Heathens Ink Box Set, page 20
“I don’t. Excuse me for not wanting my best friend to be made into a skin suit by some deranged ex-Marine,” I snap.
Adam holds his hands up in mock surrender.
“Chill, dude. I’m sure Thane wouldn’t let a murderer stay under the same roof as Madden.”
I grumble a non-committal response and shuffle to my work area. I’ve got an appointment scheduled at noon so I need to get set up.
At ten to noon Dani pops her head back to let me know that my appointment is waiting up front. I pull up my favorite Spotify playlist- ninety’s grunge, don’t judge me- and head up front to grab my client.
In the lobby I find a slim blonde, paging through the photo album of my work.
“You must be Stacy.” She stands and looks me up and down with a predatory smile.
“You’re even more gorgeous in person than you are on the website.”
I feel a blush creep into my cheeks. This is why I’ve always liked having threesome’s with Royal. I’m shy around girls. I know I’m attractive, and I know I’m good in bed. But for some reason I only seem to feel comfortable when Royal’s around.
“Why don’t you come on back and we can get started,” I suggest before turning and leading her toward my workspace.
She emailed me the design she was looking to get a few days before so I’ve already got it drawn out for her to take a look at. It wasn’t anything terribly original, just a Celtic knot shamrock.
“Where are we putting this?” I ask, pulling my gloves on.
“On my hip,” she answers before tugging her pants almost all the way off. It’s obvious she’s not wearing any panties, and it’s equally as obvious that she is clean shaven in her nether regions. My cock perks up in interest before I avert my gaze and start to prep the skin on her hip.
“Is this going to hurt?” Stacy asks with a nervous giggle.
“Depends on the person. I think it feels like cat scratches, sort of a burning sting. And as it heals it’ll feel like a bad sunburn, and then it’ll itch like hell,” I explain.
Stacy takes a deep breath and then lets it out slowly.
“Ready?” I ask.
She nods with determination and I get to work.
Stacy is a trooper, I only notice her wince a few times as I fill in color over a bony area. She attempts to flirt throughout the hour long process, but for some reason I’m not feeling it today. I feel weird even admitting it to myself mentally, but knowing that if I took Stacy out- or just brought her home- without Royal there it wouldn’t be half as much fun.
I can’t even take the time to explore what that means. I’m straight, so why do I enjoy sex with a woman a thousand times more if my very male best friend is there?
“Can I get your number, in case I have a question or a problem?” Stacy asks as I lead her up to the front to pay. She reaches out and trails a hand up my bicep. My dick, once again, is interested, but not enough for me to do anything about it.
“Here’s my card, the shop number is on here if you have any problems.”
Stacy pushes her bottom lip out in a pout but doesn’t push it. Dani gives me a knowing smile before getting Stacy checked out and on her way.
“Poor Stacy, I think she’s going to go home and cry herself to sleep,” Dani teases once we’re alone.
“Somehow I think she’ll find the strength to move on.” I roll my eyes and Dani laughs.
Dani is a sweet girl. She’s the only woman who works at Heathens Ink and she never shies away from being one of the boys. I’m sure it helps that three out of the five guys who work here are into men. She loves checking out hot guys with them, organizing nights out to see things like the Thunder from Down Under, and begging for details about their sex lives. I had no idea before I met Dani that some women find man on man action such a turn-on.
“What are you up to after work tonight?” I ask her, suddenly not all that into the idea of going home to an empty place with Royal is on his date.
“I’ve got a date with a stupidly gorgeous EMT.”
“Cool.” I give her a kiss on the cheek and then head back to clean up before my next appointment is due in.
The rest of my afternoon is fairly steady. I find time to ask both Gage and Adam what their plans are for the night as well. Adam says he’s seeing Kira tonight, his off and on fuck buddy, who we all refer to as The Wicked Witch. She’s hot, I’ll give him that, but she’s all kinds of fucking crazy. Gage, Adam’s roommate and best friend, never dates so I thought he’d be a sure thing to hang out tonight. But he says he’s planning to spend some time at Rainbow House.
About six years ago Adam’s younger brother, Johnny, committed suicide after being bullied at school for being gay. I didn’t know them at the time, but from what I understand they both took it really hard. Adam was determined to help any way he could in the LGBT community after that. When he discovered Rainbow House he said it was like a sign from his brother Johnny. Rainbow House is a halfway house for homeless teens who’ve been kicked out of their homes or abused for being LGBT.
When Adam told us about it Royal and I started volunteering there as well. Now we all go a few times a week, teach art classes, hang out with the kids. I’m about to tell Gage that I’m going to tag along with him tonight, when I get a text from my mom inviting Royal and me to dinner at home.
Me: Royal has a date but I’ll be there
Mom: looking forward to it, love you
Then my next appointment comes in and it’s back to the grind.
I step into my childhood home and am assaulted with the smell of meatloaf. My stomach growls as I pull off my shoes and set them on the mat next to the door.
There’s something so comforting about coming home. No matter how much other things in life my change, this place is still the same. It is weird to be here without Royal, though.
He grew up two houses down from here. Our moms were good friends, so we started having playdates the moment we were born. Or, I should say the moment Royal was born, since he’s three months younger than I am.
Royal and I have been inseparable our whole lives. When we were fourteen and Royal told me he liked guys, my first worry was that he’d want to ditch me to find friends who were also gay. I’m embarrassed to admit, that my second thought was whether people would think that Royal and I were gay together since we spent so much time with each other. It didn’t take me long to realize that I didn’t care what people thought, and that Royal needed my protection. He was a lot smaller than I was during our teen years. I was on the wrestling team and had a good five inches on everyone else in our class. So, when other guys made derogatory comments behind Royal’s back, I set them straight real fucking fast.
When his mom died we were all devastated. She was like a second mother to me, like a sister to my mom. It wasn’t difficult to convince my mom to foster Royal so he wouldn’t go into the system. She offered to adopt him, but Royal didn’t want that.
I make my way down the hallway to the kitchen and find my mom at the stove and my dad sitting at the table reading the newspaper.
“Hey, guys.” I walk over and give my mom a kiss on the cheek and then go give my dad a hug.
“It’s a shame Royal couldn’t make it,” my mom says as she points at the cupboard to indicate that I should set the table.
“Yeah, he had a date tonight with some guy Madden introduced him to.”
“Oh.” Mom’s voice enters false cheery territory.
My parents were very supportive when Royal came out. They didn’t understand it, but they weren’t dicks about it or anything. When they got a little weird was when he later admitted that he was bi rather than gay. Then my mom started pushing for Royal to find the right girl to settle down with. Ignoring Royal’s insistence that yes he is bi, but he prefers guys. When we had a human sexuality section in our high school psychology class, and learned about the Kinsey Scale, Royal told me he was a four or five on the scale. He’s attracted to both men and women, but he’s more attracted to men.
Some guys have thought it’s weird that I’m a straight guy with a not-so-straight best friend. To those guys I say fuck off. I don’t understand why people are so weird about it. Sex is sex is sex, who cares who someone else is fucking?
Once the table is set my mom brings out the meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
“Remind me to send you home with some for Royal,” she says.
I nod and shove a forkful of meat into my mouth.
After dinner I load the dishwasher, wipe down the counter, and ask my parents if they want to watch a movie.
Dad looks at me like I’ve grown an extra head. Mom pats me on the shoulder and ushers me into the living room.
I drop down onto the couch while my parents cuddle together on the loveseat. When I was younger I thought it was gross that my parents were so physically affectionate with each other. Most other parents I saw couldn’t stand each other. Now that I’m an adult and I know how damn impossible it is to make a relationship work, it’s kind of nice to see my parents still so in love after thirty years of marriage.
Mom loves to remind me that when she was my age they were already married and expecting me. I want a family someday, and kids would be nice. The problem is I’ve never been able to picture it with any girl I’ve known. When I’d confided this to Dani she told me it was because I’d never dated anyone for more than a week or two. I don’t think that’s the problem though. I’ve never stuck with anyone because I have yet to meet a girl who I’d rather spend time with instead of spending time with Royal.
It seems like an important part of a serious relationship is to want to be around the person. With the girls I’ve dated I spend our time together wondering what Royal is up to, or count down how long it’ll be before I can go home and play videogames with my best friend. If I can find a girl I like more than that, I’ll marry her on the spot.
When the movie ends I check the time and see that it’s almost ten o’clock at night. Is Royal back from his date yet? Did he have a good time? What if he doesn’t come home tonight? These questions flit through my mind leaving me with an inexplicable irritation.
Mom fills a Tupperware container with leftovers and attaches a note to Royal telling him she loves him, and then sends me on my way.
It only takes me about twenty minutes to get home, and when I do I find Royal’s car in the driveway. A knot I hadn’t noticed in my gut loosens.
I grab the food for Royal and head inside. I stop in my tracks when I notice the state of the living room.
“What the hell?”
Chapter 5
Royal
Deciding what to wear for a ‘pre-date, casual hang out’ is way more stressful than it should be. I feel like I’m going on an interview. I don’t want to overdress because I want to come off as laid back and fun (which I totally am). But I also want to make a good first impression so he’ll want to fuck me later (which he totally should).
“Gah,” I grumble as I dig through my closet for the exact right outfit. Finally, I settle on a white V-neck t-shirt. It’s casual and shows off a lot of my ink, plus if you are looking real hard you can sort of see my nipple ring through it. Okay, it’s a little slutty. But it’s casual slutty so stop judging. I pull on a pair of worn jeans and then check the mirror to make sure my hair isn’t doing anything weird.
A knock at the front door sets my heart pounding in my chest. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. He’s just a guy. Just a gorgeous, sexy, Marine...but still a guy.
I pull open the door and try not to drool. The motherfucker totally out casual sexy’d me. He’s wearing a tight black shirt that’s hanging onto his muscles for dear life and a pair of low slung jeans. He’s got dog tags around his neck, resting between his well-defined pecs. Is it weird he’s still wearing them now that he’s out of the service?
“Can I come in?” he asks with a boyish smirk.
“Oh...uh...yeah...of course.” I step back, and let him in. I’m not too proud to admit that I take a good long look at the taut globes of his ass as he passes. Dear God, if you can hear me...please, please let Zade be vers. Love, Royal. Amen.
“Feel free to take a picture if you need to,” Zade offers teasingly at my not so covert ass staring.
“Maybe later,” I deadpan. “So, do you have anything specific in mind for tonight?”
“Of course. You know the Marine motto, always be prepared.”
“Wait, isn’t that the boy scouts?” I ask as I follow Zade into the living room. He’s apparently decided to make himself at home as he starts emptying the contents of the mystery bag he has with him.
“That’s not important. What’s important is you, grabbing the other end of this sheet.” He unfurls a black bedsheet from the bag and hands me one end.
My eyebrows crease in confusion but I do as he instructs and hold one end of the sheet. Then he sets to work getting the sheet draped over the furniture, producing more sheets, until it’s clear what he’s building.
“Did you seriously walk into my house and randomly start building a fort in my living room?”
There’s that boyish smirk again. He must’ve gotten away with murder when he was a kid.
“Hell yeah I did. I brought snacks and horror movies, too.”
“Marry me?”
“Sure, why not. We’ve known each other, at least a few hours now.”
Once he’s done building his masterpiece we grab the pillows off my bed and the cushions off the furniture and crawl inside.
“Is this what you do on all your non-dates?” I ask once we’re comfortable, laying on our backs side by side, staring up at the ceiling of the fort.
“I can’t remember, it’s been awhile,” Zade says with a laugh. “Now, do you want to watch Insidious or Nightmare on Elm Street?”
“Nightmare on Elm Street.”
Zade pulls his laptop out of the mystery bag and sets it up so we can both see it from where we’re laying. Then he hands me a bag of caramel corn and a bag of M&M’s.
Best. Non-date. Ever.
“I feel like we’re at a slumber party. Should we prank call cute boys after this?”
“Okay, but promise you won’t put my underwear in the freezer if I fall asleep.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I assure him.
While the movie plays we talk quietly like we really are at a slumber party trying not to wake the parents. He tells me about his time in the Marines, not many details but places he went and some of the characters he served with. I share with him stories of my crazy friends and weird tattoos people have requested. I tell him about how Nash and I started working at Heathens Ink and he laughs at our matching tattoos.
“So what do you want to do now that you’re out of the Marines?”
“Not sure yet. I have some ideas, but I’m not rushing any decisions. I have a lot of money saved up so I have the luxury of taking my time to decide.”
“That’s nice. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
I scoot closer to him and my eyes land on his dog tag again. Reaching out I take it between my fingers and hold it up to read by the light of the computer screen. Talmitch, Juliana Brenda.
“Is this the same Julie as the tattoo?”
Zade nods but doesn’t offer any further explanation. The playful, smartass who was here two seconds ago is gone, replaced by a man who’s clearly carrying significant pain. Reaching for his hand I entwine our fingers and give them a small squeeze of comfort.
“Am I allowed to kiss you if this isn’t a date?” I whisper in the darkened fort.
“Hmm, I’d have to check the rules and regulations associated with the ‘non-date, pre-date, acquaintance opportunity’. The guidelines can be strict.”
“Shut up,” I laugh and pinch his side where his love handles should be but instead there’s nothing but solid muscle. Then I inch forward until our noses are touching and his breath fans over my lips. Something tells me to savor this moment rather than rush right into shoving my tongue down his throat.
Once I’ve committed to memory every detail of how he smells and the way this moment feels, I tilt my chin so our lips brush. Electrified butterflies take flight in my stomach at first contact. To Zade’s credit he doesn’t rush the process. He seems content to go along for the ride, returning each gentle kiss. His lips are soft and sweet against mine.
Zade’s hand comes up to rest on the back of my head, not rough or demanding but anchoring.
“Wow,” I breathe against his lips.
“Good, I was worried it was just me.”
“What the hell?” Nash’s voice is a bucket of ice water on Zade’s and my moment.
I crawl to the fort entrance and peek my head out.
“Hey, man.”
“Do I even want to know?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Get your mind out of the gutter. We’re watching scary movies,” I chide.
Nash rolls his eyes at me.
“Riiight.”
I give him the finger and then duck back into the fort.
“Make sure you clean up after yourself out here when you’re done,” he calls and then the sound of Nash’s bedroom door opening and closing echoes and we’re alone again.
“Are we in trouble for messing up the living room?” Zade asks sheepishly.
“He’s my roommate not my dad.”
“That’s a shame, he had kind of a hot ‘disappointed daddy’ voice.”
I just laugh because I am not about to start discussing how hot Nash is with my...well whatever Zade is.
After watching two more movies Zade decides it’s time to head home.
“So, can I take you out on a real date tomorrow?” Zade asks as I walk him to the door.
“Oh, tomorrow’s no good. I’m trying to appear somewhat unattainable, so Thursday would be better.”
Zade shakes his head and smiles at me but doesn’t argue.
“Thursday it is.” He leans in to steal another kiss and my stomach jolts again at the contact. Is this what chemistry feels like? I guess I’ve never had that intense draw toward anyone aside from Nash.
