Heels, Dreams & Blueprint

Chapter 8 - Titillating Banter

Stephanie smoothly took two glasses of wine from a waiter and made her way to the balcony. He was handsome, she'll give him that. Very handsome and yummy.

Taking a deep breath for courage, she walked onto the balcony and made her way to him.

She leaned against the railing, tilting her head to look at him. "Beautiful view, isn't it?"

Alex, barely glancing at her, answered, "It is."

Stephanie grinned. "I was talking about you, but sure, the skyline's nice too."

Alex finally turned to look at her, his expression neutral. "Do lines like that usually work for you?"

Stephanie made a mock gasp. "Only on the charming ones. Are you going to make me work for this?"

"Here." She handed him one of the wines and turned back to look at the view.

Alex took a sip of his drink, unimpressed. "Work for what, exactly?"

Stephanie stepped closer, her grin widening. "Your attention, obviously. I mean, I'm practically handing you the privilege of being charmed by me."

Alex raised an eyebrow "You're awfully confident for someone who sicced her cat on me last time."

Stephanie threw back her head and laughed. "Pixie was just testing your resilience. Clearly, you passed, or you wouldn't be here."

Alex's breath caught at the sight, but he just brought his glass to his lips.

Alex "Testing? I've still got the scratch marks to prove it. I don't think your cat likes me."

Stephanie playfully shrugged. "Pixie has standards. But don't worry, I can personally vouch for you."

Alex turned back to the view, resisting a smirk. "Generous of you to vouch for me to your violent cat."

Stephanie gave a mock gasp. "First of all, Pixie is discerning, not violent. Second, you were in her personal space. She's territorial about the people she loves."

Alex unwillingly grinned. "Interesting is one word for it. Traumatic is another. I still have the scratch to prove it."

"Battle scars build character, Alex. You should thank me for contributing to your personal growth. But if you like, I could kiss it better for you." She suggested, tilting her head yo the side and winking at him.

He choked on his drink, "Woman, are you trying to kill me?"

"Of course not." She giggled.

As she helped him clean up his dress suit, she saw the scratches Pixie had designed on his skin.

"Aww... you poor, poor thing." She softly sympathised as her finger trailed down on the scratches. Before she realised what she was doing, her lips were on his neck and placing soft kisses on the scratches.

As Stephanie's lips brushed over the faint scratches on his neck, Alex froze, his entire body going rigid. A jolt shot through him, unexpected and unwelcome. The warmth of her lips was soft, fleeting, yet it lingered like an ember threatening to spark something uncontrollable.

His chest tightened, his mind racing to reconcile the conflicting emotions surging through him. Annoyance warred with intrigue, and his usual composure began to fray at the edges. Why did something so innocent feel so disarming?

Her touch made him acutely aware of the space, or lack thereof, between them. He felt vulnerable, exposed in a way he wasn't used to, and the sensation unnerved him. His instincts told him to pull away, to put some distance between them, but his feet betrayed him, planted firmly on the ground. A strange heat spread through him, catching him off guard.