Player of Life (Perception Book 4)
Page 8
“I would like to get a haircut please and I want her to do it” I advise, while pointing to Jenni in the back of the salon sweeping up a whole heap of hair from the floor.
“She is only an apprentice” advises the lady serving behind the counter at Aunt Dee’s Hairdressing Salon.
“That’s fine” I reply while I continue to watch Jenni working hard. After she bends down and sweeps up all of the hair, she blows her wispy fringe out of her face and wipes away the sweat from her forehead with her arm.
“Jen, you have a customer” screeches the lady, forcing my face to grimace when her nasally voice rips through my ear drums.
Jenni’s head turns excitedly and she starts to skip towards the counter until she spots me standing to the side. When she notices me, she crosses her arms across her chest and raises her eyebrows high into hair line. The lady at the counter head bounces between Jenni and I, watching the intense standoff, before Jenni eventually motions for me to sit in a black salon chair she is standing next to.
When I walk over towards her, I notice that she narrows her eyes.
“I just want a trim” I inform as she roughly grabs my shoulder and forces me to sit in the chair.
She spins the salon chair around before she places a black apron around the front of me. When she fastens it in place, she tightens the straps as tight as possible around my neck, partially cutting off my circulation. I am forced to pull the material away from my neckline just to be able to breath properly.
She grabs the water bottle off the hairdressing trolley and drenches my hair and face before she starts combing through my curly hair. When she combs it out straight and moves the scissors that close to my scalp that I can feel the coolness of the metal, I start to freak. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. I watch her in the mirror as she takes in several large inhales of breath, before she eventually moves the scissors away from my scalp. I release the breath I didn’t realise I was holding when she only trims the ends of my hair.
“You’re lucky I like your hair” she mumbles through gritted teeth.
I watch Jenni in the mirror for the next twenty minutes while she trims my hair, noticing that every time she snips the scissors, she chews her bottom lip. I would occasionally catch her gaze in the mirror, but the instant she notices me watching her, she would dart her eyes away.
“There you go, all done” She advises as she flicks off the black apron, sending fragments of my hair into the air.
“Unless you want me to shave you?” she offers while cocking one of her eyebrows into the air.
“Umm, no I’m good” I reply, swallowing harshly. The close call with the scissors was scary enough, let alone letting her near my throat with a razor.
I follow Jenni as she makes her way to the counter located at the front of the salon.
“That will be eighty dollars” she advises as she rings up the sale on the cash register. My surprised gaze stares at Jenni before flicking to the prices displayed next to the cash register, showing a male trim is only eighteen dollars.
“That’s regular prices, you got special treatment today” she informs sternly while holding out her hand requesting either cash or a credit card. I smirk at her as I hand over my credit card.
The lady that was serving at the counter when I first walked in continues to watch the exchange between Jenni and I with a hint of amusement on her face. I am surprised she hasn’t gone and got herself some popcorn yet, since she is enjoying her daily dose of daytime soap opera drama.
“Thank you so much, be sure to book another appointment in six to eight weeks, or never, whatever suits you better” Jenni instructs sarcastically as she hands me my credit card and receipt.
“What time is your break today?” I question into Jenni’s stern blue eyes.
“I don’t have a break” she replies quickly while narrowing her eyes even further.
I turn my gaze to the lady that is watching our exchange. “Can you see it?” I question her. When her eyebrows pull together tightly and her face morphs into confusion, I continue “The sparks, can you see the sparks?”
She tries to hide her smile, but the corner of her lips turn upwards before she starts nodding her head.
“See, even she can see it” I inform the shocked face of Jenni.
“Aunt Dee, you’re supposed to be on my side” Jenni states angrily while she slaps the smiling ladies arm, causing her to smile even more brightly.
“I’m sorry honey but there are so many sparks flying around here right now, I was starting to get worried I was going to combust” Her aunt informs giggling.
Chapter 11
Jenni
When I first saw Nick standing behind the counter at my Aunt Deanna’s Salon my heart skipped a little beat, before I remembered all of the stories I have heard about him the past three months. I always knew Nick was a player, but I had no clue how much of an egotistical, chauvinistic pig he was. He isn’t just a player; he is an asshole. I just wish my heart would realise that.
He is lucky that I love his long golden curls or I would have had no hesitation in cutting them off. I have heard that is what happens in foreign countries when a girl is found sleeping with a married man. The woman in the community get to cut off all of her hair to shame her. That way when you see a girl with her hair hacked to pieces, you would know that she is an adulteress. I guess it doesn’t work the same with guys though, as many of them often sport haircuts that look like they let their three-year-old brother attack them with a pair of scissors. Maybe we should start branding the cheaters with a big tattoo right across their forehead, warning all others to steer clear.
The whole time I was trimming Nick’s hair, I could feel his gaze on me and although in my head I know that he isn’t a nice guy, my heart continues to betray me. My body yearns for his and every time he is within my vicinity, I have to force my head to overrule my heart.
When I informed him that his haircut cost eighty dollars, his eyebrows scooted up high into his hairline, before his eyes flicked to the prices displayed next to the counter.
“That’s regular prices, you got special treatment today” I advised. He doesn’t realise just how close he came to losing his luscious locks.
When he smiles at me whilst handing over his credit card, my heart starts to fight against my head. Even with all the warnings to stay away from him, I still stay up half the night thinking about him.
“What time is your break today?” he questions as his dark blue eyes stare directly into mine.
“I don’t have a break” I lie. I was due to go on my break in around twenty minutes but there was no way I was going to tell him that. I notice in the corner of my eye that my Aunt Dee is watching the whole exchange between Nick and I with a small smile on her face.
Nick’s gaze suddenly flicks to my Aunt Dee and her pupils dilated once she gets captured by his captivating blue eyes.
“Can you see it?” he questions her cockily. She pulls her eyebrows together tightly and looks a little flushed from Nick’s intense gaze.
“The sparks, can you see the sparks?” he continues.
I hold my breath while I wait for my Aunt Dee’s reply. When she slightly smiles and nods her head, I angrily narrow my eyes at her. What a traitor! I have spent hours telling her every reason why I needed to stay away from Nick and now she is encouraging him!
“Aunt Dee, you’re supposed to be on my side” I angrily state while slapping her arm.
“I’m sorry honey but there are so many sparks flying around here right now, I was starting to get worried I was going to combust” she replies while giggling and fanning her cheeks with her hand.
When Nick looks over at me with a cocky expression on his face, I angrily huff and make my way back to clean up the pile of hair I was working on before he had arrived. I then decide to go into the back storeroom to remove the towels from the dryer to fold and restack onto the shelves. By the time I was due for my break, my heart rate had finally returned to normal.
I had been working at my Aunt’s salon for the past year as an apprentice. Hairdressing wasn’t really my thing, but it was the only place I was allowed to work that my dad would agree too. He didn’t want me to work at all as he believed it was more important for me to concentrate on my studies, but my mom thought it would be a good life lesson. To my surprise, I actually agree with my mom.
I threw my satchel strap over my shoulder as I exit the back door of the salon. When I lift my gaze, I notice Nick leaning against the wall in the alleyway. I quickly turn around and try to stop the salon door from closing, but I am too slow and the door slams shut, firmly securing the locks into place.
“Damn it” I whisper harshly. There is no way out of this alley now, unless I walk straight past Nick. My palms have already started to sweat and my heart rate has increased just from that one quick glance of him leaning against the wall. I narrow my gaze down to look at the concrete path and swiftly start making my way out of the alley. I nearly make it out onto the street, before a pair of black polished shoes interrupts my vision. I swallow harshly, before I slowly lift my eyes to look at Nick.
“Your Aunt Dee told me to wait here for you” he informs while smiling.
I quickly flick my eyes to the glass window of the salon and I see my Aunt Dee and Shirley standing near the front window, watching the exchange between Nick and I. When I angrily narrow my eyes at them, they both quickly flurry away, pretending that they were not just spying on me.
“Just give me an hour, if you don’t want to see me again after that I’ll leave you alone” Nick informs quietly. I turn my eyes back to look into his dark blue eyes, that are silently begging for me to accept his offer.
“One hour and then you have to leave me alone” I agree firmly.
Nick smiles brightly before he grasps my hand within his and starts walking us briskly out into the street. When my gaze turns back to the Salon, Aunt Dee and Shirley are once again standing at the window, both with their hands being held over their hearts. I roll my eyes at the two soppy romantics.
Nick ends up walking us to one of the many cafes that fill the main street of Erkinsvale. This time when the waitress takes our order, I order a full meal since I am ravished from not eating since breakfast. Nick’s face looks surprised when I order the overloaded burger with fries and a coke.
“I will have the same as her” he informs the waitress, while handing back our menus. Once the waitress walks away from our table my nervous fidgeting starts to become more apparent.
“Hungry today?” Nick questions as his eyes slowly roam over my face.
“Not really, I just figured since you were paying I may as well order the most expensive thing on the menu” I reply casually. I’m partially lying; I’m starving but I also did order the most expensive thing I could find on the menu.
When Nick laughs loudly, gaining the attention of several other patrons in the café, my cheeks become heated. Not just because everyone’s eyes are now staring at us, but because his loud chuckles vibrate right through me, shattering some of the walls I had built around my heart specifically for him.
“At this rate I’m going to be broke by the end of the day” he replies, once his chuckles simmer down.
Do you know what the most surprising thing was about the next hour? Nick and I sat in the café like regular friends do. We ate our food and talked back and forth and not once did he ever overstep any friendly boundaries. At first it felt a little odd, but as the conversation started to flow it reminded me of how Emily and I talk every time we see each other. He asked about school and what my plans where now that I had just graduated high school. He also told me how the band had been in contact with a music executive who was organising a meeting for them at their head office in a hope that they may offer them a record deal. I was very excited for both Nick and his band mates. Slater has become a very close friends the past few months and I know that this is what the band has been aiming for the past few years.
I had enjoyed spending the last hour with Nick that I was reluctant to go back to work. I hadn’t experienced this side of him before. He was always so cocky and his sexual hunger beams out of him. But today he seemed to be making more of an effort to get to know me, instead of just trying to get into my panties.
We walked back to the Salon hand in hand and once we reached the entrance, Nick stood in front of me and his eyes leisurely roamed over my face. He lifted his hand and gently rubbed my earlobe, causing me to moan softly. He then quickly lowered down his lips and gave me a gentle and soft kiss, forcing my heart rate to soar. Once he pulled away from our embrace, my eyes sluggishly opened to look into his dark blue eyes.
“My hour is up” he whispers tormentedly, before he spins on his heels and quickly bolts across the street to his black truck, leaving me standing on the footpath completely dumbfounded.
Only once his black truck is no longer in my vision do I slowly make my way back into the salon.
“Oh my goodness Jenni, when you said he was a player you failed to mention the fact that he is gorgeous” Aunt Dee squeals loudly, gaining the attention of all of her customers.
“That boy could play me like a fiddle anytime he likes” Shirley declares firmly, making my Aunt Dee’s cheeks give off a pink hue.
I walk past the two perverted middle aged women to place my satchel in my locker located into the storeroom. I then splash some cool water on my overheated cheeks. Just spending the last hour with Nick makes me realise there is no chance in hell my head is ever going to be able to overrule my heart.
Chapter 12
Nick
That was all it took. One fucking kiss. The instant my lips touched hers, I knew I was gone. I want her now more than ever, but I can’t have her. I don’t do hearts, flowers and romance. I don’t do relationships and I don’t fuck the same girl more than once.
Today was the first time I have ever had a proper conversation with a girl. Normally, I do small talk, a few good one liners to woo them out of their panties. But I don’t talk like I just did with Jenni. We actually talked. She told me things she was doing in her life and I found myself interested enough in what she was saying that I wanted to listen. I even told her about the band getting a meeting with some executives from Destiny’s record. She looked genuinely pleased for me. Even happy. She is different than other girls I’ve bedded before, maybe that is because I haven’t actually had sex with her yet.
I hadn’t meant to kiss her when I was leaving, but I just couldn’t help myself. I can’t deny the attraction between us. It’s not that I have feelings for her…well I don’t think I do? I don’t know what I am fucking thinking. I know what I do need though. I need someone to make me forget her. I need someone underneath me and I need it now. My gaze flicks to the clock displayed in my dash board. Two pm is probably a little early to be hitting the club scene. Most of the prime specimens don’t hit those type of places until after eleven. Don’t get me wrong, you can always find someone suitable at a club at any time of the day. But I have learnt over years that you normally only get the clingers during daylight hours. The ones that are a little more desperate. Oh fuck it, I am desperate, desperate to get a pretty blonde firecracker out of my fucking head.
When I pull into the Dungeon, I notice that the carpark is half full. I quickly stride in the large double black doors and make my way to the bar. Maybe a nip or two of whiskey will help lessen the need to hump the leg of the first girl I see.
“Oh no, someone doesn’t look happy” Tina says sarcastically, while placing a beer down in front of me.
“Can I get a whiskey?” I question abruptly while plopping down on the wooden barstool.
Tina’s eyebrows shoot up into her hairline, but she doesn’t give me any sass today. She grabs the bottle of whiskey and a shot glass and places them both down in front of me, before wa
lking over to serve other patrons.
By the time a few hours go by, I have completely lost count of the number of nips of whiskey I have had, when my cell phone starts unexpectedly ringing in my pocket. When I look down at the screen and notice Noah is calling it suddenly dawns on me that I’m now late for our gig at Mavericks.
“Fuck” I breathe harshly, stumbling off the barstool and fumbling with my jeans trying to pull out my car keys.
“You can’t drive anywhere” states Tina as she removes the keys I had just dug out of my pocket and places them down the front of her cleavage.
“You really think that is going to stop me?” I question whilst slurring. She cocks her eyebrow at me and gives me her ‘just try and see how far you get’ face.
“I can drive you wherever you need to go” offers a sweet voice to my right.
Turning my vision, I notice a sweet and innocent looking young lady with long light brown hair and hazel eyes. She has her curvy legs crossed and is fidgeting nervously with the hem of her floral dress.