Bad Boy Judah

t h r e e

I can only compare Judah to a quiet guard dog. He'll stay quiet and stare at you, challenging you, daring you to take a step. But take that step, and he'll attack you so swiftly, you won't even realize that you've been torn to bits. That's how I feel sitting in his pristine black car.

My nervousness adds pain in my throat. Where could we possibly be going? Who could he possibly be? I'm in the part of town that's unfamiliar to me. So, I'm at the mercy of Judah. I pray he won't kill me, or something. My memory retells me that he's been in jail. He's also notorious for beating people up. Who knows what else he's done... He's a bad boy. I shouldn't be near him. All dogs bite...

"You're quiet, sweet cheeks."

"I wish you'd stop calling me that," I grumble, looking out the window.

"Are you a party girl, Rosalie?" he says my name.

We both glance at each other. I quickly divert my eyes back to the swooshing buildings. I feel my cheeks swell with heat. I don't understand how his deep voice can jolt changes in my body. I rub the back of my neck to wipe the cold sweat away.

"Obviously not," I say.

I rerun the whole Everest incident in my head. I'm grateful that Judah managed to scare Everest away, but I'm not sure whether I'm any safer sitting next to him. Suddenly, his hand rests on my leg. My mind crashes downhill and I can't think anymore. I want to scream at him to get his deceitful hand off my skin, but my throat is blocked and my lips are sewn shut. I can't even move a muscle. It's like my body just shuts down on me by Judah's simple touch. 

"Do you like swimming?" he asks, rotating the steering with one hand.

I take a deep breath and demand, "W-why do you want to know?"

"We might," he stretches and glances at me, "Get wet tonight."

His smirk makes him so mysterious. I don't know what he means, but that definitely doesn't sound right. I buckle my shoulders, sinking in the leather seat. Judah then pulls up in front of a modern pool house. I stare at the loud party people. He cuts the engine and hops out. I decide to stay right where I am, until he walks to my side and opens the door. I hesitate, before stepping out. Music blares and bikini models walk around with martini glasses. I gulp, wanting to teleport back home. The world becomes an awful place, when Judah snakes his arm around my waist.

"Don't be shy, sweet cheeks," he tells me, pulling me closer to the party.

He walks me to the back of the residence. The pool is heavenly large and lit up. At the back, I see a DJ at his booth, remixing song after song. There are tonnes of people dancing and having a good time under the flashing multi-coloured beam lights. My eyes look up to a balcony, where men in suits look out on the dance floor. What surprises me is seeing waiters serving cocktails. This isn't a typical party—this is a rich people party.

"Ah! You made it!"

Judah turns and we are met with a man wearing a loose chambray shirt and white beach shorts. But it's his Rolex that catches my attention. Why would you get that wet? He hands Judah a beer or something. I look down at the marble tiles.

"I thought you'd still be detained," the party host takes a swig.

"They let me out early on good behaviour," Judah smiles, taking his own swig.

I make like a statue. They're talking about jail. Oh God, he wasn't joking...

"Heh," the host laughs a bit, shaking his head, "Good behaviour."

Then we all walk inside. The lights are dim and there's another pool. The sight of brutish looking men making out with young girls over here and over there makes me uncomfortable.