“Do you like it?” Jericho came up behind me. I settled for touching its reflection in the mirror. I wanted to touch it, but the whole area was red and burning mildly. The bird looked fierce, its visible eye glinting with a hidden secret, and so real I almost expected it to come alive and fly free of my skin. In place of the distorted blob I’d had before, there was a raven perched on a skull-the logo I often drew beneath my name when I tagged. “Go take a look.” Somehow he sounded both confident and nervous at the same time.Įven as I approached the mirror, I could see what he’d done. With a quick, hard kiss and a slap on my ass, he pushed me in the direction of the mirror. He wiped the tattoo and stood to help me off the table. I kept my eyes on the ceiling tiles as Jericho set the machine aside. It was easy to ignore the pain when I couldn’t stop smiling.įinally, the buzzing halted. The skin around my hip bone was super sensitive, and it hurt more and more the longer it went on, but I was too busy floating on cloud nine to care. The only sounds were the songs pouring softly from his laptop and the steady buzz of the tattoo machine. It meant he truly believed I’d earned it.įor hours, we didn’t speak. I didn’t budge while he applied the stencil, but it made my chest ache with happiness. A disposable razor took care of any of the fine hair that might be on my skin, but when he touched the green-soap-soaked paper towel to my hip, I jumped and yelped.

Returning to the stool, he dropped onto it and wheeled closer.

After completing the setup, he stripped the gloves off to start some music before pulling on a fresh pair. I bit my lower lip, gnawing on the ring for a brief moment. I looked over to the inks Jericho was setting up. The synthetic leather felt cool against my bare ass. I deposited them in Jericho’s studio space before switching places with him in the restroom.īy the time I came back out, Jericho had gloves on and was setting up his workstation. Jericho went to dispose of the condom and wash his hands while I gathered my clothes and shoes from the floor. “Now?” I’d asked him to do it when I deserved it. “Really?” The start of a smile pulled at my lips.

Permanent Ink by Avon Gale