“Ivan, stop fighting it and go along with the flow,” she told him. “Anyways, I have two new friends from out of town who want to go shopping at the Fashion Valley Mall. But I have meetings to make tonight. So I was wondering if you could be a great guy and hang out with them there for a couple of hours before the mall closes.”

Ivan looked down at his Seiko watch. It was already after seven. He said, “The mall will be closing by the time we even make it over there. Where are they now?”

“They are already on their way,” Lucina informed him. “They should be there in no more than twenty minutes. And since you already live in that area, I told them they could wait for you inside the car.”

Ivan didn’t see any problems with it. He figured he could finally scope out a few of Lucina’s girls to see what they were all about. Were they down-to-earth girls who simply needed an experienced big sister type for guidance? Or were they fast and flirty, with their own ideas about life and business? He was also curious to see how they would respond to his low haircut. So, for his own research purposes, he agreed to it.

“All right, I’ll babysit your girls tonight,” he joked.

Lucina corrected him. “No, they’re not my girls. They’re just some new friends. And I want to see how they are.”

Ivan paused. “You want to see how they are?”

“Yes. I want to see how they treat you. I told them both that you were a very sweet and important man. And I want to see if they take advantage of that.”

Ivan was confused. He made it back to his car and said, “You didn’t tell them that I was your partner?”

“No, I just told them you were a good friend,” Lucina answered. “But if they treat you with respect, and you still like them, I will tell them that you are my partner later. So will you do that for me?”

Ivan didn’t know what to say. He wanted to slow things down and ask her more questions. But he figured it was best to gather his own information by going through with it.

“All right, all right,” he barked to her. “I’m heading over there now. And I’ll tell you how they are once I send them home. But if they’re your friends, then you should already know how they are.”

“Yes, but they are new friends. And women can always change to show their true colors around wealthy men.”

“Oh, so you told them that I’m wealthy, too, now?”

“Why of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

I better not let them see my car, then, Ivan told himself with a grin. His modest Nissan Altima was not a wealthy man’s car.