Page 34 of Flesh and Fury
Eoghan pushed at his chest to get him to stop. “Babe, I need a shower.” He suddenly frowned. “Wait…why does Bear have a wallet? Come to think of it, where does he get money?”
“Maybe he’s been catting around behind our backs.”
Eoghan laughed. “You’re very funny today.”
“I’m always funny.”
He leaned in and pecked him on the lips again. “Okay, I really do need a shower.”
Ari laughed and smacked his butt. Eoghan groaned in the most sensual way and batted his eyelashes at him. Ari raised his eyebrows. “You like that,huh?”
He flushed bright red, something that he did when he was really embarrassed. Ari absolutely loved it. Eoghan reached out and laid his palm on one of Ari’s pecs as he stared up into his eyes. “Yeah, a little,” he admitted. “As long as it’s not a regular thing. I do need to be able to sit sometimes.”
Ari chuckled and kissed him again. “I completely understand. Now, go jump in the shower while I clean up the mess you made on the couch.”
“No thanks to you,” Eoghan said over his shoulder as he began walking away.
Ari chuckled again and headed for the kitchen where he could gather cleaning supplies.
After they’d cleaned up and eaten Eoghan’s delicious breakfast, they headed out of the house. They had the whole day to themselves and planned on making the most of it. Their first stop was a barbershop which Eoghan liked. It was located in a seedy area of the Valley not that far from Studio City. The Valley was a vast area just north of downtown Los Angeles composed of numerous small cities. Some cities like Pacoima were not so great with a high crime rate and gang issues, and other areas only a few miles away, like Encino, Sherman Oaks, or Studio City, were the home of many of L.A.’s rich and famous, living in multimillion-dollar homes.
As they pulled into the parking lot, Ari looked around. He had no idea why Eoghan had chosen this barbershop. It was tucked into the corner of a shopping center and there was no signage out front, nor the typical revolving red, white, and bluestriped barber pole. The business was located halfway between the poorer areas and the richer ones.
It was nothing to look at from the outside, set in between a pool hall and a Mexican meat market. Neither place smelled too good, and Ari was glad when he finally stepped into the busy shop, with the familiar smells he associated with one, clean soap, hair gel, and antiseptic to dip the combs in.
There were several workstations, at least six in front and Ari noticed the silhouette of more chairs out back obscured by a lattice screen. Facing the mirrored wall, was a row of seating filled with diverse clientele. Ari was surprised to see so many people in one place along with a bunch of barbers, happily cutting and shaving away. One man was doing corn rows in an intricate design and a striking woman with large breasts was chattering away at the end of the row.
“Eoghan! Eoghan Sapphire! How are you, my boy? It’s been ages. Look at that mop on your head!” A very round, black man came toward them. Ari watched the man grin widely as he came over and wrapped his arms around Eoghan, lifting him off the floor like a rag doll. He was missing two top teeth on either side of the front ones, giving him the smile of a rabbit. It was hilarious and Ari had to cover his mouth as he watched the display so that his laugh wouldn’t show. He cleared his throat, coughed, and forced himself to be sober.
Eoghan squirmed and laughed. “Ijumaa Reed!” he squawked. “How many times do I have to tell you not to pick me up.”
The man simply laughed and set him back down on the ground. He put both big paws on his shoulders, towering over Ari’s man, and looked down at him, his face growing serious. “How are you, really?”
“I’m good, Ij. I swear it.” Eoghan turned and beckoned Ari to come closer. “I have someone for you to meet. Ijumaa Reed,this is Aristotle Brown, my new partner at work, but everyone calls him Ari. We’ve been working together for almost six months.”
Ijumaa turned and gave Ari a cursory glance, seeming to size him up. “So, you work at the I.S.R. too?”
Ari was very surprised. He stuttered when he answered, “W-well, yeah.” He raised his eyebrows at Eoghan who just smiled before looking back at the man. “I do work at the I.S.R. It’s just unusual that someone knows that.”
The man laughed loudly. He patted Eoghan’s shoulders and then held out a hand to Ari. “It’s nice to meet you, Aristotle Brown.”
“Please, call me Ari.”
“Ari it is then.” He dropped his hand and glanced back at Eoghan. “So, are you here for the usual, Eoghan?” He reached up and ran long fingers through Eoghan’s hair. “It’s been a long time since you’ve been in. Way too long.”
“Yes, it is. Sorry about that. We’ve been working like crazy people. If you have the time and someone who can also do my partner, then we’ll both take the usual.”
“Good. I’m pretty sure Hausa is between clients. He can give your partner the usual,” Ijumaa said.
“Perfect,” Eoghan said with a smile. He began following the rotund man to the back of the shop, and Ari leaned close.
“What’s the usual?”
“Oh, you’ll see,” Eoghan said, side-eyeing him and smirking.
“Why do I feel like I’m walking to the executioner?” It made him feel a little strange not knowing what to expect.
“You’re not. Just trust me…you’re going to love this, okay?”