CHAPTER SIX

 

 

SHAZ RAN the brush over his hair and smoothed it with his hand. Not bad. He’d tamed the mane. Ironed stick-straight and polished, it made him look even more girly than when it was wild, but then, he wasn’t exactly trying for macho.

“My, my, don’t you look lovely.”

Shaz looked up at Ru, who had walked up behind him at the styling station. “Thank you, dear.”

“Getting beautiful for Giles?”

Shaz stared at his own face. Did he look guilty? “Um, yes, we’re going out later.”

Ru cocked his head, then pulled out the omnipresent tablet he used to schedule every stylist in the office, including Shaz. He looked up from it. “You devil, you’re prettifying for that big hunk of handsome, aren’t you?”

Shaz put a finger to his cheek and stuck out his hip. “Whoever could you mean?”

“Isn’t he a bit blue-collar for your taste?”

Shaz sighed. “Of course. That’s why I’m primping for Giles.”

Ru leaned against the chair at the next station. “Still, he is extraordinary-looking.”

“Are we talking about Billy Ballew or Giles? I’ve lost track.”

“No, you haven’t. You just haven’t recovered from grabbing his arm.” Ru laughed.

“So true. But the man is as straight as Lea Michelle’s bangs, and I’m attached.” He pressed his fingertips to his chest and gave a little bow; then he went back to brushing. Oddly, Billy struck a chord. Something in those blue eyes and that handsome face spoke of wounds and sensitivities that exceeded his superhero appearance. Shaz frowned at himself. Really, stop fantasizing. Focus on the future.

The intercom on his cell phone buzzed. “Yes.”

“Billy Ballew is here.”

The blue-collar beauty himself. “I’ll be right out.” He took one more glance in the mirror and curled a strand of his bright red hair around his ear, showing off the dangly unicorn earrings. Did giant straight guys like unicorns? Sure, right. He glanced over at Rupert, who was talking to one of the hair stylists. “Ru?”

“Yes, dear.”

“Do you have all the styles I selected for Billy ready to go?”

“Yes. I have a rack assembled in the back.”

He took a deep breath. “Okay. Thanks so much.”

A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he turned to look into Rupert’s dark eyes. The man spoke softly. “Are you nervous about seeing this guy?”

“Of course not.”

“Excited, then?”

Was he? “Maybe a little. There’s something about all those muscles.” He shrugged.

Ru raised an eyebrow. “That makes you want to curl up on his lap and feel safe?”

Wow. His friend did know him. He shrugged again.

Ru gazed at him. “Just remember, guys like that are more likely to beat you up in a dark alley than give you a warm-puppy hug.”

Well, hell. “You always know how to restore reality, my friend.”

“We’ve been around the block a few times together. Trying to keep you safe is second nature.”

Shaz gripped his friend’s arm. “Love you, sweetie.”

“Back at’cha.”

Ready or not. He walked out through the door to the reception area. Billy sat on the couch, running a hand over the leather. “Enjoying the material?”

The guy looked up, startled, and stood. Dear God, he’s so tall. “Uh, yeah. I really like your stuff. I have a little place and enjoy fixing it up. I can’t afford this kind of quality, but I get ideas, you know?”

“Yes, I do know. And you’d be surprised how little I pay for some of these things. You just need to know where to shop and who to ask.”

Billy grinned. Not something Shaz had seen before, and it was devastating. Crinkles appeared beside the big blue eyes and dimples popped out in his cheeks. “I’m all ears.” The dimples deepened. “Hey, your hair looks really pretty. I mean, nice, you know.”

Oh my. Why would he notice? Of course, he’d kind of hoped Billy would notice. “Thank you so much. You like it better smooth like this?”

“Yeah. But I always did like long hair.” He stared, seemed to realize what he’d just said, and blushed scarlet. “On girls, I mean.” He looked at his worn flip-flops. “Anyway, I’d love to know about those places you buy nice stuff for cheap.”

Shaz swallowed. “I’ll give you pointers as we work.”

Billy ran a hand down his rumpled T-shirt. “Sorry. I came straight from Little League.”

How Middle America could the boy get? “For Little League, you look grand.” That was certainly the truth. “Come on, let’s get started.”

He led Billy to the back and waved at Cassandra. “Cass, here’s our guy. Time to go to work.”

His aesthetician hurried over. About five feet tall if she stretched, she peered up at Billy. “You big guy. Cute too. But we need some work on that skin, okeydokey?”

Shaz laughed. “Billy, this is Cassandra Nguyen. She’ll be doing your skin care and a little grooming.”

Pink crawled up Billy’s neck to his ears. “Pleased to meet you.”

She grabbed his arm. “Come on, big guy.”

Shaz giggled at the unlikely twosome. Billy disappeared into a private room with Cass. Oh, to be a fly on the wall, but Cass didn’t like any interference in her domain. Besides, he had another client.

He was just finishing up with a July bride when Billy emerged from Cass’s room glowing. She led him to one of the hairdressing chairs, and he plopped down. Shaz said good-bye to the woman and walked over to Billy. The big guy had his fingers on his shiny cheek and was staring at himself in the mirror. Shaz leaned over the back of the chair. “What do you think?”

Billy’s dimples popped. “Shit, that was better than sex.”

Shaz laughed. “Clearly someone’s doing something wrong in bed, but I will admit Cassandra’s ministrations are divine.” When he stopped laughing, he looked at Billy, who was staring at him funny. Maybe he’d offended him. “Your skin looks great. Ready to see the clothes I picked for you?”

“Kind of scared to.”

“Why scared?”

“I might like them. Fashion is too rich for my blood.”

Shaz spoke over his shoulder as he led Billy to the styling room. “Not so. You’ll be able to combine the clothes I’m going to show you in so many ways, it will be like having a whole new wardrobe. You won’t need much more.”

“Okay.” He didn’t sound convinced.

A rolling rack held all the clothes Shaz had selected or requested from the stores and designers. He swept out a hand. “Ta da!”

Billy walked up to the clothes like they might attack him. He ran his hand over the gabardine of a dark blue suit. “Wow.”

“That’s a staple every man needs to have in his closet. Like a woman’s LBD.”

Billy frowned.

“Little black dress, darling. This will need tailoring, but it’s a good place to start because other pieces will build on it.” Shaz grabbed a pin-striped dress shirt. “Here. Put this on with it. Use that dressing room.” He pointed to the curtained space. Billy took the suit off the rack and accepted the shirt from Shaz. Looking like he expected Jason or Chucky might be behind the curtain, he stepped toward the dressing room.

“Oh, by the way, darling. What kind of underwear are you wearing?”

That pink color drifted toward his ears again. “Boxers.”

“I’ll bring you some boxer briefs. They look better under the lines of the suit. Get undressed.”

Billy disappeared behind the curtain, and Shaz picked out some size thirty-threes for the guy. A soft blue to complement his eyes—and his butt. He smiled and walked over to the dressing room. “Here you go, Billy.” Shaz swept the curtain aside and—holy mother of shit.

Nude. The man was nude. Shaz couldn’t catch his breath. Every intimation of perfection in his sloppy clothes was more than fulfilled in the buff. Wide shoulders ripped with muscle narrowed to a slender waist, framing a massive chest along the way. And below that. My eyes. My eyes. That cock needed its own zip code. What in hell would it look like erect?

Shaz thrust out the underwear. “Here. Try these.”

Billy stared at Shaz with huge eyes. For a second he didn’t move. Fine with Shaz. He would happily admire the whole damned day. Then the guy grabbed the briefs and poised them in front of his junk. Sigh. They weren’t adequate to the task. A cute pink tip the size of a portobello mushroom still stuck out below. Shaz winked and closed the curtain.

Just breathe. His own cock clearly wanted to be polite and say hello. Down, boy.

The curtain opened and Billy struggled out. His shirt only had one button closed, and he was holding on to the pants to keep them from sagging to the floor. “See. This is what always happens. If it fits on top, the bottom falls off.”

Shaz stuck out his lip. “Oh, poor baby.” He walked over to the archway that led into the salon. “Ru, we need you.”

Ru came bounding in. The devil just wanted to leer at Billy. “You rang?”

“Will you show Mr. Ballew how clothes are made to fit someone of his body type?”

Ru struck a thoughtful pose. “Body type? As in gorgeous?”

Billy stared at his bare feet. “Thanks.”

Ru pointed to a small stand. “Up there, please.” Billy stepped up on it, making him ridiculously tall, but it allowed Ru to come up to his waist, which needed fitting. He pulled out some pins and went to work.

Shaz sat on a side chair. “Billy, Ru is a great designer in his own right, but he’s also a brilliant tailor. You won’t be able to tell that the pants were ever anything but your size.”

Ru looked up at Billy while he pinned and marked with tailor’s chalk “So what inspired you to visit us?”

Billy blushed and shrugged. “My mother and sister want me to look better.”

“Oh? Why do they care?”

“I think they figure it will help me keep a girl. They’re probably right.”

Shaz stretched out his legs in their tight black slacks. “I should think you’d have women chasing you down the street in your pajamas, darling.”

He shrugged again. “I guess. But I’ve been seriously attached three times and never made it to the altar. Women give up on me.”

Ru spoke around a mouthful of pins. “Thash shad.”

Shaz sat forward. “Do your conniving family members have a particular girl they want you to keep?”

“Kind of. She’s one of the bridesmaids. I guess she sort of likes me, but she’s a stylist, and they think she’ll run the other way or something if I don’t shape up.”

“Stylist bridesmaid? Do you mean Sissy?”

“Yeah. You know her?”

Ru laughed and dropped the pins in his hand. “Sissy of the well-rounded rack?”

Billy’s laugh kind of exploded. He clapped a hand over his mouth. “Sorry. I guess I didn’t think you’d notice a girl’s chest.”

Ru put a hand on his narrow hip. “You think gay men don’t notice boobs that clearly came out of a silicon pouch?”

Billy stared at those flip-flops but looked about to bust a gut. “I didn’t mean to assume.”

Shaz stood, walked over, and smoothed a hand across Billy’s absolutely delectable ass in the navy wool as Ru tightened the trousers. “Assume away, darling. Ru and I make up an entire kingdom of queens.”

A voice came from behind him. “Are you ruling over your kingdom again, Chase?”

Shaz pulled his hand from Billy’s ass reluctantly and turned to greet his boyfriend. “Hello, darling.” He reached his cheek up for a kiss and got it. He smiled into the chocolate brown eyes of Giles Landry, his lover. Oh yes, and financier. Giles was Shaz’s type down to the ground. Tallish and elegant with gold hair, a tiny touch of a receding hairline that Giles hated, a lifetime membership to the country club, and money to burn. Of course, Shaz had money of his own, but not like Giles. The boy was truly rich. Almost as rich as Mitch, and they ran in the same circles. He fit all Shaz’s pictures. Shaz patted Billy’s shoulder. Good God, the man is made of rock. “This lovely gentleman will be walking down the aisle as one of his sister’s groomsmen. We’re dressing him.”

Giles glanced at Billy, raised an eyebrow, and waved a hand. “Yes, of course.” He turned to Shaz. “When can we go to cocktails?”

“It will be a while, dear, as I told you this morning.” Damn the man. He never listens. “Why don’t you go to the club, and I’ll join you later?”

“All right.” The huff that went with the agreement took all pleasure from it.

Shaz put a hand on his hip. “Then I’ll see you later?”

Giles seemed to realize he was pushing his luck. “Of course, dear. I’ll look forward to it.” He walked from the salon with his short, exact stride. Shaz frowned. Oh well. He turned back to Ru and Billy.

Ru raised an eyebrow. He didn’t like Giles much, and Shaz knew he figured they could do their own new studio without his investment. “Trouble in la-la land—I hope?”

“Of course not. He’s just impatient.”

Ru snorted. “And deaf.”

Billy had the tiniest hint of a smile. “Tough to get men to listen, no matter which way they swing, I guess.”

Shaz threw back his head and laughed. “So true, my dear. So true.” He stepped back, looked at the fitting on the pants, and grabbed the jacket from the hanger. “Button the shirt, darling, so we can try this on.”

Billy did up the buttons, inch after inch of golden chest disappearing. Sigh. This guy does not need clothes. When the shirt was closed, Shaz held out the jacket, which slipped over those broad shoulders like butter. Perfect.

Billy looked in the mirror. “Wow.”

“You see what I mean about tailoring being everything.” He smoothed his hand across the lapel. “Ru, what do you think?”

“Perfect.” Yes, it is. Ru waved a hand. “I’ll leave you to it.” He walked back into the salon.

Shaz took hold of the jacket to pull it off, but Billy pulled back. The big man was still staring at his image like he didn’t recognize himself.

Shaz laughed. “Hold on. There’s more where that came from.” He slid off the suit jacket, then slipped a mauve sport coat up Billy’s arms. “Look.”

Billy shook his head. “Wow.”

“You see how you can wear this sport coat with the blue trousers?”

Billy nodded, still staring.

Grabbing a pair of pinstriped pants, Shaz held them against the blue suit coat. “And these two things will go together.” He added a pair of jeans he’d chosen. “These can go with the sport coat or—” He pulled a sweater off the rack. “—you can pair the sweater with the jeans or the trousers. Getting the idea?”

“Yeah.” Billy stared at his reflection with wide eyes.

Shaz put a hand on Billy’s shoulder. “You like?”

Billy blinked. “It’s just, I never thought—” He waved a hand down his front.

“You’re really a great-looking guy, Billy. The clothes just point out what’s true.”

“Thanks.”

“Oh, there’s lots more. We need to find shoes that fit, get you a couple pieces of outerwear, and some innerwear.” He laughed. “How are the boxer briefs?”

Billy shifted from one foot to the other. “They’re fine. But all this stuff must be really expensive.”

Shaz shrugged. “Mitch can afford it.”

“Mitch isn’t paying. I am.”

Son of a bitch, what a knight in shining armor. “Well, you’ll be getting it for less than half price when you pose for me.”

Billy’s ears turned pink again. “You weren’t serious about that?”

“Totally, darling. We’ll make you the new face of Shazam.”

Some war waged behind the blue eyes. “What would I have to do?” He ran a hand over the sport coat. The boy did like nice material. That made two of them.

“Just show up and we’ll take some pictures. After you’re all styled and the clothes are tailored, okay?”

“I might not be any good at it.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be great.” He pointed toward the dressing room. “Let’s get you a couple outfits ready to go today. The rest will require more extensive tailoring.”

Billy walked into the curtained space. “Thanks. My family’s pushing hard for me to look better.” He closed the curtain, and Shaz leaned against the wall outside.

“To impress Sissy?”

“Among other things.” His voice sounded flat.

“You don’t seem too excited.”

“I’m not really great with women. Get beat up enough and you lose your enthusiasm.”

Shaz grinned. “I must confess, I wouldn’t know. About women, anyway.”

The curtain opened and Billy stood there in his rumpled jeans, flip-flops, and old T-shirt. He looked down at himself. “I turned back into a caterpillar.”

Shaz laughed. The guy was so sincere you didn’t expect him to be witty.

Billy looked up. “Is it the same with guys?”

“What?”

“Do you have to kiss so many frogs you want to give up on the game?”

Shaz started to make a wise remark, but those blue eyes looked honestly interested. “Yeah. It can be that way. But if you’re a hopeless romantic, you go on looking for Mr. Right.”

“So you found him?”

“What?”

“Mr. Right? That guy who couldn’t remember your schedule?”

Shaz laughed. “That certainly doesn’t make him sound like Prince Charming.”

“Sorry.”

“No, fair question. I can’t really answer it yet, I guess.” That made him wince. He’d been dating Giles for six months. Why didn’t he know?

“Sure is a good-looking guy.”

“Yes.” Funny how big hunks suddenly looked more appealing. Oh, Shaz, you are such a dreamer. He cleared his throat. “So what do you need clothes for in the next couple days?”

“I have to go to the bachelor party, which is going to have women at it, so I don’t get the bachelor part.”

“Yes, mixing the sexes for these events has become de rigueur. Gone are the days of strippers and shots off of women’s breasts.”

“Really? I mean, is that what they used to be like?”

Shaz patted Billy’s arm. It was an excuse. “I’m sure that sounds like much more fun to a big guy like you.”

“Not really.”

A voice came from the other room. “Shaz darling, can we come in?”

Billy turned his head toward the high voice. Sissy. Oh, and Rhonda and Mitch. Was he glad or sad that they interrupted? Shaz was really checking him out. Kind of flattering.

Rhonda crossed from the salon into the area where Billy had been changing. She frowned. “Shaz, I thought you were dressing him.”

Shaz kissed her cheek. “Never fear, darling. I had him looking positively debonair. You just missed it.”

“Well, damn, I want to see.”

Sissy took hold of Billy’s arm. “Hi, Billy.”

He smiled at her. “Hi.”

“Can’t you do a fashion show for us?”

Shaz shook his head. “Sorry, dears, I’m out of time. I have to meet Giles at the club.”

Sissy grinned at Mitch and gave a little bounce. “Hey, I have a plan. Why don’t we all go to the club? Put Billy back in some of his finery and we’ll go show him off.”

That sounded like a crappy plan. Billy shook his head. “None of it’s ready.”

Shaz spread his arms. “Not so, dear. We can dress you in the jeans, the striped shirt, and one of the sports coats. You’ll put the membership to shame.”

An evening with Shaz. Oh, and Rhonda, Mitch, and of course, Sissy. Yeah, and Shaz’s boyfriend. “I guess so.”

Shaz took his arm. “Come on, let’s get you dressed.” He waved toward the other room. “The rest of you wait in there for the big unveiling.”

Sissy clapped her hands. “Fun.”

In three seconds he was squeezed back into the dressing room and Shaz was handing him clothes. Those jeans fit like skin. Really nice skin. He grabbed the shirt from Shaz’s hand and buttoned it, then pushed it into the jeans and added a belt Shaz found somewhere. He walked out of the room barefoot.

Shaz stared at his flip-flops. “My oh my, those feet are big. I just happen to have a size thirteen pair of short boots I guess might fit you. Will they work?”

“Probably. I’m usually thirteen or thirteen and a half.”

“Hold your breath, darling.” He flitted his way into a room off the back wall and returned holding a pair of black leather ankle boots that looked so soft you could eat them on ice cream, and a pair of socks.

Billy tugged on the socks, then the boots. Perfect. “Cinderella.”

Shaz gave him a little smile. Made his gut feel funny. “Does that make me the handsome prince? Surely it must be the other way around?”

Billy couldn’t get over the guy’s eyes. They were this greeny-gold color.

Sissy’s voice called from the other room. “Hey, guys, we’re dyin’ out here.”

Shaz gazed at him a moment longer, then smiled and called to her, “And we’re ready for you. Go back to the waiting room and wait, little bird, so Billy can make his entrance.”

Billy took a deep breath. Hell, he’d rather just stay here.