Several hours later, Molly slipped her black ballet flats back on and smiled.  It had been the perfect day.  Her body still hummed with satisfaction after a third fiery encounter with Devil, this time in the shower, and for the first time in two years she felt truly relaxed.  It was amazing what a good romp between the sheets…and against the wall…and in the shower could do for a woman’s disposition.

And it certainly hadn’t hurt that she’d been romping with an expert.  Insatiable and inventive, her future husband had shown her how to experience pleasure in ways she’d never imagined.  Devil had ensnared her mind and body in a sensual web that she wasn’t the least bit inclined to escape.

“Molly, honey,” Devil called from the bedroom.  “You almost ready?  I’ve got a two o’clock meeting in my office and it’s already after one.”

Smiling at her reflection in the mirror, she turned and walked back into the other room.  “You know, you’re really lucky that I keep another outfit at the office,” she teased, eyeing her ruined clothes on the floor beside the bed.  “That could have made walking out of here more than a little uncomfortable.”

“I might have got a little carried away,” Devil admitted with an amused look at the remains of her outfit, “but, in my defense, I did give you the chance to take off your clothes.  You seemed to prefer me doing it.”  Sauntering toward her, he loosely wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her toward him.  “Keep looking at me like that and you’ll lose your second outfit of the day.”

Pressing a hand against his chest, Molly shook her head.  “Meeting, remember?”

“I’m willing to cancel if it means a repeat performance,” he offered gamely with a wicked smile.

“No such luck,” Molly denied, pressing a chaste kiss against his chin. 

“Damn,” he growled against her neck.

“So, am I still fired?” she asked, pushing him toward the moving wall that opened into his office. 

“You were never fired,” Devil replied with a long-suffering sigh as he smacked the button to open the wall.  “You were placed on indefinite sabbatical until you and I made some decisions,” he explained, standing aside as she walked back into his office.  “You’re exhausted, Molly.  Don’t think I haven’t noticed your lack of energy, sweetheart.  In the next week, you’re going to be running yourself ragged with preparations.  And because I’m a greedy bastard, I can promise that I’ll be keeping you busy in the evenings.  Since I really don’t want you passing out at our wedding because you’re so drained from planning it, I want you to consider taking a break from the job here.  Of everything you have on your plate, it’s the one thing you can afford to give up right now.  The wedding prep has to happen, and after today, I’m going to insist on having your attention at night, darlin’.  The job can go for now.”

“You are awfully confident that you’re gonna get to crawl in my bed this week, Devil,” Molly huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him.  Truthfully, she saw his point.  She was tired, and there was still a ton to do for their wedding.  The job was the one thing she could afford to do without right now, but his self-assured cockiness was going to drive her to drink.  When Devil believed he knew best, he could be the worst kind of bully. 

“I don’t care whose bed we’re in, Molly, but I fully intend to be in it with you,” Devil said plainly, hungrily eying her body, now dressed in a trim pair of black pants and a peasant blouse.  “You can’t give a man the keys to the kingdom and then slap a padlock on the gate.  That’s just cruel, honey.”

Molly couldn’t help smiling at the slight panic she heard laced through his voice.  She had no intention of keeping Devil out of her bed, but it was entertaining to watch him squirm.  Who knew that sex with her would be his Achilles heel?  “We’ll see,” she said lightly, shrugging her shoulders.

“Oh, I assure you that you’ll be seeing a lot of me,” Devil muttered with a frown.  “So, where have we come down on your position of executive assistant to me?”

Offering him a long, hard look, she finally reached a decision.  “I’ll step away for now.  The next couple of days will be relatively light on the planning side of our wedding, and I could use the time to recharge my batteries.  I have one condition, however.”

“Name it,” Devil responded instantly, his face relieved.

“It’s a deal breaker, too, Dev,” Molly warned, narrowing her eyes.

“Name. It.”  Devil repeated his statement as he gazed at her with unconcerned eyes.

“I choose my replacement – my temporary replacement,” she returned evenly.

Devil’s lips twitched.  “You don’t trust our Human Resources department?”

“After the empty-headed tartlette that they sent up here this morning?  No,” Molly retorted.  “You need an office assistant, not a damn model with a set of double Ds and an empty head.  Unless you want someone more interested in getting into your bed than answering your phone?”

“My bed will already be quite happily occupied by the woman I’m marrying.” Devil grinned.  “Choose whoever you want.  As long as she’s capable, I don’t give a damn.”

“She could be a he,” Molly replied, delighted that he’d acquiesced so easily.

Devil shrugged.  “Fine.  It makes no difference to me as long as the person is qualified.”

Molly wanted to dance around the office, but she managed to play it cool.  She was getting her way! “Alright then,” she declared with a nod.  “I’ll come in and find you a replacement tomorrow, and then I’ll take a leave of absence through the honeymoon.  We’ll reevaluate the situation after the new year.”

“I find your terms very acceptable.”  Devil winked as he snaked an arm around her waist and tugged her against his chest.  “I think I’m getting the hang of this compromise thing.”

“I’m going easy on you.” Molly snorted.  “I won’t always be this easy to negotiate with.”

“Don’t I know it,” Devil grumbled before covering her lips.

God, the man could kiss.  Seconds turned into minutes and she got lost in him.  When he finally lifted his head, she knew she was smiling like a fool and couldn’t bring herself to care.  It finally felt like she was getting everything she wanted.  It was thrilling and scary, and a little bit intimidating to know that this man that she’d known all her life could devastate her if she wasn’t careful.

“What?” Devil asked, watching her face.

Blinking, Molly shook her head and forced another smile.  “Nothing,” she said softly, patting his chest as she tried to take a step back from him.

“Nuh uh,” Devil denied with a frown.  “You were happy, but then your eyes clouded.  What were you thinking?” he asked.

“I was thinking that I need to get moving if you’re going to make your meeting,” Molly lied.  “You have a two o’clock, remember?”

Glancing at the clock above his desk, Devil groaned.  “I do,” he admitted with a sigh. 

“I need to go.  Do you want to meet at the church for our counseling session or…”

“We’ll go together,” Devil stated firmly, briefly tightening his arms around her before letting her go.  “I think with young Pastor Davis that it will be much better to present him with a happily united front.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”  Molly rolled her eyes.

“I’m being cautious.  The man might have a hotline to God, but he’s still got all the requisite male testosterone, and he wanted in your pants, Molly,” Devil groused, his jaw clenching.

“Devil!” Molly gasped.

“Don’t ‘Devil’ me.  I know what I’m talking about.  We’ll meet with him together, Molly.  I’ll pick you up at your place at six.  Our appointment is for seven, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Molly agreed with a nod. 

“Alright, then it’s a date.  We’ll pick up dinner afterward and go to my place.  Pack a bag for the night.”

“You are drawing a lot of conclusions about the way this evening will end, aren’t you?” Molly raised an eyebrow.

“I can guarantee you the way this evening will end, sweetheart,” Devil informed her with a lascivious grin.  “You, naked and satisfied, in my arms.  It’s the way I intend to conclude every night from here on out.  I wouldn’t mind starting my days that way, too, but I’m a reasonable guy.  We can have another more personal negotiation about that later.  Now, before you go, I have something for you,” he said, reaching for his wallet.

“What is that?” Molly frowned as he extracted a black card and held it out to her.

“It’s a black American Express.  It’s yours, and it doesn’t have a limit,” he explained, wriggling the card in front of her.  “Take it, Molly.”

“I don’t want it,” Molly replied, her loose red hair sliding over her shoulders as she shook her head.  “I don’t need it.”

“I want you to have it, and I want you to use it,” Devil countered, capturing her hand and pressing the card into it.

“What in the world for?” Molly asked impatiently, cocking her head as she studied his unreadable face.  “You’ve already filled my bank account with cash I don’t need and didn’t earn.  Why do I need a limitless credit card, too?” she complained, waving the card in his face.

“The money in your bank account is yours to use on whatever you want, Molly.  You might not need it, but it’s yours all the same.  This card is for you to use for the things I’m supposed to provide you with, darlin’.”

“Like what?” Molly snapped.

“For starters, you need a new wardrobe,” Devil returned easily, wincing when Molly stiffened in front of him.

“Excuse me?” Molly spat through clenched teeth.  What was it about her clothes that people found so easy to criticize?  First, that vacuous bitch and now Devil?  She was seriously beginning to develop a complex here.

Holding up his hands, Devil began to shake his head.  “Now, Molly, it’s not what you think,” he hurried to assure her.  “I love your body and your clothes.  It’s just that as my wife, you’ll be expected to attend a lot of formal events.  Benefits… fundraisers… nights at the symphony and opera.  You’ve never had a reason to have a lot of clothes for that kind of thing.  Babe, you’ve worn the same black evening gown twice this week.”

“It’s a nice dress with a designer label!  What more do you want?” Molly shouted, fighting the urge to press the offending credit card where the sun didn’t shine.  “If you didn’t like my attire, you should have found someone else to have on your arm.”

“Hey,” Devil growled, grabbing Molly by the shoulders when she would have whirled away and stormed out of his office.  “I don’t want anyone else on any part of me.  That’s the point.  You’re my fiancée.  You’re going to be my wife.  Therefore, it stands to reason that you’ll be the only woman that accompanies me anywhere.  That’s my damn point, Margaret.  I just want you to have the outfits and accessories that go with the occasion.”

“Don’t you dare use my Christian name in that tone!” she admonished him pertly.

“What tone?” Devil questioned incredulously.

“My mother’s tone,” Molly clarified.  “Take your card and shove it up your ass, Dev. I’m not using it.” She slammed the plastic card against his chest and glared at him.

“Either you take the card and buy some things that you choose for yourself, or I hire a personal shopper and have it done for you.  Either way, you’re going to have a closet filled with nice things that I will personally stuff your luscious body inside.  I’m offering you the choice here, Molly.”

Staring up into his hard face, Molly knew he wasn’t bluffing.  The bully was back.  Inhaling deeply through her nose, Molly smiled.  “Alright, Devil.  I’ll do the shopping.  Just like you’ve asked,” she agreed sweetly, tightening her fingers around the Amex card.

Loosening his grip on her arms, Devil narrowed his eyes.  “That was too easy.  I’m getting emotional whiplash here, sweetheart.”

Molly’s shoulders rose and fell carelessly.  “I’m a woman.  Women can change their minds on a dime.  You said this card is limitless?”

“It is.  I want you to buy whatever you want, Molly.  Money isn’t an object.  Get whatever you want.  Makeup.  Jewelry.  Whatever you need.  The only thing I ask you not to change is your hair,” he requested with a smile as he toyed with a long strand of her auburn locks. 

“Hmmm, we’ll see,” Molly murmured dismissively, instantly making the decision that her hair was the first thing she’d handle.  She wondered how bald would look on her.  “I think I’ll call the girls and see if they can meet me for a shopping spree.  Sami knows all the right labels and Viv’s a whiz at the makeup counter.”  Oh, yes.  Sami was definitely going to be an invaluable resource to her today.  She didn’t care if she had to kidnap the model; her bestie was going on a buying binge with her.

“So, you aren’t angry with me?” Devil asked cautiously, tracing a finger down her cheek.

“I suppose I can see your side of things.  I’d hate to embarrass you by appearing in the same dress twice in one week again,” Molly returned stiffly.

“You could never embarrass me,” Devil countered evenly, cupping her jaw as he directed her eyes to his.  “Ever.  I happen to find you enchanting in whatever you have on your body.  I prefer you nude, but sacrifices have to be made on my part.  The thing is, I can afford as many dresses as you like.  There’s no reason for you to have to wear the same thing twice in a week.  I’m merely addressing an issue that I can fix.”

He’s merely making you into his own personal Barbie doll, Marilyn’s voice jeered in her head.  JFK and Joey D. did the same thing with me, toots.  Handle this problem NOW before you end up naked and dead in a bed from a drug overdose, sister.

Well, thank you, Marilyn.

Great, now she was having imaginary conversations with dead matinee idols.  Devil was driving her batty!

But she had a plan.

She was nobody’s Bimbo Barbie doll.

She’d show him!

Lifting on her toes, she brushed an innocent kiss against his lips and forced herself to give him a dazzling grin.  “Well, the boutiques in Buckhead await your credit card and me, Dev!  I’ll see you tonight,” she promised before turning on her heel and heading for the door before he could catch her again.

“Let the games commence,” she said with a tiny smile as she boarded the elevator and reached for her phone.