“Girl, you are wasted! Slur your words anymore, could you? Oh, honey, I hope you don’t have to work tomorrow.”
I placed a hand to my forehead and felt the warmth radiate onto my palm. Ah yes, the drunkenness was there. Perfect. Henry probably couldn’t understand a word I’d been saying for the past hour. “Damn nit. No, no work! None. Hannah?” I asked again, grimacing as I heard my words come out that time.
Carmen took her phone out of her clutch, showing me a text message. “She’s fine. Just smitten with this Peter boy. Go upstairs if you want; see for yourself.”
I walked unsteadily towards the staircase, pulling down my dress as I went. Lila intercepted me halfway across the room. “I knew my matchmaking skills would work on Hannah, but I did not see you and deer boy hooking up! What’s the details, girl?”
“Not now, Lils. Need check Hannah. Really drunk.” The room swayed, and I almost toppled over in my platforms. Lila caught me by the arm, keeping me upright.
“Maybe it’s time for us to get going. Emma’s upstairs on the couch passed out.”
My body sagged in relief, happy I wasn’t the first to succumb. “Me tired, Lils. Sleep.”
“I know. Come on, up we go. Where’s the hottie man of yours? I like him.”
“No! I like him. Me like,” I slurred, feeling the effects of all the beer, jello shots, and the tequila shot I shared with Carmen. We trudged up the stairs together, our platforms sounding like hooves, until we entered the kitchen. “My Hannah!” I squealed, running over to my friend and wrapping her in a hug. She was sitting at the kitchen table with Peter, a bulky sweatshirt covering her Posh costume and looking enviously sober.
“Oh, what do we have here? Little drunk, missy?” Hannah laughed, returning my hug.
I crawled into her lap like a little girl, resting my head on her shoulder. “Emma loser! I not pass out. I was so worried about you, Han. Don’t worry,” I tried dropping my voice to a whisper, which really didn’t work, “his friends said he’s the good guy.” I tried to give her the thumbs up, but struggled to keep the rest of my fingers down.
Peter, Hannah and Lila all begin to laugh at my announcement, which clearly everyone heard. Henry walked into the room suddenly, appearing from around the corner. “So the party’s up here now, huh?” he said, surveying us at the table, then seeing Emma sprawled out on the couch. Someone had been kind enough to slip some sweatpants on her so she wasn’t on full display in her tiny white miniskirt.
“We think it’s about time to get us out of here. Emma and Alex need their beauty rest. And to puke probably,” Lila said. ”Oh, it’s going to be a long night for those two.”
I jutted my lower lip out. “No! No puke. Gross. Just sleep.”
“Let me go grab Carmen, then we can head out.” Lila disappeared down the stairs and Hannah gently removed me from her lap. Well, aimed for gently, but my limbs were feeling like all the jello shots I had taken and I fell to the floor in an ungraceful heap. I frantically tried to keep my dress down, wondering which pair of underwear I had decided on that night and if I wanted to show Henry them at that moment. I wanted to get up, get to my feet and locate my clutch, which had fallen out of my hands at some point, but the tiled kitchen floor was just so comfortable. Just another minute down there…
Suddenly, I was being swooped into the air by a pair of strong arms. My eyes flew open, and I realized that Henry had picked me up off the floor, cradling me in his arms like a baby. Heaven. I snuggled into his broad chest, feeling giddy with excitement. I remembered feeling happy, tingly and maybe a tad sweaty. I didn’t remember passing out in his arms, having to be carried out to Hannah’s car, throwing up out the window on the ride home, having Carmen carry me into the dorm, throwing up more once I got home, and then throwing a fit when no one would order me a pizza. None of that was in my memories, but the girls were nice enough to fill me in the next day as I cleaned Hannah’s car and suffered through my hangover. Halloween. Gets me every time.
Chapter 7
The Tuesday following Halloween, I headed to Blissful right after class for my first facial. I checked myself in for the appointment, and sat up front with Kamille until Allie was ready for me. I used my time studying the menu of services. I really wanted to get them memorized so I didn’t have to always have one on hand when the phone rang.
“You ready, hon?” Allie appeared in front of me, clad in the usual Blissful uniform: black dress pants and the white-collared shirt with Blissful Salon and Spa etched in black on the left side. She had her black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail with a thin pink band holding back her bangs. I was going to be doing more training after my facial, so I also wore dress pants and a plain white top, as I didn’t have my official staff shirt in yet. Dani had told me I didn’t need to wear my work shirt everyday though, just to dress up on the days that I didn’t wear it. I had planned to hit up the mall with Lila later in the week to help fill the void of non-professional clothes in my closet.
“Ready!” I slid off the stool and gave Kamille a friendly wave as I followed Allie behind the partition and into the salon part. Kamille just raised her overly plucked eyebrows at me and stared back down at the computer screen.
“I just don’t think she likes me much,” I said to Allie, waving hello to the other stylists that I passed. I had been introduced to all the staff at an employee meeting last week, and thought I would fit in just fine at Blissful. The stylists were mostly female, and the median age was probably twenty-five. There was one male massage therapist and one male stylist who seemed just as nice as the females. The only one that seemed less than thrilled with me was Kamille.
“Don’t take it too personally,” Allie said, opening the heavy doors that led to the spa area. I immediately felt a sense of calm when the busy chatter of the salon faded away and the soft music floating from the hidden speakers hit my ears. “She was being considered for the management job, so she probably wasn’t going to like whoever ended up getting it.”
Well, that explained a lot. “I get it. Why didn’t she get the position? I mean, it makes sense to hire internally.”
“I think there were a few reasons. She has a really busy schedule with her school and she’s in a lot of extra-curricular activities. She’s also pretty new to Des Moines –– she just moved here from out of state last year to go to Irving –– and Kevin was really big on finding someone who has a lot of connections with the city. And we’ve been able to watch her up front and see how she works, and she doesn’t seem to connect with the clients very easily. The personality that’s needed for the position just wasn’t there. You can’t tell me you think her personality is that of a winner.”
I gave a slight nod but didn’t say anything. That was a bit harsh, but Kamille never had been friendly to me.
Allie ushered me into a treatment room as she gave me the low-down on Kamille, then held out what looked like half a towel to me. “I’ll slip out of the room, and go ahead and undress to your comfort level. Put this on over your body and lay face up on the bed. You’ll want to make sure to either remove your bra or at least take the straps down, because I do a neck massage. Same goes for your pants. If you can take off your socks and slacks, I also do a foot massage while your mask sets in.”
“Got it. Thanks.” Allie left the room and I set out removing my socks, pants, bra, undershirt, and blouse. I also took off my watch and necklace, setting them carefully on the little table in the room, climbed into my towel/robe thing and crawled underneath the covers, eyes towards the ceiling. The soft music was soothing, but there was that scary-looking dentist-like contraption looming to my left. I wondered if I would be getting any extractions done and what the heck that entailed.
My thoughts wandered over to Halloween while I waited for Allie to come back in the room. I couldn’t believe what a fool I made of myself. I threw up twice more on Sunday, thankful I didn’t have class or work to attend, and cringed every time I thought of Henry Landon. I really thought we had a connectio
n going, but now I seriously doubted it. I barely remembered what our conversations had been about, and I was sure he was just entertaining the drunk girl at his party, trying to help his buddy Peter out. Peter had asked Hannah out for a dinner date this week, and all us girls were super excited for her once we found out about it. She deserved a nice guy. I wanted to ask Hannah to ask Peter to ask Henry what he thought of me, but I was sure Henry he would not be interested in a lush like me. I blew my chances on Halloween.
“Ready, hon?” Allie asked, tapping lightly on the door and entering, dimming the lights just a touch.
“Ready!” I responded, feeling the déjà vu from our earlier conversation at the desk. I wondered how many times stylists repeated themselves throughout the day. I wondered how many times I would repeat myself when working the desk.
“Do you have any make-up on, like foundation or blush?” Allie asked, sitting on the short black stool that was by my head.
“Um, yes and yes. Sorry, I didn’t even think to take it off!” Duh, Alex. Obviously you couldn’t wear make-up during a facial.
“No problem at all. Most women do, and I can easily remove it. We also offer a complimentary make-up session after all facials, just a touch-up to get you on your way. It’s near impossible to go anywhere after a facial since we remove all make-up, so we just put a bit of foundation on, usually a bit of eye make-up as well so they can feel good about themselves and not have to worry.”
“Wow, that’s a great idea. I guess I don’t know what I’ll look like when I’m done, but I’m sure I’ll want the make-up application.”
“Our clients really appreciate it, and that’s what we care about. Most other salons don’t offer that.” Allie wiped a cool cloth around my face then concentrated on my eyes, wiping away all traces of eye shadow, liner, and mascara. “I’m going to look at your skin under the light to determine what we need to use today on you. I’m just going to put these over your eyes so I don’t blind you,” I felt little pads cover my eyelids, “and just take a look. Now, what kind of skin do you think you have? Oily or dry? Any problem areas or trouble zones?”
The light flickered on but didn’t really affect me thanks to the eye pads. I considered Allie’s question. “This time of year I think I have really dry skin. I try to use a moisturizer a lot because sometimes it looks like my skin is just flaking off, which is really gross. I’ve never had the best skin and I still get breakouts, especially on my chin, but not many other problems that I can think of.”
Allie ran the tips of her fingers along my forehead, both cheeks, my nose, chin and even felt my neck and décolleté. “Your temperature is nice and even, which is a good sign. You have fairly healthy skin, but I can feel little dry spots. It’s important that you keep using your moisturizer, and aim for twice a day, once in the morning and again at night when you remove your make-up. We have a super-hydrating moisturizer that you could try as well that should help clear that up.”
The light flicked off and Allie removed the pads from my eyes. I blinked a few times to get my contacts moist, then closed my eyes again as Allie began to smooth something on my face with what felt like a paintbrush. “I’m starting with an exfoliant first. This helps slough off the dead skin and reveal the sparkling skin underneath all those dead cells. Is the steam bothering you at all?”
“I really didn’t notice it until now,” I answered, feeling warm puffs of air reach my face. It was kind of nice actually.
“The steam helps open up your pores so I can really get down to what’s beneath your skin and bring everything up and out. It’s like a detox for your skin. If you use an exfoliant at home, the shower is a good place to apply it. Get in, shampoo up first and then put it on. The steam from the shower will be like giving you your own facial at home.”
As soon as the gritty material was slathered over my face and neck, Allie promptly removed it, running a washcloth over the applied areas until my face was bare again. “I’m going to turn on the light again and just do a couple of quick extractions here for you.”
“Uh, Allie? What exactly is an extraction?” I finally worked up the nerve to ask. Could I get some anesthesia or a Vicodin first?
“It’s pretty simple. I’m just going to remove your whiteheads. I don’t see any blackheads on your skin, which is great. It might be a little uncomfortable. I’m just going underneath the skin to bring everything up. It’s a safer way than just popping pimples, which can cause irritation and lead to scarring.”
Well, I felt like a fool. Good thing I hadn’t asked for the Vicodin. The extractions didn’t hurt too bad, just a mild discomfort like Allie had said. “Is training going good?” she asked, while squeezing a particularly sensitive spot on my chin.
“Oh, yeah, it’s been great. I’ve almost got the menu down, and I think I caught on to the computer system pretty fast. I’m going to sit in with Kevin on a conference call on Thursday with other franchise owners, which should be pretty educational. Hopefully I can think of a few things to contribute so I don’t just sit there in silence like a dope.”
“I’m sure you’ll do just fine. And Kevin will help you out. He’s a man of a few words, but he cares about all of his employees. And the business. He loves to succeed.”
“How long have you worked here?”
“Since they opened last year. I actually worked on the other side of town at a salon there, but Dani and Kevin made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. And I love it here. My fiancé and I moved over to this part of town about eight months ago, and we just love it. More convenient for both of us, plus it’s just a nicer area. It would be a good place to start a family.”
“I didn’t know you were engaged. Congratulations! When’s the wedding?”
“Thanks, hon. I don’t wear my ring a lot because I don’t want to get product on it. But the wedding is going to be next summer, June 21st.” I heard Allie fiddling with more bottles, then wheeling the chair back over to the bed. “I’m going to put the first mask on you now. It’s a calming mask, and the second will be a hydrating mask to help get some moisture on your face.”
“Okay.” I felt the paintbrush running over my skin again, tickling me when she ran it under my nose.
“Did you work somewhere else before coming here?”
“Actually, I still technically work for Tastie’s. Friday is my last shift there.”
“Tastie’s? I didn’t really peg you as a Tastie’s girl.”
“Well, it was really just to earn some extra money while in school. And my best friend and roommate Lila also works there, so we did a lot of shifts together. Honestly, it really isn’t that bad. Frank, the owner, is a really nice guy and the hours are pretty flexible. And the uniforms aren’t as bad as what the Hooters girls have to wear.”
Allie finished putting the mask on me, then started to massage my neck and shoulders. It felt amazing. All the stress and pressure that I didn’t even know had built up started to melt under her fingertips. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the relaxation, but my thoughts wandered to Frank and Tastie’s. Frank’s reaction to my new career opportunity had puzzled me.
“Where is the job at?” I told Frank that I had gotten a manager position at Blissful Salon and Spa a week and a half ago, to inform him that I was officially putting my two weeks’ in and hanging up my lacy black bra.
“It’s in Witte, on Mayfair Lane,” I had answered, taking a sip of my lemonade. I was sitting in Frank’s office, which was messy with menus, design concepts, schedules, résumés and more. Frank liked to have his hands in every pot, and oversaw anything that went down at his restaurant.
“Who’s the owner?”
His question caught me off guard, but I answered. “Kevin and Dani Dohlman. They’re a husband and wife team.”
Frank had sat back in his chair, one hand under his chin. “The Dohlmans, huh. You’re going to work for the Dohlmans.”
I hadn’t known how to respond to that. Frank didn’t seem happy about my new position. He looked concerned,
mad, maybe a little confused. “Um, yes? I mean, yes, I am. At Blissful Salon and Spa. Have you been there? Do you know them?”
“I know the Dohlmans, Alex. I know them. I don’t want to fill your pretty head with bad stories before you go, though. I can see what an opportunity this is for you. But, well, the Dohlmans might not be all you’ve cracked them up to be.”
“What do you mean by that?” Kevin and Dani were successful entrepreneurs and business owners and wealthy and nice and welcoming. What could possibly be wrong with them?
“I’ve worked with Kevin before on a few deals and projects. Got burned one too many times. The man only cares about his money. Doesn’t care about his employees, his partners, or his customers–– though he’ll try to tell you he does. He wants money and he wants it fast. You know, I really shouldn’t even be saying anything.” Frank halted his story, but I was salivating for more.
“No, you can tell me, Frank. I would appreciate knowing what I’m getting into. I did some research online about them but didn’t really find out a whole lot.”
After a bit more cajoling, Frank finally let it spill. He talked about bad business deals, disappearing money, multiple lawsuits involving Kevin, and many cases of sexual harassment brought on from Kevin’s female employees. He discussed Kevin’s background in nude modeling and the multiple affairs Kevin had since he married Dani, including one with Franks second wife–– now ex.
I left Tastie’s that day feeling a little sick to my stomach. I was overwhelmed with knowledge on my new bosses, and none of it was positive. Could Frank’s stories be true? He made Kevin out to be scum, someone who only cares about dollar bills, women, and getting ahead no matter who he hurt. I remembered the odd feeling I had gotten when I first met Kevin, the intimate hug he gave me after offering me the job, Dani’s frozen smile.
“Can I ask you a question, Allie?” I asked, as she wrapped up my massage and began removing the face mask.
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