Chapter 5

Madison

I’m mad as hell about this whole damn situation and now it turns out I have to go day after tomorrow. Just a little email bombshell, seriously I thought my boss was better than that.

Belle my little baby girl, chihuahua comes over from her pink fluffy bed with her tail wagging, seriously she’s wagging it so much it could fall right off her ass. Damn my girl is so friggin adorable. I drop my keys on the pine table in my hallway and bend down to greet her and pick her up. I hold her close to me, she smells of doggy coconut shampoo, she’s good enough to eat.

“Hey girl. How was your day, my snuggle pup?” She moves her head around my chin and neck and tries to lick me. I kiss the top of her head. “Mommy has had a rough day; baby girl and we need to move. So there goes our weekend plans, we’re all about the packing my sweet thing.” Belle has no idea what I’m saying to her and she’s way too busy snuggling up to me and giving me those puppy dog eyes of hers.

Eventually, I place her back down on the floor and slip my damn heels off, four-inch black stilettoes that kill my feet. The day I can wear trainers will not come soon enough. I suppose following Stone around will allow for that, I’m sure as hell not wearing heels around that jerk. No damn way.

Belle follows me into the kitchen, it’s one of my favorite spaces in the house. It’s quite large as it affords not just the standard kitchen cabinets, an island and all the appliances including a range, yes, I do like to cook. I got that from my mother who is a bakery owner, and my father is a chef. They own their own restaurant and a café here in our small hometown of Pebble brook. The kitchen has an archway that extends to a dining area with floor to ceiling windows that let in so much light in the summer it’s beautiful as the sun rises and casts glows of orange into the room.

I pour myself a glass of water from my filter tap at the sink and Belle mooches around my feet wanting some treats. “Here you go.” I take a handful from the Ownat bag sitting atop the marble counter and watch as she eats them like she’s never been fed before. Honestly, I probably spend more on her food and treats and spoiling her than I do on my entire years’ worth of shoes. And that is saying something since I have an addiction to shoes. Lord only knows why, when all they do is serve to look pretty on my feet but otherwise kill me with pain. I do have a kink, however. I love to wear heels when I’m fucking. There you go, now you have one of my secrets out there in the wild. Make of it what you will but I love the power that a pair of heels has over a man when you’re having sex. It’s the best. They’re such suckers for heels on their backs, it’s nuts. Guarantees a good lay every time though.

Needless to say, when I go to cover Alex Stone, I am leaving every single pair right back here at home and if I have to go to events to cover his ass, I’m taking some kitten heels instead. Fuck Alex Stone and his damn garish ways, his cussing mouth, and his man whorish ways. I will be one woman whose pussy he isn’t entering.

Belle, satisfied with her treats and that I’m back home and not going back out, takes herself to her fluffy bed and starts to play with one of her doggy toys. She’s so cute as she shakes her tiny head from side to side. My phone beeps. I take it out of my bag on the island and check the id.

It’s my bestie, April. I’ve known her since I was six when her folks moved in next door to mine and ever since I offered her a small cake my mom had baked, we’ve been firm friends ever since.

I flick the screen to enable FaceTime with her. “What’s up, girlfriend.” She says smiling, her violet eyes shining.

“Too much is what’s up.” I reply noticing how particularly bright pink her lipstick is.

“Tell me, tell me. What’s going on other than a shitty day in the office, right?”

“You can say that again. Let me go make myself comfy on the sofa.” I tell her as I move from the kitchen to the lounge area. My downstairs layout is pretty much open plan with a large square lounge area, hosting two sofas facing each other and a square oak coffee table in the middle. Throwing myself down, knowing really, I ought to be packing, April scrunches her eyebrows together.

“I know that look.” She says. “Shoot, what’s going on. You’re not smiling or your usual cheery self.”

“Here’s the thing, I have to go to Aspen.”

“Hey, lucky you. I wish my boss would send me to Aspen, I mean all those hot ski guys, lots of drink, parties every night. What’s wrong with that?”

“Alex Stone is what’s wrong with it.” I say bluntly, feeling like a shitty, grumpy bestie.

“THE Alex Stone, you mean as in ice hockey’s golden super star boy?” Her eyebrows are now rising rapidly to her hairline. I groan.

“The one and only. That’d be him. I have to cover him 24/7.” I slap my hand to my head.

“And what I wouldn’t give to be you right now, Madi. Seriously, that guy is like sex on legs and he’s supposed to be huge not to mention he has a few kinks going on.”

I groan some more. “Precisely why I don’t want this assignment. I can’t stand him. Alright, so he is good looking I cannot deny that, but the way he behaves off the ice. Actually, he’s a dick on the ice a lot of the time too.” I trail off. What I need is a large glass of wine, but then it’ll be two and three and yeah you know, the packing won’t get started.

“I guess he does have a reputation but honey, you could use him. You know you’ve not had a date or sex in a lonnnng time, and this could be the perfect situation. He likes pussy, you like cock, you know you could both get it on. Call it perks of the job.” She chuckles.

“Spare me, please. Honestly, April you’re not making this any better. Besides, whose side are you on? I thought you were my bestie.”

“Honey, I am. Only I can’t see what the problem is. So what if he acts like a dick most of the time, you’ve got a job to do and it’ll be sensational. Look at all the attention and coverage you’re about to get. You can’t buy that, and you do want to start up your own channel, so this is perfect for you.” She does have a point.

“I suppose, doesn’t make me any happier about it. What if he tries it on. Jeez that will be so damn awkward.”

Now she’s laughing and throwing her head back. “You’ve got this, girl. Don’t worry so much. Go have a couple of glasses of wine, get your toy out and it’ll seem so different afterwards.” If only life was that simple, but it’s not. This is the assignment from hell for me. I already know someone like Alex Stone, and I are not going to hit it off.

“When do you need to go and how long for?”

“I leave day after tomorrow, for six months. I’m dying. You have no idea.”

April lets out a whistle. “Damn, that’s a long time, right?” I nod, of course it is. “You want me to come over and help you pack your cases tomorrow? I can’t this evening, Julien and I have our second date night.” Julien’s some guy she met online and have been chatting for around two months.

“You better be careful on your date.” I say, as ever concerned for her. Trust me this girl friend of mine has come across some true weirdos. Worse than the weirdos I’ve met.

“We’re meeting at Chino’s Chinese in public. Nothing to worry about. I’ll message you when I get in. By the way can you send me a text around nine thirty as my opt out in case I need it? Better still call me. If I pick up then you know I need an out.”

“Sure thing.” I tell her. “I’ve got your back.” I sigh. Belle has jumped on the sofa, obviously bored with her dog toy and is curled up in my lap. I stroke her head. “I best get on and start throwing stuff in cases. I don’t need to take anything but some clothes, a few books. To be honest, I’ll read on my Kindle most of the time.” Did I tell you? April and I are massive book nerds. Yeah, we love reading and join all sorts of F* groups.

“Okay, baby. Take it easy and if you need me over tomorrow morning let me know. In any case, I’m coming over in the afternoon. You can’t fly to Aspen without having a hug from me and whilst I’m there I need to find a flight out after you get there. I definitely need me some of those hot ski guys.” She smiles and does manage to make me laugh. That’s April for you. You can always rely on her to make something good out of a total disastrous situation.

Well, Alex Stone, here I come.