Beautician and the Beast Pt. 03

~*~*~

Lovie reached up and made sure her hair didn't fall from the pins as she eased down in the frothy fragrant foam of Quentin's sunken Jacuzzi spa tub. She didn't believe Quentin when he told her that she needed to soak before bed to ease her muscles until the hot warmth encased over her hips. She let out a deep groan that made Quentin laugh with an 'I told ya' so' air. "I know I know," she admitted, "it does feel great." She laid back and rested her head on the plushy head slope that was put in to cradle the neck. She laughed inwardly at how much he loved his baths. So much so that he had his own secret stash of bath bombs. He told no one of his private obsession but his secret was out once she used his bathroom and the distinct smell that only came with a certain bath store wafted to her nose. When she found them she didn't tease, though she did go out and get him a gift set with some of his favorite bombs and added in some favorites of her own.

"It's about to get a helluva' lot better." He grinned as he rummaged through the draw for the volcanic sea salt, pine, and cypress oil bomb. Perfect for achy muscles like hers. He walked to the edge of the tub to sit and dropped the round bouillon in. The spicy aromatic sizzle of the soak and the sweet floral smell of the bubble concluded in a haze of a breezy Hawaiian walk along the beach. She looked angelic as she nodded off for a few seconds. He smiled as he took off his robe then tested the warmth of the water. He hadn't planned on joining her in the bath but he had to make sure she didn't drown.

As his feet plunked in the water she peeped to him through small slits, "Well I'll say it got better."

Quentin moved her in from of him so she leaned back on his chest, "You little faker."

"I wasn't faking! I was wired until I got in this water." She giggled as he dribbled a sea sponge over her shoulders and the tops of her breasts.

He was going to wait for the next day to bring it up but something she said when they were fighting stuck in his craw. Besides the break in that she neglected to tell him, which she was dead wrong if she thought he wasn't bringing that up again, this seemed to hang in the air more so than anything. Lovie sighed deeply and he knew she was ripe for the picking, "Lovie?"

"Hmm? Mmmm..." he began to knead her shoulders as he figured how to broach the subject. She melted more into his frame.

"What did you mean when you said I had enough of you?"

"What are you talking about?"

He swallowed hard because he didn't exactly know how he wanted to repeat what she said. "Um...you said something about being ran out of college?" Her shoulders tensed up and she slid away to face him. She remained silent so he continued, "Do you think I think you're a slut?" His questions came so fast that even he knew he had to scale it back. He didn't want to scare her.

"I-It was just the heat of the moment...I know you don't think of me like that."

"But why would you say it?"

She paused and looked away then shrugged and met his gaze again; "I guess...I-I-I was just upset that you called me out on my horniness."

He shook his head because he wasn't buying it, "Lovie, you were more upset than I've ever seen you before. It was like you had a lot of pent up emotion and you blacked out."

Her eyes were wide with each word of his last statement and her heart thudded in her chest. She shook her sudden anxiousness and plastered an ill excuse for a smile. She didn't want to have this conversation with him. Her therapy was the only thing that made her feel comfortable talking about it. She liked the ability to hide behind the fact that she paid someone to listen rather than expelling her dirt to the people she loved. It nearly broke her when she thought Quentin looked at her like they did. She lazily blinked as she moved to the other side of the tub, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He followed her but stopped short of the edge that she held on to. In spite of the still very warm water, her hands shook like the little match girl in snow. Something from her past obviously made her that tense and deep down he felt like it was the reason for a lot of their issues. "Baby, you don't have to tell me but I'd love to be your support with this." Her breath moved the bubbles from around her as she sighed and leaned back to examine him. Almost as if she fought herself on telling him her jaw tightened and he knew that the side that didn't want to say was winning. Okay, he'd go slower, "Does Cassie or Stelly know?" His voice was low and beckoned her from the edge of the tub. It was a little reminiscent of a cop talking down a jumper. She felt a little calmer as his fingers sought out her ankle under the water. Languid circles played at the tattooed etching of a peacock feather on the inset of her Achilles. He didn't have to look to know it was there and where to trace. When she looked in his eyes she felt as if she didn't have to run from it anymore and could fully accept what happened to her because obviously she hadn't as well as she thought. She met his gaze once more and saw the sincere plea to open to him. Now it was time for her to put up or shut up. She spent most of her time convincing other people that her faith in Quentin was so true she'd forgotten to fully convince herself. Deep down she knew it was her defensive nature going into overdrive because she was so tired of standing up for her own judgment. "Lovie?"

"They know bits and pieces but not the whole story. I don't think anyone does but Cindy." As soon as she said it she regretted bringing her up, but there was no way around it.

"Cindy?" He pulled her back in his embrace and wrapped a protective arm to the middle of her chest and hooked his hand on the opposite shoulder and fixed her against him again. She felt his deep breath as he said, "What does she have to do with this?" He already didn't like the sound of it.

She skirted the question for the time being to allow the whole story to unfurl. She settled in for the cathartic experience of opening up to the man she loved. "Momma had a silent rule that the only way we were going to school out of state was if someone else paid for it," she began with a humorless laugh, "Estelle, being the talented painter, got a scholarship out of state. I, being not so talented, stayed in state. At the time I was really burnt out on doing neighbors hair for prom and special occasions and felt a major in photography would be nice. It was the only thing that I felt wouldn't make me crazy and I knew it would get me abroad if I worked hard. As a quick back up I took cosmetology classes during my summer after senior year of high school but I didn't get my license just yet. I felt a bit better that Cindy was going with me as did my parents," she was in a daze at that point and didn't hear the grit of his teeth once Cindy was brought up once more, "She had a way of making them think she was a saint. Her promiscuity was legend in our town but my parents never liked to point fingers or believe in town gossip. My mother had her fair share of it in her own town when she was younger...or so she said. Anyway, as you can guess, most of the rumors were true yet she got in their hearts anyway. I was just really coming into myself and she helped with that during my first year of school. In shedding my tomboy exterior I got more attention and it felt good to get noticed. Back in high school Estelle and Cindy got all the guys while I was just content to do their hair and makeup or give their guys' second-string friends some attention. One night Cindy came squealing into my dorm about being invited to a frat party by some guy that was pledging..."

~*~*

"Cindy, I've three girls waiting on me to do their hair for other parties. There's no way I can go party myself."

"That's just it girl you never party because you're doing stuff for other people or you're afraid of what people think of you. You look like a the martyr with a Cinderella complex." Cindy nonchalantly twisted and turned as she posed in front of Lovie's full-length mirror. She turned when she saw her friend's shoulders fall in her reflection. Cindy walked over to her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. It just makes me so sad that you don't see your potential."

"Potential? For what?"

Cindy's eyes glittered with her sudden grin, "To bring these boys to their knees honey!"

"Speaking of 'boys' what's up with you and mystery date man? I thought you had some elusive boyfriend somewhere."

"Oh please, you think I'm giving some loser pledge any of my time? I'm looking for the real deal in a senior at that party...and ask for my MANfriend. Let's just say," she came intimately close to Lovie, "He likes to watch." Then she softly poked Lovie on the nose. Lovie didn't say anything she just turned away to look at her hair magazines hoping she hid her heated flush. "Aw look at little Loves getting all flustered. I told your sister about you..." Cindy was referring to the fact that anytime she would talk to Estelle or Lovie about her debauchery Estelle would laugh and roll her eyes while Lovie would gawk with genuine interest. After a moment, she'd turn to blush but Cindy saw right through her. Even Cindy had to admit it was cute and maybe that was why He liked her too.

Lovie knew what she was going to say next because she heard it so much at that point, so she indulged, "And what's that?"

"You got a lil' freak in ya!" Cindy laughed while Lovie stifled her own giggle. Deep down maybe Cindy was right. By 19 Lovie had oral sex pretty much fine tuned to her liking and loved the act, but could never pull the trigger on the rest. She just seemed to like it more, but it never crossed her mind that she was being a freak. Only that she was circumventing her piety to her family's religion and wishes. Yet the more she heard Cindy talk about her transgressions the more curious she was about sex.

With a rolling stare upwards Lovie ceded, "Fine, I'll go sate my freakish nature. If not just to shut you up!" Lovie laughed as she went to her closet door.

~*~*

Lovie went on and choked through the story while Quentin listened to the rest of the story but he really didn't need to hear. It was the classic story of girl gets drunk at a frat party and frat guy takes advantage. His eyes were shut with anger, not at Lovie but at the guys and Cindy. As she regaled him on how some drunken frat prick took advantage of her, he wanted to ring Cindy's neck. She led Lovie to the slaughter and masqueraded as friend all after the fact as well! Lovie's sniffles shook him from his daydream and he held her close. "I haven't even told you the worst part." She sniffled, "Him and his friends taped it and put the footage with this homemade college girls gone wild DVD and sold it around the school." Quentin's stomach lurched and he tightened his eyes and grip on Lovie. It all made sense then, he could only imagine how she felt when she saw herself on his site and it burned in him more to find the fuckers so they could be prosecuted.

Speaking of which, "What happened to the guys?"

"I complained to the school but the guy had influence and got him and his friends off. He said that he was doing it for some other guy in California and he only got a cut of it. He turned him in but they never got the guy. The kid was suspended from school for a month."

"What tha fuck!" Quentin made a mental note to find that guy as well. He made a silent vow to fuck that scum's world up. She shook with tears that he felt burn his forearm and held her close again, "I'm sorry baby. I didn't mean to scare you."

She calmed herself enough to say, "It's okay, I'm just glad I can finally get it out."

"What happened next sweetheart?"

With a deep sigh she continued, "I was beyond humiliated, I was obliterated with grief. People called me names, played nasty pranks on me. I virtually lost all my friends while Cindy could barely talk to me without breaking out in tears she felt so guilty," Quentin did a mental 'humph' as he listened on, "I went home and eventually dropped out. My parents didn't know what to think. I didn't tell them anything but my mother knew better. She made me get examined by our family doctor. I remember I was so mad at her that I cried through the whole thing. But when he confirmed that I was still a virgin she still wouldn't leave it alone. She dragged me to a therapist that same day and even though it was hard at first, it did help. I went for a year and in that time I got my Cosmetology and Skin Therapy License, got my own place, and even started to date a little. So by 20 I felt I'd done a pretty good bounce back," he smiled at the obvious pride of how her life turned for the better, "my family got a little overbearing with me, as my mother never let it go. My brothers would mysteriously stop by when they saw a car in front of my place, or my dad would come over to fix a nonexistent broken door handle or something. It was comical at first but got old soon. I love them to death but I had to get out of there. I know deep down my mother knew because she'd always ask me if I'd heard anything about 'those guys at my school that got accused of the sex crimes'. I'd just shrug and change the subject. So by my 21^st I moved to the west coast with my sister and by that time Cindy was there doing some modeling with her and it felt like we were the three musketeers again. The rest is history." When the story was over they both took a deep cleansing breath and laughed at their unison. It was therapeutic to say and a lot to take in so they were both drained. She was so tired of carrying the burden of her past that she didn't realize how weary it made her.

"Let's go to bed baby." Was all he said and she knew he understood. This time she didn't fight it as they lifted from the water, dried, and left the bathroom hand and hand.

Chapter Twelve

Sweat rolled down the bridge of Cindy's nose and splat to the carpet. She trembled and hoped Guy didn't notice. He of course did and promptly swatted her naked rear with the riding crop and she whimpered slightly. Another bead of sweat from her forehead mingled with a tear this time as she spoke, "I'm sorry sir."

"Oh that's nothing," he said over a mouth full of food, "if you knock over my steak I'll be sure to make you sorry." As he fixed the off kilter plate that balanced on her back he picked up the glass of wine that steadied itself on a round cheek of her ass. She was on all fours as he used her backside as a dinner table. "I'm sorry I didn't hear that?"

"Yes sir." She gnashed and he rewarded her with another swat.

"Don't test me pet." His voice low, "I'm glad you've been able to put this all on that Drew guy but I never said to put a link on the site."

"I was just taking initiative sir."

Swat! "When have I ever rewarded initiative?"

The fork and knife still rattled from her shuddering form, as she choked through a sob, "Never sir."

"You're so pathetic. You better be glad all this is almost over." Guy stabbed at a potato wedge and chewed through her quiet cries. Cindy faked her noisy tears because she knew he wouldn't let up if she didn't make noises like a hurt animal. It was too sick, even for her, how he got off on that kind of stuff. She was glad he couldn't see her face so it made her act more convincible. She'd willingly go through all this again to have the plan finally unfurl completely as she intended, not Guy. She sniffled loudly to welcome his chuckle to her discomfort and pain, yet her smirk only grew as he played right into her game. Oh it was going to be so sweet to see the look in both Quentin and his eyes. Sure her feelings for Guy were genuine and true when she first met him but when he started getting her involved with more and more of his vendetta against his twin she saw how weak he really was and it turned her off. When she finally met Quentin, some emotions were stirred again and she contemplated telling him of her involvement with Guy but then he turned her down flat she said forget it. Anger manifested into the need to fuck them both over and take the prize at the end. Guilt did set in for having Lovie in the middle of this ever since college. Although a good friend she was, a pawn was what Lovie served as first and foremost.

~*~*

The next morning Lovie flittered around Quentin who kept trying to get her in his lap as she cooked breakfast. Several times he won out and she threw away a couple of not-so-perfect pancakes as a result. They ate in a serene-like cocoon that almost enveloped them back to each other's arms but Lovie's phone stopped them. A short conversation with Cassie made Lovie feel guilty enough to have to pry herself from her man's arms...but only for a few hours. He made quick work of hiding the dress for a later date, as he had no intention of letting her out in it anymore. He sat up on the rumpled bed with his back to the headboard with nothing but boxers on. He watched as she shimmied into some left over sweats she forgot at his house and one of his wife beaters. He silently sighed in relief that she didn't ask where the dress was. As she brushed her hair in his dresser's mirror she stole glances of his trim hard body in the mirror and had to turn away before she found herself back under the sheets with him. Just the thought of having him between her legs again sent aftershock quakes to her core. Quentin would see Eli that day and they'd do more to get to the bottom of the situation. He definitely needed to talk to Eli about some things that had weighed on him for a while, but Quentin knew what Eli's stand would probably be. He decided to run it past her as well, "Sweetheart..."

"Yeah?"

He smiled when she ducked her head down to brush the back. "How would you feel if I took some time off from the company?"

Her hands slowed through her hair as she lifted slightly to meet his gaze. His expression was anxious for her answer. "Well I guess that depends. How would you feel, is the better question."

He broke out in a grin, "Don't try to analyze me. Just answer the question babe."

She matched his leer and leaned on his dresser as she put her hair up in a high ponytail. "There are too many factors for me not to analyze it first. What's this about baby?"

"It's about me finally going clean. Being more hands on with my other commitments and seeing how well I stand up."

"But you love the company..."

"Well...now, I wouldn't say all that. Yes I enjoy my time here and I'm very proud of my success with the company that I've help found but it was only because it was so easy to me. I got to do something with a hobby that I'm passionate about. Plus I can always still be a silent partner."

"So BDSM is a 'passionate hobby' for you now?" She mused as she lifted to the dresser's counter.

"Okay, yes it's a big part of who I am but that doesn't change the fact I too can get burnt out on it. Maybe I'd like something a bit more low key."

"So this could be a permanent thing for you...not just time off," She asked and waited before he nodded. She examined him like a he was under a microscope, "Quentin please tell me you aren't doing this because of me and what happened."

He hesitated before he answered, "No."

Lovie jumped down and rolled her eyes with an exasperated air. "I'm comfortable with what you do Quentin. Is it fair to say that it doesn't bother me a little? No, but I don't want to be the reason that you change your whole life around."

She walked to the foot of his bed to get her shoes and he was on her in a flash. While on his knees in bed he seized her close to his chest. "Newsflash darlin', you've already done that."