Page 12 of Wicked Temptations
Jude arrived at five thirty, same as always. I heard his voice in the hallway before I saw him, that low rumble talking to Riley about something. My pulse kicked up despite my best efforts to stay calm.
Then Parker intercepted him.
I couldn’t hear the conversation from where I stood in the gear room, but I watched through the doorway as Parker gestured enthusiastically, probably explaining the “improvements” to the choreography. Jude’s posture changed instantly. His shoulders went rigid, and even from thirty feet away I could see the muscle jumping in his jaw.
His eyes found mine across the space.
The look he gave me could’ve stripped paint.
Parker kept talking, oblivious to the tension, and when he walked away, Jude headed straight for me. Riley tried to say something, but Jude ignored her.
“What the fuck did you do?”
I straightened, forcing myself to meet his stare. “Good evening to you too.”
“Don’t.” His voice was sharp enough to draw blood. “Parker just told me you’ve been redesigning my sequences. Want to explain that?”
Other performers were starting to filter in for the shift. Jonas paused mid-conversation with one of the chainsaw guys, watching us.
“I demonstrated a safer way to take a fall. That’s it.”
“A safer way.” Jude’s laugh was bitter and cold. “Right. Because I’ve only been doing this for three years without breaking my neck, but sure, the new guy knows better.”
“Parker asked me to show him—”
“You could’ve said no. You could’ve told him to talk to me first.” Jude stepped closer, and I caught the familiar scent of the gel he used in his hair. “But you didn’t, because this is what you do. You show up, you improvise all over everything I built, and now you’re literally erasing my work.”
Heat flared in my chest. “I’m not erasing anything. I’m making it better.”
“Better?” The word came out like venom. “You’ve been here five fucking minutes. You think you can just waltz in and improve on something you don’t understand?”
“Maybe if you weren’t so goddamn territorial, you’d see that collaboration might actually—”
“Collaboration?” Jude cut me off, his voice rising. “Is that what this is? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re trying to replace me. You want my spot, my reputation, mysequences. What’s next, Ash? You gonna start wearing my gear too?”
The other performers had gone quiet now, all eyes on us.
I felt something snap inside me. “You know what? Maybe the reason your last partner bailed was because you’re impossible to fucking work with.”
The silence that followed was absolute.
Jude went very still. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet and deadly. “You don’t know shit about Taylor.”
“I know he didn’t come back. I know everyone here walks on eggshells around you because God forbid someone disrupts your perfect little kingdom.” I was on a roll now, too angry to stop. “You’re so busy protecting what you createdyearsago that you can’t see you’re coasting by on outdated reputation.”
Jude moved fast, closing the distance between us until we were chest to chest. “Say that again.”
“You heard me.”
“You’re a knockoff, Ash. A cheap replacement trying to wear someone else’s skin.” His eyes were black with fury. “The only reason you’re here is because I needed a partner and you were convenient. Don’t mistake that for being special.”
The words hit like a fist to the gut, but I didn’t back down. “At least I’m not a washed-up has-been clinging to past glory.”
Jude shoved me, hands flat against my chest. I stumbled back into the gear rack, and then I was moving forward, grabbing his shirt na hauling him against me.
“You think you’re so much better than everyone else,” Jude spat, his breath hot against my face. “Walking around like you own the place.”
“I’m doing my job. The job Parker hired me for.”
