Beautiful Creatures Series

Chapter 43: 1

Aspen Colorado, ten years later…

Mackenzie stood in the bridal shop watching her bride Alice Carter trying on hr fiftieth dress that day. They had been to every bridal shop in Colorado in the last week, and the woman still wasn’t satisfied. To say Alice Carter was a nightmare bride would be an understatement. Alice looked in the mirror with the staff standing around her fussing over the hem, praying she liked this one.

Alice was a plane woman who thought she was Beyoncé. “I don’t like this one,” she said. Mackenzie rolled her eyes, big surprise. “It makes my arms look jiggly.”

“Don’t blame the dress,” Mackenzie muttered under her breath

“Excuse me?” Alice asked, turning around.

Mackenzie smiled, “I said, bring out the next dress. Please, this one certainly will never do,” which seemed to satisfy Alice as she returned her attention to her reflection.

Mackenzie had been working as an event planner for the last four years, and she had become very good at it. She was now the top event planner in Colorado. She planned everything from bar mitzvahs to elaborate weddings. Most of her business was at weddings. Planning weddings had left Mackenzie disillusioned with love. She had seen too many women only in it for the money and been hit on by so many of her grooms. She could usually tell how long these marriages would last based on their vows. So many of them wanted to write their vows, and they were almost always cheesy and hooky.

She liked to keep tabs on her couples after their weddings to see if she was right about how long it would last. She almost had it down to a science. Mackenzie spent the next four hours helping Alice in and out of dresses while she poopooed each of them. After a long day of getting absolutely nowhere, Mackenzie said goodnight to her client and sat in her car in the parking lot. After a day like this, she needed to relax. She had just the thing too. Mackenzie had heard about an excellent tattoo artist, and she had booked an appointment with him to get a new tattoo. And her appointment was in an hour. She couldn’t wait.

***

Gordon leaned on the counter, his hand over his right side. He could still feel the bruising beneath the skin healing. Melissa had done a number on him two days ago, and while on the surface, he was fine, beneath the skin, he still had some mending to do. Another day and he should be good. It was a good thing he was Lycanthrope of his wife might have killed him long ago.

The chime above his door rang, alerting him that he had customers. He stood tall and put on a false smile. He walked around the corner to the main desk to greet his appointment. Gordon was surprised to see a beautiful young woman. She was dressed in a classy woman’s suit that made her look powerful and influential. Her long blond hair hung in curls down her back, and her make-up made her blue eyes pop. She was tall for a woman with amazingly long legs and curves that could put the backroads to shame.

This woman was a whole other breed from his typical biker clientele. She smiled at him. “I’m looking for Gordon Wilder.”

“You found him. You must be my 4:00 pm appointment.”

“Mackenzie Starr,” she offered him her perfectly manicured hand. Gordon wiped his ink-stained hands on his dirty jeans and then took her hand and shook it.

“Come on back,” he suggested. Mackenzie followed him to the back room, where he gestured for her to take a seat in the tattoo chair. “What were you looking for?”

“I was hoping to get a phoenix rising from the ashes on my side right on the ribs,” she said, taking her seat.

“Ok. Do you have any other tattoos?”

“No, this would be my first.”

do you want

“My whole side.”

going

“I can pay.”

tattooing on the ribs is extremely painful. A lot of people tap out. Given this is your first, I would suggest another spot. Someplace a little fattier than directly atop

“Like where?”

He didn’t think this girl had any fat on her body. She looked like a real-life Barbie doll. “Take off your jacket and your blouse,” he instructed. She looked at him questioningly. “I want to see the canvass so I can decide the best placement,”

off, and he had an unobstructed view of those full round breasts contained in a sexy little lacy white cage-style

doing his best not to seem like a creepy old man. This woman was half his age and clearly worlds out of his league. Plus, he was a married man. Gordon reached out and ran his hand over her side, trying to judge

my shirt now?” Gordon stood there, staring at her with a smile. “Well?”

and cover-up,” he said, sitting down at his light table so he could draw up a

been

apprenticing in a shop when I was fifteen. Been doing this ever since.”

be excellent. You come highly

said as he went about his drawing. Gordon was a fast drawer. He was imaginative, and

do you own the shop, or are you

about you? What do you

event planner.

good at your job. Your clothes look

event

“Good for you.”

you think I could get a glass of

chair and walked to the fridge. She bent over to retrieve a bottle, and Gordon couldn’t look

in silence while he finished his stencil, and when he showed it

you at the

sessions

you sit. It could be

let’s get started,” she

location and applied the stencil. He ran his hands over

you start feeling dizzy or nauseated, you tell me immediately, and we will take a break,” Gordon said as he began. If you like, there is a remote on the stand next to

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