We talked about motorcycles and the merits of various makes and models. About the challenge of restoring old cars and the satisfying way a motor rumbled when it was in good condition. We talked about beaches and swimming. About animals we were afraid of—sharks for me, raccoons for him, although it wasn’t so much fear as vague distrust.
By the time we’d finished most of our meal, I felt considerably better. My problems hadn’t gone anywhere, but at least I’d set them aside for a little while.
A group of three men came in and took the table next to us. They were dressed casually in dark shirts and jeans. They leaned close to each other, speaking in low voices. It sounded like Russian.
I could see Jude’s awareness of not just them, but everything in the room. He was constantly vigilant, his eyes taking in every detail. It wouldn’t have surprised me to find out he’d mentally mapped out several different ways to get to an exit in case of an emergency.
“Finished?” Jude asked.
I put my napkin on the table. “Yes. That was amazing.”
“Did you save room for key lime tart?”
“I always have room for key lime tart.”
Jude leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Good. Because I was thinking about ways I could eat it off you.”
I bit my lip at the rush of heat between my legs. My pleasant evening was about to get even better.
One of the men looked over at me and said something to his friend. The second man chuckled and replied, his eyes tracing me up and down. Although I couldn’t understand what they were saying, I had a pretty good idea.
I was about to say that just because I didn’t speak their language didn’t mean they could be assholes, but Jude’s face went stony. He slowly turned to face their table. When he spoke, his voice was dangerously low and he said something I couldn’t understand.
In Russian.
All three men went pale. They cast each other worried glances. Jude said something else, then turned back toward me.
The first man rose from his seat and nodded at me. “So sorry. Have a nice evening.”
The other two followed suit, rising from their table and mumbling apologies. They put their heads down and walked out the front door.
I gaped at Jude. “What was that?”
“They were being rude.”
“You speak Russian?”
“Yes.”
“What did you say to them?”
He shrugged. “I told them not to talk like that in front of a lady, especially when she’s my lady.”
“Is that all?”
“And I told them to apologize.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. He must have said something else to intimidate them so easily. “Did you threaten them?”
He smirked, all cool casual confidence. “I wasn’t serious.”
“Is that why they left?”
Another shrug.
“How do you know Russian?”
“Mostly YouTube.”
I stared at him for a long moment. “Who are you?”
“No one of consequence.”
Shaking my head, I smiled. This man.
I wondered if I’d ever discover everything there was to know about the mysterious Jude Ellis. Probably not.
But for now, we had key lime tarts to get home to.
25
CAMERON
Derek and my PR team had come up with a comprehensive plan to counter the bad press. Our small board of directors made a public statement indicating their support, and several of our executives did the same. I released a brief statement noting the glaring inaccuracies and lack of fact-checking.
My PR team was still trying to reach Milton—he was on his yacht somewhere in the Caribbean—but I hoped a statement from the founder would help discredit Sydney’s article. Noelle was conveniently out of the office, so I hadn’t been able to confront her about her part in all this. For all I knew, she was behind everything.
Part two of the plan was very similar to what we’d done when I’d first hired Jude. I needed to be seen in public as if nothing was amiss. Business as usual.
Which meant tonight, I was attending the Southeast Aerospace Association dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel.
I’d gotten a saucy look from Valentina when I’d told her that as much as I loved the long evening gown she’d chosen for me to wear tonight, I was going with something a little less predictable. A pale peach dress with silver mermaid-scale accents that was just long enough to be appropriate on my tall frame—and only just.