The old-fashioned bell rang as I opened the door to the salon.
"Ah, Mrs Simmons, good morning!" Ellie, the salon's owner, beamed as soon as I stepped inside. "Would you like to make an appointment?"
"Um, actually it's Miss White now," I smiled, holding up my hand. A pale line was still visible on my finger from where my wedding ring used to be. "But yes, please."
"Oh. Um." A look of slightly awkward panic crossed Ellie's face. "I'm, um, sorry to hear that."
"It's okay." I smiled, trying to put her at ease. "It was a long time coming. I'm better off without him, you know?"
"Oh, I'm sure." Ellie managed an awkward laugh. "So," she stared at her book, trying to steer the conversation back to safer ground. "Just a trim, is it?"
"Actually, something a bit different. New me, new style, you know?"
"Oh, right. Sounds great!" Ellie looked through the diary. "I can get you in... next Thursday?"
"Oh. Don't you have anything sooner? I was hoping to get something done in the next day or two."
"I'm afraid we're all booked up." Ellie shook her head, sadly. "I can fit you in for a quick trim tomorrow, but..."
"I can probably help," a voice spoke up behind me. I looked around; it was... Jade, if I remembered rightly. She'd done my hair a couple of times before. She had a cute punky vibe that I secretly admired, all bright blue hair and facial piercings. The sort of look I'd have rocked at her age if I'd ever been bold enough to.
"Sorry," she continued. "Couldn't help overhearing. Is it congrats or commiserations?"
"Jade!" Ellie gasped.
But I just grinned, finding myself warming to the young girl's bold attitude. "I think congratulations in the long run."
"Then congrats. You're better off without him, for sure." she gave me a wink. "But I can work late tomorrow and get you in then if you want? Ellie, you okay with that?"
Ellie shrugged. "Sure. You can close up when you're done."
"It's a date, then. I'll see you at six tomorrow, Miss White?"
"Oh, thank you so much. It means a lot." I made a mental note to pull out some extra cash; she deserved a tip. "Oh, and please - call me Rachel."
"No worries," Jade nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow at six then, Rachel."
...
The salon was almost empty when I showed up the next evening, with just one stylist cleaning up her station.
Ellie greeted me as I walked in. "Jade's just up the top. Ready when you are. I'm off home myself, so you'll have to excuse me. I'll leave you in her capable hands."
"Thanks," I smiled. I made my way up the few steps to the back of the salon, a small area secluded from the main room.
Jade was sitting in a chair, playing on her phone. She jumped up as she saw me come in, suddenly all smiles. "Rachel, hi. Make yourself comfy." She pointed at the chair by the mirror.
"Thanks." As I sat down, I heard the front door slam shut and realised all the other staff had gone for the day. It suddenly seemed strangely quiet in the usually bustling salon.
I watched Jade in the mirror as she busied herself getting ready. She was a genuinely attractive girl, I couldn't help noticing. Her wild blue hair framed a pretty face, enhanced by a few carefully chosen piercings. She had the sort of body that many women - myself included - would kill for. Large boobs tapering down to a thin, almost waspish waist and topped (bottomed?) by wide hips and a curvy but firm bum and long toned legs.
Her simple white top and black leggings were probably just work wear; I imagined she'd be more at home wearing something more... punky, I guessed. Whatever that meant these days. College was a long time ago and I wasn't exactly up to date on what all the subcultures wore nowadays.
She turned to look at me in the mirror, a faint smile on her face.
Oh shit, I thought. She caught me staring at her. How embarrassing.
I found a sudden interest in the light fixture to the side of the mirror, trying to pretend I hadn't been looking at her. I figured she probably didn't need that awkwardness. The poor girl probably gets ogled by every guy she comes into contact with, without having to deal with some old woman almost twice her age.
"So, what are we doing today, then? A new style, yes?" She approached me from behind, draping a gown over me.
"Yes please!" I beamed while she tucked everything in. She ran her hands through my hair, a motion I found oddly intimate. I was suddenly very aware of her chest just inches away from the back of my head. Looking in the mirror, I could see her right breast almost resting on my shoulder. I tried to ignore it.
"Um, so I want a good bit of length off, perhaps down to shoulder length..." I described what I wanted done as Jade expertly combed my hair. Once or twice, I felt her breasts brushing against my head. The poor girl probably couldn't help it; just one of the downsides of doing this job while being so... generously proportioned, I guessed.
"Soo..." Jade murmured once I'd finished. "I mean, sure. I can do that. But isn't that basically the same thing you have now? Just... shorter?"
"Um, well, yes, but I haven't had it that short since, oh, well, college I guess?"
"Mmm hmm." Jade teased my long hair with her fingers. "But still... I thought you wanted to be a little bolder? Isn't that what you said?" She lifted up a lock of my hair. "This is nice, you have lovely hair. But... It's a bit of an old fashioned style, if you don't mind me saying. You're young, free and single now." She smiled her pretty smile. "Go on, be bold."
"Um. So what do you suggest?" I was intrigued. She was probably right. Perhaps it was time to ditch the staid housewife look and live a little.
"Well, you could have an undercut like mine," Jade lifted her own hair to show her neatly cropped temple under her longer hair. She laughed as she saw my stunned look. "Okay, perhaps that's a little too much. But how about we get some more of this length off, and then..."
She carried on describing her new vision for me, brushing her hands through my hair as she spoke. Something about layers, some talk about being able to wear it up or down, something about highlights. But I kept losing concentration; all I could concentrate on was her hands stroking my hair, her boobs gently brushing my head and shoulders as she spoke.
"Um, okay." I realised Jade had stopped, apparently expecting an answer. "You seem to have a better sense for these things than I do. So... what the heck. We'll go with your idea."
"Awesome." Jade smiled that smile again. "We'll have to do the highlights another day, but I can do the style now." She grabbed her scissors and got to work.
"So tell me about the divorce, then. What happened to Mr Simmons. Do we hate him?"
I laughed. "Yeah, we do. It's an age-old story. Ran off with the secretary. Or personal assistant, or whatever she was. Now I'm a middle aged divorcee that got traded in for a younger model. I'm a walking cliche!"
Jade laughed with me, a pretty laugh. "Well, you're better off without him." We lapsed into idle chatter for a few minutes as I watched her expertly snip away at my dark hair, taking almost half the length off. I found myself almost mesmerised as she worked, our conversation tapering off as I admired her slim body as she bent and twisted. Her breasts in particular... it had been a long time since I'd thought of another woman that way. That was a side of me I'd put aside long ago.
"I know you're looking at my boobs, you know." Jade suddenly broke the silence.
I was mortified. I hadn't realised I was being that obvious about it. "Um, I-I wasn't. I'm sorry, I was just daydreaming..." I locked eyes with her in the mirror, expecting her to be annoyed, but she was smiling.
"I don't mind. I like it when women look at my chest. A lot of people do, you know. They think I can't tell because they're looking in the mirror." She carried on snipping away at my locks.
"No, really. I was miles away, sorry if it looked like..." I trailed off, realising she probably wasn't believing a word. I couldn't think what to say next; her boldness had caught me off guard. "I'm not surprised they get a lot of attention, though. They're very..." I tried to think of a word that suggested a compliment but that I wasn't personally interested in them. "Pretty." I finished, lamely.
"I said it's alright. Stare away. I enjoy the attention." Jade grinned.
I didn't reply. I honestly couldn't think of anything to say to that.
I spent the next couple of minutes trying to show I was looking at anything but Jade - and her chest particularly. I admired the light fixtures, I developed an interest in the hair colour display to the side. I made eye contact with Jade, making sure she knew I was looking at her face and not... down there.
I failed completely. Inexorably, I found myself staring at her body more and more. Brief glances here and there as she worked, slowly getting longer and more lingering. I couldn't help myself, not after Jade's odd comments. She wanted me to look? Even with my own modest assets, I was always acutely aware and a little embarrassed when men stared at me like that.
I couldn't be sure, but I couldn't help but wonder if she was putting on a little bit of a show for me. Was I imagining it, or had her lean become a little more pronounced, to show a little more cleavage? How many of those accidental brushes against my head were actually accidental?
The atmosphere in the salon had become strangely charged, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. I was suddenly very aware we were the only two people left in the salon.