Joaquin nodded with a look of understanding in his eyes. “I know exactly what you mean. But Gwen understands what it’s like on the road. You’re with her now and that’s the past,” he said, tilting his head in Judith’s general direction.
“Should I tell her?”
Joaquin weighed his words for several seconds and then his expression changed to one of sympathy. “It looks like you may not have the chance. Judith is staring right at you. Sorry.” He turned and spoke hurriedly to Angel, who spoke hurriedly to Rachel, who grabbed all the girls for a bathroom break, and herded them in the opposite direction.
In a brief pause between songs, the buckle bunny in question shrieked, “Julián Alvarez! Is that you? Oh. My. Gawd!” Then she did what she always did. She came running.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
There was no way that Gwen didn’t hear that. One look at the dance floor confirmed it. She tried to break away from Chris, but he wouldn’t let go and pulled her back into his arms for the next dance, all the while talking in a calming fashion to her. Hopefully talking her into forgiving Julián for not telling her about Judith before she found out on her own.
A cloud of perfume engulfed Julián as Hurricane Judith hit. For a surreal split second, Julián thought Gwen would be even more pissed because the perfume Judith must’ve bathed in would stick to him for the rest of the night.
“Hoo—lee—ahn! Where have you been! I’ve missed you!”
“Hey, Judith. Didn’t you come in with a boyfriend?”
“Oh, Hatch? He’s just a friend. We came in to party and dance but if you wanna hook up later,” she whispered in a suggestive tone. “I—”
Here we go.
“Sorry, Judith. I’m here with my girlfriend, Gwen Henderson.”
Her face scrunched up in surprise and then she curled her lip derisively. “Gwen Henderson?” She said Gwen’s name as though it was distasteful which pissed him off. “Where is she?”
“She’s on the dance floor with my best friend.”
She rubbed the buttons on his shirtfront and gave him a pouty look that she probably thought would result in her getting her way. “Tell you what—why don’t we get the hell out of here before anyone notices. We can go back to my—”
Julián gently removed her hand from where she’d slid it between the plackets of his shirt to rub his chest. “Judith, I’m here with someone I care for deeply. I’m not interested in a hookup. Hatch looks like he hasn’t even noticed you’re gone yet. Why don’t you go back over to the man you came here with and have a good time?”
Just then, Chris escorted Gwen back to the table, her hand clasped securely in his. Gwen looked ready for a smackdown, judging by the color in her cheeks and the fire in her eyes.
Damn, she’s even more beautiful when she’s mad. Don’t fuck this up, Alvarez.
Chris leaned toward him and looked apologetic as he murmured, “Gwen wanted another drink and she wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. She promised no fists.”
Yeah, but what about the hair-pulling and eye-scratching, asshole!
Gwen never took her eyes off of Judith, who curled her lip as she looked Chris up and down, noted their hands that were still clasped, and his hand which still rested on Gwen’s hip. She looked down her nose at Gwen and stared challengingly at her.
Judith looked up at Julián again, anger making her face darken. “I see you joined ‘Ménage Central,’” she said as she pointed at the table next door. Angel and Joaquin watched her but said nothing. “You really should raise your standards, Julián. I’ll see you later, but you’d better have a doctor’s bill of good health with you if I do.”
She turned on her heel and stalked away as Chris wrapped his arms around Gwen’s upper body and held her in her seat as she struggled to get up.
Julián went to her and whispered, “Gwen, she’s in the past. I can’t help that. I don’t want anyone but you. But if Teresa sees you like this when she comes back from the restroom she’ll want to know what happened.”
Gwen settled and looked down, drawing a deep breath as she glared at Judith’s receding figure. “Fucking skank,” she muttered. “She’s got a lot of gall talking about low standards.”
“‘If she had as many sticking out of her as she’s had stuck in her, she’d look like a damned porcupine,’ is the expression I recall being used regarding that woman,” Grace said as she joined them. “I thought Judith was a brunette?”