“Are you sure?” I asked.
She thought quietly for a few seconds and then nodded her head rapidly. “Let’s do it.”
I pulled her hair back into a rubber band where I needed to make my initial cut. I looked at her in the mirror and raised my brows in question while holding the scissors up for her to see. Her answer was an emphatic nod so I made the first cut fast then held up the long ponytail of hair for her to see.
She squealed and covered her mouth in what appeared to be nerves and excitement. Of course, the hair left on her head looked all jagged and uneven – not at all what she envisioned. “It’s going to look great when I’m done,” I said confidently.
“I believe you,” she replied with a smile.
I guided Sally Ann back to the sinks and made sure she was comfortable before I tipped her head back into the groove made to support her neck. I set about washing her hair and smiled when happy purrs escaped her.
“I could hire you to wash my hair every day,” she said, as I massaged her scalp all over. “This is almost better than sex.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her comparison, although I imagined it was quite an exaggeration. Surely Adrian Goode’s bedroom skills were better than a scalp massage. His partners sure… I wouldn’t allow myself to complete that thought.Nope. Not going there.
Once I was done washing and conditioning Sally Ann’s hair, we moved back to my station. “This is when the magic happens, right?” she asked.
“Oh yeah,” I said brashly, parting her hair in segments. “You’ll feel like a new person when you leave.”
“I’m counting on it.”
I expected for her to mention Gabe at least once in conversation while I cut her hair, but she never did. She talked about meeting Adrian a few years ago and falling in love. She laughed as she told me how different her life became when she moved to a small town. She even talked about teaching school and how much she loved working with kids. Not one time did she bring up Gabe.
I turned her away from the mirror while I dried and styled her hair. I loved seeing the expressions on my clients’ faces when I spun the chair around and they saw their reflections for the first time. I adored how Sally Ann’s hair was turning out and it looked even better than the picture she showed me.
“Are you ready?” I asked her.
“Yes!” Her eyes grew as big as wagon wheels when she saw her reflection in the mirror. “Oh my!” She covered her mouth and blinked several times before she smoothed her hands over her sleek new style. “Oh, Josh, it’s perfect. It’s even better than I imagined.” She stood up quickly from her chair and turned to hug me. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” I patted her back. “You do look amazing.”
“Adrian is going to love it,” she said, but I wasn’t convinced. It seemed like most straight men loved long hair on women and I hoped he wouldn’t be gunning for me later that night.
“What matters is how much you love it,” I replied, and I meant it.
“Thank you so much.” She threw her arms around me once more. I couldn’t help but laugh at her exuberance. Sally Ann practically floated over to the register where Chaz waited to ring her up. She returned several minutes later while I was sweeping up the hair mess off the floor. “Here you go,” she said, handing me a very generous tip. “I didn’t know you offered massage services here too. I bought a gift certificate for my husband’s partner. His birthday is on Sunday and I think a good massage would be a great way for him to get rid of some tension.”
“Um, yeah. Massages are great for that.” So are mind-blowing orgasms, but I didn’t think Sally Ann wanted to hear that.
“I’ll see you in about a month to get my hair trimmed,” she said, sliding on her coat.
“I look forward to it.” I realized that I meant it. She was an easy person to be around who didn’t even attempt to pry into my life.
The rest of my workday went relatively fast for which I was grateful. I made sure to push every image of Gabe wearing nothing but a white sheet in my massage room out of my mind. I ignored the unsettled feelings I had when I pictured Josi’s hands all over Gabe’s body as she worked tension out of his muscles. I refused to even think about the implication of what that feeling in the pit of my stomach meant. Gabe meant nothing and was no one to me. His body was free to be touched by someone – anyone – other than me.
I had just made it upstairs to fix myself some dinner when my cellphone rang. I thought about ignoring it, but figured whoever it was would just call right back. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was my mom and I silently cursed Emma and her busybody ways.
“Hi, Mama,” I said in way of a greeting.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” Mom asked. “Tell Mama.”
“Nothing is wrong.” I tried to assure her, but I knew it was going to take more than a few words to make Bertie Roman believe me.
IARRIVED AT THEprecinct a little earlier than normal so that I was primed and ready for our interview with the mayor. Adrian was already at his desk when I arrived, whistling and looking livelier than normal.
“Morning.” I sat down and powered up my computer. “How’s Sally Ann feeling?”
“She’s doing great, partner. She’s feeling less nauseous as she approaches the twelve-week mark and starting to have more energy.” A sly smile slid across my partner’s face and then he said, “She met your guy yesterday afternoon when he cut her hair. He made her very, very happy and I reaped the benefits.” Adrian winked playfully and I just shook my head.
