out so that y ou can do all of your hair in about twenty minutes. There is no damage to the hair a nd the curl will last until you wash it out.”
“I don’t normally do a lot to my hair. It’s pretty much wash, dry, and go.”
It was all a sales pitch, Joanna knew. He was selling something he wanted her to buy. Of course he was going to use his sex appeal to sell. She shouldn’t feel so let down. Besides, he was still good to look at.
“With this product, it won’t take much time at all.” He opened a drawer and pointed to two product covers, one pink and one purple. “I am not supposed to show you these – they a re for the employees – but if you purchase one of these irons today, I will throw in the bag and the shampoo and conditioner for free.”
Joanna considered the cu rls again. Someday she might decide to do something different.
But probably not.
“How much is it?”
Inclining his dark head so that it was mere inches from hers, he whispered , “I am not supposed to do this either – I am actually losing money – but I will let you have all of this, plus I will give you a certificate for free hair styling for one year , all for the tota l price of ninety-nine dollars.”
While she considered the offer, he picked up the styling iron and straightened the curls, com bing the sleek hair into place.
It really was a fantastic tool.
She’d really like to see his fantastic tool.
“Okay, I’ll take it.”
He grinned that sexy grin. “What color would you like?”
Joanna looked over the various colors. “I’ll take the purple one, please.”
While she extracted money from her wallet, he bagged the items. Joanna handed him the bills and took one last opportunity to ogle his lean form as he turned to finalize the transaction. The wide shoulders tape re d to slim hips and a round ass that filled out his jeans nicel y.
Oh, to be young again.
“There you are.” He put the receipt in the bag and handed it to her.
“Thank you, Marco.”
“You are welcome…Joanna.”
His pronunciation of her name was like a caress.
Man, he was good.
Too bad she’d never know how good.
All the way down the mall, the smile stayed on her lips. Meeting Marco had put a little zing in her step.
And an ache between her legs.
* * * * *
It was late by the time Joanna left the mall. She’d actually enjoyed the afternoon and indulged herself by having a mani-petti. After leaving the salon, Victoria’ s Secret had caught her eye. It wasn’t normally where she bought her undergarments, but she figured what the heck. If a young man like Marc o could look at her with desire – and yes, she knew part of it was the sales pitch process – then she wanted to feel desirable. The new lingerie was in one of the many bags she put into her trunk, except for the tangerine-colored teddy that she now wore beneath her sundress. Just the feel of the silky material against her skin was a turn on.
She’d parked on the store side of the mall , not the cinema side, and now the parking lot was virtually deserted as she climbed into her car. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she’d skipped lunch. In the spirit of the day, maybe she’d forget about counting calories and treat herself to Italian.
Marco .
Just thinking about all the things she’d like to do with and to the hunky hair stylist had her blood heating. She fanned herself with one hand, cranking the ignition with the other. She needed air conditioning. The car refused to start. With every turn of the key, s he could hear a clicking noise.
Now what was she to do? She was two and half hours from home. She didn’t have anyone to call and she wasn’t familiar with any garages in the area. Maybe she could go back in the mall and find someone who could give her some directions.
“Having problems, Joanna?”
Marco stood beside her car, a concerned frown marring his handsome brow.
How could he look so good? There wasn’t a wrinkle in his red polo shirt and not