The song in this chapter is Like The Way I Do by Melissa Etheridge. The game they play is only included because my readers wanted it in there. It is pretty funny though.
Chapter 29
Promises To Keep
When Tommy returned to Vancouver he was immediately forced back into the studio. Darius was livid when he heard Tommy had quit Boyz Attack and he said in no uncertain terms that he would not let Tommy out of his contract. It was exactly what Jude had predicted would happen. Tommy started working on his supposed solo album, getting Kwest a job as engineer, to help him out. The hours in the studio weren't wasted because he learned everything about producing that he could. He had hoped that maybe Jude would have contacted him after the Boyz Attack separation was made public, but she never did. He didn't blame her though; he was still married after all. He lost himself in the studio, unable to work on his real music, but getting experience working with the equipment. He would stop himself every time his fingers itched to dial her number. He had promises to keep before he would let himself disrupt her life again.
He Moved On
Jude went out to get the mail and started thumbing through it as she made her way back into the living room. She saw the tabloid and rolled her eyes. Sadie had some strange obsession with Talk National even though it usually full of nothing but malicious gossip and rumors. As she sat down her breath froze as she saw the picture on the cover. Tommy with Cassandra Hayward, a beautiful, polished up and coming actress looking all cozy, their cheeks touching as she appeared to be whispering into his ear. She scanned the article quickly and there was speculation about whether or not Cassandra was the reason for Tommy's separation from Portia. Jude would not let the hurt take over again, instead she let anger find its place. He had finally found someone who he had thought was worth leaving Portia for. Bastard! She picked up her journal and guitar and got to work, channeling her emotions into music.
Jude was strumming on her guitar a few hours later when Spied walked into her living room. She had finished the song and felt cleansed. She knew deep down Tommy would one day regret letting her go.
"Hey I just wrote this. Tell me what you think." He sat down on the matching chair opposite her on the couch as she began.
Is it so hard to satisfy your senses
You found out to love me you have to climb some fences
Scratching and crawling along the floor to touch you
And just when it feels right you say you found someone to hold you
Does she like I do
Baby tell me does she love you like the way I love you
Does she stimulate you attract and captivate you
Tell me does she miss you existing just to kiss you
Like the way I do
Tell me does she want you infatuate and haunt you
Does she know just how to shock you electrify and rock you
Does she inject you seduce you and affect you
Like the way I do
Can I survive all the implications
Even if I tried could you be less than an addiction
Don't you think I know there's so many others
Who would beg steal and lie fight kill and die
Just to hold you hold you like I do
Baby tell me does she love you like the way I love you
Does she stimulate you attract and captivate you
Tell me does she miss you existing just to kiss you
Like the way I do
Tell me does she want you infatuate and haunt you
Does she know just how to shock you electrify and rock you
Does she inject you seduce you and affect you
Like the way I do
Nobody loves you like the way I do
Nobody wants you like the way I do
Nobody needs you like the way I do
Nobody aches nobody aches just to hold you
Like the way I do
No, no no...
Tell me does she love you like the way I love you
Does she stimulate you attract and captivate you
Baby, baby, baby
Tell me does she miss you existing just to kiss you
Like the way I do
Tell me does she want you infatuate and haunt you
Does she know just how to shock you electrify and rock you
Does she inject you seduce you and affect you
Like the way I do
Like the way I do
"I'm finally over him Spied. Congratulate me." To Jude it was a goodbye and an acceptance of what he had meant to her. Spied did not say anything, knowing she was lying to herself. No one wrote a kick ass song like that could have not still cared about the object of said song.
"Angry chick music. She's definitely feeling better." She threw a throw pillow at him, which he caught easily.
"I'm glad I never had sex with you."
"Excuse me?! I am not bad in bed!"
"Relax Dude I just meant if that song was about me I'd be curled in a ball on the floor crying my eyes out." She relaxed a little. "I just bet, you're not bad in bed." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "With all those hours you logged in with Quincy."
"What were you keeping track or something?! Perv!" She threw another pillow, harder this time, hitting him upside the head. He threw it back at her and they both laughed.
"Come on Dude the bus isn't that big." She started blushing. "Dressing rooms, hotel rooms, bathrooms..." He sang. "Am I missing any?"
"Who told you about the bathroom?!"
"Wow I meant the one on the bus...Still don't know how you managed. That shower was barely big enough for one person."
"It actually works out better that way. The girl can brace her feet on the shower wall." Spied widened his eyes in admiration. She might be his bud, but she was still a hot chick.
"I take it back. Sleep with me." She shook her head at him and rolled her eyes. Boys. "Wait...What bathroom did you think I was talking about?"
"Er...Remember that club we took Sadie to?"
"You and Tommy disappeared...Oh...You dirty girl." She laughed. No one had ever accused her of that before.
"Why did you just call Jude a dirty girl?" Sadie asked walking in from the kitchen, plopping herself next to Jude. Spied filled her in and Sadie looked at Jude with wide eyes.
"Hey Sades I think I'm finally over him..." Jude said to change the subject. Sadie hoped so, because Jude had not had that carefree spark in her eyes for a longtime.
"That calls for a celebration." Sadie was dialing numbers before anyone could stop her, and had enlisted Spied's help with Jude's friends.
TMI
"Let's play I Never." Sadie piped up as a bunch of them sat around in the living room drinking. There was loud music blasting on the stereo and people hanging out all over the house.
"Aww come on that's kind of boring." Kyle complained as he took a drink from his plastic tumbler.
"Not my way." Sadie grinned. She was not done grilling Jude after all. "We only use sexual and nude experiences." Jamie relaxed figuring Jude would not wind up drinking much, if this was how they were playing it. He had never really seen her drink before. Sure they had sneaked a few bottles of cheap wine here and there when they had been younger, just to be rebellious, but she had never been that into it. Jude shook her head, not nearly drunk enough for this and continued to flirt with Sadie's college friend Josh. "Jude you have to play." Sadie insisted. Sadie's friend Jessica leaned over and whispered a little too loudly.
"I thought you said your sister was a prude anyway?" Jude's head snapped up and she glared at her sister.
"Who are you calling a prude?!" Everyone's attention became riveted on their argument.
"That was before. I didn't realize you'd turn into such a slut." Sadie teased.
"I only slept with one guy! That's more than I can say about some people!" Jude said sarcastically.
"Oh yeah well what did you have to do to keep a guy like him interested?" The sister's eyes locked in an intense stare off, until Josh interrupted.
"There's only one way to solve this." Everyone's eyes trained on him. "We play the game and keep score of who drinks the most." Jude sighed and nodded resignedly.
"Wait were you upset because she called you a prude or because she called you a slut?" Wally leaned over and asked Jude. She shrugged. She hated being labeled.
"I'll go first." Sadie volunteered. "I never slept with someone else's date while they were on said date." And Sadie wondered why Jude wouldn't share her experiences with her. Jude's eyes shot daggers at her as she mouthed the word 'bitch', before she took a drink. Of course she was the only one. Josh eyed her with even more interest now. Jamie frowned, unbelievingly at Jude.
"I've never done it in a moving vehicle." Kara, one of the G-Major interns said. Jude, Sadie, Spied and Jamie drank.
"I've never done more than 3 positions in one session." Someone said. Half of them drank, including Jude.
"I've never done it for more than an hour." Kara said. Most of them drank, but the girls wondered if some of the guys had been lying.
"I've never done it for more than 3 hours." Sadie said once again paying attention to Jude. Her sister predictably drank. Go Tommy! Sadie thought. She still wondered how her virginal sister had gotten the sex god.
"I've never done it in a body of water." Jessica said.
"Wait do pools and hot tubs count?" Spied asked and she nodded. Jude looked over at him.
"Where did you...?"
"The Hilton I think. Pool or hot tub?"
"Both...Which Hilton?" Both?! Jamie thought as another wave of shock hit him. Jude had never been that open about PDA and she had done that?!
"I don't remember..." Jude cringed, hoping it wasn't the same one, because that was a little icky. Everyone looked on in interest at their conversation. They took their drinks and continued.
"I've never had a threesome." Jude finally said, stumped for a good 2 minutes. Wally and Josh took a drink. Wally's friends all turned to stare at Wally in shock.
"What?! Marie and Sasha were bored and decided to de-virginize me." He named two of the Boyz Attack groupies that followed them from show to show.
"You weren't a virgin though..." Kyle said.
"They didn't know that..." Wally grinned.
"Go Wally!" Jude said. The game continued and Jude continued to drink more often than not, Sadie kept up, but Jude was definitely winning.
"I've never done it outdoors." Kyle said.
"Like in nature?" Jude asked, not sure if that's what he meant.
"Like outside." Kyle gave her a look. Jude remembered that time Tommy had dragged her to the rooftop of one of the hotels to watch the sunset and started blushing. He had bent her over the railing and...She took another drink, trying to cool her flaming cheeks.
"Where?" Sadie asked and Jude found herself answering automatically before she could stop herself.
"Rooftop of the Hyatt." Had she just said that out loud?
"Where haven't you done it?!" Sadie asked in shock.
"How about someone else's bed?" Jude jabbed at Sadie knowing she had used one of her friend's room's before.
"I've never stayed in bed for more than 3 hours." Kara said. Jude, Sadie, Josh, Spied, Jamie and Jessica all took a drink. Sadie was curious now and named an outrageous amount of time.
"I've never stayed in bed for more than 8 hours." Jude glared at her sister and put the liquor to her lips, again. Sadie's eyes widened along with those of them who were still sober enough to care. Jamie looked on in disbelief as Jude took drink after drink.
"I've never had sex more than 3 times in one day." Someone said and of course Jude drank yet again. She was pretty far gone at this point so when Sadie went before anyone else could, she barely noticed.
"I've never had sex more than 8 times in one day." Sadie watched Jude scrunch up her nose in concentration. Damn too high, she thought, until Jude finally took another drink. "When the hell did you have time to sing?! You were busy screwing like bunnies!" Sadie asked in disbelief. Jude just shrugged. Spied noticed how pale Jamie's face had gotten. It was hard to see your dream girl knocked from her pedestal.
"Well they took advantage of the tour bus too you know." Kyle volunteered. Jude shot him a death glare and then one at Spied.
"If you say anything about bathrooms I'll mention Lola." Spied closed his mouth.
By the time everyone was too drunk to play Jude had won hands down, not that anyone but Jamie cared at that point.
Months Go By
Jude finished her sophomore album to celebration at G-Major. She had done it in good time, making everyone happy. Georgia knew this one was even better than her first, carrying a depth that Jude had not exhibited before the tour. She still wondered who had broken Jude Harrison's heart, but did not pry. Jude had some time off now, as they all waited for the producer to do any finishing touches he needed to and then the masters had to be taken to New York. She spent more time with Jamie, since she hadn't while she'd been wrapped up in her music. Her tour was scheduled to start right after the album was to be released and she found herself a little nervous at the idea. She had never been the headliner before and she didn't know if life on the road would bring back too many memories. He had never called her since coming back from Asia and she assumed he had forgotten about her. She still wondered how he did it, because she could not forget.