Joseph put an arm around Kaede’s and Marco’s shoulders and pulled them into a hug, huddle, “guys, I need your teamwork and coordination. I don’t want any dark glares, gritted teeth, or kissing teeth. It’s fun to work here, and I want people to read that on your faces. You represent not only the Da Stuff management team, but you’re an example of behavior excellence. Attitude and style, you are this the brand’s window. I’m counting on you. These people want to dream; let’s give them that contemporary urban glamour-chic oasis. Our job is to make their mirage a reality.”

Joseph was good at pep talk. The man was a natural-born businessman. This observation implied he was also the Great Gatsby type of swindler, which had you believe there was a lot of gold at the end of every rainbow and in each of his guest’s wallets.

At the entrance, Dominque looked like a lost lamb; the man expected anything than what he saw. The little get together he imagined was not a thumbnail close to what stood before himㅡ a queue almost as long as one for Disney’s Space Mountain. Luckily for Dominque, Lorenzo recognized him and told the security guards hired for the event to let him inside.

“Wow, this is crazy. I mean, it’s just a shop, not Watch the Throne concert.”

“Tell me about it, babes. I have done a lot of these, but this time it’s wild,” Lorenzo said as she accompanied Dominque through the crowd.

Travis scout’s voice hammered with the Highest Room before giving way to Goldlink. Dominque recognized customers who he crossed during the week and former footballer friends as the subsequent encounter proved.

“Dom, is that you?”

“In the flesh.”

The men gave each other handshakes and shoulder hugs while Lorenzo despaired of finding her friend.

“Shit man, where did you go,” Corentin said before calling other players both from premier and second league, “yo, look who’s here.”

Dominque embarrassed smiled and mentally bashed himself for not having foreseen such a scene.

“Hey man, what have you been up to?” Thomas asked.

A strong urge to say, ”well, after my Ex chose her career over our future and child which she aborted without consulting me. I joined the GIGN four years only to get kicked out after discovering that I need an urgent transplant or I’m going to die, which is two times nothing. Apart from that, everything is fine, so what’s popping?”

Dominque spun his tongue and answered, “nothing much; I traveled, and you?”

From then on, the record played by itself as his friends bragged about their life and career. Dominque grabbed a glass of orange juice on the passing trays, drank, and listened while he searched for an escape route.

And suddenly there she was. It was one of those moments where minds went blank.

“Damn, pink chocolate lollipop,” Corentin said.

“You better keep that to yourself, ” Marco’s voice said from behind them.

“Wow, Marco, you scared the shit out of me. Stop creeping up on us like some fiend. I was saying your colleague is one hot vixen.”

“Yeah, well, don’t touch.”

“Marco, why are you always so defensive when it comes to this chick?” Thomas asked.

It wasn’t the first time the football players remarked Kaede, nor was it the first time Marco told them to back off.

“Dude, have the decency to tell us you want her for yourself.”

Dominque lent an ear and waited for Marco’s answer as he too needed some confirmations.

“Kaede is a good girl; you guys can have all the chicks you want. Don’t play her.”

Thomas and Corentin gave each other accomplice stares before saying, “he wants her for himself.”

“Nah, guys, come on.”

There was no stopping them; the footballers dragged Marco to the dance floor while Dominque watched them goof around. They were lucky; they had everything. The man gulped down the last sip of orange juice, dropped the glass on a tray, and picked up a glass of Red Bull on another.

“Hey, gorgeous, come on over,” Lorenzo called.

Dominque approached the small group of drag queens,” wow, what a beautiful specimen Lorenzo.”

They all looked at Marco’s mafia boss slicked back hair, cream crew neck sweater, and light gray pants.

“Hi,” the man suddenly felt shyness overwhelm him.

“So, how do you find the bash?”

Dominque scoped the surrounding, “it’s impressive.”

“Have you seen the boss lady?” Lorenzo asked.

“Quickly.”

“Okay, whatever you do, babes, don’t compliment her. She thinks men who do that at parties want to FAL.”

“What’s a FAL?”

“Fuck And Leave, babes,” one of Lorenzo’s friends replied.

The man felt his cheeks redden as Lorenzo gave him advice in front of the drags, who smiled and winked at him. He took out his phone to see the time and noticed the device ran on a fifteen percent charge, “Lorenzo, can I charge my phone somewhere.”

“Go up the office; Kaede is probably up there surveilling the cameras.”

Dominque smiled, “thanks, Lorenzo.”

“Good luck, lover, boy,” Rashan, one of Lorenzo’s friends, said as the man began to make his way through the crowd.

Dominque took the winding stairs he saw Kaede come down from throughout the week and advanced in the corridor. He knocked on the door where the light came through at the bottom.

“Enter.”

“Hi Kaede,” once more the Dominque made Kaede’s heart flutter with a radiant smile she wished to knock off, ” Lorenzo said I could charge my phone here.”

Kaede sat up; she expected anyone except Dominque and found herself unconsciously tugging on one of her braids as she said, “go ahead if you have an iPhone. You have Marco’s charger there,” she returned her gaze to the surveillance screen.

“I have a Samsung.”

Kaede’s stare shifted to her Galaxy Note on the desk and back to him. Did the man see it?

Shit, he did, she thought, “eh, you can use mine.”

Dominque smiled and took a few steps to the desk where Kaede unplugged her phone and let him install his device.

“Thanks.”

A few seconds passed before the man broke the silence, “aren’t you going down to the party?”

Kaede sighed and swung back on the chair, “smiling at strangers is beyond me. I’ll just go down for Joseph’s photocall.”

Dominque kicked back a leg on the wall and leaned, “so you are just going to sit there?”

“Yep.”

Dominque approached the desk once more, “don’t you even want to dance?”

“Nope.”

“What doㅡ.”

Kaede gave him a deadpan stare, “Dominque, don’t get me wrong, but can you just stop trying to get friendly with me. I don’t know what Marco told you, butㅡ.”

“He told me to leave you alone,” Dominque said solemnly.

Kaede laughed and looked sideways, for once Marco; the idiot, did something right; she thought, “good well, please do that. Let me be and stop hanging around here.”

Dominque put his hands in his pockets, “why?”

“Don’t you have a job?”

“I’m on permission.”

“What are you in the army or something?”

“Sort of.”

Kaede pursed her lips and shook her head in a whatever motion, “why are you so evasive? It’s not like your in some special corps or something. Anyway, thanks, but no thanks for your attention. Iㅡ.”

Dominque contoured the desk and reeled in the desk chair she was on towards him. He posed his hands on the armrests and bent his head as though he wished to knock it with hers. They were eye to eye, “I’m not the type of guy that goes away when a girl tells me to. It’s like reverse psychology; you push me, and I just come back again and again.”

Kaede jaded replied, “well, that’s dumb.”

The man blinked in stupefaction.

“What man comes back when a girl pushes them away? Listen, Dominique, I know how guys like you are. You take, chew, then spit us out. I don’t need that right now or ever. I don’t play.”

“Why are you so sure that’s how it will go down?”

“Eh, you know I’m not an obsessed teen. We’re both aware of the realities of adulthood and sexual tension, so don’t come with your tomfoolery thinking you’re talking to Bella.”

The two were not on the same wavelength as Dominque envisioned Bella Hadid and wondered why the model was also in the conversation. Did Kaede admit there was some chemistry between them? While Kaede referred to a specific fiction, female lead immaculate both body, and soul.

Kaede pursued, “besides, I doubt Marco will like it.”

“What has Marco got to this with this?

Kaede kicked in another sideways glance, thinking the man forced her to use all her facial emojis, “don’t tell me you don’t see we don’t get along; also, he’s your budㅡdy.”

Dominque stood up and glared down on Kaede, who suddenly felt small in Joseph’s chair as she imagined the Italian mafia boss drowning her feet in concrete before tossing her in la Seine River. She ticked the man off, “so, according to you, I shouldn’t appreciate you, though we’ve barely met because my friend doesn’t. Kaede, what teen spirit has got possession of you? Can you imagine one second what kind of person it would make me? I don’t know what picture Marco depicted of me, but please change the brush strokes on the portrait you are painting.”

The woman crossed her arms, “why should I do that?”

“Because you don’t know what kind of man I am, I might be the sort of guy you like. Reasonable doubt alone should be enough for you to look at me in a different light.

Listen.

Joseph didn’t specify who; Kaede lifted her eyes to the ceiling and got up and tugged on her dress.

Up till now, the man only saw her with oversize or Tomboyish outfits. Here Dominque got a close-up of Kaede’s figure. The woman was not thin or thick; the accurate word to describe her physique was fit. The guy who worked out four times could tell she practiced some sport to stay in shape. The ensemble was homogenous and healthy. What broke necks was her lower back on which one could almost sit a toddler. Yep, Kaede had back and bust. There was nearly as much diversion from her shoulders down.

“Got a problem.”

“Nope, mam.”