INKED 8: A Tattoo Shop Reverse Harem

"TEN MEN?"

Carl seems completely shocked at the idea, but I'm not. Maybe it's because I've always done everything with my brothers that I can see how easy it could be to live together and share one woman. At least we'd all be focused in the same direction. I can't imagine all eight of us at Ink Factor finding women who'd all get along and want to hand out together. It's hard enough to find a woman to love, let alone needing to find one who'd manage to love your seven buddies and their seven lovers.

"Ten, and they make it work."

"What are you getting at, Nash? You haven't even had your date with this girl. You have no idea what it's going to be like."

"But I've hung out with her at work. I've seen how well she's dealt with this odd situation. Nothing seems to faze her. Nothing gets under her skin."

"You think you could love her and watch her be with the rest of us and not be bothered."

"I think that I love you guys, and if I loved her too, then nothing would be too difficult to make it work."

"Have you told your brothers you feel like this?"

Shaking my head, it's my turn to slump back against the soft padding of the booth seat behind me. I can talk to Carl. I can explain myself, and I know he'll listen to me without judgment. I know he won't ridicule me, no matter how crazy I sound. My brothers are a whole other ballgame.

"They'd give you shit," he says. "Especially Noah."

"He always thinks I'm too much of a planner. That I never focus on enjoying the moment. He's always telling me I need to stop thinking so much about the future and enjoy the present."

"In some ways, he's right. But we're not teenagers anymore. I'm all for finding hot girls to spend time with, but I also want a family at some point."

"Exactly. I don't know. When I look at the women we've dated recently, none of them have been ideal for building a future with."

"And you think Kyla is?"

I haven't even admitted this to myself yet, but I tell Carl without hesitation. "Yes. I think she is."

"How does the poly thing work, though? I mean, with eight of us, we'd only get to spend three nights a month with her."

"Or every night," I say.

"I know your kink is group sex, but what makes you think that Kyla would go for that?"

"Well, when she finally picks out my date, we're going to find out."

"You put that on your slip of paper?"

I nod, and the grin that pulls up the corner of my mouth is wide and open. I hadn't thought about it at the time, but it really will be a great test to see if Kyla could be with us all. If she'd pulled out my date first, it wouldn't have worked so well, but if I go last, it might be the best way for us to move things on from just a game to something more committed.

"Yeah. I did. And I think I've got an idea."

"Why am I suddenly worried?" Carl asks.

"Because you know my ideas are always genius." I smile, and as I tell him what I've got in mind, I see some of the tension leave his body.

You see, my idea takes away at least one decision that's been weighing Carl down.

And if he agrees, it could turn this game on its head.

23

KYLA

There are only three pieces of paper left in the bowl for me to pick out. Three more dates, and then this unbelievably awesome but confusing part of my life will be over.

I don’t pick another date for a few days. After the intensity of my night with Kole, and the warm feeling that enveloped my heart after we parted, I thought it would be best if I allowed a little time for me to shake it off.

I’ve been telling myself that I’m not feeling anything. The strange sensation of attachment to the men at Ink Factor is just nature using hormones to link people who might have procreated. We might be living in different times, but our brains were forged hundreds of thousands of years ago, and we still carry around all the biology that helped our ancestors survive for long enough to create successive generations of humans.

I have to look at all of this in an unemotional way.

I’m on a journey of transformation, and letting my heart get fish-hooked by sexy tattooed men who are only interested in rocking my world for one night is certainly not the sensible thing to do.

The sensible thing is to enjoy every moment in the cool and calculated way that men manage every day. Set aside my heart and let my body take over. Rationalize so that my mind doesn’t start trying to convince me of things like how perfect each of the men I’ve had a date with so far is, or how maybe Luna could be right. Maybe I want them all.