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“It isn’t a dungeon.”

“It is a dungeon, Bryce. And you should be charging people for your work. You’re incredible,” Anna says, watching me with that soft look of hers.

My skin tightens with discomfort as I continue to keep my late-night tattoo work to myself. They wouldn’t judge me for tattooing those desperate enough to get one in the middle of the night, but I’m not ready to tell them about it yet. I haven’t been ready for the last year.

“I’m tattooing two letters into Poppy’s ass.”

“So? Is that supposed to prove something?” Poppy asks.

“I tattoo to take the edge off. It’s not a stable job idea in Cherry Peak.”

“Neither was my hair salon,” Anna says.

Poppy makes a noise in her throat. “Or my pole studio.”

They’re fair statements. Doesn’t mean I want to take them into consideration right now. The thought of opening a tattoo shop gives me anxiety. In a town as small as Cherry Peak, the judgment is always there regardless of what you do or say. It’s gotten better over the years, but with the number of wrinkled assholes packed into the streets on the daily, it’s hard to believe it’ll ever fully change.

I’ve watched Poppy be treated like a filthy freak for opening a pole studio and have received more than enough dirty looks for the ink on my skin. Their opinions don’t matter to me, but they would have to if I were to open a real business here.

Not to mention, I have a terrible inability to keep my mouth shut when someone pisses me off. I’ve made my fair share of enemies in this town with my sharp retorts and middle fingers. A potential shop wouldn’t last a week with how quickly I’d get myself in hot water. At least those who seek me out now know exactly who I am and love my workenough not to complain. A brick through my window sounds like a pain.

With a final glide of the needle, I finish theDand wipe it and the rest of the tattoo clean before turning the gun off. The cursive writing is clean and precise. Fucking pretty, even. I push away from the table and reach for my favourite ointment before slathering it over the raised skin.

“Do you want me to cover this? Or are you going to peel off whatever I put on the moment you get home?” I ask.

Poppy stretches her arms out in front of her and groans. “Since you’re so worried about me, put the damn cover on, and I promise to leave it for a couple of days.”

“So generous.” I cover her tattoo with a sticky film and pinch the inside of her thigh. “You’re done. And like I said before, it’ll hurt to sit for a few days, so take it easy.”

Anna giggles. “That seems more like a warning you should be giving Garrison.”

I crinkle my nose in disgust. “Pass.”

Poppy slides off the table and smooths down her dress before moving to the standing mirror I have propped up against a softened wooden beam.

Fine. Maybe dungeon isn’t that far off after all.

With a tight grip on her dress, Poppy twists and lifts it to expose her ass again. Her eyes latch onto the initials that appear in the mirror when she bends slightly. I watch her face for a reaction, some small part of me always hungry for praise when it comes to my tattooing work.

“Yup. He’s going to shit a brick when he sees this,” she says, swaying her ass in the mirror. “It’s perfect.”

I take the compliment and leave her to continue checking herself out. Busying myself with cleaning up, I tune in to the music playing from my speaker on the small workbench left here by the previous tenant and fight a wince.

The country music is low and slow, the lyrics drawled in the way I can’t stand. It’s almost like nails on a chalkboard, but I’vekept that to myself my entire life. Especially now that Anna’s decided to marry a goddamn country superstar this upcoming summer.

“Are you sure we can’t convince you to get something, Anna?” Poppy asks her, coming to my side, dress swishing at her thighs again.

“Someday, maybe,” Anna answers.

Poppy yawns. “Boring.”

“If I buy you a drink, can we forget about the whole tattoo Anna thing?”

“Depends on what type of drink.”

“Whatever your heart desires, baby cakes.”

Anna moves to my other side and gathers the ointment and stack of wraps from the table before putting them back where I grabbed them from.