Perfectly Too Far by Regina Button

“Lorraine, is that you?”
    “ In
fact, it is! Haha, hey, I hadn't heard from you in awhile. Thought
I'd just, you know, check in.”
    Judith was delighted by the surprise, yet she sensed something in the
woman's voice that seemed frazzled. “It's good to hear from
you. Uh, is everything alright?”
    “ Of
course!” Her friend laughed, a hollow sound. “Sorry, uh.
So. I hadn't heard from you, and I just had this weird feeling
something was up. I don't know, maybe I'm crazy, but I wanted to
check in on you to see...”
    To see if I ever got in touch
with Benedict. The
clarity hit her, making her feel a spike of unease. “Right.
You're curious if I ever took Mr. You-Know-Who up on his offer,
aren't you?”
    The voice on the line sounded startled, rising in pitch. “What!
No, no, why would you ever—okay, you got me.” Sighing,
Lorraine gave a weak giggle. “I mean, what happened at the
gallery was just strange. Can you blame me for wanting to catch up?”
    “ Not
at all,” she smiled, feeling a bit flattered to be on the
girl's mind. “Look, I'm a little busy, but do you want to get
some brunch and catch up?”
    “ That
sounds pretty perfect, want me to come to you?”
    Judith hesitated, thinking about the clearly stated instructions
about not inviting anyone over without permission.
    Do I want to go ahead and just
break every rule?
    “ No,
let's meet up elsewhere.”

    ****

    Dressed in one of the nicer, casual outfits from her temporary
closet, a pair of designer jeans and a silk top, Judith stepped out
of the car with Corbin's assistance. Instantly, as she turned around
to look over the small cafe, she saw Lorraine gaping at her through
the window.
    Biting back her grin, the red-head waved at her driver as he pulled
away. Her heels, which she was sure cost more than her monthly rent,
clicked across the sidewalk, then the tiled floor of the eatery.
    She hadn't even sat down across from Lorraine before the taller woman
blurted out her words. “Did you just have someone drive you
here? Was that your driver? Do you have a personal driver!? ”
    Laughing with chagrin, Judith settled onto the booth and waved her
hands. “No, no, relax. He's only taking me places while I'm
working for Benedict.”
    Lorraine lowered her eyebrows, her mouth coiling into an amused
smirk. “Oho! So, you did take the job, then.”
    “ I
did, yeah, it was a really good opportunity and...”
    Lifting her arms, Lorraine waved her spread fingers to calm her
friend. “No need to explain. It had to be pretty good if it
came with your own chauffeur. What is he having you paint, a whole
collection, just for him?”
    “ More
like a wall in his mansion.”
    “ His what? ”
    Judith blushed, sipping the water the waiter brought, explaining the
situation. By the time she had told Lorraine about the guest room and
clothes, the girl was openly gawking.
    “ Judith,
this guy... he must really like you, huh?”
    “ Excuse
me?” She choked on her drink, spilling some. “What the
hell do you mean?”
    Lorraine rolled her eyes, stirring her ice around idly. “Don't
tell me you didn't realize. Why else would he offer you all of this?”
    “ Because
he likes my art,” she spat, anger starting to make her temples
hurt.
    “ Don't
get me wrong, I like your work, too. But someone doesn't just offer
you a driver, and lodging, and access to expensive clothing and what
have you just so you'll paint a wall .
Do you like him? ”
    “ What!”
That time, Judith did pour some of her water on her lap. Scrambling,
she dabbed it away and fixed wide eyes on the girl across from her.
“Do I what? I don't even... I don't know! I hardly know the
guy.”
    “ He's
handsome, right?”
    “ Maybe,”
she said, thinking about when he had shared the pool with her.
    “ And,”
Lorraine waved her straw side to side, “he's rich. What's the
problem? Why haven't you locked that down?”
    “ Lorraine!”
Scowling, she looked into her glass, cheeks pink as roses. Her