by Selena Kitt
“Yes!” Rachel cried.
He smiled, eyes half-closed. “In or out?”
“Yes!” Rachel panted, grinding her pussy down on him. “Oh god yes, more, all of it, everything, please!”
“Oh god.” Jake’s grip tightened and she felt his thighs flex under hers. “Rachel, baby. Oh…wait…”
“I can’t,” she breathed against his ear. “I’m going to come all over your cock.”
“Yes!” He forgot all about being quiet, shoving deep and hard and fast into her pussy, driving her up toward the ceiling of the limo with his hips, groaning loudly with every thrust. She knew he was coming, could feel the heated throb of his cock deep inside, and she was just seconds away from coming too.
“Oh please,” she begged, reaching down and rubbing her clit in fast, hard circles, sending herself flying over the edge into a blissful freefall, trembling and writhing in his arms as her orgasm rolled through her. Her pussy seized his cock with such force he howled and buried his face against her breasts in an effort to muffle the sound. She milked him with her climax until he shuddered and begged her to stop, stop, please, god, I can’t take it anymore…
Rachel came to earth slowly. The sound of their breath came to her first, still harsh and panting. Then the movement of the limo—they were on the road again, going fast, probably on the highway. Then the realization that they were naked—well, she was, mostly. He had just undone his jeans.
Rachel reached for her jersey, pulling it back on over her head and then adjusting her bra underneath. Jake zipped and straightened, and soon they were both dressed again, tucking and smoothing things over.
“So much for being quiet,” Jake teased as she picked up her purse—it had fallen to the floor in the middle of things.
Rachel felt her cheeks grow hot and she glanced toward the tinted glass. “You think he heard us?”
He chuckled. “I think they probably heard us down in Texas.”
The car slowed to a stop and she leaned over, looking out to see her apartment building towering above them.
“Looks like we’re here.” Rachel met his gaze for a moment but she was too overwhelmed to do it for long. “I had a great time, Jake. Thank you.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment and the silence stretched. She knew he was waiting for her to ask him up—and she should have, considering. But she couldn’t do it. Her apartment was her sanctuary, the place where she could let her hair down—quite literally—and she didn’t know if she could trust anyone there, even him.
When the limo driver knocked on the car door instead of just swinging the door wide, Rachel knew he must have heard them.
“Open up,” Jake called and she flushed at his words. The driver opened the door and waited. Jake grabbed her hand as she started to slide across the seat, stopping her. He slid close enough to kiss her softly and she melted at the touch of his lips, the draw of his tongue, but when his hand moved in her hair, she shrank away.
“Goodnight, Jake,” she murmured.
“Goodnight, Rapunzel,” he whispered. She gave him a little smile, hearing him say, “I’ll call you!”
She slipped past the driver and pushed the door open to her building and escaped, afraid to look back to see if Jake was following her with his eyes.
* * * *
“Rach, he’s on the phone again,” Josh hissed, holding his hand over the receiver.
It was a Tuesday—almost two weeks since she’d gone on a non-date with Jake and had non-sex with him in the limo—and Carly should have been answering the phone but Rachel had finally had to fire her after she’d double booked two more appointments and then failed to show up to work without calling last week.
Rachel sighed and shook her head. “Tell him I’m not here.”
“Like you’re ever not here.” He snorted, uncovering the receiver and putting on his phone voice. “I’m sorry, Mr. Malden, she’s unavailable.”
Rachel cringed and continued sweeping the floor. Joshie had just finished a cut, but it was a touch-up for one of the other stylists who had gone home early. It was now the two of them now and the place was pretty much dead, which wasn’t surprising for near closing on a Tuesday night. Well, Rapunzel’s might have been empty, but she had to find something to do to keep herself busy.
“I will…” Joshie nodded against the phone, rolling his eyes. It reminded Rachel of Emma and she wondered how the girl was doing, how her friend had fared with her cancer treatments. She could have asked Jake of course, if she’d taken any of the three hundred phone calls she’d received from him since that night in the limo, but she was too ashamed to answer. Thank god for voice mail and Joshie.
“You really need to talk to that man.” Joshie put down the phone and gave her a long, steady look. Rachel shrugged, using the dust pan to sweep up wisps of hair. “So you had sex on the first date—lots of people do, you know. It doesn’t have to be the end of everything. It can be a great beginning!”
“It’s not that.” Rachel hid her blush as she dumped the hair in the bin and hung the broom and dust pan. Okay, so it was that. She was embarrassed by how she’d acted, how much she’d let happen that night, but it wasn’t just that. Life was too complicated right now. She couldn’t afford a relationship, and she certainly couldn’t do crazy things like having sex with practical strangers.
“Pul-eeeeeeeze!” Joshie rolled his eyes so far back in his head he looked like he was going to pass out. “You are so transparent. I’m gonna nickname you ‘Casper,’ girl!”
She turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. “I am not.”
“You like him.” Joshie smiled, a slow, knowing sort of smile that made Rachel want to strangle him. “You like him so much it scares you.”
“I do not.” She turned and stalked to her station, straightening, putting scissors away, the blow dryer back in its place.
Joshie came over to stand beside her. He was short and stocky and his chin was the perfect height to rest on her shoulder as he looked into the mirror.
“Look at that.” He pointed to her reflection, meeting her eyes. “You’re a beautiful woman. He was attracted to you. Believe it.”
“Without this?” She tugged on her wig, feeling the adhesive underneath starting to give. It was a strong sort of glue, but as the day wore on, it became less and less effective.
He put his arms around her waist and gave her a strong squeeze. “He’s not going to like you any less because you’re sick.”
“How do you know?” She let herself relax a little against him.
“Because he’s a good guy,” he insisted. “And if he leaves when he finds out, well then hell, we both know he wasn’t worth it.”
Rachel sighed and moved out of Joshie’s arms, sitting down in the salon chair and giving herself a long, hard look. The wig was a good one—she’d paid a mint for it—and didn’t look too obvious. But she knew what was underneath it—the few golden-auburn wisps that were left. And what was underneath that—her insecurity, her self-pity, her fear of rejection, her self-doubt and how it had all made her question her own basic femininity.
Josh peeled up the edge of the wig, peering at her hairline. “How’s it going under there anyway?”
“Awful.” She made a face. “It’s almost all gone.”
“It’s a barbaric treatment…almost worse than the damned disease.” Joshie petted her wig. It was real human hair, a big luxury in wigs, especially one so long. Someone like Emma had donated her hair for a wig like this, Rachel thought, leaning her head back against Joshie as he smoothed the hair over her shoulders. “Sometimes I think they might as well just use leeches.”
“Don’t say that.” She reached back and squeezed his hand. “I’m hoping it works.”
“I hope so too.” His smile was bright—too bright, and she knew it was for her benefit, a sort of fake optimism. But she didn’t blame him. It was hard to be truly hopeful in the face of mortality, your own or anyone else’s. “How many more treatments?�
��
“I’m done for this round.” Rachel sounded relieved, and she was. “Now it’s just wait and see.”
“Want me to give you a scalp treatment?” Joshie brightened, for real this time. “Come on, no one’s here and our appointments are done for the night. It will do you some good. And you’ve got to be suffering under that thing.”
“I hate it.” Yet her wig was gorgeous, the envy of everyone who came into the salon. They all thought it was her real hair. Her deception was a good one.
“Then let’s get it off you.”
It took a lot for her to let him, but in the end, she trusted him enough to say yes. Joshie applied adhesive remover under the edges of her wig and sat her down like a client in a chair with a magazine and brought her a cappuccino to wait for it to start to work while he mixed some sort of concoction in a tray.
“What is that?” she asked, sipping her coffee, glad she splurged for the good stuff for her clients.
“Lots of stuff that’s good for your skin.” Joshie looked like a mad scientist with bottles lined up on the counter. “My last boyfriend shaved his head and I used to do this for him once a week. Made his head soft as a baby’s bottom.”
“You must have enjoyed that.”
Joshie grinned. “You have no idea.”
“You said we didn’t have any more appointments.” Rachel put down her coffee and stood as the bell to the front door rang.
“We don’t.” Joshie looked up. “Must be a walk-in…”
“Oh no.” Rachel recognized him immediately—that dark curly mane of hair and mischievous smile—but she put on a professional face, walking past a stunned and rooted-to-the-floor Joshie, already greeting them as she reached the lobby, “Hi Mr. Malden. Emma! Good to see you. Who’s your friend?”
There were three of them this time, Jake standing just behind the two young girls.
Emma introduced her friend, although Rachel would have guessed, just from the colorful scarf tied around her head. “This is Liv.”
“You can’t be here for a haircut,” Rachel remarked. She heard Joshie coming up behind her, recovered from his shock. “You just had one.”
“Actually, we are.” Emma reached over and grabbed Liv’s hand. “I want to get my head shaved.”
“Ummmm…” Rachel glanced at Jake, incredulous. He shrugged. Just looking at him made her knees feel weak and she chided herself, focusing her attention back on Emma. “Are you sure about that?”
“Liv wants to get her head shaved too,” Emma explained.
“We’re gonna go all Britney Spears together.” Liv spoke up for the first time, doing something so brave it took Rachel’s breath away. She pulled the scarf off her head to reveal the typical cancer-treatment hairdo with little tufts of fine blond hair sticking up on her scalp.
“Completely bald?” Rachel managed to ask, finding breath left somewhere in her lungs.
“Completely.” Emma’s face was resolute.
Rachel looked over at Jake. “How do you feel about that?”
“I’m fine with it.” Jake ruffled Emma’s hair. It was short, yes—but it wasn’t gone. That was something Rachel wasn’t sure Emma was prepared for. It was one thing to donate a length of your hair to charity. It was another thing altogether to shave your head completely bald.
Rachel took a different tact. “How did your mom react to you getting your hair cut for Locks of Love?”
“She went crackers.” Emma grinned. “I got grounded for a month.”
Rachel sighed and said gently, “I’m not sure this is such a good idea.”
“I can do it with a parent’s permission, right?” Emma’s jaw tightened as she nodded toward Jake. “Well this parent says I can do it.”
Rachel tried to let her down gently. “Cutting your hair was one thing, sweetie, but shaving your head…”
“I’ll do it,” Joshie chimed in. Rachel glared at him and he grinned. “Go ahead, fire me.”
“Joshie…”
He was already putting an arm around their shoulders, ushering them into the back. “Come on, girls, let’s get out the clippers and go wild.”
Rachel stared after them, sure she should stop him, but not saying anything. Instead, she turned to Jake and asked, “Are you sure about this?”
“I’m sure it’s what Emma wants, and she’s a little like her mother in that regard. If she wants it, she’s going to get it.” Jake shrugged and then looked at her with eyes so hungry the man might have been starving. “Besides, it gave me a good excuse to come see you.”
Rachel felt heat filling her face. The way he looked at her, everything was out in the open, so raw and naked.
“Listen, Jake…”
He moved closer, not close enough to touch but close enough she could feel his heat and hear his whispered words, “I really want to kiss you right now.”
“Don’t…” she breathed, glancing over her shoulder. The girls were back at Joshie’s station around the corner and couldn’t see them, but she could hear them giggling.
“Oh, I won’t…but I want to.” He grinned. “My sixteen-year-old daughter would just tell us to go get a room. Which I am very tempted to do.”
“Might be more comfortable than a limo.” Now she was really blushing. She could feel it.
“Oh I don’t know.” He moved closer enough she could feel him, long and lean and solid. “I didn’t have too many complaints.”
“Me either.” She felt herself giving in and tried to fight it.
His breath was sweet and smelled wintergreen. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
She tried again to distance herself, but only verbally. She didn’t step back. “It’s not you, Jake…”
His hands moved to her upper arms, squeezing gently. “Oh, you mean the reason you haven’t answered any of my phone calls?”
She nodded helplessly.
“Well it can’t be you,” he insisted, searching her eyes with his. “Because you, Ms. Rapunzel, are pure perfection.”
She knew he was going to kiss her and she didn’t stop him. His lips were warm and soft and just as sweet as she remembered.
She gasped when they parted, pleading for mercy. “Jake…”
“And if it’s not me…” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “And it’s not you…” Another kiss, this one at her jaw line. “Then what could it possibly be?” Fiery kisses rained down over her throat and she moaned softly, her lust for him already igniting in her core. Joshie had been right. This was the reason she hadn’t answered his phone calls, she admitted to herself, feeling his thigh sliding between hers, his hands moving at the small of her back. She couldn’t help herself. She wanted him.
“Hey Rachel, where’s our body paint?” Joshie called from around the corner.
They broke apart and Rachel straightened her skirt and checked her wig reflexively, realizing the adhesive remover was working. It was very loose.
“Our…what?” She gave Joshie a startled response as he came around the corner. Jake took a guilty step back but she could still feel his heat and it made her breath come too fast.
Joshie rifled through the drawers under the cash register. “They left some here last month, for the model shoot they did for Vogue remember?”
“It’s…” Rachel slipped in beside him, opening the bottom drawer, the catch-all, the salon’s version of a junk drawer. “Here it is.” It was a little kit, including brushes. She handed it over, frowning. “What are you going to do with body paint?”
Joshie grinned. “Come see.”
Jake and Rachel found the two girls sitting in chairs next to each other, both of them shaved completely, shockingly bald, as promised. The sight paralyzed Rachel with emotion—fear, sadness, pride. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she willed them not to fall.
“Oh Em…” Jake took a step toward his daughter and then stopped. He seemed paralyzed too.
Emma perked up when she saw her father. “Isn’t it awesome?”
“Totally awesome,” J
ake said finally, his voice a little hoarse.
“Time to unleash my inner artist.” Joshie opened the body art kit and was doing something with one of the brushes. “Are you girls ready?”
“He’s going to paint our heads for the party, Daddy,” Emma explained as Joshie’s brush began to move over the girl’s scalp. She had a lovely-shaped head, round and smooth.
“What a great idea.” Jake gave Joshie an approving smile.
“You two are going to be the belles of the ball.” Joshie returned the smile and then focused his efforts back on his work.
“There’s a class party tonight,” Liv chimed in, watching her friend get her scalp painted. “I was too scared, but Emma decided we were both going to shave our heads and make a big entrance.”
“I think that’s a great idea.” Rachel sat down in the chair beside Liv, blinking back her tears. She wanted to touch the girl’s smooth scalp and restrained herself. Liv was smiling, probably more happy than she’d been in a long time, and Rachel was glad she had a friend like Emma. Nina Malden’s determination had clearly been harnessed in her daughter for a good purpose. She’d never seen anyone do something so selfless, so courageous, so kind.
“You know what, Joshie?” Rachel reached up, feeling her wig slip as she touched it. The adhesive had worn completely off. She glanced over at Jake, feeling her stomach clench. She had tried to tell him, but maybe it would be easier this way. She could just show him instead. She slipped the wig off her head and let it fall into her lap, revealing her own chemo-hairdo. “Let’s paint the town red.”
The girls gaped. Rachel didn’t have the courage to look over at Jake to see his reaction. Liv seemed to know right away, making the connection faster than Emma did.
“What kind?” Liv asked, her eyes soft and wet.
“Same as yours,” Rachel replied softly. “Leukemia. We can be twins.”
“I’m so sorry.” Emma’s eyes filled with tears and then all three of them were crying—and then laughing, and then hugging in a big circle.
Joshie tsked and cooed and ushered them back into their seats so he could finish his work. He painted all three to perfection—purple paisley for Emma and blue bird’s wings for Liv and orange and black tiger stripes for Rachel. In the end, they all had so much fun Rachel hadn’t realized Jake slipped out until his daughter called for him.
