Beautiful Oblivion

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

WITH ONE EAR AGAINST THE PHONE, AND THE OTHER EAR being kissed and licked quietly by Trenton, I tried to schedule a three-thirty outline. Normally Trenton behaved a little more professionally at work, but it was Sunday, we were painfully slow, and Calvin had taken Hazel to lunch for her birthday. Trenton and I were totally alone.

“Yes. Got you down. Thank you, Jessica.”

I hung up the phone, and Trenton grabbed my hips and lifted me up, planting my ass on the counter. He hooked my ankles at the small of his back, and then slid his fingers into my hair, combing it back just enough to provide a clear path to run his tongue up my neck until it reached its destination: my earlobe. He took the tender piece of skin into his mouth, applying the tiniest bit of pressure between his top teeth and tongue. It had become my very favorite thing . . . so far. He’d been torturing me that way all week, but refused to undress me—or touch me anywhere fun—until we went to dinner Monday night after work.

Trenton pulled me toward him and pressed his pelvis against me. “I have never looked forward to a Monday so much in my life.”

I smiled, dubious. “I don’t know why you have these strange rules. We could break them ten feet away in your room.”

Trenton hummed. “Oh. We will.”

I turned my wrist over to check my watch. “You don’t have anyone for an hour and a half. Why don’t you start outlining that shoulder tattoo we’ve talked about?”

Trenton thought for a moment. “The poppies?”

I hopped down from the counter, opened a drawer, and pulled out the drawing Trenton had created the week before. I held it up to his face. “They’re pretty, and they’re significant.”

“You’ve said that. But you haven’t told me why they’re significant.”

“The Wizard of Oz. They make you forget.”

Trenton made a face.

“What? Is that dumb?” I said, immediately defensive.

“No. It’s just that your Oz reference reminded me of Travis’s girlfriend’s new name for Crook.”

“What is it?”

“Toto. Travis said she’s from Kansas . . . that’s why he got that breed in the first place, blah, blah, blah.”

“I agree. Crook is better.”

Trenton narrowed his eyes. “You really want the poppies?”

I nodded an emphatic yes.

“Red?” he asked.

I held up his artwork again. “Just like this.”

He shrugged. “Okay, baby doll. Poppies it is.” He took my hand, leading me back to his room.

I undressed while Trenton finished his prep, but he paused just long enough to watch me pull my shirt over my head, and then slip my left arm out of my black, lacy bra strap. He shook his head and smiled wryly, amused by the G-rated striptease I’d just given him.

By the time the tattoo machine had begun to buzz, I was completely relaxed against the chair. Trenton tattooing my skin was so extraordinarily intimate. There was something about being so close to him, the way he manipulated and stretched my skin while he worked, and the look of concentration on his face while he permanently marked my skin with one of his remarkable pieces of art. The pain was secondary to all of that.

Trenton was just finishing up the line work when Hazel and Calvin returned. Hazel had a sack in her hand when she walked into Trenton’s room.

“I brought you both a slice of cheesecake,” she said, noticing my shoulder. “Oh, that’s going to be fucking amazing.”

“Thanks,” I said, beaming.

“It’s been that slow, huh?” Calvin said. “I don’t suppose you coulda picked up a broom?”

“Uh . . . she’s not dressed, Cal,” Trenton said, dismayed.

“She ain’t got anything I haven’t seen before,” Calvin said.

“You haven’t seen Cami before. Get the fuck out.”

Calvin simply turned his back to us, crossing his arms. “She can’t find something to organize when we’re not busy? I’m paying her by the hour.”

“Everything is organized, Cal,” I said. “I did sweep. I even dusted.”

Trenton frowned. “You bitch because she doesn’t have tats, and now you’re bitching because I’m tatting her. Make up your damn mind.”

Calvin craned his neck at Trenton, snarled his lip, and then disappeared around the corner.

Hazel giggled, clearly not worried about the boys’ confrontation.

After Trenton doctored my tattoo site, I slipped my arm through my bra strap—carefully—and then pulled my shirt back over my head. “You’re going to get fired if you keep pissing him off.”

“Nah,” Trenton said, cleaning up his workspace. “He’s secretly in love with me.”

“Calvin doesn’t love anyone,” Hazel said. “He’s married to this shop.”

Trenton narrowed his eyes. “What about Bishop? I’m pretty sure he loves Bishop.”

Hazel rolled her eyes. “You’ll need to let that go.”

I left them both and walked to the counter, noticing a buzzing noise coming from the drawer where I kept my cell phone. I pulled it open slowly, and looked at the display. It was Clark.

“What’s wrong?” Trenton asked, coming up behind me to kiss a small section of my shoulder that wasn’t angry and red from the needle.

“It’s Clark. I love him, I’m just not in the mood to be in a bad mood, ya know?”

Trenton’s lips touched the outside edge of my ear. “You don’t have to answer,” he said softly.

Holding the phone in the palm of my hand, I declined the call, and then tapped out a text.

@ work. Can’t talk. What’s up?

Family lunch today. Don’t forget.

Can’t today. I’ll try next week.

Bad idea. Dad’s already pissed about you missing last week.

Exactly.

Ok. I’ll let them know closer to time.

Thx.

Trenton’s one appointment was the only customer we had all day. The sky was full of low-lying gray clouds; winter threatened to throw up on us at any moment. With at least an inch of sleet and ice already on the roads, not many people were braving the weather. The shop wasn’t far from campus, so we usually saw a steady stream of vehicles passing in each direction, but with the crap weather, the traffic was nonexistent.

Trenton was drawing doodles on a piece of paper, and Hazel was lying in a straight line on the floor in front of the brown leather sofa that sat next to the entrance doors. I was typing out a paper for class. Calvin still hadn’t come out of his office.

Hazel let out a dramatic sigh. “I’m leaving. I can’t take this.”

“No, you’re not,” Calvin yelled from the back.

A muffled scream emanated from Hazel’s throat. When she finished, she was quiet for a moment, and then sat up quickly, her eyes bright. “Let me pierce your nose, Cami.”

I frowned and shook my head. “Hell no.”

“Oh, c’mon! We’ll do a really tiny diamond. It’ll be ladylike, but fierce.”

“The thought of my nose being impaled makes my eyes water,” I said.

“I’m so bored! Please?” she whined.

I looked over at Trenton, who was shading in his drawing of what looked like a troll. “Don’t look at me. It’s your nose.”

“I’m not asking for your permission. I want your opinion,” I said.

“I think it’s hot,” he said.

I cocked my head a bit, impatient. “Great, but does it hurt?”

“Yeah,” Trenton said. “I’ve heard it hurts like a son of a bitch.”

I thought for a moment, and then looked at Hazel. “I’m bored, too.”

Her beaming smile spanned from one side of her face to the other. Her cheeks pushed up, making her eyes just two slits. “Really?”

“C’mon,” I said, already walking back to her room. She scrambled to her feet and followed.

By the time I left Skin Deep for the day, I had extensive line work on my left shoulder, and a new nose piercing. Hazel was right. It was tiny; dainty, even. I would have never thought to get a nose ring, but I loved it.

“See you tomorrow, Hazel,” I said, walking toward the door.

“Thank you for preserving my sanity, Cami!” Hazel said, waving. “Next time we’re slow, we’ll put gauges in your ears.”

“Uh . . . no,” I said, pushing the door.

I started the Smurf, and then Trenton jogged up to my door, signaling for me to roll down my window. When I did, he leaned in and kissed my lips.

“You weren’t even going to say good-bye?” he asked.

“Sorry,” I said. “I’m a little out of practice with this whole thing.”

Trenton winked. “Me, too. But it won’t take long.”

I narrowed my eyes. “When was the last time you were in a relationship?”

The look on Trenton’s face was one I couldn’t quite read. “A few years. What?” he said. I had looked down and chuckled, and Trenton tucked his chin, forcing me to make eye contact.

“I didn’t know you’d ever dated anyone.”

“Contrary to popular belief, I am capable of being a one-woman man. Just has to be the right woman.”

My mouth pulled to the side in a half-smile. “Why didn’t I know about this? Seems like the whole campus would have been talking about it.”

“Because it was new.”

I thought for a moment, and then my eyes widened. “Was it Mackenzie?”

“For about forty-eight hours,” Trenton said. His eyes lost focus, and then they snapped back to mine. He leaned in and gave me a soft peck on the mouth. “See you later?” he asked.

I nodded, rolled up my window, and then backed out of the parking lot, and pulled into the Red parking lot fifteen minutes later. The roads weren’t getting better, and I wondered if the Red would be just as dead as Skin Deep.

Everyone’s vehicles except Jorie’s were parked side by side, leaving one space open between the employees’ cars and Hank’s. I ran into the side entrance and rubbed my hands together as I hurried to my stool at the east bar. Hank and Jorie were standing on the other side together, hugging and kissing more than usual.

“Cami!” Blia said, smiling.

Gruber and Kody were sitting together, and Raegan sat on the other side of me. Immediately I sensed that she was being quiet but didn’t dare ask when Kody was nearby.

“I thought you weren’t here, Jorie,” I said. “I didn’t see your car.”

“I rode with Hank,” she said with a mischievous smile. “Car-pooling is definitely a plus for shacking up.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Yeah?” I said, standing up, opening my arms wide. “She said yes? You moved in together?”

“Yeah!” they both said in unison. They both leaned over the bar and hugged me.

“Yay! Congratulations!” I said, squeezing them. My head was between both of theirs, and even though I considered the employees of the Red my work family, they felt more like the real thing than my own family did lately.

Everyone else hugged and offered their congratulations. They must have been waiting for me to get there before they announced it so they could tell all of us at the same time.

Hank pulled out several bottles of wine—the good stuff from his personal stash—and began to pour glasses. We were all celebrating. Everyone but Raegan. I sat next to her after a while, and nudged her arm.

“What’s up, Ray?” I asked quietly.

A small smile touched her lips. “Nice tat.”

“Thanks,” I said, turning to the side, showing my tiny nose ring. “Got this, too.”

“Wow. Your dad’s going to shit a wildcat.”

“Spill it,” I said.

She sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to ruin the party.”

I made a face. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s happening again,” she said, her shoulders sagging. “Brazil’s getting busy. He’s made it pretty clear that he’d rather be with his frat brothers and at football parties than with me. He had that Abby chick’s birthday party at his apartment last month and didn’t even invite me. I found out about it from Kendra Collins last night. I mean . . . really? We got into it bad today. He said almost all the things he said last time.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That’s shit, Ray.”

She nodded and looked down at her hands in her lap, and then, for less than a second, glanced over at Kody. She laughed once, without humor. “Daddy loves Brazil. All I hear about at the house is”—her eyebrows pulled together and her voice deepened to emulate her father—“Jason Brazil would be accepted into the Naval Academy in a heartbeat. Jason Brazil would be a contender for the SEAL program . . . blah, blah, blah. Daddy thinks Jason would make a good soldier.”

“I wouldn’t let that cloud your judgment. Sounds like sending him off to the Naval Academy is a good way to get rid of him.”

Raegan began to laugh, but then a tear fell down her cheek, and she leaned into my shoulder. I put my arm around her, and the celebration half a bar away instantly died down. Kody appeared on Raegan’s other side.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, genuine concern in his eyes.

“Nothing,” she said, wiping her eyes quickly.

Kody looked wounded. “You can tell me, you know. I still care if you’re hurting.”

“I can’t talk to you about it,” she said, her face crumpling.

Kody put his thumb under Raegan’s chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. “I just want you to be happy. That’s all I care about.”

Raegan looked up at his big green eyes, and then threw her arms around his chest. He pulled her against him, cupping the back of her hair with his huge hand. He kissed her temple, and just held her, not saying a word.

I stood up and joined everyone else while Kody and Raegan had their moment.

“Cheesus Crust, does this mean they’re back together?” Blia asked.

I shook my head. “No. But they’re friends again.”

“Kody’s such a good guy,” Jorie said. “She’ll figure it out eventually.”

My cell phone buzzed. It was Trenton.

“Hello?” I answered.

“The fucking Intrepid won’t start. I don’t guess you could pick me up from work?”

“You’re just now finishing up?” I asked, looking at my watch.

“Cal and I were talking.”

“Yeah . . . I have to run home to change for work tonight, though . . .” The line got quiet. “Trenton?”

“Yeah? I mean, yes. Sorry, I’m just fucking pissed. It has one of those two-point-seven-liter engines so I knew it was gonna . . . you have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

I smiled, even though he couldn’t see me. “No. But I’ll be there in fifteen.”

“Sweet. Thanks, baby. Take your time. The roads are getting worse.”

I looked down at the phone gripped in my fingers after I hung up. I loved the way he spoke to me. The little nicknames. The texts. His grin with that amazing dimple in his left cheek.

Jorie winked at me. “Must have been a guy on the phone.”

“Sorry, I have to go. I’ll see you all tonight.”

Everyone waved and said their good-byes to me, and I jogged out to the Smurf, nearly busting my ass when I tried to stop. The tall security lights were on, breaking up the darkness. Freezing rain stung where it touched my skin and made tiny tapping noises against the parked vehicles. No wonder Trenton said the roads were worse. I couldn’t remember when we’d had this much wintery precipitation so early in the season.

The Smurf resisted for a few moments before starting up, but within minutes of Trenton’s call, I was driving carefully back to Skin Deep. Trenton was waiting outside in his puffy blue coat, his arms crossed over his chest. He walked to my side and waited, watching me expectantly.

I cranked down the window halfway. “Get in!”

He shook his head. “C’mon, Cami. You know I’m weird about that.”

“Quit it,” I said.

“I have to drive,” he said, shivering.

“You don’t trust me by now?”

He shook his head again. “It doesn’t have anything to do with trust. I just . . . I can’t. It messes with my head.”

“All right, all right,” I said, sliding away from him, over the console, and into the passenger seat.

Trenton opened the door and hopped in, rubbing his hands together. “Shit on a stick, it’s cold! Let’s move to California!” As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them, staring at me with both shock and remorse in his eyes.

I wanted to tell him it was okay, but I was too busy handling the guilt and shame that washed over me in huge, suffocating waves. T.J. hadn’t contacted me in weeks, but besides a respectful amount of time to wait between relationships, this was particularly insulting—to T.J. and to Trenton.

I pulled two cigarettes from my pack and put them both in my mouth, lighting them simultaneously. Trenton pulled one out of my mouth and took a drag. When he pulled into my parking spot in front of my apartment, he turned to me. “I didn’t mean . . .”

“I know,” I said. “It’s really okay. Let’s just forget about it.”

Trenton nodded, clearly relieved that I wasn’t going to make a big deal of it. He didn’t want to acknowledge whatever I had left with T.J. any more than I did. Pretending to be oblivious was much more comfortable.

“Can I ask you for a favor, though?” Trenton nodded, waiting for my request. “Don’t say anything to your brothers about us just yet. I know Thomas, Taylor, and Tyler aren’t in town much, but I’m not really ready to have the talk with Travis the next time he comes in to the Red. He knows about T.J. It’s just . . .”

“No, I get it. As far as Travis will know, everything is still the same. But he’s going to know something’s up.”

I smiled. “If you tell him you’re working on me, he won’t be so surprised later.”

Trenton chuckled and nodded.

We both ran to the door of my apartment, and I shoved the key in the lock. When it clicked, I pushed through, and Trenton shut it behind him. I turned up the temperature on the thermostat, and then started to walk toward my bedroom, but there was a knock on the door. I froze, and turned slowly on my heels. Trenton watched me for some sign of who it might be. I shrugged.

Before either of us could make it to the door, the person on the other side pounded violently with the side of their fist. I winced, my shoulders shooting up to my ears. When it was quiet again, I looked out the peephole.

“Fuck!” I whispered, looking around. “It’s my dad.”

“Camille! You open this goddamn door!” he yelled. He slurred his words together. He’d been drinking.

I turned the knob, but before I could pull, Dad was pushing through, charging straight at me. I trotted backward, stopping when my back slammed into the doorjamb leading to the hallway.

“I am sick of your shit, Camille! You think I don’t know what you’re up to? You think I don’t see the disrespect?”

Trenton was immediately next to me, his arm between my dad and me, his hand on Dad’s chest. “Mr. Camlin, you need to step away. Right now.” His voice was calm, but firm.

Surprised to see someone else inside the apartment, Dad backed away for just a moment before leaning into Trenton’s face. “Who the hell do you think you are? This is personal business, so you can get the fuck out!” he said, jerking his head toward the door.

I shook my head, pleading with my eyes for Trenton not to leave me alone. My father had spanked me when I was a child, and backhanded me a time or two, but my mother had always been there to distract him, and even redirect his anger. This was the first time I’d seen him physically violent since middle school, because Mom finally stood up for herself and told him that the next time he drank would be the last time—and he knew she meant it.

Trenton frowned and lowered his chin, with the same look in his eyes he had right before he attacked an enemy. “I don’t want to fight you, sir, but if you don’t leave, right now, I’m going to make you leave.”

Dad lunged at Trenton, and they crashed into the end table next to the couch. The lamp crashed to the floor with them. My father’s fist was flying, but Trenton dodged it, and moved to restrain him.

“No! Stop it! Dad! Stop it!” I screamed. My hands covered my mouth as they fought.

Dad pushed away from Trenton and stood up, stomping toward me. Trenton scrambled to his feet and grabbed him, pulling him back, but Dad continued to reach for me. The look in my father’s eyes was monstrous, and for the first time I realized exactly what my mother had gone through. Being on the wrong end of that kind of rage was terrifying.

Trenton slung Dad to the ground and pointed down as he stood over him. “Stay! The fuck! Down!”

Dad was breathing hard, but he stumbled to his feet, obstinate. His body weaved when he spoke. “I’m going to fuckin’ kill you. And then I’m going to teach her what happens when she disrespects me.”

So quick I nearly missed it, Trenton reared back and sent his fist into my father’s nose. Blood exploded as Dad stumbled back, and then fell forward, hitting the ground so hard he bounced. It was quiet and very still for several seconds. Dad didn’t move, he just lay there, facedown.

“Oh, Jesus!” I said, rushing over to him. I was afraid he was dead, not because I’d miss him, but for the trouble Trenton would be in if he’d killed him. I tugged on my father’s shoulder until he rolled over. Blood was streaming from a gash across the bridge of his nose. His head fell to the side. He was unconscious.

“Oh, thank God. He’s alive,” I said. I covered my mouth again, and looked to Trenton. “I’m so sorry. I am so sorry.”

He sat back on his knees in a state of disbelief. “What the fuck just happened?”

I shook my head, and closed my eyes. When my brothers found out about this, it would be war.