Ricochet was dead. Evie ran her hands down her thighs nervously, perched on her stool as she waited for ten o’clock to roll around. The other artists were gathered around her, all of them faces she knew well. Kimi Kingkiller sat next to her, one leg crossed over the other, arms tucked behind her head. She had her dreads pinned atop her head, her dramatic makeup a little smudged from a hard day at work. Theo, the biggest man Evie had ever seen, had his stool set against the wall so he could lean back against it. He was tapping away at his cellphone, and the device looked tiny in his hands. Despite his giant size, she’d never met a man with a softer touch, or who cared so much about his clients. Red swiveled across the room, pushing himself with his beanpole legs and sometimes kicking himself in circles as he waited. Frank sat near Kimi and said nothing, as usual. Evie couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard him speak.

Gone was their old manager, Lilian. The support staff had left at the same time, not wanting to stick around and see what changes the new owner would bring. Evie still remembered the conversation. Lilian’s negativity had gotten to everyone.

I googled him. Turns out he’s this hardass businessman more interested in money than art. I know he’s going to cut corners. I don’t want to get wrapped up in that shit.

He isn’t smiling in any of his pictures. Like, you think that a search would turn up at least one picture where he looks like a decent human being—and we’re not even talking like, punk rock badass not smiling. He’s dressed in suits in every single picture, hair professional, eyes cold as ice. I’m out.

I bet he’s going to cut wages.

I can do better than this shit.

None of the artists sitting there had left. Not yet, at least. Evie knew they were leaving their portfolios at other studios, waiting to see if anyone nibbled. All of them were talented, and chances were if there was an open spot in any of the shops they applied to, they’d be snatched up. Ricochet hadn’t died because it lacked talent; it died from a lack of leadership and wise financial decisions.

That’s why Lilian was gone, and why their head artist had quit.

Evie had hopes that the new owner might not make the same mistakes. She’d done some googling herself, and she’d discovered that Antonio DeRose was responsible for breathing new life into Thorn Tattoo, one of the most killer shops on the strip. From what she’d read, Thorn Tattoo had been started by the father back in the sixties. After his death, Antonio had taken it over and helped build it back up to the success it was today. Okay, with a lot of help from his very talented brothers. But still. If he could manage prime real estate and make it take off like he had, she had hopes that he’d be able to turn Ricochet around.

Not that they were Ricochet anymore. Now they were Bloom Tattoo. The name made her gag, but she understood the desire to start fresh. Bloom just sounded too feminine. Nightshade Tattoo would have been more her vibe, but she didn’t get to call the shots.

“He’s going to be late,” Red said as he wheeled across the floor. They were all stationed in the lobby. “There’s just five minutes to go. If he is late, I’m going to be pissed. We had to end appointments early today to make sure the shop was empty when he got here. I had to rush my line work.”

“He’ll be here,” Kimi said. She picked at her shirt, letting it billow out before it sank back against her boyish body. “The man’s a professional hardass. He’s not going to be late to anything. He’s so on the ball, I bet he walks through the door the second the clock strikes ten, like he’s some kind of tattoo Cinderella.”

“Wasn’t Cinderella bound by midnight?” Theo asked, looking up from his phone.

“Dunno.” Kimi shrugged. “Not sure if I care. Point is, I’m willing to bet he’s not going to keep us waiting.”

Evie got the feeling that Kimi was right.

The memory of Antonio’s icy eyes haunted her. The stern lines of his mouth were a promise that he didn’t mess around. He’d made an appointment with them for ten, and he was going to be there.

Despite Antonio’s harsh appearance, Evie couldn’t help but think that he was handsome. There was something about his rigidity that was hitting all the right buttons. It made her wonder what he’d look like with his walls down. More than anything, she wanted to see if his face would crack if he smiled. He seemed so stiff and frozen that she wouldn’t doubt it.

“I don’t know, guys,” Evie said. “I think we need to give him the benefit of the doubt. Jumping to conclusions is going to get us absolutely nowhere. We already know our jobs are safe for the next year, so let’s give the guy a chance before we tear him down.”

“If you say so.” Red spun in circles, then stopped and pushed across the room, his stool squeaking as it went. “I just hope that he’s as good as the internet says he is. Not going to lie, I’m hesitant to believe the guy is going to make such a huge change. Ricochet was deep in the hole.”

“That was all on Lilian,” Evie said defensively. “The woman had zero business sense. Not that I’m any better. But, you know, at least I’m mature enough to admit that.”

Evie pulled her kurta up over her head, leaving her in her tank top. She loved the comfortable tunics, which went with everything she owned giving her a bohemian look but even they could get too warm in the hot Vegas climate. Now that the shop was closed, she had no issue showing a little more skin, but she hated it when clients stared at her chest.

“Yeah. Well. It’s over now. Whatever happens, happens in the future. No point in thinking about where things went wrong. We’re here to tattoo, not to talk about business decisions.” Kimi unfolded her arms and stretched. As she did, her spine cracked. “Mm, shit, that’s good. Needed that.”

Before Evie could reply, the sound of a key scraping the lock stole her attention. Every artist in the room looked toward the glass front door. Beyond it stood the man she’d seen in the image search results, none other than Antonio DeRose.

He let himself in, then locked the door behind him. The room was silent—not even the radio was on.

Antonio joined them, his face an impartial mask. Evie sat a little straighter in her chair, letting her gaze bore through him. First impressions were everything, and she was shocked that her first impression was less panic and more utter interest.

Antonio was way more handsome in person than he was online. The suit he wore was high quality and tailored to his measurements, fitting perfectly in the shoulders and tapered to his body. He wasn’t exactly bulky, but she had a feeling that his body, as slender as it was, was solid. He wore muted, but respectable colors that brought out his blue eyes. His hair was a stunning shade of brown. She’d seen it blond and brown online, but preferred it when he went dark, which she suspected was more his natural hair color.

It had to be illegal for a man to look as good as he did.

“You must be Mr. DeRose,” Theo said. He stood, all six foot ten inches of him lumbering over the room. “Welcome. We’re glad to have you here.”

“Theo, I presume,” Antonio said with a curt nod. His voice was dipped with honey, and it was smooth and deep like a fine bourbon. Evie bit down on her bottom lip and let her gaze plunge down his body. It was hard to tell if he was a virgin canvas or not, but judging by his hands and his neck, she was willing to bet he was ink free.

As Antonio walked forward to join them, Theo held out his hand to shake replying, “You got it.” Evie figured that he was a shoe-in for new head artist, and sweet-talking Antonio was sealing the deal. That was fine by her. Theo was a good artist, and he had a good head on his shoulders. The rest of the staff would listen to him, and the gentle giant knew how to get scary if he needed to sort out something unpleasant. “This is the rest of the crew. We’ve got Red—”

Red lifted a hand and waved, grinning.

“Kimi—”

Kimi nodded in his direction, chin upturned.

“Frank—”

Frank said nothing.

“And Evie.”

Evie winked when Antonio looked in her direction, and it may have been her imagination, but she could have sworn he let his gaze linger on her for a few seconds longer than it should have.

Antonio looked away and surveyed the room, but she kept her eyes on him.

“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Antonio said. “I know this is a difficult time. Change is never easy. I hope that we’ll be able to get through this transition together and grow from it. I have big plans for Bloom Tattoo, but they’ll take a while to realize. Until then, I need you all to hang on. I promise, when the shop is up and running at the capacity I want it to be, you’ll see it was worth the effort.”

He was charismatic enough that Evie believed him. She studied him as he spoke, remarking his posture and making mental notes on his appearance. As an artist, she had her eye on angles and shapes, and she wondered what it would be like to paint him.

A lot of hard angles. A lot of intense emotion, masked just enough that it was hinted at. The dark spread of stubble across his jaw and down his throat was sexy as all hell and would take finesse to reproduce. The gorgeous cut of his clothes would complement his natural features well.

“What’s happening with the support staff?” Kimi asked, cutting straight to the point. “We heard that you don’t want to close us down while we restructure. We stayed open today without anyone running the desk or offering piercings and it was hell. We had to turn away a bunch of clients coming in looking for body mods because we didn’t have the staff on hand. What’s your solution?”

Kimi was brash and unafraid to have her voice heard. It turned strangers off. But Antonio didn’t skip a beat as he nodded and launched into a reply; either he was well rehearsed for this meeting, or he was unflappable.

Evie was impressed.

“Luckily, there’s a stack of resumes and portfolios from hopeful piercers at Thorn Tattoo. I’m bringing one of my established piercers over temporarily while we train the new crew to our standards, and as soon as everyone is up to speed, I’ll be dividing labor between the two shops in a way that makes the most sense. Some of the new talent might work at Thorn, and some might stay here. Either way, you’re not going to be without piercers for long. And as for desk support?” Antonio took his phone out of his pocket and swept through it, searching for something. “I’m conducting two interviews tomorrow with highly qualified individuals. Until I find the right candidate, I will be working the front desk.”

There was silence. Antonio was the owner. Evie hadn’t expected him to be invested in his business on a ground level. No one had.

Owners didn’t work at their shops.

“Uh.” Red wheeled over so he was within arm’s reach of Antonio. “You’re going to work? Here?”

“Scheduling, welcoming clients, making sure artists keep their appointments, handling cancellations and rebookings….”

Evie couldn’t imagine Antonio’s dour face at the front counter. She pushed her lips together and tried her best to hold back a laugh. In the end, she snorted.

Antonio looked in her direction and arched a brow. “Yes?”

“Just, you know…” Evie found it harder and harder not to laugh. “Usually the front of the shop is someone kind of quirky and friendly. You’re super into business, and that’s cool, but I don’t know if it’s going to translate well into customers, you know?”

Antonio’s eyes hardened into coals. The dominance in that look turned Evie on, and she sat up a little straighter, unwilling to let her gaze part from his. “I’ll be fine, I assure you.”

“Oh, I know.” Evie grinned. “Just thought it was a little funny, that’s all.”

There was no telling what the future held, but if Antonio was going to be present in the shop, Evie knew it was going to be a wild ride.

She looked forward to every second of it.