Love At First Hate (Love At Firsts Book 2)(16)

Yes, I realize it makes me look like a hipster, but a f*cking hot one.

I get my phone and tablet from my nightstand and put them in an old leather backpack I’ve had since high school. I could invest in a new one, but this bag has been with me pretty much everywhere. It’s like my lucky charm.

Taking too long to pick my outfit isn’t anything new to me, but that means I have to skip breakfast. I grab a protein bar and make a coffee to go before heading out the door. I don’t want to be late. I hate being late. It gives a bad image not only of myself but of the magazine.

I unlock the front door and get in my car. One quick glance over to Nate’s house and I see his perfect shirtless torso pacing in front of the window of what I’m assuming is his office. He seems to be in a bad mood. Probably picking up whatever bitchzilla was throwing last night. I hope he got rid of her ass, if not for me to have a go at him, but for his own peace of mind.

I smirk to myself and back out of the driveway.

Time to conquer the world, or tackle down another interview. However you want to see it.

I connect my phone to the console and put on my favorite playlist. It’s an eclectic mix of dancehall, R-n-B, rock, and pop. I don’t care about what genre of music it is, as long as it’s listenable and you can dance and sing along.

Half an hour later, I miraculously find a parking spot just down the street from the tattoo shop. Today is going to be a good day. It’s so hard to find a parking spot in downtown Denver that I see it as a good omen for the day.

I grab my backpack from the seat next to me and get out of the car. I lock it up and make my way to the shop.

I’m five minutes early, but Mina and the shop owner, Tyler, are already busy inside. I walk in, and they both turn to me.

“Wow, that style suits you a lot better.” Mina widely grins at me.

“Why, thank you, gorgeous.” I wink at her.

“You must be Matt, you’re here for the interview, right?” Tyler extends his hand to me, and I shake it.

“That’d be me. Need a hand.” I motion to the frames he was hanging up when I walked in.

“Just tell me if it’s wonky.” He climbs onto a ladder, and I pass him the frame and take a step back. Whoever drew those flash designs is talented. I’m not one to go for them, but they are unique.

“A bit to the left.” I stand next to Mina, and we both tilt our head to the right.

“Better?” He moves the frame and looks back at us.

“Perfect.” I set my bag down and take off my leather jacket. I’m all about style, but it’s way too hot in here to keep it on. “Around what time does Nate usually comes in?” I ask Mina.

“He’s already here,” a voice says from behind me, scaring me to death.

“Are you trying to kill me?” I hold my hand to my chest willing my heart to slow down, but it’s not due to the fact that he scared me that my heart is racing. He looks f*cking hot today, hotter than usual. He’s usually wearing baggy clothes, but today they are hugging his muscles perfectly, showcasing his amazing body.

“Not particularly, no. Had a good night?” He smirks looking at me as he walks past me, and I do the usual head tilt to check his ass. No shame even if I’m supposed to be interviewing his boss.

“After all the yelling died down, yes. And you?”

“Not too bad after I kicked her out.” He chuckles.

“About time!” Mina exclaims.

“Let’s not ruin this good day,” he says as he disappears in the back of the shop, to his station I’m assuming.

“Are you ready to start or do you want to follow him for a quickie?” Tyler asks highly amused.

“Well…”

“Don’t even go there, Tyler! He’ll say yes,” Nate shouts from wherever he is.

“Let’s get started then.” We all chuckle and go to Tyler’s station.



Two hours later and I’m done with the interview. It was actually quite fun to get in the head of a tattoo artist. I never spend much time chatting with my usual tattoo artist and get to know him, but it gave me a different insight of their daily life and the ins and outs of opening a new shop.

It’s the second Smash Monkey tattoo parlor there is in Denver. The other one is not in the new city center, hence why he opened one here. Considering they already have a year’s worth of waiting list to get tattooed by their four artists from this shop, I’d say it’ll be doing well.

I pack up my stuff and walk out of Tyler’s station. Walking past Nate’s station to go back to the main part of the shop, I can’t help but look in. He looks sullen sitting there, by himself, drawing.

“You alright?” I ask, thinking I’ll startle him, but nope, the f*cker seemed to know I was there.

“I’ll be fine.” He looks up at me.

“How did you know I was here? Could smell my cologne?” I wink at him.

“Ex-military. I’ve been trained to know when someone is around me at all times. Although you do smell nice.” He gives me a hint of a smile.

“Makes sense, and I can suggest a few names that’d be perfect for you.”

“Are you trying to hint that I reek?” He chuckles.

“No, you smell of fresh clothes and freshly showered man. I like that.” I put my bag down and walk to the table he’s drawing on.