“I don’t think so.”
“You sure? You look like you could do with a bit of rough.” He winks, and I want the ground to swallow me up.
“Down, Spike. This is Tabitha, or Biff. She’s our new admin, so I suggest you be nice to her if you want to stop organising your own appointments and shit. I don’t need a sexual harassment case on my hands before she’s even fucking started.”
I can’t help but laugh at the look on Spike’s face. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll find some desperate old spinster soon.”
He looks me up and down again, something in his eyes changed. “Appearances aside, I think you’re going to get on well here.”
I smile at him. “Mine’s a coffee. Milk, no sugar. I’m already sweet enough.” His chin drops.
“I thought you were our new assistant. Why am I still making the coffee?”
“Know your place, Spike. Now do as the lady says. You know my order.”
“Yeah, it comes with a side of fuck off!” He flips D off before disappearing through a door that I can only assume goes to a kitchen.
“I probably should have warned you that you’ve agreed to work around a bunch of arseholes.”
“I know how to handle myself around horny men, don’t worry.”
After finishing my A levels, before I grew any kind of backbone where my parents were concerned, I agreed to work for my dad. I was his little office bitch and spent an horrendous year of my life being bossed around by men who thought that just because they had a cock hanging between their legs it made them better than me. I might have fucking hated that year, but it taught me a few things, not just about business but also how to deal with men who think they’re something fucking special just because they’re a tiny bit successful and make more money than me. I’ve no doubt that my time at Anderson Development Group gave me all the skills I’m going to need to handle these artists.
“So I see. So, this is your desk. When you’re on shift you’ll be the first person people see when they’re inside, so it’s important that you look good. But from what I’ve seen, I don’t think we’ll have an issue. I’ve sorted you out logins for the computer and the software we use. Most of it is pretty self-explanatory. I’m pretty IT illiterate and I’ve figured most of it out, put it that way.”
D’s showing me how they book clients in when someone else joins us. This time it’s someone I recognise from my previous visit, although it’s immediately obvious that he doesn’t remember me like I do him. But then I guess he was the one delivering the pain, not receiving it.
“Biff, this is Titch. Titch, this is Biff, our new admin. Be nice.”
“Nice? I’m always nice. Nice to meet you, Biff. You have any issues with this one, you come and see me. He might look tough, but I know all his secrets.” Titch winks, a smile curling at his lips that shows he’s a little more interested than he’s making out, and quickly disappears towards his room.
It’s not long until the first clients of the afternoon arrive, and I’m left alone to try to get to grips with everything.
Between clients, D pops his head out of his room to check I’m okay, and every hour I make a round of coffee for everyone. That sure seems to get me in their good books.
“I think I could get used to having you around,” Spike says when I deliver probably his fourth coffee of the day. “Only thing that would make it better is if it were whisky.”
“Not sure the person at the end of your needle would agree.” He chuckles and turns back to the design he was working on when I interrupted.
My first day flies by. D tells me to head home not long after nine o’clock. They’ve all got hours of tattooing to go yet, seeing as Saturday night is their busiest night of the week, but he insists I get a decent night’s sleep.
Continue reading Tabitha and Zach’s story HATE YOU!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tracy Lorraine is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling new adult and contemporary romance author. Tracy has recently turned thirty and lives in a cute Cotswold village in England with her husband, baby girl and lovable but slightly crazy dog. Having always been a bookaholic with her head stuck in her Kindle, Tracy decided to try her hand at a story idea she dreamt up and hasn’t looked back since.
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ALSO BY TRACY LORRAINE
Falling Series
Falling for Ryan: Part One #1
Falling for Ryan: Part Two #2
Falling for Jax #3
Falling for Daniel (A Falling Series Novella)
Falling for Ruben #4
Falling for Fin #5
Falling for Lucas #6
Falling for Caleb #7
Falling for Declan #8
Falling For Liam #9
Forbidden Series
Falling for the Forbidden #1
Losing the Forbidden #2
Fighting for the Forbidden #3
Craving Redemption #4
Demanding Redemption #5
Avoiding Temptation #6
Chasing Temptation #7
Rebel Ink Series
Hate You #1
Trick You #2
Defy You #3
Play You #4
Inked (A Rebel Ink/Driven Crossover)
Rosewood High Series
Thorn #1
Paine #2
Savage #3
Fierce #4
Hunter #5
Faze (#6 Prequel)
Fury #6
Legend #7
Maddison Kings University Series
TMYM: Prequel
TRYS #1
TDYW #2
TBYS #3
TVYC #4
TDYD #5
TDYR #6
TRYD #7
Knight’s Ridge Empire Series
Wicked Summer Knight: Prequel (Stella & Seb)
Wicked Knight #1 (Stella & Seb)
Wicked Princess #2 (Stella & Seb)
Wicked Empire #3 (Stella & Seb)
Deviant Knight #4 (Emmie & Theo)
Deviant Princess #5 (Emmie & Theo
Deviant Reign #6 (Emmie & Theo)
One Reckless Knight (Jodie & Toby)
Reckless Knight (Jodie & Toby)
Reckless Princess (Jodie & Toby)
Ruined Series
Ruined Plans #1
Ruined by Lies #2
Ruined Promises #3
Never Forget Series
Never Forget Him #1
Never Forget Us #2
Everywhere & Nowhere #3
Chasing Series
Chasing Logan
The Cocktail Girls
His Manhattan
Her Kensington