Page 5 (1/2)

And now everything was hanging by a thin thread The deal he'd uise as Bournham Industries' Board of Directors, had just about killed hiet the equivalent of one billion in stock options, salary, and other forms of compensation

Did that include Lydia? His face felt wolfish as he allowed hiht The uber-feminist wasn't exactly spoils of corporate war, any more than he would want her to be Oh, no -- a woh e Give theht they wanted Like clockwork, they would want more, and more, and more, until their own dissatisfaction was their ruin

Lydia? A different breed No playbook existed, no ga her in This one was a true challenge, one that "Matt Jones" found increasingly appealing, like playing chess against a formidable opponent The thrill of the atteh, hat drove him to try And succeed Mike had learned the hard way never, ever to give so a shot if he didn't win

Not if he didn't think he could win

His world had no place for doubt

The Corrolla felt coo when he'd been part of the ninety-nine percent, when life was about getting an entry-level job, working on stock investyame day was his idea of entertain would it be before he could own the entire team?

Bzzzz The display on his phone read Jeree You in for lifting tonight?

Mike typed back: Hell, yes Need to whip your ass into shape

The light changed and he accelerated Bzzz Jeremy's response: C'mon, old man I'll take you down

Mike was a year older than his best friend, the old e and worked for the same Web 10 start-up in the late '90s When stock options made the, playing beach bum now fore of his first billion

Traffic was too thick to respond, but then Jereain Thailand with h his hair, he stopped cold Shit His hair His eyes His clothes weren't a proble, but his appearance didn't even yrabbed the phone and typed back: Change of plans Meet roaning turning radius on the car His Tesla spoiled hi, Mike knehat Jerehten as he thought of Lydia And that ravation and the growing, gnawing thought that no ae was going to stop what had started deep inside hi

"Mid-life crisis? Hair club foritself?" Jereht into Mike's apartment unannounced; no knock, and there hadn't been any pretense of fored into the dor with the redneck, racist gun nut next door, so make room for him Mike had, with a caveat: he had to beat hie and, four draws and a fifth of Captain Morgan later, Jerehts the next

A friendship was born

"I told you about this" Indeed, he'd called Jere him to secrecy The only person he'd told, he trusted his friend, and kneould needle Mike forever but would sooner have his dick cut off and fed to hiers touched Mike's newly-brown locks "And holy green leprecaun!" he nearly screa back in horror "You use those eyes to shoot lasers, or what? Auditioning for the new Green Lantern series?" As usually, every word that came out of his ure seem cartoonish, shoulders hunched over and basketball-players legs bent at the knees to inspect Mike's eyes At 6'2" Mike was no shorty, either, but Jererabbed two beers froe The apartment was less luxurious than it could have been, most of his money tied up in investments or in his beach house on Cape Cod, in Osterville All he needed was a basic one bedroolared back

"That bad?"

"I've seen calreens at a St Patrick's Day parade in Boston" Jereain "That'sopen the beer, Mike left it on the counter "Hey, bullshit brown helps me jump sales by twenty percent I'll take it"

"You and that dait millions, Mike Why do you need this?"

"Says the man who is so bored in early retirement that he plays D&D"

"I balance that out with rock clieek"

"That is soof beer Belch Jereering the interior lights "Beauy?" Pulling out an assortment of food, Jeremy set up a buffet of sorts across the kitchen's island Meat, cheese, and strawberries he didn't re spaceship when both doors were open, he had to ad for you?" Jeremy wasn't exactly a fashion plate hi for the next X-Menover, he popped one out "See?"

"You look like you're wearing a really bad disguise for so of beer, finishing off the bottle "Wait You are"

"Twenty percent bounce in sales That's all I needed to hear" Mike slid the lens back in place, blinking hard He needed saline solution, but his storowled louder than his eyes were dry A piece of brie called his name and he shoved it and a strawberry Followed by a slice of sala the truth?"