For more than a decade, the Goldcorp Group had been in charge of his life. He’d missed holidays with his family, important birthdays, and once, regrettably, a funeral. The demand on his time had once been worth the money, but there were other, saner ways to make a dollar—ones that would let him care for his family. He was smart, well-connected, and resourceful. No matter what, he would make this work.
While he waited for the elevator doors to open, security caught up with him. Both men, beefcake specials with a side of sinew, flanked him from either side, but didn’t otherwise touch him.
“Hello, gentlemen.” Damien gestured at the elevator. “Going down?”
Like everyone who worked for the Goldcorp Group, neither of them cracked a smile. With spider-Whitcroft glaring at them from down the hall, they were probably afraid to, but Damien wasn’t beholden to the fun police anymore.
He was free.
A laugh bubbled up from a place he’d had to cork years ago. He let it fill him until he thought it would burst, then let go of it loudly. It echoed down the halls.
The elevator doors opened. Damien stepped in before security could jostle him, hit the button for the foyer, and leaned against the polished chrome railing, grinning as widely as he had in Fiji before shit had gone south. His personal security team followed him in, and soon enough, the cabin descended. When the elevator doors opened again, Damien sprang forth followed by his burly entourage and left behind the only life he’d ever known, confident that better things were waiting in his future. He left the Goldcorp Group building for the last time without a single regret.
Phase II was complete.
Phase III was set to begin.
44
Matthew
Nadja—the real Nadja—giggle-snorted and kicked her feet excitedly, toes curled in pleasure. Emily, who sat next to her on the couch, mimicked what she did.
“Oh my god,oh my god,go back to the part where Bankes falls out of his chair again. It’s giving melife!”
Matthew rewound the footage and played that part again. Bankes, already startled from the glitter onslaught that had erupted from his desk drawers, flailed and pushed out of his chair, seeking safety on the floor.
Nadja laughed so hard she cried.
“I can’t. Oh, I can’t.” She tented her legs, positioned her feet on the edge of the couch, and rested her forehead onto her knees. Her long brown hair fell forward like drapes, blocking her face from view. “Bigg D is literally the hero that none of us deserve. I can’t believe he saw it through. I’mdying.This is the best thing that’s ever happened.Ever.This man is about to win the internet. I’m talking sliced bread is jealous level of fame.” Nadja picked her head up and grinned at Matthew. “Can you play it for me again?”
“Again!” Emily insisted.
“Homegirl over here knows what’s up.” Nadja winked. “Hook us up with the good stuff, babe. I could watch this all day and not get bored.”
Nadja wasn’t the only one. Ever since Damien had announced that Phase I was underway, Matthew had been glued to the screen. When the video connection had been established, he’d audibly gasped. It had been torture watching Damien place and load each of the glitter bombs, knowing that there’d still be a wait before the show began. Luckily for him, Nadja had shown up at the condo not long after the video had gone live for a viewing party. It was easier to wait when there was someone else to share the excitement with, even if that someone was a relative stranger.
Not that Matthew hadn’t met Nadja before—it was just the first time she’d stuck around for longer than fifteen minutes.
Once a week on Tuesdays, Nadja delivered groceries and other odds and ends that Damien requested. On Thursdays she picked up his dry cleaning, and Fridays she brought it back. A time or two, when Matthew had been particularly miserable from morning sickness, she’d come over to deliver vanilla ice cream or the gross ginger lozenges Damien kept insisting were good for him, but she’d always been in and out, flighty like a hummingbird jacked up on caffeine.
Today was different.
With Operation: FUCK YOU in full force, Nadja had swung by the condo to watch the events unravel in real time. She’d even brought along a bag of Doritos, which had secured her a position as Emily’s new best friend.
Upon her request, Matthew dutifully rewound the video to within seconds of the first glitter explosion. Even though it had happened almost an hour ago, excitement buzzed in the air. Nadja and Emily hunkered down on the couch, their eyes glued to the screen as Bankes succumbed, yet again, to sparkling devastation.
“Suck it, Bankes!” Nadja cackled as Bankes dove out of his chair. “God, it’s so satisfying to watch. It’s like when you brush all the sequins on those sequin pillows in one direction, or when you finally get around to deleting all those emails clogging your inbox. I’m glad Damien finally gave that ah—” Nadja cut herself short, “—jerkthe payback he deserves. It’s about time. You’re good for him, loverboy. He’s finally standing up for himself.”
She winked at Matthew, every bit as charismatic as Damien. It was easy to see how they’d fallen into a working relationship together—they fed off the same vibrant energy.
“I didn’t do anything,” Matthew argued.
Nadja rolled her eyes. “Uh, yeah. You keep telling yourself that. I’ll just be over here watching the Bigg D himself glitter bomb the heck out of the man who’s been harassing him for years.”
Smiling to himself, Matthew rewound the video. He’d been of the opinion that Damien was the one who’d been good for him and not the other way around, but hearing that Damien had changed from someone who knew him as well as Nadja made Matthew feel like maybe their relationship wasn’t all one-way. His Daddy had given him the freedom and the love he needed to feel like a person again, and Matthew had given him the courage to improve his life.
“Oh, oh,oh!Here it comes! The look on his face when the drawers burst open gets me right in the giggledick.” Nadja leaned forward, her hazel eyes glued to the screen, then cheered when the first glitter clouds appeared. Emily cheered, too. “Whew, all this excitement is wearing me out. My abs are starting to get sore.” Nadja plucked the bag of Doritos from where it sat on the coffee table and opened it. She handed the first chip to Emily, who stuffed it into her mouth like a chipmunk, then snacked on the second. When she spoke, she did so around a mouthful of crunchy tortilla. “I’m gonna be playing this video at all kinds of events. My wedding, the birth of my children, my funeral… You wanna ’nother Dorito, Emimi?”
