The Right Kind of Love (9 page)

“Sorry, where are my manners. Hi, Damien, how are you?” I gave him my best smile given I was still shaken up from Wes’s text. He gave me a strange look.

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

I’m sure he had to have known something was wrong.

“Sydney, what’s wrong?” He suddenly turned serious.

“Nothing’s wrong, I’m just happy to see you.” Umm, what the hell did I just say? Was I happy to see him? I needed to backpedal from this. I didn’t want to give the man-whore any ammunition.

“Really, happy to see me?” He winked at me and Miranda cleared her throat.

“So what brings you by?” I had to get to the bottom of this. I didn’t want to get in trouble for having a visitor.

“Well, I’m actually your six-thirty appointment.” He looked to Miranda and winked. What’s up with all of the winking? Was he a constant flirt all of the time? Besides, I didn’t think he fucked the same girl twice.

“Okay, well, that’s great. Let me show you back to my station and then we can get started.” I pushed my hair over my shoulder and headed back to my station with Damien on my heels.

I motioned for him to have a seat in my chair. We would talk about the cut first, and then I would take him to wash his hair. He sat down. “So what are we going to do?”

“I was actually just thinking you could trim it up some. I just need it cleaned up, nothing major.” He ran his hands through his hair and the delicious muscles in his arm flexed. Holy hell, he had muscular arms.

“Well, I can certainly do that, no problem.” I noticed he had a little scruff going on and it was sexy as hell.
Sydney, chill the hell out. You’ve sworn off men. Remember?

“Cool, thanks, Sweets.” He had to throw in the Sweets. I was sorta getting used to the pet names he used, most of the time anyway. There were still moments when they irritated the hell out of me.

“Okay, let’s get you over to a shampoo bowl, and then we will get this show on the road.” I motioned for him to follow me.

He sat down in the chair and I bent over to place the cape around his neck. “The salon is nice.” He placed his head back on the edge of the bowl and got comfortable.

“Yeah, I think I totally lucked out. It’s much nicer than where I worked at before. But I honestly wouldn’t expect less in Vegas.”

“Agreed. In Vegas, everything is bigger and grander, that is if you are on the strip.” He closed his eyes as I started to rinse his hair.

Placing my hands in his silky hair, I felt electricity all the way down to my toes and my belly whooshed. He grunted in response. I wonder if he felt the energy that radiated between us. He had to have.

It was a delicious whooshing.

After we had finished with the wash, I tried to gather myself from the exchange we just had. My belly was still whooshing and I noticed that he wore a different kind of smile on his face. This one seemed sincere. Or was it shocked? Pleased? A smile that was only for me? Hell, I didn’t know. I just knew it felt right. Good even. We went back to my station and Luka and Mags had both returned. I got out my comb and scissors and began to get to work. I noticed that Mags kept looking at me and then at Damien.

She turned to me, finally deciding to speak, and she gave her attention to Damien. “Are you Damien Blue from The Fade?”

Damien gave her a sexy grin and I had to take a moment, swallowing down the moan that wanted to escape. I don’t know if her panties melted from the sex dripping from her smile, but mine did.
Damn him and his sex appeal. Get it together, Sydney.

“The one and only.”

“Well, I’m a huge fun, like huge! I go to almost all of your shows. You totally know how to rock it.” She winked at him. I could feel my cheeks start to redden and my jaw ticked a little. Was I seriously getting jealous over another woman flirting with him? I thought we had just shared this moment.

My God. Did every girl throw themselves at him?

“Thanks, sweetheart, we love to play.”

“Sweet, I’m going to your show this Friday night,” she said while throwing her hair over her shoulder.

“Great. I told Sydney that she needed to come check us out.” He looked to me. “Syd, are you going to come on Friday? I’ll save you a special spot.”

Mags chimed in. “Sydney, you can go with us. A group of us are going from the salon. We have a blast when we go. It would be so much fun!”

Hell, I didn’t have anything else to do. I would be killing two birds with one stone. It was important for me to make friends, and I also was a bit more than curious about seeing Damien’s band.

“Sure. I suppose I can go. Thanks for inviting me.” I had finished cleaning up the sides of Damien’s hair and got my scissors out to begin working on the top.

“How about if I have a table reserved for your group, ladies?”

Mags got so excited she actually clapped her hands together. I hope she wasn’t one of his many one-night stands. I knew he was a playboy, but the thoughts of working so closely with her and then having to hear about it would make me green with envy. It was bad enough that he had slept with Miranda.

“That’d be great, Damien. We would really appreciate it. Are you playing at The Rum Runner just up the road? I thought that’s what I read on your website.”

“Yep, you got it. We go on stage at nine.”

“Great, we’ll be there. I think there will be about seven of us.”

“Awesome. Can’t wait to see you there, Mags. Make sure you see me that night after we finish playing.” He winked at her. He better not be thinking about getting into her pants.

Finishing up with his hair, I took the blow dryer out and started styling. He really had nice looking hair and it was so silky just like I thought it would be. Once finished, I got some styling products out and went about sculpting his hair into a masterpiece. Taking off his cape, I flipped the chair around so he could see my work.

“Damn, babe, my hair looks fucking good.” He continued to appraise himself in the mirror. “You sure know what you’re doing. You put my old stylist to shame with your wicked mad skills.”

That made me feel good, freakin’ fantastic and my belly whooshed again.

“Thank you, I appreciate the compliment. I hope from now on that you’ll let me do your hair.”

“Oh, you can certainly do me any time you want, Sweets.” He took his hand and rubbed it slightly over my cheek.

And just like that, my belly did that damn delicious swooshing again.

I quickly pulled away from him not wanting to give off the wrong impression.

Time for a much-needed subject change.

“How was Zeus doing?” I began sweeping up his hair from the floor.

“Oh, the little rat was doing great. He was so happy to see me.” He smiled at me and that smile reached all the way to his eyes. I could tell he was obviously very fond of Zeus.

“Will you quit calling him a rat? His name is
Zeus
.” Placing the extra emphasis on Zeus.

“Fine, Zeus. He loves me. I think he’ll be sleeping with me soon.” He was serious, but that would not be happening anytime soon.

“Dream on.”

“What? You just don’t like it because he loves me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now get so I can get out of here. I’m not going to be home until later. I’m going out with some of my co-workers tonight.” I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. I don’t know why telling him that made me a little nervous.

“Well, I want to come. I have another tattoo to do at eight. It’s not a very big piece so I won’t be gone there too long. Where are you going?” I really didn’t want him to come with us tonight.

“Nope, you can’t come.” I placed my hand on my hip and gave him my best ‘I meant business’ look.

“Well, why not?”

“Because I want to get to know my co-workers. Besides, wouldn’t I cramp your style on picking up a chick?” Well, that was super sweet.

But that didn’t last long.

Not long at all.

“You’re right. Have fun tonight.” He seemed a little disappointed but not terribly.

I walked over to Miranda. “This one is no charge, Miranda.”

“Oh, hell no, I’m paying,” Damien said with authority.

What the hell? He gave me a tattoo, and now I was returning the favor just like we had talked about.

I placed both hands on my hip this time. “You are not and that is final.”

“Fine.” He placed his wallet back into his pocket and then leaned over and whispered something in Miranda’s ear.

Was he planning his one-night stand right here in front of me? But if he were, it wouldn’t really be a one-night stand.

“Thanks for coming by, Damien, I’ll see you later.” I turned and walked back to my station. I really wasn’t up for seeing him flirt with Miranda.

Once I got back to my station, Mags and Luka rushed over and cornered me. “Girl, how do you know Damien? He’s one fine piece of ass,” Mags said with a huge grin gracing her face.

“He’s my roommate.”

“Honey, if he were my roommate, I wouldn’t be getting any sleep,” Luka chimed in.

“I’ve been trying to get into those pants for a while now. Would you set us up?” Mags gave me a pleading look. And again, I felt the anger surface and I suppressed the growl that wanted to rise from my chest.

I had to lay it out straight for her. “Well, he doesn’t do attachments, Mags. He’s more of a different woman every night kind of guy,”

“And I would mind, why?” Well, she obviously rolled the same way as Damien. Even though it was not for me, I knew some girls were just as bad as men. In some ways, it made me feel a little sorry for her. She was missing out on the attachment and sharing the pleasure that true commitment brought to an intimate relationship.

“Well, that’s fine. I just don’t want it to cause any problems with you and me, since he’s my roommate.” I had to lay it out there. I didn’t want drama or a pissed off co-worker.

“No problem here, I promise.” She crossed her hand over her heart.

“Well, suit, yourself then.”

“Don’t you think he’s hot?”

How do I get out of this question? “He’s not my type.”

“Oh, I think you’re wrong about that. And you didn’t see the way he was looking at you. He clearly wants you. But girl, if you’re not going to have that fine piece of ass, please don’t mind if I do,” she stated matter of factly.

Oh, my God.

“Never gonna happen,” I said while cleaning up my station. But I felt bitter toward relinquishing him to her.

“Never say never.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“Never.”

Sydney

“O
kay shots for everyone!!” Mags started handing out the Jager Bombs she had ordered for all of us.

It was Friday night and we were at The Rum Runner waiting for The Fade to go on stage. We had a large round bar height table. The group of us consisted of Mags, of course, Shaina, Luka, and his partner Brooks, and Drea. I was seated between Drea and Luka.

I had to admit I was really excited to see Damien play. Mags had said they did mostly covers. A huge mix of classic rock, alternative, and some grunge with a dash of 80’s thrown into the mix. Playing several genres was an interesting spin on things. I loved them all so I’m sure I’d enjoy what they played. Damien said he was the lead guitarist and he did the vocal on some songs. It would be very interesting to hear him sing, and it made my body tingle a little bit just thinking about it. I hadn’t really seen him much since I cut his hair. He worked later than I did and most nights, I was in bed by the time he rolled in. I was a little grateful for that.

“I propose a toast,” Mags said as she raised her glass. “Here’s to lots of booze and some good sweaty sex.”

I raised my glass and threw it back. Damn, if it didn’t burn all the way down. Thank goodness I took a cab, because I planned on getting tipsy, maybe even
shnockered
.

I looked across the tables to Mags. “Girl, you crack me up.”

“No, I just tell it like it is.” She gave me a wink.

“I think I’m going to use the powder room before the band starts.” I picked up my phone off the table and saw that it was eight forty-five. Only fifteen more minutes until the show started. “If the waitress comes back, will you order me a Vodka Soda with a lemon and a lime?”

“You got it, babe,” Mags said with a smile.

Over the week I’d become good friends with Luka and Mags, Drea too but especially Shaina. She worked at a booth behind mine. When we first met, we hit it off and had a lot in common. Although I did have breaks here and there in my schedule, my days had been pretty full. Bangs did a hell of a business. Drea had even asked me to cut her hair, which was an honor. She said that she always had the newbies cut her hair so that she could see what type of talent she’d hired. When I was done, she had pulled me into her office and gushed over what a fantastic job I had done. She had made a drastic change going from shoulder length hair to a short dramatic inverted bob. The look suited her. She truly was stunning.

In the bathroom, I realized I had started my period and thank fuck for that. After the bastard forced himself on me, I realized that he hadn’t covered his dick. I wasn’t late, but I was still more grateful than I had ever been for anything in my life. I finished doing my business and made my way back out to the bar.

I realized that my new life in Vegas was exactly what I needed. New friends, a new job, and hundreds of miles from Wes. If he would stop texting, maybe I could put it behind me finally. I knew many women took time to heal, and we all had our different ways to do it, but I was the type that didn’t linger on things that were out of my control. My mom raised me to be a strong individual. I wasn’t healed, but I was moving forward with my life. Damaged, but not broken.

I hadn’t told my step-dad where I was going, and I told him I would give him a call once I was settled. I needed to call him. I’m sure he was worried about me. I would just tell him I was in California or hell, Alaska. That way, if Wes tried to follow, he might freeze his dick off. That would teach him.

I’d sworn Bee to secrecy about where I was going. When I’d talked to her earlier this week, she told me that she hadn’t breathed a word to anyone.

Thank God.

I knew I could trust Bee. She was my best friend after all. She knew how important starting my new life was to me.

Walking across the bar to our table, I did one final glance at the stage. The lights were dim, but all of the equipment was in place. I could hardly wait. They were going to be freaking great.

I walked back over to the table and Luka gave me the once over. “Girl, you look smoking in your red dress. And look at those killer leopard wedge sandals. Girl, you are rocking. These boys aren’t going to know what to do with themselves tonight with you burning up the place. Simply, the lady in red.”

I actually blushed and felt all eyes on me, and I looked away embarrassed as hell. Being center of attention wasn’t something that I exactly relished. “Thanks, Luka.”

Looking over to the stage, I saw fog billowing in the air. Mags squealed and then took my hand and drug me to the dance floor with her before the music had even started. There were lots of people already gathered around the stage.

Out of nowhere, the guys had taken the stage. From what I could see of Damien, he was shirtless and his tattoos were on display. He had on low slung jeans with holes in them and a pair of black converse. He looked freakin’ edible as hell. His hair was in a mess on his head, but he was totally rockin’ the look with utter confidence.

They started playing and I instantly recognized the song. Blister in the Sun by the Violent Femmes. It was an all-time great song and instantly, got all of us in front of the stage dancing. I noticed there were people out here from all lifestyles and they were dressed in various fashions. I almost felt a little over dressed.

The lead singer was belting it out and he had an amazing voice, but it was odd that he hadn’t turned around. He had his back to the audience, which I thought was rather uncharacteristic of a lead singer. They normally jumped around on the stage and captured the audience.

Mags leaned into me. “Didn’t I tell you they were awesome?” I wondered how much she had to drink, because she was already much looser than I was. Her words were slightly slurred, which was a good indication.

“Yeah, they’re fantastic,” I shouted.

The next song started pouring through the amps. It was Closer by Nine Inch Nails. The lead singer had left the stage and Damien began to sing. He had the most unbelievably sexy voice. The way he sang the song with such raw passion left me breathless. The tingling in my stomach decided to make a trip south. Right between my legs. He was a talent to be reckoned with. I just stood there—no longer dancing and in a complete trance—as I watched him passionately sing into the microphone. The lyrics were dripping sex, but the way he sang—.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Not one single minute.

I stared at him intently, and then he found me in the crowd and our eyes locked. It was like he was singing directly to me. The song was coming to a close. He sang the last words of it and never broke eye contact with me and then it ended.

“Thanks for coming out everybody. We are The Fade. We’ll be back in thirty so don’t go anywhere.” Damien finished speaking and then winked at me. My panties melted a little more.
You keep telling yourself that, Sydney. We all know better.

I quickly got my head on straight and followed my group back to our table. A light sheen of sweat was on my chest and the back of my neck. I lifted my hair up off my neck trying to get some air circulating. A drink was in tall order at the moment. Reaching the table, I picked up the water that I had ordered earlier and drank it down. I was so parched.

The waiter approached us, so we ordered another round of drinks, and of course, another water to quench my thirst.

The guys from the band made their way into the bar, and I watched as several girls approached Damien. They were falling all over him, flaunting their fake boobs, and rubbing on him. He just ate it up. Truly, it was a bit disgusting. There was no telling what kind of disease he could pick up from some of these slutty looking girls. Did I just think that? Yes, indeed, I did. This was a case of the green-eyed monster. I bet if I looked in the mirror that my hair would be green and bushy like a troll doll.

I was just taking a drink of my cocktail when Damien came up to me. “What did you think?”

All of my co-workers started ranting and raving over how good they were while I stayed quiet. I wasn’t going to try to compete to be heard.

“Thanks, guys. It’s such a rush up there.” Damien gave them a heart-stopping smile.

Mags got up from her chair across from us and came over to Damien and put her arm around his waist and whispered in his ear. They both chuckled. I had no idea what they were saying, but if I had to bet, it was a proposition to hook up later. It really didn’t matter what my views were on Damien and his random hook ups. I couldn’t say anything because this was Mags we were talking about, and I wouldn’t dare hurt her feelings.

Damien looked at me and took my chin in his hands turning my head to focus on him. I felt a whoosh in my belly.

And it was the good kind of whoosh that made the rest of my body tingle.

“I heard what the rest of them said about our band, but what did you think?” His espresso eyes were penetrating mine. He acted as if my opinion was all that counted.

“You were sensational. Phenomenal. I can’t even begin to describe how great you guys were. I’m
fangirling
.” I gave him my best smile and he returned it with one of his.

He raised up an eyebrow. “Fangirling?”

“Yes, you know like as in a fan.” I chuckled and he laughed right along with me.

“Yeah, I think I get it.” He looked over his shoulder and my eyes followed his. It was the lead singer of the band that mostly sang with his back to us. He was a looker for sure. Now that I could see him up close, he had the deepest blue eyes—so blue that I wanted to sit and stare into them all night. With his medium brown hair, a bit different from Damien’s and a bit of a mess on the top, he had pure boyish charm. Unlike Damien, he actually had a shirt on.

Damien cleared his throat. “Come here, little brother. Let me introduce you to my roommate, Sydney.”

The guy walked over to Damien’s side and looked down to the ground. What was up with this guy? “This shy guy is my little brother and lead singer, Sebastian.”

He finally looked up, and I stuck my hand out to him. “Hi, Sebastian. I’m Sydney Summers. It’s nice to meet you.” We shook hands. “You have an amazing voice, but I have to admit, I would love to see more of your face while you’re singing.”

He looked down at his shoes and then back up at me. “Sure.”

Damien put his arm around his brother and then ruffled his hair. “Don’t mind him, he’s just extremely shy. But I wanted to introduce him to you so you know him when he comes to the apartment.”

“Cool, thanks.”

Shaina nudged me on the arm. I guess she wanted me to introduce her.

“Damien, this is one of my friends from the salon, Shaina. Damien and Sebastian, meet my gal.” I leaned away a little so they could all shake hands.

“Well, aren’t you going to introduce me to the rest of the table?” Damien raised his eyebrows. No doubt the little man-whore was checking out the merchandise. But he wouldn’t get too far because Mags had already set her sights on him. It stung a little bit. If he were a different kind of guy, it would really hurt. But I knew he wasn’t good for me. I needed someone who did attachments and was all hearts and flowers. Even though he had become somewhat of a gentleman, I knew this was a quality he wouldn’t have.

I did the introductions, and each time, my friends took turns telling him how great the band sounded. I could have sworn I saw his head getting bigger. It was going to be so inflated by the time he left tonight that he wouldn’t be able to get it through the front door.

“Hey, Syd, I’m going to go out back and smoke before our next set starts. You wanna come with me and keep me company?”

I wondered why he would possibly want me to go with him. He had plenty of girls here that wanted to throw themselves at his feet and have a million babies with him.

Pointing to myself, I raised an eyebrow. “Me?”

“Yeah, you.”

“Sure, I suppose.” I grabbed my water off the table and followed him through the bar and into the back parking lot.

As he lit his cigarette, I couldn’t help but stare at him and the way his lips caressed the edges. Smoking wasn’t my thing, but I had to admit it looked sexy as sin on him.

“So I wanted to ask you a question.” Oh, lord. I could only imagine what kind of question was going to roll off his lips.

“Yes?” I prompted him.

“I’ve been eyeing your friend Mags and she wants to get together after the show if you know what I mean.” He took another drag and blew it out while I sipped down some of my water. The water was helping me from getting too tipsy.