Diamonds, стр. 34

“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.”

“Football players?” Bryna asked in confusion.

Then, it hit her.

The number one sports agency in the country. “Jude…Rose. Rose Corp.”

Bryna’s own father had almost signed with them when he was going to go pro. No wonder Jude had known about the sex clubs and how football players acted and why he was gone all the time in the fall. It explained the clients he’d had at Chateau Marmont on New Year’s. He hadn’t given her his last name because that name was unbelievably well-known in Los Angeles. He wouldn’t have wanted her to be able to look him up.

Jude looked between Felicity and Bryna and seemed to realize there was no out. He was a smooth talker, but he couldn’t talk his way out of this one. “How did you figure it out?” he finally asked Felicity.

Felicity stepped forward threateningly. The bitch who had tested Bryna to find out if Bryna was good enough to work for her had returned. “I was informed by another student, who had apparently heard you two speaking about having sex and leaving the country.” She narrowed her eyes. “Is that true?”

Bryna didn’t wait to hear what Jude had to say. Her eyes moved across the room to Pace still standing in the hallway, overseeing what was going on. She glared at him, and he just smirked. She saw everything he had to say in that one smile.

Game. Set. Match.

Asshole.

“I know things are bad, but can’t you at least think about Alex for once?” Felicity asked, drawing Bryna’s attention back to the conversation.

“Who is Alex?”

“He’s our son,” Felicity said.

Bryna’s world tilted. Son. She couldn’t comprehend that word. Jude had a kid. Of course, she had never asked if he had children, but she had never even thought about it. He had used her to escape his life, and she didn’t even know why. He had an accomplished beautiful wife, who clearly loved him despite his flaws. They had a child together. The whole thing made her feel sick.

“Didn’t mention him either, huh?” Felicity asked with bite in her voice.

“Felicity, I didn’t know,” Bryna said.

“You’re young,” she said, her voice filled with disgust. “You’ll learn what’s yours to play with and what isn’t.”

Bryna recoiled at the comment. She had known Jude was married but thought he was separated. She had thought they weren’t getting back together. Perhaps she had just let him delude her into believing that.

“Don’t bring her into this,” Jude said. “This is my doing.”

“Yes, it is,” Felicity said. “And it’s yours to fix. You can walk out of here with me right now, promise to come home to be with me and be a father to Alex, and never see her or anyone else ever again, or I’ll alert the authorities, and you’ll never see your son again.”

Bryna gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth.

“Oh, don’t act so self-righteous!” she snapped at Bryna. “You knew you were sleeping with a married man. You had to know how this would end.”

“Why would you even want to be with him?” Bryna managed to get out.

Felicity ignored her. “Your son is waiting for you at home. Choice is yours, Jude.”

Then, she turned around and walked out of the room. Bryna stared after her in shock. Her eyes flitted to Jude, but he wasn’t looking at her. She wanted to plead with him not to give in, that she wouldn’t agree to testify, that Felicity had no proof. And another part of her wanted to see him pay for what he had done to her.

She still had such strong feelings for him that she vacillated so strongly between the two extremes. To save him or to damn him.

Jude sighed heavily and then made the choice for her. He followed Felicity out of the room. He hadn’t even bothered to look at Bryna. He had left her standing there, all alone.

Pace chuckled from the doorway and then disappeared without a word. He hadn’t even needed to land a blow. She’d had enough.

No friends. No Gates. No Jude.

Her hands balled into fists at her sides. She took a deep breath and then slowly released it. Ice filled her veins, chilled her blood, hardened her heart.