"Mary?" John said that evening. They were sitting on the floor having just watched a very romantic movie, her glass of wine almost empty, his virtually untouched. He was nervous. His hand kept straying toward the pillow where he had hidden the engagement ring that he had bought her. She tried not to smile too much. She wasn't supposed to know. This was the second time that he had almost asked her to marry him, and she was determined not to say anything that would make him hesitate this time.

"Mary."

"Yes, John."

"We've haven't known each other that long, but I feel as if we really understand each other... as if we have a bond."

"Yes, John, we do."

"And I've been meaning to ask you something for some time."

"Yes, John?"

"I wonder, Mary. I mean... Would you ... um... Would you consider, that is... would you do me the pleasure of ...having dinner with me this Saturday night?"

"What! Dinner?"

"Yes, um. There's this restaurant that I've been wanting to go to. Very fancy. Black tie and all that. I'd like to take you there, if you don't mind."

"Dinner? Why yes of course, John. I'd love to go out to dinner with you."

"Good. Well. Then I'll be off to bed then if you don't mind. Early day tomorrow." He looked at the pillow on the couch. "And I think I might need another pillow for my back. It's been giving me some problems lately."

He reached over and picked up the pillow hiding the ring box behind it as he cluched them both to his chest and backed toward the bedroom. Mary rolled her eyes and downed the rest of her wine before drinking his as well. She had thought that this would be easy, but John was about as comfortable with intimacy as a tomcat.

She gave him plenty of time to hide the ring before she went to bed. They went to the surgery together the next morning, but she left work early. Supposedly, it was for an accupressure appointment, but actually, she was working on her newest conquest, a woman by the name of Janine.

She had found out through extensive, expensive research that C.A.M. was the most notorious blackmailer in all of Europe. He was, in fact, the media mogul Charles Augustus Magnussen himself. He was rich enough that he did not need to blackmail people to maintain his fortune anymore, but he continued to do it, because he enjoyed watching people suffer so much. He was a nasty piece of work, but he was heavily guarded, and there were almost no holes in the security screen that he surrounded himself with... Almost.

His secretary, Janine, was a pretty, opportunistic, Irish girl who was an amazing typist and receptionist, and had the kind of personality that allowed her to take the constant emotional abuse of her boss and still have a smile on her face when she came into work the next day. She had been Magnussen's assistant for six months. A bit of a record if the rumors were true, and Mary was resolved to meet her. No, she wasn't going to just meet her. She was resolved to make her her new best friend!

Mary looked at the snapshot on her phone and then glanced up at the woman coming out of the shoe store. Yes, that was her. She rushed forward and stood right behind her on the escalator. She pushed past the woman as she got to the top dropping her beaded bracelet as she passed. She didn't look back, watching through her peripheral vision as Janine bent down and picked it up. She reached out a hand as if to call out to Mary, and then shrugged and put the bracelet onto her own wrist.

"The thieving bitch!" Mary thought.

Luckily, she had a plan B. She knew Janine's schedule, having followed her before, and so she walked into the gym choosing the machine right next to hers to do her walking. When she noticed Janine slowing her pace, she stopped hers and stepped off.

"The things that we do to get a man. It's ridiculous isn't it," Mary said.

'Hmm? Janine replied taking off her headphones."

"I said that it's funny what we will do to get a man or keep one. Like running in place for half an hour."

"It wasn't that long. I think you were only running for about fifteen minutes," Janine said pointing at the display.

"Really, maybe I should use a timer. but I got in late. I lost my bracelet and went back to look for it." She waited a second to give Janine a moment to recognize her and return the bracelet. When nothing happened she reached out her hand and smiled. "I'm Mary, Mary Morstan."

"Janine."

"Nice to meet you, Janine. Do you come here often? This is my first time."

"I come here from time to time. Is that why you are here today, looking for a man? There are better places to look than a woman's gym."

"No, not looking. Got one, actually. I'm expecting a proposal any day."

"A proposal? Really? That sounds very... old fashioned? Sorry, I mean... it's wonderful that you've found someone. I'm looking, but I haven't found a man who can take my schedule."

"Oh, what kind of job do you do?"

"Office work mostly. What do you do?"

"I'm a nurse."

"Oh," she said picking up her towel and wiping her face. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Mary."

She walked off toward the showers and Mary frowned. She didn't like Janine very much, but she needed to make Janine like her. She thumbed her fingers across her knee for a second and went into the dressing room after her.

She jumped into the shower and washed her hair making sure to come out before Janine did. Janine glanced at her and pulled her towel a bit tighter. She was probably wondering if the boyfriend thing was an excuse to make a pass at her. Not wanting to get off on the wrong foot, Mary left the dressing room without another glance once she was dressed. She left the gym and walked toward the elevator, only to notice Janine come up behind her.

"Mary, I was just thinking. Maybe your man might know some other ones that he can introduce me too. Can't trust computer dating. Too easy to manipulate the answers, if you know what I mean." She laughed, "I see that you don't. Bit of a joke between me and an...employer. Anyway, I think that it wouldn't do any harm to have a girlfriend or two."

Mary smiled, "That sounds lovely, let me take you out to lunch. Do you have anywhere that you'd like to go."

"I'll certainly think up someplace nice if you're paying."

Mary laughed and Janine laughed too. They were smiling at each other as the mirrored doors shut.

Mary's smile was false, and she suspected that Janine's was too, but she was beginning to get the measure of the girl. Janine was an opportunist. People to her were simply tools to get the things that she wanted in life. She could take Magnussen's abuse because she really didn't care what he said or did as long as she got paid enough. She was the kind of girl who would take whatever you would to give her, and never give back. Such a girl could be manipulated, because she would always do what she had to do to keep in ones good graces. She would stay with a person as long as they had something that she wanted. She would use them as long as they had something to give her, and sweet Mary Morstan always had a lot to give.