Falling For My Playboy Boss
Chapter 9

Cora's

POV

I have had a wonderful day today. I helped mom get dad outside and he was going to read in the sun for the hour that I was gone to go get our groceries for the week. Mom had already hit him with sunscreen twice and he was excited about going outside to sit in

the warm sun.

I got all of our shopping completed and the errands were done for the week. Mom keeps the car at home during the week, in case dad needs to be taken to the doctor's office or has an emergency. I do not mind riding the bus, as I would rather they had the car anyway. I started helping mom clean the house as dad needed a nap after being outside for an hour, and I told mom to go ahead and take a nap with him, as I could get the house clean by myself. We both knew that she would worry about dad until she could see he was OK.

At 0620, I was dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt and ready to go when Olivia and Iris arrived. They knocked on the door and came in to say hi to my parents.

"Where are you off to tonight, girls? My mom asked.

"Cora is going to get a haircut by one of the best in New York City," Iris tells my parents.

My mother glances over at me frowning as she knows money is tight and I would have had to get into my savings to get my hair cut and I tell her quickly, "It is a present for me for graduating, and also because I will be walking in a fashion show next Saturday for an up-and-coming designer. Mateo is Iris' boss, and he was getting my hair done for me as sort of a present for me agreeing to work with him. It is on the weekend and won't interfere with my work schedule, plus he is a great designer and, since I need to dress better for work, he agreed to let me have the clothes that I model for him in the shows as payment. It is a win/win because I can model his clothes in the office, where I work with a lot of influential people, coming in and out of the office. Plus, I will be growing my wardrobe with pieces that I couldn't afford to buy just yet. So, it is good for us both and I am really excited about it", I told my parents.

"What a great idea Cora", my mother tells me, and my dad smiles at me.

"You are beautiful, princess, just like your mother. I am sure you will look stunning in whatever you wear", my dad tells me.

"It was Olivia's idea mom, she heard me tell her that my boss had made it a point to degrade my clothing several times this week. I was going to get some additional clothes from the consignment store, but now I won't have to. All thanks to Livi and Iris, they really helped me out of a bind. My appointment is at 7 pm after he closes up his shop, but Livi and Iris are both going to be there with me. I know that they want to see my hair after it gets done as well", I told my mom and dad. "We should be back between 10 and 11 pm tonight. I love you both. I will see you tomorrow", I called out to them as we left.

I sat in the back as we rode into Manhattan to see Franco. I am nervous because I don't know how much of my hair he is going to cut off. I usually wear a ponytail, that I twist into a bun either at the top of my head or near my neck for work. I never leave it loose for work, as this is how Catherine always wears hers and I am used to it as well, so I just keep it in the bun. I will need to tell him that I at least need it long enough to be put in a bun for work. It is down to my waist, so I just don't know how much he will take off of me. Hopefully not too much. I am trying not to worry, but I know that they know I am stressed by my silence.

"It will be fine. He is literally the best hairdresser in NY. He also does the hair for the models, so you will see him again on Saturday. His boyfriend, Eric James, does the makeup, they are also friends with Mateo, and they help all the girls look fabulous. So don't sweat it. I would bet anything, that here in about two hours, you will look better than you have ever looked in your life. I would bet my life on it", Iris tells me, and it does help me a little to hear her say that.

We park and start heading for the salon at 650 pm. The salon was lit up inside and I only saw 2 men standing inside hugging each other. Iris taps gently on the glass and waves at the men. They wave back as they head over to unlock the door.

"Hello, ladies, how are we doing tonight?" the taller of the two asks. He had mahogany brown hair and bright blue eyes, and he was about 6'3" tall. His hair was cut short on the sides and the top was longer and gelled back, he was a really handsome man. "Hey Iris, how are you doing today?" the shorter man said, he was a light-skinned black male with caramel-colored skin. He was in great shape with a broad chest and large biceps, standing at 6' tall. His light honey-colored eyes smiled at us, and he had a high fade haircut that really looked good on him, and he was really attractive too.

"I am doing great Eric, thanks for asking. Eric, Franco, this is Cora. She is our friend, and she is going to start modeling for Mateo starting this Saturday", Iris tells them.

"Nice to meet you, Cora," Franco said to me and held out his hand. I shook his hand and watched him studying my hair. "Can you take your hair down please Cora?" he asked me.

"Sure, can I ask that you leave it long enough for me to be able to put it up in a bun? I need to wear it in a bun for work, so I need it to be at least shoulder length please", I asked Franco.

"Oh, honey, I won't be taking very much of it at all. Your hair is really nice and thick. I won't be taking a lot of your length. I think that long layers would be best for you, and I am going to give you some streaks too, highlights and low lights. You have a beautiful natural color, so we really don't need to do anything with your base color. I love your hair, and it is really healthy. I am excited about seeing the final product, Cora. You know Eric, you can always do a test run on her makeup, after I get her color done and her hair washed. While I am blowing her out and doing a trial run on her hair, we can work on alternating sides to get it done. I really want to see how good she is going to look next weekend because she is beautiful right now with a bare face", Franco said. "Iris, do you know what Mateo has planned to do as far as Cora's clothing for next weekend?" Eric asks Iris as he sits down in one of the chairs as Franco starts mixing the colors.

They sit together and talk while I watch as Franco starts painting small sections of my hair and foiling the highlights and lowlights. I relax into the chair and let him work, now that I know he won't be cutting a lot of my hair off and making it short. I have had long hair for the last 15 years and I like it. I may have it in a ponytail 90% of the time, and usually, only have it down in the winter months, but I enjoy having my hair long for when I want to do it for a special event. I just like it long. I have never had short hair, so I don't know how I would look in it.

I nod off for a short nap, as I have been busy all day, and I am enjoying having Franco do my hair. He lightly pats me on my shoulder and tells me I need to go get under the dryer and I move to the dryer and go right back to sleep, for another 10-minute nap. Franco came to get me a little while later and him washing my hair was the best thing that I have had happen to me in a long time. Having strong hands washing my hair was a really enjoyable experience, and I saw Eric smiling at me as if he could tell exactly how I was feeling with Franco's hands going through my hair and on my neck. I am sure that I hadn't ended up moaning out loud. Well, I am fairly sure I didn't. I made a mental note that when I started getting paid, I was going to let this be my treat for myself in whatever period he told me I needed to do it, to keep my hair looking great and, plus with my stressful job, I needed the comfort of a little neck massage when he washes my hair too.

My hair getting washed seemed like it took 2 seconds because it was over far quicker than I anticipated it would. Franco started cutting my hair after the wash and then started to dry my hair. Eric came over to look at my face and eyes and spoke "Cora, you have such expressive eyes, they are a beautiful chocolate color, and I am going to play them up. I will do a nude lip color on you today, but as you have beautiful full lips, they will be played up next Saturday. Runway makeup is quite different from everyday makeup, it is a great deal bolder, but you, my dear, could wear a potato sack and have a naked face, and still look gorgeous".

"I am going home after this, so it really doesn't matter if you do my makeup or not. If you don't want to, we can wait until next Saturday to do it. It is up to you; I know you are probably at the end of a long day. I don't mind waiting until next Saturday to see you work your magic", I told him.

"Oh, no honey, you will be looking fabulous when you leave here today. Franco and I are blessed to be able to work together, and I happen to know that you will need the full impact of the amazing work he did to shine with my little touch as well. It will help you to be more confident when you start to model. I don't believe that you aren't aware of how gorgeous you really can be, just yet. Just sit back, relax, close your eyes, and let us work on you. You need to learn to trust us anyway, as we are partners with Mateo for his shows", Eric tells me.

So, for the next 30 minutes, I listened to them all talk and tease each other. I hear the occasional snip of the scissors and pray that Franco listens to me about not cutting it short. I don't even know if I would look good with short hair. I hear a light knock on the door, and I hear Iris greet Mateo at the door. I keep my eyes closed and I hear low talking in front of me, but I can't hear what was being said.

"

OK, you are done honey," Franco tells me, and I open my eyes to look into the big mirror in front of me.

I reached up to touch my face to make sure that it was me. I do look gorgeous? Who knew makeup could make such wonderful changes to my face? My hair looks great; it is shiny and full, the long layers do look wonderful on me. I have to say that I don't look like myself anymore. I look beautiful.