Hanging In The Balance - Part 5
Jude Jazza x Ellis Twilight x Fem!Reader
an: i swear to go i have three separate smut scenes written for this fic bear with me it's coming up quick- also do we like the new look or do you hate me and want me to die?
How long had it been since your heart felt like a kickdrum, steady pounding with a heaviness that rattled you to your feet? For the first time in years, you were hyper aware of each passing moment, breathing them in with deliberate draws of your lungs. It was as if your body had switched from automatic to manual.
Every step into the expensive restaurant Jude had picked to discuss his little contract was taken bone by bone, muscle by muscle, with meticulous care. You had never thought about how you walked before, but with one little meeting the two men who caused a scene at your job had pulled you back into a state of consciousness that had you questioning your own perception, and what that may look like to others.
Previously, you had been a background character. Intentionally fading into the chaos of the day before slipping back into the serenity of your apartment. Now, you had no choice but to be center stage- at least for the evening. It was terrifying.
But at the same time, you felt so… alive.
“Jazza.” You gave the name to the reservationist, unwilling to pad it out with frills and bows.
He looked you over, eyes undeniably calculating every piece of your outfit to a grand total of ‘not nearly enough to be dining with a pair of infamous corporate elite’. Your mall grade cream colored sweater and black slacks from the bargain bin did nothing to help your case, no matter how many accessories you added to dress it up. Turns out, one cannot french tuck away poverty.
You tried to keep your head held high as you were led to the table- a private-ish booth tucked away in a darker corner of the establishment, but you’re not surprised that your heart immediately jumped to your throat the minute you saw them. They were just as striking as when you’d seen them at your job that night.
Unsurprisingly, they had both decided to occupy opposite sides of the booth, leaving you to choose which devilish businessman to rub elbows with until you signed your soul away.
On one hand, there was Jude, engrossed in what was probably yet another multi million dollar deal on this laptop, his brow knitted and his jaw clenched as he punched keys like they owed him money. He seemed as if he'd attempted to trade in the razor-edged corporate armor for something softer, a fitted black cashmere coat left casually unbuttoned over a slate gray crew neck that still looked like it cost more than your monthly salary. His trousers were obviously tailored,thick charcoal cotton falling perfectly over polished leather boots that looked capable of stepping over someone’s dignity with ease.
You wondered if he ever looked at ease.
And then there was Ellis, already eyeing you with a lopsided grin, like you were here to chat about the weather. Like he’d been expecting to see an old friend and not the responsible party for the ruining of his Prada shirt. His gold necklace flashed when he slid over to accommodate you, subtle but sharp. His dark hair was slightly undone in a calculated way, as if he’d run a hand through it a few times while waiting.
Everything about them whispered restraint.
Even better, it was up to you to choose which you’d settle beside, which felt like a test. Ellis had already scooted over, but you couldn't help but feel like that was bait.
You pulled up a chair from a free table, situating yourself at the end of the booth, something Jude seems to find…impressive? Interesting at the very least. He smiled like a shark in blood infested waters, eyes solely focused on the one that stepped into the salt already bleeding.
“Ya know we ain' t plannin’ on bitin’ ya, right?”
Ellis tilted his head, his bottom lip jutting out, cheek resting on his palm, making him look soft and boyish almost.
“I was hoping you'd sit by me.”
Your eyes flickered between CEO Billy Loomis and COO Stu Macher like they’d lost whatever part of their mind that was responsible for rational observation.
“I’m just here to look at this contract.” Firm. Unyielding. Concrete walls reinforced by sheer stubbornness.
Ellis looked like he'd just been betrayed by an old comrade, meanwhile Jude seemed unimpressed, leaning back in his seat and placing his hands together on the table in front of him.
Your heart pounded. Once. Loud. Skipped the next sequence before continuing again.
A brief glance shot to Ellis before they both lean in a little.
“You ain’t here for no contract. I can see it in yer eyes.” Jude’s glare could cut through stone. You felt oddly naked. “And ya ain't here to be no hero for that lil’ bimbo coworker of yours either.”
“Jude.” Ellis warned, but he was silenced with a raised hand.
“I was unaware you could read a stranger's mind” You attempted to retort with confidence, but the adrenaline betrayed you, rearing its ugly head via a slight tremor in your voice.
“Don't need ta when yer cheeks are all red like that.” His pupils dilated just a fraction, a lion zeroing in on an antelope.
You sat back in your chair, arms crossed, a physical barrier between you and the discomfort of a man who you were convinced didn't see beyond his own nose slicing through you to your core- straight to places you weren't yet ready to acknowledge.
The waiter arrived with a glass of water, and you spent the welcomed intrusion feeling your body spark alive in ways it hadn't in a long time. Stomach churning, lungs tight, heart pounding. An ecosystem once made of straight concrete now turned into a jungle of traffic and chatter and horns and sirens. It was electric. It was dangerous.
“So,” Ellis cleared his throat as the waiter walked away, and your head snapped up to meet him. His voice was cold water on a fresh burn- shocking and soothing all at once “I think what Jude is trying to say is… you seem… tired.”.
His eyes rolled over your form, the color of a sunset in a romance novel, a gradient that really shouldn't be possible.
You swallowed thickly “I don't know what-”
A scoff “Shuddup. Yes ya do.”.
“Jude.” Something in Ellis’s second warning made goosebumps explode from your spine. A sudden darkness sprouted from his mouth like twining vines, suffocating the life out of the air in front of him.
It was gone as quickly as it came.
Jude rolled his eyes and took another sip of his whiskey.
When Ellis’s gaze returned to you, it was so soft. Satin drapery billowing in the wind.
You decided right there that something had to be wrong with you, because your heart did the most addictive little stutter, betraying every ounce of trust you had in the thing.
“As I was saying,” He laid one large hand across the table in front of you, palm up, inviting “We noticed. The exhaustion, the fatigue… the way it seems to disappear when you look at us.”.
Oh god. It was a feeling similar to shock, an overwhelming sensation. Jude cut through you quickly, but Ellis seemed to push in with a blunt edge. Slowly, carefully… you weren't sure if it was a mercy or a cruelty. Your body felt hot and cold at the same time, blood unable to do anything but pool behind your cheeks and the delicate skin of your neck and shoulders.
His fingers twitched on the table, as if utilizing a religious level of restraint.
Your eyes danced between them, dropping briefly to Ellis’s outstretched hand. A bear trap on a mahogany table that was worth more than your car. “...So what of it? What does that have to do with the payment?”.
“Don't worry, princess.” Jude cut in, producing a stack of paperwork “I got yer death warrant.”.
It landed on the table in front of you with a heavy thud as Ellis withdrew his hand, pouting like a child who’d been denied dessert.
You eyed Jude carefully, and then began to flip through the papers. Ten grand in total. A third of your yearly salary. Payment arrangements. Legal jargon.
The table went still for a moment.
“I’m gonna have to have a lawyer review this.”
Ellis’s ever charming smile curdled “That's not-”.
“Smart girl.” Jude interjected with a type of smile that didn't quite reach his eyes “Have a professional look it over, and then we’ll meet up again and you can tell us what ya think.”.
Something clicked for Ellis, unfairly defined shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch. You were cornered, and that seemed to soothe him somehow.
“Right.” You snatch the folder and go to stand up, only to be caught by both wrists- each grip just as bruising as the other.
“Where ya runnin’ off to?”
Protests spoken over each other.
The boys tore their eyes away from you, just briefly, just long enough for a split second to pass, and you swore you could see them rattling off silent communication rapid-fire.
Jude let go first, and Ellis’s grip relaxed a fraction.
“Please stay,” He gave you a pout that could bring a soldier to tears “This place is really good, it would be a waste if you left before the bread even hit the table.”. His thumb swipes across your pulse point once, twice, before pressing against it, as if he were counting your heartbeats.
“Plus, we’ve already paid.” Jude huffed “So I’d sit down. Wouldn't want it added to my tab, personally.”.
You should've ran. You wanted to turn and bolt, and yet something in the sunset scenery of Ellis’s eyes… something in the rumor of a smirk that played on Jude’s face…
You sank back into your seat, not at all missing the way their postures seemed to relax.
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