Thanks for the feedback everyone, here is the second part in our story.

Nora’s New Toy, Part 2

We pick up 1 week later,

There was Braden waiting for his lunch date. Same time, same place. Jess was wearing a black crop top and a pair of black tights. Maybe inspired by her new friend across the hall, she looked good and felt good too. She walked up to Braden and stared up at him with a mischievous look in her eyes.

“Hello there, I can’t seem to find my boyfriend, would like to take me out for lunch instead handsome man?”

Braden Inspected Jess top to bottom.

“Are you allowed to wear that at work?”

Jess stared at Braden for a minute.

“What are you talking about, this is all old navy stuff, its all good.”

Braden sighed. “Jess, we talked about this, what you wear to the gym and what you wear out in public shouldn’t be the same thing. You’re suppose to look professional at work; it makes people respect you.”

Jess rolled her eyes. “It’s not that big of a deal, its just old navy, its not like I plan to work here forever. Plus, I need to do laundry, so I improvised.”

Braden got up and started walking towards the food court. “Come on, lets go get lunch, I must be back to work early today. Also, before I forget, Dad’s got me on a call with some foreign investors tonight So I can’t hang out, sorry.”

Jess, feeling a little sassy after Braden’s remark replied with a little venom in her voice.

“That’s fine, I’m getting my hair done by that hot goth girl tonight, figured id get some tips on makeup and such while I’m there.”

Braden’s eyes went wide, and he glanced over at in Noras direction. Nora was wearing a Black summer dress with cutouts on the sides so you could see her hips. Her work apron went lower than the little skirt. Her hair has up in a messy bun today showing off her ear spacers. She was chatting with a girl while she plastered dye on to her head. There was something about her that kept his interest, he couldn’t stop looking at the goth.

“You’re going to Skye Designs to get your hair done?”

Jess had started walking towards the food court. “Yeah, she came into the store last week and I helped her find some clothes, she offered a free hair appointment as thanks, can’t say no to free when I’m a starving student. And I haven’t found a place I trust since moving here, maybe this is the one!”

Nora bent over to grab some foil off her supply cart and Braden struggled to look away. He swallowed hard and managed to turn back to his girlfriend. “She’s not going to turn you into a freak, is she?”

Jess turned around and frowned at Braden. “Don’t say that! Nora is really nice. She seems super cool. I’m just getting my blonde touched up and a trim, nothing crazy.”

Braden sighed in relief. “Well, if she comes at you with crazy colours or the clippers, you run.”

Jess wiggled her butt a little and grabbed Braden’s hand. “Well, you can’t seem to stop staring at her, maybe you want me to be a freak more than you think? I wish I could have cool style like her, she looks so confident, but don’t worry, I would ask you before I did anything crazy.”

Braden took one last suspicious look at Nora, and then the couple walked off to find lunch.

---

After finishing work, Jess walked across the hall into the salon. The waiting area was empty and some early 2000’s emo music played on the radio. The place was styled to look like an old timey barber mixed with a hipster coffee house. All the salon chairs were red leather. The floor tiles where alternating black and white squares. But there was also comfy couches and black walls covered in old movie posters, potted plants were littered around the salon. An old wooden desk served as the receptionist podium. There was a hallway with multiple rooms behind the three salon chairs at the back of the room, the rooms had frosted windows that made it hard to see in. A rack with old band shirts for sale and an espresso machine against the wall near the reception desk. Finally, there also a whole wall full of every hair dye color you could possibly think of.

There was a girl sitting at the desk, she wore a ripped band shirt that showed some cleavage which was mostly covered by large tattoo of skulls and roses. She had her lip pierced too. But most shocking was her hair which was bright orange, chin length with micro bangs about half way up her forehead. She looked stunning in an intimidating sort of way. Jess approached the desk, not sure how to deal with this girl. But once the girl noticed her, she smiled with one of the warmest smile Jess had ever seen.

“Hi there, welcome to Skye Designs, how can I help you? Do you have an appointment?”

She had a sweet sing song voice, like a sweet little bird. The opposite of how she looked.

“Hi, I have an appointment with Nora at 7?”

The girl smiled and clicked a few buttons on the computer on the desk. “Oh yes you do! I think you are our last appointment of the night, your lucky, Nora usually books up quick, but you snuck in after a cancellation. I see this is your first time with us. Just so you know, we offer a range of services, haircut, color, styling, nails, makeup, eyebrow shaping. We even have a guy that comes in and does cosmetic tattooing sometimes. The boss is looking to add more services in the near future.”

Jess was surprised; she had no idea this place had some many things on offer. She always just assumed it was just like every other mall hair salon she had ever seen. The girl continued with her speech. “Ill just ask you to take a seat on the couches and Nora will be out to get you in a couple minutes. Feel free to grab a book or magazine off the coffee table, there is all sorts of neat stuff, if you need anything in the meantime, just holler. The bathrooms are off to your left.”

Jess nodded and sat down, while the girl went to the back to get Nora. She glanced at the magazines on the table and there truly was all sorts of things. A couple celebrity gossip rags, a couple hair magazines. A few alternative style books. One that grabbed jess’s attention was what looked like a flash book from a tattoo shop. There were all sorts of different designs ranging the spectrum of styles, as well as pictures of models sporting various piercings and tattoos.

Jess was looking at a picture of a model in a tank top, showing off an impressive half sleeve of a colorful dragon. She very obviously had her nipples pierced and they were poking through the top. Suddenly there was a tap on her shoulder. Startled, she slammed the book shut and looked up to see Nora leaning over her shoulder with a smile on her face.

Where did she come from!?

“You know, we don’t offer any of that here unfortunately, but the guy who does our cosmetic tattooing part time, he has a shop not far away. I can give you his card if you want. Travis is super talented and a good friend. He did this for me the other day.” Nora pointed at her nose which now had a small septum ring. Jess snapped to attention quick and stood up, a little embarrassed to have been caught staring at a random women’s nipples, even if it was a picture in a book.

“Oh my god, you spooked me! Sorry, I was just browsing while I waited. I’ve never really given anything that extreme any thought, I got this a couple years ago on a whim.”  Jess pointed to the small nose stud on her left side.  “but I’ve been too busy with school to think about such things.”

“Plus, Braden would probably loose it if I showed up with something like that.”

Nora laughed. “Lose it in a good way or a bad way? Oh, My little vanilla blondie why am I not surprised. Don’t worry about it, I’m just messing with you. You’re here for hair, and hair is what we shall do! Come on back to my station and let’s talk about what I get to do to you tonight.” Nora put her hands on Jess’s shoulders and led her back to the chair.It was a large red leather barber chair that squeaked when Jess sat in it. It felt oversized but that might have just been because she was so petite. Nora looked at Jess in the large mirror pouting slightly.

“You didn’t say if you like my new piercing, does it make my nose look big?” Jess looked at the septum ring, two small balls, one coming out of each nostril. It actually looked really cute in combination with the nose studs that Nora had on either side.

“I like it a lot! It suits you quite well, you said this Travis guy did it for you?”

Nora smiled. “Thanks cutie, yes, Travis is my guy! he’s done pretty much all of my body mods, he did this tattoo sleeve for me, it took a bit of time, but I love it so much.”

This was the first time Jess had taken the time to look at the tattoo. It was a series of galaxies and stars surrounded by dark purple and blue black space. It went the length of Nora’s arm, ending on the back of her hand. Swirling galaxies in an intricate pattern. It looked expensive. Nora spun around and showed Jess the back of her neck. Which was visible with her hair piled in the messy bun. “He also did these scissors and a few other things you can’t see” Sure, enough on the back of Nora’s neck was gothic looking pair of black scissors opening down onto her back. They looked like black cast iron and had some filigree around the finger wholes.

Nora winked at Jess.  “Maybe if we become good friends Ill show you my other body mods.”

“Now, lets talk hair!”

Nora grabbed a cape and wrapped it around Jess neck it was black and white checkered like the floor. The cape went all the way to Jess’s little feet which were dangling off the ground. Just at that moment the receptionist walked up again. “Hey! I’m all finished, everything’s cleaned up, you cool if I head out, Ill lock the door behind me?”

Nora nodded while playing with Jess’s long hair “Sounds good Naomi, have a great night!”

Naomi smiled with a little backpack over her shoulder and headed out the front door. The Lock clicked on her way out. Nora walked over to the reception desk. “I thought she would never leave! Now, that it’s just us, Can I offer you a drink or maybe something a little more fun?”

Nora held up a bottle of Jack Daniels and what looked like a bag of gummies. Jess eyed the gummies suspiciously.

“More fun?”

“Edibles, some people get nervous when getting their hair cut so I usually have some whiskey and THC gummies kicking around to loosen things up. I live around the corner so I’m probably going to have something, if you would like to join?”

Jess took the bus to work so she wasn’t exactly worried about getting home. In her mind the voice of Braden was loud and clear: “You did drugs with the freak? You are embarrassing!” And then Jess remembered Braden’s comment from earlier about her outfit.

“Fuck it, Ill take a gummy.”

Noras eyes lit up and she did a little dance. Unintentionally the dance was equal parts adorable and seductive. It was like Noras look gave everything a sexual edge. “Girl, I knew I liked you for a reason! This is going to be great! Open!”

Jess put out her tongue and Nora placed a sour tasting gummy on it. Then she popped open her mouth and ate a gummy as well.

Tongue piercing confirmed.

“Now back to your hair!” Nora placed the gummies back in their secret drawer but left the bottle of Jack Daniels on the counter with a shrug. Jess looked at herself in the mirror. “I was hoping to fix my roots and trim the ends if that’s alright?”

Nora looked a little disappointed

“A vanilla haircut for my vanilla blondie. Sure I cant talk you into something a little more exciting?” Nora played with Jess’s hair lifting it up to frame her face, then combing it all to one side and then the other. Jess smiled back at Nora,

“I promised Braden that I wouldn’t anything crazy. He’s convinced that you want to shave half my head and dye it purple.”

Nora smiled more than a little menacing. “I see you as more of a pastel pink, than a purple, but we could try it if that’s what you want” Nora brandished a pair of hair clippers, a mad gleam in her eye.

Jess laughed anxiously, “No thanks, well keep it simple and easy, must keep my man happy and he likes me how I am.”

Nora pouted a bit and ran her black nails through Jess’s hair slowly.

“If I may be a little bold. This is starting to sound like old timey wife stuff, and I still don’t see a ring on your finger. I saw the profile picture you added on your shop account. Seems to me like plunging neckline romper girl is just screaming to be released. And she seems like the kind of girl who does fun things, like get stoned and let her new friend have some fun with her hair.”

She looked at my profile picture?

Jess giggled a little and realized the THC gummy must be starting to kick in. She thought about Braden’s comments since he got his new job. She thought about the way he’d looked at Nora from across the hall. Like a lost puppy. Finally, she thought about how shed felt in that sexy little romper that had the neckline that went all the way to her belly button. Jess summoned her courage and a little bit of spite and looked Nora in the eyes through the mirror.

Fuck Bradens Standards, I’m not a housewife, I’m 24 years old, I need to be my authentic self. Now is the time for adventure. I need to live my life.

Her eyes gleam Jess met Noras gaze in the mirror. “What did you have in mind?”

Nora smile was downright devious. “Well, why don’t you let me turn this chair around and it’ll be a surprise, I promise I won’t do anything too crazy, no bright red, like yours truly. But maybe something a little out of your comfort zone.”

Jess was fully in the grip of the weed gummy now.

I don’t know why but I trust her. I want to be sexy like her. I want Braden to look at me how he looks at Nora.

“Let’s do it!”

Nora squealed and grabbed the whiskey bottle. She took a swig and then handed it to Jess. Jess tentatively took a swig as well. Things where a bit of a blur after that. Jess was just a little thing and the combination of the whiskey, and the THC had her feeling pretty good.

Nora got to work with the scissors. While she worked, they chatted about various things. Jess mentioned how she and Braden had been together for a couple years now. How she was almost done nursing school, only a semester remained. How her student loans were getting a little big and that’s why she’d got the job at old navy a couple months ago. Nora talked about how she owned the salon and had opened a couple years ago with a vision of offering a one stop shop for all things alternative beauty. How she was seeing Travis the tattoo man, but only casually. Jess was amazed. This girl couldn’t be that much older than her and already owned her own business with plans to expand soon.

After Nora was done cutting, she started adding some dye and told Jess about Travis’s business and how he was one of the most talented tattoo artists she ever met. She asked if Jess had any tattoos and Jess showed her the small flower on her foot. Nora teased Jess saying she was surprised it wasn’t a Taylor Swift quote. While the dye was setting Nora offered to do Jess eyebrows or nails.

Jess just nodded, enjoying all the attention. She hadn’t felt this seen or pampered in a long time. She settled into the chair as it reclined and closed her eyes. After what seemed like ages, they were over at the wash basin rinsing out the dye. Then back to the chair for finishing touches before the reveal.

---

Suddenly Nora went quiet and then handed Jess the whiskey bottle.

“For luck, I hope your happy with my work. Ill be honest, I really loved doing this. You are a fantastic client Jess, and I can see us becoming fast friends.”

Nora whipped off the cape and turned Jess around. First, she was still a blonde. But the blonde was almost platinum it was so blonde it looked silver. Second, she now had bangs, long feathery curtain bangs with a center part. Her eyebrows where perfectly shaped and she had an eyebrow slit on the left side. Finally, her mid back blonde hair was now only chest length. Some choppy layers finished the look framing her hair around her face and neck. Nora had cut off almost 6 inches. Jess reached up to tuck her bangs behind her ear to get a better look at her eyebrows and noticed she now had long black fingernails. Nora was ecstatic.

“Not so vanilla now, eh blondie? I added some toner to get your hair as light as I could, I was aiming for silverish, maybe we could do something a little more colorful next time? I also shaped your eyebrows a bit, although honestly, they looked great already. All the girls are doing either the slit or brow piercing these days. Figured id give you the more PG of the two. And finally, I wanted to show off those giant baby blues, so I gave you bangs! I know bangs can be a big change, but they frame your face so perfectly.”

Jess looked at herself in the mirror and a shiver ran down her spine. She looked so sexy! Everything about the cut looked so sexy and modern. This was just the change she needed. “I love it! I feel like a new woman. I’m so glad I trusted you!”

Nora put her hands of Jess’s shoulders and placed her chin on Top of Jess’s head. “I’m so glad you love it! You’ll have to come back soon so we can have some more fun. Maybe Ill get Travis to come by and we can add a piercing or a tattoo. This new hair is screaming for some more upgrades to match.”

Jess laughed and stood up. “I wish, I can’t afford that stuff, I’m a starving college student remember?”

Nora leaned in and pointed at her new septum piercing. “Do you think I paid for this? That’s the best part of occasionally sleeping with a guy who owns a tattoo and piercing place. I’m sure I could talk him into some freebies for you as well.”

Just then, Jess’s phone pinged, it was Braden apologizing, he was probably going to be at the office till at least midnight, no hangouts tonight for sure. Nora finished sweeping up while Jess texted Braden back.

Jess

Hey Babes, just finishing up at the salon. Nora did an amazing job, I love my hair and I will for sure be coming back to her again. I can’t wait for you to see the new me! Don’t worry I’m still your cute little blonde. Have a great night, love you!

Braden

Just finishing now?! Wasn’t your appointment at 7pm? Its almost 11! I can’t wait to see it. I’m glad she didn’t dye your hair some crazy colour. Love you.

“So, what do you think?” Jess put her phone away and looked at Nora. Nora was standing there with her hand on her hip, holding the whiskey bottle.

“What do I think about what?”

Nora took another swig from the bottle and started fishing the THC gummies out of the drawer. “Blondie, I’m off tomorrow, more than a little buzzed and its only 11pm. Should we hit the town and show off your new hair?” Jess looked down at her phone.

“I don’t know, I don’t really go out much and I told Braden I was going home to bed.”

Nora handed Jess another gummy. “Where is the sexy little minx that gave me free reign on her hair? I want her back. Do we have to go break into old navy and get that romper out? I want that girl. And I want to party with her.”

“You really liked the romper huh?”

Nora took a gummy and popped it into her mouth with a wink. “Make your choice, lock in or go home, but I’m going to the bar down the road for another drink and maybe a dance, might stop at my place and put on something a little sexier first.”

Sexier than this, is that even possible?

“Maybe you’ll even get to see some more of my body mods.”

More?

Nora began walking towards the back door, she grabbed Jess’s hand and pulled her along. “Come on blondie, I’ve decided you don’t get a choice. Tonight, I’m going to show you a great time and you are going to love it.” Jess hesitated very briefly before following Jess out the back door and popping the gummy in her mouth.

I can’t say no to her. What is happening to me? Forgive me Braden.