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Excerpt
“Drake
Collins, I don’t see you on our appointment book today,” Seraphine says,
wagging her finger at me with a twinkle in her dark brown eyes.
“That’s
because I’m not. Does Azalea have time to fit me in?”
“Hmmm.
Magnolia could fit you in quicker than—”
“Nah, I
don’t mind the wait. How long’s it gonna be?”
I turn, and
make myself comfy in one of the waiting room chairs, “That’ll be just fine,
Seraphine.”
She rolls
her eyes at me, “I’ll let her know you’re here.”
“Totally
unnecessary. It’s a surprise visit.”
Seraphine
shakes her head at me, but goes back to whatever she was doing at the computer,
thank God. Because I’m counting on the element of surprise to work in my favor
here. If she knows I’m here, she’ll start working on getting her walls up, but
if I catch her off guard, I might just catch her unguarded, if you know what I
mean.
To pass the
time, I play around on my phone, checking social media and shooting the shit
with Simon and Cash in group text. I impress myself by only checking the time
every five minutes, but my God, it really does feel like an eternity waiting on
her.
I perk up
when I hear the sound her sweet voice coming closer. “You have a wonderful day
Mrs. Jones, and be sure to tell Seraphine to book extra time at your next
appointment so that we can do those lowlights.”
She doesn’t
walk far enough into the room to see me, so I stand and follow behind her to
her station. She grabs the broom and starts sweeping, but jumps and throws it
down when she sees me. “Holy guacamole, you scared the ba-jeezus outta me!”
I cover my
smile with my fist, “I can see that.”
“What’re
you doing here?”
“Need a
haircut,” I tell her, claiming her chair.
She scowls
her trademark scowl at me, her eyes drilling into me like lasers. “So, make an
appointment.” She turns of walk away, but I reach out and snag her wrist.
“Don’t need
one,” I tell her, knowing it will make her that much more irritated. I know
these games are stupid, but her mad gets me so hot.
“You most
certainly do,” Azalea replies, her cheeks red with anger.
“Pretty
sure there’s a sign in the window that reads ‘Walk-in’s welcome’. You’re
certainly not making me feel very welcome. Not at all. Which, as the owner of
this establishment, you should know is bad for business.” I tsk, wagging my
finger at her.
“Drake Ulysses Collins, you get your ass up
right now!” Azalea hisses through clenched teeth. Her eyes are so big, they
look like they might pop right on out of her head.
“Nah, don’t
think so. You get your cute ass over here, and buzz my hair down.”
“Now.” It’s
a battle of wills and I’m playing to win. We remain frozen, staring one another
down, until she rolls her eyes and stomps back over to me, like I knew she
would. Drake, 1. Azalea, 0.
With a snap
of her wrists, she has the cape draped around me. She shoots me an evil gleam,
before pulling it as tight as it will go, damn near choking me. “Take it easy,
Bit,” I croak, only to be whopped upside the back of my head with her comb.
“What the hell?” I yell at her, but she just smiles and pops the guard she
knows I like onto her clippers.
With one
hand planted on the top of my head, she uses the other to move the clippers
through my hair, buzzing it down in fluid movements. Azalea takes her time,
dragging out my simple buzzcut because she thinks it’ll annoy me. She couldn’t
be more wrong. Hell, for half the haircut, her perky C cups are all up in my
face, and for the rest of it… her hands are on me, and there’s not a single
thing annoying about any of that. No, I fucking love it.
“There, all
done assface.”
“Assface,
huh? That an invitation?”
Grasping
the front of the cape with both hands, I pull until it unsnaps. Rising from the
chair, I take two steps toward Azalea, effectively backing her into her station.
“Gross? You think I’m gross?” I gently
run my nose up her neck, lingering just below her ear. “Naw, you don’t mean
that, do you?” My voice is hoarse and low, the sound of it causes Azalea’s skin
to break out in goosebumps.
“Sure do,”
she fires back, but her tone—all soft with want— betrays her words.
I take a
step closer, leaving not even an inch between us, “We both know you’re lying
through your teeth, but that’s okay Bit. Best be glad we’re in your place of
business, or I’d call your bluff.” I cover her lips with mine and tunnel my
fingers into her long, blonde hair. “Or maybe I still will,” I speak the words
against her lips, delighting in the feel of her rapid breaths. “Right here.
Right now.” I punctuate the words with a kiss, hard and rough, before stepping
back.
Azalea
stands there, bracing herself against her station, almost as if she’d crumple
to the floor without its support, and damn if that doesn’t make me feel like
the king of the world. “Thanks for the haircut. You have a nice day, and when I
call you later… answer.”
Still, the story is gripping and I’m intrigued. Anxiously awaiting the third and final part of this series.
