Guided Love (Prick #1) (28 page)

The thought of the pricks coming here for a barbeque makes me nauseous.
What if Camaron shows?
What if Camaron shows with Roni?
Oh, please, the thought alone has me losing my appetite.

I head back to my room, grab my phone, and message Gabby all the information on my arrival; she was nice enough to offer me her extra room. With what I have in savings, I will be able to pay rent and try and get this book off the ground with being her roommate.

Me: My flight is booked for this Sunday, I’ll be arriving at 2pm. If you can’t pick me up, I completely understand and will get another ride no worries.

Gabs: Whatev! You know I’ll be there with bells on :) see you soon.

I grab my notebook and decide that with this new move Ellie and Axel are right, I should come up with a list a bucket list of things that I want to accomplish. This way, I don’t lose track of myself again.

Samantha Jacob's Bucket List

1. Write a novel and publish it

2. Make the NY Times Best Sellers list

3. Take a baking class

4. Become healthier. Join a gym and lose the weight

5. Get a tattoo

6. Get a new look

7. Find a man who will be worthy of my love. Someone who will look at me and see my true beauty.

8. Give Axel his skydiving bucket

9. Dedicate my first book to Ellie

10. Live life and enjoy every moment. STOP CRYING

I look over the list and am happy with what I came up with so far. I can always add more as I complete them. I grab my phone and text Carrie. Before I leave, I want one thing done by the pricks and Carrie can make that happen for me.

Me: Care Bear need your help

Carrie: OMG whats wrong?

Me: Sorry chica nothing just need you to tell me when I can come into the shop when Camaron isn't there.

Carrie: Anytime, Camaron hasn't been here.

Me: Really? Okay

Carrie: yeah, for the last 2 weeks he has been m.i.a. I don't think even Axel knows where he is.

Me: Okay, who has an opening?

Carrie: today? Let me check.

Carrie: Wait why do you need to get in?

Me: I want a tattoo.

Carrie: GET OUT!!! Seriously? Yay I am so freaking excited whoo hoo

Carrie: I can get you in with Axel at 7:00 want me to come and gettcha? we could grab a piece of pizza or something.

Me: Thank you that sounds great. I’ll see you then.

I am feeling sick. I am so nervous, just thinking about the needles that are going to pierce my skin, I am about to puke and I am not sure how Axel will take it when I show him what I want tattooed.

What the fuck! Its 6:30 and I am about to leave to head to Ma's like I have been for the last two fucking weeks and Carrie tells me I have an appointment scheduled at 7:00. She yells that to me as she is walking out the backdoor, saying she will be back soon. Again, WHAT THE FUCK! I have been picking up the slack as Camaron has fallen off the grid. He’s been holed up in his apartment for the past two weeks. I haven't seen or heard from him at all. We voted Carrie to go up and try to use the key to check on him but the bastard had the chain on so that was a no go. I go to my office to call Ma before this client comes in.

“Hey, Ma, how is everything going?”

“Oh, dear boy, its good; just making a list of the stuff I am gonna need for the barbeque.”

“What barbeque? We just had one.”

“Oh, silly boy, this barbeque is to say goodbye to Sam.”

“Say goodbye?”

“Yes, son, she’s leaving on Sunday and I thought that we would have a barbeque on Saturday so that she doesn't leave with an empty stomach.”

I have no words, I sit there on the phone just quiet.

“Axel, things will work out, son. You know that she needs to go. She needs to find her strength, she needs to find herself, son; she doesn't know who that is anymore. When she comes back, she needs to come back based on her own decision.”

“I know, Ma, I know. Well, I gotta head off; I have an appointment coming in, I just wanted to check in on you is all.”

“Okay baby, remember tell all the pricks about the barbeque, okay. 5:00”

“Okay, Ma, I’ll see you then.”

I hang up and get ready for this fucking tattoo that I don't want to do. I head out front and hear people entering the shop.

“Your appointment is at your station,” Carrie says with a smirk on her face.

Damn, I hope it’s not Molly or Gina, my patience can’t take a chicken head that just wants a cock to suck. On second thought, maybe a blowjob will take my mind off the fact that Samantha is fucking leaving and she hasn’t even mentioned it to me; not that she would have to. I mean, I thought we had become close since everything went down. I shake my head at Carrie and head down to my station. I walk in the door without even looking at the girl sitting at my chair. I turn my back and start to grab my supplies from the cabinet.

“This isn't going to hurt, is it?”

I am reaching into the cabinet to grab a new package of tubing when I hear her voice. I stop and turn around with a smirk on my face.

“What the hell? Samantha?”

She is smiling like she hasn’t smiled in weeks.

“Hi, Axel.”

“You’re my seven o'clock appointment?”

“Yeah, I decided that I wanted to get a tattoo. I’ve always wanted one, but have been scared out of my mind to get one since I hate needles.”

“Why get one now? I am still gonna use needles.”

“Well, I sat down and came up with my bucket list; getting a tattoo was one of them. I won't go anywhere else to get one.” She starts to fiddle with her shirt and looks down at the ground.

“You okay? It’s not going to hurt that much.”

She laughs and looks up and I see tears in her eyes.

“Damn, Samantha, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just gonna miss everyone here.”

“Miss us?”

She wipes her eyes and nods at me. “Yeah, I booked my flight back to California. I leave on Sunday.”

I nod and gather everything on the tray. “Well, everyone will miss you too, Rice Cake.”

She laughs when I use the nickname that everyone else calls her.

“No Axel, you don't call me Rice Cake. It doesn't sound right.”

“What? Why can't I call you Rice Cake?”

She is still laughing at me. “It doesn't sound right. To you, Axel, I’ll always be Samantha.”

I turn my head to the side and look at her. “You're right. You will always be my Samantha . . . I mean, Samantha, to me.”

Damn, that was a close one, but I think she bought the cover up.

“Okay, what are you wanting a butterfly, a flower . . . oh, let me guess: a heart?”

“Hell no! Do you think I look like the butterfly tattoo type? No, I found a quote written by a very intelligent man and I would like that, please.”

“Okay, where are we tattooing this intelligent man’s words?”

“I would like it on my right wrist please, that way I can look down and see it each and every day.”

“Sounds good, beautiful, now what are the words of wisdom that you want?”

She reaches in her front pocket and hands me a piece of paper. I take it and look down and I am shocked.

Through the rough waters, I will find my way home.

My words. The words that I painted on the wall in Ma's house. I look up and I can see she is nervous.

“You want these words?”

She is biting her lip and nods. “Yep”

“These words are not words of wisdom, they are just simple words from a very simple boy.”

“Well, they mean the world to me; Axel, that’s what I want.”

“Well, okay then, let’s get started.”

Thankfully, she is wearing a short sleeve shirt; we get everything prepped and I begin. I know I put my art on a bunch of people every day, but this is completely different. I am tattooing my words, my own words, on the one girl that I wish I could call mine. I take my time, as I see that she is really uncomfortable. I try to talk about random facts to take her mind off the pain and it seems to help.

“So, tell me, how is everything going with your book?”

Once I ask, a light goes on in her eyes, the sadness that she carries is gone, and all you see is happiness. She tells me everything; she talks with such excitement that I can feel it as well.

“I think it’s going well. I’m using an old type writer that Ellie put in your room and it seems to be flowing. I’m about half way done and my friend, Gabby, is going to edit it once it’s done; I hope I might actually publish it. Maybe.”

She is still telling me about publishing while I put on the ointment and covering.

“You should absolutely publish it. It’s going to be an awesome book.”

She looks up at me and smiles, a real smile; not the ‘my heart is broken and I am faking it’ smile.

“You don't even know what the story is about.”

“I don’t need to know. I know you and, like I said, it will be awesome. So, what do you think?”

I motion downward and she her mouth is open.

“Wow, it looks great, Axel; thank you so much.”

I start to put the bandage on and give her all of the instructions on aftercare. I think that she knows them by heart now that she has helped Carrie at the desk. She is staring at it and I am so happy that she likes it, I am so happy that I was the one that she trusted to mark her body. I want to tell her this, to thank her for that opportunity, but Carrie is in the doorway with her high-pitched squeal looking at Samantha's wrist.

“Wow! That looks great, Rice Cake. Congrats on your first tat. The first of many, I bet.”

“Not sure about that, we shall see.”

Carrie is looking between us, realizing that she may have just interrupted something and it becomes a bit awkward.

“Well, the front is locked up and everything is taken care of. I forgot that I told Paul that I would meet him. Hey, prick, could you take RC back to Ellie’s for me?”

I’m cleaning everything up, with my back to them, when I answer, “Absolutely, no problem.”

I hear Carrie whispering something to her and laughing.

“Thank you, Care Bear, for all your help today. I really do appreciate it. On Saturday, Ellie is having another barbeque since my flight is Sunday morning. I hope you can make it.”

“I’ll look at the schedule and see how the day is structured.”

I chime in just to give her some relief.

“You’ll be there, Carrie; I think we’ll reschedule the afternoon for Sunday afternoon and shut down. That way we wish her off in the proper prick fashion.”

“Killer, I am so hungry for Ellie’s barbeque.”

With that, she squeezes Samantha and gives me a wink on her way out.

“Be good, kids.”

I turn and finish wiping everything down and see Samantha really looking at the walls that are covered with pictures of tattoos that I have done.

“Alrighty, Samantha, all is done. Let's head out.”

I turn off the lights and we walk through the back hall out to the parking lot. I punch in the alarm and arm it and we head toward my Camaro. She walks over and with a pout on her lips as she bats her eyelashes.

“So, Axel, with me leaving on Sunday, wouldn't it be nice to let me drive her. You know it would be really . . . really nice of you.” She keeps batting her eyelashes like that is going to help.

“Baby, it would be so nice, but there is no way in hell you are getting behind the wheel of my baby. Nope sorry, even with your most adorable pout going on, the answer is hell no.” She starts laughing and shaking her head.

“Well, it was worth a try, right?”

“I would have been disappointed if you didn't. Now, get in and buckle up; I’ll take you for a chocolate shake on the way home.” I make sure to stop off at the Sonic and we order two large chocolate shakes.

“Hmm.”

I look over at her, she has her eyes closed, and her lips wrapped around the straw.
Fuck, I need to look away; I need to look away NOW, before I start praying to become the fucking straw.
I look up at the ceiling and count to ten.

“Well, you up for anything? Or would you like me to take you back to Ma's?”

She lets the straw go, a drop of chocolate shake is on her lip, and I watch as she sucks in her lower lip, licking both of them.

“What were you thinking?”

I shrug. “Doesn't matter, we could head to Kester's one last time; grab a drink and shoot some pool if you are up for it.”

I see she is really pondering this suggestion. I see it before she even speaks, she is nervous and gonna back out.

“Um, no thanks; anyway, I am not ready to take a risk of running into Camaron. I have a lot to do before Saturday. Please just take me back to Ellie's.” I look at her with a sad acceptance of her wish and I just smile.