you
thoroughly, probably more than once.”
Julius blinked at her bluntness, but Athena smiled at him.
“I’m not much for the road not taken, Julius,” she admitted.
“I want to try everything.” She rose to her feet, her fingertips sliding along
his jaw in a slow caress. “And so far, you’ve managed to evade sampling.”
She touched her lips to his before he could think of a thing
to say, her tongue darting between his parted lips. She made a little growl,
then speared her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer. “I knew you would
be worth the wait,” she murmured, then kissed him so thoroughly that Julius
forgot about everything except the temptress in his arms.
* * *
The tattoo shop was perfect, exactly as Louise would have
expected a tattoo shop to look. It was all black and red, dripping with Gothic
details and booming with loud rock music. There were binders of stock designs
on a front counter, with teenagers draped over them, choosing favorites. One
wall was covered with photographs of completed work, all of it from the same
masterful hand. The photographs were signed, but she couldn’t decipher the
signature.
A woman in tall platform boots, her blonde hair spiked and
tipped in pink, gave her a cool survey. Then she saw Charlie and her eyes lit
with pleasure. They exchanged hugs—Louise noticed that Charlie pinched
the woman’s ass, and that she evidently liked it—then he introduced
Louise to Desdemona.
“Is the master around?” he asked, his choice of phrase
making Louise wonder if tattoos were all that happened in this place.
“Just finishing up in the private room,” she said, glancing
at the clock. “He’s doing Amanda’s commemorative today.”
“Commemorative of what?” Louise asked.
“She knows Amanda, too,” Charlie supplied. Louise didn’t
think it tactful to mention that she’d tricked Amanda. She’d been punished for
that deception, so maybe they could let bygones be bygones.
Desdemona looked around, then leaned closer, dropping her
voice. “Of the Plume. He’s doing the type today.”
“Property of...?” Charlie asked.
Desdemona smiled. “Of course. Once a member, always a
member.”
Louise looked between them as an idea dawned. “Are there
lots of people getting those?”
“Well, yeah,” Desdemona said. “Ever since Zeke came up with
the peacock design, people keep coming in. Amanda has been pretty tough about
verifying that they really were Plume members before they get the tattoo,
though.”
“I’ll bet,” Charlie said.
“Can I see the design?” Louise asked.
Desdemona nodded and pulled out a binder that was stashed in
a cupboard under the counter. On the front page was a swirling design of a
peacock feather. It tilted to the right, then the vein of the feather
gracefully swirled to the left, like a mirrored S. It swirled into a circle
below the eye of the feather and there were different suggestions of type. All
of them said “Property of the Plume” but some were script and others were
simple. Some remained within the circle, others overlapped it, and one echoed
the curl of the feather’s vein. There were sketches of the feather in black
outline, in shades of gray and in color. The subsequent pages were photographs
of tattoos.
“Most of them are still healing,” Desdemona said. “There are
a lot more we need to document in the next couple of weeks.”
“I wonder where I could fit in a feather,” Charlie mused.
“Back of your left shoulder,” Desdemona said. “There’s a
small gap that would be perfect.”
“Excellent! Can you schedule me in?”
Louise went through the book again and again, her conviction
growing by the second. She’d never gotten a tattoo, although she liked them.
She’d just never seen the right design.
Until now.
“I want one, too,” she said and Desdemona gave her a look.
“Were you a member?”
Louise considered telling a lie, she wanted the tattoo so
badly, but guessed that it
thoroughly, probably more than once.”
Julius blinked at her bluntness, but Athena smiled at him.
“I’m not much for the road not taken, Julius,” she admitted.
“I want to try everything.” She rose to her feet, her fingertips sliding along
his jaw in a slow caress. “And so far, you’ve managed to evade sampling.”
She touched her lips to his before he could think of a thing
to say, her tongue darting between his parted lips. She made a little growl,
then speared her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer. “I knew you would
be worth the wait,” she murmured, then kissed him so thoroughly that Julius
forgot about everything except the temptress in his arms.
* * *
The tattoo shop was perfect, exactly as Louise would have
expected a tattoo shop to look. It was all black and red, dripping with Gothic
details and booming with loud rock music. There were binders of stock designs
on a front counter, with teenagers draped over them, choosing favorites. One
wall was covered with photographs of completed work, all of it from the same
masterful hand. The photographs were signed, but she couldn’t decipher the
signature.
A woman in tall platform boots, her blonde hair spiked and
tipped in pink, gave her a cool survey. Then she saw Charlie and her eyes lit
with pleasure. They exchanged hugs—Louise noticed that Charlie pinched
the woman’s ass, and that she evidently liked it—then he introduced
Louise to Desdemona.
“Is the master around?” he asked, his choice of phrase
making Louise wonder if tattoos were all that happened in this place.
“Just finishing up in the private room,” she said, glancing
at the clock. “He’s doing Amanda’s commemorative today.”
“Commemorative of what?” Louise asked.
“She knows Amanda, too,” Charlie supplied. Louise didn’t
think it tactful to mention that she’d tricked Amanda. She’d been punished for
that deception, so maybe they could let bygones be bygones.
Desdemona looked around, then leaned closer, dropping her
voice. “Of the Plume. He’s doing the type today.”
“Property of...?” Charlie asked.
Desdemona smiled. “Of course. Once a member, always a
member.”
Louise looked between them as an idea dawned. “Are there
lots of people getting those?”
“Well, yeah,” Desdemona said. “Ever since Zeke came up with
the peacock design, people keep coming in. Amanda has been pretty tough about
verifying that they really were Plume members before they get the tattoo,
though.”
“I’ll bet,” Charlie said.
“Can I see the design?” Louise asked.
Desdemona nodded and pulled out a binder that was stashed in
a cupboard under the counter. On the front page was a swirling design of a
peacock feather. It tilted to the right, then the vein of the feather
gracefully swirled to the left, like a mirrored S. It swirled into a circle
below the eye of the feather and there were different suggestions of type. All
of them said “Property of the Plume” but some were script and others were
simple. Some remained within the circle, others overlapped it, and one echoed
the curl of the feather’s vein. There were sketches of the feather in black
outline, in shades of gray and in color. The subsequent pages were photographs
of tattoos.
“Most of them are still healing,” Desdemona said. “There are
a lot more we need to document in the next couple of weeks.”
“I wonder where I could fit in a feather,” Charlie mused.
“Back of your left shoulder,” Desdemona said. “There’s a
small gap that would be perfect.”
“Excellent! Can you schedule me in?”
Louise went through the book again and again, her conviction
growing by the second. She’d never gotten a tattoo, although she liked them.
She’d just never seen the right design.
Until now.
“I want one, too,” she said and Desdemona gave her a look.
“Were you a member?”
Louise considered telling a lie, she wanted the tattoo so
badly, but guessed that it
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