Disclaimer
This is a work of pure fantasy; nothing is real, and all characters are adults. Comments are enabled, and all constructive comments are welcomed; even if you think my story sucks, tell me how it sucks so I can improve the story and as an author. I also want to thank Kenji Sato for his editing assistance on my horrible grammar.
Cruise Ship of Broken Dreams
Chapter 4
An Artist at Work
They arrived promptly the following morning at 9:00 AM sharp; Arthur pulled up in his Mercedes SUV. It looked out of place in the run-down neighborhood. The businesses were mostly pawn shops, tattoo parlors, and strip joints. Laura was dressed in a short skirt and an oversized shirt. Steve had advised her that loose-fitting clothing would be best since she shouldn't have tight jeans that put too much pressure on her new tattoo after it was completed.
They were one of the first customers for the day. He showed Laura the private back room where she would get her tattoo. But first, there was the matter of payment; Steve asked for payment in full up front; he had been screwed over before by clients who had refused to pay after services were rendered. For the tattoo she wanted, it was going to run $twenty-five hundred dollars. Arthur had only brought five hundred dollars cash, nowhere near enough to cover the cost. He tried to write Steve a check or give him a credit card.
"Cash only", Steve insisted. "I've been shafted too many times with stop payments on checks and chargebacks on credit cards."
"But I'll take the five hundred dollars and start the work, but if you're not back in a couple of hours with the balance, I will have to stop, leaving your wife with a half-finished tattoo."
Arthur assured Steve that he would go to the bank and return with the balance.
Next, Steve asked to see Laura's identification and handed her a tattoo consent form for her to sign. She signed it without bothering to read it. Next, he slipped in a liability release form, which she also signed without reading it. Steve smiled; she didn't realize she had signed a piercing consent form; it would make it all that much easier when the time came.
Next, he escorted her to the private room in the back. He told her that the tattoo she wanted was pretty big. Would she be interested in something a little smaller and less detailed?
"Sorry, I have my heart set on the one I showed you." Actually, she thought, her blackmailer did; she really had no choice.
"I'll have to get my assistant to measure your body to get the proportions right; my female assistant, Ruby, will assist you with the process," Steve said, reassuringly.
Laura, being naive about tattoos, didn't question this.
When Ruby entered the room and asked Laura to disrobe, "I need to take your body measurements."
She wasn't told the measurements were necessary because the tramp stamp was just a part of a much larger design that would be added later. It would run down her legs, across her body, and end in a tattoo sleeve on her arm.
She stripped down to her bra and panties. Ruby told her all of it. A little embarrassed, she got nude as she was told. Ruby measured the length of her arms and legs. She also measured the circumferences of her arms, legs, waist, and neck circumferences. When Ruby was finished, she told Laura to get on the tattoo chair.
It reminded her of a massage chair; her knees were supported, and she was told to lean forward against a cushion and place her face in a cradle at the top. She was more than surprised that Ruby opened the door and walked out of the room carrying Laura's clothing.
She is all ready for you, she heard Ruby say. Laura was shocked; she was still completely naked. Steve walked in, followed by Ruby.
"All set?" he asked Laura.
"Can I have my clothes back?" Laura asked,
"Nonsense, they will just get in the way," Steve answered. "Do you want the tattoo or not?"
"Yes," she answered meekly.
"Wonderful, then let's start, I have the measurements I need, and the tattoo will look great on your body," he said.
First, he placed the stencil he had prepared on her body; he already had her measurements from his client, who ordered the tattoo design. Ruby was double-checking them. He laid out his tools and began to work with his tattoo machine. Laura jerked as soon as he touched her. He expected this; he picked a sensitive part of her spine to get this reaction.
"You're going to have to be still if I am to do this," he told her.
"Sorry," she said, "I'll try to stay still."
He started again, picking the same place. She jerked her body again, just as he planned it.
"Do you want this tattoo or not?" he asked her.
"Yes, please, I can't help it," she answered.
"May I secure you so you can't move?" Steve asked.
"Yes, anything you need to do," Laura answered.
"So that you understand, I'll be strapping leather handcuffs to your wrists and pulling your arms forward so you can't move. Is that ok?" Steve asked her.
"Yes, do what you have to do." she answered.
"Ruby, you are my witness. Did you hear Laura say we can tie her up?"
"Yes, Steve, that's what I heard," Ruby answered.
"Wonderful, get the straps. This will save a lot of time when I can work uninterrupted." Steve said.
As promised, they attached leather cuffs around both of Laura's wrists and pulled them forward as far as they could, tying them in place to a hook on the wall. Next, they placed cuffs around her legs and secured them in place. They then shoved a ball gag into her mouth; she tried to protest at this. They then forced her neck down and secured it to the headrest. She couldn't move even if she wanted to.
Next, Laura could feel the needle in the tattoo machine tattooing her flesh. Sometimes, the pain was bearable; other times, she screamed as loud as she could, trying to get away from the intense pain she felt. On and on it went; it was a never-ending nightmare for her; she didn't know getting this tattoo would hurt so much.
