Under The Hood

Ch. 8

I never thought the private client Jude told me he'd booked in today would be the model, socialite, and activist Flora Hamill. I do my best to serve her, pouring her a glass of champagne and warming an almond croissant up while she speaks to Jude about tickets her father is gifting him for the Grand Prix finals in Singapore next month.

What if he knows about the baby by then? Soon, my body will change, and places will grow bigger, making this secret harder to hide. After learning that Jude doesn't have a girlfriend, I mulled it over last night and decided I have to come clean by the first scan.

I owe him that much.

It feels disgusting to rob him of that moment, whether he wants it or not.

Flora laughs at Jude, who doesn't look too excited by her, in all honesty.

"I hope you warmed it for six minutes like I asked. It looks burnt, and it's hard to burn pastry," she says as soon as I put the plate in front of her.

I hover momentarily, biting back a snarky response at her disgusted look.

"Please, can you sort those papers in my office now, Imogen?" Jude's saving me. Or Flora from my impending acidity. Maybe both.

I nod gratefully and rush off. The office code is saved on my phone, and the keycard hangs from the lanyard around my neck. Two swipes, three attempts to use the key code, and the alarm starts blaring. I rush to try to silence it, knowing it's got to be loud for them in reception, too, but my slowness has caused the system to double lock.

"Everything okay?" Jude shouts.

"I wasn't quick enough. I'm sorry!"

He moves in front of me, pressing buttons while I take a few steps back, covering my ears when the siren noise threatens to burst my eardrums. The noise carries on, and it feels like forever before it eventually stops.

"My ears are still ringing," I say, following Jude into his office.

He laughs. "I wanted it to blow the ears off of whoever decided to rob me."

"Well, mission accomplished," I laugh back.

Jude takes his time with something at his desk, so I head to the filing cabinet to search for the invoice. Luckily, I put them all in date order, so I grab the file with the correct month and carry it to the desk.

I'm too engrossed in searching the files to notice Jude leave the room, but I see he has at some point when I say I've found the invoice out loud. I search for him, wanting to get the information to him as soon as possible, slowing at the sultry sounds of Flora's voice.

"Let me take you out for drinks later," Flora is saying, long, lean leg on display under the floral dress she's wearing.

Jude shakes his head. "I don't mix business with pleasure. Never will and never have, so I'll have to decline."

She hums a sexy sound. "News around the city is you do."

"Rumours are carried by haters," he's quick to talk back.

Is he quoting Paulo Coelho?

"Are you calling me a fool?" she responds, obviously familiar with the words.

Rumours are carried by haters, accepted by fools, and spread by idiots.

Jude shakes his head. "Not at all. I'm just letting you know my private life is not as exciting as people like to make out."

"You have needs. It's not like you have a girlfriend, do you?" she responds, fluffing out her bouncy brown curls.

Jude's eyebrows furrow. "I'm not sure it's any of your business if I did."