Hate You: Chapter 5

My head’s fucking spinning as I close my studio door behind me and lean back against it. Is Titch right? Is all that my fault?

I should have let her continue in her posh girl clothes. At least then all she did was piss me off. Now, she pisses me off while I picture doing wicked things to her in my head that are no good for anyone.

Don’t fuck your staff no matter how hot they are, I say to myself as a reminder.

I need to stay away from her—not that that’s going to be all that easy when she spends her time only feet away from me.

Fucking hell.

Trying to push the image of her from my head, I fall on my chair and pull up today’s schedule. I’m packed out all day, it doesn’t even look like I’m getting a fucking lunch break. Well, I guess that’s what happens when I disappear on regulars for almost three weeks.

It can’t be ten minutes later when there’s a knock at my door. Assuming it’s my first client, I call out for whoever it is to enter but keep my eyes on my screen as I try to rack my brain for what we were working on before I went away.

Sadly, when the door’s cracked open, I know who it is even before she speaks. Her perfume fills the room and my mouth waters.

“I… uh… brought you a coffee. Not that you deserve it.” She mutters the last bit under her breath.

“I pay your wages, I’m pretty sure I deserve it.” I spin on my chair and pin her with a look that stops her walking any farther into the room.

“No, that just means that I should do my job. At no point have I seen anywhere that it’s required for me to be nice to you.” The second she says it she slams her lips together, her eyes widening in shock.

Her panic that she’s just spoken that way to her boss tells me a lot about her. Mostly that she probably is the posh girl I believe her to be who follows orders and doesn’t ever speak out of turn—apart from with me, it seems.

Pushing my chair out behind me, I stand and stalk over to her, my eyes taking a slow perusal of her body as I move.

“You know… there’s a tradition around here. I’m not sure if Titch told you.” She bites down on her bottom lip and shakes her head slightly, her chest beginning to rise and fall rapidly with my approach. “Yeah, see, in order to work here, you need ink. And that ink can only be applied by me.”

“Who says I haven’t got any already?”

“You might have a tat or two hiding under these clothes, Tabby Cat. Although I very much doubt it.” She bristles at my use of the nickname she apparently hates so much. I lean in to whisper and chuckle when she tries to move away. Sadly the only place she’s going is up against the wall, which isn’t a terrible idea. “But, if there is then I know for a fucking fact that I didn’t do it. I assure you that if you were laid out on my table that I’d remember. I’m pretty sure you would too.”

“Y-yeah, why’s that?” she asks, but the way she tenses makes me wonder if she’s already regretting the question.

“I always remember the virgins.” I pull back and look at her. Her usually grey eyes flash with a little blue.

“Well, like I said, I’m not. So if you don’t mind, I’ve got work to do.” She presses her delicate hands to my chest and my heart pounds against them. I don’t know whether to knock them off or to pull her closer. New looks aside, everything about this woman is everything I hate and everything I’ve tried to escape from.

“Prove it,” I taunt.

She takes a step away but holds my eyes. “No.” They narrow with contempt. My need to win the challenge she unknowingly set out in reception becomes even more possible to deny. The only question is, how long am I going to be able to hold off? Should I just fuck her now and send her on her merry way back to her privileged life, or should I have a little fun first?

The bell from the front door fills the silent space around us as our eye contact holds, the air crackling with hate and desire. She’s trying to look unaffected by me, but she’s doing a really shitty job of it.

“You should probably go and see who that is. You know, do that job I pay you for.”

She sucks in a breath and shoves my coffee into my chest. The hot liquid splashes over the side, lightly scalding my skin before she turns to leave.

“Tabby Cat?” She stops but she doesn’t turn back to me. “I will find that ink. If it so exists.”

“No fucking chance.” And then she’s gone, leaving only her tempting scent behind her.

I don’t get to dwell on it because no sooner has she gone than my first client of the day is standing in my doorway. The second I see him, I remember exactly what we were working on.

“It’s good to see you, Mark. Grab a seat.”

We chat for a few minutes to confirm what we’re adding to his design before he drops his jeans to the chair on the other side on the room and climbs up into position.

The second my gun comes to life, I forget about everything with Tabitha and just focus on the task in hand. Just as it’s always been since I did my first tattoo at fourteen, the world falls away and the only thing that matters is the marks I’m making, the permanent art that my client is allowing me to stain their skin with.

I stop a few times to drink what’s left in my mug of coffee and to give Mark a short break as I work on the design we started a while ago on his leg.

By the time he’s done, my hand aches but the muscles that were knotted in my shoulder have all relaxed and I feel more like myself than I have done in a while.

I expect my next client to appear seeing as we’ve now got a receptionist who’s good at her job according to the others, but even long after Mark has left no one appears at my door.

With a sigh, I get up and walk her way. I come to a stop in the doorway to reception and take her in. She’s sitting behind the desk, her full attention on the screen in front of her while her lips move in time with the music that’s quietly playing.

She doesn’t notice me approach, so when I do announce my arrival she almost jumps out of her seat.

“Where’s my next client? I thought you said I was fully booked.”

“Jesus, Zach. Are you trying to kill me?”

“Chance would be a fine thing. I can’t even get rid of you,” I mutter, but from the narrowing of her eyes I’m thinking she heard me.

“I don’t know. I’ve tried ringing her but it keeps going to voicemail, so I’m assuming she’s not coming.”

I lean myself against the door frame as I look her over. “I guess I’ve got time then. Wanna play?”

“Not with you.”

“Burn,” Titch says, emerging from his room just as Tabitha tries to put me in my place. “He bothering you again?”

“Isn’t he always?”

“I can kick his arse for you, if you like.”

“Fuck off can you.” I laugh, but it’s not because it’s true. His nickname might be Titch but don’t make the mistake that it’s because he’s small—he’s anything but. He’s also spent time in the London underground fighting ring, so I most definitely wouldn’t back myself should he turn on me.

“I’m not sure I could handle hearing you scream like a little pussy when I put you down. But don’t think I won’t for this one.”

My fists curl as he walks over to her desk and drops down in front of it so he can have a private conversation with her. I’ve no fucking clue what they’re talking about, for all I know it’s something as innocent as his next appointment, but fuck if seeing them together sharing some kind of secret doesn’t make something stir uncomfortably in my stomach. I want to be the one to make her squirm, to make her scream.

Stop it, she’s your employee.

“Something going on here I should know about?” I stalk towards the desk, looking between the two of them and hoping that I look pissed off rather than the other feeling that’s racing wildly through my veins that I don’t want to identify.

“We’re good. Titch was just being nice. I’m not sure that’s something you’d understand.”

“Try me.” She shakes her head, takes something from Titch’s hand and stands from the desk.

“I’m just popping out. I won’t be long, I’m sure you’re more than capable of holding the fort.”

“This is my fucking business,” I fume.

“Exactly,” she sneers at me.

I should walk away, but my eyes refuse to move as she grabs her jacket from the coat rack behind her and pulls it on. Her t-shirt lifts and reveals an inch of perfect milky skin. My mouth waters but not before I feel the burning stare of my best friend.

“I won’t be long,” she says to Titch, walking towards the door.

“Wait,” I bark. “Pick me up some lunch while you’re out.”

“No,” she says, a smirk playing on her lips when she turns back to look at me.

“No?”

“No. Not unless you ask nicely.”

I roll my eyes. Is this woman for fucking real? “Please, Tabby Cat, could you get me some lunch?”

“I’ll see what I can do.” She’s gone before I have the opportunity to tell her what I want.

“What?” I snap at Titch who’s still staring at me like I’ve grown a second head.

“You like her, don’t you?”

“No, she’s fucking annoying and everything I hate. You should know that.”

“So, hot as shit, witty as fuck, and totally your type is everything you hate?”

“She’s just…” I trail off, trying to find the right words to describe my newest pain in the arse employee that I had nothing to do with hiring.

“Everything you want?”

“No, she’s really fucking not.”

“That’s good, because I think she’s awesome.”

“Good for you.”

“So you don’t mind if I make a move?” I can’t tell if he’s being serious or just trying to piss me off enough to get a reaction out of me. Whatever it is, I refuse to show that his words affect me in any way.

“Nope. Eat your heart out.”

A wicked smile turns up at the corner of his mouth. “Was thinking about a work night out. Welcome her to Rebel properly. What do you say?”

“Whatever. I’ve got work to do.”

I walk away from him before the warning on the tip of my tongue to stay away from her sneaks out, giving away everything I’m thinking right now.

There’s no fucking way he’s sinking his teeth into Tabitha. If anyone’s going to get her then it’s me. When I want, where I want, and exactly how I want.

I disappear back to my room, leaving Titch to plan his night out. If he really thinks that he’s going to get a chance with Tabitha then he’s got another think coming.

I click about on the computer for a bit but don’t do anything of any importance. I can’t get the hopeful look in Titch’s eyes from my head, or the way they leaned into each other as they whispered about fuck knows what.

When her soft knock sounds out on my door, I’m just about ready to call it a day and get out of here and leave her and Titch to it, but I’ve got a ton of clients to get through yet.

“What?” I bark, pushing my chair out with such force it slams against the unit behind me.

“Did you want this now?”