It’s always on those quiet, uneventful days that something will happen to you to make a definite turn in your life.  Like what occurred in my sister’s barbershop.

Melissa had asked me if I could cover for her while she took care of some business.  Since I owned a barbershop of my own on the other side of town and had a good team of people to run it, I said I would for the afternoon.  You see, the barbering business sorta runs in the family.  Our dad, when he was alive, operated the place that my sister has now.  Mom worked as a beautician in several shops around town before she married Dad.  So, there you have it.

But it was getting late in the afternoon and Missy (as we called my sister) still hadn’t gotten back from her errands.  And with business kinda slow, because this shop was on a side street far from the main thoroughfare, very few people passed by.  That was when I decided to give myself a quick shave before closing up and going home.  Now, its not often you still see someone use a straight razor to shave his own face.  In fact, it’s quite the thing of the past with safety razors and disposable types available.  But I like the smoothness a straight razor gives, as well as the hint of danger in wielding one.  So you can imagine the kind of impression I gave to a young lady coming by for an appointment.

I first noticed her in the mirror, walking on the far side of the street, pausing long enough to look across before moving on.  She was stylishly dressed in a dark blue pantsuit, high-heeled sandals, a broad-brimmed fedora, and sunglasses.  About a minute later she stopped in front of the window, looking in.  I knew she was watching me shave because she stared at me for a long time.  She even lowered the sunglasses she was wearing for a better look, her eyes wide in disbelief at my scraping my face with the cutthroat razor.  As long as she was still looking at me, I could continue my observation of her.  Under the tailored jacket the young woman wore an oxford shirt with the white collar and a narrow black tie.  Then she surprised me by bringing a cigarette in a short black and gold holder to her dark lips and taking a drag. 
 
As I was wiping my face to clear the stray flecks of lather away, she quickly turned away to survey the street in both directions.  Probably giving the impression of making up her mind.  She then pulled the cigarette out of the holder and ground it under foot, pocketed the holder, and blew smoke into the air before entering the shop.

“Hi,” she smiled while taking the sunglasses off.  “Isn’t Melissa here today?”

I cleaned the razor and laid it aside as I turned towards her.  I caught the quick glimpse at it.

“No, she had to take the afternoon off to run errands,” I answered as I stepped forward.  “I’m Michael, her brother.  Missy asked if I could spell for her.”

We shook hands briefly, though her smile melted to disappointment.

“Oh, dear, I was hoping to catch her.  I had an appointment to get my hair cut today.”

 I turned to the book Missy kept by the cash register.  Yep, there was an appointment for right now.

 ”Janice?”

 ”That’s me.”

 I gave a slight shrug.  “Well, I could either reschedule your time, or else do the service.  What do you need?”

 She looked mildly surprised.  “I just came in for a hair cut, that’s all.  Do you know how?”

 I nodded.  “Learned the trade from my dad; have my own shop over on Durban Street.”

 Janice appeared to be hesitant over having me instead of my sister do the work.  “Well, I just wanted to go to a shorter style, that’s all.”  And with that she pulled her hat off with a flourish.
 
 When I first saw her across the street I thought she had short hair already.  It was when she stood outside the shop window that I realized it had been tucked up under the hat.  Dark brown tresses had been pulled up into a bun on top of her head.  Tossing the hat unto a chair Janice undid the pins that held her hair in place.  Now it cascaded down about her face and shoulders in large bouncy curls.  It was such beautiful hair that I thought it would be a shame to do anything to it.

 The young woman ducked her head slightly, embarrassed at her request.

 ”You see, I want to go to a short style that will compliment my fashion as you see it.  I’ve tried wearing it up in French twists, buns, knots, and the like, but it doesn’t let the hat sit straight.”

 ”I take it that your other outfits all have hats with them?”

 She nodded a meek smile on her lovely face.  And it was lovely, too.  Fine features properly accented with a minimum of makeup, highlighted by a pair of dancing gray eyes.

 I sighed softly.  “How short to you want to go?”

 Cocking her head Janice gave a wry smile.  “I’m not looking for a crewcut, a flat top, or a shaved head, if that’s what you’re asking.”

 I smiled in return.  “Only if you want to go that far.”

 Her chuckle was musical as she shook her head, causing those dark curls to dance.  And it looked good on her, too.
 ”I was thinking along the lines of a boyish cut.  You know, short but still feminine.”

 For a moment I studied Janice’s face, trying to picture in my mind how it would look on her and how I would proceed.  I then made my mind up.

 ”Okay, then” I announced as I patted the armrest of the chair, “let’s get started.  First, you’ll have to take off the jacket.”

 She did that, hanging both it and the hat on the coat rack by the door.

 ”Can we use the back chair, please?”

 I was taken back a bit by this request.  We were next to the chair by the window, and the one Janice asked for was the third one back.

 ”Any reason?” I asked as we headed for it.  I noticed that her shirt was an oxford style with white cuffs and the body having blue pinstripes.

 She smiled.  “Oh, just a little more privacy, that’s all.”  With a bounce she settled into the chair.  “These always felt nice.  Not like those plastic seats in salons.”
 
 The young lady wriggled her bottom against the leather, obviously taking delight in the comfort these old barber chairs offered.  I tore a tissue strip from the dispenser and fitted it around her throat, folding it over the shirt collar before sweeping the cape around and across her body, carefully pulling her hair out from under.

 ”Do you want to watch?” I asked while fitting the snap together.

 ”Can I?”

 ”Sure,” and turned the chair to face the mirror on the backbar.  I then picked up a brush and began working it through those lovely locks.  I still hated the idea of having to cut her hair.  I’ve known some women who would kill to have hair this good.  Still, she asked to have it cut.
 
Once I got it to shine and lay smooth around her shoulders I laid the brush aside and took a couple of elastic bands from a glass tray.  I first pulled the hair into a ponytail and tied it off with one band close to the base of her skull.  Then I quickly braided the hair until I could wrap the second elastic around the end.   I followed this with my grabbing a large pair of shears from off the counter.

“Ready?” I asked, poised to cut the braid.

She mere
ly nodded; her attention fixed on my hands in the mirror.

I began sawing through the hair just above the first elastic band.

ScrunchScrunchScrunchScrunchScrunchScrunch!  Finally, as the last few strands of hair were severed, the braid came away in my hand.  The rest of her hair spilled around her head in a ragged bob.

“Care for a souvenir?” I asked as I laid the braid on the counter.

She smiled, “No, thank you.  But you can give it to Locks for Love.”

Laying the shears aside, I picked up the spray bottle and spritzed her hair before taking a comb and work it through the shortened locks.  We made small talk as I straightened out the shorten hair.  When that was done I picked up the electric clippers and switched them on.  You should have seen Janice give a start at the sound, but other than that she sat still, watching me in the mirror.

I noted how her hair seemed to part on the right side.  So I combed the part out even more before lifting a section and ran the clippers over the comb.  About three to four inches of dark brown hair dropped off the comb to settle on the young woman’s shoulder where it slowly slid down into her lap.  I lifted another section and repeated the action, continuing along the right side of her head, carefully layering each section to give it fullness.  Working my way around the back of her head, I blocked the hair along her neck, knowing that this would look better on a woman than the traditional taper most men got.

Janice never said a word.  Only her bright gray eyes spoke of what was going on in her mind.  They were wide and shining, as if she was getting an erotic thrill out of having her hair cut.  And I was to find out later that she was!

As I got close to her left ear I had a quick inspiration.  I left the forelock longer, with the idea that Janice may want to curl it for an added touch of femininity.  I mentioned this to her
.
“That’s a good idea, Michael,” she commented, the first words she had spoken for quite some time.  She brought her left hand out to play with the longer hair.  “Yeah, I can use my curling iron or rollers to add a nice touch to it.”  Her smile seemed to hint at something more that satisfaction with her new style.

Turning the clippers off I searched through the drawers until I found what I needed.  They were two blending combs, each with an angle set of teeth for the left or right side of the head.  I started with the left comb, snapping it onto the clippers before turning them back on.  Placing the comb just before Janice’s left ear I slowly arched them over and around the ear, following the hairline down to her neck.  Without switching off I traded combs and repeated the pass around the right ear.  When that was done I popped that comb off, then carefully trimmed her sideburns into neat little points, ala Star Trek.  Janice could only stare at the finished look.  But I wasn’t finished yet.

From a drawer I pulled out a white towel and draped it over my arm.  I unfastened the cape and folded it down out of the way while draping the towel over her shoulders.  She looked a bit confused by this.

“What’s up?” she asked.
I replied, “Just cleaning up, that’s all.”

I turned towards the backbar and the hot lather machine.  The room filled with the whine of the dispenser pushing a stream of white foam into my hand.  Stepping back behind the chair I used my right hand to spread the lather along the hairline from around the ears down to the blocked edge of her hair.  Janice sucked in her breath at the warmth of the lather being applied.  Afterwards I wiped my hands on another towel before taking up my straight razor.  I slowly worked it along the leather strop hanging off the side of the chair before I started.

Beginning in front of the right ear I carefully folded it over so I could trim shave the hairline back.  I took my time and used short strokes as I made my way around the ear and down the side of Janice’s neck.  A glance in the mirror showed me a young woman watching with bated breath, her eyes wide with the excitement of the shaving.

I repeated the process along the left side of her head.  Then I eased her head forward until the chin rested on heaving chest as I scraped the neck clean.  With the last swipe I cleaned the razor on the towel and laid it aside.  I used the towel to wipe up any stray foam before tossing it onto the counter.  From the counter I picked up a bottle of moisturizing lotion and squirted some into my hand to apply along the shaved skin.

“How’s that?” I announced more than asked as I stood aside.
 
 With a look of absolute delight Janice studied her new `do in the mirror.

 ”Its perfect! ” she crowed, turning her head this way and that, admiring the results as she probably imagined it would be, all the while her right hand felt along the hairline at the shaven skin.  Then I saw a change in her expression, an almost lascivious twinkle in her gray eyes.

 ”Michael?”

 ”Yes?”

 ”Remember when I was standing outside watching you shave?”

 ”Yes?”

 Janice fixed her gaze on me in the mirror.  “Lets do something deliciously wicked; I want you to shave me, too!”

 ”What?” I cried, hands fumbling at the tissue.  “You want a what?”

 ”A shave,” she replied.  “It looks neat and would be a fun experience.”

 I walked around to look down at her.  “Do you know what you’re asking for, young lady?”

 Janice merely grinned, nodding her head in complete understanding of the request.  I sighed, wondering why this lovely young lady would want such a thing done.  Then I answered my own question with the reason that she seems to take delight in doing things bold and unexpected.

 Stepping back behind the chair I pulled the cape back up and refastened it before turning the chair around away from the mirror.  Janice gave a big sigh and closed her eyes as I lowered the chair before laying another, folded towel across her breasts.  There came the whirling grind of the lather dispenser as I filled my hand once more.  Stepping beside the chair I looked down into that lovely face waiting in expectation.

 ”Are you sure?” I asked one more time, knowing full well what the answer would be.

 ”Yes, now lather me up!”

 So I began to spread the hot white lather across her slender face; from ear to ear, under and over the chin, until Janice wore a white mask as I slowly massaged it all around, ending with smearing a line over her upper lip.  She gave a soft groan of satisfaction when I finished.  I picked up the razor again, opened it, and stropped it once more before applying it to her face.

 She gave a soft cry of ecstasy as I made the first pass down  her cheek.  And to tell the truth I was beginning to get excited over the whole deal, such that I had to turn away briefly to rearrange matters in my jeans.  Janice must have noticed my action as when I turned back around she bore a knowing smile on her half-shaven face.  When I was finished with the right side of her face I proceeded to the left side, scraping carefully along tender skin until I reached the chin.  Then came the upward strokes along the throat, followed by short strokes across the chin before cleaning the light hairs from her upper lip.  I followed this with a warm wash cloth, dry towel, and some more hand lotion.

 After she was righted and the cape removed, Janice stepped lightly from the chair t
o study herself closely in the mirror.  She turned around to smile at me.

 ”Its wonderful, Michael,” she said softly, then more demurely, “And so are you.”

 Before I knew it Janice had thrown her arms around my neck and was passionately kissing me.  There wasn’t much I could do but defend myself in kind.  After a couple of minutes we broke, trying to catch our collective breaths.

 ”Let’s go into the backroom,” she announced, nodding towards the door there as she fairly dragged me in that direction.

 Once there she closed the door and pushed me into a chair while unfastening her pants, all at the same time.  I gave a mental shrug as I unzipped my jeans and pulled them down to the ankles.  I only hope that Missy doesn’t come into the shop soon.

 Kicking off her panties, Janice stood half-naked, presenting dark curls covering her mons, topping shaven neither lips.  Without ado she settled herself into my lap, her fingers reaching between us to insert my manhood into her sex.  Such as it was for several minutes as Janice rode my raging rod while we kissed and sucked and bit, until orgasm relieved us of our arousal.  She leaned against me, panting but satiated, her shaven cheek resting against mine.  Then she leaned back, her hands holding her up at arm length, a satisfied smile lighting her features.

 ”Would you like to do this again, later?”

 I gave a slight frown.  “After dinner?”

 ”Yes.”

 ”Your place, or mine?”

 She kissed me.  “Yours, of course, silly!  I’m feeling a bit bristly done below, and I need a barber to give me another shave.”  She cocked her head and gave a wry smile.  “Think you can handle it?”

 Well, she asked for it!