Excerpt of Pleasure After the Pain by Savannah Chase

"Do me a favor and lock the door behind you. I was just clearing up and getting ready to close."

Once more, Jack lifted up his head from what he was doing and looked my way. His glance made me nervous, and scared.

"Is something wrong, Serena?"

"I want you to ink me." The words just flew out of my mouth. I didn't even regret saying them. At that very moment, I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted him. Anyone else would think that it was probably a hasty decision, but I didn't. This was what I was searching for. I'd held out for the perfect piece of art and I knew that he was it.

"From what I remember, you said you hadn't found anything you wanted. What changed your mind so fast?" He began making his way towards me.

"The drawing that fell out of the book. That's what I want. I know it sounds stupid, but something is drawing me to have him. I can't explain it. All I know is I have to have him on my back, the same place he has his tattoo of the sword." I held my breath, waiting his answer.

From the look in his eyes, I could tell he knew exactly why I had returned, but he didn't mention a word.

Standing there, I knew that by the time I left this place, I would have him branding my body and the thought aroused me, like nothing had ever done before.

"That design is not for tattooing. I don't even know how it ended up being in that binder anyway. You have all these other designs on the wall to choose from. Why don't you pick from there?"

I didn't understand why he was making such a big deal out of the picture.

"I don't want anything else. I want you to give me him." I had come this far and there was no way I was going to back down. Not now.

He sat at the computer quietly for a few seconds, contemplating an answer. I didn't know what he would decide, but if he wouldn't agree, I would keep pushing until he did.

"I'll tell you, this is one of a kind, and I'm not just saying that. Nobody's ever had him inked on their flesh. I was told once that the tattoo is magical. There's a legend about a warrior who'd been cursed. His punishment was to live eternity in the form of a tattoo. So what makes you think I'm going to ink him on yours?"

It was kind of strange for him to tell me something like that. There was no such thing as magic. Was there? Everyone says that something is one of a kind, but that's never really true. I didn't know the guy, yet something about the way Jack said it, this time I actually believed he told the truth.

"I want that on my body and I will pay double for it. Magic or no magic, I want it."

His eyebrows arched in surprise. He wasn't expecting to hear that.