A new tattoo

~ SIENNA ~

        

I was sure I was dead so I didn’t bother moving my body at all. My only regret was dying with Harry’s name still branded on my skin. I didn’t have any children to will my properties to and better yet, I didn’t have any properties. The only people who would miss me were Margo, my dog Cakes, and maybe my parents sometimes?

        

It was Gavin's intoxicating scent that made me realize my nose still worked and so I was probably alive. I tried moving my arm and it moved. My eyes opened next, darting around the studio like I would be asked to draw it from memory soon. 

        

I expected a gaping opening in the glass and shards everywhere but all I saw on the affected spot was a small hole with cracks spread around it like sun rays. The studio itself was so undisturbed, it felt like what just happened didn’t happen. 

        

Gavin and I were still on the floor of the studio, his body suspended over mine so that his full weight wasn’t on me. Smart. Since I didn’t die from the gunshot, I wasn’t about to die of asphyxiation.

        

“What… Why…?” I didn’t even know what to ask.

        

“The studio is bulletproof,” he explained as he carefully detangled himself from me and stood up. “Stay here.” 

        

As if I would have moved an inch.

        

Gavin sauntered out of the studio. Through the glass, I could see what was happening outside. The same men in black from earlier had appeared and were mobbing the shooter. Gavin gave them some instructions and they dragged him away, probably not to cause a scene in the shop. 

        

It was many minutes before Gavin returned and found me in the same position as he left me, only that I was now trembling a bit less. 

        

“I asked you to stay here — in the studio, not on the floor,” he chided.

        

“Someone wants me dead, sir. I’m going to stay in whatever position makes me least noticeable.”

        

He gave a small laugh and I had to note how perfect his dentition was. “With all due respect, you don’t look like you’re a threat to anybody. That shot was for me and it’s taken care of now. It’s the last shot he’ll ever make.”

        

“But he pointed the gun at me.”

        

“You were standing in front of my table, remember? That was a calculated guess at where I would be. He can’t see inside the studio from outside.”

        

That much was true as I had noticed it myself. Also I couldn’t think of anyone I had offended so badly that they would want me dead. Except for that one girl who kept flirting with Harry back in college so I sent screenshots of the unsolicited messages she had sent to Harry, including nudes, to her fiancé. 

        

Okay, maybe Gavin was really the target but that didn’t make it any better. I realized I must have been blinded by his charm to not see how dangerous he looked — with the face scar and full body tattoo. Those men in black who took instructions from him didn’t look any less vicious. 

        

I immediately started feeling like I had come to the wrong place. These were savage men running a cartel. Maybe the tattoo business was just a front for something more dangerous. Something illegal. I mean, you don’t get a bulletproof studio unless you’re expecting bullets.

        

“Uhmmm… I think I’ll get the procedure done elsewhere,” I announced, finally leaving the safety of the cold floor.

        

“Somewhere better than GK Tattoos? With someone better than the Tattoo Master?”

        

“The Tattoo Master, who’s that?”

        

“You’re looking at him.”

        

Oh. 

        

I was already on my phone, searching for the closest tattoo shops with good reviews. “Well, it seems the Tattoo Master’s studio is not safe for his clients so…”

        

“How do you define safe?”

        

“Not having a gun shot in my direction while I’m trying to get a tattoo?”

        

“I would define safe as being in a bulletproof room which means the bullet cannot reach you. Safe is not being unexposed to danger, it is being protected from it,” he replied calmly, too calmly for someone who allegedly just survived a murder attempt.

        

“You should be arguing in a courtroom instead of drawing tattoos. Barrister Gavin sounds good.” 

        

“You’re right about that.” He settled on his chair. “Maybe if you show me the tattoo you want to cover up, I can get that done quickly and go back to the courthouse.”

        

“Your receptionist said you only take VIP clients. Why are you making an exception for someone who doesn’t even have an appointment?” I asked, holding my breath for his answer.

        

He rubbed his jaw. “Let’s see… because you look very important?”

        

I had to stop myself from blushing. “Is that also why you’re offering me free service?”

        

His expression turned solemn. “No, that’s because you’re the eleventh customer today. And I had decided to do this for whoever it was. To celebrate my mother’s posthumous birthday today, 11th May.”

        

I couldn’t tell if he was lying or telling the truth but my heart softened. “Happy posthumous birthday to her. She raised a… gangster.”

        

“Now you don’t want to make a gangster ask twice. Let me see the tattoo,” he said with exaggerated bravado, completing his performance with a funny growl which had me giggling like a schoolgirl.

        

Maybe it was the promise of an excellent — and free — service but I found my resolve to leave disappearing rather quickly. I convinced myself the gunshot ordeal was over, at least for today. I just had to get my tattoo, bolt out of here and never return.

        

“Waiting, Sienna,” Gavin reminded me, tapping a pen on the table. 

        

Lifting my T-shirt again, I turned my back to him. I heard his breath catch and wondered if that was because he also thought I was stupid for inking a man’s name on my body.

        

“Who’s Harry?” he asked. 

        

Was that part of protocol? Did he need to know whose name it was before drawing over it? I thought to lie but his tone wasn’t judgy so I answered honestly. 

        

“My ex-husband.”

        

“And this is your first tattoo?”

        

Thankfully, no further questions about the ex-husband. “Yes, first and only.”

        

“You know you could just just remove it instead of drawing over it if you’re not a fan of tattoos.”

        

I had thought of that but no, I wanted a coverup tattoo. It was going to be a bunch of zinnias, a flower that is known to thrive even in the harshest conditions. Drawing it over Harry’s name would be symbolic to say that regardless of my current challenges, I blossomed.

        

“No, I want a coverup. With zinnias.” I showed him the pictures of the flower I had saved on my phone. 

        

“Great. Always a pleasure to serve clients that know exactly what they want,” he said, handing me a paper and pen. “Please, read this and sign.”

        

While I read, he did some moving around, setting up the studio bed and preparing his work tools on a long table. 

        

The paper was essentially a consent form for me to, among other things, confirm that I wasn’t pregnant, intoxicated or allergic to certain substances. I signed it. 

        

Soon, I was lying on a leather bed while Gavin worked quietly, only speaking when he wanted to ask me about my pain levels. The procedure was more painful than I remembered and he explained that coverup tattoos tend to be more painful than fresh ones.

        

Eventually, the discomfort became manageable and I lost track of time listening to the buzzing of the tattoo machine. When he finally wiped my back with the cleansing foam, I was giddy with excitement and ready to see my new tattoo. 

        

“Please, I’d like to see a picture of it,” I requested.

        

“Of course.” 

        

He took a few pictures with his phone and handed it to me, a picture of my reddish back gracing the screen.

        

The ‘Harry’ tattoo was nowhere to be found. There were zinnia flowers quite alright, but just enough to create the perfect backdrop for the name ‘GAVIN’ written in bold block letters, even bolder than the previous tattoo had been. 

        

My wide smile disappeared.