Torn Apart

Chapter 2

"Wooooo! It's so damn hot today! I don't know if my perm will stay in for very long."

"Girl I feel you!"

That was the conversation I heard as Nikki and I strolled into my personally owned Day Spa the next morning. I opened the place in the heart of Honolulu about two years after we moved in and the place had been jumping ever since. I hired three women including Nikki herself, and a gay man we called Juicy. Erica, my tan specialist and the first girl I hired was a tall Porto Rican woman with long honey brown hair, Carmel colored skin and dark brown eyes.

Bridgette, my hair stylist came about two months after Erica. She was about my height, African American and a whole lot of fun. As for Nikki, she took care of the waxing and facials in the spa while I handled the massages and Juicy handled facials and mud baths. To them my name was Krissy Rivers, and Nikki was referred to as Natalie. I loved the crew that I had and the schedule I worked. It kept my mind off things for a while and made the pain of missing John easier.

"Hey Ladies!" I said.

"Krissy!" Juicy said, "How you doing this morning sexy lady?"

I shrugged a little before walking behind the counter and giving him a hug. "I'm doing fine, are we booked again today?"

"Well, Natalie is, and so is Bridgette, me you and Erica only have two appointments each." He told me as I picked up our appointment book and scrolled through the pages.

"That's a first. I'm sure it'll change once we have people just walk in like normal."

He nodded, "Damn right. It isn't like we got competition around here. How are you Natalie?"

Nikki smiled, "I'm good."

"And how is the rugrat?" Erica asked as she directed her first client back to her tanning area. "I trust he didn't keep you ladies up again?"

"Oh no he's good. Dropped his butt off at the day care before we got here," Nikki explained before heading back to the waxing room to get ready for her first client.

I giggled, "That's right. Hey Bridgette how are things?"

"Oh girl things would be better if I could get my crazy ex to stop stalking me." She said, while working the towel through her client's hair.

I sighed, "He's at it again?"

"Hell yeah. I thought I rid myself of him but he just keeps finding me."

Juicy chuckled. "Damn girl you should let him find you…."

"Why?" she asked as we walked past her.

"Because I'm willing to bet if you couldn't handle him I damn sure can." He said with a whip of his long bangs.

The girls and I laughed in unison before Juicy and I retired to my office. The two of us had to have our little gossip moments before work otherwise we couldn't function. He was the only person I felt close to outside of Nikki and because of that he was the only one who knew my real name. I hadn't told him the story of why my name was changed or who I was hiding from but I planned to one day. Right now things had to be taken slow…

"So what's new Kitten? You and Natalie doing ok in that big house all alone?" he asked.

I smiled and took a seat behind my desk. "We're doing fine….why do you ask?"