Wrong Way Renee (16 page)

“Aside from depleting o
ur checking account, you mean?”

“Yeah, aside from that?
”

“They're supposed to make me more fertile and make my womb a more pleasant place for a little zygote to set up shop. Rich and I must have sex when the moon is full on the third Tuesday of the month, then go outside naked, pray to the Moon Goddess and spin around three times.
”
She rolled her eyes.

Renee chuckled.
“So if you do all that, you'll be able to get pregna
nt and maintain the pregnancy?”

“That's the plan.
”

“I kn
ow it'll happen for you
.
”
She prayed it would. Her client seemed so dedicated to having a child.

After seeing Melissa out, Renee was sitting at the reception desk when the front door chimed and a young man came in holding a green glass vase filled with a dozen red roses. She crossed her fingers, hoping they were for her. Perhaps from
Cleave
or Joe?

“Becky Weiss?
”
the man asked.

Her heart sank and g
uilt stabbed at her for it.
“I'll give them to her. Thanks.
”
She carried the flowers to Becky's station.
“For you, my dear.
”
She set them down on the counter and sniffed in the aroma.

Becky stopped sweeping the hair around her station to admire the bouquet. Leaning the broom against her chair, she approached the arrangement and found the tiny card sticking out.
A dreamy smile settled on her lips
.

Renee, Zoey and
Chantelle
all stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

“Ahem,
”
Hazel cleared his throat.
“Zoey, I have an
appointment after this, dear.
Are you going to get the rest of these rollers out and finish my hair?
”

“Sorry.
”
Zoey threw Renee an exaggerated frown before continuing with Hazel's hair.

“Well?
”
Renee finally said.

“They're from Charles.
Let's say we took our relationship to
a new level over the weekend.”

Chantelle
stared at Becky, then at Renee with a puzzled expression.

Renee shook her head.
“I'll explain later,
Chantelle
.
”

“Things going well, then?
”
Renee
kept her voice quiet as she finished sweeping for Becky
.

“They're going great.
”
She
took another whiff of the flowers
.

“Ladies,
”
Hazel said while Zoey teased his hair.
“I am looking for a very understanding woman. Any
of you
know
some
one searching for an unusual, loving heterosexual man
who likes to dress as a woman?”

All eyes in the salon fell upon Hazel, but no one spoke.

Finally,
Chantelle
sauntered across the room and handed Hazel a slip of paper.
“This is my
Mama
's number. Her name is Ramona and she's game for most anything. She broke up with her boyfriend recently, so she's on the prowl. Why don't you give her a call?
”
With that,
Chantelle
returned to her table, winking at Renee as she passed.

A
sinking feeling
settled
in the pit of her stomach.

When Hazel's hair was done, he walked to
Chantelle
's table.
“Thank you,
Chantelle
, I'll give her a call.
If she’s half as pretty as you, I’ll be thrilled.
”

Renee waited for him to leave before she said anything to Chantelle.
“
D
o you think that was a good idea?
”

Chantelle
giggled.
“My
Mama
's gonna shit when she finds out w
hat kind of
unusual man
he is.”

Zoey was going to blow a gasket when she found out what
Chantelle
had done
.
Peace and harmony
, she silently chanted. That was all she wanted at the salon. Peace and harmony.

Zoey
came over and set her hands on her slim hips
.
“You mean you gave him your
mother’s number as a
joke?
”
Her face was red and her chest heaved.

Chantelle
shrugged.
“You never know. Maybe she'll like him.
She’s dated a couple white men.
They could share makeup tips. It would be like dating your best girlfriend.
”
She started giggling again.

“
Chantelle
, you're wicked,
”
Renee said.

“If you piss off my client and I lose him,
Chantelle
, I'll
…
I'll be very upset. You better hope that doesn't happen.
”
Zoey scowled, spun on her heels and marched back to her station.

Renee prayed nothing would happen that would cause either woman to leave the salon. Losing a renter would surely put them in a deep, deep hole.

* * * * *

Joe
opened his front door Friday night
, looking quite sexy leaning against the doorjamb wearing a pair of faded Levis and a royal blue T-shirt
that hugged his muscular shoulders in all the right ways
.
“You are a sight for sore eyes.
”

Renee nearly swooned as he
pulled her close
for a kiss
.
He smelled like a pine forest and she breathed deeply, hoping to memorize the comfort of the moment.

His touch sent
delicious
chills rippling through her.
“Nice to see you too.
”
She walked past him into the house
carrying a bottle of white zinfandel
. The aroma of garlic filled the air.
“Something smells good.
”

Besides you.

The living room was open to a dining area and the kitchen sat to the left, separated from the rest of the room by a long snack bar. A skylight in the vaulted ceiling let in a little moonlight. Joe's color scheme from the outside carried into the interior. Pale blue and gray hues were everywhere; a blue sectional couch, gray carpeting, white tile in the kitchen and i
n front of the stone fireplace
and a blue tablecloth on the dining room table. Everything was neat and clean. Good sign. No more slobs like Damien.
“Do I get the nickel tour?”

“Sure. This is the great room, of course. Back there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
”
He pointed toward a hallway.
“Did you want to see all that?”

“Well, if I don't, i
t's only the penny tour.”

He shifted from f
oot to foot
.
“Um, that part of the house isn't as neat as the front. I sort of threw all the junk
that was out here, back there.”

“So you're not as perfect as I thought. Forget it, I'm leaving.
”
She
started for the door then turned back and grinned at him
.

He met her gaze. Was he blushing or did he have slight sunbur
n? She could have melted under the heat of his
stare.

A white longhaired cat slinked by, rubbing Renee's leg, meowing.

“So which one is this
”
The feline purred as Renee scratched it behind the ears.
“No, don't tell me. Let me guess. Are you Law?
”

“Sorry, that's Order. Law's around here somewhere. He's a little shy. He'll come out soon enough.
”
He gestured toward the wine bottle in her hand.
“Shall I open that?”

She handed it over.

“There's some crab dip and crackers on th
e coffee table. Help yourself.”

Sh
e turned toward the couch, searching for the
food
. What she found was Law. The gray cat stood on his hind le
gs, licking dip from the bowl.
“On second thought,
I'll skip the dip. No offense.” She tipped her chin toward the cat.

“What's wrong with
…
Law!
”
Joe's shout sent the cat running from the room.
“Damn it. I'm sorry, I should have known better.
”

“I don't like crab dip anyway,
”
she lied.
“Apple did the same thing to me once. Ate an enti
re plate of cheese I left out.”

“Yeah, my fault. I know better.” H
e snatched the dip bowl and dum
ped the contents down the drain
. Then he opened the refrigerator and stared inside.
“Speaking of
cheese
, how about
cheddar and crackers.”

“I love cheddar. Can I help?
”
God, he was adorable. She felt so at ease with him, and so turned on.
Completely different from how it was with Cleave.

“
I've got it. Dinner is in the oven. We
're having Chicken Parmesan
.”
He placed a plate of cheese and a knife on the snack bar, then sat on one of the gray upholstered bar stools, patting the seat next to him.
“Co
me have a bite to eat with me.”

She
grabbed the plate of crackers from the coffee table and joined him. As she sat on the bar stool, he looped his hand around her neck, guiding her closer for another kiss.

“Did I tell you how gorgeous you look?
”
He stared at her a long moment.
“I love
the color
. It's different.
”

“One of the hairdressers got a wild ha
ir, so to speak, and decided I needed a little pink in my life
.
”

He ran his fingers through her hair, searching her eyes.
“Please don't bite me,
”
he whispered.

She giggled.
“I promise I won't.
”
Her lips met his in another soft kiss. When her stomach growled, she
gave him an apologetic smile then
positioned a slice of cheese on a cracker and held it to his lips.
“Open up.
”
She fed him the cracker, then made one for herself.

H
e pulled her off her stool and guided her body between his thighs. She planted her hands on his thighs. God, they were so muscular. A cyclone swirled in her belly, and it wasn't from the
food
.

“At this rate, we'll never have dinner.
”
He buried his face in her neck. His tongue flicked at her earlobe, tickling her
and ratcheting her libido higher
.

She couldn’t hold back a laugh. “I'm sorry. I'm very ticklish, like everywhere.”

“Everywhere?
”
His eyebrows waggled.

Her cheeks warmed.
“Almost everywhere.
”

“I'll try to remember that.
”
He nudged a curl away from her neck to gently nip at the flesh there.
“That
doesn't tickle, does it?” His voice was a low growl.

“No, it feels good.
”
She held her head back as he nibbled on her skin. A beeping sound startled them both and they separated.
“Good thing you weren't kissing me. You know what happens when I get startled during a kiss.
”
She
batted her lashes.

“Good thing I don't have the same affliction or your neck would l
ook like Dracula had been there.
That means the chicken's done. I'll grab it from the oven, then I guess we should start on our salads. I have
homemade bleu cheese dressing.”

“Wow. Catching criminals, rescuing damsels in distress and a chef too. What other talents do you have?
”