Chapter 6
Jeremy couldn’t get Violet out of his mind. All day he kept replaying the moment when he stood at her door saying goodnight to her. He berated himself for not taking the opportunity to kiss her then; he had wanted to but at the last minute he had chickened out.
A quick look through his calendar of appointments confirmed his next appointment with Tanya was a month away and for some inexplicable reason the idea of not seeing them, especially Violet, for that long was bothering him.
Surprised by this sudden revelation, he sat back in his chair deep in thought as he struggled to unravel his confusing thoughts and emotions.
He recalled their conversation from the night he drove her home and the connection he had felt with her since.
He knew he should leave her alone but he couldn’t, and a month was too long to wait, so he would need to run into her and he knew exactly how to orchestrate such an event.
Two days later when Violet arrived at her work, Shanta, the girl who sat at the front desk to book appointments and take payments, rose from her seat, her hands fluttering with excitement, her eyes bright and wide as the words spilled out rapidly in a loud whisper.
“There’s someone here waiting for you.”
“Ummm…okay?” Violet replied confused as to why this should be so exciting.
It wasn’t unusual for clients to come in and wait for a specific person.
“Who is it? It’s not Clara is it?” she asked, naming an extremely particular client who always left her feeling exhausted and drained.
She simply didn’t have time to deal with her particularities today.
“You’ll see,” Shanta pronounced mysteriously and then followed after Violet as she entered the seating area.
Violet took one look at the client waiting for her and understood Shanta’s reaction.
Sitting in one of the salon’s big armchairs looking as cool as a cucumber was Jeremy.
Someone had made him a coffee which he was sipping while he read a newspaper.
The two other hairdressers kept throwing coy looks his way trying to grab his attention.
Without a doubt, he was the handsomest and sexiest man to ever grace the salon.
Was he always this good looking? In his white coat Jeremy looked handsome and intelligent, a good looking doctor.
But dressed casually in a pair of dark blue jeans and a crisp white t-shirt, he looked hot and incredibly sexy.
Her eyes travelled down the length of his body, taking in the hard muscles, the broad shoulders, the slim hips.
All the things normally beneath his doctor’s coat.
Alysha’s voice broke through her perusal.
“Violet? There you are, Mr. Waterhouse here has been waiting for you.” Alysha was using her cool, dignified professional voice, which she typically reserved for her high end clientele.
“Thank you, Alysha,” Violet responded. At the sound of her voice, Jeremy looked up from his newspaper and a wide smile lit up his face.
He untangled his tall frame from the chair.
His t-shirt lifted a little as he got to his feet and Violet caught a glimpse of his flat, toned, golden stomach.
Her own stomach fluttered with desire and she imagined running her hands over his chest and everywhere else; she thought of his lips pressing over her own and leaving a trail of kisses down her body…
all of a sudden he was standing right in front of her.
So close she could touch him if she wanted to.
He was staring at her intently as if he was peering into her head and reading her most intimate thoughts.
Embarrassed by her train of thoughts she took a step back and pasted a bright, professional smile on her face. “Dr. Waterhouse, what a surprise!”
“Jeremy,” he corrected her gently, his voice low and husky.
“Huh?”
“Please call me Jeremy, no formalities please.”
“Oh I couldn’t,” she protested.
“But I insist,” he said again in that husky, seductive voice quite unlike the way he spoke to her in his office.
Mesmerized by his voice, all Violet could do was nod her head slowly.
“I know it’s last minute, but I’m hoping you can take me.”
“Take you?” she whispered in a half strangled voice as she imagined riding him buck naked on her bed.
“For a haircut.” He said running a hand through his thick, wavy hair.
“Oh right! A haircut.” She flushed with embarrassment again, what was wrong with her?
Why was she consumed with sexual thoughts?
What was it about him that disturbed her in such a way?
If she didn’t want to humiliate herself any further, she would have to get a grip.
Taking a deep steadying breath, she gave him a bright smile and nodded, “Yes, absolutely. I can take you right now. I’ll get one of the girls to shampoo and wash your hair and then we can get started. ”
“Would you mind shampooing my hair yourself?” he smiled ruefully, “I have trust issues when it comes to my hair.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Violet could see Alysha’s raised eyebrows and the tiny smile playing on her thin lips.
“Yes of course, I can do it. Please follow me.” Deliberately ignoring the knowing glances of the other women, Violet went to the shampoo station and prepared it for Jeremy. Once he was settled in, she rinsed his head and poured a generous amount of shampoo in her hand.
Never before had she felt so aroused at the idea of shampooing someone’s hair.
As her fingers threaded through his hair, massaging his scalp, her mind drifted to the idea of her hands massaging other parts of his body.
Feeling flushed and hot, she hurried through the shampoo process trying to keep her mind occupied with mundane thoughts.
The haircut was a fairly silent affair. It was different from the night of the coffee shop or the day he had stopped by for dinner.
Both of those times they had naturally kept up a steady stream of conversation, asking questions, sharing stories but today everything felt unnatural and awkward.
For the first time since meeting him, she was very aware of his presence and his masculinity.
“Shanta at the front will help you with the bill,” she said briskly as she began to clean up her area.
He hovered nearby for a few minutes and then cleared his throat, “There’s actually another thing…”
“Yes?” she asked expectantly. But he wasn’t saying anything. “What is it, Dr. Wa...” she asked again looking up at him.
“Jeremy remember?” he reminded her gently. He was looking at her again in that intimate way, the air between them crackled with sexual tension. “I was hoping you were free for dinner tonight.” The question came out quick and fast, throwing her off.
She was struck speechless and was sure she had heard him incorrectly. “I’m sorry?”
“I know it’s short notice but I was hoping you were free for dinner tonight,” he repeated. “The next few nights I’m working late at the hospital so I was hoping if you were free tonight…” his voice trailed off.
“Like on a date?”
“Yes, a date.”
“Oh,” the idea of going on a date was unsettling enough but the idea of date with someone like him was suddenly terrifying. “Ummm…I’m sorry, but I’m working the closing shift tonight.”
All the girls and the two customers at the salon were openly and shamelessly listening to their exchange. Alysha piped up from a few feet away, “Actually, Vy, I overbooked and won’t be needing you after 2p.m. today.”
Violet turned around and glared at Alysha about to protest, but Jeremy beat her to it. “That’s great! I’ll pick you up…”
“I have Tanya though,” she interrupted him.
“No, you don’t,” said Alysha again, “she’s with Debra for your shift, I’m sure Debra won’t mind looking after her for a few more hours.”
“I guess.” Violet said weakly unable to think of any other plausible reason for turning him down. She turned to Jeremy, “I guess I can go to dinner.”
“Fantastic! Let’s say 5p.m., we can have an early dinner so you can be back for Tanya earlier.”
“Okay,” she said quietly.
“See you in a few hours then.” With a general wave of goodbye to everyone, Jeremy walked to the front desk, paid for his haircut and left the salon.
The minute the door closed behind him, all the girls erupted into a chorus of excited chatter.
“Oh my God! He’s so dreamy.”
“Did you check out his ass?”
“How romantic!”
“Where have you been hiding this delectable little piece, Violet?”
“Guess who’s going to get some tonight? Better run home and shave your legs, girl.”
“Were you seriously going to turn him down? Girl, you be crazy!”
Violet didn’t dignify any of the comments with any responses, her mind was whirling with this sudden turn of events, did she really have a date with the handsome doctor?
She was having a hard time wrapping her head around it, what could he possibly see in someone like her?
They came from two different worlds entirely; the women he typically dated must all be gorgeous and sophisticated with blonde hair, small breasts and long legs.
No doubt they vacationed in France, spent their weekends at the Hamptons and dressed only in designer clothes.
Violet was the polar opposite of all those things.
Her mind went over her limited closet as she thought of what she could wear and settled on a pair of jeans and a pretty summer blouse.
She was certain girls from Jeremy’s social circle dressed much fancier, but she was determined she wouldn’t hide her true self or pretend to be someone she was not.
After all, she was proud of who she was.
Punctual as always, Jeremy arrived at her door at 5 p.m. sharp.
He handed her a gorgeous bouquet of calla lilies and roses, “They made me think of you,” he explained simply when she exclaimed how he shouldn’t have.
And he had another bouquet of brightly hued daisies and peonies for Tanya, who accepted them shyly.
Debra greeted Jeremy warmly and gave Violet a wink of approval as she shooed her out of the house and into Jeremy’s car with strict instructions she wasn’t to worry about anything.
“Have a good time tonight honey.” She shamelessly eyed Jeremy, focusing her attention below his belt, “You’re a lucky gal, make sure to take advantage of it.
” This was said in such a loud whisper Violet’s ears burned with embarrassment, she was sure Jeremy had heard.
And as she settled into the car, Debra’s words echoed in her head and she was consumed with visions of her and Jeremy’s naked bodies slick with sweat as they made love.
If Jeremy had heard Debra’s comment he kept it to himself, instead he asked her questions about her day and they spoke briefly about Tanya’s recovery and soon they were chatting away comfortably.
“Where are we going?” Violet asked curiously.
“Nothing overly special, just dinner at a restaurant and then home because I don’t want to keep you too long.”