Rigid, page 1
Rigid
Whiskey Run: Savage Ink
Hope Ford
Contents
1. Emily
2. Dawson
3. Emily
4. Dawson
5. Emily
6. Dawson
7. Emily
8. Dawson
9. Emily
10. Emily
Epilogue
Epilogue 2
Whiskey Run Series
Whiskey Run Series
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About the Author
Whiskey Run: Savage Ink Rigid © 2021 by Hope Ford
Editor: Kasi Alexander
Cover Design: Cormar Covers
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
1
Emily
“So how’s it going at Savage Ink? Are you liking it?” Violet asks.
I spear my fork into the salad in front of me with more force than I need to. I’m having lunch with Violet at her diner, Red’s. I shift in my seat and wonder how I even answer that without being ungracious. But there’s no hiding anything from Violet. Before I can get my “uh” out, she’s already asking another question. “Okay, spill it. What’s wrong?”
I stare back at the woman that pretty much saved me from being homeless. When I was driving on the highway from Jasper to Whiskey Run a month ago and my car broke down, Violet and her husband, Josh, were the only ones that stopped to help me. I was down to my last four hundred dollars, no job, and a crappy car that could barely get me from point A to point B. I had no luck finding a job in Jasper unless I was wanting to work at the strip club, which I wasn’t. And Violet and Josh really came through for me. They got my car to Jenning’s Automotive and put in a good word for me at Savage Ink. I remember thinking at the time that Violet and Josh had to be some sort of crazy people to help me the way they did, but later I discovered they’re just nice people. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful. But I don’t want to lie to you either.”
Violet shifts in her seat. “Well, don’t lie to me. What’s going on? I thought working at Savage Ink would be right up your alley.”
I look at the tattoos on my arms. I guess I can see why she thought that. And well, it’s actually a great job. I’m getting a lot of hours in for my piercing apprenticeship. It won’t be long until I can apply for my license. But there’s definitely some parts of the job I can do without. Okay, really only one part—one person, in fact.
I start with the positives. “Well, Aiden and Treyton are amazing. And Gracie and Katie have been super welcoming. The job is easy, and the pay is great.”
She lays down her fork. “But?”
I do the same, letting the silverware in my hand fall onto the napkin. “Dawson is an asshole. And I don’t just mean asshole.” I lean across the table and whisper loudly to her. “I mean capital ASS-hole.”
She shrugs. “Well, I know he’s not overly friendly or anything, but I wouldn’t say he’s an asshole. He’s been in Whiskey Run his whole life, and honestly, I’ve never heard anyone say he’s just an asshole. What did he do?”
I lean back in my seat. “Now I’ve offended you. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Violet laughs. “You didn’t offend me.”
Disbelief is on my face. I know I offended her, and of everyone I’ve met, Violet is the last one that I want to upset. “I did. And I’m sorry.”
She shrugs her shoulders and picks her fork back up. “I’m not offended. I just... I don’t know. I know the hell he’s gone through, and I guess I just sort of excuse any bad behavior for that. And I know that’s not right. What did he do to you?”
I sit up in my seat. I haven’t heard anything about Dawson’s past, which now that I think about it, is surprising. In a small town like Whiskey Run, it seems there’s always someone willing to gossip. But I haven’t heard a thing about Dawson. “What do you mean he’s been through hell? What happened to him?”
She’s shaking her head before I even get the first question out. “Oh no. It’s not my place to say. You want to know, ask him.”
I smirk. “Right. He doesn’t tell me anything. He barely talks to me unless he’s telling me something I’m doing wrong.”
Violet is watching me closely, and I try to hide all the feelings, hoping she can’t see them. To be honest, I was sort of into Dawson in the beginning. Yeah, he had an attitude, but there’s something about him that I’m drawn to. There’s been times I thought he felt it too. But if so, he’s definitely not letting on. As a matter of fact, it feels like he can barely even stand to be around me most of the time.
“What?” I ask her when she keeps watching me.
“So you don’t like him?”
“Like him? Are you listening to what I’m saying to you?” I bring the glass of water up to my mouth, needing something to hide behind.
Her forehead creases. “Yeah, I’m listening. But there’s something you’re not telling me.”
I gulp hard, and the liquid I have in my mouth goes down the wrong pipe, and I start to choke. As soon as I’m able to catch my breath, Violet smiles at me like she knows something. I shake my head, deciding it might be best to change the subject.
“So how about them Eagles?” I ask her, referring to her husband’s football team.
She points her fork at me. “I know what you’re doing.”
“What?” I ask her innocently. “How about JJ? How’s he doing?”
And finally, when I mention her son, she takes the bait, pulling out her phone to show me some of the recent pictures she’s taken of him. We spend the rest of the meal talking about him.
“I don’t see how you do it all, Vi. You have a husband, a child, this restaurant. I can barely manage taking care of myself.”
As soon as I say it, I know I’ve said too much. Being vulnerable is not my thing, but it seems like any time I’m with Violet, I open up to her. Violet reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. “Emily, my life looks easy now, but at one time I was a mess. Don’t compare your life to mine. One day, you’re going to have everything you want... and more.”
Because I can’t stop the question before it comes out, I say, “What if I don’t know what I want?”
She pats my hand. “You’ll figure it out.”
With her gaze trained on me, I feel like she’s reading my mind. I blink twice before I nod my head at her. “Right. I know you’re right.”
She’s nodding with me. “Will you do me a favor?”
As if I can tell her no. If it wasn’t for her, it’s hard telling where I’d be right now. “You name it.”
I wait, thinking she’s going to ask me to babysit or maybe pitch in at the diner, but she surprises me with her request. “Give Dawson a break, will you? Just be open.”
Confused, I purse my lips. Does she even know what she’s asking? She may not see it, but he really has been an ass. But even though I want to say no, I know I can’t. “Sure thing. I can do that.”
The noise of the restaurant goes on around us and starts to get louder. The lunch rush seems to be starting, and I know the way Violet is looking around, it’s killing her to be sitting here. She doesn’t get a lot of time in the restaurant anymore, so when she does, she has a lot to do. I don’t want to stand in her way. “Well, I guess I better get to work.”
Violet nods. “Wait. I forgot to ask about the apartment. Josh and I are worried about you. It’s not really the safest place. Josh spends more time in Jasper than I do, but he said it’s not really in the safest part of town.”
My face heats. It’s weird for me, being friends with Violet when we’re so different. Violet and Josh have a house here in Whiskey Run and in Jasper, both of them in the nice parts of town. I had to take what I could get, and unfortunately the apartment I’m in is all I could afford at the time. Plus the drive from Jasper every day for work is a pain, but I don’t have a choice. “I’m saving money. I hope to move in the next few months,” I tell her without really answering her question. I don’t want to tell her that yeah, it is a dump, and I see a drug deal every time I walk out of the apartment door.
“I wish you would just let—" she starts.
I’m already shaking my head and sliding out of the booth. “Nope. No way. You have helped enough. You are not helping me with an apartment too.”
Violet grabs my elbow. “I just worry about you, that’s all.”
The sigh escapes me. I forgot what it was like to have someone care about me. I haven’t felt it in a long time. And even though I’m not a huggy person, I can’t stop myself from reaching out and pulling Violet in for a hug. “Thank you, Vi. That means the world to me, you know. But I’m fine. I promise I am.”
She squeezes me back. With defeat in her voice, she mutters, “Fine, but call me if you need anything. Day or night.”
“I promise.”
Seemingly satisfied, she lets me go. “Have a good night at work. And remember what I said.”
I wave bye to her. “I remember.” And that’s all I think about as I walk down Main Street toward Savage Ink. Curiosity hits me, making me wonder why Dawson is the way he is. I may never know because he doesn’t seem the type to really open up. But I’m determined to be more patient and tolerant of him. If Violet likes him, he can’t be all bad.
2
Dawson
I make sure my glare is in place before I even walk in the front door of Savage Ink. She’s been here a month. At first, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her, and then I’d work all night with a ragin’ hard-on. Now, I just don’t look at her. Yeah, my dick reacts when I hear her voice, but she doesn’t really talk a lot, at least not to me, so it’s not been a big deal.
I put my head down as I walk in. I don’t have to see her to know that she’s in her place behind the front desk. The scent of her lilac or flowery smelling soap hits me like a ton of bricks. I cringe, grit my teeth, and keep walking. I almost make it to the door to the back too.
“Hey, Dawson. How you doing tonight?” The sweet tone of her voice hits me, and it hits me hard. I stumble on my own feet and put my hand on the wall to catch myself. Before I can stop myself, my head swings toward Emily.
She’s smiling at me. It’s a fake smile, not like the ones that she gives Aiden, Treyton, and their women. But even though it’s obviously fake, it still does the same damn thing to me. My cock presses against my zipper as I take in her pale skin. She has her dark brown hair pulled up in a high ponytail, making her look way younger than her twenty-five years. Her green eyes are big and round in her face as she stares back at me. She has her arms crossed over her chest, showing off the fairy and heart tattoos on her arms as she unknowingly presses her breasts up the V-neck of her shirt. Well, fuck.
I shift uneasily, almost reaching down to cup my dick. “Hey,” I grunt at her.
It doesn’t sound friendly, and in no way should it encourage her to keep talking, but she does exactly that. “Let me know if you need anything. Your first appointment will be here shortly.”
She rambles out the words, and when she’s done, she blows out a breath and fake smiles again. I don’t know what to think about it. Usually she goes out of her way to avoid me. I really don’t know what’s with the change, but I know I need to get my eyes off her. I jerk my gaze away and look down the hallway to the door where my tattoo and piercing booth is. “Thanks,” I mutter to her before I stomp down the hallway.
I get to my room and slam the door behind me. It’s like I can imagine her cringing all the way in the front. I take a deep breath and then another. I would give anything to pull my dick out and stroke one out right now, but I know I can’t do that. Not here and not with Emily in the very next room.
I pace the small room and try to get myself together. I barely get my heart rate back to normal when there’s a knock on the door. “Dawson, your appointment is here.”
I take a deep breath and pull the door open and turn my back to her, acting as if I’m busy preparing for my appointments. “Send them back,” I tell her. I didn’t look at the appointment book, so I have no clue who the appointment is with, or if it’s a tattoo or piercing, but right now, I know I need to get lost in my work.
When she doesn’t move, I shake my head. “What is it, Emily?”
“Well, your next appointment is a piercing. I thought I could do it... you know, to get some more hours in.”
She looks hopeful as I look over my shoulder at her. She’s clueless on what she does to me. She’s logged in a lot of hours already, and I want to help her get her piercing license, but there’s no way I can be close to her in a small room tonight. “Nah. I got this one.”
No sooner are the words out of my mouth than Kelly, a waitress from Red’s Diner, slides in the room, almost pushing Emily out of the way. Before I can take the words back—there’s no way I want to be left alone with Kelly—Emily juts her chin at me and turns to leave. What was that look? I swear it looks like she was jealous, but there’s no way that’s the case. I almost follow her when Kelly puts her hand on my arm. I shake it off. “Hey, Kelly. So I need to grab something real quick. Have a seat up on the table.”
I smile at her, hoping she’ll do as I ask. She almost skips over to the table and jumps up, crossing one leg over the other, showing way more thigh than is appropriate, even for this place. I almost slap my hand to my head. Why did I not look at the schedule?
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
I shut the door behind me and go back out front. “Hey, I’ll let you have this one.”
Emily’s head is down as she pretends she’s looking at something on the computer. Without looking up, she shakes her head. “That’s okay. I should have known—"
I grunt because that’s all I can seem to do around her. “Known what?”
She still won’t look at me. “You and Kelly...” She blows out a breath. “Look, it’s no big deal. I’ll get the next one.”
I flinch. Is that really what she thinks of me? Man, I didn’t think I had the best reputation, but I didn’t know she thought I would sleep with Kelly of all people. She’s known for getting around. “There’s no me and Kelly. I didn’t look at the appointment book. I didn’t know it was her.”
She looks down at her nails. “It’s fine. You got this one.” She throws my words right back at me.
I almost stalk off. I’m not going to beg, but as soon as I turn, I know I can’t face Kelly. She’s been known to be really persuasive, and there’s no doubt she’s going to think this fuckin’ bulge in my jeans is for her. “Look at me,” I say to Emily.
Even though she looks at me, there’s defiance in her eyes. “What?”
I hate asking anything from anyone, but I know I can’t go back in that room like this. I’ve got a fuckin hard-on for Emily, and I’m tense and sexually frustrated. There’s no way I’d let something happen with Kelly, but I just don’t want to deal with her shit right now. “Would you please go with me? I need your help.”
She blinks, no more surprised than I am right now. I never ask for help. It doesn’t even sound right coming out of my mouth. Thankfully, she doesn’t ask questions. She makes a big to-do about getting up and even huffs about it. I gesture for her to walk in front of me, and I follow behind, inhaling her sweet scent and watching as her tight ass moves back and forth as she walks. With one hand on the door, she looks at me over her shoulder. Her cheeks are red. “If you decide you want me to leave or anything, just say the word.”
Obviously, the rumor mill has reached Emily about Kelly’s reputation. I put my hand on Emily’s back and pull it back quickly. Even an innocent touch on her back is too much for me. I definitely shouldn’t be touching her. “No! Stay until she’s out the door.”
Emily looks surprised, but she nods her head and pushes the door open, only to stop in her tracks. I run into the back of her and reach out, putting my hands on her hips to steady her. I’m at least a foot taller than Emily and look over her to see Kelly sitting on the chair, shirtless.
“Uh, you didn’t have to take your shirt off,” I tell her at the same time Kelly asks, “What’s she doing here?”
Emily looks at Kelly and then back at me. I go over to the corner and stand, crossing my arms over my chest. “Emily is going to do your piercing today.”
Kelly’s mouth drops open. “What? No! I want you to do it.”
“Emily is great at her job. And I’ll be here to guide her the whole way.”
Kelly isn’t even embarrassed to be sitting here, having this discussion bare breasted. “No! I want you to do it, or I’m not getting it done. I’ll go somewhere else.”
Emily’s face is flushed, no doubt embarrassed. “It’s fine, Dawson.”
But I’m already shaking my head. “No. It’s not fine,” I tell her before glaring over at Kelly. “Emily does it or you leave. It’s up to you.”
Her mouth drops, and she grabs her shirt. She doesn’t even cover her breasts before she’s walking toward the door, her shirt still in her hand. “Fine. I’ll find someone else to do it.”
