The last signature needed is a contract naming Mara Gorgon as executive producer of this season’s show. Totally Bella’s idea. She wants her to have something for to work for, even though we’ve just signed our lives away and paid them off. Bella wants something for Mara to be proud of, something to tell Luna someday.
In the past five weeks, I have realized a few things about the world:
You don’t like your path, change it.
When someone offers a hand, take it.
Real respect is earned.
True loyalty is a rarity.
And a steel heart is one you could love without worry and trust to love you back forever.
Twenty-Seven
Convicted
Bella
“Ten men, ten attitudes.”
“Ten artists, ten cities.”
“One will walk away with one hundred thousand dollars to start a new life.”
“This is Convicted Ink.”
“We’re so badass.” I lean against him as we watch ourselves introduce the show.
Tags chuckles. “You look sexy as fuck. I look like a fucking tool.”
I pause the video, grab his face, and make him look at me. “Tell me I’m sexy, and I’m tell you you’re sexier.” I lean in and act like I’m going to kiss him then palm his face and push him back. “Until you admit we’re sexy and badass, there’s no kissing.”
I hit play and hear a deep rumble from his chest.
“Not funny.”
“What’s funny is you can’t tell me no. Never could.”
Releasing my hand, he brushes his fingertips up my inner thigh.
I bat it away. “Luna and Kiki are sleeping right in the other room.”
He leans in, completely ignoring me, moving fingertips from my inner thigh and up my sleep shorts, now nudging under my panties.
Leaning in, he whispers, “Kiss me.”
“Nuh-uh.” I lean back as he leans in and brushes his delicious full lips against mine.
“Kiss me, sweets.”
“Nope,” I whisper with absolutely zero conviction.
He traces his tongue over my lips, and I close my mouth.
“Killing me,” he groans, rubbing a finger up and down my slit.
“Not fair.”
He slides his tongue into my mouth as he slides his finger inside me.
I slide my tongue against his then wrap my lips around his tongue and suck it like I want to his beautiful cock, if I wasn’t trying to prove a point … and clearly failing, but I’m not really kissing him.
Leaning in more, he pushes against me until I’m on my back. Kissing me, fingering me, and pushing my shirt up, he palms my tit. Then he moves his lips to my cheek and whispers, “There is no sexier couple on this earth than us. But sweets, when I’m looking at your perfect tits”—he kisses one then the other then down my belly as he pulls my shorts down far enough to kiss my inner thigh—“when I’m seconds away from licking your pussy”—he pushes a second finger inside me—“there is nothing sexier. So, sweets, I look like a tool.”
He stands up and loses his shirt. Then he bends down and picks me up so I’m eyeball-to-eyeball with him and says, “You are sexy.” He kisses my lips. “You are beautiful.” He kisses me again. “And Isabella Steel”—he kicks our bedroom door shut, sets me on the floor, turns me around, pulls my shorts completely off, and he kisses my tattoo—“you are mine.”
I wake up to the smell of coffee and bacon.
“Can she wake up yet, Daddy?”
“She’s tired, baby girl.”
“She didn’t go to sleep with the moon?”
No, Luna, your daddy was a bad, bad boy last night, I think to myself.
“She woke up a few times, so she didn’t sleep that well.”
“I bet she did,” Kiki says in her normal, snarky tone.
“Keeks, you wanna flip the eggs and shut your piehole?” Tags mutters.
“There’s pieholes? Are they like donut holes?” Luna asks.
For a kid born with so many strikes against her, she is freaking amazing.
“You wanna pick up your pretties where you dropped them by the couch?”
I jump up, grab a tee-shirt, and throw it on. “Kiki, could you come in here please?”
“Momma Bell’s awake.” Kiki laughs. “Coming.”
When she walks in, I shake my head. “You do know how much it took to convince him to pull Luna from school because you were more than capable of doing the same curriculum as she was doing?” I wrap my hair up in a messy bun. “That’s not the education we were thinking.”
“She’s a smart girl; she’s gonna pick up on clothes laying in the middle of the living room floor sooner or later.”
“I was doing laundry.”
“Yeah you were.” She laughs and tosses my shorts at me.
I wad them up and throw them in her face.
“Luna, is that the alarm?”
“Time to call Paula!” she squeals. “Moon time?”
“Yeah, baby girl, different time zone. Time to send her the moon.”
“They’re here,” Kiki says as the cars start to pull up to the plantation house we’ve been renting until we head to Flint, Michigan.
“I’ll go greet them.” Tags grabs the back of Kiki’s shirt and pulls her back. “You stay here.”
“Bully,” she snaps.
He chuckles. “Remember that.”
Looking out the window, I point them out as they exit the vehicles, “Maze, Grimm, Axel, Blade, Ranger, Darby, Breaker, Dagger, Neo, and Sisco. Sisco took Tags’ place. He owns a shop in New York. He’s doing him a favor by being here.”
“All convicts?” Kiki asks, smiling.
“All have done their time.”
“So, is it true what they say about bad boys?”
I hip-check her, and she almost falls over.
I laugh. “Girl, you aren’t even ready for me.”
When the guys come in, I have Luna on my hip.
Axel is the first one to hug me. “Guess no gummies for you this trip.”
“Gummies?” Kiki asks.
“We tried to steal her stash.” Axel smirks. “You must be J.B.?”
“Huh?” Kiki asks.
“Jail Bate,” Maze clarifies from behind him.
“Where’s the food?” Grimm asks.
“In the kitchen, scary guy.” Luna points toward the kitchen.
“Thank you, Miss Luna.”
Ranger walks in next. “Hey, boss lady.” He hugs me. “Luna.” He shakes her hand. “J.B.” He lifts his chin.
“I hate your boyfriend,” Kiki sneers.
While the guys eat the massive amounts of food that Tags, Luna, and Kiki made while I was editing, Tags explains the change in ownership and the direction of the show. We show them the footage from Vegas and reveal the name Convicted Ink. They all seem to like it, and even more than the name—the message behind it.
Second chances, new beginnings.
Tags