Silver and Gold (3 page)

 
Back under control, he was baffled by his response. Just looking at this guy made him hard, whereas it had taken Troy considerable groping and whispered lewd comments.
First Jesse, then Troy, now this guy. What, am I going through a mid-life crisis? Focus, Geoff, you need to figure things out with Jesse before you go off on any more youthful tangents.

The man’s golden blond hair was arranged in a disheveled modern cut, and interested hazel eyes met his as he finished woolgathering and completed his assessment. Geoff flushed as he realized that he’d been checking the man out rather blatantly for some time.

“This is Abe Golden, my colorist. Abe, my boss, Geoff Radcliffe.”

“Hi Abe, good to meet you,” Geoff responded to Kim’s introduction automatically.
Golden? Is that like a stage name? He matches his hair, or maybe he dyes it to match his name.

“Nope, it’s really mine. The hair color and the name. The greats shortened it from Goldenbaum to sound less Jewish.”

Geoff would have happily sunk through the floor as he realized he had said that aloud.
Could this week
get
any more embarrassing? And what am I even still doing here?

“Okay, well, you already have your coffee, and no appointments, so I’ll head up and leave you in Abe’s capable hands.”

“What?” the two men echoed as Kim walked out the door, abandoning them.

Chapter Three

Abe
fought hard to keep his face straight as he beheld the panicked look in Geoff’s beautiful dark eyes. He was delighted by the turn of events. The mountain had come to Mohammed. Kim’s scheme had been clever and Machiavellian, involving considerable time on her part while she insulted, flattered, shamed, and bribed Geoff into a trip to the salon. So much for Kim’s grand plans. If Abe was going to do this, he was going to do things his way.

His quarry gave him a wary glance as Abe stepped closer and placed a hand on the small of Geoff’s back, herding him gently toward his personal styling area at the back of the shop. “What can I do for you today?”

Geoff had been walking along willingly enough, but the question apparently threw him, because he froze in his tracks. His eyes met Abe’s, and as Abe stared up into that dark, deep gaze, he felt a tug at his heart at the self-doubt and confusion he read there.

“Sit,” he gently ordered, indicating the salon chair, and when Geoff hesitantly complied, he immediately went into action, raising the chair, wrapping a soft paper towel around his neck and securing it with the cape, then raising the chair to optimal height. Geoff’s slightly alarmed look finally relaxed into something like determination.

Mourning the loss of the view of that hard body now concealed under the cape, Abe turned his focus to Geoff’s classically handsome face. Strong jaw line, straight nose, full lips over a square, masculine chin already sporting the early hints of what was evidently a daily battle with five-o’clock shadow. Those dark brown, almost black eyes were set off by lovely, naturally shaped dark brows and straight lashes. Abe met those eyes in the mirror from his stance behind Geoff and felt a curl of wanton longing tighten his insides. Barely able to keep from rubbing up against the man like a cat in heat, Abe settled for resting his hands briefly on Geoff’s wide shoulders, before raising his hands to sift through Geoff’s hair.

At the first touch of his hands, those eyes fluttered closed, lashes flirting with his cheeks for a moment, before reopening to a slightly more heavy-lidded position. Poor man seemed starved for touch, Abe mused. Every time Abe laid his hands on him, he got a strong reaction. To test this, he lifted his hands from Geoff’s hair and replaced them on his shoulders, this time giving a nice squeeze, feeling the firm give of muscles. This time Geoff tensed and shifted in the chair. Abe smiled inwardly and stroked his hands down and back up Geoff’s arms, which were hidden from view by the plastic, but Abe could just imagine how they must’ve looked bare in the cold on Saturday night as his fingers learned their girth and definition through the layers between Geoff’s skin and his own.

Abe wasn’t just touching gratuitously or with an ulterior motive; he was naturally a very tactile person. But something about Geoff just made Abe want to wrap him up in his arms and never let go.

“I want you to cover up all this grey.” Abe was startled back into the scene by the assertive command in Geoff’s voice. He frowned as he raised his hands back to Geoff’s dark locks, thick but fine and straight, filtering them through his fingers repeatedly as he examined the hair with an expert eye. Obviously took care of it, clean scalp, and a well-shaped cut. No receding, good genes. Sexy splash of silver at the temples, just a touch, just the right place. A few other isolated silver strands woven through the dark. He was going to grow into salt and pepper well in the coming decade.

“What do you mean, ‘all this grey’?” he countered. “You mean this gorgeous silver here?” he stroked Geoff’s temples with his index fingers, watching with pleasure as his eyelids did that sexy drift closed, then open again. A frown marred Geoff’s forehead as he reopened his eyes, meeting Abe’s in the mirror.

“It’s not gorgeous. I look like an old man,” he insisted with a touch of vulnerability that made Abe impulsively reach forward and give him a brief, tight hug from behind. The shock on Geoff’s face as Abe withdrew was priceless. Oops. Oh well.

“You do
not
look like an old man. Old man,
please!
” Abe snorted. “Whatever little bitch told you that, they were just jealous. You are one sexy hunk of man, and that silver is going to stay right there.” He punctuated that last with another couple squeezes to Geoff’s shoulders. “Now, how about a relaxing aromatherapy wash and a light trim instead?”

Geoff’s jaw hung in disbelief. Abe watched in amusement as he tried several times to start, finally managing, “Wait a minute.” Geoff appeared to collect himself, and turn to face Abe, the frown back, deeper than before. “I want this grey covered up, not a trim, not a wash. Color. You’re a colorist, right?” He paused and Abe nodded. “Then
color
.” He sat back, facing the mirror once more, smugly certain he would get his way. Foolish man.

“Nope.”

“What?” Geoff looked like he was about to jump out of the chair, and Abe set his hands back on his shoulders. “Now wait a minute! I know you’re Kim’s friend, but it’s not up to you whether I color my hair, that’s my decision. I’m the damn customer, and if you won’t do it, I’ll get someone else to.” Geoff looked around the salon as if to pick out another technician.

“No one here will do it, handsome, so don’t bother,” Abe soothed. “How about that wash?”

Geoff went from looking slightly annoyed to plain angry. “I want to speak to your manager,” he demanded with scowl.

Abe couldn’t hide his grin. “Abraham Golden, owner, operator, and colorist to a select few, at your service. ‘Golden’ Shears? The name should’ve been your clue, hon.”

Geoff wilted back into the chair, deflated. “Oh.” He looked down and wearily ran a hand through his hair. “Shit, I’m sorry. Even if you weren’t the boss, I had no right yelling at you like that.” He looked up at Abe with a worried expression that gave Abe insta-wood. Mmm. Nothing like an uber-male groveling. Super hot. “Hey, don’t tell Kim about this? I’ve done enough this week to ruin my credibility with her.” His mouth quirked into a wry smile. “I must be going through a mid-life crisis or something. I really need to get my act together.”

Abe smiled. This was nice leverage. “Sure thing, Geoff. I’ll make a deal. I won’t tell her about your meltdown and rude behavior if you do a few things for me.”

“Anything.” Oh, he was just asking for it with that agreement. Poor sweetie, Abe thought. He must be really rattled. It was pretty out of character for a successful businessman like Geoff to give
carte blanche
.

“Okay, first of all, you need to promise me that you won’t go to another salon to get your hair done, or, God forbid, try to do it yourself.”

Geoff frowned again. “I really want to get rid of—”

“All this grey, yes, I know. And I’m getting to that, okay? Hold your horses.”

“Sorry.” Geoff looked a little sheepish at the reprimand.

Abe continued, “Secondly, you need to tell me the complete story of what has you so convinced that you look old… over dinner tonight. Then I’ll think about it.”

Geoff breathed out in a whoosh. “You don’t ask for much, do you?”

“No, not much considering I think it would be crime to do anything at all to your incredible hair color.” Abe returned with a little accompanying caress at Geoff’s temples. “Agreed?”

Geoff turned to face him again with a considering look that held an awareness of the mutual attraction between them. Abe held his breath as his lips parted, his eyes dropping to Geoff’s mouth. The moment sizzled between them.

“Six o’clock?” came from those beautiful lips, and Abe let his breath out as he raised his gaze back to Geoff’s eyes. “I’ll walk down and pick you up here, if that’s okay?”

“Fantastic,” Abe murmured softly. “I can’t wait.”

*  *  *

The
day crawled by for Geoff, going south in the way only Mondays seem to be able to. Kim was barely speaking to him, not that he was giving her much opportunity to do so. He could barely look at her without the Saturday night incident popping into his head. Jesse had called just to chat while he was down in the salon, and Geoff was disappointed to have missed him, especially since Jesse said he’d be unreachable until the next day. And several kinks popped up in business transactions that he had thought were all sewn up. He and Kim put out fire after fire, until by the end of the day, they were both exhausted and tense.

And all day, he couldn’t get Abe out of his mind. The way Abe had constantly touched him while he was trapped in his chair sent shivers through Geoff just thinking about it. Just watching his trim form and expressive face in the mirror had made him hard and very glad for the concealment of the cape, but then when he ran his hands over him…
Oh God.
He’d had to come back from the salon and lock himself in his private bathroom. He had barely opened his pants and taken out his erection in his hands before he was coming, shooting all over the floor with Abe’s name on his tongue. In the aftermath, a picture of Jesse popped into head, and guilt flared up.

You shouldn’t feel guilty. It’s not like you and Jesse are even together.

Yeah, but Jesse’s the reason I’m so fired up right now, not Abe.

Are you sure about that?

Geoff pondered this. Trying to think about Saturday night without cringing, he was willing to admit there had been thoughts of Jesse in his mind while he was with Troy.

Obviously! You said his name!

Okay, that was a given then. But today, when he was with Abe, all thoughts of Jesse were driven from his head. He tested that in this mind. Yep, he hadn’t thought of Jesse once while he was at the salon. Even the drive to get the grey in his hair colored had become, at that point, more about Troy’s taunt than about impressing Jesse. After all, Jesse was his age. He certainly was going to understand if Geoff was a little grey.

Silver!
Abe’s voice popped into his head.

Fine. Silver. Still don’t want it.

But the point was that Jesse was more his age than Abe was. He didn’t need to be ridiculous, chasing youthful twenty-somethings. Look how well that had worked out with Troy. Geoff shook his head ruefully. And even though Abe was apparently a successful business owner, he looked extremely young. If Geoff had seen him in a bar, he would have wondered if Abe was even old enough to drink. He gave a quick smile. Abraham. What a name for a guy like Abe.

He glanced at the clock.
Shit, almost six!
He quickly straightened his desk and grabbed his things, heading for the elevator, only to get waylaid in the lobby by Kim.

“Boss, you got a minute?”

He grimaced and turned. “Just a minute. I’m meeting someone. What’s up?”

Kim shot him an indecipherable look. “Abe?”

Geoff exhaled impatiently. “Yes, Abe.”

Kim’s smile widened. “Okay, I won’t keep you then. Just wanted to give you this.” She pulled him into a quick hug. Geoff started to protest, but the positive touch felt good and he found himself returning the hug with a quick squeeze of his own.

“We’re okay, boss, just so you know. I don’t think any less of you, and we don’t have to ever talk about it again. Okay?”

Geoff swallowed. “Thanks Kim. I… look, I’d stay and talk, but I’m already running late….”

“No problem,” she interrupted with a little shove toward the elevator. “Go. I’ll call and let him know you’re coming.” She pulled out her phone, hit two buttons and listened.

Geoff frowned. “You have him on speed dial?” He shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He climbed into the car as it arrived, riding impatiently down to the atrium level and walking to the salon. Abe was just locking the security gate across the front of his shop. “Hey there,” he greeted as he saw Geoff approaching. “Ready?”

“Yes, I thought we’d take my car.”

“Actually, I have something else in mind that doesn’t require a car.”

Geoff couldn’t help but respond to the teasing tone in Abe’s voice. “Oh? And what might that be?”

Abe gave him a slow, sensuous smile that had Geoff wondering what those sexy lips would look like wrapped around his cock. “Follow me.”

Geoff took him at his word and walked directly behind Abe, right back to the elevators. Biting back an appreciative moan, he watched those tight jeans over that taut ass swaying seductively in front of him, momentarily diverted as Abe swiped a card key, typed in a code, and then pushed the call button for the private elevator. “Do you live here?”

“Yep, up on fifteen.”

“Nice. I’ve always wanted to see the condos here, just never got around to making an appointment. I do love the view of the river from the restaurant upstairs, though.”

They stepped into the elevator, standing much closer than usual elevator etiquette. Geoff could almost feel the heat radiating off Abe’s skin. “I do too. My condo’s view is very similar, at more of an angle, though.” Abe leaned past Geoff, brushing against him as he repeated the card swipe and code routine, and punched fifteen. “I called this afternoon to make reservations for eight o’clock. Is that all right?”