Throttle Me (Men of Inked, #1)(42)

“You did with Kayden,” I said, smiling even though she couldn’t see me.

“I know,” she sighed. “I couldn’t imagine anyone else in my life. Kayden was it for me, babe. He ruined me and I could never be without him – I knew that after our first weekend together – it felt like all the planets aligned. I was finally with the man I was meant to be with my entire life.”

“I’m just going to enjoy his glorious body filled with extra holes and pretty pictures. Jesus, girl, you should see his fine ass naked.”

“Did you say ass?” she asked sounding shocked.

“I am an adult, Sophia. I do swear.”

“I think City’s dick stirred your brain and altered your thought pattern. My Suzy sunshine never uses profanity,” she bellowed.

“Suck it.”

“What am I sucking?” she asked fishing for me to say it.

“Kayden’s dong.” I started laughing at how immature that sounded.

“Listen, whore, no matter what you do – do not f*cking say ‘I want to suck your dong’ to City. His hard-on would vanish, as he would fall on the floor in a fit of laughter. It’s not sexy, not at all. Funny as f*ck? Yes, but not come here and f*ck me talk. Got it?”

“I know. Just wanted to see what you’d say.”

“Silly, girl. Oh, and don’t call it a penis. Use the dirtiest, crudest words you can think of when you speak to him. Men love it dirty and raw. If you can find it in the health teacher’s textbook, avoid it like the plague.”

“Got it. Alright, I’m going to go get ready.”

“Where you going so early? Your ass usually isn’t out of bed before noon and it’s only eleven.”

“I have grocery shopping to do today and I feel like browsing at a couple of stores. I plan to look at all the things I’ll never be able to buy. A girl can dream, right?”

“Grocery shop today and window browse tomorrow. I’m so glad we have a long weekend and I want to go shopping and have a girl’s day out. We need to practice your dirty talk.”

“Don’t you want to stay home with him and Jett?” I asked, walking in my bedroom searching my closet for something to wear.

“Nah, let them have some male bonding time. What time you want to pick me up tomorrow?” she asked.

“Noon, okay?”

“I’ll be waiting for you, my pretty.” She cackled as she hung up the phone and I shook my head. Sophia was going to make it a very long day.





“Come on you big *, let’s go inside,” Sophia said, yanking my arm as we sat in the parking lot of Inked. Once Sophia had something in her mind, she was like an Italian woman I knew – totally unbendable.

“Sophia, please. It’s not nice to surprise him at work. What happen with the ‘no cling’ stuff?” I shook my head and put all my weight on the seat.

“It’s not clingy. I want a damn tattoo. I want to surprise Kayden and I never get a chance. I either have the baby or him with me. I’d rather him do it than some stranger. Please get out of the car before I pull you out by your hair.” Her hands were on her hips and she was giving me the pushy teacher look that always cracked me up. Sophia was just as much of a softy as I was, but her look was nastier and usually made people do as they were told.

“Fine, but when it all implodes I’m blaming your bossy butt.” I closed the doors and hit my remote twice, making sure that no one could steal my collection of vintage hip hop cassettes.

Sophia whistled as we approached the door. “This is a nice shop, not like most of the shit ass tattoo places around here.” She grabbed the door handle and my palms began to sweat as my heart pounded in my chest, causing my breathing to grow ragged.

“Can I help you ladies?” a man asked. He looked like a younger version of City. His muscles bulged from under his shirt, his arms covered in tattoos flexed as he rose from his chair.

“I’d like to get a tattoo today. Any possibility of that?” Sophia asked.

Looking around the shop as Sophia spoke with the one of the Gallo boys, I took in all the vibrant colors on the walls – reds and oranges with yellow on the ceilings. No white space invaded this realm of his life.

I walked over to the beautiful artwork on the walls to get a closer look. The pieces on the wall were body parts that had been decorated with some of the most stunning work I’d ever seen. I turned my head and my stomach dropped. City was sitting next to a beautiful brunette with his hand on her breast and his face only inches away. They were laughing and talking, but he didn’t see me. They looked comfortable together, like there was something between them, or maybe there had been at some point. My heart thumped against my chest and I felt flushed looking at them.

I walked back by the desk quickly and grabbed Sophia’s arm. “Can we go, please?” I asked quietly.

She turned around and gave me a confused look. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s touching some girls boob and I just can’t look at it. It hurts to see it.”

She touched my shoulder. “Babe, it’s a ‘boob’. He’s an artist and some girls like tattoos on their breasts. It’s like a gynie looking at a snatch; it’s just another body part. Don’t get caught up in what you think you see.” She smiled.