Mom shows up

You head over to the tattoo chairs and Amy begins getting things ready. The crowd goes quiet as everyone watches.

Amy looks at you and asks, "Who's first, Ryan?"

"Kelly, of course." You smile and reach for your number one, but she's already moving towards the chair. Unlike that bitch, Olivia, Kelly understands her place, and she knows her worth, too. Kelly gets to the chair and drops her shorts a few inches and bends over. Ah, that beautiful ass, you think. Later. There will be time to celebrate afterwards.

Amy snorts. "I take it the tramp wants a tramp stamp?"

Kelly practically purrs with satisfaction. "Oh, yes please. I can't wait. Let's go!"

The tattooing begins. The change in atmosphere must have been noticed all the way in the back office, because a moment later, Carissa steps out. Mom has arrived.

Amy's mom is all business. She doesn't even look at her equipment, instead asking Amy if payment has already been collected for any of the customers.

Amy pauses her work a moment and looks up at her mother. "Oh yes, mother. Payment has been made in-full for all of them."

Carissa looks genuinely shocked. "Amy, there must be twenty people in here. Are they all customers? You collected payments from twenty customers? Already?"

Amy smiles. "Yes mom, I collected everyone's payment. It's all cash. Everyone is paid up. Everyone is getting a tattoo - except for Ryan over there..." Amy points you out to her mom. "Ryan isn't getting a tattoo but he's the one who paid. For all of them."

"He paid for everyone???" Carissa looks back to you in clear shock.

"Yes, mom. Twenty-two customers, not counting me, since I'm an owner. Simple tattoos, just black lettering in each case. I charged $200 each. That's $4400. Ryan tipped and made it an even $5000. It's in the register."

Carissa's eyes go wide and she checks the register. A half-second later, her head snaps up like she was pinched. She stares at you and then the crowd and then back down at the cash. She closes the register drawer and walks over to her daughter.

She leans in towards Amy and asks quietly, "How? I mean... who does this - drops 5k on tattoos for 22 people? And how do 22 different people come together to get a tattoo for him... even if he is paying? What do the tattoos say?"

Amy pauses her work again and looks at her mother. "Ryan is a wonderful person mom. He really is. But I'm not sure I could ever really explain it to you without sounding crazy. As far as the payments - Ryan has a lot of money. You know that investment bank on 3rd St? The old one with the red brick walls?" Her mother nods. "Well, that's his bank. I don't mean he has an account there. I mean he OWNS it." Amy pauses to let that sink, then continues: "The tattoos... they say different things, depending on the person. Kelly here, her tattoo basically says she belongs to Ryan - like, she's his in every way. Whatever he wants. Whenever he wants."

Carissa's eyebrows shoot up and she glances at Kelly, who offered no correction to what Amy just said, and then to you, and then back to her daughter again. She stops a moment and seems to be trying to decide how to ask something. Amy just shows her mother the marker writing that's still on Kelly from earlier. It confirms she belongs to Ryan. When she sees it, Carissa nods once, understanding, if not fully accepting. Kelly, for her part, just looks back at Carissa and tells her, "It's simple: I'm Ryan's slut. His number one slut. And I couldn't be prouder. I want the world to know it."

Carissa shakes her head in disbelief but just as quickly signals she's over it. She's ready to tattoo whatever the masses want. She heads to her tattoo station and signals she's ready. Gloria is in the chair and ready before you can draw your next breath. Carissa just shakes her head again... and the work begins.