Behind His Lens(38)

Have they completely forgotten I’m standing right here? Have we suddenly traveled back to the 1950s?

“Wasn’t she on Maxim’s hot list this year? Damn.”

“Shut up,” Hudson huffs shallowly, clearly not actually wanting them to stop. Oh stop. No I didn’t mean stop. Keep going.

“She wouldn’t go for either of you,” he declares proudly, with his chin raised as though he has the winning hand.

How do any of these guys pick up women? Will girls really look past their complete ineptitude because they have greasy suits and flashy watches? No thanks. My vibrator has more charm than the three of them put together.

I roll my eyes and look around for an escape.

I could go to the bathroom and just not come back to VIP after. If I have to listen to these guys, or watch Jude and Olivia for another second, I’ll throw up on the spot. But I must be glutton for punishment because I can’t help but look over at him, just one last time. Except he’s not focused on Olivia. She’s rambling on, her hands gesturing wildly in the air, and all the while, Jude’s eyes are fixed on me. The moment I find him staring, his smirk widens and one seductive dimple appears. He tilts his head and looks over at the VIP stairs.

I scowl in confusion. Does he want to leave?

My eyebrows knit together. “What?” I mouth, with a ghost of a smile across my lips. We clearly need Morse code.

He tips his head again, deeper this time, and I can’t help but laugh. How is Olivia not picking up on this? Oh, right. She’s completely self absorbed in her own ramblings. I think he wants to go talk in private, and the thought sends fresh butterflies through my belly.

“I’ll see you later, Hudson. I’m going to go find the bathroom,” I offer politely, even though a part of me just wants to walk off without another word.

“There’s a VIP restroom over there,” he says, pointing his finger behind the bar.

“Oh, it’s no problem. I think I see a friend on the dance floor that I want to say hi to.”

He nods, believing my lie and already losing himself in the sight of another girl. “If it’s a hot chick, bring her up.”

I shake my head and mumble under my breath, “I wouldn’t want to ruin the nice circle jerk you guys have going on”. Was Hudson like that when we dated in high school? For some reason I can’t remember.

I don’t know if Jude will follow me, but I want to leave VIP regardless. I didn’t get to explore the club earlier, and I want to find the ladies’ room and reapply my lipstick.

As I weave through the club, I try to put the last few minutes behind me. This night can still be salvageable if I completely avoid VIP at all costs. Hell, even if I sit in a corner and fantasize about Jude’s lips on my hand it’d be a great way to spend the rest of the night.

The restroom is packed by the time I reach it, so I stand behind a long line of girls trying to fix their hair and makeup using fogged mirrors and confined space. After a hellish wait, I finally push through the ladies’ room exit and am greeted by one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen: Jude leaning against the wall in the dim hallway with his arms and ankles crossed. He looks so damn relaxed and confident I want to attack him on the spot— push myself against him and feel the hard planes of his body against my lace dress. He’s ditched his jacket and his coiled arm muscles press against the sleeves of his rolled up shirt.

“I have to hand it to you, Charley. You put up with much more from that guy than I would have expected,” he praises. I’m surprised there’s no hint of jealously or anger, but I suppose he realizes Hudson isn’t competition.

I shrug, “I didn’t want to brush him off. He’s an old friend and he did get us into VIP after all.”

His jaw tightens faintly. “He’s an *. He took you for granted. If you were talking to me back there, Charley, I wouldn’t have been able concentrate on anything else.”


I flinch in embarrassment, “Was he that obvious?”

Jude pushes off the wall and takes a step closer to me. A dangerous, suggestive step. “Only because I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

“Olivia was pretty good at grabbing your attention.” I test the water with a sly grin.

He gives me a wicked smile and takes another step toward me. His scent wraps around me and his dominant demeanor sends a shiver down my back, “Was that her name?”

“Jude…” I chide.