| |
Today marks two weeks since Hannah came. She still hasn’t talked to Sawyer about him, but she is coming out of her shell more and more. For the last week, she has been cooking for Sawyer at her own insistence, reading, watching movies, and drawing. She is becoming more contented with each passing day. Together every day they have tried a different food. The can of spray cheese that Sawyer had fought for was a disaster. Neither liked it, Sawyer could barely swallow it. Hannah laughed over his reaction to it for a long time. They both decided that kumquats were good, as were many of the other fruits that they had bought. Sawyer still hasn’t warmed up to the idea of liking any vegetable but suffers through the tastings for Hannah who enjoys all of them. Ice cream sundaes are their favorite, so they made Sunday their official sundae day.
She has decided that she will come to work with him today. Hannah is getting tired of the apartment and would like a change of scenery. Sawyer tells her that he will come back to get her after he opens the parlor.
The employees of Blacked Out Ink begin trickling in while he’s getting things ready. When everyone is settled, he calls for them to join him for an impromptu meeting. He wants to go over some ground rules regarding Hannah.
“Okay guys, my friend Hannah is going to come to work with me today—,” abruptly Sawyer is interrupted with whistles and cat calls.
“Shut it. You all need to be on your best behavior. No swearing, no hitting on her. She’s very innocent, I’d like her to stay that way. If you make her feel uncomfortable, you answer to me. Got it?” He looks around the space observing everyone. “Good. I’m going to get her now. Remember what I said,” as he points to each of them, then turns to walk out the door.
With any luck that will work, he hopes. The only person he worries about is Beau. That man literally has no respect for women, he sees them as a means to pad his bank account.
While Sawyer is walking up to get Hannah, he is already thinking of ways to chastise anyone who messes with her. He is so deep in thought that he doesn’t realize that he is standing in front of Hannah already.
“Sawyer, hey are you okay?” Hannah asks concerned.
“What? Oh yeah, sorry just lost in thought I guess,” he chuckles. “Are you ready? You know you don’t have to go.”
“I really want to get out of the apartment. There are only so many Disney movies you can watch in a week! Besides, I need to get used to being around people, and you’ll be with me in case any thing happens. Oh, do I look okay? Sorry, I don’t know what to wear to a tattoo parlor.” Sawyer takes in her appearance, as she nervously rambles, from head to feet. She is wearing black jeans with a red and black striped shirt, and black flats. Her hair is half up, with the bottom layer tumbling down in soft waves. She has minimal make-up on, which of course she doesn’t need to wear, but it accentuates her beauty.
“You look stunning as always. You know I will be with you, don’t worry about that. If anyone makes you feel uneasy, let me know. Now come on, my first appointment should be here any minute,” he tells her as he grabs her hand, entwines their fingers together, and leads her through the door. He locks up and walks her downstairs. She takes a deep breath as he opens the door to the parlor. Sawyer looks over at her and squeezes her hand in reassurance.
“Guys, this is Hannah. You already know the red-haired buffoon Bryce.”
“Sup Bambi,” Bryce smirks to Hannah.
“Hey Ginger,” Hannah quickly replies with a grin. Sawyer laughs as he realizes that she may be able to hold her own, with Bryce at least. Hannah leans over to whisper in Sawyer’s ear.
“I saw that on a show yesterday,” she chuckles.
Sawyer continues down the line of employees. “This here is Elise, if you need something and I’m busy, you can ask her.” Elise genuinely smiles towards Hannah, which she gladly returns.
Before Sawyer can introduce Beau, he takes the honor upon himself. “Well hello sugar, where has Sawyer been hiding you? I think he has been greedy not sharing you with us. You and I are going to get along just fine.”
Sawyer quickly stops him. “Lay off Beau, just back away and leave her be.” Beau smiles at Hannah again, while she tries to look anyplace but at him. Sawyer moves on quickly to the next person to introduce.
“Here is our only lady artist, Chelsea.” Chelsea comes up and speaks to Hannah.
“Hey there, Shelley has told me a lot about you. Can’t wait to get to know you better,” she says honestly.
“Yeah, I would like that,” Hannah replies smiling and looking thankful.
“Last but not least is our newest addition, Scot.” Scot nods his head and goes back to whatever he was doing. Hannah gives a look of confusion to Sawyer, but he shrugs his shoulders and smiles.
Hannah elects to sit in the waiting area on one of the couches and watches people for a while. She has a bag with her of pencils and her sketch pad. She takes the items out and begins to draw, fully immersing herself in it.
Sawyer’s appointments arrive on time, distracting him from worrying about her. When he looks up, he finds Beau sitting closely to Hannah while she is hugging the arm of the couch trying to create some distance. As Beau makes a move to put his hand on her leg, Sawyer jumps up and calls for her to join him. She eagerly accepts, moving swiftly to his side.
“Thank you” she mouths silently to him. He smiles then turns his attention back to Beau. He looks at Sawyer like he has punched him in the face while walking dejectedly back to his booth. He’s fortunate Sawyer is with a client or there would have been words, many unpleasant words.
Hannah watches Sawyer work in complete awe. She loves how he can work with so much color and make it look life like. He becomes engrossed in his work, only concentrating on what is in front of him. He doesn’t speak to the people while he works, Bryce does that for him. She now realizes why everyone wants him to do their tattoos, he’s a wonderful artist.
Elise walks an older gentleman over to Sawyer’s booth for his appointment. He asks that Sawyer tattoo his wife’s name on his left ring finger. Hannah likes him immediately, due to the soft, caring nature about him. She smiles at him and asks a question.
“Why do you want your wife’s name on your finger? Why not over your heart?”
The older man looks amused by her question. Sawyer doesn’t know how this man will react, it could go one of two directions. He could curse at her and tell her to mind her own business, or he could politely answer the question. The man ponders for a moment then answers.
“My lovely wife, Isabella, passed away last year. Last month I somehow misplaced my wedding ring. I had that ring for forty years, then lost it. I was so mad at myself. I don’t want to buy another ring because she is not here to help me pick one out. I know that I will never marry again, I’m too old and no one else could ever make me happy like she did. I thought that having her name tattooed on my ring finger was the perfect way to keep her with me forever, and I can’t lose a tattoo,” he replies as he winks at her. Hannah is delighted with his answer, smiling widely at the kind man.
“Oh Sir, that is perfect! You will be very happy with your tattoo, I’m sure of it. Sawyer is the best.”
“That is what I’ve heard my dear. Now tell me, what is a young, pretty girl doing in a tattoo parlor?”
Hannah blushes looking over at Sawyer. He has been sitting back watching the conversation between the two.
“Well, I’ve been cooped up in my apartment for a while, and I thought it would be nice to come down here and watch my friend work,” she answers shyly.
“That is as good a reason for something as I’ve ever heard. I’m Joshua, what’s your name dear?”
“I’m Hannah, nice to meet you, Mr. Joshua,” she replies extending her hand.
“Pleasure is all mine, Miss Hannah. I might have to come back for more tattoos if I get to have a nice conversation with a polite young lady again,” he laughs and Hannah joins him. During the time it takes Sawyer to finish Joshua’s tattoo, Hannah and he have talked animatedly about his children and grandchildren. He is all too happy to tell her all about his Isabella also, and their marriage. Sawyer can tell Hannah is enjoying herself as she talks with the man. Soon they say their goodbyes, both telling the other that they will keep in touch.
“Well, I think you just made a new friend babe,” Sawyer smiles.
Hannah smiles back and nods her head in agreement, then pulls out her sketch book. Sawyer looks over her shoulder at the book. He is taken aback by what she has been working on. It is a beautiful landscape of lush green grass that surrounds a pristine lake. There are wildflowers scattered throughout along with many plush trees. The sky is a perfect shade of blue with thin wisps of white clouds. The sun is shining down onto the lake and illuminating everything else in the picture.
“Babe, this is awesome. You didn’t tell me you were this good!”
“That’s because I don’t think I am. I just draw what I dream about. This is what I wished for when I was in the bunker. I just wanted to be outside with the sun shining on me and to feel nature all around,” she softly tells him.
“This must be put on display. Hey guys, come look at Hannah’s drawing, you won’t believe how good it is.”
The group begins to file over to admire her work while she reddens and looks down at her feet, worried about their response. Much to her surprise, they all comment about how wonderful it is. She soon looks up and smiles at everyone, happy that she has made something that they like.
“Yo Bryce, can you go out at lunch and pick up a frame? We should hang this up. I like it too much to share though, do you mind if I hang it up in my office?”
Hannah looks at Sawyer in shock.
“No, I don’t mind. But you really don’t have to do that.”
“I want to do it, I love it,” he tells her smiling. Hannah is starting to feel like she belongs with this group of misfits. She is already feeling like she is a part of this close-knit family, it makes her heart happy.
Hannah drifts between observing Sawyer, Bryce, and Chelsea until lunch. She excuses herself to go back upstairs, Sawyer tells her that he will be up in about an hour.
“Gotta hand it to you bro, Bambi is pretty awesome. Who would have thought that someone like that would be interested in you? What’s with the ‘Babe’ pet name thing? You’ve never called any female that before. Is it your special name for her?” Bryce laughs.
“What do you mean? What’s so wrong with me?” Sawyer asks defensively. “We’re just friends anyway. In case you haven’t realized, I call a lot of women ‘Babe’, you just don’t pay attention.”
“Keep telling yourself that boss, but I think you have the hots for her,” Chelsea interjects.
Great, now everyone has an opinion on what’s going on, Sawyer thinks to himself.
Elise adds, “Well, she could do worse. Hey Chelsea, we need to text Shelley and have a girls’ night with Hannah. Hurry, text her now!”
“Do you really think that’s a good idea, I mean, she’s so innocent,” Sawyer says.
“You will have to cut the cord sooner or later, dad,” Elise laughs.
“Ha ha. Just keep in mind that she has not been out like you guys, or had any of your experiences. Now is not the time to bombard her with them to get her caught up, or whatever,” Sawyer says nervously.
“Man, you have it bad. You do realize this, right?” Bryce questions.
“Whatever, you’re full of it. Get back to work. I’m going to get something to eat. Be back in a minute.”
With that Sawyer takes his leave as his mind is running through what Bryce said. I’m not falling for her. How could I be after just two weeks? I don’t even really know anything about her. She doesn’t know much about herself. Sawyer is in the kitchen now, and he realizes that Hannah has made them lunch.
“Dig in, hope you like grilled cheese,” she said as she plates the sandwiches.
“What’s not to like?”
They eat in silence. Sawyer is still fixed on his thoughts about what was just said in the parlor. He turns to Hannah and looks at her, really looks at her. She looks content and happy. There is just a dim trace of worry left on her flawless face. She senses that he is looking at her, she turns and smiles at him.
“I really like your friends, except for Beau, is it? He gives me the creeps. Please don’t leave me alone with him.”
“Don’t worry darlin’, that will never happen if I have anything to say about it. He gives me the creeps too.”
She and Sawyer laugh at this as they finish their lunch. He helps her clean up and asks if she’s coming back with him. She grabs her sketchbook and pencils and follows him out the door.
When they get back to the parlor, they walk over to his office. Elise and Chelsea rush over to Hannah.
“Girl, you are coming out with us and Shelley tonight. You can’t say no! It will be fun and a chance for all of us to get to know each other better. Come on, what do you say? We will help you get ready and everything.”
Hannah looks at him anxiously. He smiles at her and says, “It’s entirely up to you babe. Shelley will be there, she’ll watch out for you.”
Hannah looks back at Elise and Chelsea, “Okay, I’ll do it.”
Right then, in that moment, a sense of dread comes over Sawyer.
***
HE HAS BEEN WATCHING his mistress and Lucifer for a week now. He is disgusted that they seem to have fallen into a routine now. Every day starts the same. He watches as she opens the black curtains at seven and gazes out the window for a while. She then leaves her perch and opens the blue curtains in another room. She is always wearing the same yellow nightshirt. He knows that Lucifer picked this out, to call attention to her body. He has prayed to his god every night that Lucifer hasn’t defiled her yet.
After the curtains have opened, he watches as she dances around the rooms of the apartment. How dare she dance, it’s sinful he says to himself. What makes it even worse is that she dances in front of Lucifer, and even with him. Lucifer has convinced her that she likes to do this. He knows that his mistress would never willingly do that on her own, she must surely be brainwashed. Every day Lucifer leaves to go to his nefarious place of business in the mid-morning. That beast leaves his mistress alone, where anything could happen to her. Anyone could take her, but he is watching out for her.
He is still protecting her from evil. He is still carrying out his god’s plan, just from afar.
The beast returns to make sure she hasn’t escaped around lunch time each day. Lucifer even expects his precious mistress to cook and clean for him as well. How dare he do this to her! He has even forced her to go shopping with him. That beast has made her eat unclean foods too. He saw their shopping cart that day, and even worse, he kept her out very late. It seemed to him that Lucifer wanted only atrocious things to happen to her. He was there, lurking in the shadows to make sure she was safe. He has been watching non-stop to continue to protect her. Lucifer comes back in the late evenings and keeps her awake for most of the night, waiting on him hand and foot. He knows he must formulate his plan quickly.
I only have about three months to get my mistress back. I must make my move to capture her soon so that I can cleanse her thoroughly of the beast.
He is shaken out of his thoughts as he sees Lucifer holding Hannah’s hand, leading her into the tattoo parlor. How dare he touch my mistress. He is taking her to that atrocious place of pure sin. That place and the vile people who enter it will surely stain her. This is getting more serious. I must put my plan into action sooner than I had anticipated. No one from the sect can find out that she is not under my control currently. Savior Paul will remove me and strip me of my role.
He frantically begins going over his plan to capture Hannah. He knows this must happen within the next week to ensure she completes the ritualistic cleansing before his god’s plan of salvation takes place. The cleansing will have to be very extensive. His mistress must be cleansed of the filth that Lucifer has exposed her to. He must rid her mind of the music and other forms of entertainment she has listened to and watched. He must purify her body of the foods she has ingested. His god will not allow her to become mistress if she is unclean. He has spent too much time and energy grooming her for this prestigious honor, he will not let Lucifer spoil the plan.
He must also put his plan into motion for ridding the world of Lucifer and the freak. His god will most definitely approve of this. He knows that he will be greatly honored by his god for eradicating these two creatures from existence.
One week. I must complete these missions in one week. Hold on my mistress, I’m coming to save you and mankind. Just hold on my precious mistress, we will be together again soon.