Jude looked out across the crowded bar from her position on the stage, she couldn’t quite believe she was standing here, the gig at the comedy club had been epic and she had definitely been swept up in the excitement of the evening when the MC had come back on stage after the closing act with one last surprise, they needed two participants, one male one female, to come on stage and play one last game, high stakes high reward. The whole night had been about raising money for a local homeless shelter and soup kitchen, planned and executed by her best friend Daniel who she was here to support, she knew that the club had also offered up a grand prize though Daniel had been sparing on the details of the competitions that would be held on stage between each act. first it had been three couples chosen to play a game to see who knew the other best, the winning couple receiving tickets for a romantic meal at a local bistro, later a group of rowdy collage guys had played food roulette and eaten some truly disgusting concoctions to win a couple of rounds of free beers and then there had been a really terrible bad moves dance off where the volunteers had to showcase their very worst dancing for a chance to win some samba lessons at the dance school than ran above the club in the day time. The whole night had been a success and she had told Daniel as much when she had seen him fleetingly before the last act had taken to the stage.
The atmosphere in the club was high and drunken but good natured enough, there had been a lot of jeering and cheering while the MC outlined the rules of the game but all had quietened considerably when he asked for volunteers, everyone looking around nervously hoping that someone else would be the one to step forward. There had been a palpable ripple of relief when a guy stood up near the front of the stage and the MC leapt into action dragging him up to stand with him, all the while scanning the crowd for the other volunteer, the female half of the pair they needed. Suddenly Daniel was by her side and she knew without him having to say at word that he was desperately hoping she would step up and volunteer herself for what seemed to be little more than an exercise in public humiliation.
‘Daniel no’ she told him
‘I would never normally ask you to do something like this’ he defended himself ‘but the donations are still flooding in the more drunk and excited everyone gets, if we don’t get a volunteer it’s going to mean the night has come to an end and everyone will go home.’ he looked at her pleadingly ‘people will go hungry that we could have supported with the extra money it will bring in’
Jude rolled her eyes, knowing full well Daniel and his puppy dog eyes were manipulating her but knowing also that there was truth in what he said, she huffed out a sigh ‘you owe me’ she said standing ‘big time’.
‘always and eternally’ he told her giving her a quick hug before practically shoving her toward the stage with a ‘you might even win the holiday’.
So she found herself looking out at the crowd and feeling more than a little sick at the situation she now found herself in. The MC asked both her and the man opposite her for their names, his was Remy, and then went over the rules of the game one last time. The game was simple, rock, paper, scissors, best of seven, the winner would walk away with an all expenses paid weekend break for two at a boutique hotel just outside of town. The catch was that there was far more at stake than just the glory of winning and the decadent getaway, between Jude and Remy sat a table and on the table sat a huge, hungry looking pair of electric clippers, after each round the winner got one free pass at the losers hair.
Jude wasn’t really a girly girl and she had experimented with her hair more than a little bit, she loved to try new colours and because her hair was so thick she mostly wore it somewhere between her shoulders and her chin, at the moment is sat about halfway in between the two and dark roots flamed out to fiery reds and oranges at the ends, it had been this colour for a while and last time she had topped up the shadowy routes and deep fire coloured stands she had thought that next time she might go for a change, but she had not planned at all to lose any of it clippers in the hands of the stranger standing across from her.
Remy was slightly taller than she was, slight of build in that way that some called nerdy but from the way his T-shirt clung to him she suspected he has a well toned body underneath. His dark eyes regard her through long lashes and he sports a thin shadow of dark facial hair that looks nonchalant but probably takes a fair amount of grooming to look just messy enough to be kind of sexy as for his hair, it reaches his shoulders in thick dark locks that are just the right amount of tousled. Perfect not only is she in this mess but the person she is up against in more than a little gorgeous, she takes a big slug of the beer she realises she is still holding and the places it on the table to accept the handshake that Remy is now offering her. She suppresses a little shudder as he squeezes her hand conspiratorially, but then the game begins.
‘Here we go ladies and gentlemen, round one, lets count them in… one… two… three’
Remy and Jude both throw the hands over the table between them, his hand flat like paper, exactly like Jude’s and a disappointed groan erupts from the crowd.
‘okay, okay’ the MC laughs ‘lets call that one a practice round, again he counts them in and they throw there hands toward each other Jude picks scissors and balks when she sees Remy’s fist land in a rock.
‘round one to Remy’ the MC roars and the crowd go wild ‘you know what to do’ he says handing the clippers to Remy who looks stricken for the briefest moment as the clippers are pressed in to his hand. He steps to Jude’s side of the table and looks at her for a moment ‘I’m so sorry about this’ he whispers so only she can here and it does make her feel a little better, in fact she feels relieved he is the one who has to take the first pass, he will be the one setting out the depth of just how cruel this game will get ‘it’s okay’ she whispers back and braces herself as he moves in close. Resolve sets onto his features as he raises his free hand to lift the hair above her left ear, the side facing the audience, and taking a deep breath he brings the clippers up and touches then to the hair there. so close to her ear she can hear the change in their buzzing as they chew their was through a two inch wide stretch of hair, he moves then around her ear and then down behind it, she feels locks of her hair falling against her shoulders as he flicks them from the clippers.
Remy steps back with an apology in his eyes and places the clippers on the table between then while Jude tentatively raises her fingers to the shorn patch above her ear the bristles scratching against her fingertips feel strange and her exploration dislodges from of the freed hair, she pulls away her hand to find the bright locks in her hand and realises that she might enjoy this game after all.
The next round is more of a success and Jude secures the win, since Remy acted with a clear intention of kindness when she was at his mercy she intends to pay him in kind, she steps toward him and he gives her a quick smile ‘don’t worry it’s fine’ he whispers and she nods accepting his words and reaching toward his long locks, she takes a small handful of what rests on his right shoulder and with a deep breath she uses the clippers to sever a small chunk of locks off leaving a small section of hair about three inches shorter than the rest, she looks down at the hair in her hand feeling slightly shocked and then back up at the face of the man she just stole them from who just grins at her and puts out his hand for her to tip the locks into which he then turns and blows into the crowd.
At this the crowd boos but the MC just laughs ‘oooh so disappointed’ he bates the crowd ‘they are out for blood tonight, or maybe skin at least’ He laughs and counts in for another round, Remy wins, its two to one, he steps forward again and makes the same pass on the other side of Jude’s head, above her other ear, she thinks if she won now she could could definitely still get away with some kind of longer cut with shaved sides. The crowd however are howling with dissatisfaction and they still have too many rounds to go for either of them to believe that they will get away with so little damage.
Round four, Jude wins again, it’s two all, stepping forward she goes to even up the cut she made on her first pass with the same on the other side but then Remy catches her eye and whispers ‘don’t be scared’ to her and offers her the same side of his head as she made her first cut on, she tentatively runs her fingers through the shortened locks and Remy leans in to her touch slightly but in a way that thrills her far more than it should, she looks him in the eye and he gives her a slight nod propelling her to place the clippers against the side of his head and reduce the shortened hair to stubble, it’s not a large area, but large enough that the likelihood of being able to cover it up totally are kind of low. Stepping back to her side of the table she watches as he brings his hand to the patch of bristled skin at his temple and he shoots her a grin she can’t help but return.
Round five goes to Remy, three to two, this time he steps around Jude ‘Chin on your chest sweetheart’ he whispers and she feels him playing with the hair at the back of her head for a moment before the clippers make contact and race several inches up her nape, he sneaks in a second pass to the cheers of the crowd and finished what she suspects in a new undercut, she can’t understand his kindness given that the damage she has done certainly leaves him with little choice but to cut his long hair much shorter after the game is over.
‘Wow there Remy, one win one cut, no matter how much mercy you’re giving her’ the MC cajoles ‘this one could be the decider, If Remy wins then he walks away with not only most of the hair on his head but also a sweet little holiday for two’ he crowd cheers as he counts again ‘One, two, three GO’
Jude wins another round, another equalizer and it’s three all, whoever wins the next round wins overall, but for now Jude collects the clippers again and steps toward Remy again, this time he takes her by surprise and drops to his knees in front of her, a challenge in his eyes as he looks up at her, daring her to let go of her restraint, she supposes the damage is done now anyway, though perhaps the top could be saved with a little length as its only the side that is down to the skin, Remy shuffles closer to her and closes his eyes, the crowd shrieking at her to ‘do it, do it, do it’ she places her fingers either side of his chin to tilt his head in the direction she wants before pushing back his hair and placing the clippers at his left temple, he leans into them sending them neatly into the hair there and she continues pushing them back, entranced by the wide strip of stubbled scalp they are leaving in their wake all the way back to the crown, there is no choice in the matter now, Remy is going to be sporting some thing much shorter for the foreseeable future but as he opens her eyes and grins devilishly up at her she knows he will be able to carry it off, he winks at her and squeezes her arm as he stands up before she retreats back to her own side of the table. Remy runs both his hands back through what remains of his hair and comes away with a handful of those thick dark locks, he throws his fist in air and the crowd are wild for it, Jude can’t help but laugh at his antics and he throws her a wink before the MC gravely announces ‘Ladies and gentlemen this is the decider’ whoever wins this round not only gets one last pass at their partners head but also walks away with our grand prize so please count with me ONE, TWO, THREE GOOOOOO’
Jude throws out her hand in a fist at the same time as Remy karate chops his down as paper ‘REMY WIIIIIIIIIINS’ the MC yells and hands him the clippers one last time, he does a little victory dance before stepping toward Jude arms outstretched for a hug which Jude has little choice but to accept, though honestly she is kind of enjoying the feeling the this, quite frankly, sexy man with his arms around her. He steps back to look at her, one finger against his lips as though mulling over what to do, the crowd laugh and shout suggestions, Jude balks when she hears someone shout ‘SHAVE HER BALD’ but Remy just rolls his eyes at her ‘no need to look so worried’ he assures her quietly. He reaches up to use his fingers to draw some of her hair forward, making a section of hair fall into her eyes and she has a horrible feeling she knows where this is going, a feeling that is confirmed moments later when the clippers touch her forehead well above her eyebrows and hair slips out of her field of vision to float to the ground already littered with their hair in various clumps across the stage, he finishes up and she can feel what she expects are baby bangs skimming across her forehead, she can only imagine how ridiculous she looks with the shaved sides and baby bangs and most of her hair intact at the back hiding the undercut, she realises with a sick feeling she is more than likely sporting some kind of badly cut mullet and all she wants to do if run and look in the bathroom mirror before finding Daniel to strangle him for getting her into this.
The MC steps forward between them then and takes their hands one in each of his and raises them in victory ‘Please give it up for Remy and Jude for being absolute stars’ the crowd cheer wildly and Jude can’t help but grin, she sees Remy lean in to say something to the MC and after a short discussion the MC turns back to the crowd and tells them and Jude ‘it seems Remy has a proposition for us and for Jude here’ The are both looking at Jude now and the MC hands Remy the microphone.
‘If we can raise another $500 Dollars Jude can shave me bald’ he tells Jude and the crowd ‘I’ll donate the first $100 dollars’ he finishes
‘I’ll match you’ shouts a voice from the crowd
‘I’ve got a twenty’ shouts another and shortly there are bills flying onto the stage from all directions, the MC scooping them up as fast as he can.
‘Okay folks lets take five so we can count this and see if this man is leaving here with any hair this evening’ the MC says ‘I suggest the two of you have a stiff drink ‘he tells Jude and Remy and Daniel is at the edge of the stage beckoning them both in his direction.
They stumble off the stage together and Daniel embraces Jude tightly ‘thanks so much, you looks so awesome’ he says twirling her around ‘you did a good job’ he tells Remy ‘I didn’t know you had any hairdressing skills’ he adds with a laugh.
‘wait you two know each other’ Jude asks and Daniel looks slightly confused
‘Of course we do, this is Perry’s brother’ Daniel’s boyfriend Perry, who happens to own the bar they are in tonight has been a mainstay in Daniel’s life for the past to years and by extension Jude’s, but for the life of her Jude couldn’t remember him mentioning a Remy.
‘I thought you knew who it was’ Daniel tells her ‘I never would have asked you to go up against a stranger, I knew Remy would be kind’
‘Oh My God, Jeremy’ Perry’s wail cuts through their conversation as he takes his brothers face in his hands moving his head around to assess the damage that Jude has inflicted with the clippers ‘you better hope that they raise that $500 so she can finish the job’ he winks at Jude ‘and you look fierce babe, what a way to meet my little Jeremy’
Little Jeremy, holy shit, she had herd Perry talk about his little brother Jeremy before, so many times but she had always envisioned some teen nerd, never the hunk of hotness that was Remy.
‘Ah Jude, Perry said he was going to introduce us tonight’ Remy tells her with a grin ‘I’ve heard a lot about you’
‘erm, me too’ she tells him ‘only never by Remy, I am so sorry I didn’t know who you were and I am even more sorry for the mess I have made of your hair’ Jude gestures sadly towards his head and Remy Just laughs.
‘Don’t worry, I wasn’t too attached to it anyway and there is something to be said about being at the mercy of a beautiful woman’ he flirts
‘Perry, your brother is flirting with my bestie’ Daniel says aghast as though Perry should be keeping his younger, taller and hotter (in Jude’s opinion anyway) brother in check.
‘I can see that Daniel’ Perry stage whispers back ‘perhaps we should go and get them that drink’ he all but shoves Daniel toward the bar leaving Jude and Remy alone.
‘So if they raise the money will you do it?’ Remy asks breaking the silence with a quirk of his eyebrows ‘I mean it can’t get much worse right?’ he laughs and massages the larger of his two bald patches.
Jude’s cheeks flame and she wishes the ground would just swallow her up ‘I really am sorry’ she says again.
‘I’m not’ he tells her moving closer to her and reaching for her hands to bring her fingers up to her own shaved nape ‘I think it feels kind of nice don’t you?’ he asks letting their fingers both caress the denuded skin there and sending shivers up and down Jude’s spine, a small gasp slips free from he lips and Remy’s eyes drop to her open lips. Slowly he leans toward her,giving her time to turn away if his advances are not wanted but she meets his lips with her own, their kiss immediately intense, fingers roaming through each others hair, the long and the short.
‘Duuuuuude check it out, my brother is totally making out with your bestie, I knew they would like it other, I told you’ Perry’s voice cuts through the moment and Remy pulls back with laughter on his lips while Jude’s cheeks flame in a blush.
‘We brought you sambuca’ Daniel tells her handing them both shot glasses
‘and apple sours’ adds Perry handing them a second shot each.
Remy and Jude look at each other before shooting the sambuca and chasing it with the sours, Jude grimaces and Remy makes a gagging gesture that has them all laughing.
The MC approaches then ‘They raised it’ he tells them all and Remy blows out a breath then laughs as Perry says ‘Thank fuck for that’ and messes up the hair left on his brothers head.
‘Lets do this’ Remy says taking Jude’s hand and tugging her toward the stage behind the MC.
‘Ladies and gentlemen the tally is in, can I get a drum roll please’ there is whooping as the crown bang the hands against tables and their feet in the floor ‘the total is…………..’ The MC pauses so long for dramatic effect that the audience fall into fits of laughter ‘okay okay, really this time, the total is…… $765’ the crowd go wild while the MC brings a chair to the centre of the stage and motions to Remy to take a seat in it sending the crowd even more crazy.
The MC hands the clippers to Jude with a flourish and she takes a deep breath, thinking about the feeling of Remy’s kisses and his fingers caressing her new undercut, stepping forward to position herself directly in front of Remy, so all they can see is each other, she reaches to push his hair back, their eyes meeting as she brings the clippers to the centre of his forehead, his eyes heating with desire as she pushes them into the tangle of his hair in her fist and pushes them back slowly toward his crown. With the first pass done, she steps back to the crowd can see the damage and lets the hair fall from her hand onto Remy’s knee, the crowds hooting and hollering, but they may as well be alone in this moment, they only have eyes for each other.
Having made the initial pass down the centre of his head Jude decides to take her place behind the chair Remy is sitting in gently tugging his hair so that he tilts his head back toward her, submitting to her as she lines up the clippers from another pass, then another, his eyes falling closed and breathing ragged she sees his adams apple bobbing as he swallows and realises her own mouth if dry with desire for this man who is putty in her hands. She continues on with her job, peeling away the hair on pass after pass until the top and sides are reduced to nothing more than dark stubble similar to that on his jaw. Jude tilts his head forward amazed at how much thick hair is still attached to the back of his head but the clippers make short work of that too and all to soon she is done and the spell they were both under is broken with the screaming of the crown and a rowdy round of applause for them both.
Finally stepping off the stage Jude turns to ask Remy if he is okay and if he will let her buy him a drink, it’s the least she can do, but she feels Remy’s hand on her wrist pulling her toward the backstage area, he tries the first door but it’s locked so he tries another, unlocked and empty it seems to be one of the dressing rooms, he pulls her into the room flicking on the light and locking the door behind them ‘is this okay’ he asks ‘I wanted a moment alone with you’ he confesses and she answers him by stepping forward to kiss him, the desire within them both erupting like a volcano, Jude has never felt anything like this before, the complete and total control over him she had on stage mixed with the ferocious desire in his eyes has her body more than aching for his touch and so they work through their hunger for each other with touches and caresses until both of them are naked and sated entwined on the sofa conveniently placed against one wall of the room they found themselves in. It’s only after they have caught their breath and she is laying against Remy’s chest while his fingers gently play over her nape that Jude realises she has yet to look in the mirror. Pulling out of his embrace and untangling their clothes so she can dress she looks around the room for a mirror, finding a small one attached to the back of the dressing room door. Stepping closer she can’t quite believe what she can see, her face is still flushed from their exertions but what she is focusing on is the cute fringe that falls bluntly halfway down her forehead, where her hair is tucked behind her ears she can see the smooth patches of the shaved sides of her head and her hand can’t help but caress the undercut beneath the length at the back, she has to admit, it isn’t a style she would have gone for but it does look badass, something Remy obviously agrees with when he wraps his arms around her from behind and looks at both of their new reflections staring back at them.
‘We look good together I think’ Remy tells her and she reaches behind her to run her hand over the short bristles on his head
‘I would have to agree’ she admits watching their reflections as he kisses her neck up to her ear.
‘So I have another proposition for you’ he watches her face in the mirror for her reaction ‘I have this all expenses paid mini-break for two and no one to take with me, want to come along?’
Jude turns in his embrace to plant another kiss on his lips before telling him ‘Sure, but I’m not sure how we will top tonight’ her eyes glitter with challenge.
‘Oh I think we can come up with something’ Remy promises.
The End
Written by Lucy LocksOff 2023
