Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63741 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63741 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
My brow knits. “What?”
“The bosses want to see you in their office right now.”
A wave of panic flutters through me, even though I know I haven’t done anything wrong. I tuck my tablet away, push in my chair, and head toward the hall at the back of the room, Griffin by my side. “Where are you going?”
His grin is wicked, his green eyes shining with their usual mischief. “I’m in trouble, too.”
EMBER
Gage is sitting behind the desk he shares with Kai, who’s leaning against the far wall. Zeb and Frank are also in the bosses’ office, occupying the two chairs in front of the desk. When he sees me come in, Frank immediately stands and wordlessly motions for me to take the chair he’d been sitting in. He may be mostly silent, but he’s apparently chivalrous.
“Thank you, Frank.” To take the seat, I have to pass close by him, which means not only becoming forcibly aware—again—of how big he is, and how muscular, but also smelling him. He smells good, fresh and clean, like soap mingled with his own masculine scent.
He smells really good.
Dammit! More content for my Sexy Stronghold lockbox.
Frank’s not the only big man here—all five of these guys are massive. There are more muscles in this room than you’d see on a TikTok workout channel, and now I’m picking up on more of their manly scents, swirling into one intoxicating cocktail.
Zeb and Frank are at least a decade older than me, and I happen to know that Griffin is 28, while I’ve just turned 22. I have no problem holding my own with any of them, but in this smaller room, their combined presence is almost overwhelming.
Almost.
Gage acknowledges us with a nod. “Can you close the door, Griffin?”
Beside me, Zeb has one long leg stretched out, but despite his apparently relaxed pose, I can sense the coiled energy within him. The tallest man in the shop, and also the leanest, he sometimes paces the room between clients, like a restless panther.
“We won’t keep you long,” Gage says. “I know you have clients coming in soon.”
“We have some plans in the works, and would like you four to get involved,” Kai adds.
I have a feeling I know what this is about. Through my work here at the shop, I became good friends with the love of Gage’s and Kai’s lives, Lexy, and she told me about some of their upcoming plans, since they weren’t secret. I didn’t expect those plans to include me, though.
“We’re going to be opening a new location soon,” Gage says. “As you all know, we’re usually booked out months in advance here, so the time has come to expand.”
“But we’d like to bring a few new artists in here,” Kai says, “and send some of our most experienced ones to staff the new shop. We found a great spot, and it just so happens to be on your side of town.” With this, he looks at all three of the men. I’ve heard that they share a house, but I don’t know where it is.
When I look at Kai in question, he names the neighborhood, one that’s a good distance from here, and nowhere near the apartment I rent. Maybe it would be best if they hire a new receptionist for that location, because the commute would be a long one.
I’m making plans in my head for how to opt out of this expansion, when Gage says, “We’d like you to manage the new location for us, Ember.”
My brows shoot up to my hairline. Lexy didn’t give me any inkling of this possibility. “Manage it?”
“That’s the type of work you’ve been going to school for, isn’t it?” Kai asks.
A management position was definitely part of my goals, but I pictured it at a big corporation, not a tattoo shop with three hulking guys under my command.
Under my command … a wild, completely inappropriate image of Griffin, Zeb, and Frank, naked at my feet, flickers through my brain.
Dammit! Where did that come from?
Anyway, odds are much better that I’d be the one under their control in the bedroom, and I think I like that idea even more. I’m going to have to spend some quality time with my vibrator tonight. All the testosterone in the room must be shorting my brain out; usually, my lockbox keeps everything under much better control.
Gage is looking at me with a curious expression, and I hope to god my thoughts aren’t somehow apparent on my face. “What do you think, Ember? The shop will be much smaller, and in addition to scheduling and maintaining supply inventories, you’d also be responsible for tracking expenses and hitting financial goals, and generally ensuring that everything runs smoothly.”
“Of course there’d be a pay increase, which we can discuss privately,” Kai adds.
A management role would make the longer commute completely worthwhile. Even if I don’t stay in the position for very long, it would be excellent experience. Thanks to Kai and Gage’s appearance on reality TV, the Beasts Ink name is famous, and carries much more cachet than a typical tattoo shop.