by Aspen Drake
“You do?” His dark green eyes have been boring holes into my face with his intense gaze for an hour. His cuts could be done in a few minutes but I like looking at him so I let them linger. But now we’re getting into dangerous territory and I need to send him on his way.
“I do.” I brush off his neck and spin him around. “So no Brazilian treatments without my approval!”
I smile and hand him the mirror. “What do you think?”
Greg’s smirk brings out the dimple in his right cheek. I can’t help staring at it. As it grows even bigger, he raises his hand and gestures with a finger for me to come closer. “C’mere. I’ll tell you a secret.”
I lean into him, letting his warm breath tickle my ear. “I do my own Brazilians at home. But I’d love your approval on it.”
Only then do I realize what I’ve said and how he took it. I snort out a laugh. “You’re so gross.” And hot. “I told you I don’t like to date clients.”
That’s bullshit. Truth is, Greg has mentioned on numerous occasions that he hates smokers because his dad died of lung cancer and his mom has emphysema.
I like to think I hide my chain smoking well by only smoking outside and brushing my teeth constantly but there’s only so much that Febreze and mouth wash can hide.
“That’s silly.” He glances over at Amy as she unfolds and refolds a drape. “But if you’re serious, I’ll just let the new girl cut my hair. I don’t care about that.”
“It’s not just that.” I’m too ashamed to admit the reason even though I know he must know I’m a smoker. Regardless, I come up with yet another lame excuse. “I just don’t think you can handle all of this.”
I laugh as I gesture to my whole body. I hope he takes it as a joke. When his eyes darken and his gaze becomes even more hungry, I know what he’s thinking. I’m thinking the same damn thing. I’d give anything to let him handle any part of me.
When he finally stands to leave, he pulls me into his chest for a hug. He’s never done that before. I’m a little surprised until he turns into my neck and inhales. Fuck! My hair is the one area that I know holds the smoke the most. If he didn’t know before, he definitely does now.
His whisper in my hear sends a chill down my spine. “Let me take you to dinner on Saturday. I promise it’ll be fun.”
I do what any rational woman would do. I nod my head and agree. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I wink even though my stomach is in knots. I’ve been wanting to quit for years so now’s as good a time as any. Four days is more than enough time. I hope.
Chapter Five
Nate
I shouldn’t be surprised by how gracefully she accepted my apology but I am. From what I’ve seen, Amy is a fighter and knows how to let shit roll off her back. I admire that about her. I wish I could be so forgiving. Audrina tried calling me three times since Saturday but I’m not going to waste another minute of my life on her. She can find someone else to impress with her purchased pedigree and pompous attitude.
At exactly four thirty, a woman walks in with a teenager. Paige brings them to Amy’s station with an apologetic look. The girl is about fourteen or fifteen and seems to be a bit of a late bloomer. She’s rail thin with no curves at all and her hair is a giant puff of matted waves and dull browns. I can’t help but feel sorry for whatever Amy has in store for her.
While working on a blessedly quiet woman that is more interested in her Facebook updates than chatting me up, I’m able to eavesdrop on the consultation behind me.
“What did you have in mind today?” Amy’s cheerful voice brings a small smile to my face. I don’t want to react to her but I can’t seem to stop it.
“Anything.” The mother’s plea is almost jarring. We don’t usually get such free rein with our clients. “She doesn’t know how to control this afro and she has a dance coming up in a few days. This could make or break high school for her.”
“I see.” Through the mirror, I can see Amy fingering the girl’s hair, watching how it moves naturally and where the growth lines are. “Do you have any preferences, Hailey?”
The girl shakes her head but doesn’t make a sound. Amy isn’t deterred.
“I think a keratin treatment would help add some weight and keep it from poofing out like this. Maybe we can start there and see what you think?”
I invent a reason to step to my cabinet so I’m at a better angle to see Hailey’s face. Her eyes are beaming and there’s a large, metal grin directed at Amy. “Okay.”
“Okay, then. Let’s do this!”
I shouldn’t be so aware of her words and movements but I can’t seem to detach myself from the beautiful brunette buzzing happily behind me. Her laughter is like a siren calling to me. When she moves in one direction, I move in the other so she’s always in my line of sight.
I’m almost disappointed when I see her packing up at the end of the day.
“Oh, Nate.” She’s digging through her purse and pulls out a checkbook. “How much do I owe you for the tow?”
I look up from the catalogue I’m thumbing through as an excuse to hang out in my chair after my last client has gone. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Amy’s head cocks to the side as she studies me. “What do you mean? I didn’t get a bill so you paid it, right?”
I shrug. I don’t want her money so I hope she’ll just accept the gift and drop the subject. Of course, she doesn’t.
“So how much was it?” She steps to my counter and has her pen poised to begin writing. “Should I make it out to you or the salon or what?”
“I have roadside service plan that covered it so there wasn’t a charge. It’s fine.” I wonder if she’ll buy it. It’s partially true. I did use my service to have it towed to the dealership. Then I asked my mechanic to come in and fix it overnight. But she doesn’t need to know all that. “How’s it running? Has it been giving you any more trouble?”
Her eyebrows furrow for a moment then she smiles broadly. “It’s great. It’s such a good little car. I don’t know why it stalled but it’s running perfectly now. I can’t remember when it’s ever driven so smooth. Have you ever had a Toyota? They’re great cars. I’d been thinking of replacing it but now that she’s cooperating again, I might keep her for a few more years.”
I have to roll my eyes but I can’t hold back the smile. “Well, I’m glad to hear that.” Actually, I’m kicking myself for having Roger fix it so well. Now she’ll probably want to keep that death trap forever. I should have told him to ‘accidently’ drop it off at the scrap yard so I could just get her a new car that wouldn’t leave her stranded on the side of deserted roads in the middle of the night.
What am I saying? Why would I buy her a car? She’s my employee. I can’t play favorites like that. It wouldn’t be fair to all the other stylists.
As much and I might try to tell myself it’s only because I want her to get to work on time and home safely every night, the looks everyone has been giving me tells me they know the truth. They’ve noticed my attention doesn’t wander far from Amy Collins.
I need to stop acting with my dick and start putting some distance between myself and this beautiful girl in front of me. She’s admitted to having a nice time with Mason. Of course, her less than enthusiastic comment made it clear she was being generous with the word. Either way, they seem to be making a go of it and I need to back off before I do something we’ll both regret.
“Are you sure there wasn’t a deductible or anything? I don’t want your kindness to end up coming out of your wallet.” She has closed her checkbook but is still holding it in front of me.
What? Women never turn down gifts, especially those that involve payments that would otherwise come out of their own accounts. My instinct is to be skeptical but then I recall what Roman said about her. She doesn’t spend extravagantly and saves her money. That’s respectable considering the pennies Ming paid her.
“Nothing. You can put that away.” I look toward her che
ckbook. “Are you on your way out?”
I glance out the window and notice it’s darker than usual for six thirty. We must have a storm rolling in. When Amy nods and wraps a scarf around her neck, I stand up. “I’ll walk you out.”
“Oh, okay.” I can tell that she’s uncomfortable by my presence but it’s not safe for women to be walking around by themselves at night. Even in a town with almost no violent crime, it’s still better to be safe than sorry.
The warm evenings of summer are gone and the crisp air sends a shiver down my spine as we leave through the front door. “Are you parked on the street?”
“Yeah.” She hefts her bag onto her shoulder. “Just across the road in front of the groomers.”
We walk side by side but the button down shirt she’s wearing is pulled apart at her breasts and the cold air has her nipples hard and on display. I try not to look but my eyes keep trailing down her neck to the top of her white cotton bra. I smile at the simplicity of it. I wonder if she’s wearing matching panties. She seems like more of a bikini girl than a thong girl.
I stick my hand in my pocket and adjust my hardening cock so it’s lying flat against my lower abs. I don’t want to freak her out if she notices the effect she has on my traitorous body. As we step off the curb to cross the street, a bike messenger appears out of nowhere, heading straight for Amy.
Instinctively, I reach for her arm and pull her out of the way of the reckless biker. It all happens so fast that Amy loses her balance and stumbles into me reaching out to steady herself by placing her hand right over my fully engorged cock.
Her hand curls around me and we both freeze. It takes her a full second to realize what she’s holding before she jumps back, almost into ongoing traffic. Again.
“I’m so sorry.” She pulls out of my grip and takes a step away. “I didn’t mean to grab your…you know.”
She’s beet red and looks like she’s planning to jump in front of a well-timed truck. I have to laugh. She startles again, probably because it’s a foreign sound. I don’t laugh very often at work. Or at all.
“It’s fine, Amy.” I pat the top of her back twice and clear my throat. “I know it was an accident. It’s my fault for tugging you. I just didn’t think you saw the bike.”
She peeks up at me from her downcast eyes. “It’s okay.” She gives me a shy smile. “I didn’t actually see him so…thanks.”
I walk Amy to the relative safety of her death mobile then watch her drive away. As I back track toward my car, I realize that she didn’t just grab my dick. She grabbed my hard dick. Would she put two and two together to make the connection between her presence beside me and my erection? Part of me hopes she doesn’t. But a bigger part of me hopes she does.
Chapter Six
Amy
“Stop laughing, Gabi,” I say for the fifth time. “This is serious.”
She hasn’t stopped laughing since I relayed my story about molesting my boss on the side of the road.
“But, I can just…” She doubles over again, snorting as she tries to calm herself. “Your face must have been…”
She jumps up from the couch and runs to the bathroom. “I’m gonna piss myself…” Famous last words. For a young woman that hasn’t had any kids yet, she has a shockingly weak bladder. I feel sorry for her when she does have kids. She’ll be in diapers along with her baby.
When she finally comes out, she’s more composed. “Okay, seriously, what’s the big deal?”
“It was hard!” I use my hand to imitate the grip I had on his erection. “Why would it be hard if we’re just walking down the street?”
“Don’t be stupid, Aims.” She bounces onto the couch next to me. “Obviously, he wants you. You should go for it. And ask if he’s into threesomes. I’d be game just to get a piece of that again.”
“Eww.” I throw a pillow at her. “He doesn’t want me. He has these rules about dating employees and there are much prettier women at Fierce than me. He wouldn’t break his own rule for me.”
“Is that so?” She has a smirk on her face that I want to wipe off with the back of my hand.
“Yes,” I say indignantly.
“Then why was he hard? You think he popped a Viagra last night and it was still going?”
“I don’t know.” I put my finger to my mouth then pull it away. I used to bite my cuticles when I was nervous but I’ve mostly kicked the habit. Mostly. “Is that possible?”
“No, you dweeb.” She tosses the pillow back into my lap. I grab it and curl around it. “He was hard for you. Rules or not, he wants you.”
“I don’t think so.” I shake my head. “I’ve seen the kind of women he dates and I’m nothing like them.”
Gabi smooths out her shirt then fluffs her boobs so they’re nice and perky. “Well, I’m not a model and he did me. He must have moments of slumming so if you come across one again. Go for it!”
“Right.” I get up to go take a shower. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
When I get into the bathroom and really look at myself for the first time today, I’m horrified to see that an extra button has come loose at the top of my shirt. My boobs are practically on display. Anyone standing next to me that was a good five or six inches taller than me would have a perfect view all the way down to my nipple. Thank god I’m wearing a newish bra and not one of the dingy grey things I keep around for when my laundry piles up.
As I step under the steam of the shower, my mind keeps going back to Nate’s erection and what it means. Of course, the most logical answer is it means nothing. He’s a guy and guys get hard when they see boobs. I’m sure even ugly boobs on ugly women still elicit some kind of physical response so the fact that he had a boner doesn’t mean anything.
I try to imagine Mason with a boner that I accidentally grabbed. Would he laugh it off or be shocked? Maybe disgusted that I’d be so vulgar as to grab him? No, he’s not that stiff. He owns a shop called Creamy’s Bakery with spoodge filled donuts in the shape of cocks. He’d probably laugh it off too.
So why is it that I can’t even imagine Mason’s dick and all I can think about is Nate’s? From what I felt, it was quite impressive. I can’t even imagine how it would feel bare…or wet and inside me.
Chills run down my spine as I think about Nate’s hands traveling across my skin, reaching for the breast he got a peek of during our walk. The same breast I accidentally shoved in his face a few days ago. I find myself kneading them and imagining Nate’s hands rubbing them together, rolling my nipples, teasing me with his tongue.
I groan and stop. This is a dangerous path to go down. I know Nate will never be interested in me the way I’m interested in him. He has a successful business to run and wouldn’t risk his reputation or livelihood by getting involved with an employee.
And since I know I won’t be able to get myself off without a vibrator, I don’t bother trying. I didn’t grab my ‘naughty girl box’ when I left Shane’s place and since I never want to step in there again, I’ll just have to be patient and wait until I have a real guy or can afford another Lelo.
~**~
It’s only been a few hours since my pathetic shower attempt and I realize I can’t wait. If it wasn’t so disgusting, I’d borrow a toy from Gabi. I know she has several. But, that’s gross so she and I plot to get my NGB back. Shane usually goes to the gym from six to eight in the morning so Gabi and I are parked outside the apartment, waiting for him to leave.
“You know exactly where it is?” Gabi is hunched down in the driver’s seat like she’s working a drug sting.
“Yes. It’s a big hatbox in the closet. Kinda hard to miss.”
I’m dressed in workout clothes and sneakers in case I have to jump from a second story building or parkour over a dumpster to scale a fence. Since I have a key, I don’t expect anything that dramatic but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“Is your phone charged? I don’t want to lose comms.” Gabi is totally serious as she turns on my phone to check the power.
>
“Comms?” I laugh. “Aye aye, Captain. Let’s synchronize our watches and if I’m not back by oh seven hundred hours, send in the droids.”
“Shut up!” She points and hunkers down even more. “There he is.”
Shane looks surprisingly good. I’m a little disappointed that he’s not in baggy sweats and a torn up shirt the way I usually saw him. Looks like he’s been shopping because he’s wearing a snug Under Armor shirt and basketball shorts. Good for him. I hope he and his ex are very happy.
As soon as he drives away, I run across the street and enter my old apartment. It looks the same as it did a week ago. There are a few pizza boxes and a sink full of dirty dishes, but for the most part, not much has changed.
I grab two trash bags from under the sink and run into the bedroom. All my clothes are where I left them so I have to wonder if Shane expects me to come back. Well, he can keep waiting.
After making sure my NGB is where it should be, I start filling the bags with clothes from the closet and dresser. I don’t have that much but when I add in shoes and everything from the bathroom, the two bags are totally full.
With the ends of both bags wrapped around my wrists, I grab my hatbox and run out of the apartment. The box is heavier than I remember but I don’t bother looking inside.
Once I shove both bags and the box in Gabi’s backseat, I slump in the front and heave a sigh of relief. “Let’s go.”
Gabi looks at my haul. “You sure you got everything?”
“Yes, smart ass.” I’m still breathing hard from carrying everything. “I needed my clothes too.”
She nods and we pull into traffic. “So, you got your trusted Lelo? That’s a pretty big box for such a little toy.”
“It better be in there.” I pull the box into my lap and lift the lid.
“What the fuck…” I’m stunned when I find that Shane has made some additions to the box. “Maybe he didn’t expect me to come back after all.”
With the tips of two fingers, I lift up a large brown strap-on dildo.
