She put the pill on the side of the sink. There was a jar of crystals as decoration, and Jade picked out the green ones, knowing it was Gabriella’s favorite color. She placed them in the shape of a heart around the pill, making it stand out. All finished she opened the door again to let Gabriella in.
After sending the texts to Dylan, Damien slipped effortlessly through the throng of inebriated individuals towards the direction of the bathroom. Out of office, Damien retained his authoritarian image, compelling people to get out of his way. In contrast, others stood in awe of the sumptuous grandeur of what was Mr. Wolfe casually walking by. He was aware that they were watching him, and he desired that they do so. He wasn't an attention seeker, yet he exuded the kind of assurance that goes unnoticed. Damien worked hard to have his name plastered on billboards all around New York City. He was in charge of the room, and he looked fantastic doing it.
When he turned into the corridor, he wasn't shocked to find many individuals waiting in line for the toilet, whether they needed to use it or whether they planned to snort lines privately. Damien was a little irritated by the latter's notion since it reminded of his mother who died of an overdose when he was just four years old. He didn't recall much of what happened that night since his thinking process was still forming. Damien did, however, recall the neglect he felt days before they were found, as well as cops taking him away from the terrible sight. So, knowing that some of them were just there to take heavy drugs, he was not happy. Damien was well aware of how it typically ended; he was also aware of how it could destroy someone. Similarly, because Damien was the source provider, it started to ruin him, but business is business. Nothing mattered as long as Damien remained in power.
He was ready to turn around to avoid standing in line when he spotted a familiar face in the crowd. It was Gabriella Montez, his wife's close friend and the woman he was having an affair with. He watched her from afar, awestruck by the sensuous way her clothing embraced each curve of her flawless figure. There was no denying she was incredibly sexy; Damien was drawn to her like a mosquito to a flame, but he didn't mind the burn.
Having her in his company was risky since Dylan was unaware of their sexual connection. He was free to kiss and fuck whoever he pleased, but with Gabriella, things were different, and he didn't want Dylan to know he had feelings for her best friend. Thus, he was prepared to take the risk when he started approaching her. “Ms. Gabriella Montez,” he greeted her, the sound of her name lingering on his tongue with delight, “you look good as always.” She seemed to be more than attractive, as shown by the provocative grin that stretched over his face, the same smile that had brought them together in the first place. He leaned towards her ear, placing his palm on the wall next to her head, and said, "Really good."
This is the part when they would simultaneously pull each other's clothing off; she would reiterate that it was a terrible idea, but they would go ahead and do it anyway. He moved his head away from hers and examined her from the side, paying special attention to her cleavage. He was about to continue speaking when the restroom door opened in front of them, prompting Damien to pull away slightly from Gabriella. He stood there watching as Jade Davies, the troublemaker, walked out, holding the door open.
The expression on her face told Damien she was up to something, and having grown up with Jade, he knew nothing good could come of it. “Ah, there she is,” he said sarcastically, “still getting into trouble I see.” It wasn't a question. He was well aware that certain things never changed, and this was true for Jade. Damien grew up in Brooklyn alongside her and her brother, Julian, when he was in foster care. He attempted to keep her from bad habits, but she was just as obstinate as he was. Finally, seeing her after all these years gave Damien faith that she was in a better place.
Standing now in between Jade and Damien, there was little time for Gabriella to process her situation. Damien had swooped in while she was still recovering from the wake of Jade’s presence, his voice snapping her back to reality. Where Jade had left Gabriella feeling cold and hollow, Damien’s devilish smile and familiar expression was enough to fill her with fire. She had every intention of indulging him, admittedly because she wanted Jade to see Gabriella had other much more powerful people looking out for her now. Before Gabriella could step in towards him the door opened again, prompting Damien to move back.
As Jade opened the door she saw a familiar face. She got a big smile on her face as if she hadn’t seen him in years. “Damien! My Brooklyn brother!”
She stepped past Gabriella giving him a quick hug with her arms around his neck. As she let go she stepped back a bit and put her hand on his wrist. “How have you been? Looking mischievously into his eyes, she paid no attention to Gabriella.
Gabriella looked down to Jade’s hand over Damien’s wrist. She wasn’t sure why but it made her ill at ease. There was a part of Gabriella that would never be able to stop herself from over analyzing every little thing Jade said or did. She did it for so long it was innate even after having avoided her for over a year.
“I’ll let you two catch up.” Gabriella said as she went into the bathroom, only glancing over Jade to give Damien a look implying she hoped to see him the next time she opened the door - alone.
Gabriella had been so distracted by Damien's sudden appearance she almost forgot why she had been angry in the first place. He had that effect on her. In truth she was addicted; to the thrill, to the sex, to him. It was the same thing with Jade. Before she thought it was just the drugs but it was more than that. The danger of never knowing what comes next was exhilarating . . . until it wasn't.
Staring up at her were little green things arranged in the shape of a heart around a single pill. Gabriella's initial instinct was to flush them but every time she tried to reach for them she froze. She didn't trust herself to let go of it. It wasn't that she wanted to do drugs, it's just that it was difficult to just get rid of them. Once they were gone they were gone - but if she could hold onto them then she could just know where they were.
Something in this scenario surfaced a memory from the recesses of her mind. It was common with her recovery to have random things trigger memories from when she was using. It had been during one of her relapses, trying to play off that she was sober to Evie. She became paranoid they might search her for drugs she had hidden them. Thinking about it now she never came back for them, she wondered if they were in the same spot . . .
Jade had given Gabriella a side glance when the latter turned into the bathroom. She didn’t know what was going on between her and Damien, but she didn’t need Damien to mess up her plan. She thought her ex might be more inclined to take the pill if she could hear Jade having a great time with Damien. Anything and everything to work on her nerves, to have her need that relaxation only one of those pills could give her.
Damien was taken aback in the hallway outside the restroom when Jade rushed into his arms for an embrace. He let his hands hang at his sides, unsure what to do with them, before eventually hugging her back. When she referred to him as a "Brooklyn brother," he grinned to himself, recalling the wonderful times he had with her and Julian before he went upstate.
Damien's lips curled into a grin when Jade drew away from him and smiled. He'd always had a soft spot for Jade, even as children, but it was never romantic. He treated her as though she were the little sister he never had and protected her accordingly. Damien even sends money to her bank account anonymously to assist her in paying for her medical school education.
Damien was so absorbed in Jade's presence that he missed Gabriella entering the bathroom. “I'm doing well,” he said, “I took over my father's business after graduating from Harvard... you remember? Wolfe Enterprises on Wall Street? You should come by someday. I'd be happy to give you a tour.”
Jade smiled broadly at his suggestion. “Oh my, you’re going to be sorry for that offer. You know I still don’t let any chances get by me.” she added a subtle wink.
“You ever go back to the old neighborhood? They will be surprised the scruffy kid turned out like this.”
She thought back on their run ins as kids. Damian had been at their house a few times. And although Julian could do no good for her mom, Damian could do no wrong. He had this kind of charm about him. Jade pulled her phone from her pocket. “Give me your number, so I can give you a call when I come by. I’ll bring you a coffee, promise.” She unlocked it and put it in his hands to put his number in.
“I really hadn’t expected to see you here. Isn’t this party a bit minor for Mr. Big shot?” She laughed as she said it. Not cause it was funny, but because she was sure Gabriella would be able to hear it.
The sound of Jade's laughter broke Gabriella's train of thought. She should have called her sponsor but she was weakened. Gabriella scooped the pill up, slipping them into a secret inner pocket of her jacket. She made sure to flush in case Jade was listening so that she could cast some idea of doubt that she kept the pill. Funny that she had come to the bathroom to try to escape Jade, just to be cornered and slipped drugs and virtually trapped with the two drug dealers she's fucked standing outside the door. Gabriella leaned against the door listening intently to see if Jade was still out there.
Jade heard the flush inside the bathroom. Of course that didn’t say anything. Gabriella had been there to specifically go to the bathroom, but somehow Jade had the idea her plan worked. She took her phone back from Damian.
“Well, I’m sure I haven’t seen all of the ol’ gang just yet. Will you excuse me?!”
She looked up at him with big eyes, just like she had done so many times when they were still kids and she leaned up to kiss his cheek. Letting him go she walked to the end of the hallway before turning around. “Oh, Damien? Don’t forget to say hi to Ju, I’m sure he’s looking forward to seeing you.”