A/N: It was a busy weekend, and the next few days are likely to be busy as well. So, next update should happen around Wednesday. More frequent updates after that, though.
3.
He was pretty hairy.
Bella pushed the door shut and stepped closer to the man huddled rather uncomfortably on the narrow bench in the middle of the room. He had removed his jeans, so his muscular legs were on display in all their hairy glory. He'd kept his grey t-shirt on, though, using the lavender smock to cover his lap.
His eyes lit up when he saw her, though his fingers twitched nervously where he fiddled with the fabric of the smock.
"Do you need more time?" she asked.
"No, I was… Is it ok if I don't wear this thing?" he lifted the smock a fraction before smoothing it over hurriedly. If Bella hadn't already been about to get up close and personal with the goods he was hiding, she might've been disappointed that she missed that peek. "I don't think it'd fit, and well… I can just keep my shirt on, right? Does it even matter?"
Bella smiled understandingly. The first rule of doing her job well was to calm down the client. If they were freaking out, un-freak them. If they wanted to wear their own clothes and risk messing them up, let them.
"That's fine," she assured him. "You did take off your underwear, though? Might be difficult to work around them."
Her joke elicited a weak chuckle, and a visible relaxation of tense muscles.
"Yeah, I put it away like you said. I umm… also put away the uh, cock-sock. I wasn't really sure it'd fit. Maybe we can just hold a towel over it or something?" His green eyes were so pretty, pleading with her to agree. His voice was so damn attractive, all rumbly and deep. Bella had to brace herself against the edge of the bench to ensure she didn't jump him where he sat.
"That's fine. We can do this any way you're comfortable with," she reassured him. "Have you decided how much area you'd like to have sugared?"
He nodded hesitantly, paused, and then pointed one long finger at the chart she'd handed over earlier. It listed the various options they offered, with prices and a sketch so the client knew exactly how much hair would be removed in each case.
The more popular options included the 'Tarzan', which involved cleaning up everything but a neat triangle of hair just above the shaft; the 'Pilot', which had a narrow landing strip instead; 'Metro', which allowed for a small square trimmed area of hair above the shaft; and of course, 'Hollywood', for a completely hairless experience.
"I was thinking it makes sense to go all the way," he said resolutely. "If it hurts," he paused to clear his throat and mask the waver in his voice, "I can take it."
"And I'll make sure it doesn't hurt. Or try to minimize your discomfort, anyway," promised Bella, taking the chart from him and turning around to make sure she had everything she needed at hand. "Why don't you lie down comfortably, and here, use this towel to cover up, instead of the smock. Lavender isn't your color, is it?"
He let out a startled laugh and accepted the small hand towel she held out. She could hear him shuffling around, getting comfortable, probably stretching out those long legs. She could feel the heat from his body reaching out to her like gentle fingers stroking across her skin. Soft music played through the hidden speakers. It was meant to relax the clients and make for an upbeat work environment. Bella was the opposite of relaxed, though… the music, the man, the fact that she was going to have her hands all over the most interesting parts of his body… it was just adding to the lustful fog around her brain.
"Excuse me, Ms Bella." His voice was low, slightly rough, streaking up her body and sparking it to immediate heated attention.
Her answer was equally low, and rather embarrassingly breathy. "Yes?" She didn't quite turn around; she couldn't, till she was sure she wasn't going to throw herself at him.
"I had another question."
Something in his voice made her turn around. He was lying down now, one arm folded under his head in a way that highlighted his muscles. The other held the small white towel in place.
For a moment, his bare feet distracted her. They looked rough, but not dirty. They definitely weren't feet that spent any appreciable time soaking in hot water, let alone getting scrubbed and moisturized in a pedicurist's capable hands.
He was a little rough around the edges. His shoulders were a little too broad, arms a little too brawny, demeanor a little too virile. He was not exactly out of place, but his raw masculinity made him appear too… large, too much for the delicate décor of the salon.
His hesitant, almost soft voice was at odds with his vigorous presence, and it only drew Bella to him with that much more potency.
"What about if, when you're, you know, touching me… I mean, I know there's a towel, but… what if I get an erection?" he blurted out, eyes resolutely fixed on the ceiling above.
Bella's breath hitched at the thought and her vision blurred for one long moment. His obvious anxiety about such an event brought her back to earth pretty quick, though.
"That's a valid question," she said evenly. "And it isn't unusual for people to get somewhat aroused. For the most part, it actually helps, because it stretches the skin in the area taut. It's less painful for you, and easier for me to work on. However, I've got to admit, most first timers are likely to be too nervous to get an erection."
He let out a relieved huff of laughter and finally looked away from the ceiling. Bella shivered anew when his striking green eyes met her warm brown ones.
"Does that happen a lot?"
His gaze made her stupid again. "What?"
"People getting… inappropriately aroused around you, here?" he frowned, looking more and more concerned with every thought that whizzed through his mind. "What about if anyone tries something? Do you…"
"Calm down, sir," she soothed, trying to hide her amusement. "I'm capable of taking care of myself. And we have a very strict zero-tolerance policy about people trying to sexually harass any of the aestheticians here." She figured it wasn't really relevant to mention how both she and Alice had been asked out by some of the clients after a session… nothing essentially sexual about a date, right? "Okay, let's get started. I'm going to assess your hair situation. Some people have more hair on the shaft and balls, some have less; sometimes people have ingrown hair. I'll just take a quick look and we'll get started. And remember, if at any time you need me to stop, we can take a break, alright?"
Despite her calming tone, her words made him tense up. With a silent sigh, she snapped on her gloves.
She grasped the edge of the towel and gently tugged it out of his tense fingers.
He was neatly trimmed, she noted, seeing that the hair growth was even and more or less free of visible ingrowth. Hair looked to be a bit hard, but that was to be expected. A light smattering of hair around his balls.
She folded over the towel fully and could have sworn her heart stopped beating for a moment. Michelangelo's David had nothing on him—from musculature, to a perfect frame, to a classically handsome face… to disproportionately ungenerous genitalia.
He had a wee nub of a cock, and she wanted to weep in sorrow.