Saving Stella Read Online Free Page A

glanced over to her phone,
then back at me.
    “Now you’ve got my number too. I’ll
see you around Stella. Hopefully soon.”
    I sent a wink her way before
exiting her office.

 
    Stella
    I was settled into my couch for
the night with my big ass bowl of popcorn and ‘This Means War’ about to start
on my massive TV. Ahh, it didn’t get much better than this, Tom Hardy in all
his supersized glory perve fest. I may not be able to talk to men very well
anymore but I could certainly appreciate the male form.
    Thinking of appreciating the male
form, my mind kept wondering back to Brayden. Now that was a form I could
admire all day long! If I had the nerve to that is. He was tall, at least 6”4.
He towered over me. Not that that’s hard. Even wearing my heels, I still didn’t
reach his chin. The guy exuded power and charisma, a deadly combination.
    Just as I was getting carried
away by my thoughts of Brayden my phone chimed, signalling I had a text.
    ‘Hey, I thought embarking on this friendship with baby steps would be a
good plan. Feel like getting to know each other over texts?’
    Oh God. I had opened the text
without seeing who it was from. But after reading it, it wasn’t hard to guess.
I hadn’t saved his number yet. I was a little worried about having to talk to
him on the phone. But texting I could do.
    ‘ I think I can manage that.’
    ‘Great, so let’s start with the basics. Favourite movie?’
    ‘I’m watching it right now actually, This Means War. Yours?’
    ‘Not a bad choice, for a chic. I’m more of a Die Hard kinda guy. Your
turn.’
    ‘What’s that supposed to mean? ‘For a chic?’ It’s got everything a good
movie needs. Action, comedy, drama, Reese Witherspoon and even more
importantly, Tom Hardy. What’s Die Hard got other than action and a whole lot
of the F-Bomb?’
    ‘Tom Hardy fan ha, I’m impressed. The F-Bomb? Are you to prudish to say
Fuck Stella?’
    ‘No! Well, maybe a little. It’s a very expressive word and should only
be used when the time calls for it. Otherwise it loses its oomph.’
    ‘Sounds like something you’ve put a lot of thought into. When was the
last time a situation called for you to say it Stella?’
    That made me pause. I hadn’t said
that word in a very long time, I didn’t curse very often.
    I must have gotten lost in my
musings and taken too long to reply because Brayden sent me another text.
    ‘You don’t have to tell me Stella. We can move on to something else.
How about ink?’
    ‘Ink? What about ink?’
    ‘Do you have any? Sloan’s covered in it. I was just wondering.’
    ‘Yes, I have one tattoo. Sloan did it when she was first starting out.’
    ‘Really? Honestly I’m a little shocked. You don’t seem like the kind of
girl to have a tattoo. May I ask what it is? And Where?’
    ‘It’s on the inside of my left ankle, an infinity symbol with the word
sisters in it. I wasn’t always like this. If things were different, I might
have gotten more. Do you have any?’
    ‘I’ve seen the same one on Sloan’s ankle, it’s nice. What do you mean
if things were different? And yes, you could say I have ink. Considering I own
a string of Tattoo Parlours, it would be strange if I had clean skin.’
    ‘Oh, of course. I wasn’t thinking. It’s just that I didn’t see any when
you’ve come into the office. But I suppose you were wearing suits. I’m not sure
what Sloan has told you about me, but something happened to me in the past, it
changed me. Set me on a different path you could say. Whether it’s for the
better I don’t know. But I’m just different now.’
    Somehow things would always come
back to that night. The night I wished I could forget, but would always haunt
me.
    ‘I’m sorry Stella. For whatever you’ve been through. You can talk to
me, if you want. I’d be happy to listen, if it would help. I’d like to help you
Stella, if you would let me?’
    It was really very sweet of him
to offer. And I did feel comfortable