Third times the charm

1

BLACKMAIL

  "Julia Brooks, Bullion Constructions!"

    The crowd applause became higher as a tall brown-haired girl confidently walked up to the stage. She moved with feline grace, like a cat and her waist-length bouncing vigorously off her back. The audience practically stared at her in wonder as admiration flooded their eyes. It wasn't every day they saw a female who defeated the male population when it came to construction.

   Julia was an architect. Though her age read 24, she was excellent at what she did. What she planned, she executed. Expressing all her suppressed thought through her work. She could never have considered herself proud and neither could anyone. She had followed the footsteps of her fathers Director and worked hard to get where she was.

  She smiled at the representative with wide lips as she shook hands with him. Her amusement increased when he winked at her when the cameras stopped flashing.

     She could barely hold her laughter as she stared at him. She wouldn't be surprised if he found her attractive too, most men did. Maybe it was the air she carried or the fact that she always beat them if they happened to compete.

    Julia was certain that her looks had almost no part in it. Though that was what she thought, the looks both the male and female population of the crowd gave her said otherwise.

    Her brown hair matched exactly with her almond-shaped eyes. Causing a boring colour to glow. Her curvy body held a rose petal skin that never hid her blushes. Her hands, slim and narrow accepted the award she was being given before she turned to face the cameras again.

     As she went down the stage, her mind was in a home. She imagined herself curled up in her bed with her favourite flavours of pizza and a good book.

    Under the confident facade, Julia Brooks liked the peace and quiet.

     Her father worried about her and often begged her to socialize. Sometimes Julia spent her whole weekend on her bed, just getting up to bathe and cook. One time her father got so worried that he tried to introduce her to some new people. Her 3 brothers Justin, Cornelius and Alexander still preferred her in bed where she couldn't meet any boys.

    Julia sighed heavily as she went to meet her colleagues who were waving at her.

     The intern, a pretty plumb girl called Elizabeth reached out for the award, screaming at the beauty, "Let me touch it, Julie,"

     She held it with both hands, "One day I'll have you too baby."

      She kissed it and Julia laughed. Elizabeth wasn't only an intern but also her friend. They had met at the university when they were in their second year but after she graduated from Survey planning, she went back to study architecture.

      "You should reserve your kisses for Liam, " Julia teased her. Liam was Elizabeth's best friend right from kindergarten. As they grew older, she fell in love with him and hid it until last Friday. It was his birthday and they had both gotten drunk. They ended up kissing and confessed their love for each other. Both of them had been avoiding each other for a couple of days now.

    Eliza stuck her tongue out at her childishly, "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

    Julia chuckled and glanced around. Many people smiled at her when she caught their gaze, urging her to come to chat with them. Knowing Julia, she had no intention of doing that. The chit chat she had had with them before the award ceremony was enough. She couldn't bear talking to any of these people for a moment longer.

     "I'll be back, " she said to her friends. With the way, they were arguing she was sure they didn't even hear her.

    She walked to the buffet, picked up a plate and started filling it with food. This was the only reason she ever attended these occasions. The food provided was always good and luckily for her, she didn't have to fight anybody for it. Most guests just moved around with their glasses flirting and talking business. They left the food to her and any other person who cared enough to eat them. She brought her little finger to her lips and licked the cream of it. She then looked around cautiously and tried to silently walk to the balcony. There, she was sure that she could eat her pastries in bliss without the ladies present sending her looks and gossiping about her getting fat.

    On her way, she tried avoiding the guests. She didn't want to talk to billionaires who didn't understand that she loved her work and wasn't going to be their secretaries for even triple her salary. Or women who wanted to discuss the latest Gucci product. She bumped into Mac, another architect and her colleague at work and she wasn't upset. She had been waiting for him to show up anyways. He handed her the blueprints of an estate he needed help on and thank her continuously. Placing it in between her armpits she had to flee to avoid more attention.

     After he successfully reached the balcony without further interruptions, she sat on a loveseat she saw and started eating. She moaned as she bit into a chocolate canape she had picked, immediately wishing she had gotten more of it. She slowly relished her food, moaning at every bite that she hardly heard the applause signalling the end of the second part of the function. After she got a text from Elizabeth, she left her almost empty plate and ran back into the hall.

    Most people were chatting excitedly among themselves and some were dancing to the slow music. She looked around trying to find her friends or at least Elizabeth. It was time to leave.

"Julia?"

     At the sound of that voice, she froze. It was the one she'd spent years trying to get out of her head. The one she'd spent years wishing was close to her. The voice that used to give her butterflies. Julia quickly turned around, hiding her shocked face with a wide smile.

    "Well, well, well, " she began still smiling, "Isn't it Jace Anderson."

     What people dreaded most was meeting their exes without being prepared. Everyone wanted their exes to see them in their best times, so they could show off what they have achieved after them. Jace wasn't really her ex, in fact, he never got to be her ex.

    She put her back up straighter and broaden her smile that looked very fake.

     "Julia." His cool green eyes, full sculpted mouth were smiling at her.

     They stood there for some seconds, accessing each other. Jace could hardly believe what he was seeing. The Julia he saw was bewitching. She had always been bewitching, he admitted, but never this much. He had recognized her the moment she rushed back in.

     For a moment, he had frozen and didn't hear any more word of what the host was announcing. He just stood there staring at her in amazement. Her brown hair still looked exactly like her big brown eyes. Her long straight nose even straighter.

     He chuckled as he watched her look around. Who was she looking for, He wondered Date, escort, husband, fiance?

     It had been years since he last saw her and their last meeting didn't end well. He frowned as he thought about it. He wasn't going to lie but he was a bit shocked when he figured out that she was the same 'Julia Brooks' that had won the award. Jace figured he had no right to approach her yet here he was.

    "How have you been?" She continued, "How has life been treating you?"

     Julia couldn't help but stare at the face she had cried buckets over. His face was still the same, still beautiful. His black hair still threatened to fall over his eyes at any time and his eyes were still the same. Her gaze went to his lips and she swallowed. He still had the same build, nothing had changed. If there was any chance it was positive and for the better. She almost snorted as she taught about how much she had changed over those few years.

    "What are you doing Julia?" he said after a moment, totally ignoring her questions.

     Julia fake smile became so wide that she feared that her lips would rip "Nothing Mr Anderson, I just noticed how your hairline has receded."

    It was an obvious lie she couldn't help. His hair didn't look as if anything would ever happen to it in the next ten years. She was a little satisfied when she insulted him and purposely called him by his surname. She hadn't forgotten what had happened between them.

     "I'm 26, Jules, " He said slipping into the pet name he used to call her. She hated the way she loved hearing him say it but she couldn't bring herself to correct him,

"There is no way my hair is receding."

    "How have you been?" He honestly wondered. She looked splendid but he wanted to hear it from her lips.

She smiled again, "Marvelous, why?"

     "Just asking...wondering, " he replied.

    She slipped her long, slender fingertips through her hair and his eyes instinctively followed them, "You don't need to worry about me. I've been good actually, great Jay."

       She too unconsciously said his name and didn't even notice.

"I've moved on since high school if that's what you wanted to hear, " she added with a snap, her eyes flashing.

    "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a file to find." She said finally realizing that the blueprint Mac had given her wasn't with her. She needed to find it as he needed them back for a presentation on Monday.

     Jace grinned and she stared at him as his dimple deepened on his left cheek, "You mean this one?"

He lifted the same files she was looking for.

    "How did -" She drew in a breath and struggled not to reach out and snatch them out of his hands.

"How did you get those?" She asked again

    "I have my ways". He had picked them up when she was almost running back in.

   She let out a weary smile, "Thank you."

     "If you don't mind I'll love to have those back. I still have to get it done before Monday." Her smile then sharpened like a scalpel, "And with my wedding coming up next month, I still have lots to do."

    Jace was surprised at the pang of hurt he felt. She is getting married in a month, he said to himself, What is it to me?

    "Have dinner with me, " he said without even thinking about it

     Julia became irritated. Before she would have done her happy dance and followed him wherever he was going but now? She wasn't ever going to go through that again,

    "I said I'm getting married, " she reminded him.

    He angled his head, "So what has it got to do with us having dinner?"

    Julia almost screamed, " Everything!" Out loud instead she said, "I can't, I have to drop my colleagues at home."

     She had hoped that would work but he saw through her excuse, "If you want these blueprints you have to come with me".

    She lifted a hand to rub her forehead and felt it becoming hot,

    "That's blackmail, " Her tired mind tried to think of another excuse.

    Jace grinned and they stared at each other in silence. The silence was welcomed, each of them with their thoughts. Suddenly he asked,

   "How long has it been Jules?"

"Eight years, " she whispered

     "Eight whole years, " she said again.