“Yes, please.”
“Here you go.” Nadja handed Emily a second Dorito, which vanished just as quickly as the first. “Anyway, suffice it to say that Damien is changed and Bankes had it coming. I understand that it’s a cutthroat industry, but that’s no excuse for being a jerk.”
Emily licked the orange powder off her fingers. She looked at Nadja imploringly, but Nadja’s attention was focused on the screen of Matthew’s tablet. This time they watched Bankes dive under the desk, where he was bombarded by chunky penis confetti.
“It just goes to show that if you act like a total dick, justice’ll rear its glittery head.” Nadja took a few more Doritos, affording one to Emily before giving the bag to Matthew. Matthew took it automatically, glad that those gross ginger lozenges seemed to be doing their job. For once, he didn’t feel like puking. “Has he texted you since the video went live?”
“Nope.” Matthew checked his phone again just to be sure. There were no new notifications. “There is a Phase Two to the plan, though. It could be holding him up. Did he tell you about it?”
“Oh yeah.” Nadja grinned and eyed Matthew like there was something more she wanted to say. “It’s all good. He can take as long as he needs to get that bad boy accomplished. We agreed that my only priority once the project was underway would be to kick back and relax, so it’s not like I’m burning daylight.”
Nadja finished her handful of Doritos, then stretched her arms over her head and made a show of cracking her wrists. The sleeves of her beige boho floral print cardigan tumbled down her arms, revealing an expanse of bronzed skin. She yawned loudly, then sank into the couch. Emily did the same. “Wanna watch the video again?”
They never got a chance.
The front door opened. Damien, windswept from his trip back home, stepped inside. “Phase Two accomplished. The Band-Aid’s been ripped off… I’m free.”
“Damien!” Matthew thrust the tablet and the Doritos at Nadja—who grumbled but accepted them—then vaulted off the couch. He locked his arms around Damien’s neck and kissed him hard. When Matthew’s lungs demanded they part, he sucked in a breath and beamed at Damien, lovestruck and incredibly proud. “You did it!”
“Eff yeah, I did.” Damien wrapped his arms around Matthew’s waist and rocked him back and forth. The empty look in his eyes that he always struggled to shake after coming back from work was notedly absent—the Damien in his arms was the same cocky, troublemaking, and outrageously charismatic man he’d fallen for in Fiji. “Well, almost all of it, at least.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a Phase Three I’ve yet to achieve.”
Matthew narrowed his eyes. “We didn’t discuss a Phase Three. This was a two-part plan.”
“Nope. Sorry.” Damien’s casually cocky smirk turned into a genuine smile. “When you’re having a day as good as mine, you turn that shit into a trilogy. Sorry, Emimi.”
“Bad Mimi,” Emily chided. “You gotta put a dollar in the bad word jar.”
“I promise I will, but in a second. I’ve got something way more important to do first.” With that said, Damien took a small step back, putting some distance between himself and Matthew. His gentle smile persisted. “Phase One gave me revenge. Phase Two gave me liberty. But Phase Three? It’s the most important to me of all, because it’ll give me the future I’ve always dreamed of—a future involving you.”
“Me?” Pleasure, thick and indulgent, brought color to Matthew’s cheeks and tightened his chest in anticipation. When Damien had approached him about quitting his job, he hadn’t mentioned anything like this.
“Of course. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be in there licking Whitcroft’s shoes and cursing Bankes’ name while shouldering his abuse. You’ve changed my life for the better.” Damien’s smile grew. “Baby boy, I want to be better for you. I want to be a better man, a better partner, and a better dad. I can’t think of a truer way to make sure that happens than to become your husband.” Damien dropped to one knee. From his back pocket he produced a few glittering pieces of penis confetti and a simple ring. Its exterior was made of matte gray tungsten interrupted by a single thin band of recessed gold about a third of the way from the bottom of the ring. The interior was gilded and polished to a shine. It was elegant and understated, yet breathtakingly beautiful.
And Damien was giving it to him.
“Matthew Gwynn,” Damien said, hope and fear and endless adoration in his eyes, “will you marry me?”
“YES!” Emily shrieked as she flew off the couch and rushed to Damien’s side. “YES YES YES!”
“Whoa, homegirl, calm your thirst. It isn’t a first come, first served deal.” Nadja followed her to Damien’s side and scooped her up despite Emily’s protestations. “You’ve gotta let your Daddy decide what’s best for both of you.”
Decide? Matthew’s smile wobbled. Tears prickled behind his eyes and laughter compressed his lungs. It wasn’t much of a decision at all. The answer had lived in his heart since the first time he’d seen Damien look at him.
The want. The hunger. The need.
Damien had brought him back to life.
“Yes,” Matthew said. Laughter crept into his voice, then kept coming. He brushed tears from his eyes with the back of his hand and smiled until it felt like his jaw might fall off. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Damien slid the ring onto Matthew’s finger, prompting Emily to cheer.
“I love you.” Damien brought Matthew’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. His eyes were closed and his head was bowed. “I swear I’ll always take care of you.”
“I know you will.” Matthew ran his fingers through Damien’s hair, then cupped his cheek and guided his head into an upward position. Damien opened his eyes, and in them, Matthew saw not a beast, but a creature whose needs had finally been sated. The bars of its cage had been dismantled. What had been captive was now free.
