“Well,” she said. “Two-timing me, huh?” “What do you mean?” “Just now. With the little brunette.” “Oh,” he said. “The two of us had breakfast together. She just moved into the building.” “Sort of a long breakfast, wasn’t it?” “We were talking for a while,” he said defensively. There was nothing for him to be defensive about, but Stella had the knack of making him feel guilty for no reason whatsoever. “What’s her name?” “Susan Rivers.” “She’s very pretty, Ralph.” “I know. I’m thinking of doing a painting of her. That’s what we were talking about.” Stella pouted. “You don’t want to paint me anymore?” “I just wanted to try something different.” “That’s all right,” she said quickly. “I don’t really mind. As a matter of fact, I intend to get to know the girl myself.” He looked at her, puzzled. “You see,” she went on, “we’ve met before. She’s the one I was telling you about yesterday. The one I intend to take to bed sometime in the very near future.
