Maggie spoke up for the first time. “Mr. Moss never did respond to my voice mail. How rude to blow me off like that.” The others laughingly agreed that it was indeed rude on Moss’s part to blow off and tick off Maggie at the same time. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Moss would pay for that big-time.

The remaining hours and minutes ticked by until the clock on the dining-room buffet indicated that it was already four-thirty.

“Time’s up. I want each of you to check yourself in that mirror in the corner, the lighting is just perfect. Tell me if you approve or if you want anything extra done,” Alexis said, her hands on her hips as she surveyed her handiwork. She grinned at the ooohs and aaahs.

“We look like models!” Annie laughed in delight. “I love it that you were able to fill in all my wrinkles and cover up those ugly brown spots. Just love, love, love it.”

Myra seconded Annie’s glowing testimonial. “We certainly do,” Myra said, patting at an errant curl by her ear.

“Hollywood, eat your heart out,” Nikki said, peering at herself in the mirror, where nary a blemish could be seen. She quickly put on a pair of diamond-teardrop earrings that could have fed a third-world country for a year. When she was done admiring herself, she clasped a diamond choker around her neck and swooned. “This stuff is insured, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely it is,” Myra said.

There was a mad scramble as the girls dove into the pile of jewelry.

“Time to get dressed, girls. I still have to make myself up and check on Amalie. Someone tell the boys to get dressed. We’ll all meet up in the kitchen. Hurry, girls!” Alexis chortled happily. She did love it when things worked out so perfectly.

“We look like a bunch of penguins,” Ted announced as he walked around checking everyone out. “Pretty spiffy if I do say so myself. Just out of curiosity, when was the last time any of you guys looked like this?”

Harry barked, “NEVER. And you won’t see it again anytime soon.”

When Harry spoke, the others realized that their own comments or opinions didn’t matter. The room went silent until they heard Annie shout from the hallway, “Everyone stand back, here we come.”

And in they came sparkling, glittering, and shimmering, with enough jewels, beads, and glitter to light up a room. One by one, the girls sashayed around the massive kitchen, showing a generous amount of leg, skin, and cleavage. And they smelled as good as they looked. To say the men were dumbstruck would be putting it mildly.