Chapter 1
The chromatic wood font letters in neon colors that reminded Daisy of the circus made her feel uneasy but also called to her like a moth to a flame. She had been staring at the front view of the tattoo salon for the past ten minutes while her friend finished her cigarette and talked on the phone with her boyfriend. The petite blonde with endless tresses of long hair with pink and blue streaks always dotted into fancy cute braids shifted on her feet, debating if it was a wise idea to accompany her friend for her tattoo appointment. Daisy didn't see why she should come. It wasn't a place for her, and as Jessica finished talking on the phone and dragged her along into the saloon, she felt even more out of the picture.
Daisy felt like she fell down the rabbit hole and ended up in a very dark and punkish Alice in Wonderland version full of ink and piercings. As a self-published erotic writer in the second year of college, she should feel comfortable with the more obscure scene. In all truth, the small young woman was enamored with this type of art—ink on the skin, piercings, and other body modifications. Deep down, she always wanted to decorate her porcelain-shaded skin with endless rivers of ink, but her parents had abided her from this scandalous scene. Only now did she feel more freedom, since she became financially independent. She got a scholarship and made a good amount of money from being an independent author.
Some customers and people who worked there glanced at her and Jessica. More so at her than Jessica, who wore leather pants and a crop top with a rock band. She, on the other hand, wore black shorts with pink blossom flower designs, a white T-shirt with pink bunnies, and pink Converse shoes. She stuck out like a splatter of pink paint onto a black wall. Jessica at least had a wrist tattoo and a septum piercing, while she was as blank as a newborn baby. Her skin was a white sheet of paper.
"I don't know, Jess... Maybe I should leave. This place isn't for me." Daisy whispered so only her friend could hear.
Jessica rolled her blue eyes and waved her hand dismissively. "Nonsense, girl! Look around while I get inked. You might find the courage and get that skin decorated a little." She replied with a knowing smirk. Daisy sighed, aware that she knew about her desire to indulge in the forbidden world of body art that she wasn't allowed to experience.
"I highly doubt it, but fine... I will wait for you." Daisy told her, and in a blink of an eye, Jessica was off, rushing to her tattoo artist, who greeted her, and they vanished into another room, leaving the blonde Bambi all alone.
The sound of tattoo guns buzzing filled the spacious salon, along with the relaxing chattering from separate rooms and some faint music in the background. The scent of ink, leather, and something fresh filled the air. It wasn't unpleasant at all, only very new for Daisy, who looked around like a kid who entered the toy store for the first time. The walls of the saloon were decorated with colorful graffiti, along with an endless variety of tattoo designs, all framed as if they were trophies... and speaking of trophies, Daisy noticed a big shelf full of them. Her light brown eyes took in the golden trophies and diplomas littered the shelves. All for tattooing and body modification.
Daisy was left speechless at so many awards for something that the close-minded would deem as brutal and ugly. The surname Lopez was written all over the diplomas and engraved onto the luscious golden surfaces of the trophies.
"Can I help you, Chiquita?" Daisy almost jumped up like a rabbit when a smooth, deep male voice snapped her back to reality. Her brown eyes scanned the owner of the voice, and finally, her gaze landed on a very tall guy who was leaning with his arms crossed against a doorframe. His attention was on her, and she suddenly felt like a newborn hare compared to the size of the guy. But then again, pretty much everyone was tall when compared to her 5'2 frame. This guy must be 6'2 or more because she felt like she just encountered a giant from a movie.
Not only was the guy tall, but he had some pretty daunt muscles too, which only added to the intimidating part. Plus, his full-sleeve tattoos on both arms gave him that gangster, do-not-fuck-with-me vibe. Daisy couldn't lie. He was extremely handsome, with light olive skin, and black hair, styled with a modern faded buzz-cut and line cuts on his thick, sharp eyebrows. Plus, a piercing in each eyebrow. He had sharp, masculine features, but the most intense were his light green eyes that had the power to melt her knee joints. He had a black, tight tank top on with the salon logo printed on the front, black cargo pants with chains, and white Nikes on. A silver chain with a skull dangled from his thick and inked neck. Daisy could only wonder what other parts of his body were tattooed.
"Uhhh... I-I... No... I just..." She stumbled over her words, fidgeting with her long Dutch braids, unsure of what exactly she was here anyway because her friend was busy getting her tattoo.
The guy snorted, looking her up and down, scanning her like a vulture, before their eyes met again. "This isn't Disney land or the candy store, cutie." He told her in a flirty yet witty manner. Ouch, that went a little to her ego, but the blonde couldn't find it in herself to blame him. She was a deer in a wolf's territory.
"I-I came with a friend. She is getting a tattoo... and I am waiting for her." she managed to explain her presence, and the guy seemed to ponder over her justification.
"I see..." He whispered more so to himself before he pointed to the empty leather armchairs in a corner. "You can wait there," he told her, ready to turn around and leave, but something inside Daisy made her speak up.
"I-I wanna get inked too!" She shuttered in a hushed yell, feeling a little ashamed for confessing her long-time desire out.
The guy stopped and clicked his tongue. "Adorable." He remarked, ready to leave again, but something made Daisy persist, taking a step forward.\
"Y-You don't believe me?" She questioned him, starting to feel judged.
The guy sighed before he turned around again, fully facing her. "First off, I have some doubts about your legal age. Secondly, you don't look like someone who would get a tattoo... and sweetheart... I am a professional if you couldn't tell." He pointed with his thumb toward the altar full of trophies and awards.
Daisy's eyes widened. "They are yours!?" She exclaimed, walking again toward the shelves of trophies, looking them over again. "Y-You're like a guru of body modification."
A husky chuckle resounded from next to her, and when she glanced to the side, he was right beside her, glancing at the glimmering awards and medals. He had his hands in his pockets, a prideful smirk curling on his lips. "Thanks, cutie. Yeah... They are all mine. I've been to many body modification contests, festivals, meetings... I traveled a lot."
The blonde was impressed by this revelation, and she felt like standing next to a God, someone who had surpassed certain skills that others could only dream of achieving.
"So... Will you... ink me?" Daisy asked him again, getting more bashful by each second, feeling like asking a celebrity for an autograph.
The man chuckled, sparring her an amused glance. "Persistent little one, aren't you?" He was teasing her, taking advantage of her timid personality.
"I am of legal age. I'm 22." She revealed, pulling out her ID from her little purse and showing it to him. He took her ID, scanning it over with keen eyes.
"Daisy Bronx?" He spoke her full name and snorted but continued to smirk with arrogance. "Why am I not surprised?"
She frowned in confusion as he handed her ID back. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing. Your name. It suits you. I am Jax Lopez." He simply answered, introducing himself properly. "So... You wanna get a tattoo? Any ideas?" He asked her.
She chewed on her bottom lip as some old ideas she had buried deep into her mind surfaced again.
"Actually... I have plenty... but..."
"But what?" The professional artist pressed on.
Daisy shook her head. "N-Nevermind... Maybe I shouldn't..." She rubbed her arms, starting to feel self-conscious about her wished ideas. "They are stupid and childish."
Jax narrowed his eyes, looking skeptically at her. "How about you let me do the judging, sweetheart? I am all ears. Spill the beans." He told her firmly but with a certain softness around the edges.
Seeing that there was no point in return unless she decided to dash out of the saloon and hide for the rest of the year in her apartment, she took the bull by the horns and started to explain her idea as best as she could without looking like a fool.
"Well, I would like to get both my arms inked... as in full sleeves, then my hips and thighs... and perhaps my back too... and my collarbones..." Daisy's voice quivered the more she revealed where she wanted to get down under the tattoo gun, and Jax arched an eyebrow, a little surprise and amusement crossing his features.
"That's a lot of ink, chica..." He whistled, and a lop-sided smirk curled on his lips. "Not that I am complaining. Ever been inked before?"
Daisy shook her head, and Jax snorted. "Figured so... but it's fine. A lot of people, after they got their first tattoo, got addicted. But what about design, theme... colors... Let me hear these childish ideas."
The blonde fidged with the bracelets on her wrists. "I was thinking about something like the Alice in Wonderland theme. Teacups, poker cards, cupcakes, vintage clocks... Oh! And rabbits! It's my favorite animal, so... I want the rabbit to be like... the main symbol... and I would like color to be added to the tattoos." Daisy finished, and by the time her speech about her dream ink was done, her face resembled a ripe cherry in the summer.
Jax, on the other hand, had to suppress a grin and another series of chuckles because for one, he found her incredibly adorable and amusing, and secondly, her idea was simply too unique to pass up.
"So? Where do you want your first tattoo to be on your body?" His question made Daisy's doe-like eyes widen.
"Y-You mean... You're gonna ink me?"
Jax smirked, taking a seat in one of the rolling leather chairs of the salon, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Sure thing, dolly. Your idea is indeed childish but not stupid. Plus, it's an opportunity for me to finally design something out of my comfort zone. If you couldn't tell... my style is more on the brutal cliff." He pointed to the many designs of skulls, ghouls, monsters, and such. Daisy nodded in understanding. He would have to design something not only very feminine but on the adorable side, the opposite of what he usually did.
"But it's gonna cost you... considering you wanna get half your body inked." Jax warned her, and the blonde nymph nodded.
"Money is no issue... I don't cheap out, especially if it comes to something as permanent as tattooing." She replied, and a pleased smile curled on Jax's lips.
"Glad to see you have common sense, doll. Most would throw fits for how much I charge, but when it comes to my art... I demand perfection," he spoke in a passionate and definitive tone, not leaving room for arguments. Daisy watched as he stood up from the chair, marching up to her before he slowly circled her like a wolf does to a petite deer, sizing her up from bottom to top. "And you are an empty canvas, Daisy. Flawless porcelain skin... I would rather cut my balls off than joke around with your pristine flesh." He finished in a husky tone, and Daisy was left flabbergasted by the inspirational speech.
"Wow... That's... admirable." She spoke in a meek voice, her cheeks sprayed with a pink blush that would have resembled a speck of fairy dust. She cleared her throat, trying to compose herself. "So about the first tattoo... I was thinking... maybe start with my biceps?"
Jax smirked. "Good choice, considering it's your first date with the tattoo gun. It's a less sensitive area... compared to thighs or elbow." He informed her.
"But before you met Mr. Gun... Let's design your first tattoo together. Shall we, dolly?"
Daisy's lips curled into a grin, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "Absolutely!"
