Brei Betzold - Tribal

“Okay, Daddy.”

I walked out of the room following Jaks and Seth to find Sam and X standing in the front, I smile and wave hoping I could get away with that.  Only to have X grab me and pull me into a hug.

“Aw, it’s my favorite nanny.”

“I’m the only nanny you know.”

“No, you’re the only nanny who won’t sleep with me.”

“That’s because I’m smart.”

“Aw, you don’t have to be that way.”

I shake my head at him.  “Hi Sam.”

“Hey Ash.” I watch as he dismisses me and follows Jules around with his eyes.  I glance over at Devi and notice she’s watching too.  I shrug, I have no idea what’s going on with those two if anything, and honestly, I have enough issues with my own personal life to get involved.

I turn to say my good byes at the same time I notice Cris’s door open and a gorgeous woman with white dreads walks out followed by Cris; I couldn’t get out of there soon enough.

Cris

I walked out of my office and swept my eyes around the shop stalling when I saw Ash standing there with X’s arms wrapped around her.  I wanted to go over there and rip his arm off then beat him with it.  I took a deep breath and pushed the feeling away.  She had said this morning that we were through, apparently she’d moved on, quickly.

“This is where your room will be,” I pointed  a room we had renovated for piercings, and other body modification work.  I opened the door and showed Haven the dentist chair, along with the other equipment we had already purchased.  “I didn’t want to buy more until I decided who I wanted to hire, then let them order what they wanted.”

“Is there decent ventilation in the room?”

I nodded.  “Yeah we had one installed, a few of our candidates do branding.”

“Yeah, I can do branding, I’m just selective on who I will perform it on.”

“I don’t blame you there.  That’s a long and painful process, from what I’ve heard.”  The more I talked to Haven the more I had to agree with Devi, which in of itself pissed me off, but she seemed to be the perfect fit for our shop.  She was well trained in multiple areas, as well as piercing.

“It is, and I want to make sure that they’re up to it, especially since I am burning their skin with electricity.  I don’t think I can think of anything worse than starting a branding then them turning around five minutes later saying that they can’t handle it, or they don’t understand the commitment and healing it takes.”

“I’d prefer not to have branding in the shop, but if we do decide to, it will be a selective process.”

She shrugged.  “I wouldn’t have a problem either way.”

We walked back into the shop where I noticed Cyn standing next to X and groaned.  I wasn’t up for her shade of crazy today.  I walked Haven back to the front letting her know that I’d contact her soon.  I wanted to sit down one last time and talk to Devi about the applicants before making a final decision, but I had a feeling Haven would be it.

I turned around and found Ash glaring at me, standing beside a pissed off Devi and an equal mad Jules.  I wasn’t sure what was going on but with the sly smile on Cyn’s face and those three glaring at me like I just ate the last chocolate bar in Dallas, I knew it wasn’t going to be good for me. 

Ash

I heard the tinkling of the bells at the front door and when I looked back, I had to bite off a groan.  Cyn sauntered in as if she owned the place.  I knew Devi put up with her because they were cousins, and everyone else did because of Eli, but it didn’t change the fact she was an uppity bitch most of the time.  She walked up glaring daggers at me and I couldn’t figure out why, then I remembered X had his arm around my shoulder.  For some reason X kept Cyn around.  He said it was because she was always willing to help scratch his itch.  Though when she looked at women like she was looking at me when he flirted with them—and X flirted with every woman—I don’t think she got the memo of his intentions.

I ducked out from under his arm and headed towards Sam; I didn’t want to be in the line of fire of her and X.

She walked up and ran her hand from his chest to his groin.  “Hi X,” she simpered and I rolled my eyes.

“Hey Cyn,” he said then went back to talking to Sam and Seth, ignoring her.  She ducked under his arm so it was around her shoulders then snuggled up to him.

“So Ash,” Cyn said glaring at me, “isn’t it weird dating a guy that at one time was engaged to your boss?”

I sucked in a breath.  “What are you talking about?”

“Oh you didn’t know?  I’m sorry.  I just thought that he would have told you, I’m sorry.”  Her tone sounded contrite but I could see it in her eyes, she’d meant to hurt me.

I looked around the group and all of them were staring at Cyn then at me, “Devi?” I asked quietly.

“We were never engaged,” she said between gritted teeth.  “Before Seth came home, Cris did ask me to marry him; he wanted to help me take care of Jaks.  I told him no and nothing was ever said about it again.  Which Cyn fucking knows.”

I was pulled into a hug by X who was glaring at Cyn.  “It was nothing,” he whispered in my ear.  “It meant nothing.  She’s just a backstabbing jealous bitch who’s trying to hurt you.”

I nodded my head slowly, but if that was the case, if it meant nothing, why didn’t he tell me?  Why would he tell me he cared about me, then keep something that everyone else knew, and someone would have eventually told me?  I would have made sure I told him something like this first so he wouldn’t be sucker punched later.

Cris walked up and I glared at him, I knew then after lying to me now this that he never looked at me as anything more than a plaything.  I turned and smiled tightly at everyone. “I’m going to head out, night ya’ll.” Then I spun on my heel and marched out of his shop.  I refused to let him know how badly he hurt me, humiliated me.

Cris

I walked up as Ash was slamming out the front door.  I wanted to chase after her and find out what the hell was wrong but first I needed to know why she was so pissed off.

“You’re a fucking idiot, Crispin,” Devi said between gritted teeth then she spun looking at Cyn.  “And that was a bitch move.  I’m done; I don’t need this stress right now.” I watched as she pushed through everyone while carrying Cait and bulldozed out the front door with Seth and Jaks chasing her.

“Uhm…someone want to clue me in?”

X glared at me then turned and glared at Cyn before he shook his head at her in disbelief.  Then he took off in the direction of Max’s station I was even more confused.

“Jules?”

“Prick,” she muttered then spun around and flounced off.

“Sam?”

“Well, you screwed up.”

“I got that, but how?”

“It might have been helpful if you’d told the girl you’re dating that at one point and time you’d asked her boss to marry you.”

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.  “How?”

“Cyn told her, in a not so nice way.”

My eyes snapped open just in time to see a pissed off Cyn walk out the door.  I looked around and found X staring at Haven and sighed.  Of course she wouldn’t be pissed or upset that she’d just fucked me up the ass sideways, no it’d be because X.

“I was going to tell her.”

“Shoulda, woulda, coulda, it’s all a little too late now,” Sam said.

I nodded knowing he was right.  “How do I fix it?”

He snorted.  “I have no fucking clue.  I’ve got my own problems I can’t work out.”

I turned and nearly ran into Haven.  “Uhm, sorry,” I mumbled then headed to my office quickly.

I grabbed my cell that was sitting on my desk and dialed Ash’s number, it went straight to voicemail.  So I decided to text her instead.

CRIS: I’M SORRY YOU FOUND OUT THAT WAY I WAS GOING TO TELL YOU.

I waited for half an hour with no response.  I let my head drop to my desk; I had really fucked this up. 

Ash

I stormed into the house slamming doors behind me.  I wasn’t sure who I was more pissed at—Devi for not telling me or for Cris for the same reason; you'd think that someone would have told me.  Then again, it wasn’t exactly Devi's place to tell me that my boyfriend had once fucking asked her to marry him.  No, that was all Cris.  He should have told me, a long time ago.

I marched into the kitchen and started grabbing things; I needed to do something before I drove back to Pin's Ink and beat the crap out of Crispin.  What was that idiot thinking keeping something like that from me?  I mean how stupid did he think I was?  Then again, he let me look stupid in front of everyone, especially in front of that conniving bitch, Cin.  I wanted to punch her in the throat.  I wanted to kick Cris's ass.  I wanted to fucking scream.  Why do men feel the need to do this to me?  Did they look at me and think hey, here's an easy mark, let’s just fuck her over.

I went about banging things around the kitchen then focused on doing something, I lost myself in baking.  I always went to baking when I was upset.  It was safer than finding the person who pissed me off and beating the shit out of them.  Instead, I took it out on dough, piecrust, and cookie dough.  I don’t know how long I stayed in the kitchen baking, but soon Devi walked in and watched me like I was a caged feral animal.

"So you're baking," she stated.

"Yep."

She sighed.  "He should have told you.  I didn’t realize he hadn’t told you."