Shaking myself from my thoughts, I extend my hand: “I’m Braun,” I say, smiling.
“Hey, there,” she says, looking me up and down, taking me in. “So you’re the girl who’s got our boy all smitten and shit.” She looks over at Levi, her face beaming and shakes my hand in return. “I’m thrilled to meet you. I didn’t think it would ever happen, this right here,” she waves her hand flippantly between Levi and myself. “Hell, my girlfriend has been wanting to set this guy up with her sister forever,” she thumbs over towards Levi, “but he was always saying how he didn’t have time for a relationship, that that pub of his kept him too busy. I’m glad to see he’s finally taking some time for himself. I think the boy’s in deep; I could hear his smile over the phone when he was chatting my ear off about you and your little girl.”
I think I missed everything Bettie said after she told me she had a girlfriend.
Holy, jealous much, Braun? Retract the claws, chickie, retract the claws.
Just goes to show you how “in deep” I am myself with this man.
“Well, thanks, Bettie. That’s good to hear,” I smile. “I like him too. A lot. Like,
a lot
.” I feel the warmth as it spreads across my cheeks.
God, I’m such a dork
. I can imagine how that conversation will go: “Hey, Levi, that Braun chick, she…uh, likes you—a lot. A lot, a lot!”
Floor swallow me now!
Bettie grabs clipboards from the desk as we pass.
“You’re cute,” she says, I think trying to ease my embarrassment. “I like you already. I can see why Levi’s happy. Why don’t you follow me to the back and we’ll get set up? I’ll get everything together while you and your friend fill out these waivers.” Bettie hands London and I the clipboards, tells London she’ll be back for her soon, and shouts: “Dude, see you later! Enjoy your McDonald’s,” to Levi before drawing me back into her lair. I wave goodbye again to Emme, Levi and London before making my way to Bettie’s workspace.
Once back in the tiny work area, I sit in a distressed black leather chair filling out the medical history and waiver sheet while Bettie mills about getting everything set up. The clinical smell of alcohol permeates the air as Bettie wipes down her station. Reading the waiver I start second-guessing my decision as the words “allergic reaction, infection, damages” jump out at me. I startle, looking up as Bettie’s gun comes to life.
“Sorry, just testing it, making sure the colour is running clear,” she smiles, before leaving the curtained room. I nod before resuming my reading and signing on the dotted line. Maybe I should have asked Levi to stay.
“All set, Braun?” Betty asks, parting the curtain as she reenters a few minutes later. “I found this thing here, lingering in the hall. Figured you might want it with you for support.” I look up, meeting Levi’s smug grin. The same one that has an ongoing conspiracy with my lady bits: the Panty Soaker, if you will.
But then I start to sit up, a bit of a panic taking over. “Where’s Emmerson?”
“Relax, Scrappy. She’s out there with London. I tried to take her for lunch but she saw that Sinkin’ Ink has ‘Despicable Me 2’ on DVD, and I’m sure you can guess what happened next,” he chuckles.
Bettie interrupts before I can reply: “Oh, yeah, it gets played over and over, that one. Stew buys movies all the time for when we have kiddos come in with their parents. We get a few kids hanging around, I think we even have cookies and shit, if you want,” Betty adds, relieving some of my anxieties about bringing Emmerson to a tattoo shop.
Levi comes to sit beside me, “I’m kinda happy I get to do this with you.” Levi nudges my knee and I swear I’m a puddle of goo.
“All set?” Betty asks as she sits opposite me, my hand now on the armrest, the tattoo gun in her gloved hand. “So which finger and why an arrow?” she asks curiously.
I look to Levi, who’s become my rock. I take in his beauty, his strength but most of all, I take in his love. It’s like a beacon that calls to me when we’re together.
“Because I’m learning that you’ve got to pull back in order to move forward,” I say, still looking at Levi as if I’m telling this only to him. “Levi is forward. I have a past that I’ll always remember and love, and I can have both, but Levi and Emme are my forwards. Always.” I wipe away a tear that’s escaped. “This—this is just a little reminder: to
live
.”
Levi mouths “always” to me behind Bettie’s back.
“I’d say ‘a lot, a lot’ for both of you, eh, Braun?” Bettie says with a friendly smirk. “What say we get this tatt on, already? Enough of this mush.”
Levi looks confused by her comment and I tell him it’s nothing. He shrugs and sits down, watching as Bettie applies the small transfer of the arrow design she’s made from my drawing to the inside of my index finger.
My breath hitches as the needle’s kiss surprises me, nipping into my flesh. But within a matter of minutes, and a few more strokes of the needle, Bettie is done, and offering me a smile as she quickly cleans up the excess ink—and blood I assume.
Leaning towards me, Levi admires my arrow tattoo. It’s perfectly placed on the inside of my index finger, the arrow’s line intermingled with the word “live” written in deep black cursive, and I couldn’t be happier with it.
“Eeeeppp, I love it, Bettie! It’s exactly what I wanted. It’s perfect,” I tell her excitedly, unable to take my eyes off my ink.
“I love it too, Scrappy. Let’s go show Scooby. I know she’s excited to see it,” Levi says.
We thank Bettie and walk out into the waiting room. Sure enough, as soon as Emme sees me she’s pulling at my sore finger, asking me to show her.
“Ohh, I wove it, Mommy! When can I get one like that?”
“Not for a long time, kiddo,” London tells her. “Maybe even never.”
We all laugh at Emmerson’s not-happy-with-that-answer face.
“I love it, Braun, like,
hard
. It’s perfect. Now it’s my turn.
Whoop, whoop!
” London exclaims, eagerly bouncing toward a waiting Bettie.
“Yes, the needle awaits, my darling,” says Betty, taking her by the hand and pulling her down the hall. We all laugh.
Moving down to Emmerson’s level, Levi asks: “What do you say we let Mommy and London meet us over at McDonald’s, Scooby? I think there’s a mystery to solve, and I’m going to need your help.”
“Oh, yeah, really? What is it?” she claps all excited.
“It’s…
the Mystery of Shaggy’s Growling Tummy!”
Levi grins, patting his belly.
“Oh, brother.” Emmerson slaps her hand over her forehead dramatically. “You’re just hungry. Let’s go feed ya a burger, Shaggy. Always eatin’, always hungry,” she mumbles coming to give me a hug. “Wove you, Mommy, see you soon.” I watch them retreat out the door then go back to join London and Bettie.
“Braun, just so you know,” London begins, as she plunks her arm down on Bettie’s workstation, “I think Boss Man looks amazingly good on ya. I love seeing that big ass dopey smile on your face. I wondered for a bit if anything other than Emme would give that back to you.” She squeezes my hand.
London and I spend the next twenty minutes with Bettie getting a purple five-pointed star tattooed on the inside of London’s left wrist.
Walking us back out to the front, Bettie teases us, saying how she has no doubt that we’ll both be back for more. “I bet you’re back within six months. It’s addicting, I swear. Believe it or not, I had two when I first started as an apprentice. Two! Now look at me,” she says and gestures to herself.
“I already know what I want,” London shares. “I just need to decide where to put it.”
“Ahh, see? I love being right.” Bettie says.
“How much do we owe you?” I ask, handing over my debit card.
“Oh, no, it’s already been taken care of. Levi paid before he left. Said to tell y’all to stuff it if you argued with me about it too,” she smiles.
“Okay, well…thank you so much, Bettie. It was nice to meet you. I’d love to hang out sometime. Maybe we could all go for drinks one night?” I shrug, nervous that I’m putting myself out there to a virtual stranger.
Huh, I really am changing,
I think.
“Elise and I would love that,” Bettie says, while reaching for a pen and business card. “Here’s my number in case numbnuts doesn’t have my cell. Just give me a call and we’ll set something up.”
“Perfect.” I smile, taking the card and stuffing it in my wallet.
“I love it!” London gushes over her tatt, as we leave to meet Levi and Emme. We’re just about to cross the street when London says: “Stop, Hooker.”
“What’s wrong? You feel okay? We need to go back and sit? I read on that waiver that some people can feel queasy after.”
“Oh, my God. No. I’m fine. I’m just gonna bail. I’m going to hop on the bus, so I wanted to say bye.”
“Why? I thought we were going to get lunch and hang out?” I look at her, clearly confused.
“No,” she steps closer to me. “Go be with Boss Man and your girl. God, Braun you guys are like a Lifetime movie.”
“Gosh, we’re not
that
bad, are we? Like, are we too G-rated for you now? Are we cramping your style, cool girl?” I tease knowing full-well that she’s seriously happy for me.
“Jesus. Hardly, Hooker. I mean, you guys are cute as fuck and I friggin’ love it. I love being around all the love, trust me. But Finn texted and asked if I could come in to work early. Says he wants to talk.”
“Oh, I see, now.
Finn
calls and Miss London
needs
to go. It’s fine, I get it. Use my G-rated McDonald’s invitation as your excuse to bail, I get it, I get it. We’re just way too exciting for the likes of you,” I laugh, before giving her a hug goodbye. “Be careful with your own Boss Man, London, you never know what might happen,” I call back over my shoulder, crossing the street to meet my humans.
Levi and I have talked before about Finn and London hooking up. We are both patiently waiting for them to let us in on what the heck is going on. So far both have been pretty hush-hush about the whole thing. We’d both like to see them together but from the sounds of it, they are both way too stubborn to admit they like each other.
“Mommy! You’re back! Guess what? I got a Minion toy in my burger!” Emme runs to me as I enter the play land. I make my way over to our table, smiling as I notice the chocolate shake and cheeseburger waiting for me.
Levi comes up behind me and leans in close to my ear. Goosebumps immediately take over my skin. “I saw you talking to London out front of the shop so I ordered for you, once I figured out London was bailing. Why did she go?”
I turn to face him, his eyes meeting mine and it’s crazy how comfortable this feels, meeting him and Emme for lunch like this. Knowing I can trust him with my little girl.
“Yeah, Finn texted. Asked her to come in to talk or something. You know them, they don’t give anything away. I’m about to sic Grams on her ass if she keeps this up,” I threaten as I grab my shake, taking a big sip before sitting down and digging into my cheeseburger.
We spend the rest of the afternoon eating lunch and stopping at the grocery store to pick up the stuff we need for “Let’s Make a Sundae-on-a-Saturday Dessert Night,” the one Levi and Emmerson invented and have been driving me crazy about, waiting for a Saturday to come when Levi and I were both off together so we’d finally get to do it.
Levi
“H
ow about those
Scooby snacks you promised me earlier?” I ask Braun, who’s laying on top of me on the couch. We had a blast today with Braun’s tattoo and Emmerson and I getting to make the most amazing sundaes—but now I’m ready for my real dessert. Emmerson’s been passed out long enough that I know we won’t be interrupted. At least I hope not. So far I haven’t been cockblocked too many times. I even think Braun kind of likes seeing if we’ll get away with it.
“I could arrange for you to have some Scooby snacks,” Braun replies, her eyes narrowing with excitement. “Are you still hungry, baby? Need a treat?”
“I was actually hoping you were the hungry one,” I counter, half-serious, half-not. I mean, I’m always in the mood for a blowjob, but who am I kidding? I’ll take anything this woman is willing to give me.
Braun looks up at me and licks her lips before reaching for my belt, shifting down to better position herself between my knees. “I’m really kinda hungry after all. You and Emmerson ate all the good sundae toppings so I could go for a little something special. And I know just the Scooby snack I want.”
She undoes my belt and fly, pulling my hard cock out so the two meet face-to-face. The fucker jerks with excitement as she rubs her tongue along the underside the shaft, causing me to groan while bucking up beneath her.
“Fuck, you look sexy with my dick in your mouth, Scrappy.”
She laughs and the vibrations coming off her tongue only serve to make me harder, if that’s possible.
“Watch me,” Braun whispers as she begins licking me base-to-tip. Fuck, she feels good licking my cock like that. My head falls back. I can’t stay focused; the sensations are too strong.
“Yeah, baby, take it. Take it in,” I command then watch as she does just that. She leans up a fraction on her elbows to better position herself to take all of me. And fuck me if I don’t see stars as she settles her mouth around my cock, the pressure of it hitting the back of her throat almost too much. Once I’m in, she begins moving my cock from one side of her mouth to the other, sliding her tongue along the tip, sides and base. Swirling it around as if it were a piece of her favourite candy. Jesus, it’s like she speaks fluent Dick and my cock wants to be the only one she talks to. Braun pops my cock out of her mouth, and moves to kneel on the floor.
“Sit up,” she orders and I move immediately. She tosses her shirt and bra off, exposing her rack for my pleasure.
“God, your tits are perfect, so fucking perky and those nipples, always begging for my mouth…” I lean down, giving each peak a tug with my lips. Braun moans before pushing me back on the couch, and sliding her chest down between my legs. The next thing I know she’s got my dick resting between her tits, and a siren’s grin crossing her face as she reaches for something under the couch.