Page 7 of Untamed Heart
‘Great to see you,’ I said to no one in particular, placing the glass down carefully and backing away.
‘Lottie?’ Kyle said, stepping out of his mother’s clutches. ‘What—’
‘I’ll call you tomorrow,’ I replied as I turned and walked out, breaking into a run as I hit the pavement and taking an immediate left around the back in case Kyle tried to follow me.
Fuck, fuck,fuck.
YES! Get over here now, was Hestia’s reply to my message as I checked my phone, almost breaking into a sob as I reached the tube.My hot tech start-up guy is here and I’m tattooing his thigh. I should be live-streaming this on OnlyFans, I’d make a fucking fortune.
I all but ran into the station, relief at my escape mingling with dread. What the hell was I doing?
CHAPTER3
The door to Hestia’s studio, The Inky Hearth, was ajar when I arrived.
‘Can I come in?’ I shouted, checking my face in my compact mirror one last time. Reapplying make-up on the tube was not my forte. I scrubbed at a smudge of eyeliner, sighing.
‘Yep, we’re in the back,’ she replied, the whirr of the needle just audible over the music.Nine Inch Nails, I thought, remembering it from our time as roommates.
The interior was as moody and intense as the song, the walls a deep blue-black, contrasting with the vibrant pinks of the Japanese cherry-blossom mural surrounding the window opposite, a train rattling over the tracks behind. The studio fitted right into Shoreditch, the edgy other end of the spectrum to my City world of marble, suits and fake smiles. I realized I was at home in neither, my own corner of London yet to be revealed to me, if it ever would be. Perhaps my mum had been right: you can take a girl out of the country . . .
Through the doorway into the second room, Hestia looked up and smiled.
‘Scott, this is my friend Lottie, the hot one I was telling you about.’
She winked, but before I could scowl, I realized what was underneath her arm. A very round, sculpted butt-cheek clad in tight boxers.
‘Hello hot Lottie,’ he replied, face down in the black leather, his voice muffled against the bed. ‘Don’t mind my ass.’
‘Bloody hell,’ I muttered, trying to look anywhere except the bed as Hestia laughed. I didn’t think of myself as prudish, but around Hestia I sometimes felt like Mother Teresa.
‘Heard you lost your job,’ Scott said and my eyes narrowed. Hestia kept her eyes on his skin, the corners of her mouth uplifted.
‘Mm-hmm,’ I replied, determined not to discuss my life with a stranger, even if he did have a peachy ass.
‘Come work for me,’ he offered, trying to turn his head so he could face me. His hair was long, a deep brown, almost black, like mine. ‘What do you do? Marketing? Always need decent marketing people.’
‘You only employ hot women,’ Hestia murmured, concentrating intently as she honed in on a detail. The tattoo was a snake, curled around some kind of foliage. ‘Lottie’s too good for you. Definitely hot enough, but way out of your league.’
He snorted.
‘I’ve sued people for saying less, you know,’ he replied, still trying to turn to look at me. ‘I mean, you’re right, I do, but still.’
‘And I could be very tempted to change this design into a pig,’ replied Hestia, nudging him as she sat up for a moment, straightening her back. Bright cherry-red hair spilled over her shoulders; her kohl-lined blue-green eyes sparkled. ‘Keep still – one last bit and we’re done for today. I need to take Lottie out and get her wasted.’
Exhaustion suddenly threatened to take over and I grabbed the spare chair next to the other, empty bed. Hestia glanced over at me, her eyes reading my expression in seconds. The smile from their banter still on her lips, she leant towards Scott again, touching the needle to his skin, focusing intently for a few seconds.
‘There, all good. Outline’s done – only one more session now.’
I watched as she packed away and Scott shifted, stretching. I realized how much I wished I could be as easy with people as she was, to be able to be myself, even at work. My work clothes felt like a cage, the ends of my hair as limp and frazzled as my thoughts.
‘Hi,’ Scott said, looking up at me. ‘She’s right. You’re gorgeous, Lottie – nice to meet you.’
I shook my head, trying not to blush.
‘Thanks. I’ll umm . . . wait out there,’ I replied, catching Hestia’s eye and mentally threatening all the ways I would make her pay for this.
Their combined laughter, although not unkind, only served to dampen my mood further. My phone buzzed.
