Page 6 of The Hellcat Barbies: Zora
Case rubbed his jaw, thinking. “You said you wanted four more barbers, right?”
“Yeah. People already been hitting me up for interviews, but I’on wanna just sit across from a bunch of muthafuckas listeningabout how good they can cut. Niggas can make anything sound good, but I need them to make the shit look good, too.”
“So make ’em show you.” He smirked. “Bring in some heads and let the clippers do the talking. Line up a couple grown men, maybe a few kids who need a cut, and let these dudes work. Think of it as a real-time audition.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” I stroked my beard, already coming up with the details in my head.
“Not bad? Bro, that’s genius.” He spread his hands. “You’ll see who got skills… who can hold a conversation with the clients and see how well they treat the clients. Like a mockup workday.”
“Aight,” I agreed. “We’ll run it that way. Free cuts for the volunteers, and the best four barbers get a chair. The rest can get the fuck on.”
“Told you, man. You stick with me, you can’t lose.” Case smirked.
“Yeah…I’on know ’bout all that.”
We both laughed, the sound bouncing off the empty walls. Case was still talking through the interview setup when something out the window caught my eye. A green Charger slid into the spot across the street, loud enough to make heads turn, clean enough to demand respect. I leaned off the counter, curiosity pulling me toward the glass. The driver’s door opened, and a woman stepped out with a bag slung over her shoulder and her bright red hair catching the light. She was a fine chocolate thing that couldn’t be no more than five-foot-five with a handful of titties, small waist but thick hips and fat ass to make up for what she lacked… which wasn’t much. She moved with that confidence that didn’t ask for attention but took it, anyway.
“Aye, you know her?” I asked Case.
He came up beside me, followed my line of sight, and smirked. “Oh, that’s Zora. She owns that salon.”
I didn’t answer right away… I couldn’t. My eyes stayed locked on her as she stepped onto the sidewalk. I couldn’t take my eyes off the spread of her thick hips and the way her ass sat up in those jeans if I wanted to. Shorty didn’t even know me, but I was already intrigued.
“Semi.”
I blinked, turned, and found Case grinning like a damn dummy.
“What?” I muttered.
He shook his head, smug as hell. “Nothing. I was just saying… far as I know, she’s single.”
“How you know?” My brow lifted. “And why the fuck you think I needed to know?”
“’Cause Maya gets her hair done over there,” he said, shrugging like it was the simplest thing in the world. “And the look on your face just now told me.”
I chuckled, low and reluctant, trying to shake off the way my chest still felt tight. We laughed it off, going back over the shop plans, but even as I nodded through Case’s words, my mind wasn’t all the way in it. Ms. Zora had already forced her way inside my head, and it was a matter of time before I forced my way into hers.
“We’ll run the interviews your way,” I said, knocking the counter once. “Free cuts for whoever volunteers. Best four barbers earn a chair; the rest can kiss my ass.”
Case smirked. “Exactly. Let the clippers do the talking. The shop will run itself if we get the right crew in here.”
I checked the time on my phone, already knowing I needed to be heading out so Peanut wouldn’t be waiting for me. “I’m out. Gotta grab my girl from after school.”
“Yeah, go handle that,” Case said, pushing off the counter. “I’ma lock in with Maya and CJ, then swing by Mama’s later.”
I slapped hands with my brother before I started for the door. Once I pulled off, my eyes cut across the street one more time. The image of Zora was still stuck in my head, and I couldn’t shake it. Shorty would be meeting me real soon.
***
The drive across town gave me just enough time to reset before pulling into Peanut’s school’s parking lot. She spotted me quick, then ran over to my car.
“Daddy!” She slid into the backseat, already starting. “We played dodgeball today. I was the last one on my team, and guess what?”
I caught her grin in the mirror. “What happened?”
“I won! I dodged every ball. They couldn’t see me!” She did a little dance in the backseat that had me cracking up.
“That’s my Peanut. Shake them niggas..” I pulled out of the lot, shaking my head with a smirk.
