Selena stressed about everything regarding her appointment with Hunter. What did one wear to a tattoo parlor? Would she get sick or pass out? What if she bled everywhere? How bad would it hurt? Would he be happy to see her again, or would he think she was stalking him?

He was the one who had called to tell her about the daith piercing idea, but he hadn’t said anything about him doing it himself. She was the one who had insisted on that. The concern that she was being too forward and pushy weighed heavily in her mind, but she wanted to see him again too much to cancel the appointment.

She drove herself to the tattoo studio, not wanting to have the limo draw even more attention to her. Sitting in the car alone in front of the studio, which was aptly named Tats and All That, she debated whether or not she should even go inside.

In an effort to look like she belonged in such a sketchy place, she had worn her dark wash jeans with ankle boots, a thick, white, fitted cotton tee shirt, and several silver necklaces. She looked down at her outfit and decided that it just made her look like she was trying way too hard.

She started her sports car and debated her options as it rumbled loudly. Normally, she wasn’t one to back down from a challenge, but for some reason, Hunter made her extremely nervous. The thought of going back home to her lonely penthouse condo to hang out with Mr. Whiskers had her turning the car’s engine back off and heading inside before she could chicken out again.

Once inside, she immediately regretted her decision to come here. This establishment definitely wasn’t the type of place where she belonged. The walls were decorated with hundreds of tattoo and piercing ideas––many of them with photos of the body art on actual people. It appeared the studio’s patrons were more than willing to have any part of their body worked on, and then they wanted their picture on the wall to show it off.

Selena was cringing in sympathetic pain as she looked at the picture of one woman’s multitude of nipple piercings. She couldn’t imagine what would entice someone to put herself through that.

She had been so engrossed in the pictures that she hadn’t noticed the man who emerged from the back and now stood behind the counter. His deep voice startled her when he asked. “See something you like?”

She turned to face him and discovered that his face and neck were covered with numerous piercings and tattoos. “Oh!” she self-consciously brought a hand to her collarbone as she fidgeted with one of her necklace chains. He seemed to be expecting an answer, so she tried to sound casual as she complimented their artwork. “You have some lovely options, but I work in a professional environment, so I couldn’t possibly do this to my skin.”

Biting her lip with anxiety, she hoped her response didn’t sound nearly as snooty to him as it did to her own ears. This wasn’t going at all how she had planned.

“Yeah, you don’t look like our typical customers.” He gave her a lopsided smile, which she hoped meant that he hadn’t been offended by her words.

She couldn’t help but wonder if it pained him to smile. She had never seen someone with so many piercings. Realizing that she was staring at the large oblong circles that made his earlobes dangle down nearly to his chin, she said the first thing that came into her head. “Does all of that hurt?”

“Nope,” he said simply, not seeming to be at all annoyed by her question. “Looking to have some piercings done?” She could tell by his tone and the raised brow with five rings through it that he was teasing her.

“Actually, yes,” she cleared the frog that had suddenly lodged in her throat. “I have an appointment with Hunter to have my daiths pierced.”

“Oh, Boss Man doesn’t do piercings, but I can hook you up,” he assured her.

She could feel her eyes bulging as the tatted and pierced clerk tried to guide her to the back of the studio. “Oh, no,” she fought back. “I want Hunter to do it.” She dug her heeled black ankle boots in and refused to be led anywhere. Her formidable height and stubborn stance made it clear that she wasn’t going to be bullied into anything.

“Have it your way,” the young man said, apparently done with her. “Boss Man, there’s a…” he paused during his yell to the back, obviously trying to decide what he should call her, “…woman out here to see you.”

She wondered if he would have called her a bitch, if she hadn’t been within earshot, but she tried not to worry about it too much. Before long, Hunter emerged from the back, and she immediately felt better at the sight of him. His presence was somehow calming, despite the fact that her heart was hammering wildly within her chest.

He smiled when he saw her, which she took as a good sign. He was taller and had broader shoulders than she remembered. He looked like he belonged here, but he had looked like he fit within the confines of her corporate environment as well. He must be one of those chameleons that could blend in anywhere. She, on the other hand, knew that she stuck out like a sore thumb in his environment.

His eyes twinkled and his expression was filled with warmth when he asked what he could do for her. She couldn’t help being dazzled by him, despite the fact that she hadn’t been mesmerized like this by anyone… ever.

“I’d like to have my daiths pierthed,” she was horrified when her ears heard her mouth flub the word. “Pierced,” she clarified, even though he undoubtedly knew what she meant.

Brian, the last man she had dated for any length of time would have grabbed the opportunity to make fun of the faux pas. He would have mimicked her, “Pierthed, huh?” and guffawed with laughter. Hunter, however, took the high road. He revealed a gorgeous smile, nodded, and ushered her behind the curtain and into the back of the studio.