Chapter 12
“I got the oven fixed,” Mel said. “It didn’t take that long and I was able to pay off the repairmen then and there.”
The days had passed and things were business as usual for Mel and Kalyn, except that it was a lot of business. The two were handling all the clients and the books perfectly. The social media marketing that Gary had done had sent a drove of business there way and Kalyn didn’t even have to bother thinking about driving Uber at night.
Kaboose barked at Mel and wagged his tail.
“Everything got better once you brought Kaboose into the salon. I think it would be wrong to credit him with everything,” Kalyn said.
Mel scooped up the dog. It was late in the evening and the salon would close soon. She twirled about with him and Kaboose drooled on her shirt.
“He loves me. Look at him slobber,” Mel said.
“Yeah he’s happy alright.”
“Things are going well. We might need to get someone else in here soon. Soon being like next week. You think we should reach out to Deborah?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how should we feel coming back to the shop,” Kalyn said. She began counting the drawer for closing.
Mel set Kaboose back down and he ran around the salon energetically for a few minutes before going back to his resting place by the register.
“How are things with you and loverboy? Have you heard from him again?”
“Gary?”
“Yes. Gary. Do you have a new loverboy in your life besides the wealthiest man in all of California,” Mel said. She was looking very sassy at Kalyn. “I know you conflicted about it all but no relationship is perfect and girl needs to get P-A-I-D,” she said. Mel snapped her fingers as she enunciated each letter.
Kalyn smiled. “Sleeping with Gary is not gonna get me money.”
“It won’t keep you anymore poor.”
“Yes. But he’s married.”
“That didn’t stop you before.”
“Well now I don’t feel so hot about it okay. I don’t want you needling me about it,” Kalyn said.
“Fine I’ll let it all go. You obviously have to as well.”
“I know.”
It was then that Kalyn felt a buzz in her phone. It was Gary.
“Hey how’s it going? I haven’t heard from you in a while. Are you okay? I was hoping you would contact me sooner. Do you want to get dinner? Can I take you out tonight,” he’d written.
Kalyn put her phone down next to the register facedown. She didn’t want to look at the message. Partially because she didn’t know how to reply. She wanted to concentrate on counting the register. Everyone had left the salon and it was only Mel, Kalyn and Kaboose in the salon. Mel had already begun restocking everything and cleaning.
When Mel came to the front she saw Kalyn’s eyebrows furrowed with concentration.
“You okay,” Mel said.
“Yeah. I’m fine,” Kalyn snapped.
“What is the matter with you,” Mel said. She stood in front of her friend and reached out and rubbed her arm. “Did something just happen?”
“Gary just texted me.”
Mel continued to rub her friend’s arm and said nothing.
“He invited me out for dinner,” Kalyn continued.
“When?”
“I don’t know. I guess tonight.”
“Did you say anything?”
“Not yet,” Kalyn said.
Mel bit her lip. She didn’t say anything for a moment then took her arm off her friend.
“Well you know what I’m going to say. You should do it. Fuck it. It might be good for you. He can take care of you. Joy isn’t going to come to the shop. They basically left the shop to us. Gary gave us a little push and now it’s ours, well more or less. I mean maybe they’ll look into things but really, they’re so fucking rich they don’t care about the shop. You saw how Joy came in here. She bought the place on a whim.”
“She could easily get rid of me on a whim,” Kalyn said. “And you too.”
“But why pass up a chance for happiness. You like him. He’s not that attached to Joy according to what you say and what I’ve seen. You know my feelings about marriage. I mean my parents are still together, you know because they A-Z-N. They are basically miserable. My mom won’t stop talking and my dad says nothing. They have separate rooms. They don’t hold hands. They don’t show any affection for each other. What’s the fucking point,” Mel said.
“I guess I’ll have dinner with him. I should probably be straightforward with how I feel.”
“If nothing else. At least you’ll know where you stand with him,” Mel said.
“Okay I’ll do it.”
Kalyn picked up her phone and texted Gary.
“I should be free tonight. I think after 8pm. I can meet you somewhere for dinner,” she wrote.
Gary’s answer was immediate.
“Great. Have you been to that vegan place on Claremont,” he wrote.
“Which one,” she texted back. “It’s the bay area there are vegan places all over.”
“I think it’s called Century,” he texted back.
“Sure.”
“Great. I’ll make a reservation. I’ll see you there at 8pm.”
Kalyn put her phone down next to the drawer and finished counting out the register. She took the money and put it into the bank. Mel was waiting for her at the front door. She’d picked up Kaboose and had him cradled in her arms.
“So, what happened,” Mel asked.
“Dinner. 8pm Century.”
“Ooooh. Fancy. You are so high society.”
“Shut up Mel,” Kalyn said. “Give me my dog back.”
Mel passed Kaboose over to Kalyn. Kaboose barked in annoyance.
“Not you too,” Kalyn said to the dog.
Kalyn opened the door and Mel went outside. She locked the door closed after turning off all the lights.
“Have a good time tonight with loverboy,” Mel said.
“Fuck you Mel.”
“I think you got enough fucking going on in your life but seriously consider what I said.”
“You are the worst Mel,” Kalyn said as she walked away.
“Thank you. Once you hit rock bottom you’ve got nowhere to go but up,” Mel replied.
Kalyn walked back to her car and drove back home. She was more than a little anxious about the night’s meeting and had difficulty concentrating. It didn’t help that the first song to come up on the radio as they pulled out was Morrissey’s “The More You Ignore Me the Closer I get.”
“I’m now a central part of your mind’s landscape. Whether you care or do not. Yeah, I’ve made up your mind. The more you ignore me the closer I get. You’re wasting your time,” the british singer san over the stereo.
“She the fuck up Morrissey,” Kalyn yelled at the stereo. She turned off the music and drove in silence back home. Kaboose looked at Kalyn sadly because she didn’t roll down the window. That didn’t prevent him from pushing his wet runny nose against the glass smearing it was dog saliva.
When she got to her apartment she changed her clothes and fed Kaboose. The good thing about him staying at the Salon all is day was that he never really needed to be walked. Mel would take him out to get cigarettes, or she would walk him around the block to get some fresh air. Being at home for a few hours wouldn’t cause him as much anxiety as when she was working Uber and the Salon.
“Okay. Be a good boy,” Kalyn said on her way out.
Kaboose looked at her and then ran into the bedroom.
Kalyn shrugged and headed out the door. She walked to the train. It took her a little while and she would probably get a cab back but she wanted a little bit of exercise before her date. She needed to know what she wanted. She loved working at the salon. She loved working with Mel. She could see something happening between her and Gary but the men in her life had come and gone and left ruins in their wake. Gary was especially complicating because of his marital status to the owner of the business no less.
The BART wasn’t that crowded but it was late and it was dirty. The system hadn’t been upgraded since the 70’s and she rarely took the train because it was so inefficient. Her friends always complained about it.
Getting from West Oakland to Claremont didn’t take too long though and soon she was walking up Claremont street to the restaurant. The area of Claremont was nice, much nicer than West Oakland. She’d like to live around here because she could walk around safely at night, because there were restaurants and grocery stores, and because there was a dog park under the highway overpass. She couldn’t afford it though.
She passed several high-end restaurants before she came to Century. Gary was already there, seated on the back patio and the hostess led Kalyn to him.
“You look great,” he said.
“Thanks.”
She’d showered and put on clean clothes along with reapplied her make up. She wasn’t wearing anything fancy though, just a simple but long denim style shirt that came down to her mid-thigh and tight black jeans. She decided not to wear heels, she didn’t want to give him the wrong impression that this was some sort of hook up.
“How have you been.” Gary said.
“Pretty good,” Kalyn said. She began looking at the menu. Gary had already ordered a glass of wine and he flagged down the waitress and ordered Kalyn one.
When the wine came, it tasted tannic and dry. Kalyn smacked her lips and then took a drink of her soda water.
“Anything else besides pretty good,” Gary said. Kalyn was still focusing on the menu, partially because she didn’t know what to say and partially to occupy herself until she knew what to say.
“The salon has been busy. Whatever you did to bring people in is working,” Kalyn said.
“That’s fantastic.”
“Yeah it’s nice to have some stable money coming in. Now I don’t have to work driving Uber at all and can focus on other things.”
“Like what?”
“Just general quality of life, I suppose,” Kalyn said.
“Do you think you’ll stay at the salon for a while,” Gary asked.
“I’d like to. If I can but honestly, I’m not sure what Joy wants to do with the place. She hasn’t stepped in since she bought it. You’ve been there more, and more concerned with the salon,” she said with a blush.
“Yeah. I don’t think that Joy will be doing that much more with the salon. I asked her about it last week and she said she didn’t really care. It will be hard for her to keep an eye on it now that she’s in Los Angeles.”
“Oh, she’s vacationing,” Kalyn said.
“No. She’s decided to move.”
“So you’ll be going there too?”
“No. We’re taking a break. Well not a break but a break up. Things ended amicably. She brought it up. We’ve both been distant from each other for some time now and she felt it best if we didn’t keep on doing what we were doing.”
“I’m sorry,” Kalyn said. She took a sip of her wine. It didn’t taste as dry and harsh as before.
“No. It’s for the best. I’ve wanted something else as well. You made me realize that.”
“Oh.”
“Listen I know this is all fast but I wanted to offer you the salon, you and Mel. I’ve been looking at the books and you guys are really killing it. You just needed a little bit of a cash injection, a little bit of a push to get you going to where you need to be,” he said.
“What?”
“Well you wouldn’t straight out own it, not right away, but I wrote out a deal and a contract. It has a low interest rate. I don’t really need the money but I figured you’d think it was more fair that way. You’d have control of the entire building. You could rent out the other portion if you want.”
“Gary,” Kalyn said. “That’s a bit much.”
“Okay. Well just an idea. If you don’t want to do it that’s fine. I understand. It’s a bit fast.”
“Yeah… things are moving a bit fast for me,” Kalyn said.
“Has everything moved too fast for you,” Gary said.
“I think so.”
“Okay.”
“I like you Gary. You’re handsome, you’re attractive, you’re nice, and you have great hair,” Kalyn said with a smile.
“The great hair is really important,” Gary said with a sad smile. Kalyn could tell he knew where this conversation was going.
“But you just got out of a relationship and this business offer. I just feel like I’m being bought.”
“You’re not. Seriously if you don’t take the contract I don’t know what’s going to happen to the salon. I’d probably just sell it off to whoever makes the first offer. That could mean the salon is still there or it could mean that it gone forever. I don’t mean to make that as a threat but you are the one that cares about the salon, you and Mel. I thought I’d offer it to you two first. Take the papers, I brought them. You can look at them.”
“That’s really sweet of you,” Kalyn said. She took the papers from Gary, folded them and put them in her purse.
“I learned how to be sweet from the sweetest,” he said with a wink.
“You’re incorrigible.”
“They say that persistence is a key to success, even in matters of the heart.”
“I’m not sure how much persistence will change things.”
“Okay. We’ll at least I’ve tried.”
“Thanks Gary,” Kalyn said.
“No problem.” He got up and the two hugged. Kalyn felt herself melting a little in his embrace but felt that she’d made her decision. It wasn’t a good situation for her. It was too complicated for her. Offering the salon was amazing but she hadn’t talked to Mel about it. Gary being single now was a big deal, and it had been his own decision. She didn’t feel bad about their affair anymore.
“Well I’ll talk to you sooner or later. Let me know if you change your mind,” Gary said with a pause. “About the salon.”
“Yeah. Absolutely,” Kalyn said. She reached into her purse for some money to pay for the wine.
“I’ll get the bill. I can take care of things.”
“I know. I can see that.”
“Bye Gary.”
“Bye Kalyn.”
Kalyn walked out of the restaurant. She felt Gary’s eyes following her. As soon as she stepped out tears started to come out of her eyes. Her shoulders heaved up and down. She walked down the street towards BART and decided she needed a drink. A stiff one. She picked up her phone and called Mel.
“Can you meet me,” Kalyn said still crying into the phone. “I’m on
“Yeah. Absolutely honey.”
It took Mel fifteen minutes to get to Kalyn. Kalyn had stopped crying but when she saw Mel the waterworks started coming out again. Mel’s first reaction was to hug her friend. She pulled her friend in tight and didn’t let go until Kalyn had stopped sobbing.
“Okay. Let’s go get a drink,” Mel said. “I think I need one and you probably need a couple.”
Kalyn laughed and soon they were at a corner bar. The place was popular with students but since it was a weekday it was empty. Mel got some popcorn and ordered a couple shots and a vodka soda for Kalyn and a beer for herself.
“Cheers,” Mel said.
The two clinked their glasses and downed their shots.
“Okay so what happened.”
“He broke up with Joy,” Kalyn said.
“Did he initiate it or did Jo?”
“It was Joy.”
“Okay… that’s great,” Mel said. She took a sip of her beer. “So they were falling apart anyways. What’s the matter?”
“He also offered the salon.”
“What?”
“He wrote out a contract. A repayment plan. Here you can see it,” Kalyn said. She pulled out the papers and handed them to Mel.
Mel looked them over then waved over the bartender.
“You two more of the same.”
Mel looked at her friend straight in the eyes.
“Do you like him,” Mel said.
“Yes.”
“Do you see a future with him?”
“I don’t know. He’s better than a lot of the other guys I’ve dated.”
“Low bar. Do you want to keep doing the salon?”
“Yes of course.”
“Then do it. What’s the fucking problem,” Mel shouted. “He’s hot, he’s nice, he’s got money. He’s offering stability and this contract. If things go south we still have the contract he’s out of the way. What do you have to lose. Seriously. He’s not even with his wife anymore. Give me your phone.”
“What,” Kalyn said.
“Give me your phone.”
Kalyn pulled her phone out and handed it to her friend.
Mel flashed her fingers on the screen then paused for a moment. She burst out with more text.
“He’ll be here in five minutes. One you will sign the contract. I want to do this. Do you want to do this?”
“Yes. Of course. The salon has been great. We’re a good time.”
“Good. And two. This is the important one. You go and fuck his brains out,” Mel said. “You have a good time and you quit being so fucking conflicted. Girl gotta get hers.”
Gary walked into the bar moments later.
“Hey,” Gary said sheepishly.
Kalyn looked at him and moved forward. She stepped up on her tip toes and kissed him. She pushed her tongue into his mouth and after a moment he pulled her into him. There tongues swirled together and Kalyn could feel a gush of warmth between her legs.
“Ah hey Gary,” Mel said. “You are looking very heterosexual.”
The two fell out of their embrace but Gary kept his eyes on Kalyn.
“You had a change of heart,” he said.
“She had some sense talked into her,” Mel said. She took a pen from the bar and signed the contract. She pushed the pen into Kalyn’s hand. “Hey. Hey. Hey.”
“Sorry,” Kalyn said. She turned and signed the contract.
“Well here it is,” Mel said.
“Awesome. I’ll have the keys and final documents for you tomorrow. The way everything is set up is through a secondary company. It’s hands off from me. The company will just hold the title until everything is paid off,” Gary said.
“Great. Now go get a room breeders,” Mel said rolling her eyes.
Gary and Kalyn laughed in time and waved goodbye to their friend.
The drive across the bay took no time at all in Gary’s fast car. He’d gotten a new place already. He wanted everything to start over, he’d told Kalyn during their drive. He’d moved into a new apartment in the Mission. It was right off Valencia.
The apartment was fully furnished already and was even more spacious than the last place. When Gary opened the door she immediately went into the bedroom. She bounced on the bed.
“Seems good to me,” she said.
Gary looked at her from the doorway.
“I’m glad you came over.”
She rose from the bed and walked over to him. The way that he looked at her made her knees weak. He put his hand on the side of her face and kissed her deeply. He pushed his hands back further and they began to comb through her hair. His tongue was wet and searching for her. His five o’clock shadow was soft and tickled slightly. She longed to feel it between her legs.
Kalyn pulled at his shirt and then undid the buttons. He pulled it off to reveal his muscular chest and stomach. She let her hands glide over his hard stomach and on his chest. Then she reached up and kissed him. She let her kiss linger on his lips then began kissing lower. Her lips touched his neck, his chest, and she dropped to her knees.
She unbuttoned his pants and put her hands around the waistband of his underwear. With one smooth movement, he was naked in front her. Gary was already hard and Kalyn looked up into his eyes. The two connected for a moment and Kalyn licked her lips.
Kalyn kept her eyes locked on Gary as she placed his shaft into her mouth. Her tongue wrapped around his shaft and she loved the way it felt in her mouth. Gary push his hands on the side of her head as she went up and down on his cock. Her lips moved with a beautiful rhythm on his hard cock. Up and down, up and down. She would take breathers at times and would playfully lick the tip of his dick. Her tongue would circle around his head and then she would take all of him into his mouth.
“Oh fuck,” Gary moaned.
Kalyn’s mouth filled with warm liquid and she swallowed his cum. His hand lifted from her head and he stretched out.
Kalyn licked her lips to get the last drops of his cum off her lips and pulled away from his cock.
“How long will it take you to get ready again,” Kalyn said.
“Not long at all,” Gary said as he watched Kalyn undressed. She did a slow striptease for him and turned around as she pulled down her pants to reveal her juicy ass.
“I think I know something you can do while we are waiting,” Kalyn said. She pressed her ass back against him and then fell to the bed.
Gary grabbed the pillows from the bed and put them under her hips. She lay face up with her pussy tilted up and exposed. Gary leaned over and didn’t touch it at first. Instead he gazed at her wet cunt with desire. She could feel his breath on her lips. Her nipples were getting harder with each second that passed.
“Lick it,” Kalyn said.
He put two of his fingers into her. Her pussy was warm, wet, and inviting. He positioned his fingers up towards her pelvic bone and began to stroke her g spot. He watched her face as he made come hither motions. Her body rocked with the same timing of his fingers. Then he lightly licked at her clit.
“Ah,” Kalyn moaned.
Gary pulled his mouth away from her. “You like that, don’t you?”
Kalyn answered his rhetorical question by pushing his face into her.
Gary could see that her clit was getting bigger and that her juicy pussy was getting wetter. He pulled his mouth away again and used his thumb to circle her clit. She could feel herself about to cum.
“Keep going, keep going,” Kalyn said.
She felt his beard tickle her pussy as he continued to lick her. She grabbed onto his hair as a jolt of electricity streamed through her. Her pussy contracted on his tongue and she came harder than she ever had in her life.
Gary slowed down his fingering and pulled his mouth away.
“You taste good,” he said.
“Oh god,” Kalyn said. Her face was flushed red. Her whole body had felt like it had been lit on fire and then throw into an ice bucket. Her chest heaved up and down. “That was so good.”
“We’re not over yet,” Gary said.
“I hope not,” Kalyn said.
She sat up and looked at his cock. It was ready again. She kicked the pillows off the bed and kept her legs splayed open. Gary moved up as well and kissed her breasts. He let his tongue linger on her nipples and then lightly pinched them with her teeth.
Kalyn could feel his hard cock between her legs and she took his dick and put it into her pussy. He slid in easily sending tingles throughout her body. Kalyn began to move her pelvis slowly matching the rhythm of his slow but steady thrusts.
“God you’re so fucking beautiful,” Gary said.
The two kissed passionately and Kalyn put her hands around his neck. She could feel herself tighten around his cock. Gary buried his face in her neck and began to groan.
“I’m going to cum,” he said.
“I want you to fill me,” Kalyn said. “Cum in me.”
Gary increased his pace and Kalyn could feel his cock begin to twitch inside of her. That sent of a wave of pleasure in her own body and as he filled her with his cum she orgasmed at the same time.
Gary stayed on top of her for some time. Their juices mixed and he kissed her softly.
“That was amazing.”
“Yeah it was.”
“I’m really glad you changed your mind,” Gary said.
“I like the way you make me feel,” Kalyn said. “I don’t know what the future will bring but I like being here with you now.”
“I feel the same. I feel the same.”
The two stayed together linked throughout the night as the moon rose high above.