Authors: K.L. Middleton,Cassie Alexandra,Kristen Middleton
Chapter Four
Twelve Months Later
Midway City, California
Sera
“Can I help you?” asked the young, blonde woman behind the counter of
Tangled.
Like most Californians, she was blonde, tan, and had teeth so white, they made my eyes water.
I smiled. “I’m here to see Thane. My name is Sera Da- Billings.”
She grinned. “You sure about that?”
Crap, I’d almost said Daniels.
“Yes. Just got through a divorce and had my last name legally changed. I keep forgetting to use my maiden name,” I lied.
“No need to explain, I was just teasing. You said you were here to meet with Thane?” she asked, eyeing me curiously.
“Yes. I’m actually a few minutes early,” I replied, looking down at my watch. I was actually fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. “You don’t have to bother him if he’s styling someone’s hair or caught in the middle of something important. I’ll just wait up here until he’s ready for me.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Your first time meeting the owner?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“I thought so. He stepped out for a second to grab a bite of lunch. I’m sure he will be back any minute though. So,” she smiled, “feel free to make yourself comfortable. Would you like anything to drink? Coffee, water, iced-tea, or soda?”
“No, I’m fine,” I replied, smiling at her again. “Thank you, though.”
“If you need anything, my name is Tiffany.”
“Thanks, Tiffany,” I replied, walking over to one of the chairs in the waiting area as the phone began to ring.
“No problem,” she answered, grabbing the phone. “Tangled Hair Salon. How can I help you?”
I sat down and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Just like I’d colored Emma’s precious hair, I’d darkened my own dishwater blonde to a medium brown and had pinned it back into a tight bun. With the dark-rimmed eyeglasses, I had to admit that I looked rather studious and doubted anyone would recognize me.
Especially Ray…
I tried to push him out of my head. It was definitely not the time to think about that psychopath or what had happened back in Seattle. But, as usual, memories came flooding back to me and they couldn’t be stifled. Memories of my mother’s contagious smile, the warmth in her eyes every time she looked at Emma, and finally, the serene expression on her lifeless face, when I’d stared down at her in the casket for the very last time. My only consolation had been the fact that Ray hadn’t beaten her before murdering Mom in cold blood. Apparently, he’d followed her from the diner, made her pull over, and then shot her in the back like the spineless prick he really was. The coroner had said her death had been fairly quick, since the bullet from the abandoned gun, a stolen Smith & Wesson .38, had shredded her heart upon impact. Not only had the bullet destroyed Mom’s, it had also torn up Sam’s, Emma’s, and mine when we’d found out what had happened. In my mind, I believed that he’d killed her after she’d refused to give up our location, and I still felt so ashamed for leaving Mom in such a horrible situation to begin with. I just never imagined that Ray would have gone to such lengths to find us. Now I’d have to live with the guilt of not protecting her for the rest of my life. The worst thing was, he’d disappeared and had left no evidence linking him to the murder. Just a stolen gun… wiped free of fingerprints. There weren’t even any witnesses to prove that he’d followed her. April, the other waitress, had stated that Doreen had told her the conversation between the two of them had been civil. That she’d almost felt bad for Ray, who’d seemed pretty broken up. Whatever that had transpired afterwards was still a mystery to the police, although Ray Daniels
was
‘wanted’ for questioning. It was no mystery to me, however. I knew very well that he’d killed her. But, without physical evidence, everyone’s hands were tied.
Blinking back tears, I reminded myself that I was at a job interview. I had to appear confident and professional.
Taking a deep breath, I said a silent prayer, thankful that Sam had been able to help us. In fact, I didn’t think that I could thank the man enough. He’d been a rock for me and Emma during the last few months. He’d even helped us relocate to California, which we could have never done without him. We were currently staying with his brother, Fred, who is a retired cop, and had been with him since last winter. Although he was a little rough around the edges, he had a heart of gold, and I felt very safe in his house. But I also didn’t want to overstay our welcome. Thankfully, my mother had left us a life insurance policy of twenty-five thousand dollars, which, after paying for her funeral, had helped us buy a new car. I was also planning on purchasing a house soon, after securing a dependable job. I had spent the last few months going back to beauty school, and had acquired another license. Thus, my interview with the manager of Tangled. Apparently, Sam and Fred had grown up with his father in Alaska, and still kept in close contact. After hearing my story, Thane offered to interview me. I had to admit, however, although I appreciated his willingness to help me out, my feelings were mixed. I certainly didn’t want to be hired out of pity, and I planned on explaining that to him, face-to-face.
“Did I hear that you were waiting for Thane?” asked an attractive dark-skinned woman, stepping around the partition that separated the main salon. Her black hair hung in braids below her shoulders, she had perfectly manicured nails, and I could tell the high-heels she wore cost more than my entire wardrobe.
“Yes, I am.”
She smiled. “So, you two datin’?”
I laughed at that. “No. I’ve never even met the man.”
She waved her hand. “That don’t matter. I’ve met some guys online and set up dates without meetin’ ‘em. Sometimes it’s even better that way. You can escape before they realize you’re even trying to ditch them. Especially if their online photos don’t match their real appearances, you know what I’m saying?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I can imagine. Especially if they know how to Photoshop. Probably happens all the time.”
“Girl, once I agreed to go out with this guy named Chris, and we hooked up at this bar in Stanton. I thought the guy was
fine
from his online pictures. Little did I know that the bar we were meeting at was a ‘gay’ bar and Chris used to be Christine.”
My eyes widened. “You really had no idea?”
“Hell no. I’d never been to Stanton, and as far as the date went – I didn’t even know that ‘he’ was a ‘she’ until we ended up back at my place and Chris asked to borrow a tampon. Apparently, she couldn’t fit one into her wallet.”
I giggled. “No way”
“Mm hmm…” she replied, smirking. “It was pretty embarrassing for both of us. Then, when I thought the date was over, we shared a bottle of wine, and stayed up all night laughing about it and talking. Turns out that I liked her better than most of the guys I’d met on that dating site.”
“Well at least you found a new friend then, huh?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t a total waste of a date. In fact,” she grinned wickedly, “Chris introduced me to Dr. Johnson, and now I go out with
her
when I want to just let loose and have fun,” She lowered her voice. “And to my nightstand when I don’t feel like shaving my legs, you know what I’m saying?”
I didn’t, and was very confused, but I laughed anyway.
She stared at me in amusement. “Girl, I can tell you don’t have a clue as to what I’m talking about,” she said, taking out her smart phone. She began pushing buttons, and then after a few seconds, showed me the screen.
My face grew warm as I stared at the assortment of vibrators and dildos. I swallowed. “Uh, wow, that’s… quite a selection.”
“There’s something out there for everyone. I’m also a distributer now.” She reached into her smock and held up a business card. “So, if things don’t work out between you and Thane, check out my personal website. I’ll even give you a discount code for a free butt-plug when you place an order over fifty-dollars.”
“I’m just here for a job,” I said, my cheeks blazing now. I couldn’t believe how professional and impervious she appeared, talking about butt-plugs. “We’re not dating.”
“You have a man?”
“No. Not at the moment.”
She lowered her voice. “A woman? Don’t worry, I have nothing against lesbians. I respect what they do, I just can’t get myself to do it… you know what I’m saying?”
“Yes, I mean no… I don’t have a woman, nor am I a lesbian.”
She handed me a card. “Then you’re definitely going to need this.”
I looked at the business card quickly and then slid it into my purse. “Uh, thanks.”
Just then the front door jingled and a tall, rugged looking man stepped into the salon. He had longish blonde hair, deeply tanned skin, and was not only built, but dressed like a lumberjack.
“Speak of the devil,” said Felicia. “Where’d you go for lunch, Thane?”
“That Thai place up the street, again,” he answered, staring at me. “You must be Sera?”
“Yes,” I said, trying to hide my shock. He wasn’t at all what I’d expected. Not that it was a bad thing. I’d just never imagined that the owner of Tangled, which was obviously a trendy and chic hair salon, would look like he’d just stepped out of the Rocky Mountains. With his broad shoulders, muscular thighs, and thick forearms, I imagined him swinging an ax, or carrying a large buck across his back. Not wielding a scissors and coaching a bunch of stylists on hair products. “I’m Sera Billings.”
“Thane Bishop.” He held out his hand, which was massive, like the rest of him. I had to admit that the conversation I’d just had with Felicia and the sheer manliness of Thane made me tingle in ways that I hadn’t in quite a long time.
“Nice to meet you,” I answered, staring into eyes the color of bronze and fire.
“You, too.” He released my hand and motioned for me to follow him. “Let’s go talk in my office.”
“Sure.”
“Hold my calls, please,” he said to Felicia, passing her.
“I will,” she answered and then winked at me. “Have fun taming Mufasa.”
“Excuse me?”
She laughed. “That’s what we call him. Mufasa, from The Lion King, you know?”
“Oh.”
She lowered her voice. “Don’t let him intimidate you. He looks like a hard, grumpy grizzly, but he’s really more of a soft teddy bear.”
I didn’t think he looked grumpy. A little intimidating? Maybe.
I thanked her and quickly headed toward his office, which was in the back of the salon. As I moved past the stations, two stylists stared at me curiously and I smiled. Both of them grinned back and then turned to each other, obviously wondering why I was there, as well.
“Close the door behind you, Ms. Billings. Please,” said Thane, as I entered his office.
“Okay.”
The room was definitely contemporary and stylish. Thane’s desk was a massive black and white slab of marble, which sat in front of a window adorned with long, black linen curtains. Three of the walls were painted white, and the fourth was a black and faced his desk. On that particular wall were several, large portraits of women and men with exotic hairstyles and makeup. One thing that jumped out at me was that although the office seemed voguish and chic, it was in no way his style or choice in décor. I didn’t even need to rely on my intuition to know that he preferred something much more traditional and felt a little out of place in it.
“Nice office,” I said, testing my theory.
He shrugged. “It’s okay. Not really my thing.”
“It’s kind of… I don’t know… feminine.”
He grimaced. “Thanks for pointing that out. I thought it was my imagination.”
“No, it’s not. It actually reminds me of Cruella De Vil’s office.”
His eyebrow arched. “Who is Cruella De Vil?”
I smiled. “Sorry, it’s from a Disney movie. One Hundred and One Dalmations. She’s an evil woman obsessed with everything black and white. Including puppies.”
“Puppies?”
“Yes, but not in a good way. She prefers to wear them, not play with them.”
He grunted. “That’s it. I’m having this place remodeled as soon as possible.”
I chuckled. “Sorry,” I replied, sitting down across from him in one of the club chairs. “I wasn’t trying to insult or creep you out. Besides, it’s just a children’s movie.”
“I’ve heard of it, and believe me, it takes a lot to creep me out. Anyway, I’ve been meaning to have it changed.”
I opened up my briefcase and took out my resume. “Here,” I said, holding it out to him.
“Keep it. I don’t need it.”
I lowered the file. “Don’t you want to know where I’ve worked? Or see my license?”
He sighed. “I suppose I should make sure that you
are
licensed. As far as your work history goes, it doesn’t particularly matter. You’re renting a space from me. It’s your business. I couldn’t care less what you’ve done in the past, as long as you perform well in the future.”
My eyes widened. “What if I’m a criminal or have a history of being a horrible nail technician? It could wreck your reputation.”