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“Divorce is about too final,” Stoney said somberly. “Married a real ass right out of college. Finally giving him the boot today.”
Richard nodded, his mind still imagining Stoney with his five o’clock shadow and missing tooth in lipstick and high heels. “Congratulations to her,” he said. “Been there, done that, paying alimony because of it.”
Stoney laughed. He definitely remembered Richard’s wife…and he couldn’t stand her, and the feeling was mutual. Eleanor spits on the floor whenever Richard mentioned Stoney’s name.
“Congrats, back at you,” said Stoney. “So, does that mean you’re single and ready to mingle?”
“It’s a little early for all that, I think,” he said.
Stoney started to say something else but caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. He looked and his smile widened as he waved to someone. Richard looked in the direction he was waving and was struck silent.
Stoney was waving at a beautiful woman with long dark hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was wearing a conservative beige skirt over her shapely hips and had on a knit sweater that did nothing to conceal her round breasts. On long legs, she walked over to them, her eyes on Stoney.
“Is that…?” he started, but she was already up to them, smiling at her brother and glancing at him.
“Rich,” he said. “Meet my sister, Stella. Stella, meet Rich.”
Richard nodded a hello at her, and she smiled up at him politely before giving her brother the side-eye. “Your old boss…Richard?”
“MyfriendRich,” said Stoney.
Her smile got a little wider and a little more fake. “Nice to meet you,” she said, putting her hand out to him. Richard shook it and responded, “Likewise.”
“So,” said Stoney. “Is it done? Are you a free woman?”
“I’m a free woman,” she said brightly. “Officially. No more assholes running my life.”
Richard felt a little sting from when his divorce was final. He suddenly pictured Eleanor cheerfully blowing his hard-earned money on Botox and he bristled. “Yeah, until the alimony runs out, at least,” he said.
Both Stoney and Stella looked at him and Stella’s smile dropped. “I didn’t ask for alimony,” she said coldly. “I don’t need it.”
“That’s what they all say,” Richard shot back.
“Is that so?” She faced him fully, her hands on her hips. “Is that what they all say?”
“Hey, sis,” said Stoney, “Why don’t we go get some drinks to celebrate?” He had his arm around her and started pushing her away. Stella gave Richard one last icy glare, then walked off. Stoney turned around, walking backward. “I’ll give you a call later, huh? Your number’s still the same right?”
Richard nodded. He watched as the two of them walked off, his eyes drifting down to Stella’s round ass. She was hot…too bad she had an attitude.
Stella
Stellawasonherthird drink, and she was still steaming about her encounter with Richard Hollis. The nerve of him!
After everything that she’d been through the whole divorce proceedings started, she was a wreck. The one thing she was looking forward to was having drinks with her brother when it was all done. And then Richard walks in and pisses all over her happiness. What kind of person does that?
The worst thing was that he had the audacity to be so hot. She’d noticed him as soon as she walked out of the courtroom. He was good-looking in the way that older rich men sometimes were. Tall with salt and pepper colored hair and only the slightest hint of laugh lines at the corners of his eyes to tell his age. He had deep, brown eyes and a solid gaze that made Stella not want to look directly at him, lest she gets sucked in. She’d had the thought that it was a little like looking into the sun when he looked at her.
She might’ve been interested in talking to him more. In fact, up until he opened his mouth, she’d had the intention of getting to know him better. The physical attraction to him was nearly instantaneous. The way he stood like a man in control, unmoving as he stood next to the door leading into one of the mediation rooms. He spoke with a deep, even voice and he didn’t stammer or stutter like people tended to do in normal conversation. It was mesmerizing to watch.
And then he just had to voice his opinion about alimony. As ifallwomen got divorced for the money. Like it was some kind of get-rich-quick scheme to trap men! Little did he know that even if Curtis had had the money, she would never have put herself in a position to be indebted to him by taking it. He’d taken enough from her life during their marriage and the last thing she needed was any connection to him whatsoever. It will suit her just fine if she never saw him again for as long as she lived. Thank goodness, they never had children.
Stoney was coming back to the table with drinks number four and five in each hand. Somehow, Stoney had gotten a drink ahead of her somewhere in there. He sat down and glanced around him at the semi-crowded bar. They’d never been there before, but it was just around the corner from the courthouse parking lot. When they left, they’d spotted it as they passed by, and Stoney grabbed her arm to go in.
“You only live once,” he’d said like it was going to be some grand adventure.
The bar was a dive. Sticky floors and wooden tables with water rings on the tops. Old faded posters and photos of celebrities on some of the walls, and old neon beer signs on others. Several older men were sitting at the bar that looked more like statues dedicated to the national boozehound. And as if to complete the tableau, there was a jukebox on one side of the room that had real records in it. Stoney and Stella talked briefly about playing music on it but decided against it, thinking that they should revisit that idea once they’d had a few drinks.
Now, he was sitting in his seat across from her beer in one hand and her apple martini in the other. “Thanks,” she said as he slid the apple martini over.
