Inked in the Steel City Series by Ranae Rose Page A

Instead he smiled as his blue eyes traveled over Jess and then met Mina’s gaze. “Hey guys,” Mina said quietly, feeling somehow defeated as she and Jess approached the table and Eric’s smile didn’t waver.
     
    The low hum of Jess’s chair’s motor quieted as she reached the table and stopped at its edge. “Eric, this is my sister Jess. Jess, this is Eric, the artist I told you about on the way here.”
     
    Eric’s smile widened a little as he extended a hand. “Nice to meet you, Jess. I hear you’re an artist too.”
     
    Jess’s eyes sparkled as she took his hand and nodded. “I like to draw, mostly.”
     
    “The tattoo you designed for your sister is amazing.”
     
    Jess beamed as a hint of color crept into her cheeks. “Thanks.”
     
    Mina unslung her purse from her shoulder and slid her jacket off, preparing to sit.
     
    “Here, give me your purse,” Karen said. “I’ll put it over here with mine so you’ll have more room over there.”
     
    Over there? Suspicion settled over Mina as she eyed the chair beside Karen. She’d deposited her purse directly onto the seat and was already taking Mina’s, putting it with her own. The fact that Karen suddenly thought that handbags required their own seats left only the chair beside Eric open. She settled into it, shooting Karen a suspicious glance.
     
    Oblivious, or perhaps only pretending to be, Karen grinned back innocently.
     
    A waitress appeared out of nowhere, chatted with Karen, looked twice at Eric and finally took their orders. By the time the food arrived they’d made a little small talk and listened to Karen rave about the day’s photos more than once. Mina wished she’d shut up. It would be just like her to ‘accidentally’ forget herself and give a detailed account of their on-camera kiss in front of the whole restaurant. “I’ll be back in a minute,” Mina said, pushing back her chair with a wistful glance at her barely-touched grilled shrimp and veggie kabobs. “Jess, do you want to come to the restroom with me?”
     
    Jess shook her head, rendered speechless by a mouthful of fries.
     
    Mina breathed a small sigh of relief and checked to make sure that Eric’s attention was on his sandwich before shooting Karen a meaningful glance.
     
    Karen downed one last bite of her salad before excusing herself and accompanying Mina.
     
    “What do you think you’re doing?” Mina asked when they were safely inside the restroom.
     
    “Accompanying my best friend to the restroom for an impromptu interrogation, apparently.” She narrowed her eyes at Mina. “Do you even have to go?”
     
    “No, but I need to talk to you without Jess and Eric around.”
     
    “About what?”
     
    “I need you to stop talking about the photo shoot.”
     
    Karen looked flabbergasted. “Why? It’s the reason we’re here celebrating.”
     
    “Because Jess doesn’t know the particulars about the photos and I don’t want her to know if and until I decide to tell her about them myself.”
     
    Karen finally sobered up. “Oh, Mina. It’s not that big of a deal. I mean, there were a couple photos where your silk slipped a little, but I deleted them before we left the studio, I swear.”
     
    Mina shook her head. “The poses were just really intimate. I don’t want Jess to get the wrong idea and think that I’m…you know…”
     
    Karen shrugged. “What? An awesome model?”
     
    “No. Promiscuous. I don’t want her to think I’m promiscuous.”
     
    Karen rolled her eyes. “Trust me, Mina. You’re the last person in danger of being accused of promiscuity.”
     
    Mina ignored Karen’s last remark. “Please just try not to mention the photos anymore tonight. There are lots of other things we can talk about.”
     
    “OK.” Karen smiled and turned for the door, presumably thinking of her waiting salad.
     
    “Wait.” Mina laid a hand on her arm. “One more thing.”
     
    Karen paused mid-stride. “What is it?”
     
    “Are you