Winona sipped the Manhattan Felicity had made her and wondered for the umteenth time at the wisdom her often malaligned friend spoke. They'd called her brazen, clamorous, and loud. And never in a good way. But deep down, Winona knew her friend was the wiser of the two and not the other way around as so many assumed.

"Men believe what they hear, when it is what they want to hear and they don't believe it when it isn't. It's that simple," Felicity had said.

Thought of as opposites, the two women could not be more alike than two peas in a pod. Both were strong and successful–influencers with excellent social media presence.

They both did well in  real estate, buying at the nadir of the market and securing condos with spectacular views in the high places of the city.

And they could both throw a damn good dinner party. Neither were unfamiliar with popularity.

But both were burnt out after too many years working in fields where all they did was cater to naive fools and pompous assholes. 

"The reality is," said Felicity. "There aren't any men left with two brain cells left to rub together. Have you seen the state of the world? We should have intervened at the start but we let the patriarchy get out of control. And now we are fucked. We are all fucked."

Felicity tossed back her drink and picked up the bottle of bourbon and the cocktail shaker. She gave Winona a quizzical look and Winona nodded in the affirmative. If the world was going to hell in a handbasket, the better part of wisdom told her to drink while she went down with the ship.

Felicity busied herself mixing two more Manhattans.

"You gave it a good go," said Felicity. "And I really didn't mind playing the role of the bad guy. Men are just so black and white. You have to dumb any lesson down to make it stick."

"And I knew the fear thing was only a mind control tactic," said Winona holding her head in her hands. She straightened herself again and squared her shoulders. "But you have to admit it still works for a lot of them."

"Of course," agreed Felicity, "I agree completely." She added two Luxardo maraschino cherries to their drinks. Felicity was nothing if not classy, despite her disastrous reputation.

"And of course the meat usually sold them at dinner too," added Winona, savoring the heat of the bourbon and buzz it provided. 

"Everyone," said Felicity in a sensual tone, "loves meat. Even vegans like me. It's natural." 

Winona felt her heart skip a beat.

"You really can mix a cocktail the devil would die for," said Winona, returning her attention to her drink. 

"How do you know he hasn't already succumbed?" replied Felicity with a playful grin.

A long pregnant pause ensued. Felicity closed the distance between them. She swept her fingers through Winona's hair. Winona shivered with pleasure.

"I think we're alone now," sang Felicity in a whisper gently tilting Winona's chin up, "there doesn't seem to be anyone around." 

"Tiffany, 1987," said Winona hiccuping and snorting out a laugh. Then she became serious. "Felicity, I've been the fool, you're the wise woman." 

Felicity held her finger over Winona's lips to silence her confession. 

"We were both just pawns in someone else's game," she said. "Let's stick together from now on." 

Then she pressed her lips against Winona's.