Rex"No, you terd." She throws a brownie at me and I catch it and pop it into my mouth."Hey, you were the one who said full service."Another sparkle of happiness pops through the dark. Her face tips down, a long lock of deep red hair falls over her shoulder, which starts to shake before she's laughing so hard a snort slips out. Her head jerks up, eyes wide when she stares at me, hopeful I didn't hear it. Of course I did, though, because I'm paying attention to everything she does."So no happy ending, then. I got it." I don't mention the snort but it's out there and I won't be able to not tease her about it at some point in the future."Well, it's not as if we send our clients out unhappy, though. It's just not that kind of happy ending.""Bummer.""Oh, you frequent those?""If you were my masseuse? Hell yeah, I would. In fact, I'd probably be your most loyal customer."Those deep, dark eyes roll and she takes another bite of The Cookie. I'm glad she's not a woma
Chloe"I'm so full," I groan, taking another bite.He laughs as I slide the fork out of my mouth and swallow down the creamy cheesecake. I'll have to run three extra miles tomorrow from eating all of this. Well, that is, if I was a runner. Instead I'll do some squats or something. Rex probably runs. Or goes to the gym. Or flips those heavy tires and does rock climbing and pull ups in his sleep. Very little of his body is showing but it's not hard to miss that he's in good shape. His forearms alone are what orgasms are made of.And I really, really want to see what his tattoos are like that are hidden beneath his shirt sleeves."You still haven't told me much about your salon.""I figured you'd lost interest once you learned it wasn't one of those appointment with a happy ending places.""Well, obviously, that would have made it much more interesting but I still want to know more about your boring salon."I smile and fiddle with my fork before laying my napkin on my
ChloeHe laughs, head thrown back. Strong neck, too, I can't help but notice. It's thick and wide with muscles at the base that lead into broad shoulders. Holy shit he's good looking. I don't think I've been in the presence of a man like him before and it makes me all kind of wiggly feeling inside. I don't know what to do with myself.When I got to Balance, I had to sit in my rental car for about fifteen minutes before I came inside. I know this isn't a date but Rex is so far out of my league, it doesn't even feel like I have the right to be sitting at the same table, much less eating with him.It wasn't lost on me that the hostess looked disappointed when I was led to his table. The entire staff was probably hoping he'd been stood up and they could help lick his wounds."I figured you'd call me out on it. I can't help it. I'm a nerd at heart. Love computers. Video games. Technology fascinates me, how it's always advancing. Every day I can learn something new, so I never get
RexStaring at my computer screen, I realize the page hasn't changed in at least thirty minutes. Normally I'm so lost in my work, I have to set reminders on my phone for me to stop and eat, even. But right now, I can't seem to focus for more than a few minutes at a time.And I know why.A certain dark eyed, deep red haired beauty caught my attention a week ago and I haven't been able to think of much else.I called my buddy and gave him Chloe's contact information, told him to call the salon. It was kind of a weird way of going about it, not having her contact someone, but I trust Brandon. He worked for years with his dad at his construction business and plays in a band at The Flying Goat fairly regularly. He knows how to fix just about any appliance and knew he'd help her out.Doesn't mean I didn't feel awkward as fuck calling him up and telling him to get in touch with a woman who needed his help. He made sure to call me out on it, too. Rightfully so. He felt like a jack
RexAnd that's all it takes to damn near wipe the smile off my face. I turn my head away quickly, trying to avoid the inevitable, her seeing my discomfort. But it's not quickly enough. She gasps and points to me. "Ho-ly shit. Someone turned you down.""No." Not a lie. I never asked Chloe out on a date. Though, I'm certain I would have been turned down had I tried for anything, between the sheets or not. But, that wasn't a consideration. Chloe doesn't need some guy trying to get a hookup. And that's all I can give. That's all I want to give.She smirks. "You're a liar.""I am not." I try my best not to make eye contact."Oh yes you are."I see Ethan walk in from the back and use it to my advantage. "Oh would you look at that? Your husband's here for his surprise visit already and looks like he needs a kiss.""This isn't over," she says in a stern voice, glaring at me and pointing a finger at my chest.And because I can't help myself, I wiggle my fingers in the air
Rex"Thank you for calling New You Salon, this is Jana, how can I help you?"I can't believe I'm about to say this but, "Yeah, I was wondering if I could schedule an appointment for a hair cut with Chloe? The sooner the better.""Sure, let me just pull up her schedule. Is there a time and date that works best for you?""Nope. I can make anything work," I say, rather than repeating myself by blurting out sooner than later, like I'd like to."She has an opening on Monday at ten. Does that work?""Sure does.""Name?"Oh shit. I hesitate. She's going to know it's me if I say my name but at the same time, I don't want to lie."Rex," I finally tell her."Got 'ya down. See you Monday. Thanks so much!""Thanks."I toss my phone on the counter and run my fingers through my hair that absolutely does not need a cut. I don't know what I'm doing here. It's completely out of my comfort zone but the fact that I've thought about Chloe more times than I care to admit over the
Chloe"Morning, Jana. How was your weekend?""Boring. As usual."I grin at my grumpy friend. She's definitely living in the wrong town if she's looking for an exciting night life and an endless social calendar. Liberty isn't tiny, but it's still a small town. We're lucky to have the college so we have more restaurants and bars, at least."Sorry to hear that."She rolls her eyes and plays with a long strand of bright pink hair as she flips through a magazine. "You are not. You love how sleepy it is here." "Got me there. How's my schedule look today?" I didn't work over the weekend but when I left here on Friday it looked like it was going to be a busy day."You're full up. Saturday a few called in. Your first client should be here in about ten minutes. Just a men's hair cut, though.""Okay sounds good. I'm going to go put away my stuff. Try not to have too much fun out here."She gives me a deadpan look as she licks her finger and flips the page again. I don't know
Chloe"Ahh!" I yell. I'm using my hand as a shield against the spray of water. The hose is flipping and flopping back and forth, jets of warm water streaming into the air and all over the both of us. Before I manage to get control of the situation, we're both nearly soaked. Even the floor is wet and slippery.Finally having the water turned off, which seemed to take much longer than it should have because I was taken by such surprise, I look over at Rex. I know my eyes are wide, my hair looks like I've just climbed out of the shower, but forgot to wash half of it because sections are completely dry while others are drenched.I wipe my face, my chest heaving."Well, I'm awake. What about you?"A burst of laughter bubbles out of me and I cover my mouth. That's never happened to me before. In fact, I'm not entirely sure that's ever happened to anyone ever. I don't know if it's because of my out of control nerves or something else entirely. I do know that I am incredibly embar