Thorn Tattoo was busiest toward the end of the week. Clients who worked nine to five jobs took advantage of the weekend to let their tattoos heal before heading back to work, and while Melanie knew that three days wasn’t nearly enough to fully heal a tattoo, it was enough to acclimatize to carrying around vitamin E cream and slapping the skin instead of scratching at it.

Fridays were always the busiest, but hectic days were usually the most fun. Time flew. But on that particular Friday, the day lagged.

Melanie couldn’t help but feel like Luciano was still upset. When she made her way into the shop just after opening, he was already on the phone and scowling. At first, she figured he was rescheduling a client against her counsel, but as she listened in, she knew something else was going on.

“Yeah, I’d really like to give it a shot.” A pause. “No, just the blue. Lots of it.” Luciano scowled. “I mean, we’ll take the other colors, too, but I’d really love to get my hands on more blue. I’m in my, uh, blue period now. You know artists go through phases. Right now I’m into cool colors, and blue is my favorite.”

What was going on? She sank into her office chair, opened her tablet for the day, and took stock of everything she needed to take care of. On top of making sure Luciano received the proper document for her payroll, she needed to go over his credit card bills, call the real estate agent about the house he was trying to put on the market, and figure out his itinerary for the East Coast Tattoo Society convention so she could adjust his appointments here at the shop. They were still accepting artists, and Melanie needed to weigh the benefits of paying to participate versus the potential monetary gains from attending. At this point, Luciano was already riding the crest of his fame. Recognition didn’t mean so much anymore.

“Yeah, that’s fine. It sounds okay. And of course, everything I do with your ink is going on Instagram. We’re getting in some funky pieces soon, and I’m looking forward to creating them with you. Yes, I’ll be tagging you. Yeah. We’re talking pretty big pieces. Intricate stuff. I was thinking some traditional Japanese. I’m thinking a water dragon would look pretty good….”

At least it was work related. Melanie had an inkling that he might even have been talking to Prismatic Ink, the company she’d been trying to get him in touch with for at least a month. It was good to see Luciano taking some initiative. As she worked, she listened to him talk. Sometimes he sounded frustrated, but other times he sounded genuinely happy to be on the phone. Talking shop was good for him. They’d been on the road for too long and come too far without making any connections. Most of the artists they visited city to city were only interested in getting to know Luciano because of the boost in reputation they received in being associated with him. Better recognition meant more money. Melanie understood how it worked.

The old part of her soul, the parts she’d left behind when she’d left the commune in California at seventeen, told her that the world was a shallow place, and that behavior like that was to be expected.

The new part of her soul told her that it was just part of the industry, and that Luciano was surrounding himself with the wrong type of people. Not everyone was only interested in him for the bottom dollar. The artists that called Thorn Tattoo home were proof of that. All of them bore certain quirks, but none of them were terrible people.

Luciano only needed to find his tribe. Her parents had always said the same of their family, and although Melanie didn’t agree with most of what they said, she found that piece of advice solid. Wherever life took her, she’d done her best to find the right people to surround herself. A support system was important.

It would take some time before Luciano settled into life back in Vegas, but once he had someone to trust and confide in, Melanie was sure he wouldn’t mind staying. The city had so much to offer.

“Right. So, I can expect to see it by three? That’s phenomenal. Thank you for your quick service.” Luciano drummed his fingers on the desk. “Yep. I’ll be there. Awesome. So, I’ll see you soon. Bye.”

The call ended. With a sigh, he put his phone down, and then pinched the bridge of his nose. Melanie looked up from her work to examine him. His gaze flicked in her direction, and Melanie sank back in her chair and twisted slowly side to side.

“Now that that conversation is over, I need to talk to you,” Luciano said. “You ready?”

“Um, I think so.” Melanie let herself grin the tiniest bit. “Unless it’s bad news. Then I don’t want to hear it.”

“I guess it depends on what you think of it.” Luciano shrugged. “Most people would consider it good news, but I know you’re not most people.”

“Ha, ha.” Melanie rolled her eyes playfully. “Very funny. So, what’s going on? Is there something coming up that I’ve overlooked?”

“No.” Luciano stretched, and as he did, he cracked his back. Stretched out as far as he could go, he craned his neck from side to side, and then settled back into a casual seated position. “I had a talk with Antonio last night, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Technically, I am the temporary manager at Thorn Tattoo until the lovebirds get home, but I don’t think I’m cut out for that. I don’t have what it takes. I’m more concerned with art, not figures, or inventory, or what the fuck the rest of the staff is doing while I’m busy inking someone.”

“Uh, right.” Melanie settled her arms on her lap and let her gaze trace down his face and to his shoulders. Luciano didn’t look particularly stressed. “So what, then?”

“So it got me thinking that I need someone who is good with details and plans everything to the last detail to step in and do that for me.” Luciano gave her a pointed look. “I want you to step up and replace me as manager at Thorn Tattoo. You worked here before we took to the road and you know everything there is to know about this place. But more than that, you give a shit about what’s happening here and if you don’t know something, then you go out of your way to learn everything you can about it to fix the problem. That’s the kind of person Thorn Tattoo needs.”

Melanie’s lips parted, but she couldn’t find the words to speak. Being Luciano’s personal assistant was a little like being a manager, but taking care of a whole shop? She wasn’t sure she could manage it.

“Mel, I can read your mind,” Luciano said. “I know that you can manage it. Plus, it’ll come with a significant pay raise. I’m not asking you to do this extra work for free.”

“But what about you?” Melanie asked. “We’re trying to sell that house you own, and we still need to make sure the rest of your month is booked correctly, and all of the bills—”

“It’ll be fine.” Luciano reached out and took her hand, and the bottom dropped out of Melanie’s stomach. Luciano rarely touched her, and when he did, it was electric. She pushed her thighs together and hoped he didn’t notice how easily riled she was. “I managed to do all that stuff before I hired you, and I’ll do it again. Right now, the shop needs you more than I do. C’mon.”

To hear that he trusted her with such a large responsibility was humbling, but Melanie saw through Luciano’s plan. The more work he shunted onto other people, the less he had to worry about for himself. The less he worried about, the less he needed to care about when he abandoned Vegas and hit the road again.

He needed to step up, and he needed to take life seriously.

“I can’t.”

“You will,” Luciano said. “I need you. Thorn Tattoo needs you.”

“You can do it just as well as I can,” Melanie insisted. “Probably better, too, since you’re part of the family. The artists here will warm up to you if you give them the chance and demand respect.”

Luciano shook his head. “No. I can’t juggle that and tattooing. This is on you, Mel. I need you to do it.”

It didn’t sound like he was giving her the choice. Melanie crossed her arms and refused to let the frown she felt inside show on her face.

Luciano could shirk all the responsibility he wanted but she’d get him to come around. She was his personal manager, and she knew him better than just about anyone else did.

If there was one person in the world who could get Luciano to realize what his value was, it was her.

Melanie wasn’t going to let him down. Her only hope was that Luciano would realize his worth before Antonio got wind of what she planned to do.