Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
The man held up a picture from a magazine of a full-sleeve tattoo that extended over the model’s shoulder onto his back. She ran her eyes over him, looking to see if he had any other tattoos but didn’t note any.
“This is beautiful work. It’s very intricate. From start to finish, plan for at least twenty hours in the chair. How long you can last in the chair for each session and healing time will affect the time commitment to finish this,” she told him upfront.
“I’m pretty good with pain. I have some scars to cover,” he shared, pushing up his sleeve to display a mass of tangled skin.
“You’re a veteran?” she asked.
“I am. Marine.”
“Semper Fi!” came immediately from Maniac who was obviously listening to the exchange.
The man turned to answer with the same oath. Maniac nodded and returned to his work.
“We have a discount program for veterans but this is going to be expensive,” Tatiana warned. It was normal for people to change their minds when they heard the cost and time commitment for a tattoo.
“I’m prepared for that,” the man assured her.
“We’ll have to make an appointment for you to discuss what you want with the artist who will work on you. Want to be scheduled with your fellow Marine?” Tatiana asked, already knowing the answer.
“Thank you, Miss. I’d appreciate that.”
“She’s prettier to look at,” Maniac joked from across the room. Obviously he’d tuned in from the first mention of the man’s service.
“She’s also booked out for three weeks,” Tatiana answered quickly. “Let me see how much wiggle room there is in Maniac’s schedule.” Quickly, she scheduled him in for a quick consult the next day and made a photocopy of the example the man had brought in for Maniac’s reference.
Normally, she would have placed the design idea with the man’s name and appointment date on Maniac’s counter in his work area. Tatiana vetoed that idea quickly. She needed to put space between herself and her co-owner.
Darn that conversation with Elizabeth and Ellie. When the two women had come in the shop recently, Tatiana had inadvertently told her friends she was a Little. On top of that, Maniac had made a comment about Daddies and their Little girls. The exchange had shaken Tatiana. Tatiana had waved the two women off, telling them she and Maniac were nothing but business partners, but the way Maniac had reacted had gotten Tatiana thinking. Thinking a lot.
Now all she could think about was Maniac as a Daddy. They hadn’t talked about their personal lives before. Looking back, it made sense that he would have kept something like that to himself.
She wondered if he realized she was Little. More importantly, did he have any idea how much time she’d spent thinking about being his Little girl lately? She hadn’t been able to shake thoughts of him Daddying her from her mind.
She looked up and breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized the next customer coming in. He was booked for three hours of work on a tattoo Tatiana had designed especially for him. She could lock in her attention and escape into her work. It didn’t hurt that he was in amazing shape—a bit of eye candy to distract herself.
“Hi, Dave. Welcome back.”
Escorting her client back to her work area, Tatiana gathered the ink colors she would need and put her tools together as he took off his T-shirt and settled on his stomach on the changeable table/chair support she’d already moved into the perfect position to reach his lower back.
After a bit of chitchat where she reviewed what she planned to do during that session, Tatiana was able to put her head down and concentrate on the living canvas in front of her. She heard a couple of their employees stagger in later and Maniac talking to those visiting the shop. Greeting customers was usually her job, but he stepped in without question as she worked.
“Hey, I need a break,” Dave requested urgently.
Tatiana looked up and realized that almost all their time was up for the day. She’d been working for way too long without giving him a breather. “Sorry, Dave. I was in the zone. Time got away from me.”
“No problem. I’ll just run to the bathroom if that’s okay.”
“Of course. Then, if you’re okay for about five minutes more, I’ll finish the detail on this one set of thorns and wrap you up to heal before the next session,” she suggested as he walked directly for the restroom without pausing to chat.
Tatiana knew she should have given him a break or two an hour ago. Rolling her neck, Tatiana set the tattoo pen down to flex her fingers. A groan escaped from her lips as she realized how much she’d pushed her body.
“Here. Take these,” Maniac ordered, holding out two over-the-counter pain tablets and a glass of water.