Collateral Devotion

Joey hadn't seen her coming. One second he was focused on Sarah, watching her absorb the changes that he'd created in her, the next she appeared, hovering at the edge of their table with a cautious smile.

"Hi," the girl said. "Sorry to interrupt. I was just wondering..."

Her eyes flicked between him and Sarah.

"Is there any chance I could meet your dad?"

Joey stared.

The girl was gorgeous, though Joey wasn't sure if she wanted to be. She wore torn jeans and a shapeless black AC/DC shirt, the kind you'd find on a thrift store mannequin next to a row of chipped ceramic angels. Her hair was short, cropped close on the sides with messy curls up top. She looked strong. And anxious. And completely out of place.

Sarah, still seated across from him, blinked in confusion—but said nothing.

Joey coughed once, sat back in his chair, and looked at the stranger. "I'm sorry... do we know you?"

She flushed. "No. Not really. I mean... I was sitting two tables over." She gestured vaguely toward the window. "I overheard some of what you said to her. And I just—" She hesitated. "I felt like I had to say something."

Sarah glanced at Joey uncertainly, but didn't speak.

Joey tilted his head, eyeing the girl. "What's your name?"

"Portia. Portia Caruso."

"Portia," Joey repeated. "I'm Joey Granger. Pleased to meet you." He glanced toward Sarah. "Introduce yourself."

The command had barely left his lips before Sarah straightened.

"I'm Sarah Green,” she said quickly. "I'm Hank's assistant at work. And kind of his girlfriend, or... I don't know...things seem to be moving pretty fast. Hank's far too good for me, but I want nothing more than to make him happy."

Joey felt the power still humming inside her words. She meant every syllable. She had ****.

Portia stared at her, entranced, slowly nodding like it made perfect sense.

Then, slowly, she looked back to Joey. "I know this is going to sound insane. I feel insane saying it. But when I heard what you said to her…" She shook her head. "It hit me. Like… all at once."

Joey said nothing. He just waited.

Portia gave a nervous laugh and sat down gently in the empty chair beside their table. Her movements were hesitant, like she was waiting to be told to leave.

"I'm twenty-two," she said softly. "I live in East End. I work in graphic design—branding and layout stuff. I've done okay. Finished college early. Used to model a bit, but I hated how people looked at me, especially guys. So I cut my hair short, started dressing like this when I go out. Tried to blend in more. I'm a lesbian. Or… I guess... I was."

Joey's stomach turned.

"I've had a girlfriend for over a year. Bernice. She's a vet tech. Funny, loyal, cute. She introduced me to the Indigo Girls, actually." She pointed at one of her earbuds. "I was listening to them when you started talking. Guess I'm going to have to break up with her..."

She paused, struggling to organize the storm behind her eyes.

"I don't know what happened. I just... shifted. Like something inside me snapped into place. Like I've been wandering around lost for years and suddenly there's this one clear direction. I need to be what your dad wants. I have to be his dream girl."

Joey stared at her.

She had been gay. A lesbian! He hadn't just aimed the affection of a young woman at an older man. Joey had completely rewritten her life.

Sadly, this was beginning to become a habit.

And he hadn't even been talking to her.

Sarah stayed silent, watching the girl with a mix of approval and calculation. Portia kept going, unable to stop.

"I know how it sounds. But it's not just feelings. It's like clarity. Like something good and right and true finally got unlocked in me. I want to make him happy. To give him everything he wants. I want him to mold me. I want him to look at me and know I belong to him." Her voice dropped. "I want to be the kind of woman who doesn't need to ask questions. Just... follows her man."

She looked directly at Joey. "I don't know why. But I know I'd be good at it."

Joey glanced down at his phone. A new text from his dad had just come in.

_Dad: _Bad morning. Can't find my keys. Mind rescheduling?

Joey tapped out a quick reply.

_Joey: _kk

He put the phone down and rubbed his face with both hands.

Now at least he had a little time. Time to fix something unfixable.

His gaze flicked back to Portia, then to Sarah. He'd done this. He'd been angry—furious, really—when Sarah showed her true colors, when she'd started needling at him, judging him, treating him like a piece of shit. If she felt comfortable treating Joey like that, how much more terrible would she be for Joey's dad? So he'd snapped. Turning his anger into power, Joey remade her into something new, something he thought would be the best for his dad. Loyal. Soft. Devoted. Controlled.

It had worked. Of course it had. Joey had enough experience with his power that he felt confident enough to weaponize it. He'd even added a bit of spice so that she'd follow Joey’s commands until his dad showed up.

That had been a choice.

But this new girl? Portia?

She was a casualty. Joey hadn't been careful enough, hadn't spoken quietly enough. The only thing she'd done was be curious, taking out an earbud at the last second. The wrong second. That's all it took. She was just there. Wrong place, wrong time. One bad mistake by Joey and she'd lost her life, her goals, her relationships, even her sexuality! And now her entire life had swiveled around Hank Granger like a sunflower craning for sunlight.

Joey exhaled through his nose.

He couldn't undo it. He knew that already. She was locked in now, reshaped by his words. But maybe—maybe—he could still manage the fallout. He turned to Sarah.

"You want my dad to be happy, right?"

"More than anything."

"And you don't mind if I take control until he's here."

"Why would I?" she said without hesitation.

"Then I need you to help me make space for Portia. She's not a threat. She's a gift. You understand?"

Sarah blinked.

"Look, in your old life, before today, I suspect you were no stranger to manipulation."

Sarah looked down at the table and blushed, obviously feeling exposed.

"Don't be ashamed. That's a skill that might actually be useful now. You want to make my dad happy. He's just lost his wife. Well, what would make a man happier than replacing one loving relationship with two. I don't know how you'll do it, but that's your task.. Find a way to make it work with you and my dad and Portia. All of you."

Portia looked between them, clearly trying to process the sudden shift in tone.

"I'm not trying to cause trouble," she said softly.

Joey gave a tired smile. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to make things right."

And for the first time since Portia sat down, Joey felt a flicker of control returning. Not the kind that warped reality. The kind that came from planning. From intention. From damage control.

And as Sarah's eyes glazed over, clearly calculating, clearly planning, Joey exhaled slowly. She was already engineering it. Spinning new stories, weaving new angles.

Maybe she used to be poison.

But now?

She was his antidote.

Or Hank's, anyway.

He just hoped it would be enough.