Page 62 of Matteo

“Girlfriend, you need a Brazilian,” I looked down at the tufts of hair sprouting from my coochie. Rolling my eyes, I reached for the razor again.

“Who’s actually going to see it though?” I said out loud. “Kenji’s in jail and then I’ve burned bridges with my entire roster.”

You know who,a thought whipped through my brain.

“Absolutely not,” I shook my head.

When I was done and it looked a little smoother, I placed the razor back again.

Once I finished up my shower, I opened the glass door and stepped out to grab my fluffy robe.

As I wrapped the robe around me, thoughts of Matteo’s dream lips kissing me all over rolled through my mind. The ringing of my phone jolted me to reality.

Easing back into my bedroom, I picked it up to see my mother calling. We hadn’t spoken in a while and surprise danced around in my stomach. She’d been pretty pissed at me when I told that pedophile pastor’s wife to get out of my shop.

“Hey momma,” I tried to make my voice sound calm.

“Hey Rain,” she sounded a little out of breath. “I was just calling because your grandmother is getting into town today. I’m on my way to grab her from the airport now…we’re having dinner tonight.”

Fuck,I thought.

I’d literally forgotten all about this. Honestly, I hadn’t spoken to any of my family outside of Nora, and I doubt she knew about the lady.

“Oh, gosh I didn’t realize that was tonight.”

I heard the beeping of the car seat belt from the other end of the line and figured she was about to drive somewhere.

“Right, so do you think you can come to dinner? Nora’s bringing her boyfriend. I just adore that Mason.”

Rolling my eyes, my mother loved to throw in something about my siblings. “Sure, Mom. I’ll be there. I have to go. I need to be at the shop soon.”

She went to say something else but I was already ending the call.

Once I had on the usual all black ensemble, I grabbed my keys and left my apartment. The conversation with my mother and the idea of a pending dinner with my family had drained me.

Getting to my shop I parked my car in the back lot and headed to the front of The Siren and unlocked the door. Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside and started flipping on the lights.

“I’m where the money resides, where the money resides,” I laughed lightly and headed to my station.

Moments later, more people filed in, including the lash tech I couldn’t stand and one of my clients, Isabella. She was the mistress of a huge mafia boss named Carlos Bianchi. He kept her ass in gold and Gucci and her hair done. Carlos was a big tipper and I appreciated it. A lot of the mob wives made an appointment here and there.

She sat down in my chair and peeled the sunglasses from her eyes. “Hey Rain,” she greeted me with a smile.

Shaking my head, I returned the smile and turned her around to face the mirror behind my station. “What are we thinking?” I asked, ready to start.

Isabella rolled her dark eyes. “Carlos says I should keep it long, and dark. But you know what?”

I quirked an eyebrow. “What?”

“I’m tired of doing what Carlos wants. He plays with me entirely too much. Cut it off…”

You know what they say about women who cut their hair on a whim,I thought.

While I worked on Isabella’s hair, starting with a shampoo and deep condition that had her strands bathed in white suds, I daydreamed. I couldn’t explain it, but I was getting flashes of that house. I’d dreamed about it every night for the longest time.

Even as I toiled away with Isabella’s hair, shaping and sculpting it until it was in a perfect bob, I could feel Matteo’s presence on the outer recesses of my mind. I couldn’t explain it but I could feel him as if he were standing right next to me dropping kisses on my shoulders…my lips…between my legs.

Pushing Isabella under the dryer, I set the time and then stepped outside with my cellphone.

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