The Art Guy (18+) COMPLETE, FREE to READ

Screamin' Queen, Though...

Alfie had materialised beside her. Curiosity always killed the cat when it came to that one.

"Alfie, this is my cousin, Kippy," she said. She wasn't introducing him to any of the salon bitches. What if they ended up getting off with him or any such awful crap and then she had to put up with them sidling up to her, fake friends, while they asked after him?

"Hello, mate!" Alfie beamed. London meets Glasgow.

Kippy's greeting was much warmer than Mick's had been. To Katrina's astonishment, he hugged Alfie and told him he liked his hair. Alfie's hand immediately went to his head. "Do ya? Your cousin did it for me."

Katrina had added in some purple tips to his fringe. They were more subtle than anything she would have done a year ago, but Alfie still stared at them hard every time he caught sight of his reflection.

"What time do you finish?" Kippy asked Katrina.

She sighed. "Not for another hour." Mrs Dreyfus turned her head. "I'm sorry, dear! I'm ruining your fun, aren't I? It's just that you do my hair so well I can't bear for anyone else to touch it."

A fabulous compliment but one that wasn't likely to make Katrina any more popular with the salon bitches, two of whom she could see glowering at her. Like many posh people, Mrs Dreyfus's cut-glass tones carried.

Alfie folded up another foil and pushed the trolley next to his client away.

"I'm finished here. You don't mind, do you Mrs Aitch? Katrina can do you once she's finished Mrs D." He grinned at Kippy. "I'll show you some of the sights while we wait."

"Are they pubs?" Kippy asked, and Alfie grinned once more. "Course they are."

And with that, they left Katrina, her mouth wide open in complaint. She could see them talking animatedly to each other as they headed off in the direction of Madam Lucy's. They had better not be discussing HER.

Mrs Aitch's highlights—the aitch short for Harrison—had taken bloody ages. When it came to hair colour, the woman was a virgin. A rare thing, in Katrina's experience, but it did mean that her hair was a lot less porous than the tresses Katrina usually dealt with, and it didn't take the colour as quickly.

She'd been tempted to whip the foils off too soon, as she was desperate to see Kippy and catch up with him and all his news. But the professional in her wouldn't allow it. And just because these posh types were kind to her and tipped well didn't mean they wouldn't complain to Rick if they thought she'd done a less than stellar job.

Mrs Dreyfus and Mrs Harrison finished, she gave herself a fresh application of make-up in the loos. People often remarked how alike she and Kippy looked mistaking them for brother and sister and even fraternal twins once. Kippy looked fantastic at the moment, and she felt she needed to look just as good. Alfie might compare them unfavourably, otherwise.

Now, why would that matter?

Natalie surprised her. When she saw her in front of the mirror in the staff loos applying another coating of mascara, she pulled her handbag in front of her and fished into it.

"Here," she said, handing her a small pot of powder. "This is glitter dust. Put a little bit on your cheekbones. It'll make them look beautiful."

Maybe it was time to rethink her opinions on the salon bitches. The new charitable feelings, though, didn't extend to inviting Natalie to join them.

In Madam Lucy's, she didn't see Alfie and Kippy straight away. The place was jam-packed with people doing their last big night out before the end of the year. Then, a high-pitched giggle gave them away. Alfie's voice was deep, but when he laughed the sound was pure Barbara Windsor.