6: Six months deal

~ SIENNA ~

I shot up from the tattoo bed like it burned and held up the phone to Gavin. “What’s this?”

He returned to his chair and lounged lazily on it, my panic obviously lost on him. “Your new tattoo. Like it?”

“Why… why,” I stammered. “Why is it a tattoo of your name?”

“Because I thought it would look good. And it does.”

In an instant, I was laughing. I had seen those videos on social media where beauty service providers played pranks on their customers. This had to be one of them.

“It’s a prank, right?” I asked with a knowing smile.

He looked me deadass in the eyes. “No, it’s not. Do I look like I play pranks?”

He did not.

“IF IT IS NOT A PRANK, AND I AM NOT HALLUCINATING, WHY THE HELL DO I HAVE A TATTOO OF YOUR NAME ON MY WAIST?!”

I half expected the glass cubicle of the studio to crack from the loudness of my voice but apparently, it was laminated and bulletproof. My head was suddenly aching again and I could barely see Gavin over the veil of red that seemed to cover my eyes.

“Because I want you to be mine and when something is yours, you put your name on it,” he answered casually like this was the most normal thing in the world.

“Yours? I don’t even know you! And even if I did-“

“If you did, you’d kill to be mine,” he interjected.

I did a double take, looking him up and down. Was being this delusional a side effect of being so good looking? The situation would be funny if it wasn’t so infuriating.

“Oh, you’re fùcking done for, Gavin. I’m going to sue your business into bankruptcy,” I swore, my voice so cold, I could barely recognize it.

“Language, Sienna.”

My jaw dropped. A man who just inked his name on my body without my permission lecturing me about language? Unreal.

I leapt off the bed and pulled down my T-shirt that had been scrunched up to my chest to give him enough space to work on the tattoo.

“You really put your name on me because you want me to be yours,” I said, still in disbelief, giving him another chance to redeem himself.

His response was silence. Not a guilty silence. An arrogant silence that would make a peacock jealous. There was nothing more to say. It was clear Gavin was a jerk and was not going to give me a tangible answer. But whatever his reason for doing this was, he messed with the wrong woman.

“Fine! I’m going to show you how I treat men I don’t want,” I avowed, picking up my purse.

“Why don’t you first let me show you how I treat women I want?”

That stopped me and I hated that it did. Maybe it was the statement, maybe it was the man who made the statement, but it caused a throbbing between my legs. I hadn’t felt wanted in ages and my entire being longed for the feeling. Of being wanted. Craved. Chased. Claimed.

But this wasn’t the time for that. What I needed now was to find a lawyer and file a case for… whatever this crazy experience is called.

I was already at the glass door when Gavin stood from his chair and spoke again. “Six million dollars.”

“What?”

“The tattoo heals in six months. If by that time you still want it out, I will take it out, pay you six million dollars, and apologize for your troubles.”

“Why would I not want your name off my back in six months?” I asked in sincere confusion.

“Because I would have given you the best six months of your life.” He was standing in front of me now, and I couldn’t tell if my chest was tight from anger or the fact that our bodies were so close.

I shook my head as I looked up at his regrettably still beautiful hazel eyes. “You’re insane.”

Just when I was about to walk out, I realized I still had his phone in my hand. Without thinking, I dashed it on the floor. Satisfaction spread through every cranny of my heart as half the screen went black, blinking with colourful lines.

Now that surprised Gavin. It was the first time I was seeing him with a face that wasn’t unbothered or smug. He was startled but hid it quickly.

“Feisty… just how I like it,” he teased, looking from the damaged phone straight into my eyes, an action that nearly unnerved me. “I didn't take you for a feisty woman.”

“Neither did I take you for a sick piece of shít! Now I see why you have people trying to put a bullet in your head and I hope they’re successful next time!”

I left him to marinate in that as I stormed out of his studio, down the stairs and out of his damned tattoo shop.

GK Tattoos - Zero stars!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Margo was not nearly as mad as I thought she would be. I had seen her angrier at her nail tech for getting her desired nail shape wrong than she was now, hearing that a stranger tattooed his name on her best friend’s body. In fact, she seemed more amused than anything.

“Did you even hear me, Margo? A man who I have never seen a day in my life put his fuckíng name on my back!”

“And he’s offering money for it,” she added distractedly, sinking further into the couch as she stuffed more popcorn into her mouth. She was watching her comfort show, a show she had watched more times than a centipede could count on its legs. I couldn’t understand how people did that. Once was usually enough for me, twice if the lead actor was hot and the séx scenes were good.

I picked up the remote and turned off the TV. Margo’s glare was instant.

“Now why would you do that?”

“So you can listen to me! I feel like I’ve been thrown into a dystopian nightmare. First, I’m accused of cheating with ‘proof’ and divorced. Then I go to a tattoo shop to get rid of my ex-husband’s name and the tattoo artist replaces it with his own name! Now my best friend who is usually an ‘activist’ doesn’t even flinch when I share the news with her. I want to get off this ride!”

“Something tells me the train just left the station,” she laughed, shielding her head with a throw pillow.

It was my turn to glare at her.

“Okay okay,” she wiped her smile off and faced me. “What happened to you is definitely unhinged but get a hold of yourself and let’s think about it logically. Yes, you could hire a lawyer and sue but that’s a lot of physical, mental and financial stress you don’t need right now. The case might take all of said six months to get a verdict and even if you win, you’re definitely not getting a whopping six million dollars in damages.”

My legs felt weary but instead of sitting, I began to pace the large living room, listening as Margo continued.

“You also can’t remove the tattoo because it’s not healed yet so either way, you would have to wear it for some time. Remember what you said about forgetting Harry’s tattoo because you barely saw it? Just do the same with this one and in six months, you’ll be six million dollars richer. I mean, you wore Harry’s for five years and got nothing for it.”

“Margo!”

“My mother taught me to tell the truth,” she said, raising her popcorn-free hand in mock surrender.

I had to admit Margo’s assertion was plausible and I hated that it was. Truly, if I had the capacity to fight in court, I would have chosen to do that with Harry.

“This is just so crazy,” I bemoaned. “It feels like someone is claiming me before I even know their last name and I have no say in it.”

“If we’re being honest, it feels a bit hot. A wealthy man offering you money to wear his name on your waist. Ooouuu…” She fanned her neck with her hand like she was scorching.

“Are you really saying I should not sue and just accept his crazy deal?”

“It’s up to you to decide, hunny,“ Margo picked the remote back up. “But if you choose to, ensure to sign a contract with him. You know, a contract. Something you should have signed before investing your trust fund in Harry’s company-”

I heard the hum of Harry’s car as it pulled into the garage. “Well, speak of the devil. Harry’s here,” I announced, my heart racing as I waited for him to come into the house.