As Molly Ramsey sat wedged between her two best friends, sedately sipping bubbly from a champagne flute as waifs masquerading as models paraded in front of her in designer gowns that could be found on any runway from Paris to Milan, she realized something important about herself.

She was much more suited to Wal-Mart than Waldorf’s.  And if something wasn’t done soon, she was probably going to need to be poured into a cab. 

This bubbly was the really good stuff.

“That one, too,” Sami nodded to a delicate blonde with a pixie haircut and a heart shaped face.  The model wore a sequined mini dress cut up to her hoochie coochie.

“Okay, maybe we should rethink that one,” Vivian interrupted with a lifted hand, “Molly wants sexy, not slutty, Samantha.”

Leaning forward to roll her jade eyes at Vivian, Samantha smirked.  “I was choosing that dress for me, Vivian.”

“Oh,” Viv murmured weakly with another look at the sinfully short dress.  “Well, for you, it’s perfect then.”

“Should I start another account for you then, ma’am?” the boutique manager asked from behind them.

“Absolutely not!” Molly denied over her shoulder.  “Just add it to mine.  It’s Devil’s dime,” she said with a sidelong look at Sami.  “God knows he can afford it.”

“That’s the spirit.” Sami grinned, clinking her glass against Molly’s.

Draining the rest of her champagne, Molly watched as a woman wearing a fur coat marched out from the parted canary yellow curtains and down a short makeshift runway.  “I like that,” she remarked.

“It’s the best seller of our furs,” the manager commented from behind Molly’s shoulder.  “Very chic and versatile.”

“It’s perfect.” Molly nodded, then ordered, “I want 103 of ‘em.”  Vivian’s gasp was merely a blip on her radar at that moment.  Why waste time when there was Devil’s dollars to spend?

“Umm...one hundred and three?” the manager echoed in a faint voice, her eyes round and wide as she stared down at her newest and now best customer.

“Yep!” Molly said brightly, nodding eagerly.  “One for me and each of my friends.  Then, I’d like a hundred shipped to the domestic violence shelter of your choice.”

“Molly,” Vivian whispered, covering Molly’s hand with hers and squeezing gently.  “Honey, when Devil said money was no object, I don’t think he meant…”

“Can it, Viv!” Sami ordered with a wink at Molly.  “Our girl is simply following her fiancé’s directions.  You go, girl!” She patted Molly on the back.

“He has to learn a lesson here,” Molly added vehemently, turning her gaze toward a worried Vivian.  “Every action has a reaction.  This is mine.”

“But Molly, you already ordered 300 PlayStations for the Salvation Army to give away to Toys for Tots.  And you singlehandedly funded the Secret Santa program at Children’s Hospital!  I think you made your point,” Vivian insisted, her eyes wide.

“Fine,” Molly muttered, weaving on her feet as she stood. “Rain all over my parade, if you must.”

Grabbing Molly’s arm to steady her, Sami chuckled.  “It’s okay, chick.  Between the two of us, not only have you been extremely, expensively charitable, but we’ve got you decked out for the year in all the must-have labels.  Shoes, clothes, purses…you’re covered for any event. Devil can’t say you didn’t cooperate.  You’re going to look like a million bucks and he’s going to eat his heart out.”

Nodding, Molly grinned.  That was exactly what she wanted.  Devil Delancy brought to his frickin’ knees while he panted at her feet.  “Hair next,” she chirped enthusiastically.  “Where’s the nearest salon?  Isn’t your guy, Stefan, around here somewhere, Sami?”

“Food first,” Vivian corrected, sharing a look with Sami over Molly’s shoulder.  “Otherwise, you’ll report for pre-marital counseling half-sloshed.”

“I’m fine,” Molly declared, throwing a hand over her mouth as she belched.  “Oops! ‘Scuse me!” she giggled, blushing.

“Oh, Lord,” Vivian groaned as Molly giggled.  “Devil is going to murder us, Sami,” she hissed around their friend’s very relaxed body.  “How much did you let her drink before I got here?”

“Oh, she just had a sip or two, Debbie Downer!  She’ll be fine,” Sami returned easily as she took Molly’s arm and guided her toward the door.  “You’ve got the address where everything should be delivered?” she asked the manager with a wide smile.

“Absolutely.  I’ll call and place the order with our distributor for those furs right away,” the elegant woman agreed instantly.  “Thank you so much for your business, Miss Ramsey!”

“Anytime, Stella!” Molly laughed happily, the effects of the alcohol working overtime on her empty stomach.  “Add that little black Gucci number you were eyeing earlier to my tab and take it home with you!   Consider it a Christmas bonus!”

“It’s Sandra,” the coiffed older woman corrected with a genuine laugh.  “But you can call me whatever you like with a tab like this.  You’re like my own personal Santa Claus!  Thanks again and come back soon!” She waved as the two other women pushed her new favorite customer out the boutique’s glass door.

As soon as they stepped out into the fresh air, Molly inhaled deeply.  People bustled in and out of the busy shops, and Christmas lights twinkled in the shop windows.  She loved this time of year.  “Okay, ladies, now we need to get me a brand, spankin’ new look.”

“Absolutely not,” Vivian refused, tightening her arm around Molly’s as she aimed them toward a bistro at the end of the complex.  “First, we’re going to put some food in your stomach and then you are gonna tell Sami and me what precipitated this buying binge.  You loathe shopping for yourself.”

“I told you; Devil insisted.”

“You did,” Sami agreed.  “But we bought things in there that the Molly we love and respect would never wear.  Not that I’m complaining,” the blonde bombshell added quickly.  “I’ve been saying that you needed to update that traditional wardrobe you have for years.  You’re too young and way too hot not to occasionally wear fun, frivolous clothes.  However, I sense something Devil said or did has made you carry your makeover to the extreme.”

“Not to mention the fact that you’ve dropped thousands of dollars on furs and toys that I assume weren’t on his preferred shopping list,” Vivian interjected as they walked into the upscale eatery. 

Molly waited until they were seated in a booth in the back with a fresh basket of bread before them before she spoke.  Shooting their waiter a quick smile before he walked away, Molly reached for one of the rolls on the table.  “Believe me, ladies, Devil deserves whatever dastardly deed I deign to drop on him,” she confided, ripping her bread viciously in half before popping a bite between her lips. 

“What is going on?” Vivian asked, exasperated as she exchanged a look with Sami.

“You know we’ll help you hide his body if necessary,” Sami reminded Molly with a wink.  “But, I think we both want to know why we’ll be aiding and abetting, toots.”

Shoulders sagging, Molly began to explain her morning to her two best friends, starting with the sadistic seamstress  that had tried to impale her on a plethora of straight pins while fitting her wedding dress and ending with Devil’s order for a new look.

It was what happened in between the two events, however, that interested her friends.

Ten minutes later, Sami and Vivian stared at Molly, completely speechless.  While Vivian kept opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water, struggling to form a sentence, Sami wore an impressed smile on her face.  “C’mon, guys,” Molly whined.  “Is it really that shocking that I slept with my fiancé?  I mean, you’ve seen him.  He might be an overbearing brute with control issues, but he’s one sexy pain in the ass.  Nobody here could blame me for succumbing to temptation, right?”

“Hey, I’ve been saying for a year that you were overdue to get laid,” Sami announced proudly.  “So you finally screwed Satan.”  She shrugged before leaning forward toward Molly.  “Just tell me, between us girls…was he packing a cloven hoof between his thighs?”

“SAMANTHA!” Vivian groaned, burying her face in her hand.

“What?  Inquiring minds can’t wait to know,” Sami huffed, rolling her expressive eyes.  “He looks like he’d be packing.  Was he packing?” she asked, directing her question at Molly.

Remembering the feeling of Devil sliding between her legs, Molly shivered.  “I had no complaints about that,” she mumbled, blushing.  “He was very talented with all his appendages.”

“Ahhh…so, he had some serious heat in the bedroom.  Good for you!” Sami declared with a satisfied nod.  “Molly finally got some.  Praise be to the sex gods!”

“Did you miss the part where he replaced me with Debbie Dumbass, implied that I needed an entirely new wardrobe, and ordered me not to cut my hair?” Molly asked irritably.  “Really Sami, I thought you’d be all over the “destroy Devil” dynamic I’ve got kicking right now.  I knew this one would be resistant,” she admitted, jerking her head toward where Vivian sat beside her.  “But I was counting on you to help me come up with a few inventive ways to torture him.”

“In or out of the bedroom?” Sami asked, wriggling her eyebrows.

“Is both an option?” Molly responded eagerly, her emerald eyes sparkling with interest.

“Hold on,” Vivian interrupted, always the voice of reason when Sami and Molly got on a roll.  “First, you just told us that Devil didn’t exactly fire you, right?  He told you that you could come back to work after the wedding if you wanted.  And he’s letting you choose your own replacement after the whole fiasco this morning, right?  It sounds like he’s more than willing to compromise with you there, Mols,” she chided gently.

“He knew I’d never leave my desk if he didn’t give a little, Viv.  Don’t give him too much credit,” Molly retorted, finishing off her second roll with a flourish.

“All I’m saying is that he could have insisted on choosing his own assistant since he’ll be the one working directly with them, and he didn’t,” Vivian pointed out reasonably, taking a sip from her drink.  “I think that shows how much he values your opinion and judgment.”

“Do you always have to look at everything from every angle?  Haven’t we discussed your penchant for using logic and reason to win an argument?” Molly complained, glaring at the dark headed woman beside her.

“I’m a litigator.  It’s what I’m paid to do.  I examine the facts and draw conclusions,” Vivian replied calmly.  “Today, I conclude that maybe…just maybe… Devil cares about what you want, sweetie.  He certainly doesn’t seem like the type of man to allow someone else to choose who’ll work as his closest aide, and yet, he’s letting you do it.  He wants you to be comfortable with that person.  I think that says a lot.”

“Speaking of which,” Molly stated, ignoring the point Vivian was trying to make.  She didn’t feel like being reasonable.  She refused to become some kind of puppet for Devil to pull strings on when he felt like it.  The sooner he learned that she wouldn’t be easily managed by him, the better off they both would be. “I need someone male and gay.  Very gay.  Any ideas?”

“Oh, Lord,” Vivian muttered, flopping back against the upholstered booth.

Sami nodded avidly as she grinned, digging in her purse for her phone.  “Oh, I know just the guy.  Armando Savage.  He’s between modeling gigs and could use the work.”

“Armando?  Seriously?” Vivian’s nose scrunched as she rolled her eyes, reaching again for her drink.

Sami waved a hand in the air between them, effectively dismissing Vivian’s negativity.  “Armando is the name he gave himself after he came out of the closet in upstate New York.  His real name is Arthur Smith.  Armando is a tribute to his mother’s Mexican heritage.  He’s perfect, Molly.  Smart as a whip, degree in office administration, but flamboyant as all hell.  He’s a hunky Latin man who just happens to be homosexual and jobless at the moment.  He could really use the work.  He was telling me just the other day that if he doesn’t find something soon, he’ll have to move back to Albany.  He made it sound like that was a fate worse than death.  I know he’ll do this.  I’ll text him if you want,” she offered readily, waving her phone excitedly.

“Oh, he’s a Yankee, too?  Perfect!”  Molly grinned again as she clapped excitedly.  “Text him and tell him he’s got the job if he wants it.  I’ll meet him at the office tomorrow about nine.  Devil’s got to fly up to Chicago tomorrow morning for meetings.  He won’t be back until early afternoon.  That will give me time to fill Armando in on things and give him the lay of the land,” she explained as Sami’s fingers flew against her phone.

Sami nodded as her phone chirped in her hand.  Her face lit up as she announced, “He’s in!  You’ll love him to pieces, Mols.  He’s a good guy.”

“He sounds perfect,” Molly agreed, relieved to have one worry off her list.  “Now,” she continued, scooting back as the waiter delivered their food to the table, “The real question is, can you get me into Stefan’s on such short notice?  I want the look to match the clothes we chose.”

“Molly, are you sure about this?” Vivian questioned worriedly, ignoring her salad.  “I love your hair,” she moaned, lifting a hand to touch the long, auburn locks. 

“Calm down, Viv,” Sami soothed, eyeing Molly critically.  “I don’t think Molly needs any drastic changes to her appearance.  A few more options on her makeup color wheel and maybe a trim to her chin.  You’re already gorgeous, Molly, but I’m thinking you’d look good with a sleeker, more sophisticated cut.  You need something that will frame that flawless face of yours and draw attention to your eyes.”

Grabbing a fry off her plate, Molly chomped down hungrily.  “I trust you both, guys.  All I know is that I can’t do anything about my curvy shape.  I’m never gonna be one of those waifs that Devil kept draped over his arm, but I can make damn sure that I have my body wrapped in a pretty, appealing package.  And if this look happens to knock Dev on his shapely ass, so much the better!”  She wanted him stunned speechless.  She wanted to knock his socks off. 

She wanted to feel like she belonged in his world.

“Men lust after that curvy shape, Molly.  Would you rather be a flat-chested stick like me?” Vivian asked, gesturing down at her lithe body.  She wasn’t exactly a pole, but she wasn’t particularly well-endowed in the curve department either.

“I told you, sister, with the right push up bra, those little boobs of yours could really pop,” Sami said, snapping her fingers, causing the two older women at the next table to look over in stern disapproval.

“I’m an attorney.  They don’t need to pop,” Vivian denied, rolling her eyes.  “My point is that all of us have features we’d rather not have.  We just have to accept them and go on about our business.  It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”

“Yeah, well, people can’t see my insides when I’m out with Devil.  They see the surface,” Molly countered, tucking her hair behind her ear as she wrinkled her nose.  “And I want my surface to sparkle, ladies.  I’m asking you both to help me make it happen.”

Vivian sighed, recognizing a lost cause when she saw it.  “Fine, but when Devil sees the hair…you make sure he knows that was all Samantha’s idea,” she said, shooting the model a fierce look.  “Armando, too!”

Shrugging nonchalantly, Sami grinned.  “It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve danced with the Devil, Viv.”

“Yeah, but it may be the first time you both get scorched in the process.  I just hope there’s enough singed remains for me to identify at the morgue,” Vivian murmured as she shook her head at both women.