Yes, see, her relationship. She’s straight! She’s literally just finished seeing a guy she’d been dating for two years!
Ash stood and stretched and was beyond thankful when the front door opened. Let’s hope it’s someone who can keep me chatting for a while, get my mind back in focus .
Instead, Carmen’s friend Felicity waited for her by the desk.
Ash almost groaned out loud. “Hey.” She forced herself to sound cheery as she rounded the benches and joined Felicity in the front of the shop.
“Hello.”
Felicity looked as if she were heading out somewhere important. She was dressed in a dark red trouser suit that Ash would bet had cost a fortune, a white shirt with the collars flipped up, and a Gucci handbag hung over one arm. Her make-up was impeccable, if a little too much again for Ash’s tastes, but it highlighted her deep brown eyes wonderfully, and her shiny black hair framed the entire picture gloriously. “Do you have a minute?”
“I do. What’s up?”
Felicity ducked her head, and pink tinged her cheeks. “Well, I’m probably worrying for nothing. I know you said it can sometimes take a while for the redness to go down, but…”
Hmm, nine days post-tattoo. Unless she’s got super sensitive skin, which she didn’t mention, the redness should have gone by now. “Want me to take a look?”
“Oh, yes, please!”
“Okay, come on through to the back.” Ash walked to the back area. She motioned Felicity to stand by one of the counters, then pulled a pair of latex gloves out of their storage box.
“Can you pull your trousers down enough for me to see?”
“Of course.” Felicity placed her handbag on the counter. She turned back and slowly—actually, the word seductively sprang to mind—opened her trousers and eased them past her hips.
The lacy underwear revealed by the action was, Ash had to admit, pretty sexy, but it wasn’t the first time she’d seen a female client’s underwear and it sure wouldn’t be the last. She maintained her professionalism and waited patiently until Felicity’s hands stopped moving.
Ash stepped closer. “May I?”
“Yes.”
Did Felicity deliberately put that breathiness into her response?
Ash decided not to look at her. She had a sneaky suspicion what might be going on here and wasn’t remotely interested in responding to it. Sure, Felicity was gorgeous, but she was almost over-the-top gorgeous, and that did nothing for Ash. Not like the understated beauty of someone like Carmen, for example.
Shit, stop that. Concentrate on your client .
Ash bent down, worried about what she might see, and inspected the tattoo and the area around it. There wasn’t any redness at all, and her relief was soured by what she was now convinced Felicity was playing at. “There’s nothing I’m seeing here that’s giving me any cause for concern.” She stood up straight and gave Felicity a friendly but professional smile. “You’re doing fine.”
“Oh, that’s such a relief.” Felicity placed a hand on Ash’s arm. “Thank you.”
Oh God, I think she’s actually trying to bat her eyelashes at me . Ash eased away from Felicity’s touch under the pretence of needing to ditch the gloves. Once she’d gained some distance, she said over her shoulder, “Happy to be of help. Give me a call if there’s any more concerns.”
When she turned back from the rubbish bin, Felicity had dressed again and stood with her arms folded across her chest, leaning against the counter. An enigmatic smile played around her lips. “Do I make you nervous, Ash?” She purred the question.
Ash barely resisted rolling her eyes. “Not at all.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “Felicity, I’m flattered, really, but…no, thank you.”
Felicity dropped her arms, and her cheeks took on their pink hue again. “Oh, dear. Was I that obvious?”
Ash shuffled on the spot. She just wanted Felicity to leave, not prolong this awkward conversation. “You kind of were. Sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“Oh, no, I rather think I’ve embarrassed myself.” Felicity turned away and grabbed her handbag, hesitating a moment with one hand on the counter.
Ash gave her that space to compose herself.
Felicity turned back and walked the few paces across the room to Ash. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure what came over me. I mean, God, I’ve never dated a woman, never even looked before. I just…” She closed her eyes. “I think Carmen might be right. I think I am going through some sort of midlife crisis.”
It should have angered her, the fact that a straight woman like Felicity thought Ash was easy pickings for a walk on the wild side. But Felicity’s embarrassment and instant acknowledgement of the wrongness of her behaviour tempered any annoyance Ash might have felt.
Instead, Ash smiled at her. “I get it. I had mine a few years back. They’re a bitch.”
Felicity snorted, an indelicate sound that made her clap her hand over her mouth.
“Hey, you want a tea or coffee before you go? My next client isn’t for a while. We can talk, if you want. If it helps?”
Felicity removed her hand, revealing a broad smile. “Bless you, but no, I’m fine.” She inhaled deeply. “Again, I’m sorry for putting you in that ridiculous position. Honestly, I’m not normally like this.”
Ash shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s… Well, look, it’s pretty obvious something big and upsetting happened to you recently.”
Felicity raised one eyebrow.
“The tattoo.” Ash pointed at Felicity’s hip. “I can tell a lot about people from the tattoos they choose. These things take time to get over. We all do some things that we think are out of character to get through them.”
“This sounds like the voice of experience.”
Ash grinned. “Possibly.”
Felicity smiled again and looked far more relaxed than before. “Ash, thank you. I’m going to go and do some shopping. That always helps.”
Laughing, Ash escorted her to the door. “You take care, Felicity. And I meant what
