"Can I get another shot," the scandously clad 19 year-old rock star mouthed across the bar to Braden the hot bartender. He nodded his head in understanding and poured her, her fourth shot of the night.
" Hey not that I mind staring at you all night Jude but shouldn't you cool it?" the blonde muscular man asked with a grin.
The raven haired beauty simply downed the shot and replied seductively, "Now what fun would that be?" Jude Harrison knew she looked hot from her leather corset that accentuated her new found curves to her skin tight Seven Jeans. She had just bought new Prada stiletto boots and for how much they were killing her feet she new they were worth every penny. She didn't mind the stares she got from all the men and even some of the women at Club Velocity. In fact she loved the attention. But on this particular Friday night it wasn't just any guy she wanted the attention from.
Here I am once again brooding over Tommy. God I need a life, she though to herself not for the first time that night. They had had yet another fight about how she was living her life and at this point it was getting really old. She knew he only did it because he worried but she always hoped and wished that it were because he loved her. The only way Jude could numb the pain was to Party and have fun even if it wasn't the most legal fun. But today the fight was taken to an entire different level and she didn't know if there relationship would ever be the same. Tom Quincy once again thought it would be fun to take her heart on an emotional roller coaster and Jude's only defense was to take him on the ride along with her.
EARLIER THAT DAY"What the hell is this Jude?" Tommy half screamed half asked his protégé singer as he threw the tabloid on the sound board she was currently sitting at. Jude looked up at Tommy and noticed how entirely pissed he looked even more so when he had to bail her out for under aged drinking three months before.
Jude cautiously flipped over the tabloid to the cover and inwardly shuddered as she saw what caught the attention of her producer.
"Oh shit," she muttered to herself while flipping through the tabloid to the inside story about her encounter. There were pictures of Tristan Daniels and herself making out in the back parking lot of a club. Tristan was the hot new actor of the time and he and Jude had met at a club opening the previous weekend. There was obviously some mutual attraction and they were with each other the entire night. They both had a little too much to drink and obviously the paparazzi caught photos of the aftermath.
"Tommy, it was just a kiss." She tried reasoning to the man with the fire in his eyes.
"Really?" Tommy asked with no emotion in his voice.
This actually scared Jude more since Tom had been known for loosing his cool if his coffee didn't have enough sugar.
"Yeah Quincy, we were both a little…. Not. There. And we kissed. Really it was just a goodbye." She replied quickly trying to sound as sincere and convincing as she could, without looking into his eyes.
"Ok then. Just answer me this question. Why are his hands on your ass and your leg is wrapped around him?" Tommy questioned putting more anger into each word than the next.
Jude looked anywhere but at Tommy not wanting to meet his gaze anytime soon.
Why does he always have to be so over protective when he sees me with a guy? Jude thought to herself while playing with her hair. If he cares so much about me why isn't he making a move! Its not like I haven't been legal for over a year!
The truth was Jude really didn't know how Tom felt anymore about her. He was so hot and cold all the time that she didn't know what the man was thinking. Sure they had shared a couple of kisses here and there but hey when you work with someone that close its bound to happen. But the problem was the closeness for her had turned into love and she didn't know where he stood about the matter. With each thought Jude was getting angrier about Tommy's accusations.
" Tommy why do you care so much eh?" she said while rising to her full height.
"Because Jude," Tommy said as he also rose to his feet "I don't like the guys you have been going out with lately. There not right for you. All they do is use you and drop you like your nothing!"
"That's not your call to make Tommy! I'm an adult now. And what I do in my personal life is none of your business. Its not like I take them seriously anyway. I'm just having fun. You should really try it some time."
"Jude I'm just looking out for you," Tommy said sincerely looking into her eyes.
"You haven't been making the best decisions lately when it comes to guys and I know you're an adult but I'm just worried." He said while putting a hand on her shoulder.
Jude shrugged off his kind gesture and took a step closer to him. Tommy was well aware of how close she had become and felt her breath tickle his neck sending chills coursing through his body.
" What exactly is the right decision Tommy?" It seems like any guy that comes within 100 feet of me other than you is a bad choice. Newsflash Quincy, I'm not yours. So don't worry about me I do just fine by myself." She spat venomously in his face.
Tommy for once in his 26 years didn't know what to say. He knew Jude wasn't his and she had no clue how much it hurt him to see her with these random guys. He did in fact love her but there relationship was complicated enough as it was. And the fact that he was mere inches way from her lips didn't help his current situation either. It took all of his self control not to grab her and show her exactly why he cared so much. Even Kwest kept harboring him about the fact that he did love Jude but wouldn't make a move. Tommy was dangerously close to losing it because his heart was telling him to go for it. But his head was still saying she was out of bounds and out of reach for him.
"Jude, I know your not mine." He said almost in a whisper.
"That's right Quincy, and you've made it perfectly clear on numerous occasions."
"What's that suppose to mean?" he asked trying not to sound hurt.
He knew deep down that he had hurt Jude when he didn't admit his feeling for her on her 18th birthday and then again on her 19th. He was planning on it on both occasions but it just didn't seem right. But now looking at her he knew that he had really screwed up.
"Whatever you want it to mean Tom." Jude said sounding defeated.
I need to tell her how I feel right now. Screw the consequences I need her and I can't handle the fact that she thinks so little of me now.
"Jude listen…" Tom started to say but Jude simply ignored him and threw the tabloid back at him.
" No Tom. I'm through listening to anything you have to say. The only thing that would be worth listening to is when you decide to tell me how you really feel and give up the jealous boyfriend act." She said cattily while picking up her guitar case and her car keys.
"You know where to find me." She ended indifferently only glancing long enough at his face to see that he was about to argue while she exited the studio.
AT THE CLUBWhy does he have such a hold on my heart? Maybe he really doesn't feel the same about me. Dammit I've probably been making a complete ass out of myself for the past four years. But every time I look at him I feel we have something more than just a friendship.
Jude carelessly raked her hand through her hair in frustration and sighed deeply.
Braden saw Jude looking depressed and kindly told the girl that he had been doing shots with to give him a sec. The platinum blonde didn't even hear him over the music and looked pissed at the fact the she was being ignored.
"Hey Rock star are you sure your ok?" Braden asked while putting another shot on the table in front of her.
"Yeah I'm just perfect." She yelled over the loud techno music pulsating through out the club. The bartender nodded his head and pointed to Jude that he would just be over there if she needed anything. Jude smiled at him and he walked back over to the drunk Barbie.
Jude spun around on the bar stool and looked over at the dance floor. It was packed as usual and that why Jude loved going to Velocity. The only one who knew who she really was was Braden seeing as he invited her to the club about five months earlier when they met at a party at G major. He was an aspiring singer and had wanted to create a demo for a couple of studios in the area. Jude had only heard him sing once and from what she could tell sooner or later he would make it big.
As Braden was about to walk to the other side of the bar his cell went off. He quickly exited the club out the side door since there was no way he could here anything over the music.
"Hello?"
"Yo, Brade. It's Quincy man."
"Hey T, what's up?" it was weird to think only a couple of months earlier that Tommy thought of Braden as a threat when it came to Jude. But Braden told Tommy that him and Jude were strictly friends and since then Tommy would call Braden when he knew that Jude would be going to Velocity. Braden wasn't stupid and he could tell Tom had some serious feelings for Jude.
"Hey is Jude there tonight?"
"Yeah man and she doesn't seem to be in the best mood at the moment."
"Yeah okay well can you keep an eye on her until I get there. There's something I need to talk to her about."
"No problem Tom besides I have the alcohol do you really think she's going to leave my side."
"Dude you know she's 19 right?"
"Yeah but I don't want her to beat the shit out of me if I don't give her any. So I'll take my chances" he definitely knew never to get in the way of Jude Harrison when it came to anything she wanted and it was one of the things he liked the most about her.
"That's why you're the bartender and I'm not. Okay I'll see you in a while dude."
"Later T" Braden closed his cell and walked back into the club and the firestorm that was Jude Harrison.
Jude mindlessly looked around the club and was always thankful that she could come here without anyone judging her or telling her what to do. She loved the pulsating techno music and the way it coursed through her when she'd dance. The guys who got the nerve to ask her to dance usually ended up buying her a couple of drinks and who was she to decline. Going to Velocity was her escape from reality. And right now reality is so not where she wanted to be. Little did she know her reality was about to come crashing down in the form of an ex-boybander.