Chapter Seven…
Amazing that a salon visit might have been the ultimate answer to finding out where Mason and I were heading, or not. And he… yes, he came in the form of one scruffy yet extremely good-looking guy with long bleached out hair seated in a black leatherette hydraulic seat that allowed me to pump clients up and down to get a better angle. I smiled to myself thinking that sounded kind of dirty. I assessed him while looking at his reflection in a black full-length mirror, similar to the one in my foyer at home, that adorned every station. My guess was that he was a brunette under all of his wavy blond strands—maybe a surfer.
“What can I do for you today?” I asked, running my fingers through his thick locks while he stared back at me in the mirror.
“Are we talking about my hair or something else?” He smirked and arched a brow and reminded me instantly of Mason. Shaking my head, he told me to cut it off that he was contemplating going back to the business world after failing to make first string on his water polo team. A younger goal keeper had knocked him out of his spot. Agreeing to help him, I sent him off to have his hair washed by my assistant.
When he returned from the shampoo area, I grabbed the brushed chrome handle of the white lucite cabinetry—that I had installed when I remodeled the salon—and pulled out, a comb, hair clips and scissors. Ready to dive in, his first long curl hit the floor and he looked down. “A lot more of those are going to fall. You might want to keep your head up if you want a symmetrical haircut.”
“I was actually admiring the floors. They looked great, like they’ve been splattered with paint… like a Jackson Pollack painting.”
“Good-looking and art smart, nice.” I smiled at him in the mirror. I had removed the old black and white checkered floor to expose the concrete beneath and then had an artist come in to give the look he had mentioned and then had it sealed.
“So you’re the one that has my cousin running scared.” My hands stilled as I looked up. “You’re cousin?” He had to mean Mason and that was probably why he had me thinking of him.
“Mason.” Confirmation! “If you want him the way he wants you, you’re going to have to totally rattle his cage—call his bluff. Tell him you’re going to be dating me. I guarantee you’ll see how fast he comes running. You have the real control you know,” he arched his eyebrow in a way that had me wondering if he was familiar with his cousin’s dominant preferences. Then my mouth dropped a bit with his next words. “It’s all about the power of the pussy!”
Did he really just say that to me? Yep, he did and he gave me an earful more that had me thinking that there was a possibility of a future with Mason. It was whether or not I wanted to wait and see if he would take me out of the friends with benefits zone or I needed to give him a little push. I had a feeling it would need to be the latter.
By the time I had groomed Morgan into a guy you would see on the cover of a GQ magazine or one of the other gossip rags I had sitting on an oval shaped brushed chrome coffee table surrounded by black leatherette slipper chairs, we were pals. I hated to see him go once I had helped check him out and had him leaving with a bag full of Rhett Scarlett products. Thanking and hugging him goodbye, he gave me one last piece of advice. “Tell him that you are giving me access to your swimming pool. That will throw him completely over the edge.” I laughed knowing that Mason was very attached to my pool and then I promised to give his advice a try. It was just a matter of where and when. I didn’t have to wait long.
Off to meet up with Mason, my head was filled with all of the things that his cousin had said to me… not the crude parts, but how he told me that Mason’s two dates with the test subjects did not live up to his expectations. That Mason had found himself comparing them to me and there was no comparison so he was giving up on using the service and focusing more on other aspects. Most of the ones that I had mentioned to him, including the expansion of his website, dividing it up by big cities so local businesses could benefit, as well, by purchasing sponsor slots. It was strange and wonderful to hear all of that from someone else, it made me feel important to Mason. Unfortunately, it sounded as if I was a business partner and that the hot, hot, hot intimate part of us, though not often, was a perk and nothing more.
Those thoughts also had me thinking that maybe it was time to up my game. If the time was right or the opportunity arose, I was thinking about maybe using a bit of Morgan’s advice. I started with wearing dangerously high heels paired with another one of my bodycon dresses, this one off-white linen with a big rose and vine on it. It was definitely not a look for Mason’s restaurant selection, but it was sure to grab attention.
“TGI Friday’s? Really?”
“It’s a Friday… what better place to go?” He gave me a boyish smile.
“You’re a nut!” I proclaimed, sitting so the slit up the side of my dress gave him a nice view of my bare thigh and hinted that I was not wearing panties. Seriously, I have no idea why I even own them, it’s rare that I wear them.
It appeared that my dress had gotten to him as he had a hard time spitting out his sarcastic words. “And that’s why you love me.”
Did I love him, love him? Or was I infatuated with him? Was it a conquest thing? Wanting something that is just out of reach or maybe even impossible. Then I wondered for about a half of a second if the moment was right to try a little test on him. But then he transitioned into a business item so I let my other thoughts drop.
Best to move on to business, I outlined my ideas for a night where people could do speed dating anonymously in person. Communicating without seeing the person. Kind of a confessional booth setup or like the old dating game. Men would be on one side and women on the other. Cocktails and appetizers to get everyone relaxed before moving onto phase two; the interviews or timed mini dates. Everyone would be given an assigned number, a stack of three by five cards, and a pen to write down numbers. At the end of the night the cards would be turned in and if there were numbers that matched up—for instants, one-twenty-three liked four-zero-one and four-zero-one liked one-twenty-three—the pair would be moved into another area to meet and receive a gift bag. Sponsors could get involved offering services, like a restaurant could give us some gift certificates for complimentary dinners.
“Where do you come up with these absolutely crazy and wonderfully marvelous things?” Mason asked, tipping a beer bottle to his smiling lips.
I’m not sure where all of my ideas were coming from, but since he had confessed that I was a test—and nothing more than a business arrangement—I had a desire to play matchmaker. Just because I couldn’t make it in a romantic relationship that didn’t mean I didn’t have the skills to make things work for others.
Mason seemed to like my idea and began to write down further notes to contact hotels that would maybe comp a conference room for our event and he even liked the name I came up with. Rapid Blind Date. “I could kiss you right now!” Yes, please! “Another brilliant idea like your city theme one. I have received emails from businesses wanting to get involved and praises from others already involved.”
“Yes, it’s been great for Salon Luxe too.” Showtime! Ding, ding, ding! People take your seats, the performance is about to begin! “I have been transforming some pretty hot men lately. Some didn’t need much help and some required the full works, but they all walked out looking ooh la la handsome as hell.”
“I heard a guy named Morgan came into your salon.”
“Yes, very good looking. He didn’t require much help at all. How do you know him?” It was time to play dumb.
“He’s my cousin. Just back from living in Europe… he’s trying to find himself.” I watched him laugh and shake his head. “He stopped in today and talked about investing in my site after seeing all of the perks you have put into place. I’m not sure where he fits in or even wants to fit in with Butler Industries.”
“Butler Industries?” I had heard about them from my friend Scarlett, she rented space in one of their buildings in La Jolla. “Yes, they helped set me up with equipment. They provide some great communication options like social networking for the troops, textbooks for kids, and a bunch of other things…”
“Umm… well, he asked me out, is that going to be a problem?”
I watched him fidget in his chair. “Not sure you should date him. He’s not your type.” He took a big swig of his beer.
“I don’t match up with him on your site?”
“He’s not on the site.” Mason sounded less than happy about my interest in his cousin and I found it fun to rattle him. But it was a good thing we were in a public place otherwise I had a feeling my ass might have been turned to a shade of pink, darker than my hair. I bit my lip to keep from laughing at my thoughts.
“Excuse me, customers at the next tables have been complaining about your conversation.” Camilla—name on tag—seemed a bit nervous informing about our undesirable behavior. “It’s kind of a family restaurant… uh, maybe you’d like to move up to the bar area… the pickup zone.” She stood swaying from side to side, toying with her hands in front of her and then moving them behind her.
“Pickup zone?” I had to laugh as I questioned her.
“Yes, men are always glued to tits up there and asking us to go home with them.”
“Check out his site.” I hooked my thumb toward Mason who was sitting back, unusually quiet. “He offers dates without knowing about your perking assets.” I dug out some cards from the pocket of my leather bound notebook and handed a few to her. “I included my business card too. If you want a discount on eyebrow waxing…” I extended my hand to take one card back and flipped it over to make a note, then gave it back to her. “First brow job is on the house.” She was in desperate need of plucking, tweezing, and waxing.
“Wow! Thanks!” she exclaimed and then added in a hushed voice, “do they wax everything?” Her face was so red, I couldn’t help but laugh before I informed her that they ripped it all off with a wink. She seemed delighted with the news and walked off without moving us to the bad kid section.
“I can’t believe you told her that her eyebrows were a mess.”
“They are, didn’t you notice?”
“No, I couldn’t get passed her huge tits begging to be free.” I slapped his muscular arm. “What?! They were straining up against the buttons of her striped shirt. She definitely needs a larger size top to be working in this so-called family area we are contaminating with our hookup plans.”
“You men are all alike.”
“That’s why I started the site; to save women from men like me and to give guys a chance based on their personalities.”
“You know, your cousin could be involved in the Rapid Blind Date project if there is a problem with me dating him. He’s hot as fuck and the ladies would go wild for him! Or if it’s not a big deal to you, I may date him myself.”
“Like hell you will!” His raised voice was probably going to get us thrown out. But I got exactly what I was hoping for, but I was not quite there yet.
“Excuse me?” I asked like his words offended me.
“You heard me. You cannot date him.” He had lowered his voice, but it was stern.
“Wait. You are not interested in me for more than a business and benefit arrangement. Morgan was pretty flirty with me and he wants to date me. And if things go well, you might have to share my pool with him or maybe put a lane line down the middle…”
“Fuck no! You are not dating him. And he sure as hell is not swimming in your pool, and I will tell him so.”
“You better come up with a better answer than your because I say so attitude.”
“I think we should go out on another date.”
“Experimental or an actual date?”