Page 21 of Leather and Longing
Sonia giggled. “Hair straighteners at dawn, eh?” She switched off the hairdryer. “Though lately, we seem to be having more young men joining our ranks. I think Mark and Sam are spreading the word. You think he’s leaving business cards in those clubs they go to on the mainland? Because all these guys who keep turning up for a haircut are kinda similar, if you know what I mean.” She chuckled.
Adam kept his head down but listened with interest.
“You must be Mr. Kent. I’m Mark.”
A male voice, clearly island-born, judging by the soft vowels that rolled off his tongue, addressed him.
Adam straightened. “Call me Adam.”
“Okay, Adam, I’m ready for you.”
Adam rose to his feet, cane in hand. Paul guided him, his fingers on Adam’s elbow, until he reached a chair. After helping him into it, Paul took the cane. “It’s leaning against the wall in front of you.”
Adam tried to relax into the chair. It was only a haircut, for God’s sake.
“Right, what am I doing here?” Mark’s voice came from behind Adam’s chair.
He attempted a smile. “Paul thinks it needs to come off. He thinks I should look smarter.” He couldn’t resist a dig atthe younger man, even though he knew Paul was right. Adam couldn’t believe how quickly it had grown. It had been quite long before the diagnosis, but the thought of his impending loss of vision had seemed more important than a haircut.
“Short layers all over?” Mark asked.
Adam nodded. “I haven’t had hair this curly since I was a kid.”
“Then let’s get on with it. We’ll get you over to the wash station, and I’ll see if I can give you a nice head massage while I’m washing your hair.”
Before Adam could react, Paul guided him to another chair, and the whole process began in earnest. Mark chatted away, talking about the weather, the proposed fixed link to the mainland, any number of inconsequential topics.
Adam shut himself down and drifted. Too many sensations, too much noise, too many thoughts that collided inside his head. It was overload and he reacted the only way he knew how. He tuned out the world radio and turned inward.
Any optimism he’d experienced since he’d gotten Adam to take a shower dwindled into nothing. Adam wasn’t coping with the situation, and there was nothing Paul could do about it. He’d watched the writer withdraw into himself, retreating into whatever safe place existed inside his head. Mark had noticed, that was for sure. He stopped talking and allowed Adam to be.
I pushed him too fast, too soon.It had been two months since Adam had lost his sight, and Paul had thought him ready to move on. Well, all the signs were there that Adam wasn’t ready.
It was something of a shock when Sonia nudged his arm. “Hey, sweetie. Adam is done.”
Paul sat up on the couch and glanced across to where Adam was sitting and—oh my God.
It was amazing how much change could be wrought with a shave and a haircut.
Adam’s hair was dark and sleek, moulded to his head. Added to that the smooth, firm jaw and those dark glasses, and Paul felt a pang of yearning. The stiffening cock in his jeans was testament to that. Adam wore the white shirt Paul had chosen for him, along with a pair of black jeans. His sleeves were rolled up, showing off toned forearms, and the open collar revealed creamy skin.
Adam’s jaw was set. “I want to go home.”
Paul lurched to his feet. “How much do I owe you, Mark?” He fumbled in his wallet and removed two ten-pound notes, taking the receipt Mark proffered. Adam remained in the chair, waiting, his fingers wrapped around the cane, his back rigid.
“Will we see you on Saturday night?”
Mark’s voice cut through his contemplations. “Sorry?”
Mark sighed patiently. “Taylor’s party? This Saturday night? He did text you about it, didn’t he?”
Paul was about to reply when a thought occurred to him. He had no idea how the land lay. Everything was up in the air until after Caroline’s visit.
“I’m sure Paul will be able to make it,” Adam replied swiftly.
Paul twisted his head to regard Adam in surprise. “I will?”
“We can talk about this later.” Adam’s tone was firm. “But right now, we have things to do.”
