Chapter 2
Daisy
Ohmygod! What had just happened? What had I just let happen? After the door closed behind the huge, Viking-like-man, I released a sigh of relief and met Jasmine’s slightly amused gaze. I’d acted as if the man had put some kind of spell over me. I hadn’t been able to look away, hadn’t been able to hold a thought like an intelligent woman, much less speak like one. His overwhelming presence had frightened the hell out of me, while at the same time something else had happened. My body had responded rapidly to his maleness, and not in a good way. And by that, I meant that I had responded with arousal.
Something about him had turned me on.
I didn’t want to be aroused, didn’t want to put myself in the position of being controlled and abused again. The man that had just left the salon was controlling. I doubted that anyone dared question him, or that he was ever refused something that he wanted. I just stared at Jasmine and shook my head in disbelief. I’d hired the beautiful ex-call girl for a reason, knowing that I was setting up shop in an area with a local MC. She was there to keep the men happy and away from the rest of us, and I didn’t care how she had to do it.
Okay, maybe “the rest of us” included two dumpy, slightly religious, middle-aged women and me, but I didn’t want to fight off any unwelcome advances. I was there to run a business, and I didn’t have time to waste on men who were more concerned with coming on to me than getting a haircut or a shave. I didn’t need or want a man, and Jasmine was there to run interference for me. She thrived on the attention.
“Well, it’s certainly clear who he wants,” Jasmine teased lightheartedly. “You can’t accuse
me of not trying.”
“I don’t understand what just happened,” I admitted, totally confused.
“It’s simple, honey,” Betty said from where she was standing next to her station. “Some men like a challenge.”
“And a little mystery,” added Jackie. “No offense, Jasmine, but you’re pretty obvious.”
Jasmine shrugged with a smile. “It’s why I’m here.”
“And you underestimate yourself,” Betty said, her eyes on me. “Look at yourself. You’re beautiful. Anyone with eyes in their head can see that. You think every horny man wants an easy woman?” She glanced at Jasmine. “No offense.”
Jasmine laughed, we all did. The words ‘no offense’ came out at least several times a day. We were all as different as night and day, and yet we’d become fast friends. No one wanted to hurt Jasmine’s feelings, knowing what she used to be. Betty and Jackie were older women, working part-time shifts a couple of days a week. Both were married, church-going women, and seemed to share the same philosophy in life, one of caring and forgiveness. Neither treated Jasmine any differently for what she’d done in her past. Or future, for that matter, because she still used her body to win men over.
I wasn’t questioning their observations, I knew that I was okay in the looks department. The interested looks I got from men when I was in town, or when Jasmine happened to be off, backed that up. But the look that the bearded giant had given me had been thorough and intense, and words hadn’t been needed to know what he really wanted. I was only worried that I was giving off the same vibe, because looking into his eyes for the first time had thrown me for a loop. I knew it sounded silly, but at the time it had felt as if I were looking into the eyes of my soul mate, and someone I might have known in another life.
That notion frightened me, it had been so strong.
“Well, I can’t wait until Friday to see what happens.”
That reminded me. “Just to give you a heads-up, we have a large group booked here for Friday, so I’ll need everyone here by nine, please.”
“A large group? Who?” Jackie asked, furrowing her brows. “I haven’t heard of anything going on in town.”
“According to the woman who booked it, there’s a big Christmas party somewhere,” I responded.
“That would be the Phantom’s clubhouse and restaurant.” We all looked at Jasmine for further explanation. “Phantom Riders is the name of the MC.” Yeah, I knew that. “The wives of the members are holding a party Saturday night at their bar and connecting restaurant. I’ve been invited.” She stuck out her tongue.
I rolled my eyes. “How old are you?” She shrugged, unaffected. “That explains it then. We have eight coming for sure. All haircuts and styles, nothing fancy. Jasmine, you handle the waxing and nails.”
“And you’ll handle the big, blonde, Viking sex on a stick?” Jasmine teased with a twinkle in her eye.
“He won’t be back,” I said, brushing the thought of him away. It didn’t matter that I was intensely attracted to him. It couldn’t go anywhere. I forced myself to move on from the subject. “Since no one is here, let’s decorate the shop. I have a small tree and some garland in the back. I’ll run upstairs and change.” Christmas was quickly closing in on us and was only three weeks away.
“It’s your day off, we can decorate. Besides, you look like you were going somewhere.”
I gave Betty an appreciative smile. “Actually, I just got back from the bank.”
“Was the loan approved?” Jasmine asked excitedly. I knew that she was happy for the planned addition of the tanning beds to the salon.
I released a resigned breath. “Still working on it, but it’s looking good.” I had money in the bank, but I didn’t want to spend it and have nothing to fall back on if I needed it. A loan for the two used tanning beds I’d found wasn’t that much. I was lucky that the owner had agreed to
hold them for a deposit, but the deadline for final payment was getting close.
“I don’t have anything else to do, so I might as well hang around.”
“You could always go upstairs and masturbate while thinking about that biker,” Jasmine suggested outrageously, receiving horrified, shocked gasps from Betty and Jackie.
“Jasmine!” I scolded for the two older women’s benefit.
“What?” she asked in an innocent, ‘what did I do’ tone. I raised my brow and gave her the look. “Well, that’s what I’d do if he’d given me that smoldering, I-want-to-fuck-you-right-now stare.”
There was no way that I was going to respond to that, though something inside of me warmed my blood unexpectedly. The fierce intensity on the biker’s face had frightened me, because I’d drawn the same conclusion as Jasmine had. But I would never admit it. With his thick hair and beard he’d looked like an angry beast, looking for prey to sink his teeth into. I couldn’t help wondering what the man beneath all that hair looked like. It hadn’t been his looks that had attracted me, it had been something deeper than that. Something deep and brooding in his eyes.
I should have known that Jasmine wouldn’t back down, she rarely did. She was a hardcore bitch, spoken with affection. She couldn’t help herself, she was outspoken and said exactly what was on her mind. Sometimes it may have been for the shock value, but most of the time it just came out in a way that revealed she hadn’t even thought about what she was going to say.
I gave Betty and Jackie an apologetic look. I could tell that they were fighting smiles as they shook their heads and looked elsewhere. They would never willingly encourage Jasmine by openly laughing at her comments. And I had no doubt that when they attended church they prayed heavily for her salvation, or at the very least a smooth entry through the pearly gates.
The three women were an odd mix, but I was growing to love them more and more every day. Jasmine’s friendship had saved me. She’d been the first person to reach out to me when I’d first arrived in Solon. We’d met in a small diner in town and had struck up a conversation that had led to me finding a place to stay and safety. Jasmine hadn’t been in Solon for long either, having decided to leave her old life behind to start another in the small, quiet town. She was the only one who knew about Paul and my reason for being there.
“Is the Christmas box marked?” Jackie asked as she headed toward me. Betty was right behind her.
“Yeah, there’s two of them on the floor next to the restroom.” I stepped aside and they pulled the curtain apart so they could continue to the storage room at the back. The stairs to my apartment were also located there. When Jasmine and I were alone she motioned me over. “What?” I snapped, still a little upset with her over her observation.
“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” she laughed in a low tone. “But you know that I’m right. That Viking biker wanted you.”
“Well he’s not going to have me.” There was no way I was going to let a man, especially one who looked dangerous, into my life. “He was scary.” Jasmine snorted. “Well, he was,” I insisted. “I don’t want any man.”
“Oh, come on! You can’t tell me that you don’t get horny sometimes. We all have needs.”
“I didn’t say I don’t have needs.” I felt heat fill my cheeks at what I was about to confess. She was my best friend, after all. “I have, a, ah, friend.”
She folded her arms and smirked. “Does your dildo have a name?”
A laugh burst from me because she’d guessed the truth. “Not yet.” The biker’s face flashed through my mind. A noise behind us alerted us that Betty and Jackie were returning. “We’ll talk about this later. No need for them to add me to their prayer list.”
Betty was carrying the box with the tree. “Where do we want the tree?”
“How about in the middle of the room?”
“It will look good there,” Jackie said, dropping her box onto the floor.
The door opened and a customer walked in. It was Dorothy Masters, a repeat client who came in once a week for a touch-up. The elderly woman’s hair was on the thin side, so keeping it short made it less noticeable. I don’t know how Jackie managed to curl it, but she did it.
Dorothy didn’t have a license, so her son always brought her in. Niles was a nice enough man, but I tried not to interact with him in any way. In my book, a forty-something bachelor who still lived at home wasn’t normal, especially with the way he ogled Jasmine.
“Hello, ladies,” Dorothy smiled, heading for the closest chair, which was at Jackie’s station.
“Hi Dorothy,” Jackie smiled in return, walking toward her. Niles sank down into one of the waiting chairs by the door.
I glanced at Jasmine, who rolled her eyes at me. “Why don’t you and Betty get started decorating? I’m going upstairs to put on a pot of chili for us later, and to change.”
“Sure, honey.”
I released a sigh after disappearing behind the heavy curtain, feeling as if I’d escaped. Niles barely gave me a second glance with Jasmine around, but he still freaked me out. After what Paul had put me through, I didn’t put a lot of trust in men. But one thing I did know was that I’d never allow another one to hurt me.
Once upstairs I changed into jeans and a tee, and then made up a pan of cornbread and a crock pot of homemade chili. It was the perfect meal for a cold, December day with my friends. Having a husband that had required a home cooked meal to be waiting for him every night when he got home had turned me into a fairly decent cook. The fact that he’d put me on a thirty-day schedule of serving up something different every night had filled my reading nook with a variety of cook books that I could draw inspiration from.
God, I don’t know why I was suddenly thinking about Paul. Except that it had been a year since I’d simply walked, okay ran, away from him. My life was where I finally wanted it to be. I was free and able to breathe, but I didn’t enjoy the peace and quiet as much as I’d hoped I would. I was afraid that it wasn’t going to last. Nothing good did, right? Jasmine kept telling me to stop worrying over something that might never happen, to just live each day and enjoy my life, but every time my phone rang I tensed up, waiting to hear Paul’s voice. Every time the door opened I held my breath, expecting to see his face. I knew that if he ever did find me, he would probably kill me.
I finished up and made my way back downstairs. When I pushed through the curtain I came to a stop, surprised to see Jasmine at her sink washing Niles’ hair. That was a first! She was scrubbing his head vigorously, and I had to wonder if her intent was to make him bald. She was clearly not happy. Something alerted her to my presence and she turned my way, giving me a scowl. I bit my lip to keep from smiling and turned my interest on the tree.
Jasmine liked men, she liked flirting and flaunting herself around them, but it was a particular kind of man that drew her attention. Niles was not her type. He was too old, too nerdy- looking, and it appeared that he didn’t have a muscle on him, unlike the bikers who’d been parading in and out since we’d opened. Unlike one, big biker in particular. My pussy clenched, and I had to remind myself that he may be back on Friday for a haircut. Nothing else.
Certainly, nothing more.