When hair stylist Jai Hathaway decided to open his own salon, he knew he would sacrifice some of his personal time to run the business. But long hours working late have him feeling lonely, and he just doesn't seem to connect with the few men he dates. His business partner Kiki suggests what he needs is to find a different type of guy, someone who isn't in the salon business, but not only does Jai not know how to find a guy like that, he isn't even sure where to look.<br><br>On a particularly cold morning in January, the salon's hot water goes out and Jai scrambles to find a plumber on short notice. Enter Duane Schneider, sexy and confident, and interested in getting more than just Jai's hot water boiling. But he's so outside Jai's comfort zone that, at first, the stylist isn't sure how to react. When it becomes obvious Duane wants to continue things outside of business hours, though, Jai agrees to a date, if only to see where the evening might lead.<br><br>Is Kiki right when she said Jai needed to find someone different? Or will Duane turn out to be just his style after all?

Just My Style

“Listen, we have thirty minutes to kill,” he says with a lazy shrug. “If you have anything in mind to pass the time…”


Jai’s heart skips a beat. “Like what do you mean?”


Duane raises one eyebrow suggestively. “I’m sure we can think of something if we try hardenough.” 12


As Duane washes up in the bathroom, Jai returns to the salon and sinks into Kiki’s chair at the front desk, his mind awhirl. Is it just him, or is the plumber actually hittingon him? If any of the stylists here acted like that, Jai thinks, I’d know exactly what they were after. But I can’t read this guy. Or rather, I’m afraid to let myself believe it. What if I’m wrong? What if I flirt back and get punched in the face for my efforts? Or slapped with a harassment charge, what then?


Chapter 15