Larry Denville, arriving for dinner with a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates, dropped them to the ground and snapped a picture with a pencil-like camera from his shirt pocket.

“You print that picture, you son of a bitch, and I’ll lock you up and throw away the key. Get this damn dog off my ear before he rips it off,” Boomer roared.

“Look what your dog did to my dress! My neck is bleeding. Bloodstains. Kiss my ass, you…you…you cop! You’re supposed to be a cop, get him off yourself. Atlas, come.”

“Can I quote you guys?” Denville shouted.

“Hell yes,” Cady shrieked. She turned around, her dress hanging in strips. She felt pleased to see blood dripping down Boomer’s neck.”

“Nice underwear,” Boomer said.

Something snapped in Cady. She ripped and gouged at her tattered dress until she was standing in her gossamer thin underwear. “There,” she shrieked again, “take a good look.” Her head high, she swiveled around. “Obviously we are not going to dinner. Nor are we ever going to dinner. Take that ill-mannered dog of yours and leave these premises. Now!”

Inside the house by the front window, the three oldsters crowed their delight. “She told him to kiss her ass!” Anthony said, his eyes wide with shock. “You used to say that all the time, Lola.”

“She disrobed,” Mandy said, her eyes wide with horror!

“That’s my girl!” Lola cackled. “Oh, oh, here she comes. Pretend we were just walking by. We don’t want her to think we were spying.”

Inside the house, Cady stared at the trio before she cupped her breasts in her hands to give them a boost upward. Breathing hard, she said, “I should have kicked his ass all the way down the steps. I could have done it, too. I want to send him a bill for the dress. I loved that dress. Atlas and I will be joining you for dinner after all. Mr. Denville is standing on the porch. He took pictures!”

“I can’t tell you how impressed I am,” Lola said, smacking her hands together.

“I’m pissed now,” Cady said, stomping her way to the elevator. “If that…that bully calls to apologize, tell him I left the country.”

The doorbell rang. Anthony opened the door.

Cady’s torn dress under his arm, the flowers and candy in his hands, Denville entered the foyer. “This is all so dramatic. I can fill up tomorrow’s paper just from everything that happened today.”

“Come in, you sweet thing,” Lola said. “Dinner isn’t quite ready yet, so let’s adjourn to the solarium and have a drink. We need to talk about what you’re going to write for tomorrow’s edition.”

“I didn’t think Cady was such a spitfire,” Denville said as he allowed himself to be herded along.

“What the hell happened back there, buddy? You just up and blew my evening for me,” Boomer said, barreling down the road in search of a fast-food haven where he could park and lick his wounds. The big dog sitting next to him on the passenger side of his Rover stared at him with contrite eyes. “I should swat your ass for that little stunt. I should also take you home and leave you there. Better yet, I’m taking your doll baby away for a whole week. You got that, a whole week. You destroyed the girl’s dress. I’m going to have to pay for that. On top of that, she told me to kiss her ass. This is not a good way to start winning friends and influencing people. How in the damn hell could French perfume offend you?”