A Tattoo for Lex - 6. Chapter 6

The next day Lex headed over to David’s garage after breakfast. He spotted the Chief parked just outside of the garage. David was working on a car up on one of the lifts and he could see Charlie, or rather Charlie’s backside as he leaned over an engine, working on another car in the furthest bay. Davis saw him approach and setting down his tools he wiped off his hands, extending one to Lex with a grin.

Lex shook the older man’s hand and told him “The Chief looks awfully bright and shiny, you didn’t have to do that.”

David just smirked and replied “Are you kidding? That machine is a work of art! There’s no way I was letting him out of here without being spiffed up. He deserves it. I checked over the rest of the bike and everything else looks good. It’s nice to see how someone who cares about his bike keeps it well maintained. Come on into the office and I’ll get the key and give you your invoice.”

Lex followed him to the neatly kept area David had designated as his office. He looked over the invoice and decided the charges for the work were pretty reasonable. He signed for the amount and took the key David held out.

Lex looked at the man and said sincerely “Thank you. I really appreciate the work you did. Is it OK for me to leave my rental car here until I can make arrangements to return it?”

David thought for a moment and said “I have a better plan. I need to make a run into Pittsfield this afternoon to pick up some parts. Why don’t I take the car back for you? Charlie can bring the truck and pick up the parts while I return the car for you. Do they have your email so they can send you a receipt?”

Lex was stunned at the man’s generosity. He saw with a quick look at the other man’s aura that he was sincere with his offer and once again professed his gratitude.

Once he agreed to the plan he offered his hand to David who shook it firmly and headed back to the bay. Lex looked over at the gleaming bike and a look of pure joy came over him. He jogged over to the rental car and grabbed his helmet from the passenger seat. With a quick look to make sure he wasn’t leaving anything behind he closed the door and hightailed it over to the bike. He slid his helmet on and strapped it into place, then swung his leg over the bike and settled into the polished leather seat. Flipping up the kickstand he started the bike up with a roar. The throaty rumble of the engine was music to his ears. Grinning like a fool, he threw a wave towards the two men watching him from the garage and took off down the short street and out onto the main road. Knowing he had some time to kill he headed out of town and into the rolling hills of the Berkshires.

For the next couple of hours it was just Lex and the low growl of the Chief enjoying the freedom of the road. He stopped for lunch a small cafe pretty much in the middle of nowhere. He checked the GPS on his phone and making a mental note of the route he needed to follow, headed back so he wouldn’t be late for his appointment with Ian. He pulled into Ms. Helen’s driveway and decided he had enough time to take a quick shower.

Stepping into the warm spray his thoughts turned to the man who seemed to invade his mind. His cock betrayed which way his mind was working. Taking a firm hold Lex decided to rub one out. Maybe it would help him keep control later on. Maybe not. Quickly finishing with a low moan, Lex rinsed himself off and grabbed the towel from the bar next to the shower. Running it across his back he felt a slight soreness where the fresh ink was etched in his skin. It made him smile knowing that he was going to be seeing Ian in a few minutes He quickly finished drying off and threw on some clean clothes and headed out the door.

He arrived at the shop with a few minutes to spare. He greeted Casey who told him he could go on back. Ian was in the now familiar room finishing up laying out the supplies he would be using. After greeting each other it was time to get down to business. They followed the same procedure as the day before. Ian wiped down Lex’s back. This time he was able to suppress the shiver that threatened to break out over his skin at Ian’s touch. As the music started and the tattoo machine began to whir both men settled into their respective zones. Ian completely focused on the ink and skin in front of him and Lex focused on the music, keeping his mind from dwelling on the sharpness of the needle pricks dancing over his back.

Ian was having his own difficulties. Lex’s skin beckoned to him and every time he pressed down on it or wiped over an area he had to tamp down a wave of desire, His gloves helped to keep himself under control but it was still hard. He had to concentrate on the colors in front of him and somehow managed to keep the sharp image of the finished product in his mind which enabled him to focus on the task at hand.

He stopped abruptly as he felt Lex tense underneath him when he started on a particular tough ridge of scar tissue. Turning off the machine he asked Lex “What’s going on? Do you need a break?” They had been at it for about forty-five minutes at that point.

Lex sat up and said “That might be a good idea. The spot that you just started is is really sensitive. I guess I just need a few minutes so I can brace myself.”

Ian stood up and stretched. He handed Lex a bottle of water and opened one for himself. Just as he started to drink he saw Lex flex his neck, the cords standing out tautly, causing Ian to swallow the wrong way. As he started coughing Lex looked up at him, concern shrouding his eyes.

Ian sputtered out “I’m OK, went down the wrong pipe.” He took another small sip and willed the stiffness that was started to fill his jeans away. After a few minutes they were both ready to continue.

This time Lex was ready for the stab of pain as Ian took the machine to the same area he had left off at. The rest of the session went smoothly and soon enough Ian was finishing up and Lex’s fresh ink was wiped down and covered with plastic.

The next few weeks followed the same routine. Lex was able to work on a few jobs in the late evenings and early morning hours. He kept to a fairly regular schedule of jogging early, eating breakfast with Ms. Helen and working on the computer in the late mornings or video conferencing as needed. He took the Chief out for a ride occasionally whenever he had some spare time. He ran into Mazen and Jarren and exchanged numbers. They ended up getting together for lunch a few times. Jarren convinced Lex to go riding dirt bikes with him one Saturday and they had a blast. The dirt bike was so much lighter and more maneuverable than the Chief. It took a little getting used to and he was nowhere near the daredevil Jarren was but he somehow managed not to break anything before getting the hang of it. Jarren was easy going and fun to hang out with. He quickly became a good friend. Things seemed to be rolling along pretty smoothly.

Until suddenly they weren’t.

It was about three and a half weeks after Lex had started getting tattooed when he opened up an email one morning. Scanning the content he muttered “Oh shit.” He grabbed his phone and dialed the number indicated in the email. Twenty minutes later he was packing a bag with a few essentials and he headed downstairs to find Ms. Helen. She was in the living room dusting the various knick knacks and pictures scattered about. He got her attention and told her “Hi Ms. Helen. I need to head out for a few days. I have a job to take care of and need be away. I’ll probably be back in three or four days. I’ll let you know if it’s going to be any longer.” Ms. Helen thanked him for letting her know and went back to her cleaning.

Next Lex called Ian who answered on the fourth ring. Lex still got chills down his spine at the sexy tone of the other man’s voice. “Hey Ian” he said. “I’ve got to cancel our appointments for the next few days. I have a job that I can’t postpone and need to go out of town for. I’m hoping it will only take a couple of days but I won’t know until I get started on it.”

Lex thought he could hear the disappointment when Ian answered “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope it works out for you. Good luck and just let me know when you get back and we’ll reschedule.”

Ending the call Lex sighed. Ten minutes later a car pulled up. Lex went out to the vehicle that his client had arranged and got in. Less than an hour later, after being dropped off at the Pittsfield Municipal Airport he was airborne strapped into a seat onboard a Gulfstream headed for Washington D.C.

Roughly eighty hours after leaving Pittsfield Lex was back. He had the car drop him off at the tattoo shop. He was exhausted. Someone had tried and failed to hack one of the Department of Defence’s operating systems. Their techs hadn’t been able to isolate the breach so Lex was called in. It took him close to three days to find the cause of all the chaos and another six hours to hand over his findings and be debriefed. Damn government protocols.

Luckily no damage was truly done and the culprit wasn’t a terrorist. The system that was targeted was actually part of their payroll processing and a former disgruntled employee was trying to disrupt it. During the entire ordeal he had managed to doze off twice for about an hour or so each time. That was rough even for him. Now as stood outside the shop his mind was fuzzy and all he wanted was to see Ian’s face and hear his voice. He hoped he wasn’t busy.

Upon entering he saw Casey at the desk. She looked up and did a double take. “Dude, you like shit.”

Lex managed a short bark of laughter and in a rough voice said “Thanks. Is Ian here?” She motioned with her head toward the back. He shuffled down the hallway and stopped outside the open door of Ian’s office. He sighed softly and smiled when he saw the man bent over his drawing board intently focused on the sketch in front of him.

Sensing movement, or maybe hearing Lex’s approach Ian turned those sexy blue eyes toward the door. Several emotions flashed across his face as he took in the sight of the beautiful man he had been missing. His face finally settled on concern when he looked closely at the state of the man in his doorway. “Lex, you look like shit.”

Lex managed to smile and said. “Yeah, Casey already pointed that out. It’s been a long few days. I’m just glad it’s over.”

Ian put down his pencil and replied “Me too. So what are you doing here?”

Lex, not knowing what came over him asked “ Can you work on the tattoo tonight? I’m too wired up and feel like I need to make up for lost time.”

Ian could see the exhaustion that had etched itself around Lex’s eyes. He also saw something else. Need. Plain and simple. Pure need. Lex needed company and Ian couldn’t deny him. “Sure, as long as long as you’re up to it. I don’t have anything scheduled for this evening anyway. Go on back and I’ll go grab what I need.”

Lex got himself settled on the chair and rested his head on his folded arms. He smiled to himself as he heard Ian setting up his equipment. The lilting guitar intro of U2’s A Sort of Homecoming flowed out from the speakers as Ian pulled on his gloves and got ready to start. A calmness settled over Lex and he released some of the tension that had built up over the past four days. The tattoo machine took up its steady buzz and once again the familiar sting spread itself over Lex’s back like wings. It wasn’t long before the events and the exhaustion of the past few days got the better of him. He wasn’t aware of when he drifted off. He just slipped into the darkness where the only sound was the steady hum of the tattoo machine lulling him further into the depths of unconsciousness.

Ian had been surprised when Lex showed up outside his office door. He hadn’t realized until that moment how much he had missed him. When Lex asked him to work on his tattoo Ian’s heart stuttered. The thought of seeing and touching him was almost too much. There was no way he could’ve said no. Now he hummed along quietly to the songs that flowed out of the speakers. It wasn’t until a sharp tightness pulled across the top of his shoulders that he realized he had been working nonstop for a long time. Glancing at the clock near the door he was shocked to see that it was after midnight. He had been working on Lex for almost five hours. Holy shit. He vaguely recalled Casey telling him she was locking up and leaving.

He was surprised that Lex hadn’t moved. The only reason he knew he was still alive was by the occasional involuntary flinch that moved across Lex’s skin. Even passed out cold his body responded to pain stimuli. Lex quickly cleaned up and covered Lex’s back. He shook his shoulder, trying to wake him up. When that didn’t work Ian smiled to himself and said to the unconscious form “Looks like you’re spending the night my friend.” Making sure the path was clear Ian hefted Lex’s body over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and somehow managed to get him up the backstairs to the small apartment he kept over the shop.

He or Casey occasionally used the apartment if they had to work late or start early in the morning. He kept its small kitchen stocked with food so he didn’t always have to go out for lunch and kept clean linens on the queen size bed as well as some extra clothes in the drawers. He dropped Lex’s prone form onto the bed and took of his boots and socks. After an internal debate he somehow managed to wrestle the man’s jeans off of him. He hated sleeping in his clothes and only hoped Lex did too. He drew the line at taking off the form fitting boxer briefs. That was a line he didn’t have the right to cross. Yet. He managed to wrangle him into what he hoped was a comfortable position. Lex continued to sleep through it all. Sighing he went into the small bathroom, took a much needed piss, then washed his hands before brushing his teeth. He grabbed a pair of soft cotton sleep pants and pulled them on after shucking his jeans and underwear.

He went back out to the apartment and his eyes vacillated between the couch and the bed currently being occupied by the sleeping Lex. He knew firsthand that if he chose the couch his back would be screaming at him for the next few days. Steeling himself he slid into bed next to Lex. Hell, it wasn’t like he was going to jump the man when he was out like a light he told himself. He settled under the covers and it wasn’t long before he felt the soft tendrils of sleep reaching for him and just before they pulled him under he felt the man next to him roll over and press his hard body up against his back. Mmmmmm, he thought as he drifted off.