So Steady: Silver Daughters Ink, Book Two (Silver Daughters Ink Book Two) Page 14

  A loud knock almost startled him out of his skin.

  “Nix?” Sam called, and the warmth of her tone said she had no idea what was going on.

  Nicole stared at him, her eyes wide and panicky. “Yeah?”

  “Is Noah in there?”

  Logically, he knew that if Sam was aware of what was going on, she’d have kicked the door down like Terminator. Holding that in his mind, he stood, quietly tucking away his cock. “What’s up?”

  “Jonah, your next guy’s here.”

  “Thanks. Out in a minute.”

  “Cool.” Sam paused. “What are you guys talking about?”

  “The pay system,” they said at the same time, then cringed at how fake that sounded. There was another pause.

  “Whatever,” Sam said. “Just get your ass out here, I’m up to my elbows in it right now.”

  They listened as Sam’s boots stomped away and breathed a shared sigh of relief. Noah flicked the lights back on and saw Nicole looked horror-struck. She’d strained against the tape, pulling it so tight it was cutting into her shoulders and breasts. “Oh, baby—”

  “Don’t,” she said. “Let me out.”

  He grabbed a pair of scissors from the desk and cut her free. She tore the rest away herself, tugging her skirt down her thighs. “You need to go.”

  “Nikki…”

  “Please don’t call me that,” she said, her voice wavering once more. “I’m fine, that was fine. You’re a good lover and a nice person, but I don’t want to talk about it or anything else. Please just go.”

  With Jonah waiting and Sam close, he didn’t have time to protest. He kissed her cheek. “Come see me.”

  She turned away, rubbing the watch that hid her tattoo. God, removing her tattoo felt like a bad omen, although everything felt like a bad omen right now. He headed down the hall, a fresh headache pounding behind his eyes.

  Chapter 11

  “Aren’t our pups the cutest fucking pups in the world?”

  Nicole, crouched over Miles, had to disagree. She had a plastic bag wrapped over her hand and she was bracing herself to collect his crap. Lilah and Poppy, the other two puppies she was walking, were taking advantage of her proximity to lick the heck out of her face. “Can you help me?”

  “You’ve got it,” Tabby said comfortably. “Why don’t you just leave it, anyway? It’ll fertilize the grass.”

  “That’s not how fertilizer works!”

  “Oh, come on. No one’ll know it’s us.”

  “You’re a horrible person.”

  Tabby grinned. “Yeah.”

  The two of them were walking the six half-cocker spaniel, half-Rottweiler dogs Tabby had rescued from euthanization. They were only supposed to be at Silver Daughters until they were old enough for adoption, but all six had been weaned and were rapidly approaching full size—yet no one, particularly Tabby, was making any effort to find them new homes. They were becoming a disturbingly regular part of life at the studio; even their dad’s cat, Midnight, barely hissed at them anymore. Nicole collected Miles’ poo in the bag and dropped it in the bin. Rubbing her hand against her bare thigh, she asked, “When are you going to sell the pups?”

  “When they’re ready.”

  “They’re beyond ready. We can’t have six full sized dogs running through the house and studio.”

  Tabby covered Specter’s ears with her hands. “Not in front of the kids!”

  “They’re fully grown dogs now. They chew everything, they eat a bag of dog food a day, and they leave hair everywhere.”

  “It’s not too bad. Besides, Morgan’s already been adopted, remember?”

  “Yes. By Scott. Who feels so guilty about leaving her alone in his apartment she still lives with us.”

  Tabby looked up at the sky and shrugged, the ‘live and let live’ gesture so reminiscent of their dad, Nicole’s chest ached. “Well, whatever. Hey, where do you think Dad is?”

  “Dunno. I miss him though.”

  She did, too. Things made sense when he was around, running Silver Daughters, calling her every week with updates on her sisters. She’d felt distant enough to breathe, and connected enough to love them at the same time. Now she had no idea what she was doing. Suddenly, loneliness burst through the plastic wrap she’d stretched over herself since she and Noah almost hooked up in the office.

  Where was Edgar DaSilva? Why couldn’t he come back? If her dad was here, things wouldn’t have had to change. She exhaled, willing the pain to fade into a manageable ache. It was stupid to feel lonely on a walk with her sister and six puppies. Self-indulgent. As for Noah, why did she even care that they’d slept together? It didn’t mean anything. He was an ex-bikie who was all up her butt about getting her tattoo removed. He didn’t get her at all.

  Nicole swiped a hand over her sweaty forehead, streaking her hand with brown. She’d changed out of the black leather and into pink shorts, but she hadn’t washed her face. Now she was melting NARS all over herself.

  “Nix?” Tabby’s voice sounded like it was coming from far away. “You all right?”

  God, couldn’t she hold it together for a single walk? She was such an idiot. “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t seem fine. Are you thinking about the missing money?”

  No, although that was another reason to feel like an idiot. She’d been at Silver Daughters for weeks and found nothing to explain the hole in their finances.

  “I’m fine,” she repeated. “Let’s keep moving, it’s hot.”

  They made their way to the Carlton Gardens, Tabby skipping, Nicole fighting tears beneath her sunglasses. When they reached the lawn, Tabby knelt to release the dogs from their leads. Nicole knew she should stop her; the gardens weren’t a dog park, but she was too weary to stand in the way of her younger sister’s boundless energy.

  Her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw Beverly Dean had sent her a Facebook message. ‘Hi lovely, I hope I’m not overstepping the mark here, but is everything okay? No one’s heard from you in a while! Let me know if anything’s wrong! xx’

  “Oh, god,” she groaned.

  “What?” Tabby asked, unclipping a yelping Morgan.

  “Beverly’s asking if I’m okay. I think her and the girls know something’s wrong.”

  Tabby looked quizzical. “You haven’t told your Adelaide friends about the big splitsville yet?”

  “I’m waiting for the right time.”

  “And when will that be, exactly?”

  Nicole didn’t say anything. She unlocked her phone and deleted the messenger app. Then switched the whole thing off for good measure. It wasn’t a long-term strategy, but she needed a moment; an hour and a single afternoon to think.

  And who knew? Maybe once she turned her phone back on, her friends would have forgotten about her, and Aaron might have cancelled the wedding himself, and her boss might have given her a transfer to Paris, and the missing money would be back in Silver Daughters’ bank account, and Noah would have moved to Japan to go down on Japanese women while they were tied to their dad’s office chairs. Maybe everything might sort itself out.

  Lilah, her favourite puppy, rubbed against her leg. Nicole bent over and stroked her velvet head. The dogs might be inconvenient, but really, was there anything better than puppies? A car honked loudly from the nearby road and she straightened up to see a silver Toyota full of dudes clapping, presumably at her ass. “Oh, god.”

  “Oi, lads.” Tabby flipped them off like she’d been trained to do it. “Your turn now, show me where you piss from!”

  Nicole tensed, but the guys just wound up their windows and rolled past. Tabby lowered her middle finger. “Typical. No banter in them at all. Fucking plebs.”

  Nicole pressed a hand to her chest in a misguided attempt to slow her heartbeat. “You shouldn’t antagonize guys like that.”

  “They shouldn’t drive around honking at butts. Anyway, who cares? They’re gone and we’re in a park.” She resumed unclipping the puppies. Nico
le shook her head. Sam raged; Nicole stewed, but Tabby’s anger flicked in and out like a switchblade. She cut and then retracted to a persona as sunny as their father’s.

  “How do you do it?” she asked her little sister. “Why are you so happy?”

  “Beautiful day, six pups. What could be better?”

  Exactly what she’d been trying to convince herself of without any of the sincerity. She spotted something on Tabby’s lapel—the pink cat brooch their dad had sent her in his only correspondence. The one she’d been holding when she and Noah had their first kiss. She nudged Tabby’s shoulder. “Hey, that’s my cat pin!”

  “You never wear it.”

  “That’s not the point. Dad gave it to me!”

  “Fair.” Tabby bundled the dog leads in her left hand and reached for the pin.

  “No!” The thought of touching the cat brooch filled Nicole with an inexplicable panic. “You keep it. Just give it back when you’re done.”

  “Will do! Cheers bruv.”

  Lilah continued to rub herself against her shin. Nicole gave her a little push. “Go play with your brothers and sisters.”

  Lilah gave a small whine, then trotted away, her coat gleaming in the sun.

  “She’s Noah’s favourite,” Tabby said. “He’s always picking her up when he thinks I’m not looking.”

  “Really?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Nicole imagined Noah cuddling Lilah and felt a flush ripple across her skin. She looked over, but Tabby was safely absorbed in her phone. She fanned herself. “Instagram?”

  “Tobes. We’re meeting up tonight to discuss how to wash all six puppies at once.”

  Asking why they were attempting such a thing, or how Toby fit into this situation, was unnecessary. Toby’s parents had bred the puppies, though they’d planned to kill them once they discovered they were mutts. He and Tabby had rescued them, sharing the bulk of their care ever since. Though Nicole doubted the puppies were the thing keeping Toby around. “What’s going on with the two of you?”

  Tabby shoved her phone in her pocket. “Nothing. We just hang out.”

  “He’s very good-looking.”

  She shrugged. “He’s too basic for me to go to town on.”

  Well there was no denying that. Tabby’s tastes had always run to the extreme—face tatts, hardcore goths, guys who thought Bigfoot was real. Weirdos. Nicole’s least favourite had been a pro-skateboarder with a forked tongue. Just thinking about him made her shudder. “Maybe basic might suit you? Something different?”

  Tabby rolled her eyes. “Yeah, maybe you should keep your attention on Lilah, she’s eating that guy’s copy of…is that Paradise Lost? Wow. What an edgester.”

  Nicole followed her sister’s gaze and saw Lilah heckling a guy reading on the lawn. He was laughing as he tried to pull his book from her teeth, but she was still mortified. “Oh my god, stop her!”

  “You stop her.” Tabby shoved her side. “She likes you best! Also, I have to go get the others back. They’re raising public ire.”

  Tabby pointed to where the other five puppies were rushing across the lawn like a horde of black and gold wildebeest.

  “Oh my god.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Just go get Lilah.”

  Nicole was already sprinting toward the book guy. “I will!”

  As she got closer, she saw the guy tussling with Lilah was polo shirt preppy. She hoped he wasn’t going to be a jerk. “Lilah,” she called. “Come here!”

  Lilah glanced over, her teeth still latched onto Paradise Lost.

  The guy looked up at her, revealing laughing blue eyes. “She yours?”

  “My sister’s.” Nicole patted her thighs. “Come on, Lilah! Come here!”

  With a last shake of Paradise Lost, Lilah released the book and trotted over, looking pleased with herself. Nicole picked her up and tucked her under her arm. “Sorry about that.”

  The guy stood, the sunlight glinting on his close-cropped hair. “She’s super cute.”

  “Thanks,” Nicole said, flustered by his handsomeness. “She’s a brat.”

  “Who doesn’t love a brat?” He walked toward her, and she realised he wasn’t as tall as Noah. Though why that had even occurred to her was ridiculous.

  He held out a golden brown, tattoo-free hand. “I’m Davis.”

  Nicole shook his hand, careful not to drop Lilah. “Nicole.”

  “So Lilah belongs to your sister?”

  “Kind of. It’s a long story.” She gestured to Tabby who was running in circles around the park, five puppies in tow. She looked as she was—a nutcase. Davis followed their progress across the park, looking amused. “Bit of a free spirit?”

  “That’s one way of putting it.”

  He laughed comfortably. “Family. You can’t pick them, can you?”

  “No. Both my sisters and my dad are all a bit…Pippy Longstocking. I’m the odd one out.” Davis’ smile widened. “Maybe it’s a good thing. No offense to your sister, but you’re stunning. And you seem a lot less nuts.”

  “Oh!” she said, not surprised exactly, but taken aback.

  It’s only okay when I say my sisters are insane, she thought. Then she realised Tabby had released six mutts into a public park. “Yeah, my family doesn’t have much of a filter.”

  Davis chuckled. He was closer again; she could see the dimple in his tanned chin, a freckle on his right cheek. “So, if we fall in love, we’ll have a killer story to tell our grandchildren.”

  She smiled on autopilot, thrown by the conversational about-face. She’d known he was flirting, but grandchildren? “It would be a good story.”

  He nodded. “Is there any chance I could get your number?”

  “Ooh, I um…”

  Dammit, she’d forgotten all the excuse lines she’d given out before ‘fiancé’ had been enough.

  “I don’t want to come on too strong,” he said quickly. “Are you seeing someone?”

  She recalled the feel of Noah between her legs. ‘How about you shut up and let me eat your gorgeous pussy, Nicole?’

  “Oh, um, no. I’m not.”

  “So…can I have your number?”

  She stalled, confused by her own confusion. Why shouldn’t she give him her number? She was single, and he was handsome and tanned and owned an Apple Watch and had just indicated he was serious enough about relationships to want grandchildren—unlike a certain bikie, who’d abandoned her in his bed after two seconds of awkward small talk.

  Do it, the Sam in her head demanded. Give him your number. Why not? Seize the carp!

  Brushing aside that her twin didn’t know about Noah; didn’t know a lot of what she was thinking right now, Nicole chose to agree. “Okay, sure.”

  Davis looked relieved. “Great. Do you have your phone on you?”

  “It’s flat,” she lied. If she turned it on now, there was no way her problems had been magically solved. “Do you have a pen?”

  “I do.” Davis patted his jeans and pulled out a blue biro, then he handed her Paradise Lost. “Write it on the inside cover.”

  “Oh, I don’t want to ruin your book!”

  He flashed her a smile. “You won’t. You’ll be improving it.”

  She scribbled down her number without looking. In her mind’s eye, she was seeing Noah’s hands, patterned from wrist to knuckle with tattoos; the same hands that painted those beautiful paintings. Why did this feel like a betrayal? They didn’t mean anything to each other. Neither did she and Davis, but at least she knew he wasn’t a bikie. At least he wouldn’t lecture her if she got her tattoos removed. She handed him his book and pen and smiled as wide as she could. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “Do you have any tattoos?”

  He laughed, an easy open laugh. “No, I don’t. Is that a problem?”

  No.

  Yes.

  Nausea roiled through her like a rising tide and Lilah squirmed, trying to escape her tightening grasp. She kept
her smile steady, relaxing her hold around the puppy. “Not at all. Okay, I should go get my sister. Nice to meet you.”

  “You, too,” Davis said with a small frown. He patted Paradise Lost. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Great!” Nicole lied, and walked away as quickly as she could, relived to put distance between herself and Davis. She found Tabby under an oak tree, all five puppies piled on her chest. “We need to go.”

  Tabby squinted up at her. “Did you give that prep-miester your number?”

  “Maybe. I mean, yes. It was a panic move. He said the puppy meeting would be a good story for our grandkids.”

  Tabby snorted. “What a douche.”

  She stood, brushing the bark from her dress, and Nicole wondered why she’d called him a douche. She pressed on the word like it was a lemon half.

  It’s douchy because it’s insincere. Because Davis doesn’t know you and talking about grandkids is presumptuous. It’s also a little bit scary that a stranger could say something so intimate.

  Then, like a key slipping into a greased lock, she could see why Tabby and Sam hated Aaron so much. He’d always been polite, at least at first, but he was always saying big, flowery things, giving her expensive gifts, saying romantic stuff too soon. And he’d always dropped little barbs, the way Davis had. Calling Tabby nuts, watching her run through the park with such obvious, ‘glad I don’t know her’, superiority.

  She thought about her number, scrawled into his book. She hadn’t wanted to give it to him, so why had she? Just because he said she was stunning? Because he had an Apple Watch? Or was it, her nausea stabbed at her insides, because he didn’t have tattoos?

  “Did you ask old mate why he was reading Paradise Lost?” Tabby asked.

  “No. Have you read it?”

  “Yeah.”

  That wasn’t surprising. Tabby was a stealth genius. She’d read most of the classics in high school, devouring the kind of fat Russian novels that Nicole felt drained just glancing at. “What did you think of it?”

  “Thematically interesting,” Tabby said, vaguely. “Paradise Lost was the theme of Sam’s Ink the Night. Weird coincidence, huh?”