I shook my head.
“It’s easy to be possessive of you. I won’t lie. But I’ll never be that way. It’s alarming, actually, that I felt that rush of power when you came. I don’t know what to make of it.”
“I’ve felt powerful at times. The way you look at me. Like I could make you do anything. Crawl on your knees. Beg me. Is that wrong?”
Mark chuckled. “No, that’s not wrong. That kind of power just naturally comes with being a woman.”
I sat up and looked at him. “But I don’t really have any power at all.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because you’re stronger and older. At any moment you could wipe all this away, and I’d be powerless to stop you.”
Mark caressed my cheek. “I’m not wiping anything away.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
***
“I don’t know, Avery,” I said, feeling my stomach tie into tight knots. We were sitting in her car in her driveway about to go get waxes.
“Cadence? Trust me, okay,” Avery replied. “It’s not so bad. Just take deep breaths when Luana tells you to.”
“Deep breaths?”
“It helps with the pain. I think it’s the same technique they use in childbirth.”
“That’s it! Forget it!” I said, and opened the car door.
She snatched my arm just in time and held me captive in my seat.
“Stop being a *,” she said.
“Cute. That’s really cute,” I replied.
Avery laughed. “Cadence, I promise you you’ll love it. It makes sex like a trillion times better.”
“I’m not having sex,” I countered.
“Oh. Well when you do, it’ll make it a trillion times better.”
“How would I know? I’ve got nothing to compare it to,” I said, and closed the car door.
Avery shrugged. “Say, why are you doing this then? I thought you and Mystery Man were getting it on.”
She turned the ignition and backed out of the driveway, glimpsing me as she turned to look behind her. I was flushed a deep red.
“Ohhh, I see. Not sex but maybe a little innocent fooling around,” Avery said. “So he hasn’t been down there yet?”
“First of all, you’re supposed to use your mirrors, not turn your head. Second, no he hasn’t. And thanks to you, I’ve been a wreck over it. Tell me. When did hair become such a terrible thing?”
“Since always,” Avery replied. “Luana will explain it all to you, but it’s not just about sex. It’s a hygienic thing.”
“To not have hair?”
“Yes.”
“I’m a young woman. Shouldn’t I have hair?”
“No.”
“What’s wrong with shaving?” I asked.
Avery screwed up her face in disgust. “Are you freaking kidding me? Totally. Gross.”
“It is?”
“Yes, and way dangerous.”
“Really?”
“Cadence? Have you ever cut yourself down there?”
I grimaced thinking about a few weeks back when I sliced into a soft fold, making it bleed heavily for a good two minutes.
“Exactly. Not wise to shave. Cuts make you vulnerable to all kinds of stuff,” Avery said. “And razor bumps? Bleh. Just nasty.”
“Doesn’t waxing mess up your skin?” I asked.
“No. Not if you take care of yourself down there after you get it done. It’s called exfoliation, and lots of it.”
“Will I bleed?”
“No. Unless you have freakishly sensitive skin or something,” Avery said.
“How long before the hair starts growing back?” I asked.
“That’s the awesome part. You shave and the next day you have stubble, right?”
I nodded.
“Well, I go a week to a week and a half before any hair starts growing in. And it’s softer, too.”
“Wow. Really?”
“Yes. Now can we talk about Gavin?” she asked.
I had a million more questions for her, but I sensed I was becoming tedious. It wasn’t my fault. This was an entirely new world to me.
“Do the strips hurt?” I asked.
Avery huffed. “Luana doesn’t use strips. Strips are cheap.”
“What does she use?”
“Hard wax.”
“Huh?”
“Oh my God, Cadence. I swear you will be fine. If you keep asking me questions you’re gonna freak yourself out more.”
“I’m already freaked out!” I replied. “So just tell me what hard wax is.”
Avery sighed. “Hard wax is wax that hardens on your skin. Doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Then it’s peeled off along with your hair. No strips.”
“Interesting,” I replied, and Avery chuckled.
“I like how you say that. You emphasize the “in”. Say it again.”
“You just wanna laugh at me,” I replied.
“Oh, just say it! It’s cute. ‘Interesting’.”
I rolled my eyes. “Will you keep answering my questions?”
“Yes.”
I laughed. This girl didn’t need much in the way of entertainment. “Okay, Avery. I find this whole waxing thing very interesting.” I made it sound really good. Avery burst out laughing.
“You’re such a weirdo,” she said. “I love it.”
“Thank you.”
“All right. So what else do you want to know?” she asked, and I delved right in.
Luana was sweet, but I couldn’t understand half the things she said. She was new to the United States, and her English was weak. But she tried her hardest to console me when I told her I’d never been waxed and was scared out of my mind. I don’t think she understood a word I said, but the fear was written all over my face. Emotions are their own universal language.
“Wax is good,” she said soothingly, stroking my arm while I sat on her table. “Now take off bottoms and I come back in.” She smiled and slipped out of the room, leaving me in the stark, bright whiteness of her workroom with the task of getting half naked.
I wanted to cry. I wanted to kill Avery. How could I let her talk me into this? I slid out of my panties and climbed onto the table, folding my hands between my legs as I stared at the ceiling, waiting for Luana. She threw open the door when she came back in, and for a split second I was mortified. What if someone in the hallway saw?
“Okay. Open legs,” she said.