Page 2 of Judas

Looking at him curiously, the woman motioned for the man to sit, "Oh, yes, Mr. Arthur will be with you shortly."

Before he could get comfortable on the soft nubuck sofa, a beautiful woman with piercing blue eyes approached, "You are Mr. Christian?"

Judas turned quickly, only to draw a sharp breath as he stared at one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. A quick question crossed his mind; was it luck that Mr. Arthur and his partner were surrounded by such beauty or was it by design? He saw beyond even the soft wrinkles of the receptionist's face that she was once gorgeous in her youth and now another exquisite woman stood before him. Either way, Judas was having a difficult time finding his words. It wasn’t something that ever happened to him and it made his mind race with more questions.

"Uhhh…yes. I'm Judas…Jude Christian.” Reaching out, he shook her hand. It felt soft and delicate in his, and for a split second, he considered not letting it go.

The woman took him in with her eyes as he stood before her. He looked like he worked out and his firm body occupied his pricey suit quite well. She noticed his hair was long and silky but he kept it tied back neatly at the nape of his neck. His beard and mustache were equally tidy and she noticed he smelled expensive. But it was the glow of his pale brown eyes that drew her in and his entire presence made her wonder why he would want a job as a bodyguard for a political candidate. He did not appear to be a man in need of cash flow.

"This way," turning on her heel, she led him down a long hallway.

Judas took note of the artwork lining the walls. Most of it depicted moments in Texas history, except for the large piece at the end where the corridor made a T. The colossal piece seemed almost out of place from the rest. A field of red, yellow, and pink flowers was set on a backdrop of midnight blue. It reminded him of Monet's work. The beautiful woman with sapphire eyes and blonde hair pulled into a taut bun turned right at the picture and knocked once on the door before letting herself and Judas inside.

“Your interview is here," she stated before turning back to Judas and lowering her voice, "Don't let him intimidate you and you'll be fine."

He heard the door click as she left.

Paul Arthur, Attorney at Law, and Republican candidate for the Texas State senate, sat behind a gargantuan dark mahogany desk. Judas saw that his silver hair nearly matched the grey pinstripe in his dark suit as he rocked back in his large leather chair. Behind him, a wall of glass overlooked the Dallas city skyline. Leaning forward slowly, Paul never offered Judas a seat but placed his elbows over an open file in front of him.

"Where you from, boy?" Paul's eyebrow arched as slowly as his Texas drawl.

Judas cleared his throat, "Seattle, sir."

"Well, you sure sound like a northerner. I wasn't sure if you were one of these people from the border towns," Paul searched the file with his eyes as Judas realized it must be his resume. "You look like you could be."

The desire to laugh in the man's face and tell him where he could put this job was overwhelming. It wasn't as if Judasneededthe money, but having moved to the area just a few months prior, he knew he had to set down roots for as long as he could. In twenty years or so, he would have to relocate. It was best practice to get settled as quickly as possible so he could enjoy what time he could in a new city.

"Yes, sir. My family is actually from around Israel…many generations ago," Judas' hazel eyes smiled.

"Judas Christian. That’s a rather unfortunate name…why would your parents name you that?" Paul continued studying the paper in front of him. “I wouldn’t name my hound after a traitor.”

Judas seethed but he almost expected this reaction, “Jude, sir. I go by Jude.

Paul quietly eyed the tall man for a silent moment. It may have only been a moment but, to Jude, it felt heavy. Almost menacing and ill fitting. It was as if he was being inspected for quality assurance. Judas held his head a little higher. He wasn't lying to the man, at least not entirely. His family was from Israel, but his definition of the wordfewwas as wide as the Texas plain since it had been more like eighty generations since he was home.

“I would as well,” Paul muttered and flipped a page in the folder. “So, your family…are they?”

Judas shook his head, confused, "Are they what, sir?"

The older man's eyes finally met him again, "Christian."

Judas bit the inside of his cheek, hard. What a racist piece of shit. Who did this man think he was? Angry thoughts and comments roiled in his mind.

"Yes sir," he held back what he really wanted to say. “Long-standing.”

“Humph,” the man grumbled before continuing, “Says here you’re trained in a couple of different kinds of martial arts and weapons. You military?”

“Not anymore, sir,” Judas was ready to walk out. He wasn’t sure he could work for another tyrant; especially one that hid his autocracy under a cheaply tailored suit.

Paul's smile spread across his face slowly, "Well…I do appreciate any boy willing to serve his country. And it looks like you've got all the necessary training and papers. I think you'll do. You’ll be heading up and building my security team for the duration of my election.” He paused to inspect Judas again, “You own a tuxedo, boy? If not, you’ll need to rent a nice one. We have fundraisers to attend. I'll have Betsy take you down to Human Resources for the paperwork."

Before Judas could answer or object, Paul pressed the intercom button on his phone and spoke into the air, "Betsy…can you please come in here?”

Both men were silent for several awkward moments until the beautiful woman with ocean-colored eyes reappeared in the doorway, leather portfolio in hand.

“There she is!” Paul rose from his perch to meet the stunning woman halfway. “Betsy, I’d like you to meet Mr. Christian. He will be our new head of security. Mr. Christian, I’d like you to meet my campaign coordinator, Betsy. You’ll work together on all the event planning over the next few months.” He turned to the much younger woman, “Darlin’, can you take Mr. Christian down to Alice? Let's get him started tomorrow morning with the meeting for the gala."

Her smile was angelic radiance lighting a halo around her entire face. Judas’ heart beat hard in his chest and he felt oddly off balance being next to her. But there was something behind her luminous grin. It took him back for a split second but then he thought he saw a twinge of tired sadness. There was heartache there, he could feel it.

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