Chapter ten. The Long Story.

"I must say," Portia mused over the rim of her champagne glass, her lashes condescendingly lowered, "I'm genuinely surprised to find a Misses Quincy so eager to defend a common whore."

"I think," Laura put icily, with a low voice, "that you should choose your next words very wisely." She stepped closer, threateningly so. "My personal opinion of women surrounding my husband is completely beyond your concern. And although I'm certainly not Jude, I for myself can only say I react with lawyers to these kinds of accusations. So I advise you: Think hard before you speak. After all, it's widespread knowledge you belong to those who do a lot before pondering consequences."

Portia gave a faint smirk, stunned to encounter feistiness instead of surrender. How could one woman put so much energy in defending people predestined to betray? "Meaning…?"

Laura smiled politely. Fake. "I am a model, you're a designer – more or less successful. Do I have to remind you that we run in the same circles? I know people who know you. I know people who know you very, very well. I know people who have seen you acting very much like the person you're trying to sell Jude as."

"Well, you certainly know a lot of people then."

"Does Darius know where your real qualities lie? He might offer you a job in his company if he did. PR people are required to spin certain truths and you have a knack for it. I had a very interesting talk with your nephew not so long ago and he told me with more than a little chagrin how a mean, vicious Tommy cheated you out of a big divorce-check. Shay doesn't know, does he? Everybody knows about Tommy's infidelity. Nobody told the world that you weren't much better. Chaz, was it? Or was it Bruno." She tapped her fingertip against her chin. "Wait, I think it were both! I'm very much aware of the fact that you still pine over my husband. It's known you're inclined to blurt out some secret truths when drunk and well…some other things, but hey, I don't blame you. I'm aware my husband is a very attractive man. And when the heart is broken, it tends to look for healing. Where better to look than with those who are just like the lost one. Tommy noticed I don't like Chaz. He has no idea why. He believes it's his bad influence on him. I don't like Chaz because he had an affair with you for three months during and after your divorce. And he never told Tommy. So, now that we've established that you know things about Jude that are obviously a lie and that I know things about you that can be proven by many, many people, I suggest you leave this party, hop on your dusty little broom and head back to witch-mountain! And the next time you drop by, uninvited, I will make it my personal mission to ruin your pretty little life. Got that?"

"Wow, he really did marry a bitch," Portia concluded. Her head, however, she still held high. "But fine. I know when to leave. Just so you know, though, I wasn't lying about Jude. Why don't you check your mail tomorrow? Whatever you will find, decide for yourself whether it's the truth or a nifty little witch-trick of mine," she sneered. Shoving the champagne flute into Laura's hand, Portia stormed off.

"Was that really necessary?"

Turning around, Laura was more than a little annoyed to find Shay there. "How much did you hear?"

"Only the part where you said that Portia only knows lies about Jude. Seriously, you're defending her? When you left the coffee shop the other day, I was fully prepared to find the divorce announcement in next day's paper."

"Jude isn't sleeping with my husband."

"But, obviously, she's in love with him!"

She scoffed deftly. "I am so sick of people like you coming to me, expecting me to act as a devious bitch. Believe it or not, I am not." She pulled him by his arm and dragged him into a small, secluded area away from everyone's ears. "I actually have respect for Jude. I talked to her and unlike pretty much everyone I've ever met, she had the guts to speak the truth. She's in love with my husband. Sue her, cause she certainly wanted that to happen!" Laura sneered sarcastically. "You want to know why I defended her? Because she needed someone to do it. And if you want to know why, I suggest you ask her! As for your aunt, she'll be fine. Rats always survive."

Laura hadn't made the connection earlier, but when Portia had commented on Jude being a whore, she had remembered a story she had heard a couple of years ago, about Portia playing dirty, about a girl named Jude, and about a night gone horribly wrong. She had never heard the details. She had never cared to find out. But if there was even a bit of truth in that story, then she felt genuinely sorry for Jude.

xxxxxx

Tommy's eyes were unreadable as he tossed another three hundred-dollar bills on the table. "Card," he said coldly, lacking even the slightest hint of an emotion. The card came quickly. Full House.

"I want to see," a longhaired Rocker in leather and metal demanded sternly, showing his own set of cards in the process. Confident he had won, his hands made a move for the money when Tommy gave a sharp, "hey!"

The Rocker looked up.

"I won," said Tommy and placed his cards down. "That makes ten grand for me. Two thousand I keep, that's my money, a thousand goes to the girls, and the rest should cover their debts plus interest."

Everyone held their breath, including Jude and Sadie who were holding hands while shaking, afraid this whole situation was going to explode into something very nasty any second.

But the Rocker smiled. "Fine."

Tommy was putting on his jacket while ushering his assistant and her sister outside. Behind him, he could hear the guy yelling they were always welcome as long as they brought cash. Instead of answering, Tommy just nodded and saw to it that they were out of there as quickly as possible.

Outside, Jude gave Sadie a quick hug. "Take the car. I'll see you at home."

"You're sure?"

Tommy leaned against his own car, watching Jude say goodnight to her sister. She nodded at Sadie and watched her drive off. Then her eyes met Tommy's and tears dwelled up. "Sorry I ruined your birthday. But I thought I was winning and I bet more and more and then I was losing and I bet even more to win it back and then I wanted out but he wouldn't let me cause I owed him and—"

Reaching for her, he pulled her into a tight hug. "Scary dude, huh?"

A mix between a sniffle and a chuckle vibrated against his shoulder. Jude fastened her grip on his body. It was strong and reassuring. She felt so safe compared to the scare she'd experienced moments ago. "I thought he'd kill me."

"Pretty girls don't get killed, Jude." Only half-joking, he was feeling an amount of relief he had never experienced before. This whole thing could have easily turned into a catastrophe. When he had arrived, finding the two girls cowering at the bar with two muscled men flanking them, his heart had skipped a beat or two in fear. It wasn't his first time here. Years ago, much more stupid and reckless, he'd come here often, to gamble and forget. Nowadays he stayed as far away as possible. "What the hell made you come here?"

Still shaking in his arms, Jude wiped her nose in his jacket. Normally he'd throw a fit for that kind of behavior – the jacket was a hand-stitched Italian one of a kind – but tonight, after what had just happened, he let it slide. She leaned back, meeting his eyes guiltily. "I needed money."

"You don't say!"

"I was winning at first."

"Until they started playing."

"Sadie is good at this game. She always wins when we play it. But then she got nervous and wanted to quit, but…like I said, I needed money." Wiping away more tears, she wrapped her arms around herself. "Thank you so much for coming. For leaving your birthday. I'm so sorry I ruined your night."

"So much for watching Gossip Girl, huh?" He cracked a smile. "Come on, let's get some coffee."

"You can just drop me off near home. You shouldn't have to miss any more of your party."

He motioned for the car. "I just bailed you out of an illegal Poker game, Jude. Trust me, cake is the last thing on my mind right now."

xxxxxxx

Inside a small 24hour diner just outside city limits, far away from any possible paparazzo, Jude gulped down a big mug of coffee. She deliberately kept her eyes on the window, watching the occasional car drive by, half afraid and half ashamed what he'd see if their eyes met. Would he see her guilt for bringing him into this situation? Or would he see her gratefulness for still being here with her? "Mom moved to Italy last week, leaving nothing but a note saying she'll sell the house as soon as she had a buyer. Dad wants to buy it, but the bank won't give him a credit, cause he's still paying for the one he took out to buy the house in the first place. That's crazy! I mean it's his house. He shouldn't have to buy it twice!" She paused for another sip. "Sadie and I don't need the house, but Dad doesn't believe us. So he's working two jobs now to find a way. I tried getting a credit, cause I'm earning money now, but they say it'd be too risky to give me money. I don't have any kind of skills and once you fire me, I'm not going to find a job as well paid as this one. At least not for a long while. I'm too risky an investment. Don't I've heard that one before," she muttered, catching Tommy's interest, but she didn't explain that special remark. Instead she continued with her story. "For ten thousand dollars the dealer will take the house off the market for six months. That'd buy us some time. Sadie and I thought we could win that much with Poker."

"Why didn't you come to me?"

She kept her eyes adverted. "You're my friend, Tommy. Not my bank."

"As your friend I would have helped you." It angered him she'd rather risk getting hurt in some sleazy bar than simply ask him. She didn't even mention her problems to him. "You could have told me what was going on in your life!"

"I already ruined your friendship with Kwest. Your wife thinks I'm a threat for your relationship. Let's not even start about the stories the tabloids write about you and me! The last thing I want to do is cause you any more drama." Tears wetted her eyes again. "I've ruined your birthday," she declared, sad and ashamed. "I'm really not that helpful, am I?"

Reaching across the table, squeezing her hand, he shook his head. "Jude, you're more than helpful. Don't doubt that. And about that ruined birthday party…I'm not that eager to head back. Have you even eaten today?"

"I was too nervous."

Waving for the waitress, he let go of her hand. "How about a burger?"

"Or two," she mumbled, a timid, little grin on her lips.

xxxxxx

"Where are we?" Jude, a bottle of red wine clutched in her right hand, held on to a rusty banister with her left one. "This looks like a ruin!" Having passed the state of mere tipsiness, she was drinking the wine in big gulps as she stumbled after Tommy who, just as drunk, led her up a long staircase.

"I bought this place years ago. It used to big apartment complex ages ago. There's even a small club somewhere downstairs that closed decades ago. It's my hideout. You say you don't play music anymore. I don't play anymore either." He opened a heavy metal door, revealing a shabby, yet roomy space filled with all sorts of music instruments. "Only I do still play."

Jude's eyes lit up. "That's a Steinway Piano. I've always dreamed of playing one someday!"

His face filled with a bright smile. "Go ahead." He himself went for a Vintage acoustic guitar. "If anyone knew what's hiding in here, I'd have to install a state-of-the-art alarm system. But nobody ever comes here." Eyes searching her, he took a swig out of his own bottle of wine. "Nobody but you knows of this."

She turned around, astonished. "Why me?"

He shrugged. "I trust you." Sitting down on a couch that had its best days back in the sixties, he leaned back, adjusted the guitar and strummed it once before placing it away again. The view of her admiring the pitch-black piano was too enthralling. Her pale face, slightly smeared with mascara, was glowing in the dim room. Almost as if a fine layer of gold dust was covering it, he would have sworn he saw it sparkling. The effects of the liquor they'd been consuming not withstanding, he leaned forward, on a hush admitting, "You're insanely beautiful."

A heavy blush flew to her cheeks. "You're drunk." Fingertips were dancing across the keyboard, drawing little gasps from her for they were so soft and delivered such amazing sounds when played. "We both are." In the far back of her mind she recalled that liquor and Quincy didn't bode well with her capability to decide wisely. "Maybe we should go. Towards separate places," she highlighted on an afterthought.

"We walked almost an hour to get here." His eyes never let go of her face.

Jude smirked. "Cause you refused to drive."

"I'm past drunk. Alcohol and cars are bad." He had already gotten lucky getting from his party to the bar, and then from there to the diner. He'd only had a glass or two of Champagne. But now he was barely able to stand straight. "I'm not that stupid."

Jude gave him a cynical glance. "Seeing us both here, your wife would argue that."

Standing up and walking over to her, he didn't care for anyone but her in that second. "She isn't here. She doesn't see." Sitting down next to her, he played a few notes, making Jude smile. So he played some more. "Sing for me."

Then she started playing notes. Completely unlike her, she just sang.

Crush a bit, little bit,

roll it up, take a hit
Feelin' lit feelin' light,

2 am summer night.
I don't care, hands on the wheel, drivin drunk, I'm doin' my thing
Rollin the Midwest side and out livin' my life getting' out dreams
People told me slow my roll

I'm screaming out fuck that
Imma do just what I want

lookin' ahead no turnin' back
if I fall if I die know I lived it till the fullest
if I fall if I die know I lived and missed some bullets

As if in trance, Tommy stopped watching her play, leaned to his side and kissed her. A thirsting man finding a drop of water, that's what it felt like to him. Her lips were soft, full, perfect. Like her kisses. It was invigorating. He could practically feel his blood rushing through every vein. She responded to him full-heartedly. Hands began to explore, to grope, to feast, to fill that void for human contact that both felt just then. Why was it their respective loved ones couldn't give them the satisfaction they needed – physically or emotionally? Tommy briefly thought about that, but the second Jude's tongue slipped past his lips everything was forgotten. Hurling her closer into his arms, he lifted her off the small piano bench and placed her onto the keyboard, producing some odd tunes in the process. They hardly noticed. Her shirt came off first, then followed his. Everything happened in a matter of breathlessly passing seconds. As he fed on her kisses, the faint taste of sweet wine spurring him on, fueling his hunger, his hands excitedly mapped her body, exploring every dip, every curve, unable to find anything short of flawless. Aroused, hard, yearning for the act and its joys, he pushed himself against her core, rubbing, grinding, telling her of his needs.

She stopped to look at him, eyes shimmering in want and at the same time in captivating shyness. "I'm…I've never…"

His world shifted. Overly aware of what he craved for and what he should do, which was lightyears apart from what he wanted to do, he let go of her. "I'm sorry." He dimly recalled Portia's comment from earlier, but Jude's actions pushed it from his mind again.

Tentatively touching the planes of his male chest, eyes lowered, taking in all of him as if memorizing a song, a melody, her gaze eventually landed on the visible swelling of his penis. Then, from deep below a heavy veil of lashes, she breathed almost inaudibly, "I want to." And she did. It wasn't her speaking. Only, it was. A very raw part of her, adventurous, driven by emotions and desires, resurged, finding a voice so pure and consummate that she felt Tommy shivering against her touch.

It was all he needed to hear. He didn't dare ask if she was certain, afraid the answer was a 'no'. She'd stop him if he went to far, he knew somehow, albeit praying she wouldn't. Much more gently, slower, more explorative, his mouth devoured her neck, nipping, tasting, enticing, and finding reward in her sensual grasps for air.

'I'm going to hell,' Jude figured, angling against him to meet his thrusts, oddly annoyed there was that much fabric between them. But she had made her peace with it, had accepted her destiny, for it came with something so wildly enlivening she couldn't have said 'no' to it if her life depended on it. For years she hadn't felt this alive, this human. Music had for as long as she could remember been the one thing that could make her heart beat faster, but here she was finding there was something that could make it skip some beats altogether and if that meant losing everything, she'd gladly hand it over. Her teeth sunk into his shoulder, the skin a feverish barrier. She let out a loud moan, excruciatingly eager for more. Here she was, alone in that room with Tommy, with a chance. And she took it. More, she lunged at it. "Please," she begged, wondering if she had ever begged before in her entire life. Likely not.

Kicking the bench away in a thriving need to be closer, deeper, Tommy lowered himself to his knees, tugging Jude's jeans down her legs, discarding it along with shoes and socks. She didn't hide from him. It was visible she was anxious, nervous maybe, but incredibly aware. It got to him. That look on her face, so full of trust, he wouldn't be able to forget, ever. Kissing his way up her inner thighs, bringing forth more of those thoroughly erotic sounds of lovemaking, he found his destination soon. A skilled flick of his tongue and Jude was rasping his name. He couldn't wait introducing her to every other aspect of a physical relationship. Then, as he was bringing Jude to her first orgasm, it hit him like a blow out of nowhere.

Relationship?

It was too late to stop now, it had evolved way too far and it hadn't nearly brought the satisfaction they both needed to end it. But what would come once the sweat on their skin had dried?

Those worries had to remain unattended for a little while longer, because in that moment Jude, overrun by desire, had begun playing with her nipple and seeing that made him want to do nothing than follow her lead.

"It's gonna hurt," he warned her, his sweet lips suckling on her breast, his index finger exploring a side of her body she herself had never gotten to know before, and all Jude could do was nod.

What could a little pain be, compared to what she hoped would follow it. Love? No, she wasn't fooling herself into that. But she craved to feel alive again. She craved to feel something other than regrets for all those roads not taken. Relaxing her body as Tommy placed himself at her entrance, she was prepared for whatever came next.

Pain did follow. But as hoped, as anticipated, the stinging ache didn't last that long. Swimming on a high of liquor and arousal, all she could focus on were his thickness bringing her closer and closer to that one unknown place she could feel herself approaching so quickly. Every kiss he placed on her, every lick, every touch of his hands, it all tingled. Almost as though a constant flow of electricity was running through her.

"More," she wanted, pleading, "please, Tommy, oh please!"

He didn't hesitate to deliver, pushing faster and harder with each thrust. One hand on her breast, one on her behind, he mashed their bodies together, nearly melting them into one when the final strokes brought them both to a splintering release.

Alive.

It felt so good.

xxxxxx

"For the first time in what feels like ages, I've done something that was entirely selfish," Jude whispered into the darkness, feeling Tommy gently kissing her neck. Resting on the old couch, naked, caressed by a touch of moonlight, she had a faint smile on her lips. "I mean the job I needed, and the money I'm saving, but the sex with you…" She titled her head slightly, catching his eyes. "The sex I just wanted."

His tongue licked along a small bite mark he had left on her shoulder during their second time, unintentionally of course. "So you used me." He chuckled. "That's a new one."

She grinned back at him. Still buzzing on sex and alcohol, Jude felt a strange sense of indifference towards right and wrong. "Earlier tonight, in that bar, before you walked in, I was so scared. I don't remember ever being that scared. But at the same time, it was the first time in a long while that I felt that much at all."

Peculiarly taken aback by her admission, he wondered, "You and Shay broke up more than two years ago. Have you never fallen in love with anyone since then?"

'Aside you?' She wanted to ask, but held her tongue. "No. After I gave up music, nothing felt…worth my interest. Nothing could get me to care. Maybe I just didn't want to care. I didn't want to—" Suddenly she stopped, becoming aware of how honest she was to him. But the way he looked at her, full of understanding and compassion, had her finishing albeit on a whisper. "I wasn't sure I could handle losing something again. And nothing came along that made me want to test it out."

"Portia showed up at the party tonight."

Reality came back with a vengeance. It always showed up when she was the least prepared. Jude tensed, abruptly reaching for his dress shirt as she sat up. "Did she?"

He nodded, startled. "She asked about you." Feeling that their moment had ended – too fast – he sat up as well. "She made a remark about you, sleeping your way up?"

She wasn't surprised. "And you ask because you want to know my demands, now that I've made you cheat on your wife?"

"No," he declared fiercely, angrily. "I want to know why she's telling lies about you. I was your first, Jude."

"So?"

"Jude!"

"She hates me, Tommy." Silently pleading he'd just accept that as an explanation.

But of course he didn't. "She mentioned pictures."

Taking a moment to control her emotions, Jude got off the couch and walked towards the big window, not caring that she was practically naked. The shirt unbuttoned, merely framing her, barely covered anything. She doubted anyone was watching her, not that they would see anything through the darkness.

"Talk to me," he practically begged. "Tell me what happened."

'Never,' she swore inwardly. He'd never look at her the same way again. And after having lost so much already, she couldn't bear the thought of that. It wasn't love in his eyes, nor admiration or desire. It was his look of genuine care. He had told her he liked her morals and the way she never betrayed herself – well, until tonight, that was. If he ever found out about what had really happened, he'd only look at her with disgust.

"You can't just tell me nothing."

Of all the people she'd met in her life, of all those who never cared for her, why did he have to be the one different? With a distant expression on her face she eventually admitted to bits and pieces, distinctively aware he'd not back down otherwise. But she made sure to keep the details. "I had more or less given up on music and the thing with Shay had been over for a few weeks when one day she called me, telling me there was a party in town and that a lot of business people would be there." Pausing to remember, painful though it was, Jude sighed. "I might have been naïve when I went there. I grew up that night. I learned a valuable lesson." Turning around, meeting Tommy's eyes squarely, she gave a bitter expression. "It's always about the things you're willing to do and the price you're willing to pay."

"What happened?" he asked, wanting to know more than ever.

"I learned a lesson, like I said." Averting her eyes, Jude moved back around, reaching out to touch the cold window with her fingertips, feeling for the first time the icy air that had filled the room since night had fallen over them. The winter was still ruling the area, delivering cold, cloudy weather. She took a deep breath. When he covered her hand with his she pulled away. "I can't sign for you, Tommy. There's a reason I don't sing anymore. And if you want to know why, I suggest you ask your ex-wife. She'll have the time of her life telling you all the rotten details."

"I really don't understand why you won't tell me. What happened with you and Portia?" Despite her attempt of keeping him at arm's length, Tommy stepped closer, almost near enough for their naked bodies to touch.

The hand that had felt the cold glass now reached out for his body, barely caressing him as he sucked in a breath, partially because of her cold hand, partially for the jolt of arousal she sparked in him.

"Because I can't. I literally can't do that. Everyone has a moment in their lives that they wish had never occurred. This one is mine. I'm sure you never told me about your moment, either."

"No," he admitted honestly, not just proving he kept secrets, but affirming that he as well as she had done something so bad that speaking it out would change everything between them. "At least tell me why she's lying. I know you never slept with anyone before tonight. If she doesn't believe you—"

"You stand up and say that you have first-hand proof I was a virgin until tonight? Because you were the one deflowering me and nobody else?" Sadness spread on her face. "You're married."

"I know."

Even though she hadn't expected him to object, his words, the simple, impersonal two-syllable reply, stung more than she had presumed. He was married. He knew. Tonight wouldn't change that. "We should get dre—"

"If tonight is all I will ever have with you, then I'm not ready for it to end," he interrupted her, startling her with a kiss so intense it made her legs buckle. His shirt slithered to the ground as he pulled her into his arms, pressing her naked figure against the cold window. "I need more memories," he whispered into her ear as he entered her wet heat.

xxxxxxx

The temperature, it felt, had dropped even further. Waking up due to shivering and a subsequent, unwelcome case of Goosebumps, Jude blinked, adjusting to the bright February morning lights coming from outside. As she stretched, the emptiness on the couch became obvious to her. Tugging the blanket over her naked skin, she forced herself not to feel anything. Nothing. Especially not sadness or disappointment! He had left. She hadn't expected him to still be there, had she? That would have been incredibly naïve and hadn't she outgrown that notion a long time ago?

Sitting up, brushing strands of tousled hair out of her face, she breathed in and out, steadily reminding herself that last night had been nothing but a…thing. A one-night stand. Or rather a one-night mistake. They certainly wouldn't repeat it. She wouldn't let them repeat it. He was married, she was, well, not married and not even in a relationship, but still – she had morals. Most of the time, anyway.

Grabbing her shirt, which rested on the floor next to the couch, she spotted a piece of paper resting on it, along with a note.

"I have money. You need money. Friends help each other. Sorry for leaving early. Reality came knocking.

-T."

Shaky fingers untagged the note from the piece of paper beneath, already knowing what it would be. Her stomach churned and twisted, sudden and in a painful way. As the number he had written down became visible, she stormed for the bathroom and threw up.

About two years ago…

"You can drink, you know?" Portia smiled as she handed Jude a pink cocktail with a fruit in a glass with a sugared rim. "Nobody will tell. I promise."

Taking the glass, Jude nodded nervously before sipping. "So this is an industry party, huh?" Her eyes wandered across the club. The lightning was dim, velvet red and a shimmering black were the dominating colors in what appeared to be a baroque-styled interior. Everywhere she looked, women in short, sparkling, probably very expensive dresses, displaying more skin than she showed at a beach in summer, walked around, obviously content with being arm-candy. For some reason she felt out of place, almost like an intruder. Even more when she saw two people displaying an amount of public affection that even her anything-but-prude sister would find inappropriate. "This is nothing I've ever been to with Shay."

Portia nodded as typed a text on her phone. "Figured. This is invitation-only." She hit the send-button and smiled again. "Don't worry." Taking the barely empty glass from Jude's hands, she placed it on the bar behind them and ordered another one, ignoring Jude's protests. "I wanted to talk to you about something. About last month. When you came to the house and saw…"

"Shay kissing Eden?"

Giving a pitying nod, she added, "that, and…other things you stumbled upon…"

Jude blushed. "I really don't know what I saw. I swear to God, Portia. I didn't mean to just walk in. I was looking for Shay and…I had never been to your brother's place. Some guy sent me to a hallway and mentioned a door on the right. If I had known you where—" She blushed even harder.

"You can speak it out, Jude. It's called a blow-job."

"I won't tell anyone. And I'm also not going to ment—" She stopped herself, biting her lip and looking away.

Though the expression on Portia's face was unreadable, it didn't resemble a form of surprise. "Would you believe me if I say it was only flour? Or sugar?"

Completely mute, Jude grimaced. If she would've just kept quiet, she scolded herself. But when she was nervous, her words came faster than her thoughts.

"Like I said, don't worry. The last year was long and…never mind, let's just agree that you keep my secrets and I keep yours."

Jude smiled shyly. "I really don't have any secrets."

Portia nodded at the drink in Jude's hand. "That's your first one, then. But be aware, the night is still young..."

xxxxxxx

"Your wife called last night." Kwest entered studio A and closed the door behind him. "Apparently you left the party early, leaving as little information as possible. As usual," he added snidely. "So…where'd you end up?"

Barely lifting his eyes, Tommy clenched his jaw. So much judgment was hidden in Kwest's words. He might as well have asked in whose arms he had spent the night. That made him even angrier. After all, he [i]had[/i] spent the night in someone else's arms. In someone else's long, smooth, silky arms that had curled so perfectly around his shoulders, especially when he had…

Tommy gulped as he let his head roll backwards, eyes closed off. "I had to help someone out."

"A female someone? I saw the guest list. All your friends where at the party. All but one. Where's Jude today?"

His patience snapped. "Do you get off accusing me of infidelity?"

Kwest scoffed. "Not as much as you apparently get off on being unfaithful. I know you, Tom. I know the look in your eyes. The guilt. I see the way you look at Jude. We are friends for ten years. Look me in the eyes and tell me you did not sleep with Jude last night."

"Sherlock Holmes at his best, aye? Some looks between me and Jude and her not being here is all you need to accuse me of cheating?"

"I really am jealous of you, do you know that? In all my life I never managed to be self-righteous husband and a lying cheater at the same time. Jude's sister called in earlier, worrying, because apparently, Jude never came home and last time she saw her, Jude was about to enter your car!"

"If you already know all the answers, what's with the twenty-one questions?"

"Call me stupid, but I actually thought you might want to ease your conscience by coming clean on your own. You're married, Tom. You might not like the rules of a marriage, but you accepted them anyway. Did it just for a second occur to you that this would be the second wife you're leaving heartbroken? Let alone what Jude will feel? She's eighteen and from what I've heard, she's hardly experienced – now you're making her a one-night stand?" He shook his head in disgust. "You just don't care, do you?"

Standing up, walking to the door and out, Tommy haltered one last moment, gripping the frame angrily. His blood was pumping through his veins and anger was consuming him, so he decided it was time to leave before he lost himself. He hated nothing more than being confronted by truths he was neither ready nor willing to hear. Yet, a small part remained that wasn't aggravated at the moment. A small part of him was simply lost and maybe even scared of what would happen next. That part made him look over his shoulder, noting, "Jude is not a one-night stand. She's more. She's just…"

"Not your wife," Kwest finished for Tommy, who went away with no further comment.

xxxxxxx

(Song: Lissie, Pursuit of Happiness)