Who: Jane Rusten and Noa Bellamy Where: Rendition Tattoo Shop When: 10/8, around 3:30PM What: Jane arrives at Rendition for a followup interview with Noa, stays for the flirting, and leaves with a tattoo on her hip, a smile on her lips and questions on her mind.
There's no light in this room It's all right, we got you You shine like gold You walk by Cause a scene, all the girls They agree, you shine like gold And I wanna know, yeah I just gotta know Can you light me up when we're alone?
Rendition Tattoo had an effortless cool and class about it; it was a mirror to its owner that way. The shop seemed quiet and still, but not uncomfortably so. It was kinda nice, actually. It had been quite a few years since Jane had been in a tattoo parlor; she hadn't realized she’d missed it. Jane inhaled the familiar, almost medicinal scent of the shop greedily. She felt an itch she'd damn near forgotten. It was the pull of something new, the craving for spontaneity, the need to feel whole. Maybe it was time for some ink. Maybe it was time to give into something else entirely.
Noa knew she was coming, of course. Jane had called to hammer out the details of the meet since Nina had expressed interest in obtaining more information about Noa’s zombie encounter. It was the absolute thinnest of excuses to be here. Jane knew it, Noa knew it; hell, even the damn mayor knew it.
Jane trailed a hand over a sample portfolio and thumbed through the pages. Noa was an artist, that was for damn sure. Jane hadn't expected any less. Her gaze went to the framed sample designs on the wall, a pensive and eager expression crossing her face. Yes, it was time for something new.
“See something you like,” Noa asked, interrupting the silence in the front room. She’d entered about a minute ago, but had found herself caught up watching Jane flip through the books. When Noa had put them together she had made sure they weren’t pages of typical, boring flash pieces. She thought maybe she’d seen something on Jane’s face when she looked at the artwork on the walls. It was hard to put a name to it, but the look was familiar to Noa. She’d seen it hundreds of times.
At the sound of Noa’s now familiar, sultry cadence, Jane looked up from the portfolio and grinned.
“You know I do,” Jane replied, her eyes taking in the woman’s form. Noa’s artwork was impressive, certainly, but there was no mistaking Jane’s meaning. Noa looked like a million bucks; her natural beauty knocked Jane’s socks off now just as much now as when she first met her. Even if Jane had resolved to make this meeting strictly professional, which she sure as shit had not, there little chance in keeping things businesslike now. Jane couldn’t be less sorry.
Straightening from where she’d been comfortably leaned against the doorframe, Noa took a few more steps into the front waiting area, smiling slow with a hint of mischief. “I have an office in back that should be quiet enough for your follow up,” she said. She had given Sasha the afternoon off also since the shop had been quiet, and it would be easier to talk without the possibility of the teenager hovering around out of curiosity.
At least that’s the excuse she’d given herself.
“I know I made an appointment for a followup interview,” Jane replied, moving in front of one of the framed design examples on the wall and pointing at a particularly well done and instantly recognizable symbol. “But what would you say about letting me sit in your chair while we talk? I mean, if you’re down for it. It’s been years since I’ve gotten some ink and from what I’ve seen so far, I know I’d be in very good hands. Come on, you gotta know how it feels when you get that itch...can’t rest until it gets scratched.”
Who was she to say no? Truthfully, Noa didn’t mind the suggestion, and she definitely wouldn’t mind getting her hands on Jane skin. Even if it was only professionally. “Oh, I know,” she replied. “And I ain’t ever going to turn away a client, sweetheart.” She had already taken a couple steps backwards and beckoned Jane to follow her back to her station. The symbol had been one she’d drawn up because Sasha had encouraged her to add things like that into the repertoire, but she thought it would fit Jane well.
“Where are you thinking you want it?” Despite what felt like sparks crackling, Noa couldn’t ignore the niggling to keep some professionalism in place. The way she turned her head to look Jane up and down was most definitely not something she’d usually do though.
Jane respected Noa’s effort to maintain a modicum of professionalism; she appreciated an experienced tattooist with both business acumen and an artist’s sensibilities...even if her own mind was firmly in the gutter. What had started out as an itch was slowly transforming into a heady, anticipatory flutter in her chest. Jane was definitely a bit more nervous than she thought she would be. Even after their first two run-ins together had gone so damn well, Jane had still shown up today half expecting the Noa’s interest in her to have fizzled out. She had been ready to chalk up this gorgeous’s woman’s initial interest in her as some sort of fluke; just another uninterested or unavailable girl to add to the list even as she wished desperately that this wasn’t the case. But when Jane had looked up from the portfolio to find Noa standing there staring at her from the doorway, her warm, brown eyes playful and her generous mouth curved into a sly grin, Jane knew the chemistry was neither imaginary, nor one sided. Yeah, maybe the tattoo request was an underhanded tactic to feel Noa’s hands on her, to be the only recipient of her uninterrupted and up-close attention but it didn’t seem as if Noa minded. Besides, it wasn’t as if the ink was anything Jane wouldn’t have done anyway. Jane followed Noa back to her station, pondering the woman’s initial question.
“I’m not looking to have it anywhere that can be seen when I’m in uniform,” Jane said resolutely. She stated her wants clearly and without reservation. “It’s not against the rules or anything. Just, you know, frowned upon. The rest of my ink is pretty hidden. Both ankles, inside of my upper arm, above my wrist, down my spine, and the ole’ tramp stamp.” Jane thought about showing Noa her tattoos but, truth be told, she wasn’t all that proud of some of them. Not all of her body art meant something; some were just frivolous, spontaneous decisions and while she didn’t regret them, they weren’t anywhere near Noa’s artistic quality. She preferred to let Noa see her as a blank canvas she could feel free to have her way with.
“So, I’m thinking either the hip or the ass.” Jane quirked her head to the side, a roguish grin sliding into place as she studied Noa. “You know what? You pick. Artist’s choice.”
Pausing in her station preparation, Noa angled her head consideringly, letting her gaze wander down towards Jane’s hipbones and linger. “Mmm, I like easy clients,” she teased, tapping her finger against her chin like she was really considering placement. “And I’ll need you out of your pants either way…” She had lost some grip on her professionalism with the comment, but it had just been hovering there and she wouldn’t mind seeing the kind of reaction it might get. It didn’t disappoint; an uncharacteristic blush colored Jane’s cheeks but she didn’t shy away from Noa’s steadily wicked gaze. “But I prefer hipbones to ass cheeks, so if you don’t mind…” She could ink it low, so that Jane could conceal it with her waistband.
“You’re the boss,” Jane replied. It was easy to submit to Noa’s whim. There was no question in trusting her judgement; Jane knew she was in good hands.
Noa finished up with her tray and moved it closer to her bench, then nodded for Jane to hop on up and take a seat. Noa had the sketch for reference, but she thought she’d freehand the design rather than work off of a stencil. It gave them a little more time for questions also.
Jane climbed up into the seat, butterflies flitting through her stomach in full force. There was the familiar, anticipatory excitement of the tattoo but being so close to Noa blew all of that out of the damn water. Jane pulled up the soft, thin material of her worn t-shirt and flicked the button of her jeans open.
“So I’m really not one to question it when a beautiful woman tells me to take my pants off,” Jane said, inching the tight pants down her waist to reveal the strap of her simple black thong. She hooked her thumb into one of the belt loops of her denim and snaked it through the strap of her underwear, pulling both down far enough to reveal the soft angle of her hipbone, the lower part of her toned belly, the creamy expanse of her outer thigh, and yes, a good amount of ass cheek. She had half a mind to yank the pants off altogether and fulfill Noa’s not-so-subtle dare but Jane restrained herself. Not here. Not now. Or rather, not yet. “This cool?” Jane asked wryly. She arched a single, pale blond eyebrow. “More?”
Instead of a verbal answer Noa leaned forward from where she had settled on her chair and slipped her thumb in beside Jane’s to push the fabric a few inches lower. “There,” she said, holding Jane’s gaze for a long minute as she ran the pad of her thumb along the soft skin of the officers hipbone. To hell with a sterile interaction. But she drew her hand back shortly after so she could finish the last few prep things she needed to do. It felt like her heart was going to hammer out of chest even though she knew she looked collected; butterflies were butterflies though, and there was a whole slew of them in her gut as she waited for her heart rate to drop again. When Jane had suggested a tattoo Noa hadn’t actually thought it would be as difficult to focus as it was turning out to be.
“Think you can sit still while I freehand this, sweetheart?” she asked with an uptick to her mouth.
“Not fucking likely,” Jane said with a snort. There was no ignoring how close Noa was; Jane’s mind filled with images of the brutally sexy brunette closing the millimeters between them to press a line of kisses along her hipbone before descending lower…
Jane shook her head, clearing her mind of the fantasy. Christ, this was hard. Why couldn’t see think straight around this woman?
Swallowing her laugh, Noa gave Jane a half-hearted warning look before she pulled a pair of latex gloves from a box, slipped them on, then grabbed a antiseptic wipe for the area and swiped the cool cloth across Jane’s hip slowly. “If you squirm I’ll need to start over.”
“You’re too much of a professional to make me squirm on purpose, right?” Jane asked with a shaky exhale. Noa for her part kept her expression neutral and shrugged.
“I’ll do my damndest not to then,” Jane replied. She watched Noa’s head dip as she turned her attention to her canvas, staring at the top of her lovely head as she started the drawing process.
“How’d you get started doing this anyway?” Like the day at the doughnut shop, all of the “official” things Jane wanted to ask Noa flew right out the goddamn window. She didn’t want to know what she thought about zombies; or rather, Jane didn’t want to know only that. She wanted to know about her.
Finishing the freehand drawing, Noa started her machine. The sound of it always served to calm her nerves and focus her mind. Her mouth upturned at Jane’s question also. It had nothing to do with zombie events, but Noa was hardly going to point that out. She preferred talking about something else anyway.
“I was in Atlanta, working reception for a shop,” she began, “the owner knew I was an artist and thought I had talent, so he offered me an apprenticeship.” Noa worked quickly and efficiently to get the basic linework inked out, barely looking up from her work as she continued to talk. “I didn’t know what I was getting into, I was eighteen.” She cut herself short, about to add runaway to the statement, but it felt too vulnerable to say.
Switching out her black for red, Noa started filling in the symbol. The initial pain of the tattoo process quickly faded into the familiar and almost comforting itch and vibration Jane associated with new ink. She’d done this enough times that it didn’t distract her from Noa’s talking. “It was a good thing I loved it because I didn’t have any other options.”
“The only thing I was good at around that age was selling drugs to kids in my high school and giving my grandmother gray hairs,” Jane replied. She knew all too well about being a kid and feeling like you had no options. Even after all these years, Jane still had mixed feelings about her juvenile delinquent past. She was ashamed of the things she had done and the shit that had gone down because of her transgressions. On the other hand, she knew damn well that if she hadn’t been such a royal fuck up she wouldn’t be the great cop she was today. “If someone would have told sixteen year old me I would end up being a cop I would have laughed right in their face.”
She wasn’t sure how Noa would take the idea that she hadn’t always been on the right side of the law but Jane figured if she was opening up to share there was no reason why she shouldn’t.
As soon as Jane mentioned her teenage years some of the tension in Noa’s body ebbed away. She hadn’t known it had developed really, but she held her life so close to her chest that it was difficult for her to divulge details sometimes. Knowing Jane hadn’t been that far from how she’d been helped to ease her mind. “Me and you could have run in the same circles, honey,” she mused with a quick glance up. “But there was never a chance of me being a cop,” she added with a wink.
“I don’t suppose they really try to recruit high school drop out runaways anyway.” Her tone was light, but she wondered if Jane would notice the way she fit that all into one sentence. “I’ve always been happy where I ended up, though.”
Jane angled her head so she could better watch Noa work while her mind rifled through all the details the woman had shared with her. The dropout thing wasn’t a surprise; Noa had mentioned her GED class at the coffee shop. And while Jane may not have been a runaway per say, her teenage years had been one shit storm after another. Noa was right: they would have run in the same circles. Jane found a strange sort of intrigue and comfort in that.
“They recruited this dropout. After I got my GED, of course,” Jane replied mildly before inclining her head to Noa’s steady hand at her hip. “Seems to have worked out well enough for you, though. Clearly, your talents laid elsewhere.”
Noa’s movements were fluid and effortless, her technique refined. Jane found it fascinating that she could turn a simple design into something so bold, and yet, somehow incredibly elegant. She was every inch an artist; Jane wondered how much of the talent carried over to other mediums besides skin.
“How often do you get to do other art besides tattoos?” Jane asked, unable to quell her curiosity. “Is there a secret room in here where you get to do some Patrick Swayze pottery wheel stuff?”
Shifting from reds to blues, Noa cut her gaze back up at Jane with a laugh. “I ain’t much for pottery. Sorry to disappoint,” she admitted. “But I’ve got a studio set up at my place. Usually tend towards charcoals mostly, but I’ve been dabbling in acrylics.” Now that she had space and no fear of dust from the Greenbelt contaminating it.
“I can show you sometime, if you’d like,” she offered, her tone riding the line of flirting again, with an undertone that suggested maybe it wouldn’t be about an art studio tour entirely.
Jane averted her gaze for a moment as traitorous blush she had only just gotten rid of creeped back into her cheeks before tapering down her neck. She nodded minutely (as to not disturb Noa’s progress) and grinned.
“Hell yes,” she stated. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”
Noa smiled and nodded as she finished up the blues and switched out for yellow - the final color she needed to work into Jane’s tattoo. She was careful while she put on the finishing touches, since colors bled easily in smaller pieces and she wanted Jane’s to be perfect. But she filled in the last small star, swiped a cloth over it to catch the excess of ink, and took an appraising look at her finished work.
Jane watched (feeling more than a small bit of dismay) as Noa pulled back from her close up work on her prone body, turn to side, and shut off the machine. Jane was dumbfounded and more than a little disappointed at the increased physical distance between them.
“You’re done already? I hardly felt anything and it took, like, no time at all. I’d say you can’t be that good but we both know that ain't true.”
Thankful for her complexion that concealed most of the color she felt threatening her face, Noa occupied herself with putting her supplies away until she felt like she’d regained a modicum of control over her own face.
“I’m real sorry, sweetheart,” she told Jane apologetically, her mouth curved a fraction. “I’ll just put something on there to protect it and we’ll be done.” Moving back closer to the bench, she finished up the last few steps of protecting Jane’s tattoo until it healed, her fingers careful and light, if a little lingering. Jane couldn’t get over how clean and pretty the tattoo was; it was easily the most attractive ink she had on her body. It was almost enough to distract her from Noa’s touch. Almost.
Then Noa peeled the latex gloves off and tossed them in the trash beside her workstation, adding, “But we ain’t gotten through half as many questions as I suspect you need to, so it really ain’t like you need to leave.” She wanted Jane to stay, and now that she wasn’t occupied with work the butterflies had taken up their mad fluttering again. On impulse and because she wanted to, she moved in even closer (as closely as her chair would allow).
“You’re more than welcome to stay a few hours, if that’s what it takes, officer.”
The way Noa said ‘officer’ fanned the low burning flame in Jane’s belly. The initial sparks that had flown between them at their very first encounter had ignited into something far more fiery. Jane was suddenly very aware of how close the two of them were and yet, somehow, not nearly close enough. Jane turned in the large, swaybacked tattoo chair to face Noa. They were close enough that their knees touched; Jane could feel the warmth of Noa’s skin through her clothes.
“Fuck the questions,” Jane said with a sly grin as she leaned forward. “I don’t want to have to find some dumb ass excuse every time I want to see you. I just want to see you.” She reached out, brushed her thumb slowly across Noa’s jawline and tipped the woman’s chin upwards. “I didn’t come here to ask you questions. I came here to kiss you. And that’s what I’m going to do.”
Jane ate up the last sliver of distance between them and captured Noa’s mouth with her own. All the time Jane had fantasized about doing this, it didn’t come even close to comparing to the real deal. Noa’s lips were as soft as her fingertips had felt dancing across Jane’s skin and just as eager. Jane’s right hand wound its way into Noa’s silky hair and the left went to Noa’s slender waist. Jane gently tugged Noa out of her seated position across from her and, with the mute appeal of lingering caresses and deepening kisses, urged her to join her in the tattoo chair.
It took very little for Noa to settle with her knees on either side of Jane’s hips, the leather of the tattoo bench warm from where Jane had been. She pressed into every touch, eager like a teenager, and only a little embarrassed by that fact. But after so much dancing around each other it felt nice to let her fingers climb up under the hem of Jane’s top to explore the soft skin beneath. It was also surprisingly easy for her to ignore the little voice in the back of her mind that reminded her how unprofessional the entire situation was. She really didn’t care while Jane’s lips were on hers.
“Hours, you say?” Jane murmured against Noa’s mouth, a wicked cadence to her voice as she drew Noa to her.
Smiling a little wickedly herself, Noa responded, “Only if you’re free.” and let her hands roam up a little higher as more of the space between the two of them disappeared. “I wouldn’t want to take you from more important things.” However, she didn’t give Jane time to reply, instead kissing her again with as much want as she’d felt when Jane had kissed her first. It felt like it would be very easy to eat up hours with Jane.
Silently Noa encouraged Jane to shift again so that she was leaned back against the chair instead of seated at the edge. Jane for her part let Noa situate her however she pleased. She was only too happy to yield to her whims. The soft weight of her petite frame pressed against Jane; the long line of her thighs and the sharp angle her hips aligning against hers with torturous precision. Noa drew desire out of Jane just as easily and with as much purposeful, effortless skill as she marked her skin moments before. Jane didn’t care where they were or how long it had taken to get here; she finally had this beautiful creature all to herself and she was going to enjoy every single second she got to spend with her.
“I’m sure your time’s important,” Noa breathed against Jane’s lips when she came up for air again, hardly embarrassed by how rapid her breathing had become.
“I am exactly where I want to be,” Jane answered breathlessly before pressing her mouth to Noa’s again, deepening the kiss. Jane’s hands clung to Noa’s hips to steady the brunette’s position on top of her but with the swift graduation of intensity they began to roam. Her fingertips inched up underneath Noa’s shirt, skimming the smooth skin of her back and tracing feather light caresses up and down the indent of her spine. Jane was so mesmerized at the sensations that she barely heard the toll of the bell at the front door. Jane wasn’t sure how she could hear anything over the breathy, pleased noises falling from Noa’s lips and the deafening thump of her own hammering heart but, far far away, the sound of footfalls found her ears. Someone had entered the shop.
“Maybe if we ignore them, they’ll go away,” Jane whispered, nipping her way up the elegant line of Noa’s neck up to her ear. With each passing moment Jane’s touch became more possessive, more urgent, needing to feel more of Noa and all of her. She felt dizzy with desire.
“Ignore what?” Noa breathed, distracted by Jane’s mouth and the way she was still trying to wring out every delicious piece of friction she could from where their bodies met, thumbing at Jane’s peaked nipple through the fabric of her bra with one hand while she sunk the fingers of her other into Jane’s hair, scratching lightly at the base of her skull with her blunt nails. She had heard the bell, and the footsteps, but any client she’d been expecting knew to wait until she came out for them. “They can wait.” She turned her head enough to capture Jane’s mouth again in a kiss that was all desire, running her tongue along the seam of Jane’s lips, and deepening the kiss further when the other woman parted them for her. Her arousal was making her a little stupid, her body thrumming with need, as she rolled her hips in languid motion. An inelegant, helpless moan escaped Jane’s lips as opened her mouth to Noa, her own pelvis rocking to match Noa’s agonizing rhythm. Jane’s hands migrated down Noa’s silky back, pausing to run an appreciative caress over the delicious curve of her ass, before they settled at the button of Noa’s pants. Jane waited for Noa to stop her. She didn’t.
Instead Noa made a soft noise. Just a couple more moments, she could take that, Noa thought. Until a deep tenor called her name. A deep, familiar tenor. Lonnie. “Damnit,” she muttered, pulling back from Jane, a furrow in her brow. “If I don’t get out there he’ll come back here.” Jane pulled her hands back from Noa’s fly as Noa pressed a kiss to the corner of Jane’s mouth, a silent apology just before she slid off the blonde’s lap, letting her hands brush over skin as she went, then straightened out her top. Jane, dumbfounded and dazed with want, immediately felt bereft as Noa dismounted. Even though she was annoyed and disappointed by the interruption, Jane returned Noa’s conciliatory kiss with good humor.
“Yeah, I’m not really into turning this into a show for anybody,” Jane replied, offering Noa a reassuring grin and she fought to catch her breath.
Noa laughed, while she tried to will herself to a presentable state. All she really wanted to do was climb back on that bench with Jane. “Suspect he forgot his appointment’s tomorrow, shouldn’t take me long though, just need to run some black over a piece that faded out,” Noa explained, leaning in for one more quick kiss, catching Jane’s bottom lip between her teeth before she drew back. “Think you can handle fifteen minutes?”
“If I don’t spontaneously combust by then,” Jane replied wryly. She reached up and cupped Noa’s face with her hand, ran the pad of her thumb over Noa’s swollen lips, and then nodded. Giving Noa the perfect opportunity to nip at the pad of her thumb playfully. “It’s cool. Go.” Jane’s encouraging grin turned wicked. “You go work on him and then I’ll work on you.”
“I’ll be right back, I promise, sweetheart,” Noa reiterated seriously, blinking a few more times to clear her head.
She reached up and smoothed Noa’s mussed hair with an affectionate hand. The old adage “hate to see her go but love to watch her leave” was never more apparent to Jane as Noa left the room to deal with her super inconvenient client. Jane laid back in the chair and tried to regulate her breathing. Her hands went to her cheeks in an attempt to cool her creeping blush. After a moment, she reached down and zipped her pants back up. She’d never done them back up after the tattoo and she couldn’t help but think about Noa possibly unbuttoning them later on. A rush of warmth flooded her face again and Jane bit her lip; she couldn’t stop smiling. She felt like a dumb, giddy kid. Noa was cool and smart and funny and so very, very hot and, somehow, inexplicably, she thought Jane wasn’t too shabby either. 15 minutes couldn’t pass quick enough for Jane.
Resolved to pass the time as best she could, Jane climbed down from the tattoo chair. Her legs felt like jello; was this was weak in the knees actually felt like? Jane had always thought it was a crock of shit but she was embarrassed to find she honestly had trouble standing. Needing to relieve some of her nervous, pent up energy, Jane paced for a few minutes. It didn’t help. All she could think about was Noa’s lips on her mouth, her hot little hands leaving fiery trails on her skin, and the promise of what would happen when she returned. Jane had to get out of this room or she was going to go crazy. Maybe get a glass of water to relieve the creeping flush threatening to move to her chest as well as her face.
Jane moved quietly out of the room. She didn’t want to distract Noa from her work (lest she take even more time getting back to Jane) so she peered around the studio, wondering where she could snag a bottle of water. She heard Noa’s lilting chuckle come from one of the rooms and Jane found she was unable to contain herself from moving toward it. There was something about the idea of watching Noa work that almost seemed like foreplay. She had been so confident and skilled with Jane’s own tattoo that the blond couldn’t help but want to snag a peek at how she worked on someone else. Without drawing attention to herself, Jane moved to the doorway where Noa was working on her customer, unbeknownst to Noa, who was in the middle of a good-natured dressing down while she prepped Sasha’s work station to borrow.
“Sweetheart, do I need to write it down on your hand?” she asked the older biker rhetorically with a wink. “I had you penned in for the this time tomorrow. You’re interrupting my day.” Her thoughts went momentarily to the blonde waiting for her, but not for too long, lest Lonnie realize something was up. Who she messed around with was her own business, but Lonnie had been tight with Jonny, she didn’t know what he’d think about Noa taking up with a police officer, and she wasn’t prepared to try and patch a friendship up today.
“You need to remove that cut, too,” she said with a gesture of her hand. “I know it’s like peeling off skin, but I ain’t going to be able to touch up your shoulder if you don’t.” Lonnie, never one for many words just harrumphed and shrugged out of the leather, setting it patch side up on the extra chair. “You ain’t going to cry on me this time, are you?” she teased as Lonnie turned so she could get to the piece that needed retouching.
But not before he gave her what passed for a smile and responded, “You’re mixing me up with someone else, Bellamy.”
“Shed a few tears when I put that wolf on your ribs,” she corrected him, starting up her machine. “I know ‘cause you made me swear not to breath a word about it after.”
Jane watched the friendly interaction with mute horror and fascination. The longer she watched and listened, the more she seemed to shrink in on herself. Listening to their easy give and take felt like a punch in the gut and Jane pulled back from the archway and put her back to the wall, hidden from view. He had called her Bellamy...and she had called him sweetheart. Jane had known it was her last name but she hadn’t made the connection. Why had it taken her so long to put two and two together? She knew her Hellhound history. She had heard it and learned it during the APD’s interrogation of the club last year. Noa had to be fallen road captain’s widow. Of course she fucking was.
Jane jammed the heels of her hands into her temples. Noa was running with the Hellhounds. What an fucking amazing cosmic joke. Had Jane been so fascinated with this gorgeous, amazing girl she’d missed all the signs of her loyalty and affiliation? Were Jane’s instincts so impaired by the apparent affections of a cool, smart, interesting woman that she ignored the obvious? Had Noa been playing Jane this entire time? Noa had known Jane had been a cop since jump street; had this whole thing been an experiment to see just how long she could lead her along? Had Noa left their meetups to gossip with Coldiron and the rest of her biker buddies? Had they all had a huge fucking laugh at the dumb ass cop she had on the line? Had Noa ever really liked Jane at all?
“Stupid,” Jane chided viciously to herself under her breath. She lowered her hands from her temples and her fingers found their way to her swollen mouth. She could still feel Noa’s kisses there; she still felt Noa everywhere. Jane could hardly remember a time she felt more confused and strange and so very, very disappointed. Jane couldn’t keep track of the myriad of thoughts and feelings firing through her brain and body. Everything about her felt sluggish and muddled; she couldn’t think straight. She had to get out of here.
Jane peeled herself from the wall and without a word or a last glance at the happy interaction behind her, walked out of Rendition. She hurried through the parking lot, desperate for fresh air to try and clear her mind. As she approached her ride, she noticed the only other vehicle in the lot was another bike parked not too far away from her own. Jane narrowed her eyes and frowned. As she passed by the other motorcycle, Jane gave it a swift kick. It wobbled but didn’t topple over. She had hoped it would make her feel better. It only made her feel worse. Jane walked away from it and over to her own bike. She climbed on, slid the helmet over her head, slapped the visor down, and revved the engine. Would Noa hear her leave? Would she even care?
Jane didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to think about any of it. She only wanted to get out of here and lick her wounds. She should have known better than to think someone like Noa would ever want anything to do with her. She should have known better about a lot of things, but then, hindsight was always a heartless bitch.