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“Hey, Stella, what happened? You’re positively glowing,” Stephanie exclaimed as Stella stepped inside. “I’ve never seen you so cheery and wide awake. My father would have called it bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.”
“That’s how I feel, which is odd because I had a very late night and I’ve only been up about an hour.”
“Really?”
“Really, and I’m dying to tell you about it but I’m too wired to sit down. Will you walk with me.”
“Sure, it’s the perfect morning for a stroll along the beach.”
But as they moved down the steps onto the sand, Stella began to laugh.
“What is the matter with you?” Stephanie asked with a grin. “You seem positively giddy.”
“Honestly, Steph, I don’t even know how to start.”
“Just spit it out.”
“I’m seeing ...? Stella began, but suddenly wanting to respect Tony’s privacy, she stammered. “I—uh—I’ve met someone, and I had the most incredible time.”
Stephanie stopped in her tracks and stared at her.
“Is it anyone I know?”
“I can’t tell you,” Stella said, wishing she could, “though I will say he’s absolutely amazing and he’s going to help me, but I can’t tell you about that either.”
“Uh, Stella, sorry, but Tony couldn’t take his eyes off you yesterday, and you were positively drooling. It must be him. You never go anywhere to meet anyone, and let’s face it, he’s hot.”
“Okay, okay,” Stella exclaimed, “yes, it’s Tony. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything, but I think I’ll explode if I don’t talk about this.”
“I’m not surprised he was amazing,” Stephanie remarked with a grin.
“He was! He’s so—I guess the word is intuitive. He knew what I wanted before I did. And he was forceful, but in a good way, not at all like John. Besides that—sorry—I have to stop there,” she said abruptly. “To be honest, I’m kind of overwhelmed. Malibu is such a fabulous place. I never thought I’d end up living on a gorgeous beach in Southern California—and now this has happened—and other stuff too—maybe—it might,” she stammered, having difficulty trying to express herself.
“Stella, you’re not planning on leaving John for Tony after just one night, are you?”
“Heavens, of course not!”
“So there’s more going on than a great night in the sack but you don’t want to talk about it. No problem. If you ever do, I’m here.”
“But Idowant to talk about it. Ineedto. God, this is so hard. Okay, I’ll tell you, but you can’t say anything to anyone, not even Stewart.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I hardly ever see him these days,” Stephanie said with a sigh. “That’s one of the reasons I’ve started Luscious Lingerie. But getting back to you! If you’re not about to run off into the sunset, what’s going on?”
“How can I put this?” Stella murmured thoughtfully. “Tony’s giving me a chance to make some money. If it works out, I won’t have to rely on John so much.”
“I don’t understand. How will having an affair with Tony make you independent?”
“Please don’t think I’m crazy...but...uh...Tony has a friend who...I don’t think I can say it.”
“You have to now. Come on, out with it.”
“He has a friend who would pay me a lot of money, to—uh—ok, this is weird.”
“You’re driving me crazy,” Stephanie exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “Just tell me! I won’t judge, I promise!”
“Tony has a friend who would pay me a lot of money if I let him kiss my feet. There! I’ve said it. Is this a terrible idea?”
“It’s definitely a bit weird but I don’t think it’s terrible, and it could be fun, especially if it means you can walk away with some cash.” Then pausing, she added, “Stella, if you do this, John will have a whole new wife on his hands. He won’t know what’s happened to you after you’ve spent some time lauding it over a groveling male.”
