A Tattoo for Lex - 4. Chapter 4

As soon as Lex left the room Ian let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding and reached down and adjusted himself. He thanked God that he had the foresight to wear the compression shorts he usually wore when he worked out. Between those and the loose fitting jeans they managed to hide his raging hard on. Raging it was. Ian had no idea how he was able to contain himself when Lex’s hot little hole peeked at him. It was the sexiest thing he ever saw.

He thought about the scars that Lex carried. Ian was serious when he said they created the most incredible canvas he had ever seen. As soon as he saw them he envisioned a scene so sharp in his mind’s eye it seemed to be imprinted there. When Lex told him to go ahead and do whatever he wanted he was floored. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for him. He could only hope and pray that it would turn out like he saw in his mind. He was humbled that the soft spoken, gorgeous man put so much trust in him. He had a feeling that trust was something Lex didn’t give very often. He didn’t want to think about what the man had gone through to get those scars, and at such a young age.

Casey came back in with an armful of towels. Behind her Lex stood in the doorway, waiting.

“Come on over and have a seat while I explain what happens next."

Lex hopped back up on the table, making sure the robe was pulled all the way across the front of him. His long legs dangled almost to the floor.

Ian looked into those hazel green eyes and explained, “This is the longest part. We’re going to cover your back with those thin strips of that gauze-like stuff over there. It gets wetted down first, kinda like plaster of Paris but not as rigid. It will be the for the base for the gel to stick to without running all over the place and not affecting the lines and contours of your back. Once that’s done I’ll spread the gel over it. You’ll need to stay really still so nothing shifts. I’ll have to add a second layer after about 15 minutes and then you’ll need to stay perfectly still until everything sets. It should take about an hour. You with me so far?”

Lex nodded and summarized, “Got it. Lay down, shut up and don’t move.”

Ian chuckled and Casey retorted, “Wow, he is smart.”

Lex smirked and waited for the other two to turn around so he could disrobe and lay down. Once he was face down Casey covered his lower legs with a light blanket and told him to take a minute and make sure he was comfortable as once they started he wouldn’t be able to move much. She had put a pillow at the head of the table so he wouldn’t have to use his arms as a headrest.

Meanwhile, Ian got everything into place and then turned, “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Looking back, Lex could admit that while the next hour and a half wasn’t excruciating, it wasn’t really comfortable either.

Casey stayed with him most of the time, not saying much and occasionally stepping out to answer the phone or take care of something. After the second layer of gel was applied Ian popped in every 10 minutes of so to check how it was setting and to make sure Lex was alright. Other than that he had said he would be in his office catching up on paperwork.

Finally, Ian deemed the gel done. He and Casey gently pried the mold away from Lex, one on each side and laid it on the workbench. Ian tossed Lex the robe and he gratefully pulled it on. His back felt kind of sticky and itchy.

Ian looked at him and asked, “Do you want me to wipe down your back for you?” His voice held the barest hint of shakiness.

Lex, knowing that his back would drive him insane unless he actually showered, and not trusting himself to keep control, shook his head, “Thanks, but I really need to shower this stuff off of me.”

Ian didn’t know whether he should be disappointed or relieved. He was leaning toward disappointed.

“Well, it will take me a few days to get this done. I’ll need you to come back in so I can compare the mold to your back to make sure everything matches up before I start drawing on it. As soon as that’s done we can get started on the actual tattooing. Today is Thursday so I’m thinking we should be ready to start on Tuesday or Wednesday next week. I’d like to schedule two hour appointments and see how well you tolerate that. That can be adjusted to whatever makes you comfortable.”

He handed Lex a piece of paper. "Here’s an invoice estimating the cost and timeline. Let me know if you have any questions.”

Lex looked over the invoice noting that it was broken down and included an hourly rate and how much materials were. He handed Ian his Amex. “It looks reasonable to me. Use this to cover the cost.”

Ian merely raised an eyebrow slightly as he took the card and wrote the information down on the invoice and handed it back. He smiled at Lex.

“I’m looking forward to working on this. I’ll see you in a few days. Call me if you need anything.”

The next two days were busy for Lex. He spoke with Ms. Helen and explained that he was sticking around for a couple of months. She was agreeable to him staying on and they settled on a fair weekly rate. He also made good on his promise to himself to repay Mazen and Jarren for helping him out. He found out from David that they were supervising a renovation on a house in town so he arranged for lunch to be delivered to the worksite for their entire crew. David had called him to let him know the parts for his bike wouldn’t be in until after the weekend but the bike should be ready by the middle of next week.

He booted up his laptop and saw several requests for consults. After going through them he replied to a few and set up appointments for phone consultations. He wasn’t lying when he told Mazen and Jarren that he was an IT contractor. What he left out was the fact that he was actually a technology security expert and basically companies paid him to try to hack their systems and tell them where they need to improve or they needed him to identify where security breaches happened and who did it. It was a job that requires little interaction with other people. He very rarely had to meet with anyone in person. The closest he usually got was video conferencing and he actually insisted on that when it involved a well known company or governmental department. Yes, he had top secret clearance with the government but it was something he didn’t advertise. He knew how to keep secrets as he had been doing it his whole life.

The video conferencing gave him an advantage as he could still read people’s auras, which came in handy when a company was trying to discreetly investigate security breaches in their systems. More than once he was able to identify who the culprit was and then focus on their footprint in the system to catch them. No matter how they tried to cover their tracks Lex was able to find them.

The day after he had the mold cast done he drove over to a local park that Ms. Helen had told him about. There was a three mile loop around a small lake with a narrow dam at one end. A gravel pathway wound its way through tall oak and maple trees. Lex put in his headphones, brought up his favorite playlist on his phone and took off at a brisk pace. He managed to jog two and half times around and walked the last mile and a half to cool down. He sat down on a large rock overlooking the dam and pulled his phone out of the case that was holding it strapped to his arm.

Unplugging the headphones he dialed one of the few numbers programmed in.

After the second ring he heard, “Nemo! ‘bout damn time you called. I was thinking that you dropped off the face of the earth. Where the hell are you and why haven’t you called me in five days! Five fucking days!!! If it wasn’t for your sporadic texts I would’ve called the cops. I was starting to worry, you ass!”

Lex chuckled and replied, “I didn’t mean to worry you Dory. I’ve been really busy the past few days.”

Lex smiled at the nicknames they used. Finding Nemo had come out when they were kids and they both loved the movie. Cassie decided that he was Nemo and she was Dory. Somehow the names stuck with each other.

"So exactly where the hell are you?” Cassie shot at him.

“I’m in western Massachusetts, not far from Pittsfield. My bike broke down and it’s being fixed."

There was a few seconds of silence from the other end before Cassie piped up, “Western Mass huh? So you’re what? A couple of hours from Boston then? Maybe even were on your way there? Have you decide to contact him? Talk to me Lex.”

Lex sighed. “I’m still not sure what I’m doing out this way. I haven’t made up my mind.”

He really didn’t want to think about what he might find in Boston. For now it was better to push it to the back burner in his mind. To get Cassie off his case he baited her by saying, “I’m getting a tattoo.”

He had to pull the phone away from his ear when she screeched, “WHAT??!!”

“Easy Cass, you almost put a hole in my eardrum!” he hissed.

Cassie wanted to know all the details. “What are you getting and where? Who’s doing it and when did you decide this and why?” the questions being rapidly fired from her brain to her mouth.

Lex hesitated before he spoke softly, “I’m getting my back covered. I don’t know what the design is going to be. I saw another tattoo on a guy who had a scar on his arm covered. After I met the artist I just knew I had to do it. I can’t tell you why exactly, only that I NEED to have it done. He knows what should go there. I trust him Cass”

Cassie was silent again on the other end. Lex knew the wheels in her head were spinning. She was never speechless. This was not a good sign. Cassie knew firsthand how bad his scars were and she also knew he hadn’t let anyone see them in a very long time.

She finally found her voice and replied, “Wow. Congratulations Lex, you finally managed what no one has ever done and left me completely without words. Just wow.”

Lex snickered and managed to reply, “I’m marking this down in the history books for all eternity.”

“Shut up Nemo,” she laughed. “But really Lex, I’m totally shocked. I know how hard it is for you, and if you’ve really decided to do this then I can’t wait to see how it comes out. That is, if you want to show me.”

Lex smiled. “You’ll be the first one to see it. I promise. Well after me and Ian, he’s the tattoo artist, and he’s incredibly talented.”

Cassie picked up on his tone of voice and jumped on the opening. “Incredibly talented? What about hot? Is he incredibly hot too? Huh? Huh? Tell me Nemo, exactly how talented is he?” she teased.

Lex shook his head, determined not to rise to the bait told her, “Sorry Dory, gotta go. I have things to do this afternoon.”

He heard her sigh before saying, “So long Nemo, you better not wait another five days before I hear from you. I want frequent updates on this “incredibly talented” tattoo guy. Love you!”

The next sound he heard was the double beep of the call ending.

His spirits were always lifted after talking to Cassie. She was his rock and could read his moods even without the ability to see auras. Her own aura was the biggest reason Lex became, and then remained best friends with her. She never tried to hide anything from him. Even when they disagreed or she was mad at him and he could see the waves of red and purples swirling around her, he always knew she would be honest with him. When she did lie, it was always to other people and it usually involved protecting his secrets. Lex stood and brushed himself off before heading back to the rental car. The late spring sun was getting too warm for him and he headed back to Ms. Helen’s to grab a shower before settling down to get some work done .

It was mid-afternoon on Saturday and Lex was just finishing up running a test program on the firewall system of a client when his phone rang. Picking it up he said, “Hello?”

He smiled when he heard that now familiar sexy voice say “Hey Lex, it’s Ian. I’ve finished the mold and was wondering if you were able to stop by so I could do a quick comparison?”

Lex smiled and told him, “Your timing is perfect. I’m at a stopping point in what I was working on and could actually use a break. Gimme 30 minutes and I’ll be over if that will work for you?”

Ian quickly responded, “See you in a half hour then.”

Lex locked his computer screen after making sure the program he was working was still running and headed into the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face and brushed his teeth. After changing into a pair of jeans and a fresh shirt instead of the shorts and ratty old concert t-shirt he had been wearing, he grabbed his wallet and keys and headed out.

The sun was out again and he was glad to be able to stretch his legs. He had a bad habit of getting caught up in his work and at times he didn’t realize that he had been sitting for hours and his muscles stiffened up, especially his back and trying to stretch it out could be just as uncomfortable as the stiffness that sitting still created. That was a big reason he tried to run as often as he could. It helped keep him in shape and his back muscles loose.

It didn’t take long to reach Ian’s shop and the man himself was waiting for him when he walked in. Looking up Ian smiled and said “It’s good to see you Lex. This shouldn’t take too long. From what I can tell the mold looks pretty accurate. I just need to make sure. Come on back.”

Lex followed him back to the same room where they had done the mold. Standing on the workbench was a replica of Lex’s back. He couldn’t bring himself to look directly at it.

Ian saw that Lex’s eyes were focused on the wall and quickly instructed, “Stand over by the wall facing it. I’m going to put the mold next to you so I can compare. I think it’ll be OK if you just pull your shirt up.”

Lex shivered slightly at the command and did as he was told, grateful for the wall in front of him. He could hear Ian moving around and he could see the mold that was placed next to him out of the corner of his eye. Then, without warning he could feel Ian’s hot breath in the middle of his back as he leaned in to check some detail close up. Lex breathed out slowly and tried to focus on something other than the tightening of his jeans.

“Looks good so far. I’m going to touch your back in a few places to make sure it feels the same as the mold.” he heard rather close to his ear.

Lex blew out a breath and managed to say, “OK” right before he felt the feather light touch of Ian’s fingers gliding over the middle of his back before coming to a stop right at the waist of his jeans. Goosebumps broke out over his skin at the sensuous feeling, almost like a caress.

He felt Ian pull away. “You can pull your shirt down. Everything looks great. I don’t need to see any more. I’ve been working on your sketch, are you sure you don’t want to see it?”

Lex shook his head, grateful that Ian was confident enough in his work that he wouldn’t have to expose his ass to him again. His control was being tested to its limits as it was. “I can’t. I’m just the canvas. You’re the artist. I can’t tell you why but I just feel that this should be your call as to what goes on my back," he said softly.

Ian still couldn’t get over the trust the other man was handing him.

“Thank you.”

After a moment of awkward silence Ian cleared his throat and asked Lex if there was a particular time of day he preferred to come in to get inked. Lex told him that whatever hours worked best for him he could work with. After a short discussion they agreed to start the following Tuesday after lunch at 2:00.

Ian looked at Lex and wondered to himself how someone could look so sexy and seem to be so oblivious to the chaos he was causing with his psyche. Ian realized he had to find a way to focus otherwise the next several weeks were going to be torture. The thought of having the other man’s skin under his touch was enough to stiffen his cock painfully. He couldn’t, no, make that wouldn’t, think about the scorching hot looks that Lex didn’t even realize he was giving Ian. Lex was an enigma to him. He knew so little about him and could practically see the wall the stunning man had put up around himself. Ian wanted to tear that wall down with his bare hands but he had the feeling that it would be a hugely daunting task, and he had no clue where to start.

Bringing his thoughts back into the present Ian gave himself a mental slap upside the head and said to Lex, “I’ve got a couple of hours before my next appointment. Do you want to go grab a bite to eat with me?”

Lex looked at him with a small frown and replied, “I’d really like to but I’ve got a project I’m in the middle of and I really need to get back and work on it. I’ve got a deadline to meet otherwise I’ll have some cranky clients. Maybe another time?”

Ian snuffed down his disappointment and told him, “Ok, I’ll see you Tuesday at 2:00.”

Lex let himself out and mentally berated himself for not taking Ian up on his offer to have an early dinner with him. He really did want to but he was still so unsure of himself. Lex had never been good interacting with people and his self confidence was certainly lacking. Cassie used to tell him to get rid of the Pull-ups, put on some big boy pants, buckle up and get over it. Easier said than done. Even though he had gone through years of therapy to deal with how he got his scars, people in general made him nervous.

He never told his therapist about being able to see auras. He spent close to a year in and out of hospitals and rehab centers dealing with overcoming the physical limitations his back caused him and had no desire to add mental hospital to his resume. Nope, dinner with Ian seemed too much like a date. He didn’t do dating. He didn’t do people.

Lex let out a heavy sigh as he climbed the stairs to the wrap around porch at Ms. Helen’s. Dropping into one of the Adirondack chairs that seemed to be a requirement for porches in this neck of the woods he leaned back and made himself a mental resolution to at least try to finally throw away those Pull ups and try on a pair of big boy pants. Cassie would approve.

On Sunday Lex finished up the diagnostic on the system he was working on and by late morning he had emailed his final report and suggestions to the CEO. One upside of not sleeping much was that he was able to get a lot work done in the middle of the night. He decided to head out for a drive and set off right after lunch.

As he got onto the Mass Pike he headed east toward Boston. He still wouldn’t let himself think about why he was even in this area of the country. He got as far as West Springfield and headed north on I-91 towards Holyoke and exited when he saw the sign for the Ingleside Mall. Ms. Helen had told him it was the largest shopping mall around when he mentioned that he wanted to get some new clothes.

When he had been on the road travelling, he had packed light. He had a few pairs of jeans and shorts, a handful of t-shirts, one polo shirt, one sweatshirt and several pairs of socks and underwear. All of it fit into one of the saddlebags on his bike. If he was going to stay put for a couple of months he needed some more clothes as he hated doing laundry and with his current limited wardrobe he found himself stopping at a laundromat every 4 or 5 days. Too often for his liking. He figured he would get himself enough underwear and socks to last a couple of weeks and a few more pairs of jeans and definitely some new shirts. Thinking of Ian’s offer to have dinner he also decided a pair of dressier slacks and a shirt with buttons might be a good idea. That also meant a new pair of shoes. His current footwear included exactly one pair of sturdy boots he wore when riding the bike and a well worn pair of sneakers. Oh, and a comfy pair of flip flops, a necessity when he needed to use shower facilities at a truck stop. Damn, this was going to take a while.

Several hours and several hundred dollars later Lex stuffed the last of the bags into the trunk of the car. He decided that shopping sucked. The only ones who were happy were the sales clerks who worked on commission.

There was a Chipotle near the mall and Lex swung into the parking lot to get a burrito before heading back. He was starving and the carb-laden, tortilla wrapped flavors of Nirvana was just what he needed.

As the blend of carnitas, rice, beans, cheese, salsa, sour cream and guacamole hit his taste buds he couldn’t hold back the low groan of contentment. A young teen aged couple at the next table glanced over and started giggling. Lex could see that they were only laughing because he moaned and they were immature, but his insecurities jumped back into the front seat. He finished his burrito and hightailed it back to the car. In short order he was back on the Mass Pike this time heading west, back towards Ms. Helen’s. And Ian, a voice in the back of his head whispered. And Ian.

Monday morning Lex found himself in the kitchen enjoying the quiet morning. Ms. Helen had a full pot of coffee ready and he sat at the table with a mug. He broke the comfortable silence and asked, “Ms. Helen, is there a laundromat close by? I need to wash the new things that I bought yesterday before I wear them.”

Ms. Helen didn’t even glance up from the newspaper she was reading and replied, “You can use the washer and dryer here. It’s in the hallway that separates my apartment from the rest of the house. No sense in wasting time and money when you can just get it done here.”

Lex thanked her and when he was done with his breakfast headed back up to his room to get the new clothes. It took him a little while to remove all the tags. He then separated everything, gathered up the laundry that had piled up in the corner over the past few days. As he looked around to make sure he had everything he was glad that he had decided to go shopping. He had put on his last clean pair of underwear after his shower and was currently barefoot because all of his socks were dirty. Cassie would’ve laughed at him. Then again, Cassie would have just as quickly chewed him out for not doing laundry sooner.

The rest of the day slid by as Lex tended to his laundry and worked on his computer. After he retrieved the last load of clothes from the dryer, Ms. Helen asked him as he passed her if he would like to join her for supper. She was going to make spaghetti and meatballs. Lex thanked her and said he would come down to help after he got all his clothes put away.

The two of them enjoyed a quiet supper, conversation was light and neither one of them was uncomfortable. Lex had figured out that while Ms. Helen wasn’t lonely she enjoyed having someone close by. Lex didn’t say anything, he just stayed quiet which is what both of them wanted. Reflecting on his mundane activities of the past couple of days he thought about his nomadic wanderings and he had to ask himself if he was finally becoming domesticated again.