Beautiful Chances: Beautiful Salon Series, #1

By Courtney Scoutt

Charlee Smythe is a 42-year old salon owner with a 19 year old daughter.  Needless to say that her life is extremely routine and boring.  She hasn’t had a date in 2 1/2 years, not to mention sex with a man.  That is until Jagger Montgomery walks into her salon for a haircut.  Then forces his way into her life despite her hesitations.  Charlee is not much of a risk taker.  Should she chance it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Courtney Scoutt
• Release date: Sep 8, 2014
• ISBN: 9789781500848

Book preview

BEAUTIFUL CHANCES

by Courtney Scoutt

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This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 Courtney Scoutt

Beautiful Chances

ISBN-13: 978-1500847548

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher or author constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from this book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [e-mail].  Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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FBI Anti-Piracy Warning:

The unauthorized or reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement including infringement without monetary gain is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT THE BOOK

 PROLOGUE 

 CHAPTER ONE 

 CHAPTER TWO 

 CHAPTER THREE 

 CHAPTER FOUR 

 CHAPTER FIVE 

 CHAPTER SIX 

 CHAPTER SEVEN 

 CHAPTER EIGHT 

 CHAPTER NINE 

 CHAPTER TEN 

 CHAPTER ELEVEN 

 CHAPTER TWELVE 

 CHAPTER THIRTEEN 

 CHAPTER FOURTEEN 

 CHAPTER FIFTEEN 

 CHAPTER SIXTEEN 

 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 

 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 

 EPILOGUE 

CHARLEE’S PLAYLIST

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DEDICATION

My 12 year old puppy, who passed away at the end of writing this book.

Rest in piece, Darby Briscoe.

You are missed tremendously!

Love you, Buddy.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, I need to acknowledge my husband, whom I love deeply.  Your love, support and lets not forget ‘research’ has meant so much to me.  You pushed hard for me to follow through with this project and I needed your encouragement and confidence in me.  You are truly the love of my life as well as my best friend.  I appreciate you being my rock and the guidance you have always given me is very much appreciated.  You are definitely my ‘Jagger’!

To my daughter, who is extremely busy with work and school, but took the time to proofread my book.  Even though you are an adult and read erotic novels all the time, you still got weirded out, because your Mother wrote this.  I appreciate the hurdles you went through to finish it. Even though the main characters are NOT your parents.  Remember that.  You and I have been through so much together and it makes me love you even more everyday.  I am proud of who my Baby Girl has become.  You are my ‘sunshine’ and the best daughter ever.  Thanks so much for all you do for me .  I love you, eternity!

To my son, who is too young to read this book, but constantly would ask what I was writing and why.  Thank you for putting up with my lame answers.  We settled on a ‘romance novel’, which satisfied you and made it so you quit being so interested.  I love you infinity, little man.  You are the best son ever!

To my sister, who has to listen to me vent all the time and can most definitely be my polar opposite, but we will always agree to disagree.  I love you so much even though you think I am like ‘June Cleaver’.  What do you think of me now, Baby Sister?

To my brother who can be a giant pain in my ass and vice versa.  I love you, Bro.  Chin up.  Everything happens for a reason.

To my Book Posse:  Lisa and Beth, you girls are entertainment all by yourselves.  Thank you so much for introducing me to the erotica novels world.  I am officially addicted and always have to have a book or else I will have an anxiety attack.  Thanks for my new found addiction.

Last but not least, I have to take this opportunity to thank all the Salon Girls.  I appreciate all the proofreading, sharing creative ideas and just putting up with my shit.  Each and every one of you has a special place in my heart.  I know I can be a giant pain in the ass, but you all stuck through my moodiness and supported me anyway.  Even when I walked around with my headphones on to tune out the world, you all would tell me that it is annoying, but I did it anyway.  I love you all and consider all of you my family.  Now everyone has to put up with the creation of book 2.  I’m going to apologize now for my future annoying habits and crabby behavior.  I love you, Girlies!  Get ready... headphones on!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Charlee Smythe is a 42-year old salon owner with a 19 year old daughter.  Needless to say that her life is extremely routine and boring.  She hasn’t had a date in 2 1/2 years, not to mention sex with a man.  That is until Jagger Montgomery walks into her salon for a haircut.  Then forces his way into her life despite her hesitations.  Charlee is not much of a risk taker.  Should she chance it?

PROLOGUE

My name is Charlee Smythe.  I have been a hair stylist for almost twenty years, a salon owner for seven, and married and divorced by the time I was twenty-two.  The only thing positive that came from my marriage is my, as I like to say, ’crazy beautiful’ daughter, Frankie.  She is a funny, smart, sarcastic, tall drink of water that towers over me at almost six foot tall.

Her Father and I had a short two-year marriage, because he became violent and addicted to drugs due to depression over the loss of his job. I filed for divorce when I was five months pregnant.  Two weeks after Frankie was born, the divorce was final.  I received state assistance and went to Hair School.  Before this, I was a Family Support Worker for the State of Nebraska, where I supervised visits between parents and children.  I also taught parenting classes and provided counseling to abused women and children.  Sometimes I would get calls at two in the morning for an emergency by a caseworker.

Needless to say, I couldn’t do this job as a single mom.  My ex gladly walked away from responsibility and maybe saw my daughter a handful of times growing up.  Jack was in and out of jail/prison due to unpaid child support and drugs.  I remained close to his family, especially his mother, Jane who became more of a mother to me than my own.  I always say, I married the wrong guy, but right family.  They have always been so good to Frankie and I.  We do every holiday with them as well as family gatherings.  Jane has always gone out of her way to make me feel like a daughter instead of an ex daughter in law.

My parents and I are estranged.  Though I have no PHD, I’ve diagnosed my mom with Bipolar Disorder. My father is a ‘yes man,’ meaning he goes with the flow by doing whatever my mom says.  Dad has never made a decision on his own, nor supported his children emotionally.  Even when he agrees with us kids, he is Mom’s little puppet, so respect for my father is pretty much non-existent.

My brother Ben lives in Arizona.  He was and still is the jock of the family. Soccer and football were his fortes.  He is recently divorced with a three-year-old son.  We text occasionally, but it is hard to have a close relationship with him, due to the distance between us. I send birthday and Christmas gifts to his son, but I haven’t taken the time to go visit him.  I know that makes me a bad sister. I keep telling myself I will take a few days and go, but something always comes up.

I have a sister, Jessie, whom I am very close to even though we don't hang out as much as I’d like. She is married with a fourteen year old son, who keeps her on her toes. I love and respect her dearly, though we couldn't be more different. She was always the free-spirited wild child; daring and adventurous in her youth, and a little more reserved in her adulthood. I emphasize the word ‘little’. I secretly always wanted that for myself, but was never brave enough to actually let loose and go crazy.

On the other hand, I was the ‘goodie two shoes,’ in high school.  I remained the big ‘V’ until after graduation, because I wanted to keep my ‘good girl’ image and I was to afraid of the consequences that I would receive from my mom.  I was kicked out a week before my eighteenth birthday and lived out of my car for a week until an older friend co-signed on my first apartment.  I have been on my own ever since.  The most I have ever ‘let loose’ was dating and marrying Frankie’s dad, a known ‘bad boy’.  And let me tell you that was a blast in the beginning.  Who knew dating a ‘bad boy’ could be so much fun.  Like I said, in the beginning, but it got pretty old when it continued after we got married.

I met my best friend Thomas, twenty-five years ago.  He has always been my rock, my support system.  He watched over me during the good times and the bad, helped raise my daughter as his own and loved me for who I am.  He has become one of the most important people in my life.  He’s also the BIGGEST pain in my ass.  He definitely keeps me on my toes.  I would consider Thomas quite the man whore.  He’s got the experience, so he is a great ‘go to’ for advice when it comes to men. 

My parents were very big partiers back in the day, so as the oldest child, I became the full time babysitter.  Because I missed out on my teenage years, I have always been very independent and responsible.  First born syndrome.  After my divorce, I focused everything I had on Cosmetology school and raising my daughter.  Frankie became my whole world, so obviously I didn’t go out much.  No social life for this lady!

With no child support and building a clientele after graduating hair school, money was very tight.  I always made sure I could provide for my daughter.  She may not have had everything, but she didn’t do without either.  I saved every tip from every client for three years just to take her on our first family vacation to Disney World when she turned six.  That was an amazing trip.  Mother, daughter and Mickey!

Being Frankie’s mother has been an adventure.  By the time she turned fourteen, the boys came running.  She looked so much older, so the boys were always older.  Frankie couldn’t understand why I was so ‘un-cool’ and wouldn’t allow her to date the older boys.  So she just decided to keep the boys in the appropriate age range, but they had to be the perfect ‘bad boys’.  They say girls date guys similar to their fathers... that was an understatement. 

After her high school graduation she definitely smartened up.  She is finishing up her second year of college now and lives with her first ‘non-thug’ boyfriend, Pete.  Pete treats her like a queen.  About time!  Nothing but the best for my little girl!

I now own the only salon I’ve ever been a part of,  Van Gogh’s.  It’s a family friendly, trendy, yet casual salon.  The group of girls who work for me are amazing.  We are truly a family.  More like sisters.  So yes drama is a factor, but we have learned to duke it out {verbally}.  Then kiss and make up.  A must with the sisterhood.  We work and play together.  Some of the girls don’t have much family around so we have been known to do holidays and nights on the town together. 

I am almost forty-two.  My weight has been a yo-yo my entire life.  My biggest size was a 22 my smallest was and is a 10.  I am pretty ok with this.  I’m only five foot four feet, so definitely not tall, but not too short.  I am ok with this also.  My father had his first heart attack at forty, so I have made a conscious effort to stay somewhat in shape.  I am so not a dieter nor do I like to work out.  So portion control and self-discipline are my only weapons.

I work approximately forty hours a week doing hair, which is my passion.  I get to be creative in my own way and I have a great clientele... I better after almost twenty years.  Right?  Being an owner is an endless job.  Constantly running errands for the salon and meeting with distributors does not leave a lot of free time.  Not that I want any.  Again, I do not have a PHD, but I have self diagnosed myself with adult ADD.  I have to always be doing something.

I tend to stay up late and get up early.  I love to read.  Mysteries or smut.  I’m not picky.  A client/close friend introduced me to smut, which is a single gals best friend, right along with B.O.B. [battery operated boyfriend].  A girl has needs that need tending

to. Needs need to be released! 

By no means would I say I am a prude, but I don’t sleep around either.  I have dated a few times since my divorce.  Ok truth be told, there were a total of five guys.  Because it is a major rule of mine, none of them were introduced to my daughter. None of them were sexually fulfilling either.  Vanilla at best. ALWAYS missionary!  Boring.  Orgasms were non-existent!  Had to take care of those on my own with B.O.B..  No man took the time to find out what I liked or consider my needs.  Only their own.  Typical!  This is why B.O.B. and I get along just fine.

I have become very talented at mastering B.O.B..  He is the perfect boyfriend.  No talking back, no arguments, and no hard feelings in the morning!  My idea of the perfect companion.

I would love to feel the heat of human skin on skin.  It’s been a long two and a half years since my last boring sexcapade.  This is the part where I wish I wasn’t so modest and more of a ‘go getter’.  I dream of myself being confident and sexy, meeting a tall, dark and handsome stranger, going to his place and fucking each other senseless until neither of us can walk straight the next day.  But when I wake up in the morning my modesty sets in and it’s back to sensible clothes and conservative ways!  Man, can I get any more boring?

So day in and day out I go to work, take care of my salon clients needs and make everybody else feel beautiful and confident.  I love my job, my girls at work, my daughter, but I