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We had been open for a few weeks and doing steady, if not spectacular business. If 'Bold' had been our sole source of income then we would have been struggling to make ends meet, but essentially it was a hobby and our payment was the pleasure that we got out of being able to indulge ourselves a little. We justified our approach to anyone who asked as 'research' for hair shows. We just said that we wanted to explore the boundaries of hairdressing techniques and push them a little further. We were keen to avoid any overt suggestion of a connection to anything that people turned up on the internet and having a stylist of Helen's calibre onboard helped to dispel any such accusations.

We knew that we were starting to make our mark when I picked up a call one morning and it was from a woman who said that she was a journalist for the local paper and that she wanted to write a piece about the salon, both from a new business perspective and from the hairdressing side of things. I wasn't too keen at the start and said that I would have to talk it over with Helen before making any sort of commitment as I knew that Helen had been keen to keep this venture wholly separate from her main salon business.

I actually forgot about it until we had got home that evening and it was only when the local news came on the TV that I remembered.

'We had a call from some journalist woman today wanting to write about us' I said, turning the sound down on the tv.

'And?'

I told her that I would have to talk to you about it.'

'What did she sound like?'

'Female' I replied sarcastically.

'You know what I mean; did she sound friendly, hostile, what?'

'Friendly enough' I replied.

We talked about the positives and negatives that could come out of being featured in the local paper, but in the end we decided that it was worth doing. The following morning I rang the paper to make arrangements for the interview.

'Hi Ann, it's Jo from "Bold"' I said.

'Hi, Jo, what did your partner think?' she asked.

'She said that she would be happy to have a chat, but that she does her best talking when she is working.'

'That's fine, as long as she doesn't think that I'll distract her.'

'What she meant was she does her best talking with clients while she's working with them.'

'You mean..?'

'She said she'll be happy to talk to you if you make an appointment.'

'As a customer?'

'That's right' I said.

'So she'll only talk to me if I let her loose on my hair, is that it?' she asked.

'Pretty much. She thinks that it would be the best way for you to get a feel for what we are trying to do with "Bold"' I replied.

'Wow. People often ask for payment for interviews, but that's the first time I've been asked to have my hair done as the pre-condition for one.' she said.

'There you go, we're already showing you that we're different' I commented.

'Okay, so what are we talking about here, exactly?' she asked.

'Well, the haircut would be Helen's choice, so you'd be giving her carte blanche to do what she thinks would suit you.'

'Is that what most of your customers do?' she asked.

'It's probably best that Helen answers your questions during the interview really' I said, sensing that the journalist was looking to build her story from what I was saying. If we were going to be in the papers, then we wanted a bit more thought and rather than just comments gleaned on the phone.

'Look, Jo, I need to do a bit more groundwork first and talk to the editor, that sort of thing. I'll be in touch' she said.

That was the end of it as far as I was concerned, but the following day, Ann rang back.

'Hi, Jo, it's Ann, from the Gazette' she said.

We exchanged pleasantries for a minute or two and then she got to the point of the call.

'Okay, I want to go ahead with the piece, so when would suit the two of you?' she said.

'That's great' I said, not overly sure whether it would be or not. 'We can do tonight anytime after 5:30, apart from that we're into next week sometime.'

'Tonight works for me, shall we say 5:30ish then?'

'We'll see you then.' I said and after a few words of farewell, that was it.

I went up to the staff room and told Helen that I had made the arrangements for the interview. We chatted about what might be in store, but we both agreed again that the exposure would be a good thing if 'Bold' was to exist for more than the initial three month period that we had signed the lease for. There was only one more client that afternoon and she was not overly memorable. I'm not really sure why she came to us as she was adamant that she didn't want much more than a trim and Helen appeared to decide that she wasn't worth the fight, so just treated her like a customer at her regular salon.

Just after 5:30 there was a knock at the door. I could see through the glass as I went to open it that our visitor was probably in her early forties, dressed in a business suit, reasonably trim and had dark brown hair grazing her shoulders. All in all, quite a striking woman, although not in the sense of conventional beauty. She was elegant, with poise and presence.

'Hi, I'm Ann' she said as I opened the door.

'I'm Jo, please come in' I said with my best PR voice.

Ann came in and I could see her immediately starting to take in her surroundings, the decor, the pictures of Helen and I with various lengths of clipper cut and shiny baldness.

'That's quite an impact as you come in' she said.

Just then, Helen came in to reception from the salon.

'You must be Ann' she said.

'Pleased to meet you. Helen, I presume' she said.

Initial pleasantries out of the way, Ann accepted the proffered glass of wine and came through to the salon. Helen led the way and I followed dutifully behind. Helen showed Ann where to sit and pulled up her own mobile cutting stool.

'Can I put my recorder on the shelf there, I don't think I'll be able to take too many notes while you do your thing' she said. I thought that we could save her the trouble of recording the chat herself and just let her have access to our own video and audio recording, but perhaps it would be best not to mention that!

She started off by commenting on the fact that both Helen and I were obviously taking the corporate message to heart by wearing our own hair so short. Neither of us mentioned at this point that until I started in the salon, I had been keeping my head shaved and that Helen had also shaved for a while.

After this initial exchange, Helen got up and swung a gown over Ann, tucking it in tightly at the neck.

'So what am I letting myself in for here?' she asked.

'The "Bold" experience' Helen replied.

I had decided not to say too much as I didn't know just how much of what we said here was going to find its way into print.

'So do you discuss styling options with your clients?'

'I take the view that they have done that for years with their usual stylist and they come to us precisely because we do what we think will work, however radical that might be from the way they usually wear their hair' Helen replied.

'So does that account for the proliferation of short-haired women in town?' Ann asked.

'Don't forget the men' Helen said with a smile.

'So you do men too?'

'Oh yes, we're a unisex salon.'

'Can you tell me what you're going to do with my hair?' she asked.

'We operate simply. You sit, I cut and hopefully you like what I do' Helen replied.

'And what if I don't want a lot cut off?'

'Go somewhere else' Helen replied with as much charm as she could muster.

'So by sitting down here, I'm effectively giving you permission to do whatever you like?' she said.

'It's probably better if I show you' Helen said, getting up from her stool.

Helen started to comb Ann's hair, sectioning it and pinning some up on top of her head. Ann was looking in the mirror and trying to remember her next question, rather than watching what Helen was doing, but it was quite clear to me what was about to happen. Helen had picked up a set of clippers and in the same movement of turning them on, ran them up the back of Ann's neck about level with the top of her ear. The clippers were guardless, so Ann had just had a strip of her scalp revealed, which was quickly followed by a second alongside. Ann still had not asked her next question.

As Helen slid the clippers towards Ann's temple, Ann was able to assess what was happening to her.

'Is this what's called an undercut?' she asked slightly more hesitantly than she had asked her first batch of questions.

'Certainly is' Helen replied.

'I hadn't appreciated how difficult it would be to be a journalist at the same time as being one of your clients' Ann said.

'Being one of my clients is easy, you just sit there and enjoy' Helen added.

'So do people enjoy sitting here with no say as to what you are doing to them?'

'People have the choice to go somewhere else and have control over how their hair is cut, as far as possible anyway. People come here because they want to let someone else decide what to do or they just want something that they would never ask for or know how to ask for. I am always careful, as are the other stylists here, to improve a client's look. There's no point just shearing someone like a sheep. We want to create edgy styles, take customers to places that they wouldn't dream of if left to their own devices. A lot of them go to the same stylist out of habit and have the same style every time. When they walk into our salon, they know that they are going to be going home looking different.'

'Do you have many complaints?' Ann asked.

'I think we've had one and that was from a surprised husband rather than from the client herself. She left us completely happy.'

Although Ann had found her voice again, Helen was continuing to work and had finished the undercut. The lower half of Ann's head was now shaved to the skin, while the rest of her hair was still clipped up on her crown. Helen undid the clips and allowed the hair to fall, concealing the shaved sides. Helen combed the hair out carefully, assessing how it was lying and then swapped the comb for the clippers again.

Helen placed the reversed head of the clippers halfway up the back of Ann's head and moved them in slowly and precisely. It had been a while since I had watched Helen cut one of these angled bobs and I never tired of admiring her talent. Anyone could run the clippers over somebody's head, but this took tremendous skill. Ann was quiet again as she tried to visualise what Helen was doing. She knew that Helen had shaved her to the skin as far up as where the clippers were now, so that could only mean that her semi-baldness was going to be visible to everybody. I wondered what she was thinking just then, but we were here so that she could ask questions rather than the other way round.

'At least I've escaped without a full head-shave' Ann said.

'It's not too late' Helen said, but I think that this is something you should try first. It will be perfect for your image, the clothes you wear, that sort of thing' Helen added.

'So you do take lifestyle and image into account, like you said.'

'Most definitely, "Bold" is about creating images, revealing aspects of somebody to themself. For some people that can be done by shaving their head or a crew-cut, but that's not for everybody and only a few people leave here with such a drastic cut. I do like to think that everybody leaves here with a dramatic cut, but there are many ways to create drama.'

I nodded in agreement.

Helen continued to cut the angle from the back of Ann's head down to just below her lip, all the while answering Ann's questions as fully as she could. By the time that she had brought the other side level, I could see Ann smile.

'What?' Helen asked.

'I thought I was coming here to be scalped by some semi-skilled hacker, but I think really like what you've done. I would never have considered something like this, but I think you've just proved your point.'

'It'll look better when it's washed and dried, but you're getting the idea.' Helen replied.

I was pleased because that was the whole point of agreeing to do the interview. I suspected that Ann had been preparing a hatchet job on us for shaving the heads of all the local women, but I think that the tone of her article would be altogether different now.

Helen made a few minor adjustments and then led Ann over to the basins to wash her hair and get rid of any remnants from the clippers. When Ann came back and Helen started to blow-dry her hair, it took on the shape that Helen intended and looked spectacular.

'That really suits you Ann' I said to her.

'Thank you' she replied. 'I had serious reservations when that infernal machine started up, but I could get used to this'.

'So does that mean you're going to become a regular?' Helen asked.

'Perhaps not a 'regular', but maybe you could think of me as an 'occasional'. I might want to keep it like this, but if I come back to you, who knows what you would do next time?'

'We'll come up with something to keep things fresh, I'm sure.' Helen said, with a final stroke of Ann's hair.

Helen reached for the mirror to show Ann the back, but from where I was sitting, it was gorgeous.

Ann said nothing as she inspected what Helen had done.

'It's best if you feel it' I said.

Ann's hand reached out from under the gown and touched the freshly-revealed skin at the back of her head. She moved her fingers around her head, following the demarcation line between hair and skin. She feigned a shiver.

'That's so strange' she said.

'But wonderful to the touch' Helen retorted.

'I'm not sure what my husband will say when I get home' Ann said.

'Best just to let him play for a while, he'll love it, although he might not tell you as much' I said.

'So are we going to like what you write about us?' Helen asked.

'To tell you the truth, I'm not sure that I'm going to write the article. This hasn't turned out the way that I thought it would and the angle that I sold my editor just isn't what I've found.' As she spoke, she reached forward and turned off the recorder.

'So it wasn't intended to be a positive article then?' I asked.

'Not in so many words, but you've converted me and I really think I want to keep you to myself rather than bring the masses down on you.'

'So you enjoyed it?' Helen asked.

Ann nodded with a wry smile on her face.

'I could make it a bit more enjoyable for you if you want' Helen said. Ann looked at her quizzically as if Helen had just suggested something inappropriate.

'If you've got time I could shave the sides properly for you, get rid of the slight roughness. I could angle it for you a bit more, there's all manner of things you could try.'

Ann pondered for a moment and touched her nape again.

'John might like it better if it isn't stubbly' she said.

'Might John like it if the undercut went a bit higher?' Helen asked.

'He might' Ann replied.

Helen reached for the clippers again.

'Shall we say that you're not going to write about the salon and that you've become our first VIP customer?' Helen said.

'What's a VIP customer?' Ann asked.

'I'm not sure. I've just made it up' Helen laughed.

Ann and I both laughed.

'How about we give you three free cuts' Helen said.

'And we'll do a discount for any friends you recommend us to' I added. Helen nodded approvingly.

'Sounds good to me' Ann said.

I saw Ann close her eyes as she felt the clippers seeking her hairline again, knowing only too well how it felt the first time I experienced Helen's touch. Helen eased them around Ann's head lifting the hairline all round and then increasing the angle of the bob by an inch or so at the back while retaining the same points at the front. Ann resolutely kept her eyes closed while Helen applied shaving foam around the clippered area and then carefully shaved her with a bic razor. I loved just watching the expression change on Ann's face as Helen worked and saw the twinge of disappointment as she realised that it was over. The disappointment dissolved as soon as she opened her eyes and looked in the mirror, turning her head from side to side, even though Helen hadn't quite finished working on her.

'We can do it all over next time if you want' Helen said, wiping the foam from around Ann's ears with the corner of a towel.

'I couldn't, work would have a fit!' she said.

'There's always wigs' Helen advised.

'I suppose so' Ann agreed.

Helen stood back to assess her work and turned Ann's chair towards her. She nodded.

'That's better' Helen said, turning Ann back towards the mirror and holding up the small mirror for her to see how the back of her head looked now.

Ann nodded appreciatively.

'Eyebrows?' Helen asked.

'No, they're fine thanks' Ann said.

Helen reached for the small trimming clippers and flicked them on.

'I think you owe us for coming in here intending to write a nasty story about us' Helen said.

'It wasn't going to be nasty, just angled a little' Ann replied.

'Eyebrows?' Helen asked again.

There was no response.

Helen moved in, clippers buzzing insistently. Ann closed her eyes in submission.

Helen was clearly pleased that she had got the upper hand and decided that proving this point was enough for now. She put the clippers down

'I tell you what. How about we leave it for now? Helen said.

'You get pleasure out of this, don't you?'

'That would be telling, you'll have to find out for yourself!' Helen replied cryptically.

Helen put the finishing touches to Ann's hair and freed her from her gown. When Ann stood up, she went over to the full length mirror that we have in the salon and looked at herself from every conceivable angle. Her smile told us all that we needed to know.

'I don't know what to say' she said eventually. 'When I came in here I thought that I was this sharp dressed woman and now look what you've done. I look so different, I love it!' she said.

We headed for reception, compliments and appreciation traded back and forth.

'Come back and see us again, won't you?'

'I will' Ann replied.

I picked one of Chrissy's cards off the counter.

'This lady is very popular with our clients, very discreet, very creative' I said.

Ann looked at it.

'I don't think that's for me' she said, moving to hand it back.

'You'd be surprised' Helen said. 'Neither of us did either, but we haven't regretted it.'

'So what did you do?'

'Nipple rings' I said, rather too enthusiastically I thought as the words came out.

'Doesn't that hurt?'

'Only for a while, then you wouldn't believe the fun you can have with them' I replied.

'So no tattoos?'

'Not yet, but I'm going to get a small one, somewhere very private for my beloved's birthday' I said, looking over Ann's shoulder at Helen.

'Do you think he'll like that?' Ann asked.

'I'm sure that it will go down very well' I said, wanting to avoid any specific comment about Helen and I being a couple.

Ann turned to look at Helen.

'I'm a journalist, you two can't fool me, you know' she said formally, before breaking into a smile.

'Is it that obvious?' Helen asked.

'Not really, but you go really well together' she replied. I wondered how many other people had come to the same conclusion and then wondered why I should be remotely bothered. Helen and I were quite open about being a couple when we were outside work, so what difference did it make if people commented when we were at work.

I nodded my appreciation as Ann gathered her things together and took the opportunity presented by her partially open handbag to slip one of Chrissy's cards inside. I winked at her as she looked at me with a slightly disapproving air.

It was probably a month before I spoke to Ann again.

The phone rang and I recognised her voice as soon as she spoke.

'Hi Ann' I said.

'Hello, is that the 'Den of Iniquity'?' she asked laughing.

'Certainly is, and what can I do for you?' I replied.

'I'd like to come in and see Helen' she said.

'When would suit?' I asked.

'The sooner the better' she replied.

'She's free for the next couple of hours if you mean that soon' I replied.

'You're an angel. I've just got a call to make, but I could be there in ten minutes, how's that?'

'Make that call and I'll tell Helen you're on your way' I replied, putting the phone down.

Helen was pleased when I told her that Ann was coming in. It had been one of those days when it had been very quiet and the weather made it unlikely that we would get any walk-ins. A visit from Ann was just what we needed.

It was probably closer to twenty minutes when an apologetic Ann came in. She was dressed more casually than her previous visit, but she still had that air of authority about her. I noticed immediately how her hair had started to re-grow and the contrast between hair and shaved skin had been lost. I ushered her through to the salon so that she barely broke her stride. Although this could have been dressed up as excellent customer service, it was purely selfish as I was eager to let Helen get to work on her. Ann and Helen exchanged greetings and Ann sat in the same chair that she had occupied on her previous visit. The gown went on and Helen stood behind Helen with a hand on each shoulder.

'So what did your hubby make of his new wife?' Helen asked, taking her hands from Ann's shoulders and moving towards the shelf.

'Speechless when I got home and breathless not much after that!' she said in a way that was so practised, it clearly wasn't the first time she had used the phrase. Helen and I both smiled.

'So why the urgency to come back in all of a sudden? I thought you'd forgotten about us' Helen said, clippers now in her hand.

'He's been away and we had a bit of a row on the phone yesterday. I wanted to say sorry, you know' she said.

'So you thought you'd say sorry by giving him his sleek bob to play with again' Helen said.

'That was the plan' Ann replied Helen eased Ann's hair out of the path of the clippers and started to shave Ann's undercut again. It was good to see the shaved skin re-appear as Helen worked.

'So what did people at work think?' Helen asked.

'They said that it made me look younger, the cheeky sods!'

'But they liked it?'

'Oh yes, a couple of the girls asked where I had it done.'

'Tell them we'd be happy to see them, you know that' Helen said, always eager for more potential converts.

Helen worked quickly around the lower part of Ann's head, bristles falling away as she progressed. The original effect was returning, although the ends weren't quite as sharp as when Helen originally cut them. When she had made her way all around to the other side, she turned off the clippers and stood behind Ann to assess progress. I could see Ann admiring herself in the mirror.

'Was it a big row?' Helen asked after a moment.

'One of those stupid ones. About nothing at all really' Ann replied.

'But you're the one saying sorry?'

'He's probably right, this time' she admitted.

'And you decided to show him that you're very sorry?'

'There's no point having something simmering away in the background is there?' she replied.

The clippers came back on and before Ann could react, they were at her forehead. Ann said nothing as the clippers moved backwards although her changed expression betrayed her surprise.

'Best not to leave him in any doubt' Helen said as she made another pass.

'I thought you were just going to sharpen my bob up this time' Ann said, apparently starting to appreciate that she was going to have to come to terms with facing the world hairless.

'I think you knew there was very little chance of that happening when you came in' Helen said with a smile.

'It had crossed my mind, but I thought you were more likely to just angle the bob a bit more this time and then I could get used to the idea of shaving completely next time.'

'So this isn't what you wanted?' Helen said, continuing to strip the remaining tresses from Ann's scalp.

'No, yes, I mean, not yet' Ann said, sounding a little flustered now.

'How do you think John will react when he gets back?'

'He'll be shocked. And surprised. And very appreciative if he knows what's good for him' she replied, her sense of humour staring to return.

As far as I could see, Helen had finished the major clearance and Ann was our latest 'baldie'.

Helen broke out the shaving foam, leaving Ann to her thoughts. Probably wondering what to tell her colleagues at work, I assumed. Helen smeared and stroked and shaved in that way of hers that was so familiar and so relaxing. Shocked or not, there couldn't be many of our clients, male or female, who had experienced this who didn't look back on it with a smile on their face. It might be something that they would never do again, but while it was happening, it was a pleasurable experience due to Helen's touch.

Helen wiped away the last of the shaving foam from Ann's scalp and wiped her own hands on the towel before picking up the can again. She squirted a little foam onto her fingers.

'Nearly done. Close your eyes' she said.

Ann looked at her for a moment, but then complied. She opened them again quickly as she felt where Helen was smearing this last bit of foam.

'Please, no' she said.

'No?' Helen queried.

'No, don't' Ann said again. Helen paused.

'How about we give you a safe word, the way people indulging in certain games use safe words?' Helen suggested.

'Banana!' I suggested, just before I felt rather silly at the choice. Helen looked at me and I shrugged.

'Banana it is' she said.

'Now you understand what a safe word is, don't you Ann?' she asked.

Ann nodded.

'So would you like me to shave your eyebrows off?' Helen asked again.

'No' was the firm reply. Either Ann didn't understand that the only word that now meant "No" was "banana" or she was entering into the spirit of things. Helen smeared more shaving foam onto Ann's other eyebrow.

'No' Ann protested again.

Helen picked up the razor that she had just used to shave Ann's head and placed it at one end of Ann's left eyebrow.

'No?' Helen asked.

'No' Ann repeated as the razor was drawn across her brow.

That was an amusing little interlude, I thought, as I watched Helen repeat the bold stroke on Ann's other eyebrow. I also wondered when it was that Helen had been in a situation where she had needed to use a safe word. Certainly not with me, anyway. That was something to bring up another time as for now I was more interested in seeing how Ann looked without her eyebrows. Helen was wiping away the last traces of foam and brow before letting Ann look in the mirror. I looked as Ann looked, waiting for a reaction.

Seeing yourself without eyebrows for the first time is definitely strange, so it was no surprise that Ann was quiet for several moments.

'What was I thinking?' Ann asked.

'I can only imagine' Helen laughed.

'You know what I mean' Ann replied, joining Helen in her laughter.

'How am I going to explain this to people?'

'Why should you? Just enjoy it' Helen said, stroking Ann's head gently.

'I just hope John likes it' Ann said.

'I'm sure he will and I'm sure you'll be glad you did it by the time you get home. It'll just take a little getting used to, but I promise you, both Jo and I are happiest when we're freshly bald after letting it grow for a while. Who knows, you might never have long hair again!'

'We'll see' Ann said pensively, as Helen undid the gown. Ann went back to the full length mirror the same way that she did when Helen cut her bob last time. She did the same half-turn and peered over her shoulder to see how she looked, but this time she ran both hands over her scalp and then shook her head.

'I must be mad!' she exclaimed.

'Mad maybe, very sexy, definitely' I said and reached forward tentatively to touch her scalp. She bowed her head to let me touch her and I must admit to feeling a little guilty at finding it more than a little arousing. I'm not sure what it was, whether it was the way Helen had teased her, the little game that Helen had played with her, or just the fact that I found her attractive, I don't know. I took my hand away and looked at Helen a little guiltily. Helen looked at me for a moment.

'If John really doesn't like it, I think we could put you up for a while' Helen said, either knowing what I was thinking or having similar thoughts herself.

'We could compare piercings' I said, wondering whether I was going a little too far, but my curiosity getting the better of me once again.

'How do you know I'd have any contribution to make?' Ann asked.

'I think you told yourself that it was for research, didn't you' Helen said, joining me in my slightly controversial territory.

'I went in the day after I saw you' she admitted.

'And?' Helen asked.

'I think it was almost too much for John when he saw them, he could barely contain himself, if you know what I mean! He wasn't quite so sure about the little devil that she tattooed on my buttock, though. He said it made him feel uncomfortable to have someone looking at him while he's.., well, you know!' she said, laughing again. 'I'm thinking of taking Chrissy up on her offer of a third ring, but I'm still at the stage where I wince when I even think about getting one down there!'

'My, my! Helen said.

'Alluring in theory, but scary in practice, I think' Ann added.

'Probably not something for every day, but I could see that it would add a little something' Helen agreed.

'We'll see how John reacts to this and whether I need to distract his attention at all' Ann said.

'Don't be daft, if he liked you after last time, he's going to be all over you this time' Helen said.

'Now there's an image, if ever there was one!' I chuckled.

'Jo!' Helen chastised playfully.

'Well, I'd better be off, things to do, people to avoid!' Ann said.

I stole a final stroke and then led the way to reception to get the door for Ann.

'Well, it's been a pleasure' Ann said, nodding towards Helen and I in turn.

'And I hope it will be when John gets home!' I added.

'Hopefully I won't be taking you up on your offer of somewhere to stay, so I'll give you a call in a few weeks, if that's okay.'

'I'll look forward to it' Helen said, bending forward to place a gentle kiss on Ann's cheek.

With that Ann was gone, pausing only for a moment before striding out onto the street. I beamed a smile at Helen.

'You're getting worse, you know that?' I said. She shrugged.

'How about closing early?' she said.

I smiled, knowing only too well what that meant.

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