Chapter Six

Devil

“I’m telling you both, I barely escaped that house of horrors with my life, assholes!” Devil yelled at the two men sitting in the darkened corner of the local sports bar they regularly frequented when the need to flee their significant others became too much of a temptation to resist.  “Stop laughing at me, you hyenas!  I thought those she-beasts were going to maul and devour me before I ever made it to my own front door, dammit!  Even the lion gave the gazelle a thirty second head start, but not those women.  Hell, no!  In fact, not only did they not give me a head start, but I’m pretty sure it was Vivian that tripped me on the way out.  And I know it was Samantha’s shoe that caught me on the temple once I was down.  And all the while, my so-called loving wife just freaking watched!  That was until she decided to participate.  Thank God her aim hasn’t improved with time,” he yelped above the chuckles of his contemporaries. 

Christ, but he needed to find better friends.  The ones he had wouldn’t be entirely happy until one of his stories ended with, ‘and then, the paramedics shocked my heart back to life’.  Evil bastards, the lot of ‘em, he thought as he looked between the faces of his oldest friend and his beleaguered vice president.

Hell, last night hadn’t even been a catastrophe of his own making.  Which reminded him, blame still had to be rightly and justly placed on somebody else’s head.  Narrowing his gaze as he looked at his company’s youngest (and most successful) vice president, Nick Santino, he growled and pointed one long, tapered finger to his left.  “Look, I had to sleep in my car in the garage last night because I was too afraid to go back into the lion’s den, guys.  I don’t want another night like that.  Besides, this isn’t even my fucking war to fight. This is your battle, Kemo Sabe, so I suggest you take your ass home and suit up for the game.”  Taking a hard look at his normally pristinely dressed employee, he shook his head at the man sitting next to him now.  Nobody would accuse him of being a fussy dresser today.  Clad in baggy jeans sans belt and an oversized red flannel long sleeved shirt, Nick Santino had completed the ensemble with a battered baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.  “What the hell are you wearing anyway?” Devil asked.  “You going for that fresh-from-the-forest lumberjack thug look?”

“Shut up, Devil,” Nick grumbled under his breath, reaching for the glass of Shiraz he’d ordered from the bouncy scantily-dressed waitress that had been by their table earlier.  “I’m trying to fly under the radar.  That’s kind of hard to do wearing a Gucci suit.”

“Well, trust me, nobody’s gonna recognize you right now,” Molly’s brother, Grant Ramsey, chuckled, eyeing the younger man sitting across from him.  “Exactly who are you hiding from, though?  Based on what Dev here has told me, I don’t exactly think Armando is combing the streets for you.  Besides, I’m fairly certain Mannie might revoke your gay card if he saw you in that get-up.  Redneck gangsta thug is not in your color wheel, my friend.”

“Look, I’m not exactly trying to hide from anybody.  Not really,” Nick muttered into his glass.  “I’m just not necessarily trying to draw attention to myself right now, thank you both very much.  I’m just not interested in advertising my presence back in Atlanta.  At least not until I figure out how to explain to Armando about my fucked up family.  Besides, I was actually really comfortable for a change on the flight into town.  I told Mannie that there was something to be said for casual clothing, but he insists that clothes make the man.”

Devil snorted as he tilted his beer in the direction of the other man.  “Son, at this moment, you’re damned lucky I like you.  Otherwise, I’d have taken out a damn billboard over your head the second you deplaned over at Hartsfield-Jackson and pointed the four Musketeers your way.  Despite your well-thought-out disguise as a straight man, I don’t think it’d distract them for long.”

“I might not fool the man I love and his three best friends, but it’s not them I’m trying to avoid.  It’s the rest of Atlanta that I’m trying to dodge.  Being stopped twelve times a day and congratulated on my upcoming nuptials was fun as hell when I was positive I had a groom waiting in the wings for me.  Now, not knowing if I can even begin to gain Armando’s forgiveness….I don’t exactly feel like playing the gushing gay groom of the year, you know?”

“Ohhhh, you’re gonna fix this,” Devil growled back, leaning forward to clutch his highball glass of scotch with one hand.  “That’s not negotiable,” he informed the younger man while he waved one hand in the air, signaling the waitress for a refill.  “Seriously, I’m going to have to insist that you pull your shit together and commence kissing whatever you need to kiss to get Armando from my house back into YOUR house,” he informed the younger man while he waved one hand in the air. 

“You think I don’t want that?” Nick asked, sounding desperate.  Running a hand down his unshaven cheek, he shook his head.  “I’ve called his cell at least fifty times.  I’ve left him over two dozen voice mails.  And that’s not even mentioning the texts I’ve sent.  Devil, he won’t talk to me.  For God’s sake, YOU, my boss, picked me up from the airport while my boyfriend did what?  Nursed his grudge toward me?”

“And a killer hangover from what I’ve heard through the grapevine,” Grant whispered conspiratorially, winking at Devil.  “But, if it makes you feel any better, your trusty boss , here,” he continued, jerking his head toward Devil, “is nursing a fairly serious case of blue balls so, really, it could be worse, right?  Evidently, prior to your fiancé’s appearance last night, it was also going to be the night the Devil got to go back into Georgia for a little horizontal dancing, if you know what I mean.   Have some sympathy for the Devil, man; eight weeks feels like a year where sex is involved.”

Gaping at his best friend, Devil shook his head.  “What are you?  A woman?” he asked Grant, silently debating how a brilliant obstetrician could so quickly devolve into a prepubescent girl when there was gossip involved.   “You do realize that my wife is your SISTER, don’t you?”

“Honestly, sometimes I forget,” Grant replied with a slight shrug as he propped his chin in his hand and smiled benignly across the table at Nick.  “Honestly, being Devil’s best friend can be a tough job at times, and he’s been cranky of late.  Your Armando’s descent into madness last night prevented your boss from descending into my sister’s charms.”

“I seriously did not need to know that status of my boss’s balls or how often he visits Georgia or how he dances when he arrives there,” Nick yelped, glaring at Grant’s amused face.  “I don’t care how gay I am, that is not information I ever want to possess,” he proclaimed with a shudder as he ripped off his baseball cap and shoved a hand through his thick, wavy hair.  “Damn it!  Aren’t you two paying attention?  I’m in crisis here.”

“You’re in crisis?” Devil asked indignantly.  “No.  Let me tell you about crisis.  Crisis occurs when you’ve managed to convince your reluctant wife to allow her parents to babysit your daughter for the night...when you finally get her all to yourself.  You’re not sharing her with your child or with your mother-in-law or with her two gal pals from hell or her gay bestie.  Nope, you’ve finally got all her attention on you.  Imagine it, Nick,” Devil demanded dangerously, “You’ve almost reached the Passionate Promised Land and the long, draining sexual draught is almost over.  Hot sex can be seen on the horizon, man!  She’s naked….and SO.  ARE.  YOU.  You’re that close!  And then your moment gets busted all to hell because that guy – we’ll call him shithead #1 - that you hired neglected to tell that OTHER guy you employee – we’ll call him shithead #2 – that he never shared his sexual orientation with his stick-up-their-collective-asses parents.   Now, you might imagine what I imagined at the time….you know, that none of this was my problem.  But you’d be WRONG!  So very fuckin’ wrong.  Wanna know why it became my problem?  Because my Molly said it was!” Devil finished on a roar that drew stares from the surrounding tables.  “That’s a fuckin’ crisis, Nick!”

Grant smiled benevolently at the surrounding patrons that had fixed their attention on their table.  “Don’t mind us.  We’ve just had a threesome that went horribly wrong.  One of us,” he whisper yelled, pointing at Devil, “got a severe case of performance anxiety.  What are ya gonna do, though?  The three of us have been together too long to just start over again with someone else.  Our little Boy Toy, here,” he said, ruffling Nick’s hair, “he could get any man he wanted, but me and Dev…we’re just too old to begin again, you know?”

“GRANT!”  Devil and Nick hissed in unison, both their gazes blazing furiously.

“What?” Grant questioned innocently.  “Haven’t you guys heard?  Polygamous relationships are all the rage these days.  Haven’t you been watching those episodes of My Five Wives I’ve been linking to you lately?  It’s one giant step forward for the polygamous kind.”

“I’m gonna kill him,” Devil growled under his breath right before lunging across Nick’s body to nail his best friend of twenty years with a nasty right hook.  With any luck, he’d knock the son of a gun out so that none of them would have to listen to him attempt to be funny.

Dodging Devil’s fist, Grant laughed as someone at the table across the restaurant began snapping photos.  “Okay, gentleman, I believe we’re beginning to attract a crowd,” he groaned as Nick’s booted foot found his instep.  “Son of a bitch, that HURT!” he shouted, lifting his own fist to nail Nick in his stomach.  “Ow, shit!” he yelped, shaking out his hand as his curled fingers bounced off Nick’s abs.  “Holy hell, how often do you work out, Santino?  Devil, feel this kid’s abs, man!  Dear Lord, I’ve never felt anything like this, Devil,” he breathed in awe.

“Are we sure that you’re not gay?” Devil asked Grant sharply, rolling his eyes as he straightened his sport coat with jerky movements.

“Now, fellas,” a sultry southern voice drawled, “Gay or not, I’m gonna need you boys to settle down,” their waitress instructed with a wink as she delivered another round of drinks.  “Else, I’m gonna have to cut y’all off, and I enjoy the company way too much to have to do that.”

Barely looking at the scantily dressed woman to his left, Devil nodded.  “We’re fine here, Delilah.  Just a little familial misunderstanding.”

“Mmmhmmm,” Delilah the waitress hummed, her lips tilting up in a smile.  “Just keep it down, boys.  This is a nice, family-oriented bar.”

“Those words don’t even go together,” Nick noted with a confused look at Grant.

Grant shrugged while Devil simply inclined his head before the waitress turned to sidle away from their table.  “Okay, if you’re done feeling Nick up, I think we need to refocus our attention,” Devil said, keeping his voice low as the other tables seemed to resume their own conversations.

“To what?” Grant asked blankly.

“To what?” Devil echoed in disbelief, “Are you kidding me right now?  How about we concentrate on how the hell we relocate Armando from my guestroom back to his own bed in his own place.  With Nick.”  Turning his attention back to Nick, he asked, “How do you propose we go about straightening this mess out, kid?”

“I really wish you wouldn’t call me a kid.  I’m only a decade younger than you two,” Nick complained, draining one glass of his Shiraz before reaching for the other that had just been delivered to their table.  “It’s demeaning.”

“Okay, I thought ‘kid’ was nice, but I could go with asshole, too,” Devil returned reasonably.  “Does asshole work for you, Nick?”

“Point made,” Nick muttered.

“Okay, here’s the bottom line, asshole.  I would like to fuck my wife – long and hard - sometime in the next century…”

“Whoa!” Grant barked, quickly clapping his hands over his ears, “Uncool, bro!  I cannot hear things like that about you and my baby sister.  I’ve still got two kids to push through college and can’t afford the therapy those kind of blunt, in-your-face statements cost me, Dev. Not unless you’re footing the bill for Princeton and Yale.”

“Suck it up, jackass.  You’re a freaking doctor.  I think you can afford it.  If you can’t, I suggest you play catcher for a few more infants,” Devil dismissed Grant easily before refocusing on Nick.  “Now, like I said, I’d really like to be with my wife again and that’s not possible while the New Queen of Mean resides in the guest suite.  Hell, Molly slept with him last night because she didn’t want him to wake up lonely.  What kind of crazy ass shit is that?”  He supposed this shouldn’t have angered him as much as it had since it wasn’t as though Molly would have willingly allowed him back into their bed, but it was the whole principal of the matter.  If any man was gonna sleep with his wife, it ought to be him, right?

“I’m not surprised.  Armando despises sleeping alone.  I had a body pillow with my face superimposed on it specially made for when I have out-of-town trips,” Nick explained with a sad sigh.  “He never sleeps soundly while I’m gone, but that pillow helps.”

“Wonderful.  Suffice it to say that Mannie wasn’t interested in his Nick-shaped pillow last night,” Devil snapped.  “He wanted – and got – my wife, the lucky bastard.  As I’m sure you can imagine, this is a problem for me.  Especially since I had plans for my wife.  Hot, nasty, sweaty plans.  And unless you fancy the thought of starring in a little movie with me called ‘Fifty Shades of Black and Blue’ in which I beat you senseless, then you’ll tell me what we’re gonna do to get your man out of my bed and back into yours,” Devil threatened.

“Maybe I am gay,” Grant mused thoughtfully as he munched on a French fry, “because I’d totally go see that movie.”

Disturbed, Devil paused mid-rant and cocked his head in Grant’s direction.  “Seriously, bud, when was the last time you and Karen had a little ‘alone’ time?” he asked, using air quotes.  Honestly, when he and Grant had been in college and shared a dorm room, he’d been forced to listen to his best friend and his girl screw like bunnies.  They were always all over each other.  He’d just assumed that they were still as…active as they once were.

“I’ll take your eight weeks and raise you a fiscal quarter,” Grant replied miserably.  “That’s right, boys…three monkin’ months.”

“Monkin’?” Devil repeated curiously, arching one dark, inky eyebrow as he waited for Grant to elaborate – which he would.  He always did.

“Yeah,” Grant retorted stubbornly, draining his whiskey sour in one long gulp, “Monkin’.  It’s the opposite of fuckin’,” he explained, belching loudly.  “See, monks are chaste.  Like me.  Get it?” he chuckled, elbowing Devil in the side.  “At this rate, we’re both gonna be born-again virgins, man.”

Blinking, Nick stared at Grant in fascination.  “You can tell me it’s none of my business, but….why?”

“Why, what?” Grant grunted, frowning into his now empty glass.

“Why haven’t you and your wife been….you know….”

“Bumpin’ uglies?  Doin’ the deed?  Makin’ sweet, sweet loooooovvvveee to my lady?” Grant drawled as Devil groaned and buried his face in his hands and begged whatever God was listening for a quick death.

“Yeah,” Nick nodded, interested now.

“Dear God, I beg you not to answer that, man.  Karen is like a sister to me,” Devil begged, grimacing at the thought of what could be coming next.

“Now you know how I feel with Molly,” Grant replied unapologetically before directing his gaze toward Nick.  “Well, it’s like this, Nicky, my boy.  I don’t get laid much anymore because of a little thing I like to call the Three Ms.  Marriage, Middle age, and Menopause.  Now, any one of those can put a damper on the sexual shenanigans, but all three together?  Let’s just say that those creamy white thighs of our lovers’ legs will close tighter than the vaults at Fort Knox.    It’s a cocktail for catastrophe.  It happens to all of us couples, my friend.  Even the gay ones,” he assured the younger man with a sympathetic smile.    “Yep, my wife has entered into those confusing years where I’m never sure if she wants to kiss me or kill me.  Although, lately, I really think she’s leaning toward the ‘kill me’ option.  I got a notice in the mail that she upped my life insurance.  I’m not exactly feeling safe in my own home these days,” he lamented.

Catching the deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression blanketing Nicholas’ face, Devil sighed heavily.  “You’re scaring the boy, Grant.  Knock it off.  The kid’s got enough problems right now without hearing how his sex life will eventually become as mythical as the existence of unicorns.”

“Better he hears the truth from a friend,” Grant counseled wisely.

“Ignore him,” Devil ordered, rolling his eyes at Grant’s Tony worthy theatrical performance.  “He’s just bitter because his wife currently enjoys the company of E.L. James’ and Sylvia Day’s books more than his own.  As long as you and Mannie keep things fresh between the sheets, you won’t have a problem,” he counseled easily. 

“Well, fuck,” Grant cursed.  “How the fuck is a normal guy supposed to keep up with these fictional fuckin’ heroes that the girls are reading about lately?  It’s like these romance authors are trying to raise the bar for husbands everywhere!”  Zoning his keen gaze back on Nick, he pointed an accusing finger.  “And don’t think you’re off the hook just because you sail your boat in another ocean.  Nuh uh.  Apparently gay erotica is on the rise as well with the ladies and gents.  Karen left her kindle on the table the other day and before I realized what I was reading, I was learning how two men can get it on in the shower!  And damn it, I was jealous of them,” he whined morosely. 

Even as his lips twitched at Nick’s horrified expression, Devil slammed his hand down against the table, the gold of his wedding ring flashing in the dim light.  “Dammit, guys, we’re here because my sex life is in the shitter.  First, I’m dealing with Molly’s insane insecurities about her body.  Which, did I mention is completely fucking bonkers!  I mean, honestly, how could she ever doubt how much I love her?  She gave me a freaking child!  What kind of ungrateful shmuck would I be if I got bent out of shape over a little cellulite and a few stretch marks?”

“Please, God, tell me you didn’t say that to her,” Nick begged, his wide dark eyes widening as he turned toward his boss.  “I’m homosexual as hell, but even I’m astute enough to realize you should never say that shit to a woman that’s just given birth.  The hormones running through her body could take down an elephant, man!”

“This is actually true,” Grant agreed with a bob of his head.  “Medically speaking, she’s probably about as dangerous as Charles Manson circa 1972 at this post-pregnancy stage.  Sleep lightly, my friend,” he advised blandly.

“Hey, I’d finally gotten her past the point of wanting to do me harm and interested in doing something a whole lot more enjoyable than fighting last night.  Like I said, clothes were off.  Then, Mannie the Mood Killer arrived,” Devil grumbled with a heated look toward Nick.  “Now, if I ever wanna see my wife naked again, I’ve gotta somehow fix your relationship, Santino.  Now, how do you propose we do that?”

“Hold up.  I’m still a little unclear on why the hell you haven’t told your parents about your intended,” Grant interrupted with a frown.  “You’re a successful, influential guy in your field.  I mean, Devil, here… he only hires the best of the best.   And you’re what?  Twenty-eight?  Thirty?  Don’t you think it’s past time to step out of the closet?  Aren’t you getting claustrophobic in there yet?  And how in the hell can you be closeted when you’re engaged to somebody as openly flamboyant as Mannie?”

Running a hand down his handsome face, Nick sighed.  “It’s complicated.”

“Then you should really work on simplifying it before you talk to Armando,” Devil warned evenly.  “The one thing I know about that Latin lover of yours is that he hates being played for a fool, my man.  And right now, he feels like the biggest sucker on the street.  So, practice on us…pretend we’re Armando and talk this out.”

“Oooohhh, role play.  This’ll be fun,” Grant grunted, waving his empty glass in the air.

“My parents are known to be a bit….difficult,” Nick began slowly as his fingers nervously toyed with the frayed edge of the paper napkin underneath his glass.

Devil couldn’t help his dry laugh.  Hearing Nick’s description of the uptight, judgmental people he’d met ten years ago at a charity benefit was enough to have him shaking his head in disgust.  Those people weren’t difficult.  Nick’s parental units (because calling them parents was too kind in his mind) were assholes, plain and simple.  He still remembered how they’d looked down their noses at him.  His biggest sin had been that he was a self-made man rather than a member of the old money set they preferred their son to associate with.  The fact that he’d also been the proud grandson of poor Irish immigrants had only provided the icing on their judgy cake.  While he and Nick had hit it off and began a lasting friendship, Nick’s parents had made him feel like an unwelcome interloper among their Country Club cronies.   Devil would be lying if he said that he hadn’t taken extreme delight in hiring their talented son years later and relocating him hundreds of miles away from their Boston home.    “I think difficult puts it a bit too mildly, bud,” Devil grunted, shaking his head as he frowned at the man he’d hired almost five years ago.  “I met those folks that claim you as a son for thirty minutes over a decade ago and even I can call it like it is.  Your parents are a pair of the biggest blue-blooded bigots on the Eastern Seaboard.”

“Jesus, Dev!  That’s a little harsh,” Grant winced, shooting a shocked look toward his friend.

“No,” Nick denied.  “Devil pretty much nailed it.  They’re that horrible.  That’s one of the biggest reasons I had for avoiding them the last several years.  I mean, I knew I was gay back in college, but I never met someone that I could imagine a future with until I met Armando.  Finding him was like finding the missing piece of myself, you know?”

“Okay,” Devil muttered, “I do know, but you’re flirting perilously close to a chick conversation now…let’s dial it back a bit.”

Nick glared at his boss.  “God forbid we have a sensitive, meaningful conversation about our feelings.”

“Amen to that,” Devil grunted as their waitress returned to their table with another round of drinks.  Barely offering her a dismissive nod when she smiled flirtatiously at all of them before sashaying away, he growled, “Continue.”

“I guess after Armando and I got serious I never wanted to inflict my uptight family on him.  He’s already been through so much with his own relatives.  I mean, my God, they disowned him when he came out to them.  I’ve seen his face when he speaks about that time in his life.  I didn’t want to put him through it with me.  For God’s sake, my parents remember they have a son exactly twice a year:  when they send me a card with a check at Christmas and when my mother makes her obligatory phone call the week of my birthday.  I don’t know why the hell she’s calling early this year.  My birthday is still a little over two weeks away.  It was just bad luck that Mannie ever picked up that phone with her on the other end.”

“Or, maybe it was fate all along,” Grant suggested. 

“How so?” Nick questioned sharply.

“Christ, Nick, did you think you could hide your parents from Mannie forever or vice versa?  How the fuck did you plan to keep a 6’2” Latin man that favors the colors of fuchsia and turquoise in his wardrobe choices under wraps indefinitely? ” Devil asked drolly.  “This was bound to happen.  Christ, I’m not sure how it didn’t happen sooner.  Bottom line:  Armando assumes you were ashamed of him.  The idea that you were ashamed of your own family hasn’t crossed his mind.”

“No,” Nick denied, automatically shaking his head.  “I could never be ashamed of a man whose soul is as beautiful as Armando’s.  Not ever.”

“Those are pretty words, Nick, but I think you’re gonna need to back ‘em up with some fairly strong actions,” Devil retorted, focusing his icy blue eyes on his employee and friend.  “You didn’t see your fiancé last night, kid.  Mannie was crushed.  You weren’t in the house when I almost lost my Molly before our own wedding, but I gotta say, in ways it felt like déjà vu to me.  That look of agony.  The tears.  Your guy was convinced that it was him that you were embarrassed by.  He believes that you think he’s defective in some way and that’s why you hid him from your folks,” he added quietly, hating the look of intense pain that crossed Nick’s face.  He hated to see good people get crapped on.  And Nick and Mannie might be a pain in his ass, but they were good people, too. 

“Fuck, man.  I knew it was bad, but this shit is fucking tragic,” Grant whispered, averting his gaze from Nick and lowering it to stare at the scarred tabletop.

“What am I going to do?  Oh, God, how the hell am I going to fix this?” Nick whispered forlornly, his voice faint, but shaky as he stared into space.  “I can’t lose Armando.  No one has ever understood me the way he does.  Nobody has ever even tried.  He’s my lover, yeah, but that’s the least of what he is.  He’s also my best friend and biggest fan.  I can’t not have him in my life.  It would be like trying to live without my heart.  A person can’t exist without a heart, Devil.”

“Listen, I know it’s tough, but I sort of know what you’re going through here.  When I almost lost Molly just before we were married to a stupid, fucked up misunderstanding, I felt like all the oxygen had been sucked off the planet.  The scope of my world narrowed to one singular objective.  To get her back…. And that meant doing whatever I had to do to get her back in my arms where her ass belonged.  Everything that I thought ever meant anything at all to me lost all meaning.  Everything else in my world paled in comparison to what she meant to me.   There was no time to lose whimpering about how much I’d fucked up.  I knew how much I’d fucked up.  Crying about it was a waste of my valuable time.  No, the only thing I could focus on was doing whatever I had to do to get Molly back.”

“And…” Nick prompted, listening attentively to Devil’s words of wisdom.

“And he fuckin’ did,” Grant recalled.  “He took on those two angry women that are currently flanking your man.  He braved Armando’s temper, his Nana’s remarkable combative skills with a mixing spoon, our mom’s wrath, and my not inconsiderable skill with my fists.  It was a bad day for the Devil,” he continued to reminisce.  “But, at the end of it, he’d battled his way back to my sister’s side and refused to leave her until she forgave him.”

Holding out his arms, Devil grinned.  “And I’m still here.  Sexually frustrated, but present and fucking accounted for, my man.  You’re gonna get through this, too.”

“I wish I knew how,” Nick muttered, fiddling with his phone.  “Armando still won’t take my calls or respond to a single text begging him to just talk to me.”

“Then maybe it’s time to take the fight to him.  It’s not like we don’t know where he is,” Grant offered conversationally.  “We could always lock ‘em in the pool house together,” he suggested, looking toward Devil for approval.

“Not a good idea without a referee.  I’ve seen Mannie nearly eviscerate both the FedEx and UPS guys when they’re late with a package.  I don’t wanna think about what he’d do to Nick in a situation like this,” Devil returned.  “No, I’ve got a different idea.  And I hope you aren’t pissed, but I’ve kinda taken a few liberties on your behalf,” he informed Nick slowly.  “Don’t worry.  I’ve got a plan.”

“What did you do, Devil?” Nick asked nervously, his eyes anxious as they stared at his boss.  “Please, please, please, tell me that this so-called plan you’ve concocted is Molly approved.”

“I have every faith that she’d have approved if I’d shared it with her,” Devil returned easily.  Jeez, he’d managed to make Nick a fairly wealthy man in the past few years by doling out his advice to the younger man.  You’d think the bastard would be more trusting now.  Shrugging it off, Devil continued, “Sadly, I didn’t have an opportunity to consult with her.  All her time was consumed by your fiancé last night.”

“Oh, crap,” Nick whined, rubbing his temples.  “Does it look like I’m getting grey hair?” he asked Grant worriedly.  “It feels like it’s greying as we speak,” he confided, toying with the still dark hair at his temples.

“Now, don’t panic just yet,” Grant soothed calmly.   “I’ve known Devil almost my whole life and if I’m completely honest with you, his plans only go to shit about half the time,” he consoled, patting Nick on the back.

Eyes wide with alarm, Nick jerked in his seat.  “Tell me you’re joking,” he pleaded with Grant only to be met with amused laughter.  “He is joking, right?” he questioned Devil hastily.

“Nick, you’ve worked with me for several years.  You know I take calculated risks, but how many times have you seen one of those risks not pay off in the long run?”

Nick stared at the man responsible for bringing him into the business world and mentoring him.  “Never,” he answered softly.  “I’ve never seen you take a risk that didn’t ultimately reward the investor.”

“Well, I’m sure as hell not gonna start taking asinine chances now when I’ve got two of my friends’ happiness on the line.  Believe me, I know how high the stakes are.  If I make an error, I may never get Armando out of my house, man.  That’s clearly enough of a threat to make me assess the components of this deal very fuckin’ carefully.” Devil assured him.  Relieved when he noted Nick slowly relaxing, Devil leaned forward and braced his elbows against the table.  “You ready to hear the strategy I’ve developed for dealing with this clusterfuck?”

Taking a deep breath, Nick nodded.  “Okay.  You’re right.  I know you’d never do anything to make this worse.  I want Armando back and whatever it takes, I’m gonna make it happen.   What’s your plan?  Where do we start?”

“Oh, this plan is already in motion, my friend.  It’s been rolling since you stepped off our company jet this morning,” Devil explained, rubbing his hands together gleefully.  He was rather proud of himself.  He’d examined Nick’s plight from every angle and decided that there was only one route to take. 

Startled and beyond confused, Nick’s eyebrows furrowed as he leaned toward Devil.  “What do you mean?  Are you planning on hijacking Mannie and myself to a desert island until he listens to me?”

“You wish,” Grant grunted, rolling his eyes.

“Better,” Devil declared with a sly smirk.  “I’m flying your parents here so that Mannie can see, firsthand, why you tried to shield him from your dumbass family.  Once he sees what you were forced to live with, there’s no way in Hell that man stays angry.  Hell, you’ll be getting a sympathy bang before the clock strikes midnight!”

“Oh, my God,” Nick gasped, clutching his chest as he began to hyperventilate.  “You didn’t!” he wheezed as Grant shoved his head between his knees and demanded him to breathe.

“I most certainly did.  The plane from Boston will land at approximately seven this evening and the limo will deliver them to a very nice hotel.  In the morning, we’ll all meet and you can work this shit out.  That still gives us a firm six days to fix this shit,” Devil declared, unfazed by the quasi coronary his vice-president of mergers and acquisitions appeared to be having.  “By God, enough is enough.  Desperate times and desperate measures and all that other poetic bullshit.  The end justifies the means, dammit.  C’mon, Nick.  Think of this as a business maneuver.  What’s the first rule I taught you in a hostile takeover, son?”

“A-always use the home field advantage if you can get it,” Nick rasped as Grant fanned him with a menu.

Snapping his fingers, Devil grinned and nodded.  “That’s right.  You’re gonna take on those two idiots that claim to be your parents with the family you’ve made surrounding you, supporting you.  You’re gonna tell ‘em that you’re a young, successful gay man in love with the man of your dreams and you’re gonna marry him with or without their fuckin’ approval.  Stand up to them, Nick, and let Armando watch you do it.  Believe me, he might not wanna listen to you now, but he’ll for damn sure listen to THAT.”

“Besides, if those assholes you’re unfortunately related to continue to make a fuss, we’re gonna turn Samantha and my Nana loose on their sorry asses.  Those women have crapped bigger nuisances than your parents,” Devil noted with a careless shrug.  “Face it, Nick.  You’ve got people in your life now that love you.  Unconditionally.  You just have to let us do it.”

Wiping his sweating forehead with the back of his hand, Nick lifted his pale face to look at Devil.  “I don’t want their poison infecting the people in my life that matter.  You’ve met them, Dev.  They’re bullies.  They’ll bulldoze right over…”

Holding up a hand, Nick shook his head.  “You know how you stop a bully, Nick?”  Seeing the other man shake his head, Devil grinned.  “You find a bigger bully to take them on.”  Crossing his arms over his chest, Dev leaned back in his chair.  “Lucky for you, you’ve got one in your corner that happens to be severely pissed.  Seriously, I will kill these people before I let them ruin this wedding.  Do you know how much the flowers alone cost?” he asked with a shudder.  “It’s obscene.  But, it’s what Molly wants to give you.  And I always try to give my Molly what she wants when she wants it.  Happy wife, happy life and all that crap.  These idiots are not gonna rob my wife – who has put her heart and soul into this ceremony - of your perfect day.”

Grant chuckled as Nick merely nodded solemnly.

Still laughing Grant shook his head.  “Awww, Devil, if people only knew what a big ole softie you were….”

“….I’d have to hire a hit man to get rid of them,” Devil growled, glaring at the two men sitting at the table. “Now,” he said, peeling his credit card from his wallet and waving it in the air for the waitress to collect, “we’re gonna pay the tab and take you back to my place to see your intended, Nick.  I’ve got six days to restore peace, love and harmony to my universe and by all I hold holy, I’m gonna do it if it’s the last thing I ever accomplish!”