“The truth about what?” she snapped. She smacked his hand away from her.
“About you. You’re a high school student?”
“You want the truth as if I’ve lied to you!” she snapped. She couldn’t believe this was happening right here, right now. “You never asked if I was in high school, if I went to college, what kind of work I was in. You never asked how old I was! You liked the mystery, remember?”
“I met you in a fucking bar. I shouldn’t have had to ask you how old you are!”
“Yes, because no one underage goes to bars,” she quipped.
Jude ran a hand back through his hair. “This is fucking ridiculous. Just tell me how old you are.”
“How old are you?” she asked. Even when he had asked her at point-blank, she still had to deflect the question. Seventeen. Why is that so fucking hard to say?
“Thirty-two.”
Bryna’s mouth hung open slightly. She had known he was older, but she had always told herself that he was probably twenty-seven. Only ten years older than her. Not fifteen. Christ!
She opened her mouth and then looked away from him. “Seventeen,” she whispered.
“Fuck!” he cried, whirling away from her. His hands were balled into fists, and he looked like he was going to punch his way through the nearest wall. “You’re a minor! This cannot be happening. We had sex.” His eyes found hers across the room. He was panicking. She could see the desperation in his face. “I took you out of the country.”
“Yeah, I was there for all that.”
“Don’t you understand?” he said, rushing back to her and grabbing her by the shoulders. He shook her softly as if to make the message clearer. “If anyone found out, I would be in a world of trouble—statutory rape, child abduction.”
“I’m not a child! And I consented to everything you did to me.” She looked him up and down.
“It doesn’t fucking matter that you consented. If you tell anyone it happened, then I’m ruined.” He shook his head. Then, his eyes turned demanding. “Promise that you won’t tell anyone.”
Bryna glared at him. Is this what we have come to? Promises for my silence?
“Why should I stay silent when you obviously don’t give a shit about me?”
He didn’t even blink. “I’ll give you anything you want to make this go away,” he insisted. “What do you want? Money?”
She stumbled backward a step. Her breathing was shallow. How could he offer it up so casually? He hadn’t even disagreed with her. Until that moment, she would have argued with Gates until it was her last breath. But Jude had offered her money to stay silent. Has he really been using me all along?
Even if he had actually liked her, she had never felt more disgusted. “I never wanted you for your money!”
“Oh?” His hand reached out and traced the B on her necklace.
She smacked his hand away. “You gave this to me as a Christmas present! All I wanted was you,” she told him earnestly.
“Did you think you could have me?” he asked. He seemed genuinely surprised. “You knew I was married.”
“You said you were separated, you motherfucker!” She smacked him across the face. The sound rang out in the small room. She didn’t recoil at the anger brimming in his eyes. She just returned the scathing look.
He grabbed her hand and yanked it hard to his side. “When we first met, I was separated from my wife. But ever since New Year’s, she’s been trying to get us to work things out. That is why I’m here with her.”
“I don’t want your excuses. Did you ever tell me the truth when we were together?”
“I told you what you needed to know. You liked what I was providing. You appreciated it. I was happy to give it to you.”
“Give what exactly? Your body? Your money? But never your heart,” she spat.
“You didn’t ask for that,” he said casually.
“I shouldn’t have had to,” she snarled. “Who are you, Jude? Where is the man I was falling for?” She felt her resolve weakening, the pain creeping into her heart, the tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. She couldn’t mask the torment, but she refused to cry in front of him. He didn’t deserve her tears, her mascara was too damn expensive.
“The man you thought you knew was a dream, Bri. An illusion. I can’t be that person for you.”
“I see that now,” she said. Her voice was steely.
Gates had been right all along. Jude didn’t love her. With the time they had spent together, the grand gestures, the gifts, the affection…she had thought that he loved her. But she had just been blinded by the fact that Jude was giving her all the things she wasn’t getting anywhere else.
She had thought that because he saw into the depths of her heart and understood her suffering that they were connected. Now, she didn’t know if that had all been an act for her benefit.
Did he use the line to get me into bed? Has he been playing a game with me the whole time?
Even that first night when she had gotten into his Jaguar, he had cringed at the thought of a gold digger yet…he had created one.
THE DOOR BURST OPEN, and Jude and Bryna scrambled apart.
“What is going on in here?” Felicity asked.
A shadow appeared behind her, and then Pace materialized.
Oh no! He couldn’t know what was going on.
“I was talking to Bryna about the event and how it was such a success. I thought we could offer a bigger donation,” Jude answered smoothly.
“Is that right?” Felicity asked. Her eyes fell on Bryna.
She hastily looked away. “Yes. He was talking about making a donation.” Just not to the charity.
“I’m not sure that sounds like a good enough reason for you to be behind closed doors with a high school student,” Felicity said pointedly.
“You’re right,” Jude agreed. “We should have taken our conversation out to the party. I didn’t mean to take up all your time.”
He started walking toward Felicity, but she crossed her arms and stared at him with a knowing look on her face. “And how exactly do you two know each other?”
Bryna wasn’t touching that one with a ten-foot pole. Jude didn’t even look at her, which was probably for the best. If he wanted to get out of this situation, then he could fucking figure it out himself. She was done.
“You introduced us,” Jude said, as if reminding Felicity of what had just transpired.
“Please,” Felicity said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not an idiot, Jude. Don’t treat me like one.”
“I think you have the wrong idea—”
“I don’t believe that I do. Now, tell me, Jude, exactly how long have you known Ms. Turner?”
“Felicity,” he said imploringly.
“Cut the crap, Jude. I just want to know if we’re seriously doing this again. You couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
“Again?” Bryna asked. Her eyebrows shot up, and she looked at Jude questioningly. Has the fucker done this sort of thing before?
“Oh, yes, I’m sure my husband didn’t tell you that he has a preference for young blondes…or that you weren’t the first,” she spat.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Bryna cried. That bastard!
“Bri,” he groaned, glancing at her again.
She could see that he wanted her to stay silent, but how could he ask that of her? She wasn’t even the first person he had seduced like this.
“You would think that having a law degree would make you realize the possible repercussions of your actions. Instead, you act like the football players you manage.”