Fierce Salon Episode 1: A New Adult Smexy Serial (3 page)

Chapter Five

Amy

When I wake up Wednesday morning, I have a
whole new outlook. Gabi’s woodsy cottage is serene and inspiring. The only thing I can hear are birds chirping and the coffee pot brewing. I can see why she doesn’t want to give up the place even though she doesn’t need it.

After a leisurely breakfast of toast and jam on the back porch, I pick up my phone and log on to craigslist. I don’t have my own laptop so job hunting is going to be a bitch.

My phone isn’t one of those smart kind that work like mini computers. I’m barely able to read the tiny ads on my monochrome screen but I manage.

I’m excited to find
several jobs that look good in the area. I make a list of the locations and draw a big star next to Fierce Salon. It’s just around the corner from Ming’s old shop so I can go fill out an application in person.

The ad
says to email a resume but the last resume I had was on my old laptop and isn’t up to date. Besides, we recycled that dinosaur when the hard drive crashed and I never replaced it.

With a skip in my step, I head inside and sift through my clothes for an appropriate job inquiry outfit.

~**~

I arrive at the salon
at few hours later. It’s right next door to Creamy’s so if all goes well, I’ll pick up another cream stick to make up for the one I threw at Shane yesterday. Just as I’m about to open the door, it swings outward and one of the girls I used to work with at Fabulous Hair plows into me.

Olivia is a
sweet and talented girl. She set her sights high with a plan to marry a dot com millionaire before she turned thirty. During the time I knew her, she’d already dated several and had some decent prospects. At twenty-seven, time was catching up to her but she was Barbie doll gorgeous so she wouldn’t be searching for long.

“Amy?” She drops the cigarette she’s about to light and pulls me into a bear hug. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Hi, Olivia.” I knew she went to a fancy salon but didn’t realize this was it. “It’s so good to see you. How have you been?”

“Awesome. I’m working here now.” She gestures to the door she just exited from. “What about you?
Still at Fab?”

Okay, this is my first test. Can I relay the story without breaking into tears? Yes! Yes, I can.

I take a deep breath and force a cheery tone. “As a matter of fact, no. Saturday was my last day so I’m actually looking for a new job.”

I steal another glance at the salon I came to conquer. A wrought iron sign is perched above the front window.
Fierce Salon
. It looks fierce.

As I scan the interior, I see a few elegantly dressed junior league types in the waiting room and a full team of stylists lining both sides of the long room. They definitely aren’t feeling any economic strain on this side of the block.

Olivia is watching me as I inspect her salon.

“I actually saw an ad that said you
guys were hiring.”

I can hear the excitement in my
real voice overpowering the
I-told-you-it-would-work-out
voice in my head.

“Yes! We totally are. Come in and I’ll introduce you to the boss.
” Olivia feeds off my excitement and nods vigorously for just a moment before her face falls.

“What?” I
ask, anxious to get in there. I’m irrationally afraid he’s in the middle of hiring someone else for
my
job.

“I have to warn you.” She looks me dead in the eye. “Nate is a little…intense. Don’t feel bad if he acts like an ass. He’s just like that.”

Nodding my head, I smile. “I got this.” And I do. I need this job so if I have to stand up to some asshole, I will.

“Yay!”
She grabs my hand and drags me down the street. “Come with me to get a coffee and we can catch up first.”

I nod and let her pull m
e away, glancing longingly at the salon I hope to be working at in the near future.

Chapter Six

Nate

Paige
is a great receptionist but she doesn’t do well under pressure. She’s frantically taking calls and writing lists of messages. When I catch her eye, she jogs to my station and places the notes on my counter. “There are at least sixty people that ‘would love the opportunity to talk to you about their unique talents.’”

I laugh at her mocking tone of the idiots that refused to email their resume like I asked. “I’m sorry, Paige. I know this sucks for you but give it another day or two. I’ll pull the ad after I get a handful of decent resumes.”

She nods and walks away, blowing out a long breath as she does. Laughing to myself, I stretch my arms out and twist my bulky torso toward the front window.

Olivia is outside talking to a woman I don’t recognize. The stranger’s dark hair and round ass is distracting enough that I almost don’t hear Julia next to me. “Should I tell her you’ll be there?”

“Hmm.” I turn back toward Jules, my hand lightly smacking the exposed skin of my abs from where my shirt pulled up. “What was that?”

“Your mom wants you to come by for d
inner tonight. Can you go?”

I blow out a breath.
“Yeah. Tell her I’ll be there around seven.”

~**~

I’m just finishing up Brittany’s asymmetrical bob when Olivia walks up to me. “Excuse me, Nate.”

I look up and expect to see more melt
ing hair or some other disaster but there doesn’t seem to be one.

“Yes.”

“A friend of mine is interested in job.” She grabs a broom and starts sweeping up behind my chair. “Do you have a few minutes to talk to her?”

I glance at my watch. It’s a quarter to four. “I’ve got fifteen
minutes until my next client. After that, I’m back to back until six thirty.”

She nods and sweeps a pile of hair into the
touchless dustpan across from my station. “No problem. She’s waiting up front whenever you’re ready.”

I’m
curious about the girl with the brown hair and rockin ass she was talking to earlier. I didn’t get a good look at her face but that’s probably for the best. If she’s interested in working for me, she’s off limits. I may be the player everyone thinks I am but I do have enough business sense to never mess around with employees.

“Well, beautiful.”
With one final pass of my comb across Brittany’s hair, I turn her around and let her take her first look. “What do you think?”

The wide smile that covers her face is answer enough. “I love it.” Her hands immediately tug at the longest strands. “It’s so short…but it’s perfect.”

“I’m glad you think so.” I smile and turn her again. She accepts the mirror I’m holding and angles it to see the back. “I think it makes you look more mature. It’s very chic.”

A
pink blush fills her cheeks and she won’t make eye contact. Brittany is going into her freshman year of high school and is self-conscious about a large strawberry birthmark across her forehead. This cut hides the mark enough that the rest of her pretty face can shine.

“Thanks, Nate.” She glances up at me as I remove her drape. “I truly love it.”

“Well, I better not get a call from your dad because the boys are lining up outside your house.”

She laughs and the pink is back in her cheeks. “Don’t worry.
That’s not gonna happen.”

As she stands, I put my arm around her shoulder and give her a squeeze.
“Don’t be so sure. If I was fifteen, I’d be the first in line.”

Her eyes are bright
as she nods and walks to the front desk. I hope there is a boy smart enough to see past the birthmark to the beautiful girl behind it.

When I turn back to my chair, I realize Olivia an
d her friend are standing a few feet away, both wiping their eyes.

Fuck.
I hate when the girls see me without my walls up. It makes it so much harder to maintain professional boundaries.

When they don’t say anything, I look to Olivia. “Can I help you?”

“Oh, yeah.” She puts her hand on the brunette’s shoulder. “This is Amy, the friend I was telling you about. She’s interested in Marisa’s chair.”

“Amy.” I nod and offer my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.
I’m Nate.”

“It’s really nice to meet you too.” She wipes her hand on the sides of her dress before taking mine. It’s warm and soft
and the twitch in my pants pisses me off. “I’m sorry for the short notice.”

She’
s a pretty girl. Much shorter than most of the women I date. Probably only five four or five five. The few freckles across her nose and cheeks make her seem young. Really young. Too young. She barely looks legal.

I g
lace at my watch then look over at Jules. She catches my eye and nods toward Marilyn, my four o’clock. She’s a few minutes early but I don’t keep clients waiting if I can avoid it.

“No problem but my next appointment just arrived.”

Amy’s smile immediately drops into a frown and she looks like she might cry.

“Oh.” She takes a step back. “I understand.”

“Hold on.” I smile and take her elbow, walking her up front. “If you’ll sit tight for a few minutes, I’ll get Marilyn set up with Frankie and we can talk for a few minutes. Okay?”

“Of course.”
She definitely wears her heart on her sleeve. I can see the different emotions cross her face as she feels them. She’s now relieved. “I’ve got nothing but time.”

I gesture to
the leather chairs in the waiting area then turn toward one of my favorite clients. Marilyn is my mom’s friend and tells me all the shit Mom says about me. She’s the only one that will.

“
How’s my best girl.” I wrap one arm around Marilyn and give her a light kiss on the cheek.

“I’m
wonderful.” She returns the cheek peck with one of her own.

“Champagne today?”

She looks at her diamond studded watch as if the time of day matters. “I suppose I could sneak in a glass.”

I win
k and gesture for her to walk ahead. “After you.”

“If you’re not ready for
me,” Marilyn nods toward Amy, “I can wait a few minutes.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Much like my mom, she’s also waiting for me to settle down and make some grandbabies. Marilyn never had kids of her own and
was like a second mom for most of my life.

She’s the mom that’s always
been supportive of me no matter how stupid my family thought I was being. That’s why her opinion matters more than just about anyone’s.

“Don’t be silly.” I place my hand on her back and guide her
directly into the shampoo room. “Frankie will get you settled and I’ll be waiting for you with your glass.”

“You’re too good to me,
Natey.” She pats my cheek then turns to Frankie.

Frankie is even more of a flirt than I
am so I know I’ve got about ten minutes before Marilyn is back in my chair. I fill a glass with champagne and grab a water bottle. This is always my first test.

Amy is
fully engrossed in what she’s reading so she doesn’t even look up when I sit in the chair next to her. This amuses me. She seemed so nervous a few minutes ago and now she is lost in a magazine. I’m not sure if this is a good sign or a bad sign.

Her eye
brows furrow as if she’s reading something upsetting. “Interesting article?”

She startles and almost throws the magazine onto the glass table in front of us. “No.
Nothing.” She smooths the front of her dress from under her breasts down to her knees. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“N
o worries.” I hold the glass in one hand and the water bottle in the other. “Would you like a drink?”

She looks between the two and hesitates only a second before reaching for the water. “That would be great. Thank you.” She rolls the bottle between her palms but doesn’t open
it. Good girl.

“So, tell me why you’re interested in working
at Fierce.” I set the glass on the table and turn toward Amy. She takes a deep breath and shifts slightly toward me.

“I saw your ad this morning and would love the opportunity to—“

I cut her off. “You saw the ad on craigslist?”

She nods, a bit startled about being interrupted but she keeps going. “Yes, and since I live just—“

I stand and offer her my hand. “I’m sorry, Miss. I thought you were a referral from a current employee.”

“I am. Olivia and I worked—”

I hold up my hand to stop her. “The ad you saw clearly stated that resumes should be submitted via email. I’m sorry but I can’t hire someone unable to follow directions.”

“But, you don’t understand.”

“I do understand that you decided to disregard the application instructions.” I turn to walk away. “Have a good day.”

“Please, wait.” Her small hand wraps around my bicep and tugs me backward. I stop short and look down at her fingers. They are so pale compared to the dark olive of my skin. I want to shrug her off but my body doesn’t move. “Please, just hear me out. I
would have sent a resume but I don’t have a computer and I just lost my job and my apartment and my boyfriend. I really need you to give me a chance.”

With my eyes closed, I inhale deeply and count to five. T
urning into her arm so I’m facing her, I’m shocked by my body’s instinctive reaction to her. I want to reach out and touch the skin of neck, her cheeks…her lips. Damn.

Her chin is level with my nipples but she holds it high and doesn’t break eye contact.

“Please. Just let me show you what I can do.”

I exhale into her face and she doesn’t flinch. It looks like she’s
actually breathing in my air. I have to admit, I’m intrigued. Most of my employees tip toe around me like I’ll blow up if they piss me off. I rarely raise my voice so I don’t know why everyone’s afraid of me but I like that Amy isn’t.

“You think you can impress me enough to make me forgive y
our lack of regard to my instructions?”

“Yes, sir.”
She nods once and drops her hand from my bicep. “I know I will.”

I look at my station
. Marilyn isn’t back yet.

“You’ve got two minutes to tell me why you want to work here.”

We walk back to the chairs and both take a seat.

She clears her throat and begins.

“Well, the salon I’ve been at for the past three years just closed, um, yesterday, in fact.” She takes another deep breath and looks up. I see her eyes glisten but no tears fall. I wonder if she’s always so emotional. I can’t have a crier in here. We’ve had a few over the years and they drove me insane.

“Just yesterday
? Well, I commend your initiative to already be looking for your next job.” I can feel her eyes on my mouth. I wonder briefly if I’ve got something in my teeth then I remember I haven’t had anything to eat or drink since I brushed. “Where were you working?”

“Fabulous Hair.
It’s just around the corner.” Her pain is obvious but I’m surprised by her words.

“Ming’s salon shut down?”

“You know Ming?” Amy perks up with a mix of interest and sadness.

“Yeah, I just saw her last week a
nd she didn’t mention it.” For the past year, I’ve had a standing coffee date with Ming every Wednesday morning. She’s referred a few stylists to me and I’ve referred clients to her that were looking for a more
affordable
salon.

“Huh.” She barks o
ut a short laugh. “I saw her three days ago and she didn’t mention it. I had to have the landlord unlock the door so I could grab my license and tools.”

“
She didn’t warn you?” I think about the last time we spoke and whether she hinted at anything being really wrong. “I hope she’s okay.”

Amy cocks her head. “You really knew her that well?”

I nod. “We talked.” Then I realize who Amy actually is. “How long have you had your license?”

Her confidence breaks for just a second before
she squares up her shoulders and looks me in the eye. “Six months but I’ve been working closely with Ming for three years.”

“So you’re the
brilliant apprentice she’s been bragging about?”

Amy’s jaw actually drops. She’s shaking her head but a smile starts to form. “No…really? She talked about me?”

“Were you her only apprentice?”

Amy nods and her grin gets wider.

“In that case, I suppose I can overlook your earlier misstep.” I stand and offer her my hand. “Welcome to Fierce. I can start you as a junior stylist. Jules will get you the paperwork you need. I’ve got to get to Marilyn but you can hang out with Olivia today and come in tomorrow at nine thirty for an assessment.”