My day started out normal, got up showered, dressed, and had my usual breakfast of tea and a piece of toast. Then it was off to the 'shop', walking down the sidewalk I admire the beautiful houses. Nothing like living the good life, I breath in the heavy New Orleans air and continue my stroll.
Summer was always my off season for 'real' business. I mean I like tourists an all but it's always the touching they have to touch everything. My business? oh, dear I forgot. I make custom branding irons and assorted other jewelry bits and pieces. I also do custom branding on request. I also sell voodoo materials and a few books that aren't often available elsewhere It really is a small shop, but I have a fair few regulars.
I walk past the barber and wave as I pass. Everyone is so friendly here, well I am glad it is a sunny day. I reach my dark little store and prepare for opening up. After unlocking the door and turning on the lights I start the early morning cleaning. Polishing is probably the highlight of this. At about eleven the little bells on the door tinkle and I look up from my counter, "Hi, Emalee, What brings you here this early?" I set down a ring that finishing.
"Oh, Sugar my ring broke," She looks at me with a sad puppy face look, "I should have listened to you and bought one of yours, but it was just so pretty..." She drifts off as she looks towards the door, there had already been a few people who had drifted in and out and I didn't take notice until Emalee stopped talking, something she never does mid-sentence.
I look up as she pulls my arm, there standing in my shop was a face I had never expected to see. With attentive green eyes, a man in his late thirties, scans the cases and shelves before making eye contact with Emalee and me. He's average height and has dyed black hair the above mentioned green eyes and a hawk nose. He's wearing a black tee with the sleeves cut off, black pants and boots
He turns his attention back to the shelves and walks further into my domain, "Emalee, that's that's..." it's my turn to become speechless as if saying his name would make him disappear.
We both watch as he eyes a cases of branding irons, "Mara, It's Trent Reznor," Emalee says in a low whisper.
I knew better than to stare, and busied myself with Emalee's ring, I duck down and open a case with the key around my wrist, every case opens to that one key, and look for a similar ring, I hear a squeak and nearly drop the tray of body rings as I look up. "Hello, can I help you?" I try not to stare as I set the tray down.
"Your sign says you do in store brandings?" he has a mellow almost nasal voice, and looks directly into my eyes, then to the counter, "It's a good book,"
"Oh, I forgot I had left that out," I grab the heavy book that lay on the counter; '120 days of Sodom' "Yes, I do in store brandings as well a few piercing as well," Emalee is hiding her face, trying not to giggle at my blushing face.
"How does that work?" he looks at Emalee who looks at me and nods before going to that back room.
"I usually use an electric iron and draw the pattern into the skin. But as you can see there are the individual banding irons, I can make almost any pattern for them, for those i usually use an alcohol burner or a torch. Any iron 'head' will fit any handle in the same case,"
"How about the Ankh?" The ankh was my most prized iron; pure silver mounted on a hand carved ebony, mahogany and ironwood handle. "I noticed that that one was already mounted, is it for sale?"
"In a rough value that one is about two hundred dollars," I knew that there was a price on it but few would notice it; five hundred dollars.
"Sign says five," I knew he had noticed it, "There's another head in that case is that just steel?"
"That would be the head that I would brand with the steel, then leave the other iron as is," I look into his eyes, feeling my heart pounding, "Did you want to see it?"
"I want to be branded with it," those seven words set my heart pounding, I was going to brand Trent Reznor.
Emalee returned from the back room, "Sugar, It's all set." she smiles and heads for the counter. She sits down in my spot and looks through the tray of rings I brought out.
I walk over to the case, it's set into the wall and is lined with black velvet as is most of the store, "I really didn't think anyone would even consider this one,"
"It is quite beautiful in an elegant sort of way," I reach for a chain around my neck a small key hangs from it, "Interesting place for a key," he smiles as I unlock it.
"I..um..." The iron is in another bock of glass and mahogany, Handing it to him I wait almost holding my breath.
"And you can brand with this?" he asks pointing to the head, "It won't melt or anything?"
"No, um..Did you want to do it now?!" I try to hide my excitement and arousal, a fantasy of mine is actually coming true.
"I'm not sure. Would it be all right if I could see where you brand?" He places the iron back into the box and holds it.
Emalee is smiling, she knows a little secret about my back room, "I..uh..Yes." I walk him to a small hallway and open the door to my studio. he walks in past me and looks around.
My studio room is draped in blacks and reds, the 'chair' is black and looks like it came from the Dentist from Hell. There is a cabinet along one wall that stores all my materials; alcohol, gloves, gauze. along the other wall is a couch made out of burgundy and black crushed velvet. And to my embarrassment he looks right towards the third wall. I bite my lip as he looks at the pictures I have tacked to it, under the words 'famous people I would love to brand.' Trent's picture is very prevalent among the others.
"So you want to brand me," he says this nonchalantly, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, "I think that this is an okay place, I'll come back say around six. Is that all right?"
"I..uh..sure," He nods and hands the iron back, "This iron right?" he nods again before walking out of the back room and out the store.
"Bye," Emalee says as Trent leaves, and I walk back to the main floor, "Well, what happened?"
"He's coming back, at six." I set the iron down, "Did you find the ring you wanted?"
"Sure did," she holds up a webbed silver ring, "Maybe you should make some new nip rings?"
"I have some already. I have to get my branding outfit out," I pull a box out from a drawer under the register. Inside is a leather skirt and black velvet and lace tee shirt.
"You planning something else here?" Emalee asks seeing the outfit, "Never mind it isn't any of my business, I do want to see those rings though,"
There is another box inside the one on the one on the counter, I open it to reveal two thick silver rings, "Bet you can't tell me what these are made of..."
