Chapter 47

Judy’s POV

“He kissed you?!” Nan shrieked on the phone the next afternoon. I had to pull the phone away from my ear at the sound of her loud voice.

“Yes,” I told her. “It was unexpected.”

The Uber driver parked the car outside of Gavin’s villa. I thanked him before handing him his tip and got out of the car.

“Nan, I have to go, I just got to work,” I told her, rushing her off the phone as I ascended the steps that led to the front door.

“Okay, but you have to call me later. I need all the details,” she told me.

“Will do,” I assured her, and then I hung up the phone.

Truth be told, there weren’t many details to tell her. The kiss was decent enough, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. It didn’t ignite my passion or leave me feeling breathless… it didn’t even make my legs weak. It was nothing like the kiss I’ve shared with Gavin in the past.

My cheeks warmed at the thought.

Why was Gavin popping up in my head at moments like these? I should not be thinking about Gavin or his kisses. That was the last thing I should be thinking about right now. But even during my date last night when I was with Walter, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like to be with Gavin. To have Gavin’s arms wrapped around me while we danced under the moonlight to beautiful jazz music. What it would have been like to have his lips pressed against mine during the heat of the passion and to know that I was the only one he wanted to be with.

I needed to get a grip on myself because those thoughts were ridiculous. Those things could never happen. He was my boss and nothing more. Just because we almost had sex that one time, doesn’t mean he has any type of feelings towards me.

If anything, he felt the opposite. He thought of me as a showgirl. Someone he can have one-night stands with and never see again.

The thought left an unsettled feeling in my chest that I swallowed down.

Adam stood at the doorway with an indifferent look on his face. I knew he was still upset with me for making him look foolish in front of his boss. Now, he wasn’t even allowed to speak in the presence of Gavin. It’s not like it was my fault; Adam was the one who was trying to get me fired the moment I got the job. I still didn’t understand why that was; I mean, Adam was the one who invited me to apply for this job in the first place.

“Master Matthew is waiting for you in the parlor,” he told me. “He’s already gotten a head start on his homework. I think he’s eager to spar this evening.”

I smiled at the thought.

“Thanks, Adam,” I said to him, trying to be polite.

I didn’t want any bad blood between us, but that also depended on him as well.

He nodded and I went on my way to the back parlor where Mathew was buried in his book and taking notes in his notebook. I smiled at the sight, but then my smile faltered when I saw who was seated on the loveseat across the room, scrolling through her phone.

When I entered the room, she looked up and gave me a wry smile.

“Hello, Judy,” she greeted; her voice sounding almost sad.

“Hey, Irene,” I replied, trying not to sound too bothered by her being here.

At least she was alone this time; I wanted to ask her where her fiancé was, but I had a feeling her sour mood had something to do with him. Maybe she didn’t like the fact that he dragged her to the gallery last night. Walter told me that they had been fighting a lot lately and she didn’t want to go out last night, so I was surprised when I saw the two of them there when we returned from our walk. I thought for certain Ethan would try and talk to me at some point during the evening, but surprisingly, he kept his distance.

Maybe he was finally getting the hint that I wanted nothing to do with him. Or maybe he just didn’t want his precious Irene to feel insecure and worried that his mind was elsewhere.

“Is it okay if I sit with you while you tutor?” She asked. “I need to get my mind off stuff.”

I glanced at Matt who was still busy doing his homework before I turned back to Irene.

“I don’t mind,” I told her.

She looked relieved and relaxed back into the loveseat. I went to Matt and sat beside him. We spent the next hour doing the rest of his homework and going over the stuff that he had already done. Once completed, we went out back to practice combat and defense. As we walked outside, I was surprised to see that Irene was following us. Her nose was still buried in her phone, and she was barely paying attention to where she was walking, but she was following after us.

Once we reached our destination, Irene sat at one of the lounge chairs that was set up and she continued to type away on her phone. I furrowed my brows at her, but she didn’t notice.

“Her and Ethan got into another fight,” Matt whispered. “She’s been sulking all day.”

My heart lightened a little; I felt bad for her. She had no idea about the cruel jerk she was engaged to, but maybe she would start to understand things on her own. I brushed the thought out of my head; it wasn’t my problem or concern. I was here to do a job and that was it. My main focus was on my father and getting his debt paid so he could return to my mother, and we could be a happy family once again.

Matt and I spent the next couple of hours sparring and practicing his defense moves. Once we were finished, were both panting and covered in sweat.

“Good practice,” I praised, patting him on the back. “You’ve been improving greatly.”

“I have a great tutor,” he replied with a beaming smile. “Thanks for helping me, Judy.”

“You should get inside and shower before dinner. I’m sure the maids are in the process of cooking it as we speak,” I told him, glancing at my watch and seeing that it was just past 5 pm.

He nodded and hurried inside. My eyes wandered over to Irene who was no longer staring at her phone; instead, she was staring at me. She had an expression on her face that I couldn’t quite read… maybe it was nervousness. Like she wanted to talk to me about something, but she was too afraid to bring it up. I figured if she wanted to talk, she would, so I turned away and started to clean up my supplies, shoving them into my bag.

I hadn’t noticed, or heard her, moving from her seat, but by the time I was done packing up my things and turning back around, she was standing right behind me. I nearly fell backward in shock.

“Sorry,” she murmured. “I didn’t mean to scare you…”

She bit her lower lip and rubbed the back of her arm awkwardly as she stood in front of me. I sighed, giving in.

“Is everything okay, Irene?” I asked her. “You seem off today.”

As if she was snapping herself out of her daze, she blinked a few times and then lifted her gaze to meet mine.

“I’m not really sure. I guess I’m just confused,” she admitted. “Judy, do you want to go shopping with me tonight?”

I raised my brows.

“I don’t really have the money to go shopping,” I admitted, feeling my cheeks redden.

“It would be my treat of course,” she said hurriedly. “We can grab something for dinner too. Just the two of us.”

“Is there a reason behind it?” I asked her, raising my brows.

“No… I just need someone to talk to,” she said softly, glancing at the ground.

“I’m not sure if I’m the best one for that, Irene…” I tried to say, but she quickly stopped me.

“I don’t have anyone else, Judy,” she said quickly. “I could use some girl time… please…” she pleaded.

My heart tugged for the girl, and I found it hard to say no, so I relented with a sigh.

“Okay, “I told her. I glanced down at my sweaty gym clothes. “I should probably change though.”

“I have clothes you can borrow!” She said, grabbing my arm. “Come on!”

She pulled me along with her and when we got inside, we nearly ran straight into Gavin. He froze at the sight of us and then his eyes darkened when he saw our interlocked arms.

“What are you two doing?” He asked, staring between the two of us.

“I’m taking Judy to change her clothes,” Irene answered before I could utter a single word. “We are going shopping and to get dinner.”

He raised his brows at his daughter and then his eyes focused on me.

“Is that so?”

I bit my lip and nodded slowly, my eyes never leaving his.

“Yes,” I answered, my voice coming out way breathier than I wanted it to.

My heart was hammering in my chest and my wolf was immediately perking up being in the presence of Gavin Landry. I had to fight to keep her under control; she was embarrassing sometimes.

Irene started to pull me away but as we stepped around Gavin, his hand wrapped around my bicep, halting me in place. His touch sent a shockwave through my system and goosebumps immediately formed on my flesh.

Irene frowned at her father.

“She’ll meet you up there,” Gavin told his daughter.

She gave me a concerned look before glaring at her father again. Eventually, she nodded and unhooked her arm from mine. She quickly hurried up the stairs. I turned to look at Gavin who kept his gentle hold on my arm.

“Can I help you with something, Alpha?” I asked him, trying to appear innocent.

“I don’t know what game you are playing, but leave Irene out of it, “he said through his teeth.

I was a bit hurt by his words; I wasn’t trying to play any game, and it wasn’t right that he’d assume otherwise.

“I’m not sure what you are talking about,” I told him truthfully.

“You can pretend all you want, but I know women like you. You’ll step on anyone if it means getting what you want,” he murmured, his voice low and threatening. “You already have my nephew wrapped around your finger, I’m sure he’s a part of your pawn as well. If you hurt my daughter, I’ll make your life a living hell.”