by Alexa McLean
The girl jumped, knocking over a potted orchid.
I lurched forward, grabbing it, saving it from crashing on the ground.
“Good catch,” Michele called from across the salon. “Maybe you should go join the Yankees! They need a catcher like you.”
“Huh?” I furrowed my brows together.
“Ignore her.” A handsome, red-skinned man walked up to the desk, grabbing a peppermint candy from the glass dish. He popped it into his mouth. “Shelly’s always going on about baseball. I can’t shut her up. And, trust me, I’ve tried.”
“Ah, Joey, there you are.”
“I’m always on time, Bea, I don’t know why you look so surprised.”
“Lady Gaga is coming in at nine –”
“I know. I know. I have it under control, don’t worry. I’ll be the best stylist this world has ever seen.”
Beatrice went off with Joey, hounding him about his upcoming appointment with the pop star.
Dazed, I placed the plant back on the desk.
“Thanks.” The receptionist said. “That really was a good catch.”
“I just... reacted.”
“Well, good reflexes then.” She smiled. “You must be a little overwhelmed. It’s a bit hectic around here, isn’t it?”
“Tell me about it. It’s hard to keep track of who’s who.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll get the hang of it soon. Everyone’s really nice around here. A lot of personalities.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
Missy got up and walked up to the front door, turning on the ‘open’ sign. “Did Bea fill you in on anything?”
“No, not really. All she did was give me this bag.”
“Ah, the stylist bag.” She nodded. “It’s a start, especially since she expects you to start working today.”
“Today?”
“Mhm. One of our top stylists, Katie, called out. You’re her replacement.”
My eyes widened. “Wait, don’t I get any training or something?”
“Nope. Bea likes to throw the new guys – or, in this case, gal – right into the fire.”
“Okay...”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” She said with a smile.
God, I hope so, I thought to myself.
DING!
I jumped, peeking my head around the corner to check on the door.
Okay, that can’t be him, I told myself. That’s just some old lady. I relaxed before doubling back, eyes widening. “Wait, is that Martha Stewart?”
“Yep!” Michele answered with a bright grin on her face.
Ding!
“And here comes her best friend, Snoop Dogg.” Michele walked up to the pair, welcoming them to the salon.
“Those dreads look sick, girl,” Dogg commented as he picked up a strand. “Joey?”
“Joey.” She nodded.
“My man.” Right on cue, Joey appeared, slapping the rapper’s hand and pulling him in for a hug.
Meanwhile, Stewart rummaged through her bag and eventually pulled out a bag of brownies.
“Mmm.” Michele moaned. “You’re the best, Marta.”
Ding!
Everything stopped when a well-dressed individual walked in.
The air became thick and I found it extremely hard to breathe. The hair on the back of my neck prickled. There was something oddly familiar about this man.
“Hello, everyone.” He said, voice deep and husky.
I stood there, unable to move, heart beating wildly. I knew that voice.
Could it be?
“Robin?” I spoke aloud, a look of bewilderment on my face. “Is that really you?”
He narrowed his eyes in my direction before realization swept across his features. His eyebrows rose with surprise. “Julia?”
“You two know each other or something?” Michele asked. “Because things are starting to feel a little hot and heavy if you know what I mean.” She jabbed my side, giggling as she did so.
“Ow!” I glared. “Quit it.”
“Well, go on, Julia, you shouldn’t keep Mr. Thornton waiting.” My new boss prompted with a slight tap of her foot.
“Sorry, sorry,” I mumbled. Great, first day on the job and I was already making an idiot of myself. Not to mention, I was making a fool out of myself in front of Robin Thornton. Oh, how that name brings back memories. “Right this way, Mr. Thornton.” It felt strange addressing my childhood best friend by his last name.
Still, he stepped forward, following me to the washing station.
“Please, can I take your suit jacket? I wouldn’t want it to get wet.”
“Sure.” He shrugged it off and handed it to me.
Carefully, I placed it on the hanger but not before I noticed the designer label. Whoa. This jacket must have cost him a fortune. I glanced back at him only to find Robin rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt, exposing his muscular forearms. They were littered with many of the same scars I remember from our teenage years. He loved to fix motorcycles, but he had never been all that careful about keeping himself safe. Most days, I was the one who tended to his ‘battle wounds’ – so to speak.
“So, you’re a hairdresser now?” He asked while I lathered his hair with warm water.
“Well, I would hope so. This would be kind of strange if I wasn’t.” I said, attempting to lighten the tension between us with a bit of laughter but all I managed to do was let out an awkward chuckle.
He closed his eyes and relaxed.
I couldn’t help myself from staring. Now that I was having a closer look at his face, it was obvious that this was Robin. His face hadn’t changed all that much. A little more rugged. His facial hair well-kept. Skin a stayed the same. But the new, fresh haircut really helped him look put together. Somehow, my friend, the bad boy from my earlier years, had turned into a sophisticated billionaire.
How did that happen?
“Alright, you can meet me at my chair,” I said once I finished wrapping a towel around his head.
He nodded and walked across the salon to my temporary station. He walked with a newfound confidence – like he was a man that owned the world – and maybe, he did.
“So, what have you been up to these past... ten years?” I asked.
“You know, just getting on with life.”
“You seem to have done pretty well for yourself.”
“So have you.” He countered.
I took his soft, wet hair between my fingers and started to snip away at the dead ends. “You got rid of your mohawk.”
He laughed. “Oh, I got rid of that thing years ago.”
“I’m glad. I hated that thing.”
“To be honest, I did too.”
“So, why’d you get it?” I turned him around, so he was facing the mirror. I looked up and our eyes locked through the glass.
“Because I knew you wouldn’t like it.”
I laughed. “You were such a troublemaker back then.”
“In many ways, I still am.” He said with a naughty grin. His eyes burned – with what, I’m not quite sure – I want to say lust but maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part.
Still, my skin felt hot just at the thought of being with this man. It’s been so long...
My heart thumped inside my chest, faster and faster. The air turned electric.
“Hey, what do you say to some dinner later? My treat. It’ll give us the perfect excuse to catch up.” He said those last few words with a wink, sending a shiver through my spine. I blushed, thinking that he wanted more than just dinner-time conversation.
“S-Sure...” I answered, unable to refuse that look in his eye.
Chapter 2 (Robin)
God, she’s even more beautiful than I remember.
At the dinner table, I pulled out her chair and helped her sit down before sitting across from her, unable to keep myself from staring at that flawless face of hers. She had finally conquered teenaged awkwardness. All her acne was gone, replace
d by a milky skin that seemed to radiate with her beauty. A small splattering of freckles decorated her nose. I had always found them incredibly adorable.
She looked at me from underneath her eyelashes, cheeks turning pink. I couldn’t be sure, but I think there was a hint of desire in those eyes. A yearning long neglected. Could it be that she wanted me just as much as I wanted her – even after all these years?
“So, tell me, how have you been?” I started our conversation, offering a warm smile.
As I waited for her to respond, I took a sip of wine, swirling it around my mouth, appreciating the taste.
“I’ve been good. I can’t complain. Finished going to beauty school. Worked my way up from salon to salon and now I’m at Chop Shop. I guess you could say that I’m living the dream – my dream, that is.” Even as she said this, her voice seemed hollow, like she was aware that there was something missing from her life.
“I’m happy for you.” I reached across the table and took her hand in mine.
Just then, the waitress appeared. “Hello! Welcome to the Black Pearl. I’m Kim and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with a couple of appetizers?”
“Sure. We’re going to have an order of the Chinese tea leaf eggs and then an order of the blue cheese and pear tartlets.”
“Wonderful choices. I’ll put your order in right away.” She said, resting a hand on my arm, squeezing it suggestively.
“Thank you,” I responded, my voice cold, hoping to convey the message that I wasn’t interested.
Julia, however, seemed to notice what was going on. She snatched her hand away from mine and placed it on her lap, out of reach.
“That’ll be all, thank you.” This time, my voice was a little harsher.
The waitress blushed, nodded, and walked away.
“Sorry about that.”
“Know her?” Julia asked.
“Not at all.”
Silence.
This was not going as I had planned. “Look, Julia, I invited you to dinner. I want us to have a nice time together, okay?” I reached forward and gently pinned a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry, tonight, it’s just you and me.”
Her lips twitched ever so slightly.
“Oh, is that a smile I see?” I said in a lighthearted tone. “But, you’re going to have to do better than that or I’ll just have to come over there and make you smile.”
“And, how are you going to do that?” She asked, running her finger along the rim of her glass.
“You forget we grew up together. I know all of your weaknesses. All I need to do is tickle your sides.”
“You wouldn’t – not here!” Her eyes widened with worry.
“Well, then you better start smiling.” I chuckled. “Because I could care less what these people think of me.”
“Robin!” She exclaimed the second I got out of my chair and started toward her. I had every intention of tickling her – of hearing that beautiful laugh I so fondly remembered – but as soon as I got close to her, I caught a whiff of her scent. Just as sweet and intoxicating as ever. Vanilla with a hint of rosewater.
I leaned in and before I could realize what I was doing, I kissed her. Even after ten years, our lips moved together in perfect sync.
Julia was a bit tense at first but as soon as I wrapped my arm around her slender waist, pulling her into my body, she melted against me.
Our lips danced, tongues tangled together.
Mmm.
Oh, how I’ve been waiting for this moment.
She tugged at my hair as the kiss intensified. We were both burning up with the passion that had laid dormant all this time.
I wanted her.
Now.
“Ahem.” The waitress returned with our appetizers, standing there awkwardly with the trays of food.
I broke away from my gorgeous date, sat down, and smiled at the woman as if nothing had happened. “Just set them down on the table.” I prompted.
“Right.” She mumbled as if she were in some kind of daze. “So, do you know what you’d like to eat?”
“I’ll have the lobster.”
“Okay.” She then looked over at Julia who looked awestruck, eyes glazed over.
I chuckled. “She’ll have the chicken alfredo. No tomatoes.”
“Perfect.” The waitress said quickly before scurrying away.
“Why did you do that?” Julia asked the second she left.
“What? Kiss you?”
“Yes.”
I smiled. “Julia, I’ve been trying to find you for a while now.” I took another sip from my glass. “When you left to go to school, I promised myself that I would become a better man – for you. I wanted you to be proud of me – of who you date. So, once I had reached a certain level of success, I tried to find you. To think, all I had to do was get a haircut.”
“You’ve been looking for me?” She asked like she couldn’t believe it.”
“Of course I have.” I looked into her eyes. “Because I always knew that you were the girl of my dreams.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alexa McLean is romance author who enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, eating pasta and writing romance stories that makes her readers beg for more and keep them well entertained.
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