Page 19 of Depraved Desires

I ended up getting three shirts and a few pairs of leggings. They didn’t have many options in the ‘pants’ department, but I only needed a few outfits to get through the rest of the week. Afterwards, we went to a luxurious-looking salon. Just by the building alone, I could tell it was expensive.

“I made you an appointment this morning,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “They already know what to do.”

Unease settled within my gut. I couldn’t even believe I was going through with this, but he was right. It would make me less likely to spot in a crowded room. Sure, my face still looked the same, but no one would know it was me unless they were up close.

Sighing, I laid my head against the seat. “So…in other words, I have no control over what happens to my hair?”

“I guess you’re just going to have to trust me.” He smirked.

The truth is…I did trust him. It was hard not to trust someone who literally risked their own life just to save you. But I wouldn’t tell him that. Trust wasn’t something that came easily to me. The only other people that I truly felt I could trust were Raven and Gia. My life was complicated, and since I woke up,things were even more complicated. Revenge would be nice, but after that…did I just move on from this like it never happened?

Something told me that everything that happened at the academy would stay with me forever. At least I was back on track with finding Avery and making a life for myself. That was the one thing that’s kept me going this far, and a few bumps in the road wouldn’t deter me.

With that thought in mind, I stepped out of the car and made my way to the front doors of the massive building. Glancing behind me, I realized Rocky was still in the car. He motioned for me to go in without him, so I did.

As soon as I stepped into the building, the scent of chemicals burned my nose. Everything looked so nice and clean. A row of chairs sat off to my right for people to wait in with a small table centered between them. A pack of magazines resided on top of it for clients to read if they happened to get too bored. I doubted that I could ever be bored enough to read about fashion or hair.

“Can I help you?” A feminine voice questioned from behind the front desk.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded and slowly moved forward to greet her. “I have an appointment. My name is Aspen.”

Her face lit up instantly. “Oh, yes! Rocky’s friend.” My eyes narrowed cautiously. The woman was young—probably in her twenties. Her skin was tan and fit the brunette shade of her hair quite well. To be honest, this girl was gorgeous. Jealousy prickled at my insides even though I had no right to feel that way.

“Yes,” I muttered, pushing the unwelcome feeling down to the pits of my stomach.

Rocky was very attractive. Not only that, but he was kind and warm. Being near him just felt…right. Of course he had flings. Maybe I’d been reading too much into him. He probably actedlike that with everyone. Despite coming to that conclusion, it didn’t make me feel any better. I’ve met guys like him in the past. Guys that were charming, flirty,and overly friendly. That didn’t make him less of a player—he just played the game differently.

“Alright then,” she began, pulling me from my thoughts. “If you just follow me, I’ll get you all situated.”

Drawing my lips into a tight line, I nodded. She led me over to a station and had me sit. Once seated, she placed a cape around me and quickly got to work setting up, grabbing all the materials she’d be needing. I didn’t care enough to watch her, so I just stared off into the distance instead.

“Rocky was very insistent that I don’t let you see what you look like during the process,” she explained. “He wanted it to be a surprise.”

No surprise there.

Annoyance filled my veins, but I didn’t argue when she turned the chair around so that we were facing one another. Her brown eyes skimmed my hair and face as she assessed me. Finally, she nodded once to herself.

“I’m going to go get the color mixed up and I’ll be right back, and then we can get started.”

I bit the inside of my cheek as she departed. Rocky would be lucky if he didn’t get put on my shit-list after this. If it wasn’t bad enough that I didn’t even know what was being done to my hair, he enlisted someone he fucked to do it. I just hoped she wasn’t the jealous type, because I couldn’t afford to have my hair coming out looking like absolute garbage.

When she returned, she made her way behind me. I felt the cold press of the brush as she worked, and it wasn’t long before my entire scalp was itching. When she was finished, she wrapped my hair in a bag and had me wait for a half hour, coming by to check it periodically. At least she seemed to know what she was doing.

While I waited, my mind wandered. It wasn’t like I had a phone to keep me occupied. That had been the next thing on my to-do list right before I waskilled. Now, I had no way to earn any income and still had no phone.

Collin’s light, brown eyes flashed in my mind, reminding me that I had a job to do. A job I didn’t know how to even begin. Just the thought of seeing him again had my stomach twisting in knots. What would I even say when we were face to face?

Miss me?

Sounded a little cliché, but it would probably have him pissing himself. The thought brought a smile to my face. Maybe I was thinking about all of this too much. Maybe, I just needed to play it by ear.

Sighing, I sank back into the leather seat, trying to ignore the burning on my scalp. I’ve never had my hair done like this before. Just box dye, and it didn’t hurt this much. My eyes watered and my fingers twitched with the urge to scratch my head. Why did people do this to themselves?

When the stylist reappeared, relief consumed me. She shot me a small smile before rounding the chair and removed the bag. “It’s lifting better than I expected it to,” she enthused. “Let’s get you rinsed.”

She helped me out of the cape and led me over to a sink where she had me sit down once again. “Lean back,” she instructed. “And let me know if the water is too hot.”

I did as she said and then she turned on the water. Truthfully, the water was hot, but I enjoyed it. Her hands worked through my hair expertly and I suppressed a moan when she scratched it in all the right places. Having my hair washed had never felt so good before.

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