Rocked (Rock & Romance II.)

Chapter 42. - The Devil and I Get Along Just Fine

A/N: Took a little breather to finish out school, now here I am again! Enjoy this super long treat! xx

***

*Ash*

I waited to grab my phone until I heard the slam of the front door. The sound was familiar - after all, Gia wasn't the first female to storm out of my house in the morning.

But she was sure as fuck the first one I wanted to stay.

I didn't know what the hell has changed since last night. I replayed the night in my head over and over, just to make sure I didn't make up the way she screamed my name, or how she looked at me as I brought her to orgasm for the third time. Yup, she definitely wasn't faking that!

My father always said that women were mysterious. That no sane person could predict their mood shifting from one moment to the next. Now I was starting to think the old man was onto something...

There was no point in listening for the sound of her car starting up. She drove a sensible hybrid, and my house was soundproofed. Nothing in and most importantly, nothing out. I didn't care for the soothing sound of the ocean waves in the background - I wanted to blast rock and roll at four in the morning on a school night and not get shitted on by the neighbors.

So I gave it a couple more minutes to make sure she wasn't returning, before dialing the most recent number in my phone. Lucky for me, he picked up on the first ring. "My man!" He greeted, sounding tipsy despite it being seven in the morning.

"Brian," I murmured. "Are you still living on the wild side?"

"You know it!" He laughed, and if I wasn't mistaken, he took a drag from an e-cigarette. "In fact, I'm still out and at it."

"I'm proud of you," I said unenthusiastically. "Let me make a few calls and I'll text you the address. Be there in an hour!"

***

An hour later, the tires of my muscle car came to a screeching halt in an empty parking lot. After three knocks on a door with a 'closed' sign dangling proudly on it, a familiar face threw it open. "I was still sleeping, man!" Jax complained, holding the door wider for me to pass through. "You couldn't be like all the other rock stars and come at fucking midnight?!"

"I'm on another level, friend," I grinned and was just about to say something when a second car turned in the parking lot. A stumbling Brian got out of the backseat before the darkened SUV sped away.

"My driver had a long night. Excuse his manners..." He shook his head, joining us in the lobby of the empty tattoo parlor.

"I'm going to bet it had nothing to do with driving you around all night and into the bright morning." Jax snorted. "I can't tattoo him, Ash. He's wasted - you know the rules!" He pointed to the wall behind him, where a large, intricately written sign read 'If you're shit-faced, get the fuck out of my place'.

"Warm welcome to the customers," I commented, already walking to the back. "Get some coffee brewing for him - by the time you're done with me, he'll be good as new."

Jax looked skeptical of that but didn't argue. He left for the kitchen, no doubt, while Brian and I moved to the furthest room from the entrance - the one Jax, the owner of the tattoo parlor, worked in.

"What are we doing here?" Brian asked, stepping into the room.

"Look, I know you're drunk-" I paused. "-or high. This is a tattoo shop. We're here to pop your cherry."

Brian's eyes looked huge as he looked around.

"There are some books of his designs and pictures of Jax's work over there. Figure out what you want - Jax recommends starting with something small, but if you want to get your whole back done the first time, I say fucking go for it!" When my friend didn't respond, I stepped closer to him and laid a hand on his shoulder.