Once Upon a Contract (Once Upon #2)

Chapter Two

Ezra

I 'm not going to lie; I was irritated as fuck when Wren asked if we could reschedule or if someone else could work on me. I know shit happens, and Wren would never saddle me with someone she doesn't trust.

I've been jonesing for a new tattoo, for the rush of the needle dragging across my skin, making me a walking canvas. Sometimes, it's the only thing that helps release the tension from all the bullshit that comes with running my "tech empire", as my sister calls it. I used to do crazy shit like jump out of planes or bungee jump off bridges, but I cut that shit out once my sister's jackass husband left her high and dry with three kids under the age of five. Taking those risks was too much when they were counting on me.

I never in my wildest dreams expected Daphne Barkley to walk through that door, looking even more stunning than the first time I met her. She was gorgeous that night at the gala, but she was way too young for me. Plus, I had no desire to be associated with her parents after everything she'd told me and what I'd witnessed that night. That didn't stop me from thinking about her and seeking her out at every event I went to after that. I only saw her on a few occasions, but Daphne slipped through my grasp every time, without me getting a chance to talk to her. Somehow, she always felt a bit like "the one who got away" for me, even though we never actually got started.

Today, she looks like a completely different woman. Daphne is busy setting up her station, so I have no problem admiring her. She's filled out in all the right places. Her waist is trim but tapers down into full hips and a plump ass. The bit of flesh I can see on her stomach is taught, and ink is peeking out from her cropped top. Daphne's nipples are hard, making me question if her full chest is bare under her shirt. Her chestnut hair is in a messy braid down her back, and I notice paint flecked in it. Taking a glance down her body, I realized she's got paint everywhere, which makes me ridiculously happy.

I know her parents were dangling her education above her head if she didn't fall into line and "do something practical" with her life, so I'm ecstatic to see her here and hope the paint means she's also doing what she loves.

Dying to get her attention back on me, I clear my throat, startling Daphne.

"Sorry. I get a little lost in my routine of setting up my station. I was just looking in my email for the information on your piece from Wren. She sent me a sketch. I just printed it out. I'll go grab it, and we can place it and see if that works for you. Um, you want it on your chest, correct?"

Daphne's eyes are now on mine but dart away quickly.

I'm glad I'm not the only one affected here.

"Yeah, we are going to fill this area in." I gesture towards my left peck and can't help but flex it.

I've worked hard to look the way I do. Tired of being the stereotypical scrawny geek, I hit the gym and worked my ass off. In college, I made friends with a couple of rugby players. They pushed me hard but were great guys who didn't care that I was a nerd. I still join in a rec league game with a couple of them whenever my schedule allows.

"I'm sure whatever Wren drew will be great."

"Of course. She's amazing. I'll be right back."

Daphne is up and out of the room before I can say anything more.

My phone goes off for the fifth time since I sat down, breaking through my bliss of being in a tattoo shop with a gorgeous woman I've dreamed about for seven damn years. I pull it out of my pocket, and my brows furrow at another bullshit email from one of my advisers. Needing to zone out, I put my phone on silent and settle back on the table.

Daphne bustles back in, tripping over her stool, which sends her flying.

I'm off the table in seconds, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her to my chest. Her hands slap on my pecs as she catches herself, a breath whooshing out of her lungs. Once again, I have her in my arms, and the desire to have her here every day is too strong to ignore.

Daphne tips her head back to look at me. Her face is flushed, and she's got that plump lip between her teeth again. My natural desire to take control flares through me, begging me to tell her that lip is mine and I will be the only one biting it. Thank God I have enough sense not to say it. Daph seems skittish, and the last thing I want to do right now is run her off.

"I'm so sorry. You'd think I'd be used to my long legs by now, but I'm afraid I'm destined to be a klutz my entire life."

"It's okay, love." Shit, that "love" slipped right out, and the way Daphne's eyes widen, she definitely heard it.

I need to get myself under control before I fuck this all up. Taking a step back from her physically pains me, but it's a necessary evil at this point.

"Is that the sketch?" I gesture towards the paper on the floor.

"Crap. Yes. Give me one second to make sure it isn't ruined."

I nod as I make my way back to the table and sit down.

Daphne checks the sketch before snagging her stool. She slides closer to me and holds it out. Of course, Wren knocked it out of the park with this ship. It's in an old-school style and will fit perfectly on the open space on my pec.

"It looks great. Would you change or add anything to it?"

"Um, I think it looks amazing. Wren's awesome."

"Okay, let me rephrase that. I want a piece of you in this tattoo. Can you please see if there's any place you can add some of your style in?"

"I can. But Ezra, you don't even know what my style is—" Doubt clouds her eyes.

"Daph, I don't need to know your style. If you work at Wren's shop, then you are obviously good at what you do."

Daphne's blush is back as she fidgets where she sits.

"Why don't you put that stencil on and see if you can draw in anything else that will work with what Wren drew."

"Okay, I can do that."

I don't say anything else as Daphne preps my chest and applies the stencil. Instead, I take the time to watch how focused she is when she works, as if she's getting lost in what she's doing. Her confidence is shining through, and it makes me wonder what it would take to have her be this confident all the time. Don't get me wrong—I adore her shyness and her blush, but seeing her this confident is lighting her up in a whole new way. She's beautiful and still has a spell cast over me.

After a few minutes of drawing, Daphne slides her stool back, grabs a mirror off the table behind her, and holds it up for me to inspect. I'm blown away. The ship is at the forefront, but the flowers she wove around the outside of it make it look like an old picture frame. It's perfect.

"Damn, love. That sketch was awesome, but you just made it next level."

Daphne flushes as a smile threatens her lips.

"You're ready to get started, then?"

"Sure am. Do you want me sitting like this or lying down?"

"Go ahead and lie down. Are we adding color to this or grayscale?"

"Hmm, I don't mind some color, but nothing too bright if that works for you?"

"You're the client."

"Yes, but you're the expert. I'm not going to try and tell you how to do a job that you're way more knowledgeable in than I'll ever be," I say, "I trust you, Daph. Do whatever you think will look best."

"Okay," she says so low that I almost miss it.

Daphne gets busy preparing the ink and her machines. She's so at ease here and I feel like I'm getting to see a side of her she doesn't easily show. With every second I spend with her, I know I want more. I can't get a read on whether she feels the same way, though. Obviously, I make her nervous, but I don't know why. I'm hoping it's because she's just as attracted to me as I am to her, but I need to know for sure.

"Are you ready?"

"Fuck yeah."

Daphne smiles softly before dipping her machine in the ink and marking the first line on my skin. I bask in the feeling of being tattooed as the tension from work slowly releases from my body. We both get lost in the process for a while before my need to know more about her takes over.

"So, how did you end up here? I can't imagine this was on the approved list of professions for your parents. I've looked for you over the years but haven't really been able to find any updates on you. "

"I didn't tell them. Fresh out of college, I created a nonprofit art program for all school-age children that ran year-round and was completely free to them. The after-school program was popular, but our summer camp is my absolute favorite part. It runs all summer and has three different sessions. The kindergarten through third grade hours are during the day and then the kids are bussed home, but the older kids have the option to stay for their sessions overnight, all at zero cost to their parents. It took a lot to get my summer camp up and running, but it was absolutely worth all the blood, sweat, and ass-kissing to my parents' friends.

"My parents funded the program to begin with, but I had to reach out and get additional funding to make my idea of the camp a dream. As far as they knew, that was my full-time job. I got into tattooing in college after taking a class about the history of it and going with a friend to get her tattoo. After that, I started practicing drawing different styles. I would make sketches for my friends. Eventually, I found a shop that was willing to take me on as an apprentice and the rest is history.

"I met Wren and Daphne at a tattoo convention a few years ago. We bonded over being only a handful of the girls there and our love of romance books. We stayed up all night, talking about everything, and came up with our dream of working together in our own shop. Wren made that happen for us.

"I eventually told my parents about tattooing, when I couldn't go to an event and they insisted on knowing why. Obviously, they weren't thrilled and tried to forbid me from doing it. They dangled my nonprofit over my head, but thankfully, we came to an agreement. I wouldn't get any tattoos that I couldn't cover up to attend fundraising events, and I'd continue to attend a few events with them a year. I dread those events, but I need them to keep networking for my nonprofit in case my parents do pull their funding. It wouldn't be the end of the world, but they also said they'd pull my trust fund. I get it when I turn thirty or can get it early if I marry someone they 'deem fit', which is so dumb. I don't really care about the trust fund for myself; I live comfortably off my salary from tattooing. I want it so I can finally be out of their clutches and can fund my art program without them being involved.

"As for not being able to find me, my parents only talk about my foundation if they need a media boost, and I don't have any traditional social media. I have an Instagram and Facebook account, but they are under a nickname and I only post tattoo-related stuff. Nothing with my image because I don't really care to have my face plastered everywhere, but I also don't want it to somehow get back to my parents."

"Damn, Daph. That's a whole lot, but I'm fucking proud of you for fighting for what you want. I wish I could say that I'm surprised about your parents' death grip on trying to control you, but I'm not. I witnessed how they treated you firsthand, and I can't imagine that's changed much in the last seven years. Besides, I've seen enough of it throughout my years of mingling in their world."

"Isn't it your world too?"

"Yes and no. It is my world out of necessity for my business, but I did not grow up in it like you did. I find most of it pretentious and ostentatious, but it's also a necessary evil. Too many business deals are done at events like the gala we met at. I dip out of as many of them as I can, but I still find myself at more than I'd like. I'm thankful that my best friend and COO is from that world and great at schmoozing, so he goes to quite a few in my place.

"They've also gotten a lot better since I started taking my sister with me as my plus one. Most of the people I associate with know she's my sister, but she helps keep the vultures at bay. She was a model up until she had her last baby and found out her skeezy husband was cheating on her. She left him but is now a single mom doing it on her own. She isn't working because she has three kids under five, so I try to help her out as much as I can. Thankfully, our parents are close and help her, too. But she's great at the events and we have a great night out making fun of the assholes we run into."

"Huh, was that your sister I saw you with the last time we were at the same event?"

"Yes, and I was dying to introduce you two, but I could never get to you before you'd slip away," I tease her, making her cheeks flush.

"Please don't take it personally. I didn't mean to evade you," Daphne says, but I can tell she's lying.

"I also have a nonprofit that not many people know about. Well, they know about it, but I'm not the head of it. I teamed up with one of my friends from college, and he mostly manages it. I'm more of a silent partner. I didn't want to pull attention from the goal of the program which is to get more kids in lower-income areas access to learn different kinds of technology, whether it be coding or videography. I was lucky to have an amazing technology department in high school that fostered my love, and I want to give that back to kids who might not have that chance without our program."

"That's great, Ezra. It's amazing being in a position to give back to our community and encourage kids to go after their passions."

"It absolutely is. Especially in your case where most people don't look at art as a way to make a living, but really, the possibilities are endless. We actually have a graphic design program that could be cool if you'd like to pair up and do a couple of sessions together. You could provide the art aspect, and we could provide the tech. It would allow the kids to see how you can take something that people don't deem practical and make it lucrative."

"I love that idea!"

We fall into a comfortable silence for a bit as Daphne gets lost in her tattoo and I try to come up with more ways to keep her in my life. I'd love to ask her out, but I don't know if she would agree to that. I can tell she's lacking confidence, which is absurd. She's stunning, smart, and a hard worker with a great heart. At least I have our combined program to look forward to. We'll have to communicate to set that up.

Daphne is finishing up my tattoo when her phone buzzes on the table behind her. She glances over to see who is calling before sighing and going back to cleaning up my tattoo. Daphne grabs the mirror, and I'm blown away by how it came out. Before I can say anything, her phone rings again. Daphne rips her gloves off before grabbing the phone and silencing it.

"Daphne, you fucking killed this. I love the additions you made. It fits perfectly in the space and flows with my other tattoos."

Flushing, she tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear before making eye contact with me. A sweet, proud smile is on her face, and I don't know if I've ever seen her look more beautiful.

"Thanks, Ezra. I'm glad you like it."

"I don't like it, I love it. I—"

I'm cut off by her phone ringing again.

"Do you need to get that?"

"No, it's just my mother calling to nag me about another gala she wants me to go to. I've been dragging my feet because my mother's maid tipped me off that she was planning on trying to set me up with someone at the event."

Anger and jealousy flare hot through my veins as I imagine some stuck-up douche touching Daphne. My jaw ticks as I fight down my rage, so I don't scare Daphne.

"What the hell? What event is it?" I grind out, trying to keep my cool.

"Um, some fundraiser for a son of my dad's friend who's running for some office. I don't really know. I wasn't paying attention to my mom after finding out she was planning on setting me up with someone I'm sure will not be a fit if my mother approves."

"Do you know the date?"

"Um, yeah. It's in two weeks."

Pulling out my phone, I see there's an event that day in my calendar. My COO is scheduled to attend, but I'm sure he won't mind getting a night off if I go.

"I have a proposition for you."

"Okay…"

"What if we go to the event together? I have that one on my calendar, and it looks like it's my turn to go." A little white lie won't hurt if it means I can spend the evening with Daphne and keep her away from whatever douche canoe her mom picked out for her.

"Um, I don't know, Ezra."

"What aren't you sure about? You're going to go even if you're dragging your feet right now, correct?"

Daphne nods.

"Why not go with someone you'll actually enjoy spending time with? Besides, having you on my arm will help save me from the blood-thirsty women who are always at these events trying to snag their next sugar daddy."

"I suppose that makes sense, but it's the only thing that does."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at you, Ezra. Nobody is going to believe someone like you would be going to an event with me."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? I'd be fucking lucky to have you on my arm, and so would any other man. It would be my honor to take you and, in turn, give your mom a big 'fuck you' for her attempt at entrapping you with some asshat all night."

Daphne is about to protest when her phone rings again. I glance down and see that it's her mother.

I pick up the phone and hand it to her.

"Answer it. Tell her you have a date and will see her at the gala."

I know I'm being a little heavy-handed, but this is the exact opening I need to get more time with Daphne. From her comment, I know she won't give me a chance if I ask her out. I need to get her used to the idea of spending time with me, and then I can cross that bridge.

"Okay—"

Daphne answers her mom, and I can tell the woman is surprised when Daphne tells her she'll attend and that she already has a date. Daphne won't tell her mother that I'm her date, which makes me smirk just thinking about how they will react when we show up together. I don't have an issue with her parents, per se, but I have had differing opinions on political positions and have spoken out against her father a time or two at the events. I know I will not be the first pick when it comes to their daughter.

"Well, that went over about as well as I expected. You're sure about going together?"

"Yes, love. We're going to have the most fun possible at one of these stodgy events."

"Okay." She smiles, and it lights up the room.

I sit still while Daphne cleans up my tattoo one more time before applying a transparent dressing that is waterproof and can be worn for a few days to help the tattoo heal. We don't talk much as she cleans up her station, and we head out to the front to settle up. I pay and leave her a generous tip.

"Can I get your number so we can make plans for the gala?"

"Sure." Daphne rattles off her phone number.

I text her. She pulls out her phone and saves my contact. I'm not ready to leave, but I know I need to give her some space.

"Thanks for the amazing tattoo. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

Daphne nods.

Making my way around the front counter, I can't resist and tug her into my arms. She immediately relaxes into me, which makes me feel fucking amazing. I need her to feel comfortable with me if I plan on making her mine.

I tip her chin up before giving her a quick kiss on her forehead. Her eyes close as her lips part, and she sucks in a breath. I want to kiss her so fucking bad, but I know I can't push her that far. Yet.

Instead, I pull away and head for the front door. Stopping before leaving, I turn and wink her way, making her giggle.

I had no idea I would get to see Daphne again today, but now that I have her in my orbit, I don't plan on letting her go.