Half Notes and Highlights (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024)

CHAPTER THREE

Ethan tugged the baseball cap lower so it covered his face, which was ridiculous because even if someone was able to get a good look at him through the entourage of bodyguards that surrounded him, no one would be able to tell that a huge chunk of his hair was missing. The ponytail camouflaged his uneven, asymmetrical hair status.

This was the first time he left his hotel suite since he was discharged from the hospital yesterday, so he didn’t know what to expect. He made it known, numerous times, that he wanted privacy, and Paul assured him that security was extra tight, but the fans still congregated and called his name. He felt bad because most were asking if he was OK, so he gave them a thumbs up while keeping his head down, and he made it to the hair salon in the hotel lobby without incident.

Once inside, the bodyguards moved to the far wall and gave Ethan space. Shades were drawn so that no one could see inside, and he’d have the privacy he needed. “Let’s get this over with,” he huffed and eyed the woman standing in the center of the salon. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Oh. No.” She shook her head. “I’m not the stylist. I’m the salon manager. I’m just here to let you in. The stylist hasn’t arrived yet. He’s on his way.”

As if Ethan wasn’t stressed out enough, the damn hairstylist had to be late. He spun around to face Paul. “Didn’t you send a car to get this guy? I’m sure he’s getting paid enough to be here on time. I thought he was a professional. Get on the phone and find out where the fuck—”

“Relax. Daddy’s here. I’ve got the situation under control.” With a hand in the air, the stylist sashayed into the salon swinging a pink leopard-print rectangular case. He stopped to look Ethan up and down and then waved his palm in a circle as if casting a spell. “I’m Tyler Kennedy, and I’m gonna work my magic to make you look like a star.”

This guy was the cutest little twink Ethan had ever seen, but it was the name that caught him by surprise. Tyler Kennedy was well known and highly acclaimed in the hair and makeup industry. Ethan had heard the stylist’s name dropped on the red carpet more than once and knew several rock stars who were private clients. Everyone praised Tyler Kennedy’s skills and joked about his over-the-top bubbly personality, but Ethan had no idea the guy was so fucking sexy, and his annoyance about having to wait turned to coy playfulness. “I’m already a star,” he joked, the corner of his mouth turning up.

The stylist harrumphed. “Just wait until I get done with you.” Then he placed his case on top of one of the counters and started setting up his supplies on a rolling table.

While Tyler sorted through his combs and shears, Ethan took in the whole package. Tyler was slim and petite, but his larger-than-life personality took over the room. He had a gorgeous head of light brown hair that hung in long cascading waves down his back. A graphic silk scarf was tied across his forehead like a bandana, the long ends mixing with the strands of his hair. He wore snakeskin hip-hugger leather bellbottoms that laced at the crotch. His tight yellow T-shirt—if you could call it a T-shirt—bore a colorful pop culture comic strip. White chunky-heeled boots with a small platform completed the look. His outfit was both ridiculous, outlandish, and trendy at the same time. There was so much to take in about this adorable man, but it was the three-inch strip of exposed skin between his T-shirt and those laced-up leather pants which showed off a naval piercing that held Ethan’s gaze.

When Tyler moved, his hips swayed, and an aura of intoxicating sex appeal surrounded him. It was a silent vibe that attracted the eye and held it firmly in place. The best part was that he seemed totally unaware that he possessed such an enigmatic pull.

Ethan was so engrossed in the vision in front of him that he wasn’t even paying attention to the nonstop chatter coming out of Tyler’s mouth.

“Well?” Tyler stood facing Ethan with both hands on his hips waiting for an answer to a question Ethan obviously missed.

“Well what? “Ethan asked, unable to keep the playful innuendo out of his voice.

“Are you going to take that hat off so I can see what I’m dealing with?”

The little smile fell off Ethan’s face, and trepidation worried the corner of his mouth. He’d been wearing that damn hat and stupid ponytail nonstop so he didn’t have to look at the state of his hair. When he didn’t make any attempt to remove the hat, Tyler led him to the salon chair.

“Have a seat, pretty boy, and I’ll summarize the damage.”

“Disaster is more like it,” Ethan added bitterly as he sat facing the mirror.

Tyler let out an amused short chuckle. “And they call me a drama queen.” He rested his hands on Ethan’s shoulders from behind the chair. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’m a miracle worker. I’ve restored bleached and sun-damaged hair so it was silky and shiny. I’ve tamed chaotic out-of-control curls into lovely ringlets. I even repaired a mishap when the four-year-old son of a very famous Hollywood actor took a set of shears to his sister’s long untouched blonde hair.”

That juicy bit of gossip caught Ethan’s attention, and his eyes met Tyler’s through the mirror. “Who?”

Tyler brought his hand to his chest as if he were appalled. “I don’t kiss and tell.” A sly smile spread across his face, and he lowered his lids sexily. “When it comes to hair.” He held up a huge pair of shears and snipped them in the air loudly, like punctuation at the end of a sentence.

Unexpected laughter rolled out of Ethan’s mouth. This guy was a total fucking trip and absolutely captivating.

“OK. Enough fun. Let’s get down to business.” Tyler dropped the shears onto a nearby rolling table, pulled the baseball cap off Ethan’s head, and released the hair tie. Ethan’s gut tightened, but Tyler never reacted to the nightmare that he had to shape into something that resembled a decent hairstyle. Tyler’s expression never changed as he pulled the length of hair—or what was left of it—through his fingers to examine the damage. “It’s fixable,” Tyler announced. “Your hair is very healthy and very thick. I can add extensions on this side and then dye your hair so everything is an even color. No one will ever know the difference.”

“Extensions? Dye? Won’t that ruin my hair?” Ethan’s sister had extensions when she was in high school—for vanity purposes, not because a chunk of her hair went up in flames—and she’d hated them. She’d said they were itchy, and she couldn’t put a brush through her hair. She ended up pulling them out herself and half of her hair along with them.

“Not at all. It’s a simple process. A heated clamp fuses—”

“Stop.” Ethan held up his hand. “You’re not fusing anything to my head.”

“No one’s fusing anything to your head. It’s to your hair.”

“No. I’ll lose my mind and rip them out. I know it. You have to do something else.”

They locked eyes through the mirror. Tyler’s turned-up smile and tilt of his head made Ethan smile back. He’d been so pissed off and angry about his hair, but the minute Tyler walked through the door, it all dissipated. He was entertained by Tyler and enjoying the animated conversation.

“You’re not leaving me with many other options, Mr. Difficult.”

“I thought you were going to work your magic on me.”

“I can work magic. With scissors. I can give you an edgy, asymmetrical cut.” Tyler ran his hand over the right side of Ethan’s head, and his eyes brightened as he spoke. “I can shave this part all the way to the back, and give you choppy—”

“Forget it!” Ethan let out a genuine laugh. “You’re not shaving my head!”

“OK. Calm down. I didn’t mean to set your panties on fire. I don’t have to shave anything.” He winked and presented that sexy little smile. “Unless you want me to.”

Ethan held his breath for a second, unsure how this guy managed to make him laugh when he’d been in such a bad mood.

“I knew exactly what to do from the beginning,” Tyler began, taking on a professional demeanor. “I just wanted to offer other options because I know you’re not going to like what I’m about to say. But trust me.” He looked at Ethan through the mirror for a few beats. “Do you trust me?”

Ethan hesitated, then nodded once.

“Good. Thank you. I appreciate that. Now, hear me out before you shoot me down again.” Tyler pulled Ethan’s hair back and ran it through his hands. “You lost a significant amount of length on one side. There’s really only one thing to do.”

Ethan opened his mouth to protest, but Tyler cut him off.

“We need to even out the left side, but I can keep it a little longer in the back and add layers, so it’ll be fuller and appear as if you have more hair. Trust me. I know what I’m doing. I’ve been in this business for a very long time. There’s a reason why I was called here to help. I’m one of the best.” Tyler cupped Ethan’s face in his hands from behind. “Look at that jawline. Your hair will still come down to your shoulders, but it’ll be out of your face. It’ll highlight that perfect bone structure.”

Cutting his hair short was the last thing Ethan wanted to do, but he realized he didn’t have any other choice. Even though Tyler evoked confidence and reassurance, Ethan wasn’t ready to agree, and he didn’t answer.

“Let’s get you washed and back in the chair and we can discuss it further.” Tyler patted Ethan’s shoulders lightly before a towel was clipped around Ethan’s neck and a black silky cape was draped over him. As he walked to the sink and leaned back in the chair, resignation and acceptance finally settled in. His hair was fucked. There was no fixing it. Cutting it was the only option.

The warm water on his scalp had a calming effect, and Tyler’s fingers gently massaged away the remaining tension as he lathered Ethan’s hair. He didn’t realize how much frustration and anxiety he’d been carrying around in his shoulders. By the time he was back in the chair facing the mirror, he was more open to the idea of cutting his hair short.

Unexpectedly, Tyler swiveled the chair around, so Ethan was no longer facing the mirror.

“What are you doing?” Ethan asked, surprised.

“I don’t want to spoil the big reveal.”

“But—”

“No buts. It’ll be better this way. You’ll see.” Tyler paused and presented a small smile. “Don’t worry. No one ever left my chair without looking infinitely better than before they sat down. In your case . . .” Tyler’s eyes washed over Ethan. “You’re gonna be fire.”

The small hairs on the back of Ethan’s neck prickled, and goosebumps ran down his back. Then he spotted the entourage of bodyguards on the other side of the salon, along with Paul and the store manager. They’d been so quiet, he forgot they were there, and none of them were paying any attention to him, as if they wanted no part of what was about to happen.

The metallic snip of the scissors made Ethan flinch as he realized that Tyler had just started chopping off his hair. A long lock of hair was tossed over Ethan’s head and into his lap. Followed by another. Then another, this time on the floor to his right, and then another to his left. Ethan’s heartrate started to spike as more strands of long hair flew in every direction, preceded by the sharp clipping of the blades. He clenched every muscle in his body, but he forced himself to remain silent.

Tyler, on the other hand, was enjoying himself. He hummed and danced in place while he kept tossing Ethan’s hair around where it collected on the floor for Ethan to see.

It was heartbreaking. It had taken Ethan years to grow out his hair, and he’d had it for so long. He didn’t know what he looked like with short hair anymore, and nerves ran circles inside his belly.

Tyler moved in front of Ethan and leaned over and checked both sides of Ethan’s hair. He made a few more snips, then he stood up straight, looked at Ethan with his mouth open and muttered, “Oh my God.”

“What?” Startled and worried, Ethan jumped a little.

Tyler patted Ethan’s knee. “You look amazing, and I’m not done yet.”

It was easy for Ethan to forget the worry about his impending short hair with Tyler parading around in those tight leather pants. Maybe if they didn’t dip so low in the back that they exposed the cleavage of his butt crack he wouldn’t have been so obsessed. Even with a belt, they shimmied down Tyler’s slender hips and revealed the slight curve of his magnificent ass—an ass Ethan wanted to sink his teeth into—and he couldn’t focus his eyes on anything else.

A few more snips, some texturizing with a special pair of shears, then hair product, and a blow out, and Tyler was done. He stood in front of Ethan with a huge smile on his face. “Are you ready for your transformation?”

“Yeah!” Ethan could barely sit still wondering what he looked like with short hair. “Can I turn around now?”

Tyler spun the chair around to face the mirror, and Ethan focused on his reflection. It was startling, and he almost didn’t recognize himself. His hair barely touched his shoulders, and it had layered waves that kinda curled in different directions.

“Do you love it?” Tyler asked, a satisfied fist on his hip.

Ethan wasn’t sure. He missed his long hair, but didn’t know how he felt about this new look. “I don’t hate it.”

“What do you mean, you don’t hate it? Look at those cheekbones!” Tyler exclaimed, cupping Ethan’s jaw from behind with both hands. “You look like a super-hot Jim Morrison.” Tyler leaned over so his lips were at Ethan’s ear and sang in a whisper, “Come on, baby, light my fire.”

A hot chill took Ethan’s breath away, and he lost his ability to speak. He couldn’t do anything except stare into Tyler’s soft brown eyes and watch the playfulness that sparkled back at him.

“Just use a little texturizing product for volume, and it’ll be easy enough to style,” Tyler said. “Any questions?”

Ethan’s thoughts were all over the place, but he shook his head.

“I guess my work here is done,” Tyler announced.

Paul rushed over, thanked Tyler, and handed him a check.

“Wait!” Ethan jumped out of the chair, and both Tyler and Paul turned around.

“Do you need something else?” Tyler asked.

“No. Um. Yeah. I just wanted to thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. It was a pleasure meeting you.” Tyler pulled a business card out of the back pocket of his skin-tight leather jeans and handed it to Ethan. “Call if you need anything. Anytime”

And then Tyler was gone.