Desire: A Single Dad Contemporary Romance Read online

  “Find anything you like?” he asks suggestively.

  “I was thinking of getting a star tat,” I say with conviction. I have finally decided not to let him play with my nerves anymore.

  “Like your name, Stella?” Zac frowns. “Good idea, I like that.”

  “Yeah, laser brain, like Stella or star in Italian. You catch on real fast,” I laugh, happy that some of my old confidence is back.

  Next to me, Crystal bursts out laughing. Even Cornelius and Chase manage to join in, although they are quickly silenced by a withering glare from Zac.

  “So, you’re sure that you want it down there?” Zac points at my pelvis area with a casual finger. “It’s a sort of permanent arrangement, so I’d be pretty sure about where you want it and if you want a tat at all.”

  I pleat my brow. I hadn’t thought of all that. So far, I had been convinced that I wanted a star tat. I only pointed at my sex earlier to get his attention. Somehow, being around Zac seemed like the most important thing and nothing else mattered.

  “Come back when you know what you want.” Zac moves around the counter with lighting speed. He holds out the wad of bills.

  “Here—I want it here, and yes, I’m sure about it,” I say, pointing to a spot slightly to the left of my mons pubis. I give him a devious smile when I see him gulp. At least he isn’t a guy who would only go for me because of my dad’s money. The fact that he might get to see my pussy appears to be enough incentive for him to work on me. I laugh inwardly because if Troy were a tattoo artist, he’d do it for the money alone.

  “The mons Venus. Yeah, I think that would look sexy.” Zac flashes me a devastating smile and winks. He turns around and vanishes to the back of the store.

  I frown. He didn’t even hang around to flirt a little more. I bet that, had I offered to show that much of my body to Chase, he would have had a premature ejaculation. Zac behaves as if he’s seen a dozen hot women down there before. The notion makes me feel weird. Am I jealous?

  “Are you sure that you want it there and not on your ass?” asks Crystal, who has totally recovered from the earlier situation. She’s back to her old, waffling self.

  I shrug. “Sure, why not?”

  “Okay, but have you considered your ankle or maybe your right shoulder blade? That could be pretty cool too.”

  “Nah, I wanna go for the one right here.” I point to the place hidden under my panties and skirt.

  “Why there?”

  Crystal is starting to piss me off. If she wants a tat, she can damn well place it where she wants, but this is mine and I will put it where I want to. I am about to tell her that the spot I chose is super sexy and also off my dad’s radar, when Zac’s deep voice announces that he’s ready for me.

  “Do you want Beavis and Butthead to join you?” he asks, stepping out from behind the back, and pointing at Cornelius and Chase, who laugh stupidly at his joke.

  I had totally forgotten about our two bar room conquests and the bet. I guess that I am too distracted. Also, it bothers me that Zac has put his t-shirt back on. He looked so much better without it.

  “And?” he prompts.

  Man, he’s impatient. Yes, mm, no, I don’t want them here.

  “Uh, no. This is like, really private.” It is only when the words pass my lips that the full reality of my predicament kicks in. It won’t be long now and the super hot tattoo artist will be probing around my private parts with his needles and fingers. The notion makes my pussy dissolve into a sweltering mess. I worry that I will start writhing around on the chair when he touches me there or make a complete fool of myself because it will hurt so much.

  “Take the hint, guys, and get the fuck outta here.” Zac moves in on the Stanford Connection like a tank. “There’s a bar around the corner. You can wait there if you must. Now beat it.”

  Zac doesn’t have to ask twice. Cornelius and Chase rush to the door and leave without saying goodbye.

  “Hey, Zac. I liked Cornelius,” moans Crystal.

  Zac brushes past her. “Well, Cornelius only liked the idea of humping your pussy. Trust me. I know the type.” Once he’s past Crystal, Zac grabs my hand and leads me to the back of his store.

  It feels as if my hand is going to burn off. The feel of his touch passes through my skin and enters my bones. I gasp and pull against him.

  “You okay, Stella?” he asks, without looking at me.

  “I’m nervous,” I say.

  “You don’t have to do this, Stella.” Crystal moves forward and faces Zac. “Give my friend her money back. This was just all some stupid bet, and now that you’ve scared the guys away, there’s no need for her to go through with it.” Crystal has her hands on her hips like she always does when she wants to make a point.

  Zac’s gaze shifts to me. “Your friend is right. If you ask me, getting a tattoo as a dare is a pretty fucking stupid thing to do.” He looks at Crystal. “And you’re some kind of friend if you’d let her do it on account of two guys.” Zac shakes his head in disgust. “You could’ve come to her defense a little earlier. I guess now that there’s nobody around to fuck, you can act all sisterly again.”

  Zac moves off, leaving a chastened Crystal behind him. I look at Crystal and stroke her hand. “It’s okay,” I whisper. She nods and mouths that she’s sorry. What Zac said impressed me. Here is a no-nonsense guy who spoke his mind, so unlike the majority of people in L.A. “Hey, you, Zac. I want the tat.”

  “Sure about that?” he asks, sticking his head through the door. The relief on his face is palpable.

  Somehow, I think that it’s not only because of the money. “Yeah, I’m sure.” I have to force the words past my lips. I am still worried about the pain and the embarrassment of having him work so close to my most intimate of places. I’m not sure what’s going to be worse. Fuck it, I’ve wanted to do something for me for a while now. I always do everything my dad asks of me. I even considered marrying Troy because he liked him so much. Yeah, this is for me, I convince myself.

  “Good. Take off your skirt and panties and lie down,” he says, storming into the room. Zac doesn’t wait around for me to respond or do his bidding. Instead, he moves around, collecting whatever he needs. He places a towel on the tattoo bed that’s already covered and turns to look at me. He places his hands on his hips. His chest swells up even more when he does that.

  “You want me to take your panties off for you?”

  My eyes open wide. The idea turns me on. I bite on my lower lip like virgin who’s seen her first erection. “I think I can manage,” I stutter. Jolts of anger shoot through my head. Why am I behaving so girlishly? My dad would cut me out of his will if he saw me.

  Regaining my senses, I look around. “And where am I supposed to get undressed? Do you have a changing room?”

  “Does this look like Saks Fifth Avenue to you?” he points to where I stand. “Just take your skirt and panties off and put ‘em on the table over there. Then get your sweet ass over here.” The authority in his voice makes me quiver. He stands there, staring at me.

  “Can you at least turn around so I can do this privately?” I say, raising my chin.

  He rolls his eyes. “Sure.” Zac turns, and I swear I can hear him snickering.

  7

  Zacchary

  The way her nose crinkles when she gives an order is kind of sexy. I have to control myself not to burst out laughing. She actually thinks that she has to lie down on the bed in the nude and spread her legs while I give her a tat. What does she think this is? Some sort of sex parlor?

  “I’m ready, Zac.” Stella’s voice has none of the haughtiness from before. It’s more of a squeak. Crystal is still hovering around in the background, not really knowing what to do with herself. My dressing down earlier has taken the wind out of her sails.

  I turn, and swallow when I see her standing before me. Stella holds her panties and skirt in front of her sex so that I can’t see her full nakedness. A flush of red creeps up her neck and is the only tellta
le sign that she’s nervous. I stifle a gasp, not wanting her to see how much I approve of her fit body.

  “Here, take this.” I spin around and grab a towel from the chair, which I hand to Stella. She smiles at me, obviously relieved at not having to go through the entire process with nothing covering her lower body. I manage a brief glimpse of her pussy when she places her clothing on the table and wraps the towel around her waist. Jesus, it’s perfect. I knew that it would be as trimmed as her perfectly groomed eyebrows. My cock jolts at the imagery.

  “So, where do you want me?”

  I want you sitting on my cock. I’m having incredible difficulty controlling the beast in my pants. It takes a few moments for me to find the words to respond to her question. “Just lie down, and we can get started.”

  Stella walks up to the tattoo bed and lies down. I can see that she’s trying to put on a very brave show for me. “What happens now?” There’s a slight quiver in her voice.

  Without asking, I lift the towel a little and take a peek under it. I nod my approval at the total lack of pubic hair.

  “What are you doing?” snorts Crystal, barging forward from the back of the room. She’s one of those types that don’t stay down for long. “You peeking under the towel is so not professional.” She places her hands on her hips.

  I roll my eyes. “How am I supposed to work if I don’t check out the area for the tattoo first?” I snap. My gaze is piercing. The entire time my hand remains perched on Stella’s thigh. When I see Crystal struggle to seek out a witty retort, I turn my attention back to Stella. “If you don’t want me probing around down there, I suggest you choose another spot for the tattoo.”

  Stella thinks for a moment. She swallows. I love the way her full lips shudder as she does this. When she runs the tip of her pink tongue over her lower lip, I have to force down a groan. I start to think of the money and what I can get Azure. I do everything to get the image of the woman who is starting to drive me wild with desire out of my head. I swore to myself many years ago, when my marriage to my little girl’s mom came to a despicable end, that there would be no train of girls stepping in and out of my bed. Sure, I give in to my bodily needs from time to time, but my brief tumbles are always out of the house and away from Azure.

  “I still want it here.”

  Stella’s voice rouses me out of my contemplation. I look up. She’s lifted the towel a little and points to the spot where she’d like me to put the tat. My eyes remain fixated on the slight mound of her mons pubis. Her finger rests on the spot very close to her sex. I have to control myself not to let my gaze linger on the folds of her flesh that start to part and descend between her legs.

  “See anything you like?”

  My eyes snap up. There’s an impish grin skirting her lips. I realize that the once nervous woman has the upper hand now. She’s enjoying my discomfort. Her blue eyes have a sparkle in them that is both inviting and playful. Is she flirting with me?

  “Cat got your tongue or what?” Stella laughs. The sound is husky, promising endless sexual innuendo. “I thought that you were the one who said that he wants to get home before dawn. If we keep going at this rate, I will have to throw in breakfast later.”

  Somehow the notion of having breakfast with her appeals to me. I force the idea to the back of my mind as I adopt a professional mien. I nod. “Okay, let’s get started.”

  I get up and walk over to the shelves ling the wall. With a nod of approval, I select a folder. “Here, take a look at some of the imagery while I clean you up,” I say, handing Stella the binder. “You’ll find the star tats near the back.”

  Stella looks at me quizzically. I don’t know why. I sit down, swiveling on my chair and turn around to grab a pair of latex gloves from a box on the table. I put them on. I pick up a glass bottle and pour some of the liquid therein onto a cotton swab. I look up. “What?”

  “Are you afraid I’ve got crabs or something?” Stella indicates with a flick of her head at the gloves on my hands. Her brow is pleated. “I had a shower before heading out tonight, you know.”

  I guffaw. “I’m just being professional. You don’t want some dude you don’t know poking around down there.”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Her tone is suggestive.

  I flash her a smile and flick my head up. “Choose the artwork you like.”

  Pouting, Stella opens the binder and starts to flip the plastic pages.

  8

  Stella

  “Oh.”

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, it just tickles a little.” My teeth rest on my lower lip as I look at the gorgeous hunk of a man. He’s so confident. I’ve never met a guy like him before. He’s got a front row seat with a view of my pussy, and he doesn’t even have a red tint on his skin. He must’ve seen so many naked women in his line of work. A frown skirts my brow briefly. I bet that’s not the only time he gets to see girls with no clothes on.

  I swallow when he gets back to swabbing above my sex with the cotton doused in alcohol. Despite the gloves, the feel of his hands so close to my pussy sends ribald innuendo shooting through my brain like a searing inferno. Instinctively, I spread my legs some more. I could curse at him for not even noticing the gesture.

  With a slight nod of approval, Zac stops what he’s doing and chucks the cotton into the bin. He grabs a razor.

  “Hey, as I’m sure you’ve already seen, I have no hair down there.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Not saying anymore, Zac unpacks the razor from the plastic packaging. He scrapes it over my skin a few times before throwing it too into the bin. “As hairless as a baby’s bottom.” He winks at me. “I had to be extra sure. The area where the tat goes needs to be entirely void of hair, but you’re right . . . you are pretty bare down there.”

  “Well, thank you very much for saying that.” I cross my arms over my chest. “What happens now?”

  He arches his eyebrows. The action makes Zac look mischievous. “You were supposed to be choosing the artwork that you want.” He leans back and studies me carefully. “What’d you pick?”

  I swallow. I haven’t looked at any of the many images of stars in the file. I look down and flick a few pages until I see something I like. “This one.” I hand him the binder.

  “A shooting star . . . cool.” Zac gets up and walks over to a machine that looks like a fax. He removes the image with the shooting star and inserts it into the appliance.

  “What are you doing?”

  Zac turns around. The sight of his strong physique pressing against his t-shirt sends a sweet electrical current up my back. I’d so love for him to remove his top off again so that I could get another look at his abs and pecs.

  “This is a thermal fax to make the stencils. It will transfer the image of your tattoo from this,” Zac lifts up the paper with the star, “onto the thermal paper. It saves hours in tracing time. Or did you want something a little more customized?”

  “What?” His gaze is disconcerting. I can’t get it out of my mind that he’s going to be staring right at my pussy. I feel the heat rise up to my face. Instinctively, I push the towel down some more and press my legs together.

  “Do you want me to draw you your own star? Although, I have to say that you chose my newest star design. I’ve never used it before. So, it’s like having your own custom-made tat.”

  God, I’ve got to stop thinking that he’s checking me out. This man has absolutely no interest in me whatsoever. The notion makes the color of the skin on my face darken even more when I realize that Zac hadn’t been staring between my legs, but at the table with his utensils. I turn.

  “Don’t bother asking for her advice. Crystal’s been passed out the past ten minutes. A very nice turn of events if you ask me. So, what’s it going to be?”

  I see my best friend sprawled on a chair with her chin resting on her chest. All the alcohol we had drunk had taken effect. I smile wanly when I see Crystal mutter something in her sleep. With a sigh, I turn back to face the i
mpatient guy waiting for me to make my decision. “Let’s stick with the tattoo I chose. Only if you promise me that you won’t use it on anybody else’s private parts.” I say, giggling somewhat stupidly.

  “Sure, it will be like I drew it only for you.” Zac spins around and starts to feed the paper into the thermal fax machine. After a few seconds, it spews out a thin sheet of paper. Zac pulls it out of the fax with a little too much force. He turns and walks back to his seat, positioned in front of me. Without speaking, Zac places his hands on my legs and starts to force them apart gently.

  I love the way he looks when he concentrates. It makes Zac look far less intimidating. I realize that he’s taken special care to keep as much of my pussy covered as possible. In reality, I want him to look at me down there, and have the very same expression etched onto his features that I believe to have noticed before. I mentally envisage that it would be what he would look like if he was pleasuring me with his mouth.

  “Is this about right?”

  “What?” My eyes refocus until I see his blue eyes boring into me.

  “Is this the spot where you want your tat?”

  I feel Zac’s finger press against my skin close to my sex. Something electric flies between us. I try to ignore it and focus on where I want my tattoo. My scrutiny skirts lower. At the same time, I feel relieved to be free of his piercing gaze but also disappointed to no longer be held in its thrall. “Yeah, that’s perfect.” I look up. Zac is still looking at my face. He smiles when our gazes fix.

  “Great, let me trace the design onto your skin and then we can get down to the real business.” His voice is deep and throaty, like that of a lion when it growls.

  “What are you doing now?”

  “I’m going to rub some soapy water onto your skin to moisten it before I press the design work there.”