Page 24 of A Taste For Trouble
“Good, because I am terrifying,” he quipped. “Think of me as your fairy godmother, but not the kind Cinderella had. I’m the other kind of fairy, with sharp eyes and pointy teeth.”
“Yeah, the kind who conducts shady deals by moonlight,” I added, with a laugh, as he dragged me inside the salon.
Jared turned out to be a six-foot-tall, three-hundred-pound silver fox covered in tattoos.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” I muttered to Trevor as we waited in the bright waiting area. “That is a biker, not a stylist. He looks like he’d be more comfortable doing oil changes instead of hair.”
“Oh, hush! He’s a fricking genius with scissors. Just don’t startle him while you’re in the chair. He still has PTSD from being in a motorcycle club,” he muttered back.
“That doesn’t fill me with much confidence,” I hissed, just as Jared came over to greet us.
I soon realised he was a gentle giant who knew exactly what he was doing. I held still in the chair as he examined my hair thoroughly before meeting my eyes in the mirror.
“Kick back and relax, honey. I’ve got you,” he said gruffly, and for some strange reason, I believed him.
I almost fell asleep when he led me to the hair washing station and began to massage shampoo into my hair, and I could have kissed his magical fingers when the stress of the past two days finally began to drain out of my body. Jared stared at the top of my head fiercely before he began to cut and snip his way through my thick hair. Two hours later, my jaw dropped in shock at the miracle he’d wrought.
I still looked like myself, but a glossier, fancier version. The purple streaks in my hair were still intact, but now they looked almost shimmery. And my hair looked healthier than ever.
“What do you think?” he asked, and I sighed happily.
“I love it! Thank you, Jared,” I breathed as he fluffed out my gorgeous waves, but before I could admire myself for too long, Trevor clapped his hands.
“Let’s keep moving, babe. Now, to the mani-pedi station. Are you still adamant about not getting the HydraFacial, though?”
“Yes,” I said firmly. “An ordinary facial will do just as well.”
“Fine,” he said with a disapproving sigh. “Party pooper!”
I was waxed, exfoliated, and shined to within an inch of my body, until I was ready to scream.
“Where’s the champagne?” I demanded, and Trevor snorted in disdain.
“You’ll drink herbal tea and like it,” he stated like the tyrant that he was.
“Will not,” I fought back. “After the torture you’ve just put me through, I deserve sparkling wine, not one of your terrible potions.”
“Ugh! You’re such a brat,” he whined, as he snapped his fingers, and a tray full of champagne glasses magically appeared in my line of vision.
“Takes one to know one,” I said with a grin, grabbing a glass and holding it out as a peace offering.
It was way past lunchtime when we were finally done, and my stomach was growling.
“Wanna grab some food?” I asked after I thanked Jared and stuffed a hefty tip into his apron pocket, and Trevor shook his head.
“It’s time to take your fake relationship for a little outing around the town, babe,” he said, nodding towards the sidewalk.I whirled around to see Dominic leaning against the side of his Range Rover, arms crossed, as he stared at me expressionlessly.
CHAPTER 12
DOMINIC
Ifought hard to keep my expression blank as Rose walked towards the car, staring at me nervously. Her gorgeous hair bounced down her back as she walked, and her skin looked luminous. And she still looked like herself. I was so glad Trevor hadn’t turned her into a Cece Blair clone, which was what I’d been worried about all morning.
Rose was perfect as she was, and I was furious at Trevor for suggesting she needed to change that to convince people she was my girlfriend. If only they knew how much I craved her. But I had to remind myself this was fake. I was only doing this to keep Rose safe.
She bit her lower lip nervously as she stared up at me.
“Will I do?” she asked softly, and I wanted to sweep her into my arms to show her how I really felt. Instead, I nodded shortly and turned to hold the car door open.