Until I Met You

by S. L. Scott

  He took her hand and kissed it. “That’s why you take the brochures?”

  “That’s why.”

  Jude spoke to the front desk attendant, “Can we have champagne sent up to the room. We’re celebrating.”

  Peeking up at Taylor, he had one eyebrow raised, then said to Jude, “Yes, we are. Several times over if we have it my way.”

  “Have I ever told you how much I like your way? Especially when you have your way and move your tongu—”

  “Sir!” the woman said, interrupting. “Your card. Please sign here and here is your room key.”

  Taylor signed for the room and took the key. After listening to brief directions, the two walked together toward the elevators, a shared secret on their lips.

  THE FUNNY THING about fate is one can’t outrun it. No matter how much they try, setting their sights on a different outcome, they will always end up exactly where they were meant to be.

  Rufus Stevens had just left a hotel room at The Plaza after giving his regular Saturday rendezvous a diamond bracelet to keep her coming back, and more importantly, to keep her mouth shut. For, Mr. Rufus Stevens had a sexually experimental side that wouldn’t go over well with the blue-blooded debutantes he preferred to date, or rather, to be seen with in public. So he took his sexual transgressions out on highly paid call girls instead.

  More recently, the Stevens family, namely his parents, had started to put pressure on him to settle down. They’d even offered a high-paying position at the family-run business and free access to the estate in the Hamptons as a wedding gift. Even after getting off, he felt like a dead man walking just from the thought.

  That was until he saw a certain old chum of his across the lobby heading to the elevators with one sexy piece of ass under his arm. Taylor Barrett had been a thorn in his side since Rufus faced a rape accusation back in high school. Taylor Barrett had backed the girl instead of his friend. Daddy Stevens paid the family to shut it down, but it took nine years to get the satisfaction Rufus wanted. When Rufus nailed Taylor’s soon-to-be fiancée in a supply closet of the hospital where Taylor was recovering, he had finally gotten his sweet revenge.

  “Taylor Barrett?” he called, stopping and making a scene. “Hey, is that you?”

  Jude and Taylor took a step away from each other on instinct, their bodies disengaging. Taylor looked back, but he knew the voice before seeing the face attached. As they turned around, they both held their breath unintentionally. Taylor put on a smile and waved. “Hey, what a coincidence running into you here.” Not at all.

  Under his breath, he whispered to Jude, “I’ll handle this.”

  She felt a tightening in her chest. She knew. She knew before he even opened his mouth that there was nothing he would be able to say that would explain what they were doing there… together.

  When Rufus reached them, the two men shook hands and acted as if this was a happy coincidence, though neither felt it. Rufus eyed Jude. “Judith Boehler, right? Wow. Look at you.” He checked her out from head to toe. “You look… different. Why didn’t we keep in touch after that dinner?” Taking her hand, he pulled her forward and kissed her on the cheek.

  “I’ve been crazy busy,” she said, stepping back, wishing Taylor could wrap his arm around her again and make her feel safe.

  Rufus turned to Taylor. “So what are you guys doing here?”

  “We were grabbing lunch.” Taylor didn’t offer more than requested. Liars got caught by offering too much. But more importantly, he didn’t trust Rufus. Ever.

  Rufus’s eyebrows knitted together. “Really? The restaurant is that way and you looked like you were heading for the elevators. This isn’t a date, is it? Oh man, I’m sorry.” He raised his hands in a cautious way. “Seems I’ve interrupted a little afternoon delight.” Rufus winked at Jude, making her stomach churn.

  Taylor bit back, “You’ve misunderstood. We were going to the restaurant. As a matter of fact, we’re going to be late. It was good to see—”

  “Oh good. Then you don’t mind me joining you? I’m starved.”

  Jude swallowed hard. “Taylor was helping me with a problem. A friend of mine’s problem. I wanted to offer her advice, but don’t know how to go about it. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to him privately over lun—”

  “Taylor is great with the advice as long as it benefits him. Maybe you want an unbiased opinion.” Rufus swayed his hand toward the restaurant while putting the other on Taylor’s shoulder and redirecting them. “Let’s eat and I’ll be happy to help.”

  The three of them started walking across the lobby, Jude and Taylor much less eager than Rufus. She tried to catch Taylor’s eye, but she caught Rufus’s instead and he grinned at her. “Sure is good to see you again, Judith.”

  She didn’t reply, but she felt it in her gut: nothing good could come from this. Debating on bowing out, she walked toward the sunny windows ahead, drawn to the outside. Unfamiliar fingers took her elbow, her skin crawling under his touch, and guided her back on track to the restaurant.

  They were seated at a table in the middle of the restaurant. Very public. The couple thought it was perfect. There was no way to get too personal when there were so many ears that could hear. Rufus would have to stay checked with his insinuations.

  Taylor and Jude sat next to each other at the table for four. Rufus took the seat on the other side of her, cozying up closer to her corner. Jude hated this. She couldn’t see Hazel’s eyes without being obvious. His eyes gave her security, made her feel safe and beautiful. In his eyes, she saw a future that she couldn’t see with her own.

  Bending her head down, she read the menu, taking her time to help distract her nerves.

  Once they placed their order, Rufus clapped his hands together and said, “So what’s the big problem your friend has?”

  Jude, startled from the loud clap, and stuttered, “Um, well…” She closed her eyes hoping to see the lie that needed to be told, but her mind was blank.

  Taylor saved her. “It’s a remodel issue with her friend’s boyfriend. If they can’t blend their two styles, is their future doomed?”

  Rufus stared at him like he was looking at a three-headed alien until his beer was served and he took a long pull.

  Jude took the split-second reprieve to steal a glance at Hazel. She was fidgeting and her nervous energy was spreading. Taylor reached under the table and squeezed her hand gently before placing his napkin in his lap and pressing his knee against hers. Unfortunately it was the only gesture of reassurance he could give without Rufus noticing.

  Jude sipped her wine. She shouldn’t be drinking in the middle of the day, but she needed something to calm her nerves.

  Rufus finally said, “Are you for real? People fight over this stuff?” He sat back and scanned the restaurant. “As long as the place doesn’t have florally shit everywhere, I don’t give a shit how my wife wants to decorate. It’s her place. A woman’s domain, and all that. Let her have at it. Women love that crap. Right, Taylor?”

  Jude looked at Hazel just as interested in his answer as Rufus. Taylor’s tone was reflective of his feelings toward Rufus. “I think it’s important for couples to find balance so they both feel at home. I’ve found many solutions for couples that couldn’t decide on styles. The last thing a couple wants starting a marriage is strife.”

  “Are you saying that because Jude’s here? ’Cuz that was a real pussy answer.”

  Taking a deep breath, he released it and said, “I’m saying it because I believe my wife’s opinion matters and I know mine will matter to her.”

  “Speaking of wives, I saw Katherine last week.” Bam! There it was served so blatantly, so purposefully to hit Taylor where he thought he could hurt him most. “She said you guys have gotten together a few times.”

  “One time,” Taylor corrected, glancing at Jude.

  “I say smeegal. You say smigel. Semantics.” He leaned forward, directing his hand in a very purposeful manner. “My point is—”

>   “I don’t give a fuck what point you’re trying to make. That topic is off the table.”

  Jude’s knee started bouncing again and Hazel pushed forward with his until hers stopped. She drank her wine and didn’t join in the conversation that had made all three of them tense.

  Rufus pushed on. “I was just going to say it’s good to see you’re working it out. I think she’ll appreciate you more this time.”

  Taylor couldn’t stop from watching Jude as she finished her wine in silence. He wanted to explain everything. He wanted to tell her he wasn’t seeing anyone but Jude, but he couldn’t, and Rufus knew that. Rufus knew what he was doing, leaving them two choices—come clean, or continue the lies.

  They ordered another round of drinks when their lunch was delivered. Taylor glared at Rufus. Rufus grinned at him, and then crossed a line. “Judith?”

  She looked up, surprised he was addressing her directly.

  He asked, “We should go out sometime. Got any plans tonight?”

  Taylor’s hold on his knife tightened. He turned his wrist so the utensil was turned upside and he stabbed downward. His vision briefly blurred and he almost lunged across the table, wanting to take him down, but this time Jude’s hand landed on his thigh, her soft touch strong enough to hold him in place. “Actually,” she replied, looking directly at Rufus. “I already have plans.”

  “With Taylor?”

  “No. With my family. We spend a lot of time together.”

  “Oh. That’s… quaint.”

  The fork made another pass over the salad she ordered, but Jude could barely eat. She checked her watch and saw their opportunity passing too quickly. She thought of the room upstairs and how she could possibly get Rufus to leave so she and Hazel could enjoy it. But like a leech, he stayed to suck every second out of their time together until Jude finished her wine again. “I’m sorry, but I need to go. I promised my family I’d be back by four.” She rubbed her forehead. “And I’m not feeling that well.”

  “That’s an hour from now. You have plenty of time,” Rufus said, touching her hand. “Stay a while longer.”

  Her skin burned in an entirely different way than when Hazel touched her. “I’m catching the subway and I need to find a station.”

  This was news to Taylor. He was just about to suggest a cab, but Rufus spoke first, “Stay a bit longer and I can have my driver take you home. Let’s just finish lunch first.”

  He wasn’t asking. He was telling her, and Jude had no excuses come to mind. She didn’t dare look at Hazel. She knew he was boiling inside. He had a jealous streak, a possessive side that she was first introduced to the night of the dinner. It was a side she saw in spades that night, but hadn’t seen since. Until today. His knee knocked into hers, hard.

  A sure-fire way to shake Rufus was with the obvious. She coughed, and then said, “I have to make a stop for girl stuff on the way home. So thanks, but I’ll be fine.” She stood up abruptly and dropped her napkin on her plate. “Thank you for your help with my friend’s problem.” She looked at Hazel, only Hazel, and said, “I’m sure they’ll find a way to work it out.”

  “I’m here, if she needs help. Please let her know. She can tell me anything. Anything at all and I’ll work with her to come to a resolution to keep them together.”

  “What the fuck are you guys talking about?” Rufus asked, finishing off his third beer.

  Her gaze lowered as disappointment set in, their afternoon a lost cause. She glared at Rufus. She hated him. Everything about him reminded her of the other men who took liberties at her expense—her uncle, the doctor, her stepfather.

  When she turned back to Hazel, she replied, “Thank you for everything.”

  She started digging into her pockets for money, but Hazel said, “I’ll take care of your lunch.”

  “Thank you again.”

  Hazel stood, being polite. Rufus remained seated. “See you soon, Judith.” The way he said her name made the hairs on her arms stand on end. She nodded and left, hurrying as fast as she could.

  Her head was beginning to spin and she was starting to feel confused. In the lobby, she stopped and touched her temples. She hadn’t taken her meds that day. She didn’t need them. She never really had, but she felt woozy like the last time she tried to commit her life to the ever after.

  She ran outside and had them hail a cab. Hopping in, she gave her address and leaned against the window, trying to catch her breath. Each breath was weighted in her chest. This wasn’t right. She hadn’t mixed. She knew better. These days she had too much to live for. But when she was dropped off in front of her home, the driver went and knocked on the door, as she stood there motionless at the bottom of the stoop. Roman took one look at her and his lips wavered down. He paid the cabbie and took Jude by the arm, helping her inside.

  “Why are they doing this to me?” she asked, staring blankly ahead as she walked up the stairs, counting each step to the pink bedroom. She started to cry as the wave of her reality, of her life, came crashing down inside her head. Roman shook his head and in his quiet sympathy, she got her answer. “They’ve been drugging me all along.”

  JUDE MADE HERSELF throw up. She wanted to sleep it off, but she wanted this feeling to go away more. But no amount of sickness would expunge the betrayal. She tried to lean against the wall next to the toilet to rest, but the knife in her back hurt too much. So she remained leaning on her arm across the seat and rested her cheek on her wrist.

  Nadia came in a short time after, or maybe it had been hours. She wasn’t sure of the time. Nadia helped her up and wiped Jude’s face with a cool cloth. Jude’s voice was soft, so soft when she made the accusation, “You knew, didn’t you?”

  “I did know.” Her reply was curt. She was always direct and to the point. Jude never much cared for her because of it. Nadia added, “You don’t need the medicine, do you?”

  Jude shook her head. “They’re making me take drugs for problems I don’t have.”

  “I’m sorry, Judith.”

  And for a moment when their eyes connected, she saw behind the stiffly starched uniform and hard lines on her face. Through her jaded vision of her, she finally saw empathy for the first time. That made Jude want to cry, but she held it in, both for Nadia’s and her sake. “You don’t have to do it, not anymore. Not for them.”

  “I do as I’m told. This is a good job.”

  And like that, the gentler side she had shown was gone again.

  Forty-five minutes later, Jude sat on the other side of a formal tea, across from her stepfather and cousin. Her mother and aunt were out shopping. Her stepfather chewed methodically—sixteen times each bite. Her cousin refused to meet her eyes because she knew all too well what was going to happen and she was never one to stop it.

  “Wine,” her stepfather started, “is a violation of the order for good reason. You could die. You could overdose. Mixing alcohol and these medications could kill you, Judith. We can’t let you die.”

  You’re killing me every day. The thought came to her, but she didn’t voice it.

  “The hospital recommends an evaluation.”

  Jude closed her eyes as her fingers dug into the velvet chair. “Please. No.”

  “It’s a violation.”

  Her eyes flashed with anger as they locked on his. “I didn’t know I had the drugs in my system, did I?”

  “We’ve told you not to drink. You were doing so well, even passing it up at the last dinner party. What made you drink today?”

  A knock on the front door interrupted them and her stepfather got mad. “Do they not know it’s tea time?”

  Isla jumped up and peeked out the window. A broad smile appeared. “We have a visitor.”

  Roman, not thirty seconds later, announced, “Mr. Rufus Stevens.”

  Isla rushed around the crudités and greeted him with both hands and a kiss to the cheek. “What a pleasant surprise.”

  Rufus and Jude set their eyes on each other, but Jude immediately looked down. He s
ounded happy when he said, “I came by to check on Judith. She wasn’t feeling well at lunch.”

  Her stepfather looked between the two of them. “I didn’t know she had lunch with anyone.”

  “Yes, Sir. Taylor Barrett and I were honored with her company today.”

  “You and Barrett, huh. Interesting.” He smiled at her, and said, “Why didn’t you say so, Judith? I’m glad to see you’re making proper friends.”

  Jude’s gaze glided from her stepfather to Rufus, who stood grinning at her. “Yes, Judith. You should tell your family how we spend time together.” Full of arrogance, he added, “I actually wanted to take Judith out tonight, but she said she had made plans with her family. I love my family immensely so I understand the devotion.”

  “We have no plans tonight.”

  Jude stared at her stepfather as a sinking, sickening sensation dropped to the base of her stomach. She could see it playing out before she could stop it.

  Her stepfather continued, “You should go, Judith. It will be good for you to get some fresh air. We can finish our discussion tomorrow.”

  Isla was eager. “We should all go. Won’t that be fun? We can invite Taylor. Maybe Clara.”

  “Clara’s in Boston. The four of us can go,” Rufus said. “How about I pick you up at eight?”

  “Perfect,” Isla chimed. Turning to look at Jude, she said, “Isn’t that perfect?”

  “Perfect,” she replied, not willing to give a smile. Rufus Stevens was considered a proper friend? Rufus Stevens, the snake, was what got her a get-out-of-jail-free card for the night? She wished she had a chance to speak to him about Hazel first.

  When Rufus left, Isla ran upstairs to get ready.

  Jude stood up to go to her room, but her stepfather said, “This is a good opportunity to solidify these new connections, Judith. I’m willing to overlook today’s incident this one time.” She turned back to him, shocked. “Barrett and Stevens are well-respected names in New York. This could be good for all of us. Your thoughts are clear?”