Synopsis: A guy is hypnotized to prevent sexual arousal by women other than his wife. When he falls in love with another girl, trouble begins...

 

An Ounce of Prevention...

by Cleo Girlie

 

Chapter 4. Slip-ups.

The month after Joyce's accident found Derek in much neglect. His skin was dry, his face seemed to look like a skull with skin stretched on it. He was not eating well, or sleeping well, and visiting Joyce in the Hospital room for hours every day was not making him – or her for that matter – feel any better anyway. He knew it was time to make a change in his life now since the doctors admitted that Joyce could stay in her stupor for months if not years. He also felt very uncomfortable around the Drylures without Joyce there to be the link that bound them all together. So, early one autumn morning, he decided it was time to change something in his life, he only wished he knew what he could do. Someone he would come to care much about answered his ponderous query in an unexpected way.

"I'll be at the Hospital later this afternoon, will I see you there Derek?" Alexandra smiled at him. Her hair was up in a severe looking French-twist, and Derek couldn't help wondering if her hair was not so tight as to explain a lot of the headaches and maybe other illnesses that troubled his mother-in-law.

"I think I'll go see Joyce this morning, right before this job interview I have" Derek felt as though his skin was thin and transparent like an old scroll; he never could lie very well, but he did not want to meet anyone in the Hospital as he preferred his visits with Joyce to be private.

"Yes dear, it would be so good for you dear to resume working, won't it?"

"Ugh… yeah!" and Derek was out the door. He really wished he did have a job interview to go to. He also felt sorry for lying, but as he remembered how vivid Joyce's voice spoke to him the last time he visited her, he decided not to visit Joyce today at all.

Joyce was lying in her bed last time, as always. Her face was calm; her breathing regular, everything about her gave him the feeling like she was merely asleep. However, the room had a presence to it. It was as if every time he looked at the walls, the door, or the window – anywhere but directly at Joyce – her voice would be speaking to him. Her voice was apologetic at first. She was trying to apologize for leaving him stranded like that, stuck with her parents at the big house. Stuck with her two girlfriends who seemed to hate the fact that he was alive at all, and behaved as if HE was to blame for the accident. Lately though, her voice changed, the tone changed, her words changed too. She – if it was somehow really Joyce speaking to him at all – started to ask him about his daily routine. It was almost like she somehow became his mother.

Derek walked out of the house and still in deep thoughts, started to cross the street. Yesterday's visit at the Hospital ended with Joyce asking him to take better care of himself, what bothered Derek now though was HOW did she know he wasn't doing so already? How did she know he needed a haircut?

***

Walking briskly, Derek was pleased to find himself at the door of the "Leopard's Paw". He hasn't been there for a month and that was no way to thank two people who have helped him. He stepped through the door and was hit by a rag thrown by the bartender at one of the waitresses.

Maddie raised her eyebrows and her hand shot to her mouth when she recognized Derek, even under the bar-towel. Her eyes lit up and though she felt a bit embarrassed now, she was still happy to see him. He held the towel clenched in his hand feigning anger, and she decided to play along.

"I am so sorry Sir." Maddie's eyes sparkled and she shook her head vigorously as if to say it wasn't her fault. "Oh its quite alright Miss, every bar welcomes clients with a wet stinky towel on the head!" Derek growled under his breath but his lips couldn't hold off the smile that was creeping under his mock angry facade.

"Oh damn… Don't you dare say stuff like that, Robert will hear you!" Maddie's face frowned now, for real this time.

Derek started apologizing, but that didn't last long since Robert, coming out from the office, shook hands with Derek and retrieved the towel, handing it back to his sister. "So… where can I drive you today Sir?" asked Robert with a grin.

Derek immediately blushed, feeling very weird about the whole situation; after all, not being able to repay Robert and his sister's kindness in any way made him feel not only indebted, but also somehow vulnerable.

"Don't be rude bro, just let Derek have a drink, ok?" Maddie giggled as a bottle of Rum was already in her hands, the dark liquid mixing with bubbly coke in a thick fancy glass. Derek took the drink thankfully and gulped it down feeling the bubbles push through his throat, he was thirsty and the Rum was a welcome addition despite the early hour.

"Just like my sister here, taking care of any stray…" Robert threw his arms up and laughed. "Oh you!" Maddie had the towel twisted and ready to flick at Robert, but he had already vanished into thin air, running into his office and shutting the door. Derek couldn't help but join Maddie's laughter seeing her brother run like that.

Finishing his drink, Derek sat and looked around. The bar was empty. Chairs were still on the tables. The lights were off around the room, making the big mirrors reflect nothing but shadows straight into his imagination; making him see Joyce's image. He knew it was his imagination and Joyce was not here, but he sure missed seeing her dance temptingly like he knew those naked dancers would in a few hours.

"What's up stranger?" Maddie asked, her head leaning to the side making her long blonde ponytail fall over her shoulder in a most pleasing way.

"I don't know, just wanted to come… uh… say hi?" Derek tried for nonchalance but failed so miserably that Maddie actually came out from behind her counter and took his hands in hers. Raising his head, he looked at her, almost in tears.

"Are you ok?" real concern showed on her face and for the first time in a whole month, Derek felt he could actually talk to someone about how HE felt for a change.

"Mon Chérie…?" a voice came from behind Derek. He turned to see whether the woman clad in nothing but a pearl-white silk robe addressed him or Maddie.

***

"Oui Michelle?" Maddie answered, her voice rich with amusement at the whole situation.

"Uh… Hi, I… I guess you didn't mean me, did you?" Derek felt hot suddenly. The woman in front of him was obviously naked under her robe, one of the dancers, no doubt. Her body was taught, flexible and slim. Her face was radiating even this early but not with the sheen of makeup but the freshness born out of a meticulous routine of mercilessly washing your face with very cold water early in the morning and maybe some other tricks known only to French women.

Michelle laughed heartily and smiled at Derek shaking her head. "Ah… Non, alas I did not, but may I reserve the right to do so at least once today?"

Derek couldn't help but grin. His smile just grew bigger as Michelle tugged on the towel wrapped around her head, her wet hair now cascading all around her face, neck and shoulder in a shimmering fall of red and gold.

"Excuse me Derek, we girls have something to do…" Maddie smiled at him, returned to her counter and pulled something out of a drawer.

Michelle joined Maddie and sat on a law stool, spreading her hair with her dainty fingers. Maddie, holding a small round brush and a hand-held blow dryer started on the girl's hair with even strokes and pulls. Soon a sweet smell of forest-berries filled the small space around them.

Derek took the scent in and his heart was racing with excitement. He could remember how months before the trip to Toronto, he was watching a scene much like this where two girls were doing each other's hair. Joyce had just come into the room and was watching his erection grow as the girls on the TV were playfully brushing and putting waves and curls in their hair. This time, Derek knew something was wrong. Instead of having an erection at all, he felt compelled to study Maddie's movements. He felt like every strand of hair that became dry and fluffed down to gently touch Michelle's shoulders was important to him in a way he couldn't fathom.

Suddenly, both girls looked at him. They could not have picked a more embarrassing moment to do so, as Derek was holding a lock of his own hair and checking the ends! Neither girl said anything. Maddie just smiled and Michelle reached out, touched Maddie's arm asking her to resume the hair-styling session. Derek however, was very embarrassed and his face was completely red by now.

As Maddie finished blow-drying Michelle's hair, the very delicate golden blonde highlights in the otherwise auburn hair stood out very flatteringly and of course totally feminine. The lively gorgeous hair captured Derek's eyes and all he could do was stare. Maddie looked at him, as his eyes exposed his emotions. He was looking at Michelle's hair with envy!

Shaking her lustrous mane with pure feminine pleasure reserved to shampoo and conditioner commercials only, Michelle blew a kiss to Maddie and Derek as she made her way behind the stage. Maddie turned to Derek now, still holding the blow dryer.

"Uh… she's very pretty…" Derek tried for a manly response since the other things his mind wished him to say would have gotten him on that low stool in front of Maddie and her blow dryer. Maddie expressed her agreement by nodding her head.

***

Half an hour after officially opening the bar, Maddie was pouring Derek's third drink.

"Derek… sorry about being so busy, apparently, many college students have free time in the mornings" Maddie said with a wink. "So… how is your wife, is she better yet?"

Derek absently shook his head and Maddie knew he wasn't fully listening to her. Derek actually was still entranced in the vision of Michelle's hair being styled. Maddie was almost sure she knew what went on in Derek's mind, and decided to test her theory right away.

As soon as no customers were sitting near Derek, or looking at his direction, Maddie made her way to him with a hairbrush behind her back. She justified her actions with the simple fact that Derek's hair after all was unkempt and badly in need of a careful trim, shampoo and blow-dry if not a manly haircut!

  

  

  

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