Lina Naum [Slight R18]

═══ Lina Naum ═══

Lina stared at the young man for a few seconds longer than she meant to. She wasn't usually this forward—never had been. But something about him seemed to pluck at her strings the right way.

Everything was fine—until she touched his hair.

That's when it all went downhill… at least in terms of keeping her composure. She was normally chatty, but never loose with her words.

Yet now, her thoughts were running ahead of her mouth.

It was the shyness he carried, the quiet confidence, that strong jawline—and damn, his physique.

Well-toned in a way that didn't feel gym-obsessed, just naturally… ideal.

His hair was striking too, the subtle red highlights nearly glinting under the soft light.

Expensive-looking strands, silky to the touch.

Too expensive, actually. His clothes didn't match that quality. They weren't shabby, just simple—comfortable. Well-fitted, yes, but not flashy. His hair and nails, though?

Pristine. Suspiciously so.

She even felt her pride dwindle a little wondering who did his last job.

Lina swallowed hard, focusing back on his scalp and trying to keep her hands steady.

"So… you're new to town, huh?" she finally said, trying to sound casual as she moved her fingers through his thick and yet silky hair. "I guess I should start with a proper intro. I'm Lina Naum. Family's from Romania—that's where the last name comes from."

She smiled in the mirror at him, half-shy, half-challenging.

"And you… are a very interesting first client for today. I usually only work with locals, this being a small town and all."

Lina spoke casually as she led him over and gently tilted his head back into the sink. She wasn't sure what it was about him, but her hands felt lighter.

Her fingers moved with ease as she began rinsing his hair, adjusting the temperature just right before working in the shampoo.

She lathered carefully, the rich suds coating his thick strands with ease.

While she worked, her eyes flicked to his face now and then—just for a second or two longer than she should have. There was something satisfying about the way he relaxed under her touch… and something curious about how he reacted to certain motions.

Luckily, he had his eyes closed during the whole process.

He liked it when she slowed her fingers at the scalp, so she lingered.

A few minutes turned to more than she usually allowed herself, but she didn't mind.

In fact, Lina realized… she was having more fun than she'd had with any customer in a long time.

═════════

"Yes, well… I'm just a few blocks down," Dorian replied, eyes closed as warm water ran through his hair. "I'll probably be here realistically about four years while I finish university. Thankfully, the house I'm living in now is nearby, so I guess I'll be coming here a lot."

He let himself relax. It actually felt pretty good having someone else wash his hair. So good, in fact, that other ideas started creeping into his mind—and it was lasting longer than a typical rinse.

That's when he decided to check in mentally.

[Hey… I don't suppose you're working your magic here too, are you?]

He tried to stay calm, but his heartbeat was picking up speed.

[Chhh… Seems you caught on,] Yamir's voice answered smoothly in his head. [I just needed to run a little experiment. Nothing too wild. Simply put, I'm not doing the same thing I did with the other girl—you know, the one who'd strip down in the middle of the street if you asked nicely. This one? You're on your own.]

[So… what are you doing, exactly?]

Dorian asked wondering if his helper wasn't going too far.

[I just gave your aura a nudge. Strengthened it a bit. Nothing forced, no tricks. It's not a drug or anything—so whatever she's feeling, it's still her. You're just… harder to ignore now.]

Dorian gulped.

He opened his eyes just in time to catch Lina staring down at him, quickly looking away as she reached for a towel a bit too fast.

[Alright, good to know,] he muttered internally. [I don't need the cops showing up because someone thinks I slipped them something.]

[Relax, kid,] Yamir snorted. [I'm one of the Cupids. We don't need crap like aphrodisiacs to have women begging for us—and you won't either, once you man the hell up.]

A deep, syrupy chuckle echoed in his head, making Dorian want to gag.

[Now then, take control of your aura—your charm. Anything you say will be accepted a little better. But if you can give her some good memories… well, that's an option too.]

Good memories?

Dorian felt the towel gently patting his head before it was lifted away and replaced by the sound of tools being set up.

"Well, I hope you're ready. I've got a few ideas we can work with," Lina said, circling around the chair. "I do like that hair long, though. But how about we take off some of the weight? That's probably what's bothering you, right?"

She pulled out a pair of scissors—thin and elegant, almost delicate—and moved closer.

Dorian nearly doubted they'd be strong enough to do anything.

But then, she ran into the real issue.

"What the? Did you put in some kind of extreme gel? I thought I washed all that out…"

Lina tried a few more times, but the scissors refused to cooperate.

"Must've fallen—let's try the other ones…"

Lina grabbed a larger pair of shears, wondering if they'd do the job better.

Just as she went to snip a few strands, the blades twisted slightly. She only managed to cut off half.

"Strange… That must be some high-end product you're using. You sure you're not pulling my leg with a wig or something?"

She tried again, more slowly this time. It was working—barely. Still far from what she considered normal.

"Nothing like that," Dorian said, chuckling nervously. "I, uh… always had difficult hair to work with... Sorry for not warning you ahead of time."

Lina adjusted to the resistance, though she was clearly still struggling. With a sigh, she made her decision.

"I'm going to have to charge you extra, young man. This is taking way longer than normal—and frankly, your hair might outlast my tools. So just a light trim today, something more… balanced."

Dorian gave a small shrug and nodded. "Sounds fair."

The next hour passed in steady snips and focused silence. Lina didn't manage to cut much, but she made the most of it. She shaped the bangs to better frame his face and decided to leave most of the length in the back—for now.

"Well, that's all I could manage… er, Dorian. I hope you at least like it a little. You saw how much I struggled, right?"

Lina twirled his chair slowly so he could face the large mirror.

"Well, I do look good at least," Dorian said with a small grin. "The bangs were something else—you definitely helped with that."

Truthfully, he had hoped for something shorter, but considering it took over an hour and a half just for a trim, this was fine. Besides, he didn't really mind the time spent.

Lina had seemed eager to keep chatting with him, slipping into comfortable conversation between snips and combs.

She even started sharing details he didn't expect—bits of her family history, her love for Eurobeat music (which one of her cousins got her into), and how she was obsessed with avocados.

That last one was probably his aura's doing, though.

As for Dorian, his contributions to the conversation mostly centered on his family—the old mansion he'd inherited, how his aunt had come to stay with him, and his quiet worries about starting university in a completely new town.

It seemed the more time she spent near him, the more personal her stories became.

She talked about how her parents didn't approve of her last boyfriend simply because he wasn't Romanian, and how she'd spent years scraping together the funds to open this salon before finally settling in this town.

She mentioned her small apartment a few streets away and how everything was getting harder to afford.

She knew no bounds when it came to topics, even going so far as to ask how his relationship with Emma was going.

"Like I said, nothing of the sort," Dorian replied, scratching his cheek. "She just offered to show me around since we're going to the same university."

"Well, at least there's something to look forward to in moving to this town, then."

Lina was just about to finish brushing off the hair-covered cape—a task Dorian suspected she was dragging out on purpose.

But just as she stepped in front of him to remove it, her heel caught on a stray strand of hair.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she stumbled forward.

Her footing slipped, momentum carried her straight into his lap—legs awkwardly straddling him, hands braced on his shoulders, faces mere inches apart.

Dorian instinctively caught her by the waist.

[The ol' slipperoo! Now's the moment, attack, fool! Make me proud—and don't forget, you still need to eat! You owe me for that body, now work it!]

Yamir's voice echoed in his head, triggering something deep inside him—unlocking a part of himself he'd kept restrained.

Lina didn't move.

Her eyes were fixed on his, her breath shallow. The air between them grew thick with tension. When it became clear she wouldn't be the first to pull away, Dorian pulled her waist forward slightly, biting his lower lip with a teasing confidence that drew her gaze to his mouth.

She stared, spellbound at them for a few seconds.

Then it happened.

The last few centimeters vanished as Lina leaned in. Their lips met—as if she was starving.

Her arms slipped around his neck, deepening the kiss. It started slow, cautious even, but quickly grew more wild.

A blush bloomed across her cheeks as her body pressed closer to his.

Dorian didn't hesitate.

With what little experience he had—and a generous dose of Yamir's power—he returned the kiss with focused intensity.

He teased her lips with soft bites, tugged gently, then parted them and met her tongue with his own. It felt instinctual, natural, like he'd done this a hundred times before.

She melted right into him.

The only thing separating them was the cape still draped over his body—but in that moment, it might as well have been paper-thin.

At least, that's how it felt to Dorian.

But Lina, who clearly had more experience, pulled back with a hand pressed gently against his chest, lifting herself while looking at the ceiling in a daze. Her lips parted as she caught her breath, eyes glassy with heat. Without saying a word, she turned her attention to the nearby window.

Her gaze landed on the strip curtains that were still slightly opened, as she had closed them due to the evening sun earlier.

She walked over in a rush, tugged the curtains shut completely, then moved to the front door. A flick of the sign flipped it to CLOSED, and she drew the final curtain before turning her attention back to Dorian.

The look in her eyes made Dorian forget how to breathe.

He'd already slipped the cape off his lap, hands casually resting on his thighs. He gave a small pat to his leg with a silent invitation.

Lina said nothing.

She walked forward, hips swaying, and straddled the chair once more, settling herself on his lap perfectly.

Her hands then cupped his face, her lips crashing into his for another deep kiss...