“You do realise that your luscious locks are in my hands right now, don’t you?”
“Don’t tell me there’s more in that intelligent head of yours.”
“Nice save,” Michelle said admiringly. “Now, Bree, what about these lights?”
“I wasn’t there, so I can only go by what Charlotte states.”
“Kind of odd that she’s the only one to see things,” Bella observed.
“Well, Ted’s boy, David, and his friend Ken, saw lights and things,” Michelle said. “So it’s not just Charlotte.”
“Two teens and an impressionable woman?” Margie, Bella’s customer, gave a bigger snort than Bella’s. “That’s a good combination right there. Two probably high on dope, the other on her arthritis medication.”
“Ouch.” Bree frowned a little. “Harsh.”
“You’re saying you believe them?” Margie’s brows rose.
“I’m saying I believe they said what they did. I didn’t see the lights last night.”
“But what about Saturday night?” Jan, Michelle’s customer, looked at Bree through the mirror. “And I heard that you and your boyfriend were out there on Sunday poking around with all kinds of electronic equipment, so you must believe them.”
Calmly, Bree sectioned off more of Sarah’s hair and dabbed it with solution. “I saw a light and two laser beams the night before.”
There was astonishment on all five faces watching her.
“Are you serious?” Bella demanded.
“Absolutely.”
“So what did you find?” Sarah asked eagerly. “Were there burn marks and things?”
“Why, Sarah, have you been studying up on spacecraft marking?”
“Google is my library.”
Michelle rolled her eyes. “God help us. Then it must be right.”
“You know…” Bree folded over the tin foil, slid it down, started on another section of hair. “Anyone can put a website up and put anything on it.”
“Are you telling me all those UFO sites are bogus?”
“I’m saying you need to be careful what you believe. If you’re really interested I’ll give you a couple of website addresses that are genuine.”
Bella shook her head. “Sometimes you scare me, Bree.” She slanted her an affectionate look. “In a weird, good way.”
“I am here but to serve.” Bree pointed to Sarah’s head. “See? Serving.”
“Let’s get back to the alien sighting you were checking out,” Jan said. “What did you find?”
“Nothing.” Not in the least bothered by their resigned expressions, Bree continued, “Absolutely nothing.”
“So it was bogus.” Jan tapped her foot in glee.
“Very possibly.”
“You just said you found nothing.”
“So what do you think it was?” Bella asked curiously.
“Personally, I think someone was playing around, trying to stir up alien activity rumours.”
“Bogus,” Jan muttered.
“That’s not to say that something isn’t out there, and that’s not to say I’m wrong.” Catching Jan’s dubious expression in the mirror, Bree smiled. “As far as I’m concerned, in my opinion, it was bogus behind the hill. But that’s my opinion only.”
“I thought you were this almighty UFO hunter?”
Hmmm, definite prejudice here. Bree met her gaze squarely. “I’m not an expert. I only go by what I know and see, I investigate what I don’t see if it interests me enough.”
“Really?” Expertly, Michelle rolled a large roller into Jan’s hair. “You only check out what interests you?”
“Yep.”
“You don’t check out every sighting?”
“Nope.”
There was silence in the hair salon for several minutes as everyone pondered their thoughts.
Bree was more than happy to ponder her own thoughts. Man, Nick was getting under her skin big time. He’d been over several nights this week, the first night checking the door on her old van. He’d managed to get it to open and shut so that she didn’t have to crawl between the seats to get behind the wheel, but he’d been unable to get the window to go down. No biggie, the whole door was being replaced as soon as the new - well, ‘new’ second-hand one - arrived at the panel beaters. Meanwhile, she could use her door.
She smiled to herself at the memory of finding out Nick had fixed it enough for her to use. She’d flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. He’d returned it with a laugh and enthusiasm, then a lot of enthusiasm, then a hell of a lot more enthusiasm, and before she knew it she was pressed hard up against him in a kiss that had gone from light and happy to a whole lot hotter and definitely more happy. Deep- down carnal, in fact.
By the time Nick had put some space between them, her hands had been under his jumper and shirt, palms flat against that muscled back, all that smooth skin over defined muscle warm and tantalizing.
They’d both been breathing a lot harder, Nick actually tipping his head back to take several deep, steadying breaths. Then he’d proceeded to laugh down at her, his eyes all dark and hot. But he’d not put his hands under her shirt. He’d practically ravaged her mouth, but not once had his hands strayed any further than her waist.
Damn it. The man had her motor revving. But did he force the issue, try to coerce her into indulging in a bit more hanky-panky? No, he did not. He’d been the prefect gentleman, sitting on the swing chair beside her watching the rain patter down, sipping from a mug of hot chocolate, Sheba glued to his side. One muscular arm across the back of the swing chair, his thumb idly flicking along her nape while he shared childhood memories.
Not once had that big hand dropped down to…well, cup her breast. Damn it.
Because he respected her.
Bree sighed. Such a gentleman. She should be ecstatic, not disappointed. Oh, she loved that he did respect her wishes, that he didn’t try to talk her into giving up her virginity to him, but hell, he could be a bit more enthusiastic, surely? A bit more wanting?
Oh, wait. There had been a definite bulge in the front of his jeans, a slightly pained expression on his face when he’d first sat down in the swing chair. Bree pursed her lips. Huh, she’d thought that expression was from Sheba spotting him and shrieking in glee before racing through the front door to launch herself into his lap, but now that she thought about it…she grinned. Yeah, not so cool, the soldier boy. But still respectful.
That’s what she wanted, right?
“So you don’t spend all your time off work chasing UFOs?” Sarah asked.
Bree blinked away her disconcerting thoughts. “Not now.”
“You did before, though.”
Okay, there was being friendly, and then there was being a little too curious. Bree smiled. “A bit. But I worked, too.”
“Doing what?”
Bree wiggled the section of hair she’d just separated from the rest of Sarah’s hair.
“Oh.” Disappointed, Sarah sighed.
“I have a life outside of UFO chasing.” Bree carefully positioned the tin foil behind the strands.
“So it’s really just a hobby?” Michelle took another roller from the work basket beside her.
“Hobbies can be serious,” Bella announced. “Take my mother. She does crocheting for a hobby and earns money from selling all those jumpers, cardigans, shawls, you name it and she crochets it.”
“This is true.” Jan shifted in her seat a little, recrossed her legs. “Take stamp collecting-”
Michelle laughed.
Jan ignored her. “My uncle sold a rare stamp for ten thousand dollars.”
Jaw dropping, Michelle stopped laughing to stare at Jan’s reflection. “Ten thousand dollars?”
“I’m taking up stamp collecting,” Bella told Bree.
“More profitable than UFO hunting,” Bree agreed. “Stamps get you money.”
“What does UFO hunting get you?”
“If you’re really unlucky, a padded cell and a sore ars
ehole.”
Sarah’s mouth dropped. “From what?”
“The padded cells from authorities thinking you’re nuts, the sore arse from alien probing.”
“Bree!” Bella snorted a laugh.
Sarah giggled. “Oh my God! You did not just say that!”
“I don’t like to brag, but…” Bree gave a modest shrug.
Even Jan’s lips twitched in amusement. “Be all right if the alien was a hunk.”
Michelle grinned. “Or if you’re on a UFO hunt with a handsome boyfriend.” The glance she sent Bree was sly. “Say…a rugged, hot, tasty soldier.”
“Mmmm, yes.” Bella nodded. “Nick is one fine man.” She smacked her lips.
No use denying it. “That he is,” Bree agreed.
“Now a sore arsehole from him I could take,” Jan murmured, only to stop in horror when she saw Bree’s raised eyebrows. “Oh, I - Nick’s your boyfriend. I forgot. I’m so sorry, I…”
“Don’t sweat it.” Bree smiled. “He is yummy, no doubt about it.” She paused. “And he’s all mine.” This she accompanied with a glance at Jan.
Yep, the hussy got her silent message, her cheeks flushing a little as she glanced away.
Man, Bree wasn’t normally territorial when it came to men, but she’d not had a man about whom she’d felt so strongly. The thought of other women eyeing him she could understand, but not to be so bold as to spew their fantasies about them out loud. Even a mild-tempered woman like herself drew a line. I’m not that easy-going, ladies. Fantasise in private.
There was silence for several seconds in the hair salon as everyone tried to think of something to say.
Not one to hold a grudge, Bree broke it first. “So, speaking of sore arseholes, who’s into anal sex?”
No fear of her boss chastising her for bring up the subject, Bella had brought up some pretty steamy subjects herself with clients. She loved the more risqué subjects, and so did certain customers, three of whom were sitting in the chairs right now.
Bella just wasn’t expecting it right out of the blue. She choked, her face going scarlet as she coughed.
Michelle nearly snipped her own finger as she jerked in surprise, while Sarah, Jan and Margie gasped.
“Oh my God!” Margie gasped. “Bree!”
“Come on, I hear some women like it. Who’s up for confession?”
Surprisingly, it was Jan who spoke up. “Nothing wrong with anal.”
Bella wiped her eyes. “You do anal?”
“When I was younger.” Almost defiantly, Jan lifted her chin. “And if done correctly, it isn’t that bad.”
“That’s what I hear.” Bree settled the last tin foil wrapped section down.
“I’ve heard of it,” Margie confessed. “Who hasn’t nowadays? But I’m afraid I don’t fancy trying it.”
Sarah fidgeted under the cover. “It just seems…icky.”
“Enema first,” Bree suggested. “Flush those pipes before you start.”
Bella choked again, got her breath. “Bree, you are killing me.”
“You’ve done it,” Jan stated, watching her closely.
“Not me.” Bree shook her head. “Someone I knew did. Regularly.” Her mother, in fact. Hmm, maybe it wasn’t the best subject to bring up. Thinking of her mother and anal sex at the same time was…erk, no one should think of their parents and sex of any kind at the same time.
Everyone knew their parents didn’t have sex. Their kids just popped up out of the cabbage patch or stork or whatever you wanted to believe. Definitely not from their parents doing ‘the deed.’ It didn’t happen.
“You for or against anal sex?” Sarah asked.
“I’m neither. Each to their own, I say.” Bree started cleaning up her work trolley.
“And what’s yours?” Margie queried.
Bree looked up to find all five watching her curiously. “Ladies, for me personally, the backdoor is for outgoing, not incoming.”
“Oh my God!” Bella covered her ears. “Bree!”
Michelle laughed.
Margie nodded. “Yeah, me too.”
Jan shrugged. “I like it.”
“Since we’re on this fascinating subject,” Bella said, “what’s everyone’s favourite sex position?”
Bree used cleaning the work trolley as an excuse to bow out of the conversation and go out the back. The phone ringing kept her occupied, and she listened to the gales of laughter and surprisingly intense conversation coming from the work area.
This was one subject she was better off not trying to pretend she knew. Sure, she could talk about sex positions, her mother had kept some pretty risqué magazines around, and the talks between her mother and her latest lover had never been quiet, so Bree wasn’t stupid. But she’d never had sex, so to talk of favourite positions…
She wondered about Nick’s favourite position. Was he into anal? Doggy style? Missionary?
As she tidied the magazines on the little table in the wait area, she found herself getting just a little hot and bothered. Was Nick an easy-going lover? Intense? She imagined he could be pretty intense if he set his mind to it.
Bree ran a finger around the neckline of her shirt, straightening to glance out the window.
Speak of the sexy bloke, there he was, ambling down the street with his hands in his jeans. Or ambling as much as he could amble, the same for Alex who walked beside him. They were in step, backs straight, gazes flicking around them unconsciously, she’d bet, looking for trouble as they enjoyed the day. So used to living in dangerous zones. It wasn’t hard to imagine them in uniform, weapons ready, on alert.
Alex said something and Nick laughed. Man, he was a sight. Folding her arms, she watched him. The watery sunlight caught the natural golden highlights in his hair, his profile strong - jaw line, nose, forehead. Body tall and muscular. No way could she blame women for fantasising about him, but he was her soldier boy.
Her gaze wandered over him. Those brawny shoulders, those big hands, those long, strong legs. That tight arse. The man had the best arse. She never knew she was an arse woman until she saw his. Maybe she was becoming a bit obsessed about that tight bum. Was that healthy? Bree grinned. Hell if she knew, hell if she cared. He was her boyfriend, she’d ogle him all she liked.
Boyfriend. That had a nice ring to it. She’d had a few boyfriends in her travels, but none with whom she’d ever gotten serious. Certainly not serious enough to wonder what he’d be like in bed. To actually contemplate what it’d be like to have him above her, the sensation of his hands running over her naked body…the sensation of Nick’s naked skin against her own.
Man, was it hot in the salon or what? Bree eased the bottom of her jumper away from her hips and flapped it around a little.
Nick sliding inside her…
Cripes, Bella had better look at her ventilation problem. Bree took a deep breath, watching Nick and Alex cross the road.
Deep, deep inside her, his gaze on her as he started moving…
Nick and Alex disappeared into the panel beater’s garage.
“Bella?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to open the door for awhile, let some cool air in.”
“Sure.”
The breeze hit Bree as soon as she propped the glass door open, cooling her hot cheeks.
Shame it couldn’t cool the heat coiling low inside her.
Ah. So it wasn’t the ventilation. Stupid fantasies.
~*~
“Those sheilas in the hairdressers are a raunchy mob.” Paul entered the shell of the room they were building.
Nick looked up from where he was holding a board while Smithy secured it with a nail gun. “What?”
“Let’s break for arvo tea.” Paul jerked his thumb to the doorway. “Maryanne has coffee and biccies for us out back.”
Straightening his knees, Nick rolled his shoulders. “What’s that about a raunchy bunch of sheilas?”
“Never mind that.” Smithy strode past him. “I heard coffee.”
“I heard raunchy hairdressers.”
Paul leered. “Figured you’d latch onto the ‘hairdresser’ bit.”
Following him outside, Nick said over his shoulder to Alex, “I heard ‘raunchy hairdresser’. Is that a crime?”
“Considering who you’re dating, I think not.”
On the tailgate sat a box of steaming to-go cups, along with a plate of Tim Tams. The men got their cups and a couple of biccies each, then perched wherever they could. Paul and Smithy claimed the tailgate, Mack took the empty drum of oil, Alex sat on a pallet and Nick leaned against the front of Smithy’s old Holden Commodore.
Inhaling the steam from the hot coffee, Paul narrowed his eyes. “So. Those women over at the hairdresser’s were talking about sex this morning.”
Smithy didn’t pause in his chewing of the Tim Tam. “Women and sex. What’s surprising about that combination?”
“Women always talk about sex, don’t they?” Mack took a tentative sip of the coffee. “Shit. Hot.”
“Bloody genius,” Paul remarked.
“What were the hairdressers saying?” Nick asked.
“Don’t you mean one in particular?’ Mack winked. “Trying to fathom out what to do next to impress her?”
“Unlike some drongos here, I know what to do. I’m just curious.”
“Look, they read all those romances and shit. Got a skewed idea about sex.” Mack thrust his hips out hard. “This is how you give it to ‘em.” Another thrust. “Just give it to ‘em.”
“And he wonders why he’s single,” Alex remarked.
“Let me tell you, ” Paul pointed a half eaten Tim Tam at Mack, “you try that shit on a good woman and you’ll get a ringing in your ears from her hand.”
“Nah. Some women like it hard.”
“And some don’t.” Smithy blew on the steam coming from the cup. “You just gotta know what they’re in the mood for.”
Alex and Paul exchanged glances. Amusement was clear in Alex’s eyes, derision in Paul’s.
“Dumb bastard,” Paul said.
Alex nodded. “I hear you.”
Mack looked at Nick. “These silly pricks are under the thumbs of their wives. You’re single, Nick, you know what I’m talking about.”
“Trust me, if all men came at women the way you apparently do, then we’d all be living in one-sex only communions with artificial insemination the only way to procreate.”
The Goodbye Girl Page 18