and turns it towards Hailey. Where the hell did she come up with an engagement ring and why was she wearing it? Hailey’s eyes get even wider and they moved back and forth between us.
 

Tuesday

Oh God. The shit I do for Evan. First she touched me. Then she called me a bitch... Seriously, did she not see that he wasn't interested in her?

Her jaw drops when she sees the ring on my finger and I swear I feel Evan’s breath catch in his chest. Big shocker there; Evan has a fear of commitment. Like I’ve told Abby, I’m pretty sure he changes his women more than his clothing. Which is why I shouldn’t be worried about anything.

“So you’re the bitch that stole my man…”

I shoot forward and I pin her with a glare that’s been known to scare even some of the toughest of guys. “You might want to change your tone and walk away.”

She shrinks back a bit and shakes her head. “I just don’t believe it. Her? Seriously, Evan… You could do so much better.”

“Yeah,” he sighs behind me, “I don’t think that’s possible.”

She scoffs and stares at us. I do something that surprises all three of us. I drop my head back to his shoulder and my hand rounds the back of his neck, pulling his face down to me. My lips hit his and he stiffens for a second before letting go.

Opening his mouth, I can feel the heat of his breath against my lips before he coaxes my lips open, his tongue meeting mine gently. He slides his hand up my body until it reaches my face and his fingers knit themselves through my hair, his thumb rests against my jaw, drawing back and forth.

Holy shit, I’m kissing Evan again.
What the hell am I doing?
I don’t have the slightest clue but I can’t seem to get myself to pull back. Somewhere behind us I hear Hailey screech and stomp off. Her heels click loudly against the floor. I should stop this because there isn’t a good way that this can go. I know I should, but Evan isn’t pulling back either.

Someone clears their throat from behind me and taps my shoulder. My body flinches and Evan shoots backwards like he was electrocuted and his eyebrows pull together as he watches me.

“You guys can cut the act, she’s gone," Kyle, our usual bartender, says.

My fingers cover my now swollen lips as I mumble a thank you.

“Yeah…thanks man," Evan says as he glares at him.

What’s that about?

I look at Evan and notice he’s back to watching me. “Sorry about that. She just wouldn’t believe me.” I mutter as I remove myself from between his thighs and slide onto the stool next to him.

“Uh… It’s ok…”

“Seems like she bought it though,” I shrug.

“Where did you come up with a ring?”

I laugh dryly, thinking back to why I had it at all. “I used to wait tables when I got here and some guys are relentless. I wore it then and it’s been in my car ever since. I’m not sure why I grabbed it before I came in, but it worked,” I tell him the most recent reason I had it. Before that it was my wedding set. I wanted to get rid of it so bad but I know I might need what it’s worth some day.

He clears his throat and his eyes run over me again; my body ignites as his eyes caress me. It’s like I can feel every spot his eyes touch and that scares the hell out of me. “I didn’t interrupt anything did I?”

“No, I actually fell asleep with Izzy.”

“Then what are you all dressed up for?”

I turn towards him and tell him the truth, “I’m still mad about last night, but you texted me like twelve times begging for help. I figured it had to be bad. So I went all out.”

“Ok. Can I say something without you hitting me?” I narrow my eyes at him but tell him yes and watch as he takes a sip of his beer, shake his head and laugh at the bar. “You’re some fuckin’ sexy tonight.”

The anger from last night starts to bubble back up inside of me. “So when I’m saving your ass from some bitch you’ve ditched it’s ok to be sexy, but when I’m going out to have a good time, to celebrate a new job, it’s not?” I snap.

“Tuesday, you’re sexy every day. Hell, you’ve got a body that’s built to make people wanna sin and it doesn’t matter what you wear.”

“Evan," I say.

“You’re what fantasies are made of. I know a lot of mine are about you," he keeps rambling and I know he’s had a lot to drink. Not as much as the night he was out with the Shaft boys but still quite a bit more than normal.

“Evan!” I raise my voice as my hand comes down hard on his thigh. He snaps his mouth shut. “You’re rambling…”

“I’m drunk,” he slurs. He wasn’t slurring a minute ago when he was talking about how he fantasizes about me and it makes me think he’s faking being so drunk so I won’t get mad at him for what he’s saying.

“Yeah,” I laugh. “Ok, let’s get you in a cab and get you home then. Mean old Hailey won’t be bothering you anymore.”

I haven’t forgotten what has happened over the past few days but I need to get away from him. To go home and figure out what the hell just happened and why I feel the need to kiss him again. Because I can’t let that happen. I can’t put him in a situation that I
know
will just end badly.

Evan

The buzz from the tattoo gun echoes in my ears along with the heavy beat coming through the speakers on the wall. I love that buzzing sound. I love that I can express myself through something that a person will carry with them for their entire life.

I wipe the excess ink off and get back to work. I love what I do with a passion but if I have to do one more infinity symbol I’m going to go crazy and put up a sign forbidding them in my shop. Unfortunately, I can’t do that because that tattoo alone earns me about thirty percent of my income. There are a lot of those damn symbols walking around this town.

The bell jingles above the door but I don’t even pick my head up. Instead I just yell over the divider, “I’ll be with you in a minute. My receptionist decided she had better things to do than earn a paycheck, so just have a seat. I’m almost done.”

“Sounds like you need a new receptionist,” Tuesday’s sweet voice drifts through the room and I have to pull my hand back for a second so I don’t mess up this poor girl’s skin. I’ve been avoiding Tuesday since the night at the bar. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to her. Hell its killing me not to, I love talking to Tuesday. Which is weird because I don’t think I’ve ever had that with anyone.

I’ve been avoiding her because I’m not sure how she is going to react after what happened. I didn’t initiate the kiss but I damn sure didn’t stop it either. I’m not even sure I would have been able to pull back if Kyle hadn’t stopped us.

I smile because I can tell she isn’t in a killing mood today by the tone of her voice. Irritated, yes, but nothing I can’t handle. I’m sure she will understand.

“Seems I do. You lookin’ for a job sweetheart?”

“Don’t you sweetheart me, you asshat.”

The girl in the chair snickers at the insult Tuesday threw at me and I glare at her. When the phone rings I reach out to grab the cordless handset off the table but Tuesday beats me to it.

“Jarhead Ink,” she holds her hand over the microphone. “I’ll play secretary today, we’ll discuss my pay when you’re done.” She winks at me and walks back towards the desk and I can hear her flipping pages in the appointment book.

“She’s feisty," the girl in the chair says.

I shake my head and laugh, “You have no clue.”

I finish up and bring the girl up to the desk to pay. Tuesday is sorting through the mail that I haven’t had a chance to go through in a week. The desk is clean, magazines are organized. Christ, she’s a better secretary in twenty minutes than Jessica was in two years.

“Sure you don’t want a job?” I joke after the door closes.

She doesn’t look up from the paperwork she is working on. “You’re avoiding me,” she says flatly.

“Tuesday, listen.”

She holds her hand up to stop me, “I don’t want to talk about it. It was a mistake and we both know it. I just don’t want it to be awkward and you avoiding me is making it that way.”

Was it a mistake? That's the question of my life. I’ve spent the past few days running what happened through my head and the only answer I can come up with is no, I don’t think it was a mistake. I have wanted to kiss her again since the first time it happened and I want to do it all over again right now!

I don’t think I’ve ever had actual feelings for a woman. They’ve all just been around to keep my bed warm. When I got tired of them I traded up. Something tells me that there would be no trading up from Tuesday. She’s top of the line and there’s nothing better than that.

What the hell am I even supposed to say? The only thing I come up with is, “Alright. I’m sorry.”

“Seriously Evan, who the hell has been doing your filing? This is shit.” Just like that the subject is changed and I know everything is going to be alright. For now.

“It’s not that bad.”

“You’re kidding, right? Please tell me you’re fucking kidding me.”

“Why?”

“There is at least a month worth of unopened mail. Your consent forms are everywhere and the shop's Facebook page says you like big cock. I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say you didn’t post that. Although it has three hundred likes so it could be a good thing,” she chews on the end of her thumb and smiles.

“Goddamn Jessica. Delete that shit.”

She clicks a few buttons while trying to hold back her laughter without succeeding. Her chest heaves as she laughs and I can’t help but drop my eyes to her tits. The blue tank top she is wearing is showing off way too much of her tan skin. “So, when are you going to drop the tattoo virgin shit and let me pop your cherry?”

Her jaw drops open and snaps closed. She scrunches her face up and looks away from me. “Uh…”

“That was meant to be a joke. Just because I tattoo people for a living doesn’t mean they’re for everyone.”

“I-uh… I know. It’s not that I don’t want one, because I do. It’s just I’m not sure what I want yet.”

Tuesday

Goddamn Evan! He has been ignoring my texts for two days. If I had known that saving him from Hailey would lead to me kissing him and then to him ignoring me, I never would have done it. Then again, I never thought Evan not talking to me would make me feel like this.

I don’t get attached. Or at least I try not to. There are very few people I would actually be sad about leaving behind if I had to run; all but one of them live within a mile of me. That
one
is Evan.

I walked in the shop with the mission to punch his snobby ass in the face but as soon as I see him all my anger disappears. It is replaced with… Hell, I don’t know! What I do know is he looks hot as hell. The back of his ripped up tee shirt is lifted and I can see the tattoos that cover his back and all I want to do is pull it farther up so I can trace them with my fingertips.