Single Dad’s Plaything: A Single Dad First Time Billionaire Romance

by Natasha Spencer

  Rinsing the hair was easy, especially with the chair. She used the hose to run through the hair. She ran the water through Grace’s hair until it was clear and ran without any bubbles. She then used a wide tooth flat comb to untangle the few knots that had been created.

  Kalyn applied the conditioner from mid length of the hair until the ends. She gently combed through and left the conditioner in for a few minutes. Kalyn gently combed the conditioner through and left it for a few minutes. Grace was completely relaxed and wasn’t talking at all which Kalyn took as a positive sign. She considered putting a shower cap onto Grace’s head to make sure the conditioner set thoroughly but decided to forgo it.

  After a few minutes, Kalyn rinsed out the hair with cold water. Using cold water closed the pores and cuticles making the hair shine. Kalyn didn’t brush the hair afterwards but instead pat dried the hair with a towel. She gently squeezed the excess moisture out of it and tried to let it air dry. She didn’t want to use a hair dryer on it as she wasn’t in too much of a hurry.

  Kalyn let Grace sit relaxed in the chair for a few minutes.

  Mel was finishing up herself and quietly took money from her client and then saw them out. She packed up her supplies and then waved goodbye to Kalyn.

  “I’ll close up and take care of everything,” Kalyn said.

  Mel nodded and walked out the door. Kalyn watched as her friend walked out of sight. She then turned her attention back onto Grace. The older woman looked relaxed. The pampering and deep treatment had mellowed her out and she didn’t seem so abrasive.

  “Thanks for taking the time out to do that,” Grace said with her eyes still closed. “I’ve been so anxious lately. My husband and I aren’t doing to well. I am considering having an affair. He just isn’t giving me what I want physically.”

  “Oh...,” Kalyn said. She gently patted Grace’s hair and slowly ran her fingers through it to check to see how well the conditioner had done its job.

  “We hardly ever have sex and when we do its just grunt, grunt, grunt, I’m done. I get more satisfaction from my Hitachi and porn,” Grace said.

  “Relationships can be hard to manage.”

  “Yes, they can be. I’m a little conflicted about everything. I’m not even sure that I should be talking about this with you. It’s not like you’re my therapist,” Grace said.

  Kalyn laughed out loud.

  “What are stylists for if not making you look and feel beautiful,” Kalyn said.

  “I like that line of thinking,” Grace replied. A warm smile spread across her face. A few wrinkles showed as her cheeks lifted creating a topographical map of her life. Kalyn could see the stress and the worry on the woman. She would never be in her position, or at least not any time soon. Grace and her were different. Grace was well off. Kalyn was living paycheck to paycheck. Grace lived in Walnut Creek, a beautiful, white and upper class neighborhood. Kalyn lived in the lower bottoms. The most western part of Oakland. Yes, there was a new coffee shop in the neighborhood that was all white and served avocado toast but it also had a bullet proof glass window in front of the cashier.

  Despite their differences seeing the lines that mapped Grace’s face made Kalyn feel closer to her. At some point, Kalyn would be older and would be like this woman. Hopefully not anytime soon but who Kalyn didn’t know which way her life would be taken.

  “So, your hair is looking much better. Much stronger now,” Kalyn said.

  “Thanks. And I’m feeling much better. I’m sorry I was such a bitch earlier,” Grace said. She got up from her chair and started walking to the register.

  “It’s okay. We all have our days, and we all have our moments.”

  “You’re a real dear. So, I do still want to redo my ends and go for the platinum.”

  “Absolutely. It will be fun. It will take most of a day and it looks like the next free time to do it is next week. Are you available on Thursday?”

  “Yeah. I can do that. Thanks again Kalyn. You’re the best,” Grace said. She had handed Kalyn her credit card and Kalyn had swiped it through their system. Grace took a pen from the counter and signed her slip leaving Kalyn a generous tip.

  “It was my pleasure. I’ll see you again soon,” Kalyn said. She opened the door and watched Grace walk down the street.

  The sun was dipping over the sky line. Kalyn was thinking of Kaboose as she began to do the paperwork. She brought the till and money back into the office to deposit into the safe when she saw Gary. She’d forgotten about him.

  He was sitting in front of the computer filling out a spreadsheet on Excel.

  “Oh hey,” Kalyn said.

  “Hey.”

  “Excuse me I’ll just deposit this into the safe,” Kalyn said. She scooted around Gary. The back room was small. It had just the computer and then the inventory. It was barely bigger than a closet. Kalyn could feel Gary in the room. His presence was large and she felt like she was almost touching him. He still smelled of sandalwood. She looked at his body and remembered the shape of his muscles. She could feel a heat between her legs begin to grow.

  “That was good today,” Gary said.

  “What,” Kalyn replied. He’d turned around in the chair and was facing her. He was still seated so his face was close to her breasts. She looked down at his thick lips. Gary bit them slightly and then let go.

  “With the last woman. I overheard from back here. You really went the extra mile with her and took care of her. That was really good. You’re very professional,” Gary said. He reached out his hand and touched her arm. She didn’t move away. She liked the sensation of his hand against her. She remembered what his tongue felt like between her legs and she started to feel a little weaker.

  “Thanks. But really it’s just a normal part of my job.”

  “Well I appreciate you doing it. The place is a bit of a mess in terms of paperwork and the business side of things. It makes everything easier when you and Mel take care of the front end. Deborah didn’t do a great job keeping things straight,” Gary said.

  “She was busy a lot.”

  “I don’t mean to slag her off or anything. Keeping a business going is hard work. I know.”

  “I thought Joy would be taking care of things,” Kalyn said. She looked down and Gary still had his hand on her arm. He pulled his hand away.

  “I’m not really sure what Joy is doing to be honest. She does her own thing.”

  “And you do yours?”

  “Things are complicated.”

  “Aren’t they always,” Kalyn replied. This time it was her who put her hands on him. She ran her fingers through his hair and then squeezed his shoulders.

  “That feels nice. About the other night…”

  Kalyn lifted her hand. She was still confused about how she should interact with Gary. She was attracted to him. There was no doubt about that. The wetness in her panties said it loud and clear but he was tied up with Joy and sleeping with the owner’s husband was probably not a great idea.

  “I think it was maybe a mistake,” Kalyn said.

  “It felt good.”

  “It was a mistake that felt good,” Kalyn said. She smiled lightly as Gary stood up. Since the room was so small they were almost touching.

  “Sometimes things that feel good can be wrong,” Gary said. There was a mischievous look in his eyes. “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt a fire like I felt with you. Things between Joy and I are a bit stale. We’ve been together for a long time and we are more like roommates now. I’m not even sure if she cares if I am there or not.”

  “I don’t think I can be your marriage counselor,” Kalyn said with a laugh. She didn’t want to be Gary’s handkerchief for him. She wasn’t going to hang around while he cried his eyes out about whatever.

  “I didn’t ask you to be,” Gary replied. He looked down and away from her.

  Kalyn could tell that Gary wanted to say something so she stood there for a moment. There was a palpable tension in the small room. It was a mix of s
exual and emotional tension but neither of them made the first move to cut through the atmosphere.

  “I think I’ll go home,” Kalyn said. “Kaboose is waiting for me to walk him. I’ve been thinking about bringing him into the salon. You think Joy will be okay with that?”

  Gary sullenly nodded his head. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Okay. I guess I’ll see you when I see you,” Kalyn said as she backed out the door. She walked backwards for a moment to see what he was looking at. Gary kept his eyes on Kalyn. Whatever he was going to say he wasn’t going to say it then. The cat still had his tongue.

  A flash of light passed through his eyes. “Can I call you, or text you,” Gary said.

  “Um…,” Kalyn replied. She still had his card at her house. She’d done nothing with it. She had wanted to call him but there wasn’t an opportunity or a good reason. Adultery wasn’t a good enough reason for Kalyn. “Sure. Why not,” Kalyn said. She didn’t know why she was holding back so much. They could still be friends, Kalyn thought. It wouldn’t hurt.

  “Cool. I’ll get your number now,” Gary said. He pulled out his phone and entered her number. A second later he sent her a video of a dog chasing his own tail with a Smith’s song playing in the background.

  Kalyn watched the video and laughed.

  “I like the Smiths,” she said.

  “Me too. We have so much in common,” he replied.

  “Yeah maybe we do, maybe we do.”

  “Okay I’ll see you later,” Gary said.

  “Have a nice night get home safe,” Kalyn replied. “You’ll lock up?”

  “Of course. I saw the closing instructions Deborah left. I should be good to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Bye Gary,” Kalyn said.

  “Goodbye Kalyn.”

  Kalyn walked out of the salon and down the street to her car. She felt lighter for some reason. She felt airy. She was still attracted to Gary, there was no doubt about that but maybe their one-time thing had just been that, a one-time thing. She wouldn’t worry about it too much, she said to herself.

  She got into her car and started the ignition. The radio came on and The Cure started singing “It’s Friday I’m in Love.” She smiled. She remembered the first time she’d heard the song. Her friend Samantha had played it for her. They’d been in middle school and Sam, who was a bit of a tomboy, told her that she’d discovered the best band of the 90’s, Sam didn’t know yet that The Cure had started their career off earlier than that. The two had sat in Samantha’s room and listened to the album for several hours. They’d laid down on Sam’s bean bag while the hit single had played. Kalyn remembered it distinctly because it was during the summer, and it was a Wednesday.

  “Today is Thursday,” Kalyn said aloud to herself. “I can’t fall in love today.”

  She pulled out of her spot and made her way home.

  Chapter 8

  Gary stared at the screen. The numbers began to run together. They all looked the same. He wasn’t getting anywhere with things. He’d done a fair amount to organize and help a better baseline for the Salon. Deborah had done a good job with some of the basics but she didn’t push things along far enough. He’d also done some emailing and had hired a social media consultant and an online marketer. They would both help drive reviews to the salon increasing bookings. Everything these days was about yelp.

  Gary had looked at the Yelp reviews of the salon. There weren’t many so he decided he would write one of his own. He knew that Kalyn wouldn’t have seen it yet. She didn’t say anything about it and she would. Gary wanted to show that he could be fun and had a sense of a humor and so he wrote the review;

  “It was my first time in the salon and I appreciated the open space, the easy parking and the cucumber flavored water. No bland ass tap water here. Screw that EBMUD bullshit.

  I sat down with the always charming Kalyn who gave me a great cut. How could I tell it was a good cut? Well I went to the mall after the cut. I was feeling good about my clipper over comb fade and my feeling was certified when this cute honey came up to me and swiped right! She literally looked at my face and put her index finger on my forehead and swiped right. Then she said, ‘Hey hot stuff I’d swipe right on your profile all day til my finger fell off!’ I fainted from excitement, which was a bit awkward but the girl was also a paramedic so she revived me.

  This was a welcoming feeling since I’ve been getting my hair did at Super Cuts. After I got my hair I’d be out and about and girls would literally scream at me, “Nah, Nope and Never!” Then they would swipe left on my face.

  I can’t wait to go back. Of course, not only for the fantastic haircuts and cucumber water but for the excellent service!”

  Gary had chuckled to himself after sending the review through. It was a good first review. The salon needed more than one good Yelp review though, Gary knew that. Writing the review had made him feel good. He felt positive about things and was feeling better about things between Kalyn and him. He still wanted her but he also had her phone number. She was in reach. She’d texted him an hour or so later and told him that she was watching the video over and over. He’d taken his phone and spun in a circle like a lovesick teenager. He laughed. It was goofy but who cared. He was feeling things that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  He wasn’t sure if he should press things more and decided that he would leave things as they were for now and he went home.

  The drive back across the water to his San Francisco apartment was short. When he and Joy had initially started off in the bay they’d had an apartment in the Tenderloin. It had been hard and every day they’d have to duck, bob and weave between crack heads and used needles. Most nights Gary had gone to Joy’s restaurant to pick her up. The two would walk back to their small one bedroom apartment together. Sometimes they would pick up cheap Chinese or something else to lubricate their tongues and they would talk for forever.

  Their new place was up by the Embarcadero. Joy had picked it. It looked out over the water but was close to Broadway and Kearny. She’d talked about how much she loved to go to Citylights bookstore but the two hadn’t stepped into the store since moving into their new apartment.

  Gary had bought it after Joy said she was bored. That had been the pattern of late. Joy would get an idea and then Gary would pay for it. She was a bit like a cat and would play with the new toy, the boat, the apartment, the car for a while and then would become bored. Boredom seemed her ruling passion.

  When he pulled up and entered the large apartment he found her drinking champagne in the living room. She was by yourself and slightly drunk.

  “Hey lover boy,” Joy said.

  “Hey honey,” Gary replied. He noticed that she was swaying back and forth. He swept her up in his arms. She still held onto the bottle.

  “I’m drunk,” she slurred.

  “I can see.”

  “Rough night,” he asked. He scooped her up into his arms and started to walk her to the bedroom. She normally would have wanted to do her nightly ritual. A facial mask, a shower with conditioner, a change of clothes, brushing her teeth for fifteen minutes and flossing, but she would be doing none of that.

  “It was the worst of the worst,” she said.

  “Why is that,” Gary said. She was light and Gary felt strong carrying her.

  “I just couldn’t decide,” Joy said. She pulled on the bottle of wine and then let herself drape over Gary’s arms again.

  “Couldn’t decide what?”

  “Should I stay or should I go.”

  “Are you quoting the Clash?”

  “Yes. No. I don’t know. I’m drunk. Our days. What happened to them Gary? What happened to our days?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gary replied. He let her down softly on the bed. He took off her shirt and jeans and tucked her into bed.

  “Gary,” Joy said.

  “Yes?”

  “Leave the champagne. I might need a drink in the night,” Joy
said.

  Gary laughed. “Okay no problem. I’ll also get you a glass of water.”

  He went back into the kitchen and poured a glass of water out. He put it next to the bottle of champagne. It was a bottle of Blanc De Blancs and was considered the essence of Salon. It was the only champagne produced by the label and came from a blend of Chardonnay grapes in the Cote des Blancs region of France. Gary had had it before. It was a powerful and lively wine with flavors of honeyed orange and sugary citrus. The champagne was rich and restrained unlike Joy.

  He didn’t know why Joy was so drunk. It seemed unusual for her to cut so loose. She was always watching her weight and her diet. She always had a goal weight she was trying to maintain or was trying to make her ass bigger, her stomach tighter. The maintenance of her body was about the only thing she cared about.

  The kitchen was large and empty. Joy had had it designed to have a minimalist appeal. It made Gary feel small in the empty room. He opened the fridge and considered it. It was full of leafy greens, shakes, and organic fair trade food. Again, it was Joy that did the shopping. She ordered food online and had it delivered.

  He pulled a beer out of the fridge and opened it. The bottle hissed open and he took a pull. The hoppy IPA had a bitter taste to it. The beer wasn’t enough he wanted something more, something stronger. He kept nice whiskey in the pantry and pulled out a bottle. The whiskey was from one of 110 bottles all of which were sold before the whiskey was on the market. The whiskey was rich and sweet and had the usual Speyside influence. It had been made in the Glenfarcias distillery in Scotland and the owner, George Grant, handpicked a barrel that was bottled for 50 years to owner the founder, John Grant.

  Mixing the whiskey with a bottle of beer diluted the flavor but Gary didn’t care. He wasn’t concerned with his palette, he was concerned with getting drunk. There was a heavy flavor of sherry on his lips as he took a sip of the whiskey. He then took a sip of his IPA. The hops lit up his tongue. Every beer in California was overly hopped.