“You know, I might be worried about that if you let anybody other than Rudolfo near your secret garden, Sami,” Molly called back over her shoulder.  “As it stands, nobody has tried to pluck your flower in…how long’s it been?” she asked as the stunning blonde sauntered into the kitchen.  Even in a ratty sweatshirt and ripped jeans, the woman looked good.

Perching one hand on her shapely hip, Sami sniffed.  “Longer than I like to admit in polite company, peaches.  And that’s all I’m saying about that.” 

Shooting her gorgeous amiga a sympathetic smile, Molly murmured, “Life without Ben still isn’t coming together for you, huh?”  Sami’s break-up with the love of her life had left the other woman equal parts forlorn and bitter.  And while Molly knew that Sami had ended the relationship for her own reasons, she also knew that Samantha missed her man something awful.  Hopefully, one day Sami would have the courage to tell Ben the reason she’d really ended things with him was because she feared not being able to give him a biological child would kill their relationship anyway.  Personally, Molly thought Ben was a better man than that, but it was her job to support Sami, and that’s what she was doing. 

“Ben who?” Sami replied lightly with a careless shrug of her shoulders.  “I don’t know anyone by that name,” she informed Molly with a forced smile.

“Got it,” Molly informed the other woman before reaching inside her refrigerator and plucking a bottle of Merlot from the bottom shelf.   Evidently Benjamin Atkins was no longer a topic up for discussion.  She could accept that; sometimes a subject was just too painful for a girl to discuss.  Tossing the wine bottle to her friend, Molly grinned as Sami caught it mid-air.  Not surprising, given the fact that before she’d found fame on the runway, her friend been a kickass bartender at one of Atlanta’s hotspots, Whiskey Blue.  “The vodka is all mine tonight, but I’ll share my wine with you.  I’d suggest you find a funnel in my junk drawer over there,” Molly advised, gesturing toward the cabinets behind Sami, “You’re gonna wanna be half-sloshed when I share my day with you.”

“You’re bogarting the Mr. Belvedere?  This must be bad,” Sami conceded, turning to grab a wine glass from one of the cabinets above the stove.   “And by the way,” she continued, setting her glass on the counter and tipping the bottle over it to pour a liberal splash, “It’s been longer for you than it has been for me since somebody took a tour of the garden, sister.  So no more questions about my lack of labial love  because if you throw stones at me, I’m gonna lob a boulder at your head.”

“Somebody already beat you to the rock, Sami.  Believe me,” Molly replied, taking another hit from the vodka as Sami poured her wine in a glass.  “And he throws a lot harder than you do.”

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense.  I’m passing up a perfectly beautiful butterfly vajazzle in order to rush to your side,” Sami deadpanned, turning bright jade eyes on Molly expectantly.

“You were actually gonna do that?”  Molly crinkled her nose at the thought of bedazzling her hoo ha.    Having jewelry installed south of her equator was not her idea of a fun Friday night.

“I like to keep things interesting.  Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it, sweetie.  Our woo woos aren’t getting any younger.”  Sami shrugged.  “Besides, you never know when you might meet Mr. Right and wanna impress him,” she reminded Molly with a wicked smile .

“Or plow smack dab into Mr. Completely Wrong,” Molly mumbled, passing Sami as she trudged back into the living room with her bottle in hand.  “Where the hell is Viv?” she asked over her shoulder.  “I only wanna tell this horrid story once tonight.”

Watching as Molly lifted the vodka bottle back to her lips again, Sami shook her head as she followed the other woman into her comfy den.  Dropping her black Valentino clutch on the coffee table, she took a sip of the sweet Merlot as she got comfortable on the couch.  “I talked to Vivian on the way over here.  She just won some big case for her firm and was out celebrating with her legal cronies.  She’ll be here in a minute.”

“Ugh!  I’m a horrible friend! I completely forgot!” Molly smacked the heel of her hand against her forehead.  “This was her first big win,” she groaned as she flopped back against the sofa cushions.  “I didn’t even call and congratulate her.”

“It’s okay.  I sent flowers and signed both our names,” Sami replied easily, propping her long legs on Molly’s coffee table.  “No big deal.”

Molly beamed at her dismissive friend.  Sami liked people to think she was such a cool ticket, but beneath the tough exterior was a heart of pure gold.  “You’re a good friend, Samantha.”

“Hmmmfff, don’t spread that around,” Sami ordered with a mock glare while she took another sip from her wine glass.  “I’ve got enough friends.  I’m not looking for more.”

Molly could empathize.  Because she was gorgeous, men and women alike were attracted to Sami like moths to a flame.  Few were interested in anything more than what they could see on the outside and could have cared less that beneath the flawless exterior, her friend possessed a huge heart and a sweet soul.  Most of those around the gorgeous woman were just hangers-on who wanted to be seen with the popular model.  Molly pitied those idiots because those vain fools didn’t have the slightest interest in getting to know the woman beneath the glossy surface, and she knew that hurt Sami more than she’d ever admit aloud – even to her best friends in the world.  Sami’s ex-fiance, Ben, had kept those cockroaches away from his woman as much as he could, but now that he was gone, all those locusts had descended on her pal like some kind of biblical plague.  “I hate that for you, girlie,” Molly grumbled under her breath.

“Don’t worry about me, Mols.  You and Vivian keep me plenty busy,” Sami continued.  “Hence, my half naked v-jay jay,” she said, gesturing airily toward her crotch.

“Sorry ‘bout that, but you don’t wanna miss what I’ve got to share.  Trust me when I tell you that you’ll want the dirt,” Molly promised the other woman as the front door opened again.

“Dirt?” Vivian Miller questioned as she kicked the door closed with her spiky heel.  “Did I hear that there’s the promise of dirt on the horizon?” she asked, blowing her hair back from her face as she dumped her purse and briefcase on the floor beside the door.

Jumping off the couch and crossing the room to the newest arrival at her little soiree, Molly hugged the slender brunette tightly.  “Hey, lady!  Congrats on your big win today!  At this rate, they’ll be making you a partner at your firm in no time.”

“Oh, please,” Vivian replied with a smile, tucking the short hair of her cute bob behind her ears, “It was one case, ladies.”

“Yeah, your first case,” Sami pointed out, lifting her wine glass in a silent toast to the other woman.  “And you nailed it.”

“Thanks, guys.”  Vivian grinned, sliding off her fitted suit jacket and draping it over the back of the sofa.  Unbuttoning the first few buttons of her white silk blouse, she leaned toward Sami to steal her glass.  “Mmmm, merlot,” she groaned after she took a fortifying sip. 

“I’ll go grab you a glass,” Molly offered, already on her way back to the kitchen.

“Grab the bottle,” Sami corrected, jerking her thumb toward the kitchen.  “From what our Molly has told me, I think we’re all gonna need to be buzzed for this,” she told Vivian with a knowing look.  “Here’s a helpful heads up, though!  She’s refusing to share her vodka and that hasn’t happened since we caught He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named fucking that waitress in Molly’s bed two years ago.”

Viv shuddered.  “Ugh, now that was a long night.”  Frowning when Molly disappeared from her sight, Vivian mouthed, “What’s going on?” as she curled into one of the deep recliners in the living room.

Sami shrugged and shook her head as Molly returned with another glass and the bottle of wine in her hands. 

Turning her gaze to Molly as she poured the wine into the stemmed glass, Vivian shifted in her chair.  “Okay, spill it, Mols,” she demanded, watching the other woman’s face.  “You didn’t drag us over here just to drink cheap wine and dish about our day.  What’s going on?”

Belting back another shot of vodka, Molly blinked as the hard liquor blazed a fiery trail down her throat. It was liquid courage, but at this point, Molly would settle for what she could get.  “Well, girls, I think you might be looking at the future Mrs. William Delancy.  If we don’t do something fast, I think I’ve been doomed to become the Devil’s bride.”