Page 50 of Inked in Bloom
“I don’t know about badass. I just…needed to do something.”
“I get that,” Kendrick agrees between mouthfuls of strawberries.
What was the alternative? Hide awayin my room and waste my days crying about something I had no control over? Why would I do that when I could spend my time learning how to get back to the people who rely on me? The ones who love me.
Mourn me.
As happy as I am to be out with my roommates, I miss the comfort of talking with Beth and Richard at Sunday dinner. I looked forward to it every week. Yes, it was a way to check on them, but they were incredible listeners too, always asking how things were going with work, Painting Hope, Jessica Rabbit, and Jay, when we were together. Asking questions was usually my domain, as a therapist. I rarely talked about myself. But Charlotte’s parents were truly interested in my life.
Did they still think of me on Sunday nights?
I shovel another bite of lamb into my mouth, chewing over my nostalgia before swallowing it down. Tonight was about being in the present, so I refocus on my roommates. The rest of dinner is lovely. Roxy gives us all the café gossip, and Kendrick tells us about his students. He’s currently reading themAlice in Wonderland, and I grin, the pieces falling into place about my mystery relaxation treat. Despite the shitty situation I find myself in, I’m lucky to have the three of them.
After we finish, there’s no bill to pay, so we leave, exiting out onto the cobblestone streets.
“This way,” Roxy says, waving in the direction of Novel Nibbles. Across from the café bookstore is a taller building with dark-green siding and roses in shades of reds, dusky pinks, and whites cradled in rose-gold planters. Two windows curve like ears from a pebbled glass door. My attention drifts to the harbingers making out beneath a scripted sign, its painted letters cracked and peeling.
“The Velveteen Rose?” I ask, gaze focused on the sign and certainly not the Blooms’ fingers grazing each other’s skirt hems. My cheeks flame.
“It’s my favorite place to go out. You’re going to love it,” Cherri says.
Behind her, Kendrick grabs the large rose-gold rose-shaped door handle that splits in half at the entrance. Velvet chaises and couches line the walls and lights capped in gilded rose petals hang from the ceiling.
“Come on, let’s dance.” Before I respond, Cherri pulls me into the crowd of silhouettes, their movements illuminated by golden spotlights swirling above the large, open dance floor. The music is an upbeat instrumental, and I can’t help but shake my hips. Cherri waves her arm, gesturing around the club. “Isn’t this place amazing?”
The music slows, transforming into a sultry beat thatreverberates up from the floor. Out of the corner of my eye, Roxy loops her arm around Kendrick’s neck, and they sway back and forth. His hand cradles the base of her spine, eyes glued to the rhythmic rock of her hips. There’s no mistaking the energy radiating off them…
Have I ever had someone stare at me like that, deeper than hungry lust?
A chain of four harbingers snakes through the crowd, heading to one of the corners of the room where a large flower-shaped bed with cushioned petals sits. The golden orbs hanging above it illuminate their touches and kisses as they begin disrobing.
“Are those four…” I can’t even get out the words, but one moment they are undressing and the next, they are all completely naked. The three men kiss the woman and lay her down at the center of the flower, using the petals surrounding it to spread her legs and— “Oh my God.”
Two tend to her dusky-evergreen nipples between kisses, each of them stroking their dick: one dark purple and the other rich pink. Inky flora spans their fists, almost blending into the flourish marks inked up and down their shafts. I nibble at my bottom lip. The third harbinger kneels before her, slightly blocking our view.
“Takes a bit to get used to,” Cherri whispers but continues dancing. “But, Fates above, they are hot, aren’t they?” She shamelessly fans herself.
I swallow thickly. “They really are.”
My whole body is warm, and I note a handful of other club-goers are watching them with rapt interest. It doesn’t bother anyone in the slightest. A few Blooms are spurred on by the display, finding their own velvet chaises with a partner or by themselves.
“As you can see, we don’t let anything stop us when the mood strikes.” Cherri chuckles. She drags a finger back and forth over her lips, a shade more flushed than their usual rosy hue.
“Within reason,” I add, a bit breathless.
“Yes, of course.” Cherri takes my hands and begins dancing again, pulling my attention away from the foursome taking place in the well-lit corner, along with the numerous other harbingers going at it. “But in this burrow, it’s completely acceptable.”
“If someone wants to watch, then that’s fair game,” Roxy says, tugging Kendrick over. He follows her every movement, not glancing at the people fucking around the outskirts of the room.
“It’s normally invited,” he adds, then nuzzles his nose against her and catches her bottom lip between his teeth. They begin making out, hips grooving with the music.
My brows furrow. “Are all harbingers like this?”
“No clue,” Cherri replies as our roommates continue kissing and dancing like we aren’t there. “I can only speak for the Blooms.”
“Is that how you all have so much magic?”
“I mean, it certainly helps.” Cherri scans the crowd. “That being said, if you find someone you’re interested in tonight, you don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with. You can always invite them back to your place or there are plenty of more private areas farther back.”
