Читать книгу Do Me Right - Cindi Myers, Cindi Myers - Страница 7

AH, NOTHING LIKE A LITTLE confrontation to start off a gorgeous April morning. A block away from her shop, Austin Body Art, Theresa Jacobs stopped and frowned at the half-dozen picketers milling around the tattoo parlor.

Keep Austin Clean one of their signs read. Take Back Sixth Street proclaimed another. Stamp Out Smut said a third. She had to hand it to them—these folks didn’t give up easily. They’d been out here every day for the last two weeks.

Two of the group wore oversize white T-shirts with the words Vote Darryl “Clean” Carter For Austin City Council. Ah, yes, “Clean” Carter. Self-appointed protector of citizen morals and champion of a family-friendly Austin. Apparently he’d decided that running Theresa and others like her out of business would be the ideal way to win his campaign.

Apparently Mr. Carter didn’t realize how stubborn smut-sellers like her could be. She shifted her bag up higher on her shoulder and tugged her leather halter top down a little lower. Cleavage exposed—check. Belly-button ring showing—check. High-heeled boots, black fishnet hose, leather miniskirt—check. Big hair—check. Red, red lips—check. If Carter’s minions expected sex, sin and sensation, she didn’t want to disappoint them.

Sultry smile in place, she started toward the shop once more, moving in an exaggerated strut that had her hips swaying like a clock pendulum.

As they had each morning for the past two weeks, the protesters stopped and stared at her approach. “Good morning,” she said, flashing a big smile as she inserted her key in the front-door lock.

“Good morn—” One of the men, a round, balding fellow with wire-rimmed glasses, started to return her greeting, but was cut off by an elbow in the ribs from the stern-faced woman in matching wire rims at his side.

“We’re having a special today, folks,” Theresa said. “Half-priced piercings. I know you won’t want to miss that.”

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself.” A tall woman with hair the color of apricots stepped forward. “What if you had a daughter who dressed and acted the way you do?”

Theresa lowered her sunglasses and looked the woman up and down. “I’d say she was having a lot more fun than someone who dressed and acted the way you do.”

On this exit line, she entered the shop and punched in her alarm code. Another day of fun and excitement at Austin Body Art. If only the moral dictators out there realized how mundane most of her life—and her clients—really were. She might look like a wild woman, but lately an exciting evening for her was a cable movie and Lean Cuisine.

She let the cats, Mick and Delilah, out of the back room. They protested their confinement loudly and wove in and out of her ankles until she filled their bowls with kibble. Then she switched on lights, booted up the computer and prepared to start the day.

Ten minutes later the door burst open. “Love you, too, baby!” Her co-worker, Scott, blew kisses to the group outside, the effect somewhat spoiled by the one-finger salute he gave with his other hand. He slammed the door and turned to Theresa. “Don’t those people ever give up?”

She shook her head. “They’ll be gone after the election, one way or another.”

Scott looked unconvinced. “You don’t know what money and an agenda can do for a candidate.” He glanced toward the group outside the front window. “These people are really fired up.”

“If Carter wins, the picketers will still go away. And he may not like us, but he can’t do anything about us. We’re a legitimate, legal business.”

“Yeah, but you can’t stay in business long if you don’t have customers, can you?” He slumped onto the stool behind the front counter and raked one hand through his spiked blond hair.

She ignored the twinge of fear his words produced. “What do you mean? Of course we’ll have customers. Why wouldn’t we?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. This Clean Up Austin drive is really cutting down on traffic. Business is taking a hit all over.”

“We’re still doing okay.” They’d been a little slower, maybe, but every business had downtimes. “Things will pick up again soon. We don’t have to worry.”

“The Hot Tamale’s already cutting staff.” He rested his elbows on the counter, head in his hands. “I got laid off from my bartending gig last night.”

“Oh, Scott.” She set aside the mail she’d been sorting and went to him. “That sucks.”

He nodded. “Yeah. And I just moved into that new apartment, too.”

“You can work full-time here now, if you like.”

He raised his head. “You mean it?”

“Sure. With Zach in Chicago, I could use the extra help.” She glanced at the framed oil painting hanging over the cash register, a rendition of the Navy Pier in pop-art colors that was Zach’s latest work. Big bro was having a blast in the Windy City while she was trying to keep it together here at home.

“But didn’t you already hire someone else?”

“Another part-timer. She starts next week. But I could still use you full-time.”

He glanced toward the front window again. The picketers had resumed their march up and down the sidewalk. “I don’t know….”

“It’ll be all right. At least give it a try.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

The news that the Hot Tamale, one of the street’s most popular bars, was cutting staff stunned her. She’d known Carter’s campaign was getting a lot of attention in the press, but she’d assumed most people wouldn’t take him seriously. After all, Austin was known for its music scene and the nightlife on Sixth Street. Why would anyone want to take away the very thing that made the city so unique?

Obviously she’d underestimated the ability of a few soreheads to spoil the fun for everyone.

“Guess Zach picked a good time to skip town, huh?” Scott said. “Think he’ll ever come back?”

She shrugged. “He still has another year and a half of school.” And who knew where he’d end up after that. Before her brother followed Jen Truitt to Chicago a little over six months ago, he’d handed her the keys to Austin Body Art and told her the business was all hers. He wouldn’t have done that if he’d planned to return anytime soon.

“I can see that cheered you right up.” Scott slid off the stool. “I’ll go make coffee.”

As Scott disappeared into the back room, the bells on the front door jangled. Theresa turned to greet the two men who entered.

It would probably be more appropriate to say the men made an entrance. The first one was a tall drink of water in scuffed boots, sharply creased Wranglers, a denim shirt and a straw hat tilted low on his forehead. He strode into the room like a marshal stepping into a saloon in an old western. Broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted with a strong chin and a slightly crooked nose, he was movie-star handsome. She blinked a few times to make sure he was even real, wishing he’d take off the hat so she could get a look at his eyes. Not that she was interested in the average cowboy, but she could appreciate a gorgeous man as much as the next girl. “What can I do for you, gentlemen?” she asked.

His companion, a short, bow-legged man in a Bull Riders Stay On Longer T-shirt, removed his hat and stared openmouthed at the neckline of her halter top.

The taller man slapped his companion on the back of the head. “Put your eyes back in your skull and answer the lady.”

His words broke the spell his initial appearance had cast over her, and for the first time she noticed the cast on his left forearm. The bright blue gauze wrapping made a sharp contrast to his deeply tanned skin.

He nodded to her and nudged his hat up enough for her to see his whiskey-colored eyes glinting with good humor.

To her astonishment and utter mortification, she felt her heart flutter. She had to force back the smile she knew would have looked ridiculously goofy. Adonis here was no doubt used to women swooning at his feet, and she didn’t intend to be one of them.

“I apologize for my friend. He’s not used to associating with females other than cows and horses,” Handsome Hank continued.

“Shut your gob, Kyle.” The shorter cowboy rubbed the back of his neck and focused his gaze somewhere over Theresa’s left shoulder. “I’m interested in a tattoo.”

“Then you came to the right place.” With businesslike briskness, she plucked a clipboard from the rack by the counter and handed it to him. “Fill this out and we’ll get started.”

“Oh. Okay.”

While he sat and began filling out the information and release form, she turned to his friend, Kyle. He was watching her, a speculative look in his eyes. The intensity of his gaze unnerved her. “Do you want a tattoo, too?”

The slow smile that formed on his lips would have knocked a lesser woman off her feet. As it was, Theresa took a step back and put one hand on the counter to steady herself.

“That’s okay. Us naturally good-looking folks don’t need any extra decoration.” His gaze swept over the tiger etched on her shoulder, then shifted to the Celtic knot between her breasts. His smile broadened. “Though I have to say, you give me a whole new appreciation for your, um, art.”

She laughed. “I’m sure you’re a real art lover.” She nodded to his cast. “What happened?”

He frowned at the injury. “Had a little trouble with an uncooperative bovine.”

“Kyle has lousy luck with cattle and women.” The shorter man, whose name turned out to be George, stood and handed Theresa the clipboard.

“Don’t mind him,” Kyle said. “He’s been tossed on his head by bulls one too many times.”

“You’re a bull rider?” Theresa scanned the release form. Everything looked okay.

“Yes, ma’am.” George threw back his shoulders and puffed out his chest. “I’m in the top fifteen on the circuit right now.”

She glanced at Kyle. “Are you a bull rider, too?”

He shook his head. “No, I have more sense.”

“He’s too tall to ride bulls,” George said. “He’s a calf roper.” He glanced at the arm. “Or was.”

“I can still whip you with one arm tied behind my back.”

She somehow refrained from rolling her eyes at this typical male posturing. Honestly, was she supposed to be impressed? Better keep her mind on business. “Do you know what you want for your tat?” she asked George.

“I want a big lizard.” He pointed to his forearm. “Right here.”

“A lizard?”

He nodded. “’Cause that’s my handle on the circuit. George ‘the Lizard’ Lizardi.”

“Okay.” She led him to a thick binder on a stand by the counter and flipped through it until she came to the reptile section. “You ought to find something here.”

Scott emerged from the back room with two mugs of coffee. “Y’all want coffee?” he asked.

“That’d be nice,” Kyle said.

“None for me,” George said. “I’m jumpy enough.”

“George is a little nervous about needles,” Kyle said.

Theresa nodded. “He’ll be fine once we get started. For most people the anticipation of getting a tattoo is a lot more uncomfortable than the tat itself.”

“What’s your name?”

The question was a reasonable one, but it still caught her off guard. She started to ask him why he was interested, then thought better of it. He was a customer, or at least a buddy of a customer, so she ought to be polite. “Theresa Jacobs,” she said. “And you’re Kyle.”

“Kyle Cameron.” He offered his good hand. “Pleased to meet you, Theresa.”

His hand was warm, his grasp firm but not painful, calluses scraping against her palm. A masculine hand, telegraphing strength and confidence. Her heart fluttered again, and she jerked away and fussed with the supplies on the cart, though her skin still tingled from his touch.

Scott returned with another mug of coffee, followed by Mick and Delilah. True to her name, Delilah zeroed in on the handsome cowboy and began rubbing against his boots, purring loudly.

Kyle regarded the cat with a half smile. “Cute cat.”

“She’s all right.” She nudged Delilah away with the toe of her boot, then moved to a supply cart and began laying out the materials she’d need for the tattoo—sealed packets of needles, fresh ink caps, gauze, sterile wipes, A & D ointment and the tattoo machine, still in its sealed packet from the autoclave.

“I’ve never been around cats much.” He followed her and leaned back against the workbench. “My sister has them.”

“These were my brother’s until he moved to Chicago.”

“What’s he doing in Chicago?”

“Going to school.” And falling even more madly in love with Jen Truitt. The thought still amazed her—her tough-stuff big brother all mushy in love with the police chief’s daughter. Who would have thought?

“I found the one I want.” George pointed to a page in the binder.

Theresa walked over and studied the drawing of a snarling monitor lizard. One of Zach’s designs. “All right. Have a seat in the chair and we’ll get started.”

Looking a little apprehensive, George stretched out in the chair. “You want me to hold your hand?” Kyle asked.

“Only if you want me to break the other arm.”

While she prepped George, Kyle settled on a stool across from them. “So what’s with the chapel meeting outside?” he asked.

She swabbed the freshly shaved section of George’s arm with disinfectant and positioned the tattoo transfer. “The Clean Up Austin campaign? Haven’t you heard of them?”

He shook his head. “Until I hurt my arm I was riding the circuit, trying to earn enough points to make the national finals.”

She began filling ink caps from larger bottles on the stand beside her. “This guy, Darryl ‘Clean’ Carter, is running for Austin City Council. His campaign platform is that he intends to make Austin—and particularly Sixth Street—more family friendly, which means no tattoo parlors, strip joints, sex-toy stores or loud rock-and-roll bars. Only nice, staid restaurants, suitably quiet taverns and fun for the whole family.” She rolled her eyes and unwrapped a fresh tattoo needle. “I think it’s ridiculous, but they’ve been out there every morning for the past two weeks.” She switched on the tattoo machine. “You ready, George?”

“Uh, yeah.” He blanched. “Sure.”

“Don’t worry, pard. When you pass out from the pain, I’ll help revive you.” Kyle winked at Theresa, who steadfastly ignored the way this made her stomach quiver and concentrated on the tattoo.

George made a gurgling sound in his throat when the needle first made contact. She kept a firm grip on his arm and continued working. “Take a deep breath. Relax. Focus on something else to distract you.”

Predictably his gaze zeroed in on her chest once more. “Th-that’s a real interesting tattoo,” he said. “Who did it?”

“My brother.”

“He’s a tattoo artist, too?” Kyle asked.

“He’s the one who taught me.”

“I was wondering how a pretty girl like you would get into something like this,” George said.

“Right.” She switched colors and began outlining the lizard’s eyes. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.”

“I don’t know. Sounds like a pretty good job to me,” Kyle said. “Good hours. You’re pretty much your own boss.” He grinned. “And a chance to inflict pain on ugly SOBs like the Lizard here.”

“Don’t give her any ideas,” George protested.

As she worked, she could feel Kyle’s eyes on her. His stare wasn’t the rude ogling of some men but rather the studious gaze of someone who was trying to figure her out. Ogling, she could deal with—she didn’t much care for this kind of close scrutiny. “Do you mind?” she said, glaring at him.

“Mind what?”

“You’re staring.”

“No, I’m watching you.”

“Well, stop it.”

“You interest me.”

“Well, cowboys don’t interest me, so don’t get any ideas.”

“Darlin’, I’ve had ideas about you since the minute I laid eyes on you.”

The combination of a molasses-sweet drawl and a one-hundred-degree gaze was doing a number on her libido. She maintained her grip on the tattoo machine and continued working, the original Ms. Cool. “You and your ideas are going to be very disappointed,” she said, ignoring the pinch of regret the words sent through her.

He laughed. “You’ve done it now.”

“Done what?” Why did he look so pleased with himself?

“Saying that’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull. There’s nothing a man like me enjoys better than a challenge.”

She bristled. “That wasn’t a challenge.”

“Sounded like one to me,” George said.

She looked from one man to the other. They were both wearing smart-ass grins. She had half a mind to slap sense into both of them. But that would probably only egg them on. She settled for a return to her ice-queen routine. “Think what you like,” she said. “You’ll end up disappointed.”

As someone who’d had her share of disappointments, she knew they’d learn to live with it.

KYLE WATCHED THERESA WORK. He couldn’t remember when he’d met a more intriguing package: sex appeal and sass wrapped up with a heavy dose of smarts.

He was glad he’d let George talk him into coming here this morning instead of sitting around in his borrowed apartment, moping the way he’d done ever since that side-winder of a calf had snapped the bone in his wrist and put an abrupt halt to this season’s rodeo competition.

All he had to look forward to now was six weeks of bumming around town or, worse, recuperating at the family ranch, listening to his sister’s lectures on responsibility and settling down, enduring her transparent attempts at matchmaking and sidestepping her pointed questions about his plans for the future.

“What do you do when you’re not on the rodeo circuit?”

Theresa’s question pulled him away from his fast slide toward a deep blue funk. She was focusing on the lizard taking shape on George’s arm, not looking at him, but apparently she’d decided to at least be friendly.

“My family has a ranch out near Wimberley,” he said. “I’m supposed to be living there and helping out, but right now I’m just hanging out around Austin. I’ve got a friend who’s working on an oil rig in Nigeria and he’s letting me stay at his apartment until he comes home.” He’d sent his horse to the ranch right after the accident, but he wasn’t exactly eager to set up headquarters there himself.

“Oh. So you really are a cowboy.”

“I guess you could say that.”

“Kyle’s folks have been raising cattle and horses for at least four generations,” George said. “Ain’t that right?”

“Yeah. The Two Ks has been around just about forever.”

“I guess that’s a really cool thing,” Theresa said. “But I think I’d be bored out of my skull living way out like that.” She shut off the tattoo machine and blotted George’s fresh tat with gauze. “Guess I’m too much of a city girl.”

You and me both, Kyle thought, but he kept quiet. His current restlessness didn’t really have anything to do with this woman, though he couldn’t help wondering if she or someone like her wouldn’t be a good antidote to what was ailing him. Spending the next six weeks having a good time with a willing woman would be a damn sight more fun than moping around the ranch house dodging his sister’s nagging to persuade him to settle down.

“What time do you get off work?” he asked.

She looked up, the hard look erased from her face for a moment. For a split second she looked softer. Vulnerable even. Then the mask was back in place. “I told you I wasn’t interested.”

He let a slow smile form, putting every bit of sex appeal he could muster into the look. Women had told him before that he was charming. He only hoped Theresa agreed. “I think I could make things interesting…for both of us.”

“Aw, come on. Are you two going to sit there making goo-goo eyes at each other, or are you gonna finish my tattoo?”

George’s whine effectively broke whatever had been building between them. Lips pressed together in a thin line, Theresa bandaged George’s arm and gave him a list of instructions for caring for his tattoo.

While George paid his bill, Kyle looked around. A sign by the cash register announced the hours of business as eleven to eleven weekdays. That meant he had about ten hours to kill before he could make his next move.