“I’ve just checked, sir, and I have availability now if you like. One of the other girls can take my ten-thirty,” comes a voice from beside us. I can’t see her, but I can hear the amusement in her voice. It makes me want to slap his smug face.
Then like nothing happened between us, he releases me. “You can put it on Kasen’s account.” He huffs out a laugh, and I’m sure that part was for me.
I suck in the first full breath in like five minutes and look anywhere but at the girl who just joined us. That is until she squeals. “Oh my God. It can’t be.” Her hands are on my shoulders before I know what’s happening. “Little Dove Dawson. Man, the last time I saw you, you were just a kid. Now look at you.” She waves a hand over my body. “You’re all grown up and so beautiful.”
I smile awkwardly, recognizing her as well and hating Bodhi even more for the show he just put on. “Hey, Holly. Yeah, it’s been a while.”
“Too long. Your mum was my best customer when I got this place started. We were all devastated when we heard what happened.”
I smile because I don’t know what to say. I’m not ready for the questions that I know are about to come. “She loved you and her monthly visits,” I offer instead.
“Well, I’m not surprised. I’m so sorry, Dove, over the years I have wanted to get in touch with you so many times, but no one knew where you went.”
I stare at her blankly, tears so damn close to tumbling down my cheeks I’m not sure I can stop them. The emotion catches me off guard. I normally have this shit so well in check.
River’s hand glides down my back gently, and he moves me over to a black leather chair. When his eyes lock with mine in the mirror, Iknow he sees it. This is his way of saving me. “Why don’t you take a seat so Holly can get started? Dawn, can you get my girl a mimosa,” he calls to someone else behind us. The women in the salon all scurry around, following his instructions.
I take a seat on auto pilot as Holly comes to stand behind me. “I’m not sure I need anything done,” I tell her, glaring at the boys for trying to bully me into it. Is this part of their plan to butter me up? Buy her breakfast and take her to get her hair done, then she will do whatever we want?Not happening, is what my eyes tell them. Besides, it’s only been a couple of weeks since I touched up my color. Right before I took off.
Holly plays with my hair, watching me in the mirror. “Nonsense. If Kasen’s paying, get the works, girl. I would. It looks like you haven’t seen the inside of a salon in a while.”
I shrug. “Been a few years.” When you can’t afford food, you don’t get luxuries like a hair stylist, and honestly, I have never been high-maintenance like my mum, she thrived on the attention of being the best-looking woman in a room. I couldn’t care less if anyone even notices I exist.
She grins. “Then you need a deep treatment. You could also do with a trim.”
A tall champagne glass filled with orange liquid is placed in my hand, and I catch sight of Slater watching me, his lips turned up at the sides until he finds me glancing his way, then the scowl he likes to save just for me falls firmly back in place. “We only have a couple of hours, sunshine. K wants you at the office by midday.”
My eyes meet back with Holly’s. “Do whatever your longest treatment is.” I smirk at her in the mirror, and she gives me a nod, a cheeky smile on her face. I’m not sure why Kasen wants to see me at his office,but fuck that shit. Besides, this was Slater’s big idea in the first place, he can wait for me now.
I lie back and close my eyes, letting her work her magic. It’s been so long since anyone has done my hair. The last few years, since I started coloring the blonde to silver, I’ve been doing the cheap bottle option, and I haven’t bothered cutting it. That’s why it’s so out of control and long. But her massaging my scalp is heaven, and since Kasen is paying and he wants to continue acting like he’s the boss of me, I’m going to make the most of it.
With my hair washed, treated, and massaged, I’m sat back up as Holly towel dries my hair. I’m not sure where the other two boys are, if they are hanging around the salon watching me or if they have pissed off, because I can’t hear any signs of them, and right now, I don’t care. I just want to block it all out, everything River, Slater, and Kasen. Especially the way Slater just made me feel so owned, carrying on with his PDA show that no one needed.
“You sure you don’t want a cut? Even just a trim will make a big difference to these split ends,” she asks, inspecting the damage.
I stare at my reflection, wondering if I could go for a cut. It’s not something I have thought about. The image of Bodhi wrapping my hair around his fist comes back to me, sending a shiver right through me. Damn him. Those three keep playing with me. Maybe I should mess with them a little, make sure he can’t hold me like that again. It might have been hot, but it was also his way of trying to control me, I’m sure of it. My top teeth sink into my lip, and I glance over my shoulder to see if I can locate my babysitters. “Where did Bodhi and River go?” I ask her quietly.
She motions to the glass front window of the salon where River and Bodhi are leaning into a wall. Bohdi is on a call while River is watching him, the two of them distracted enough this might just work.
My face scrunches up as a thrill of excitement races through me. “You think you could do something drastic?”
Her grin widens. “Now you’re talking my language, girl. What do you want?”
I glance across the wall where she has a few posters of models hanging, the one in the center catching my eye. Her hair is just longer than shoulder length going to shorter at the back. Not something I have ever tried, but what the hell. “That.” I motion to it.
“Love it, girl.” She pulls out her snips and a comb and gets to work as a stupid grin crosses my face, already knowing the horrified reaction I’m going to get from the boys. Well, maybe not Slater, he doesn’t seem to give a shit. But the other two will, and I can’t wait.
“Can I ask you something?” I check with Holly when she’s about halfway through my cut.
“Anything?”
“This shop is fancy. I remember your old one, it was so cozy and warm. Was it your choice to have the upgrade or was it… forced on you?” I ask, trying not to sound as bitchy as I feel about it. She’s being so nice to me.
She glances out the window, clearly looking for the boys again. “This salon does very well for me, Dove. Throne Enterprises have helped so many businesses like mine to really expand.”
Cryptic, but I guess it’s what I expected. No one would be brave enough to badmouth them, especially when they are in earshot. “And you pay monthly for the opportunity.”
“That’s how business works, honey, nothing comes for free.” She spins my chair round as she’s doing it so I can no longer see myself.
