The Tattoo Artist and the Girl from the Coffee Shop Read online

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  Of all the men in the world she could have fallen for, why did it have to be Chase Gamble?

  Chase Gamble. His name should have warned her right from the start.

  He’s cocky and smooth. He’s the stereotypical bad boy complete with the sleek motorcycle and the body adorned with tattoos. Tessa knows he’s the last man any woman should fall for, but she can’t help herself – his steel blue eyes and cocky smile are like a drug. It’s impossible to stay away, not until she knows every secret Chase Gamble keeps tightly guarded.

  The Tattoo Artist

  And The Girl From

  The Coffee Shop

  By

  Terry Towers

  The Tattoo Artist and the Girl from the Coffee Shop

  Copyright 2015 by Terry Towers

  Cover by: Erin Dameron-Hill

  http://edhgraphics.blogspot.ca/2012/10/erin-dameron-hill-presents-cover-cover.html

  All rights reserved. With the exception of brief quotes used for critical reviews and articles no part of this book may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the author Terry Towers. Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Terry Towers can be contacted via her website at www.elixaeverett.com

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via internet or other means, electronic or print without the authors permission. Criminal copyright infringement without monetary gain is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov.ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors imagination and used fictitiously.

  The material in this book is intended for ages 18+ it may contain adult subject matter including explicit sexual content, profanity, drug use and violence.

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  Chapter 1

  Tessa

  "Oh Tessa, are you sure you want to go through with it?" Samantha grimaced. Her distaste for what Tessa was planning to do was sorely evident in her expression.

  Tessa rolled her eyes as she placed a plastic lid on the paper coffee cup and slid the beverage across the counter to her customer. "Of course I am; I didn't make the decision lightly." Looking up at the customer, a handsome man with captivating blue eyes in a finely tailored suit, who she guessed to be in his mid-thirties, she gave him a wide smile. "Will there be anything else, Sir?"

  He shook his head, returning her smile, passing her a bill and waving off the change when she tried to hand it to him. "What are you getting, if you don't mind me asking?"

  Tessa patted her upper left arm. "Phoenix. Half-sleeve."

  The man nodded. "Wow. That’s a lot of work. Why a phoenix?"

  Tessa paused, chewing at her lower lip in consideration of whether she was willing to share such personal information with a complete stranger. She hadn't even shared her reasons with her soon to be former co-workers at the coffee shop. So much had happened over the past year... At the age of twenty-eight, it felt like she was beginning a brand new life, a complete reset. She was scared and anxious and excited all at once.

  Tessa opened her mouth to answer, but Samantha cut her off.

  "Good luck getting her to tell you. She won't even tell us! So secretive. Not sure what the big deal is."

  Tessa could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks as she looked up at him and shrugged, her smile turning apologetic.

  "Aww, well. Either way, good luck, I'm sure it'll look great." He grabbed his coffee, hesitated and then set it back down on the counter. Reaching into the inside pocket of his suit jacket he pulled out a business card. Looking at it he hesitated a second time then pulled out a pen and jotted a phone number onto the card. "Look, I know this probably happens to you all the time, but if you ever want to go out sometime and tell me the story behind the tattoo, give me a call. Here's my personal number." He slid the card that read Falcon, Smith and McCloud on it across the counter to her.

  The warmth in Tessa's cheeks grew hotter. In the five years she'd worked at the coffee shop she'd never had a customer ask her out before. It was as if the word RECLUSE were written across her forehead in big bolded letters. Most of the other girls had, but not her. Until now.

  Slightly stunned, she picked up the card, hoping he didn't see how nervous she was as she ran her fingertips over the golden embossed lettering. "Eric McCloud, defense attorney."

  He nodded and gave her a wink. "Guilty as charged." Picking his coffee back up, he took a sip. "No obligations, but if you want to go out sometime, call me." Giving her one last smile, he turned and leisurely strolled out of the coffee house, slipped into his silver Jag and sped off.

  "A lawyer! Lucky bitch!" Samantha joked, but Tessa could hear the hint of jealousy in her tone. "If you don't call that man I'll never forgive you."

  Tessa shrugged and stuffed the card into the back pocket of her brown work pants.

  "You are going to call him, right?" Samantha pressed.

  Was she going to call him? She had no idea. He was “turn a girl’s knees to Jell-O” good-looking, and apparently a partner of a law firm. What more could she ask for? Right? "Yeah, sure."

  To her relief a pack of teenagers entered the coffee shop, saving her from any more of Samantha's interrogation.

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  A shiver of apprehension ran through Tessa as she pushed open the door of the New Vision tattoo parlour and stepped in. She clutched the vision for her tattoo in her hand. Chase had told her that he'd draw up a tattoo based on her vision while she waited and then they'd start.

  A soft buzzing greeted her as she entered the shop and she froze in her tracks, hesitating and tempted to turn around and rush back out. This was her first and only planned tattoo. With her nerves getting the better of her, she began to turn with the intention of fleeing the shop when Chase exited the back office and caught her gaze.

  "Tessa Wilcott?"

  Tessa hesitated, then gave him a tight smile. "Yeah."

  "Nervous?"

  That's an understatement. "A little bit."

  Chase gave her a soft smile that managed to soothe her frazzled nerves. "No need to be, I’m very gentle. Come on." He walked around the front counter and with a firm hand at the small of her back, steered her toward one of the tattooing rooms. "Take a seat."

  Again, Tessa hesitated before making her way to the black leather chair that reminded her of a dentist’s chair and settled onto it.

  "Is that the design you wanted?"

  Tessa followed Chase's gaze to the picture that was clutched tightly in her hand, the once crisp paper now severely wrinkled. "Umm. Yeah."

  "Then, can I have it?" Amusement danced in his steel blue eyes as he gave the corner of the paper a tug, coaxing her to release it to him.

  Blushing and feeling silly for letting her nerves get the best of her, she released the picture to him.

  "All right. Sit tight for a few minutes, okay?" Without waiting for an answer he spun around and walked over to the art desk a few feet away. Sitting down on the rolling stool he set to work, his pencil working feverishly on his take of the picture she brought in.

  She took the opportunity to study him
as he worked. He was a dangerously handsome man, the type of man who could cause a girl to swoon and submit to anything his heart desired. His chest and arms were thick and muscular under the black t-shirt he was wearing bearing the name of the tattoo parlour in silver script-style writing across the shoulders of the back. Each muscular arm contained tattoos. The left was a full arm of a dragon, powerful and mystical, circling his arm. The other arm contained a large Celtic cross on the upper arm. She found herself wondering what other tattoos he had hidden under the t-shirt and jeans and then blushing as her eyes lowered to his hard ass under the tight denim as he stood.

  It's been too long, way too long, she thought. In fact, it had been over two years since she'd been in a relationship or had sex. She had never been the type to indulge in friends with benefits, she preferred there to be an emotional connection before indulging in the sexual. Besides, life had taken her on a detour that didn't allow her the luxury of a boyfriend or social life. She wouldn't change a thing, or change the decisions she'd made, but it had turned her into something of a hermit over the past couple of years – with the exception of work. And she’d admit it, to herself anyhow, that there were times she was so lonely she could cry, but she wouldn’t allow herself to.

  "So what do you think?" Chase broke her from her thoughts and she shifted her eyes to gaze upon the image he'd made up for her. The phoenix's wings were in the process of uncurling as it rose up from a pile of ashes, flames flicking out from the tips of the feathers.

  "Wow!" It was far better than the image she'd taken into the shop. The detail was amazing. If he could do that image justice by bringing it to life on her skin she’d break down in tears.

  "Can I take that to mean, looks good?" He grinned at her and her eyes lowered to his lips momentarily before rising back up to meet his. How would it feel to be kissed by him? Would he be tender, or kiss her with wild abandon?

  She nodded. "I – I love it. It's perfect. You're an amazing artist. Just. Wow." Her apprehension upon stepping into the shop was quickly evaporating. She wanted to have that phoenix on her arm. It was too beautiful to pass up; it was as if it were meant to be on her.

  "As for the artist part, well, it's my job. But, thank you." He patted her thigh and a shot of heat rushed up her thigh, making her squirm in her seat.

  Chase didn't seem to notice her reaction to his touch, or at least pretended not to. Removing his hand, he swivelled back to his desk. "I won't be too much longer but if you want to run across the street and grab a coffee, or whatever..."

  Tessa shook her head even though he couldn't see the gesture. "No, that's okay. I'm fine." Besides, I love watching you. She kept the second part to herself.

  As Tessa watched Chase she wondered what his story was. How did he come to decide to be a tattoo artist? Did he have someone in his life? Of course he did, she didn't doubt that for a moment. He was the kind of bad boy women would flock to. But his demeanour seemed so friendly and easy-going, not a touch of hardness despite his outward appearance, which screamed of danger and sex. It only made her even more curious as to what his story was.

  Well, I have six hours to find out, she mused. The heat she'd felt flow through her when he touched her thigh earlier shot through her once more – she squirmed again, attempting to relieve some of the tension between her legs. Tessa's mind began to fill with fantasies of what it would be like to be with him as she waited for him to finish up.

  "Done," Chase announced twenty minutes later as he swivelled back around to face her with the finished stencil in hand. He smiled; his smile was infectious.

  "All right." Tessa sat up straighter in the chair and shrugged off the corduroy jacket she was wearing over her tank top.

  After wiping down her upper arm to moisten and disinfect the area, Chase placed the stencil on, and moments later peeled it away leaving the outline of her future tattoo. Sitting back on the stool, Chase examined the tattoo outline and gave a silent nod.

  Tessa watched as he prepared the ink and needles, Within minutes he was back at her side, needle buzzing softly in hand. After swabbing her arm a final time he poised the needle, preparing to start.

  "Relax."

  His voice, deep and smooth, flowed through her, relaxing her. She released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding until that moment and gave him a nervous smile. "My first tattoo," she explained.

  He chuckled softly. "I’d guessed as much." He placed his hand on her thigh again. Damn, did he not know how his touch affected her? His cologne was driving her mad; it was faint, just strong enough to make her yearn to lean into him and indulge in his scent. "Just keep breathing. It'll pinch at first, but after a minute or so the skin will numb and so will the pain. Okay?"

  Tessa squirmed; the heat from his hand seemed to seep through her jean-covered thigh, igniting her arousal. She’d never felt this kind of attraction toward anyone before, it was raw and feral and it was taking her mind off the tattoo completely – not entirely a bad thing she supposed.

  "Okay, let's start." He gave her another devilishly sexy smile and focused on her arm, his hand remaining on her thigh. At least her nervousness over being so close to him was nicely masked and easily mistaken as just her being a virgin canvas.

  She nodded. "Let's start."

  The initial touch of the needle made her wince, and she fought to keep from embarrassing herself and yelping. Her hands gripped the arm rests, fingers digging into the leather. As he'd explained, the needle pinched, not unbearable, but extremely unpleasant. But thankfully, as promised, the pain quickly turned to a dull and numbing throb with random moments of pinching pain.

  "So why a phoenix?"

  Tessa chewed at her lower lip, loosening her grip on the chair and forcing herself to relax. For some odd reason she wanted to tell him. She felt the undeniable urge to unload everything she'd experienced over the past couple of years. Why this stranger? She had no idea why him, she’d kept so much of her life heavily guarded from pretty much everyone else.

  Taking in a deep breath, she slowly released it. "Well, it seems like everything in my life is changing. Everything."

  "Everything?" He asked the question, but didn't lift his eyes from his work.

  "Well, do you want the long or short version?"

  He grinned, but again didn't raise his eyes from his work. "We do have seven to eight hours together, so I think we have time for the long version."

  Seeing his smile relaxed her and the need to purge became too much to deny. For the first time she voiced everything she'd been thinking and feeling over the past couple of years.

  "Yeah, you want to know everything? Or are you just humouring me?”

  “I genuinely want to know, Tessa.”

  “I'm twenty-eight and up until a couple of months ago I lived with my mother."

  His brow furrowed, and he looked up briefly. There was no judgment in his eyes when his gaze caught and held hers for a moment before going back to work. "And... You moved out? Congrats."

  "Not exactly. Yes, but not exactly."

  "Go on."

  "Well, I've been on my own a few times. Moving in with boyfriends and so on, but for the past couple of years I haven't been on a single date."

  "Why?"

  "I'm an only child. My father passed away five years ago, an accident, and a couple of years ago my mother was diagnosed with cancer."

  "How is she doing?"

  "She passed away a couple of months ago."

  Chase paused his work to look up and meet her gaze. "I'm so sorry to hear that Tessa."

  She fought to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes and gave him a weak smile – the best she could manage. "So I've spent the past two years dedicated to her, going to treatments, taking care of her, spending time with her."

  He nodded. "Sure, sure. That's understandable. I'd do the same."

  "The thing is that she had an insurance policy. I never even knew about it until she died. It is huge. So I bought a house, and am finding a loc
ation to open my own cafe."

  "That’s great, it's bittersweet though."

  Tessa nodded. "Very. And I feel guilty. Like I'm profiting from her death or something, you know." She couldn't stop it any longer; a single tear ran down her cheek. Tessa sniffed and wiped the tear away with her free hand, praying she could keep the floodgates from opening completely.

  Chase finished the line he was working on, sat back and wiped the area he'd just tattooed. Once done he looked up at her and their eyes locked. The understanding and sympathy within his gaze almost caused her to break down completely. She'd been holding strong since her mother's death. She'd been a rock, going through the motions without allowing emotions to get in the way; it was the only way she'd been able to get through it. She was now all alone. No family and few friends, and no close friends.

  Spinning around he placed the tattoo gun onto the counter behind him and turned back to her. "It's okay," he whispered into her hair as he leaned over and pulled her into his arms.

  His embrace was strong. It made her feel so secure that she couldn't stop herself from breaking down completely. She slid her arms around his neck and months of emotions came rushing through her as the floodgates opened and the grief she’d been holding back for so long broke through. The tears flowed in earnest, saturating the t-shirt covering his shoulder and upper chest.

  Even though she couldn't stop crying and it felt as though she'd been in his arms for hours, Chase didn't pull away. He allowed her to unload her sorrow, while stroking her long chestnut hair and murmuring soft, sweet words of reassurance into her ear.

  "I'm so sorry Chase, I don't usually..."

  "No need to apologize." Chase slowly pulled away and brushed a strand of silken hair from her eyes. Reaching behind him, he grabbed a box of tissues from the counter and passed it to her.

  Embarrassed over her outburst, Tessa could feel her cheeks grow warm as she pulled a tissue from the box and wiped her nose. "I feel so silly. I can't believe... Of all the times… I’ve just been keeping it in for so long…"