I DO NOT OWN ANYONE OR ANYTHING IN THIS STORY BESIDES THE OC'S.

I sat on the bar stool I had claimed to be my own since it was the most comfortable and the cooler bar stool type chair we had behind the glass case counter we had. I looked down at the counter, my sketch book open on top as I was working on my latest sketch and wishing that I had brought my colored pencils but I just stared at it trying to think I needed to add more to it and trying to correct any of my lines. I heard the bell on the door chime, it was the only loud noise that interrupted the noise of the soft buzzing of the tattoo guns in the back rooms.

"Welcome to True Image." I stated as I had finally looked up seeing a man I hadn't seen before with a blue long sleeved shirt, and black slacks. I could see tattoos on the top of his hands, his knuckles, the sides of his neck and that was all that was visible to my eyes. "How may I help you sir?" I asked closing my sketch book pushing it aside as I stood up and walking a little closer to the register and the entrance to behind the counter.

"Yeah, I was hoping to get some new work done. Is Kevin in?" The man asked as I nodded.

"He is currently with a customer, he should be almost done. What type of work are you looking at getting and you have an idea of what you are getting?" I asked curiously as he walked closer and began to roll up the sleeve on his one arm exposing a couple tattoos he had on his arms then I had noticed a word written on at least those knuckles, and presumed there was another word on the other hand.

"I was hoping to get a set of brass knuckles here, want to add more later but for now want to get that down. I've never seen you here before, are you new?"

"No, I started working here a few months back so you must not come often sir." I stated.

"Well, I haven't been here often enough or sooner...since we haven't officially met, I'm Corey and you are?" He asked as he leant against the counter besides where I stood and across from me.

"I'm Melanie, you a friend of Kevin or something?" I asked eyeing him as I rested a hand on the edge of the counter sort of leaning on my hand.

"Sort of, I used to work here a few years back."

"Why'd you leave? It looks like you certainly love the tattoo world." I said as I nodded towards his tatted up arm.

"Other things came up, bigger and better things that is." Corey said as I nodded, I only wished I had bigger and better things that would come my way but was happy that I was where I was right now because it was better than the situation I was in. "What about yourself, you got any tattoos?" Corey asked as I smirked and began to roll up my sleeve showing a handful of the ones I had gotten over the year or so of coming here and working here. "Are those all of them?" He asked.

"No, I got a few others." I answered as he kept glancing at me as his hand slowly inched towards mine where I felt his fingers slowly brush onto my skin and rubbing over the ink, mainly outlining the designs.

"Why did you choose these?"

"I should be asking you the same thing, why brass knuckles? Or the words 'stay...'" I began to ask as I was trying to read the word on his other hand but couldn't.

"Down." He said with a smile.

"Down? Why any of the tattoos?" I asked with a smirk and a shrug.

"Because we want and it's our body." Corey said with a smirk, "How did you get a job here? You look so innocent." He said.

"Innocent? This isn't a sex shop Mr. Corey, it's a tattoo parlor."

"Okay, true but you look too innocent for someone that would be into this whole tattoo and piercing thing."

"I've seen darker shit so this hasn't begun to show my dark side." I siad as I heard him let out a laugh. "What's so funny? You don't even know me."

"Nothing...nothing at all, you must be very nice or something good about you if Kevin trusts you and hired you."

"Obviously, I think I have done my job well." I said confidently.

"I wouldn't know..." Corey said with a smirk.

"I thought I recognized that voice." Kevin said as I looked over seeing him walk out from the back area.

"Kevin, it's been too long...didn't know you were hiring." Corey said as he walked towards Kevin meeting Kevin half way.

"Uh..." Kevin said as he glanced over at me as I zipped my mouth to not say anything about what truly happened, "Yeah, the last girl, she was stealing from me and Melanie was just there." Kevin said, "She was a trusty client and figured might as well hire her on, she was here just as much as you were." Kevin said with a chuckle as Corey glanced back at me with a smile then he turned back to Kevin.

"Well, she seems like she will do way better off than that blonde bimbo you had before." Corey said, I had took it as a compliment but I had no choice but to do better and do my best, fucking up wasn't an option in my current situation. Kevin's previous customer had came up to me allowing me to finish up the paperwork and cash him out which I did before I went and sat down at Kevin's desk making it easier to continue sketching in my book. Tonight was slower than usual, but it was a week day and that is usually our down time anyway but my mind was still processing Corey, how Kevin knew Corey, and such. Corey was quiet good looking, he had that rough cookie cut image about him with the tattoos, he was clean shaving and his sense of style, I was instantly attracted visually to him but it seems too soon to get involved with another man. I kept telling myself that not every man was like my ex, Corey must have been decent if he was friends with Kevin, very much how Corey stated about me working here. I don't know how they knew each other, Corey has obviously been a customer here before but I don't know if that is how far his and Kevin's friendship extended. Corey is and will always be a customer, a good looking customer, but a customer. I worked at my sketch not paying attention to anything since I hadn't heard any new customer walk through the front door until I heard someone clear their voice startling me. "What are you drawing?" Corey asked as I looked up at him, I put my pencil down before I stood up.

"Something stupid, I just like doodling things." I said as I shrugged walking around the desk that I was currently seating at to head to the cash register.

"So, you provide Kevin with the art work?"

"No, Kevin does his own art work." I stated as I began to ring up the cost of what Kevin had written on Corey's paperwork.

"He bashing my art work again?" Kevin asked as he came to join us after he cleaned his station I had assumed.

"What also am I able to bash?" Corey asked with a chuckle.

"If you didn't like it that much, 95% of those tattoos wouldn't be on your body." Kevin defended as I smiled.

"Ooohhh! You got me." Corey said sarcastically.

"You never explained 'stay down.'" I said as I pushed buttons on the register.

"He never explained it to me either, actually he did but that is a story at a later time." Kevin said.

"I can answer for myself." Corey said as Kevin smiled.

"I know you can but I like answering for you." Kevin said as I watched the two interact as Corey handed over the money and I finished ringing him out as Kevin and Corey chatted. I stood there listening in hoping to learn more about these two's relationship and about Corey himself. Corey finally said his good-byes and giving me a hand shake before he headed out the front door.

"How do you know Corey?" I asked as I looked over at him.

"He worked here years ago, he was a piercer. He worked at another parlor that shut down so he looked into working here and I gave him a job only because the previous owner gave good words on Corey."

"But we don't do piercings."

"Not anymore, he was and will always be the only piercer I would have in this parlor." Kevin said as I let out a sigh. "You like him don't you?" Kevin asked.

"No..." I said in the most strong firm voice but knew it didn't come out that way. "Alright, he's attractive but I think it's too soon."

"Too soon? It's been at least six months now Melanie."

"Yes but that fuck face still shows up looking for me, how many times had the cops been called here? I am beyond shocked that we still get business or that the cops haven't done any investigations and if that ever happens it will be my fault."

"That will never happen okay, the cops were called once and that was it." Kevin said as I nodded as I ran a hand through my hair.

"I don't need to drag someone else into this."

"Corey is a good guy, he will protect you and won't take any of Alex's shit."

"Whatever it maybe, I don't want to ruin any relationship because of my past. What if I end up falling in love with Corey and he notices the sucky baggage I have of a stupid ex trying to ruin my life amongst other things he leaves me?" I said.

"He won't be like that, I'm pretty sure Corey will be back soon."

"Why do you say that?" I asked curiously.

"I asked him if he wanted to come back and pierce for me when he is off from his day job and he accepted it."

"What's his day job?" I asked curiously.

"I'll let him tell you." Kevin said, "Get back to work..." He said as I nodded as I began walking back to the desk.

"Kevin...do you think he will pierce my tragus?" I asked.

"I'm sure he would, willingly and for free." Kevin said, he just seemed to be acting weird but that was Kevin as I went back to work and was happy to have another person working here rather than just Kevin and I. It came time for the shop to close, I got all my work done and whatever was left was Kevin's work, like counting the till and cleaning up the supplies.

"I'm going to start heading home, I'll see you there." I stated as Kevin nodded as he got up walking me to my car as I climbed in and he shut the door after I had climbed in. He waited for me to pull out before he began to walk back into the tattoo parlor. I headed to the house where I parked the car along the street before I had climbed out walking along the driveway and path towards the front door. I just felt more secure that he lived in a gated community knowing that Alex couldn't get in or near where we lived. I let myself into the house quietly so I wouldn't wake Kevin's son, I looked over seeing Anita sitting on the couch reading a book.

"How was it tonight?" She asked as I clicked the door shut locking it as I let out a sigh.

"Slow like usual during the week, but apparently Kevin is going to hire that Corey dude back, you know him?" I asked as I walked further into the living room sitting on the arm of the couch.

"Yeah, he is a good man. He was very close to Kevin, they were inseparable when Corey was here more often and he was here when I was pregnant with little Jack but when Corey got offered his new day job it was hard to do both at first so Kevin let him go. Did Corey ask to come back or what?"

"Kevin said he asked Corey to come back to do piercings, I guess to bring in more business." I said with a sigh.

"You like him, don't you? I kind of thought that you would when I first met you, he's single...well at least when I last saw him he was." Anita said.

"Why did you think that?"

"He just seemed like he would fit your taste of men, and he seems like someone that would do you right, you two would be a great match together...call it womans intuition." She said.

"I find him attractive..." I said with a sigh.

"But?"

"But, what about Alex?"

"What about Alex? He doesn't control you anymore sweetie, you have your life back so do what the fuck you want. You are safe now, we won't ever let him do anything to ruin or jeopardize anything or to even lay a finger on you again."

"I just met him, so I don't want to jump to conclusions and we didn't talk much tonight so not going to expect much from it besides being co-workers and hoping to be friends. If something more than that happens, then be it." I said with a shrug.

"Will you tell him about Alex?"

"No...well, not before I have to because I...I don't want it to affect the relationship that may come up between us. That...that is what I'm afraid of that Corey will not want to date me because of Alex...because Alex is a psychatic psychopath it is going to cost me someone that could be potentially be the one...but maybe it is me, I also thought Alex was the one."

"We learn from our mistakes." Anita said as I nodded.

"Well, I'm going to go make myself something to eat before heading to bed." I said as I stood up from the arm of the couch.

"There are leftovers in the fridge from mine and Jack's dinner." Anita responded as I nodded as I headed into the kitchen opening hte fridge and began to heat up a plate of the food before I sat at the breakfast bar eating bite by bite of the food. When I had cleared the plate, I got up taking it to the sink to rinse it off before putting it into the dish washer I had heard the front door opening knowing it had to be Kevin. I walked out to greet him and he shut the door behind him locking it.

"When does Corey start?" I asked.

"Tomorrow." Kevin said as I nodded.

"Alright...I'm going to bed...night." I said as I heard the two 'nights' back to me before I headed up the stairs to the second floor being as quiet as I could as I walked past the open door into Jack's room. I went into the room that Kevin and Anita allow me to stay in, I shut the door behind me locking it so I could change into a pair of pajamas. I pulled off my shirt tossing it towards my clothes basket seeing it landed somewhat in the basket before I looked over my shoulder at the mirror on my dresser seeing the scars that was caused from ex, luckily it wasn't many scars but there were the three main ones but the bruises had been long gone by now. I wanted to get tattoos to cover those scars up but haven't thought of anything that could do. Even though I will get tattoos to try to cover them, you will still be able to notice them and I was just hoping that Corey didn't see the very small and un-noticeable scars that were along my arms, the ones on my back, the one on my leg and stomach are the worse. I let out a sigh as I looked back down at the ground in front of me as I began to further undress then redress into the new outfit before sliding into my bed for a long night of sleep.