Stella in Stilettos Read Online Free Page A

room. Mr. Right was gone.

Chapter Three
     
     
    The flyer was finished and the spring catalogue was nearly done too. Stella leaned back in her chair, took a sip of coffee and thought about Mr. Right. He seemed like a sweet guy, and for a short time they were just two people trying to get to know one another. They’d made a connection. And then fate stepped in; or rather, Stud4U did.
    Stella took a deep breath and let the air slide out slowly. Talking with Mr. Right stirred things that were better left unstirred, like how great it was to kiss. She loved kissing. Not just light pecking; full-mouth extravaganzas that left her breathless. Of course, she missed hand-holding too. And yes, she missed the sex. Putting a hand on her chest, she closed her eyes. It had been too long. She blew out a puff of air, opened her eyes and decided that kissing and sex were not in her foreseeable future so it was best not to dwell on them.
    Alex walked by and she bumped her coffee cup almost knocking it over.
    How could he draw that kind of reaction when she was miffed at him? They were supposed to be in the middle of training. Maggie left a note on her desk saying she and Alex would be gone for awhile. Maggie wasn’t there, Alex was. Even more peculiar, instead of immersing himself in training, he was mingling. Yesterday he wanted to know how it all worked. Today he blew it off.
    Alex was well-past her cubicle before she peeked out.
    Everything about him said arrogant bonehead. Well, not everything. A few things. Actually, only one thing. At the moment, she couldn’t remember what it was.
    He stopped at the copier, and she did what any fully-conscious woman would do – scanned his magnificent rear view.
    His wide shoulders tapered to a narrow waist. And his butt…aye yi yi! Stella swallowed hard.
    He half-turned to share a laugh with some of the guys and his profile made Stella’s eyes go wide. Muscles bulged from his chest and thighs.
    The small pleasure of admiring him was dented when Belinda Pearson shot out of her cubicle and landed next to him.
    Stella reacted with a hiss. She cocked her head and watched the blonde vixen move in. Belinda flipped her long, straight hair over her shoulder; on the way down her hand landed on Alex’s back.
    To his credit, he moved away from her touch.
    Belinda tried again. She put her hand on his forearm and stared up at him with adoring eyes. Bingo! Alex smiled and the hand stayed in place.
    Stella hissed again.
    Belinda’s success wasn’t a surprise. She was eye-candy too. Beautiful face. Big chest. Tiny hips. Fashionably dressed. Too much confidence. She would make a great model for their catalogue. Everything about her screamed ‘look at me’. And most men did. Some turned into obedient lap-dogs for Belinda.
    A vision of Alex in a dog collar made a third hiss escape.
    She startled when her phone rang. “Stella Matson.”
    “Get your butt in here,” Maggie commanded. “Melvin’s being a brat.”
    The boss had returned.
    Stella chuckled into the phone. “What’s he up to now?”
    “He won’t let me into my email. If you don’t hurry, I’m going to take a hammer to him.”
    Stella snickered with each step; both from Maggie’s conversation and from the shoes Trish talked her into wearing this morning. Only she would be racing to save a computer named Melvin, while trying to keep her balance in four-inch stilettos.
    When she was almost to Maggie’s office, Belinda stepped away from Alex to cut her off. “Sucking up to Maggie again?”
    The rash movement caught Stella off guard. “When did helping out become sucking up?”
    “Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Belinda fumbled in her pocket and produced a tube of lip balm. “You’re going to need this.”
    Stella started to defend herself, but clamped her mouth shut. She didn’t have to validate her actions.
    Alex pushed between them. His gaze ricocheted between Stella and Belinda, before settling on Stella for one