Open For Christmas
by
Picture - #14
DISCLAIMER: Story mine, Characters mine.
Kaden glanced up from her sketchpad to see her favorite customer brushing snow off of her coat outside of her shop. She gave the tall, wiry blonde a smile when she entered the shop.
"What will it be today, Ashton?"
Ashton hung her coat on a rack near the door and made her way over to Kaden. She glanced at the sign Kaden had placed on the counter before replying. "I'd like a wolf on my back."
Kaden flipped to a new page on her sketchpad and said, "Okay, describe it to me."
As Ashton talked, Kaden drew. When Ashton finished talking, Kaden held up the drawing. Ashton beamed, "Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind. Not too fancy but still looks good."
"Well take off your shirt and come on back."
Ashton flashed her a wicked grin as she whipped off her shirt. Kaden's breath caught as it always did. Ashton walked towards the chair Kaden used for back tattoos and straddled it, the white clinical paper on the seat crinkling. As Kaden prepared her tools and a stencil, she kept glancing at Ashton's back which was littered with tattoos. She had done most of them herself. Ashton wore a black sports bra but it hide nothing from Kaden. Kaden had seen ever square inch of Ashton for one tattoo or another.
"Do you want this beside the frog and above the Celtic knots?"
"Yeah. Not too close to the frog though."
Kaden smiled as she started tracing the wolf onto the blonde's back. That frog had been the first thing she had tattooed on Ashton. It was one of her favorites. She then asked the same question she asked Ashton every time she came in for a new tattoo, "So what made you want to get this tattoo?"
Ashton shot her a smirk over her shoulder before settling into the chair as the noise of the tattoo machine started. Kaden smiled as she sat down behind her to start working. Ashton never answered that question.
The sound of the machine buzzing filled the shop and when she paused to wipe the excess ink from the reddening skin, the soft tones of Christmas songs could be heard. When she was almost done, pausing to wipe, Ashton said, "If you tell me why you'll be open Christmas Eve and Day, I'll tell you why I'm getting this tattoo."
Kaden paused, surprised. She said, resting her arms on her legs, "Well, since I allow tattooing on a payment plan, a lot of people come in to get their tattoos finished around that time. Either as Christmas presents for themselves or from loved ones. I'm sure there won't be more then a few people but it's enough to keep the doors open."
"You've never been open before," Ashton commented.
Kaden chuckled softly, "You got me there. Alright, I'll confess. I usually spend Christmas with my brother and his family. This year he's stationed in Iraq and wont be able to come home for Christmas. He was, however, able to get a two day pass for the 23rd and 24th. With an early Christmas present from me and his Christmas bonus, we were able to get enough money to book a flight and hotel for his wife and little girls to Germany where he'll meet them after catching a flight on a military plane."
Ashton slowly sat up and turned to look at her. She asked, "You gave up your Christmas so others could have one?"
Kaden tried not to blush from the look Ashton was giving her. She shrugged, looking away, "They would have done the same for me."
Ashton shook her head, smiling softly. She said,
laying back down on the crinkled white paper, "This tattoo is a
Christmas present for myself and the wolf came to me in a dream.
Most of my tats come to me in dreams."
"Well that would explain the talking Taco Bell mild
sauce packet on your calf," Kaden mused. Ashton laughed, "Yeah, I
have some pretty weird dreams."
Soon Kaden was done and she started cleaning her work area while Ashton admired her tattoo in a wall mirror with a hand mirror. Kaden then placed a sterile bandage over the tattoo and Ashton put her shirt back on.
Ashton handed Kaden her debit card and leaned on the counter while Kaden swiped the card. She said when Kaden met her eyes, "Christmas Day I'm coming here, probably in the evening, and you're going to tattoo a Christmas ornament on one of my breasts."
"Alright," Kaden said, though she wondered if she would be able to keep her hands steady at the sight of Ashton's gorgeous breasts. She had done it before but it was getting harder each time.
"Then I'm going to take you out for a Christmas dinner," Ashton said.
Kaden gaped at her. She finally nodded, "Alright."
Ashton grinned, "But for now, I'm going to kiss you under the mistletoe."
When Kaden looked dumbfounded, Ashton pointed up. Sure enough, there was mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. Kaden wondered who had put that there and when. Just as she was figuring out it probably one of her employees, Ashton tilted her head back down.
"I'm going to kiss you," Ashton repeated, softer but firmer. Kaden gulped as Ashton leaned in closer and as she was about to say 'alright' Ashton kissed her.
"Thank God for mistletoe," Kaden gasped as they broke away to breathe.
"And tattoos," Ashton agreed as she leaned in for another kiss.
End
Story by: SILVERWRITER01
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