“Why, I do declare, it’s my last fuck. It’s done flown away.” Tiana lifted her arm to her forehead and feigned despair. “Whatever shall I do?”
Ember’s lips twitched. “Did your last fuck have butterfly wings?”
Tiana nodded. “As a matter of fact, it did.”
The big tattoo artist came over to the table where she sat, making her tense. “Listen, I’m sorry. Watching you zone out and then fall asleep...fucking scared me. You remind me of someone I used to know. People like you can get taken advantage of if they aren’t careful. If you’re not careful, little one. You need to know your limits, and shit, you need to have a keeper. Not me, I’m too fucking old and jaded for a young girl like you. Don’t look at me like that, Lux. I’m just saying, she needs to watch herself. Her people need to watch her. You got real talent, Tiana, but I’ve seen others get fucked up because they get taken in by fuckers who only want to hurt people who don’t have protectors. Those men out there”—Ember pointed over his shoulder—“they’ll fucking protect you with their last breath if you allow them. Don’t throw that away.” He patted her shoulder a little awkwardly and walked away.
Lux held her hands together in front of her, smiling. “And that’s why I love him like a brother but would never fuck him like a brother-uncle.”
Tiana blinked a couple times trying to wrap her mind around what Lux just said. What the fuck is a brother-uncle?
MICK SEETHED AS HE walked back outside, but outwardly he looked the same. You didn’t grow up the eldest to Father and not know how to control your emotions.
“Everything good inside?” Keys asked from his casual position against the brick wall.
“Yeah, the girls are good. Tiana’s tattoo looked a bit more intricate than Ayesha’s so she might take a bit longer,” he said, looking over at King and Traeger.
King lifted his head and nodded.
After an hour King got a text from Doc.
“Yo, I’m going in to see if Ayesha is cool with Doc and his ole’ lady taking our baby back home. They said he’s ready for a nap, and if the girls are going to be a while longer, I’m thinking that would be best.”
The fact King was telling them all what was going on was almost comical. Nobody cracked a joke though, not when it came to his kid. They liked their teeth in their head, and seeing the Prez rattled by a tiny tot, was something they’d all learned was par for the course. Legend shook them all, yet they were also totally enamored with the kid too. Mick had been around so many children, another one hadn’t been anything new to him, but the MC brothers acted like they hadn’t seen a baby, so he just nodded and smiled on cue.
King came back with a smile on his face and his jeans a little tighter. A testament to the fact he still got excited by his ole’ lady. That in and of itself was something new to Mick. Well, that a man was excited by one woman he called his, instead of a stable of them. Fuck, he wasn’t sure why the old bastard, who was technically his father, was on his mind so much lately. He needed a distraction, and not of the female kind, since last night hadn’t done the trick, obviously.
When the back door opened with only Ayesha coming out, Mick tried to look nonchalant as he peered past her. Luckily Traeger stepped forward to inspect her forearm. He hadn’t known where the Prez’s woman was getting inked, but he figured he should move forward like the others and check it out.
“Dang, that’s cool, Ayesha.” He nodded at the skull that blended into a rose. He’d never seen anything like it. Most he’d seen had roses coming out of the mouths or around them, but the actual top of the head became the rose itself. What made Ayesha’s tattoo even more unique was the fact the rose wasn’t opened yet, and behind it there were two swords crossed, add in that the skull was in no way feminine. The skull was very similar to one King had, which he supposed was why she’d chosen it. She was a damn good woman, perfect for the prez.
“Thank you. Tymber said in a couple months he’ll touch it up and add some more red to the rose, but I think it’s perfect.” She leaned into King for a kiss.
Mick turned away, watching the parking lot across the way. The hair on his neck was standing up.
“Wheels, I want you and T-Rex to take Ayesha home. Me and Traeger will follow. The rest of you cool with hanging out here until Tiana’s done?” King asked.
“Oh hell no, you’re not leaving my baby sister here while we go home. I’ll just pop in next door and see how the girls are doing.” Ayesha put her hand over King’s lips.
Mick didn’t need to see the two to know they were having a hushed disagreement. The Prez would be giving in and allowing his ole’ lady to have her way. Which he was all for. He didn’t like the thought of Tiana being left without full protection detail either. It hadn’t been all that long since a hit had been ordered on King’s life. None of them would ever take any of their ole’ ladies safety for granted, especially the Prez or his family, knowing anyone who wanted to get to King might think to harm what he holds dearest. Tiana would be one of those things. Not that she’d be easy pickings with him and Keys near, let alone Traeger.
“Did Lux say how much longer she’d be?” King asked.
“Um, I think she said another hour, maybe longer.” Ayesha bit her lip.
“What aren’t you telling me, baby?”
“Well, I had a baby, so I’m pretty good with pain. This, it was like a bunch of scratches that was kind of annoying at first then you get used to it, then you’re like, okay, are we done yet? I didn’t ever want to tap out, not like I did those last couple minutes of labor or anything. But my sister, she was out of it. Lux mentioned that was odd, especially since she was working in a delicate area and all.” She rubbed her hand on her upper thigh area.
“Are you saying your sister just lay there all chill like? That’s not too unusual, I guess,” King said.
“Well, not exactly. She fell asleep,” Ayesha blurted.
Mick would swear a dome of silence descended upon them. He heard cars drive by. A horn honk. Hell, if he listened closely, he might have been able to count heartbeats. Tiana falling asleep while getting tattooed hadn’t even crossed his mind as something Ayesha would say.
“Is she doing drugs, baby?” King asked.
“Are you fucking serious right now?” Ayesha asked.
“Don’t get that tone with me. I’m asking a logical question. I’ve had a shitton of tattoos. These guys have all had tattoos. Any of you motherfuckers ever fall asleep when you had a needle inking your ass?” King growled the question.
T-Rex ran his hand over his head which was now sporting hair. “Well, I might have a time or ten. It’s not that unusual, King. Some people get into the headspace and just float. That’s what happens to me. Pain is nothing to some people.”
King stabbed his finger toward the big bastard. “Shut. The. Fuck. Up. You don’t count. You’re six and a half feet of pure muscle. Your pet is a fucking dragon you call Koko, and you have more hair on the top of your head than Traeger, yet you sported a chrome dome for the past five motherfucking years. So, no, you don’t count.”
Ayesha slapped her hand over her mouth, holding back laughter. “King, are you listening to yourself? Okay, so it might be a little alarming that she fell asleep. We’ll deal with that later, but you leave T-Rex alone. Koko the dragon is awesome, and just because he liked to shave his head, and now chooses not to, is no reason to yell at the man.”