Gabriel stopped short.
“Angelfucker.”
“Pardon?”
Paul Norris squinted at his former dissertation supervisor, not quite sure he’d heard what he thought he’d heard. Certainly, he had his own favored descriptors for the Professor, few of which were complimentary.
Studentfucker, Paul thought.
“This conference keeps getting better and better,” Gabriel muttered, straightening himself to his full height of six feet two inches.
“Professor Emerson.” Paul subconsciously flexed his biceps and broadened his chest.
“Paul.” Gabriel moved to Julia’s side possessively, handing her the bottle of water.
“Shake hands, gentlemen.” She frowned, looking between her friend and her husband.
The men followed her suggestion less than enthusiastically.
“I didn’t know you were coming.” Gabriel looked pointedly at Paul.
“I wasn’t. One of the presenters backed out, so Professor Picton invited me. I’m giving the paper just before Julia’s.”
Julia smiled. “That’s great. Congratulations.”
Paul beamed in return.
“Can I take you to lunch?” He focused solely on Julia.
“I’m afraid she already has plans.”
Julia gave her husband what could only be referred to as the look before nodding at Paul.
“I’d love to go to lunch with you. Thank you.”
Gabriel clutched Julia’s elbow.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate,” he whispered.
“Darling,” she whispered back a warning.
“Hello, Mr. Norris,” Katherine interrupted. She shook Paul’s hand firmly before turning to Gabriel. “Mr. Norris and I are having dinner this evening. I’d like you and Julianne to join us.”
“We’d be delighted.” Gabriel’s voice was strained. “Since we’ll be dining with you this evening, Mr. Norris, I’ll claim my wife for lunch.” He smiled, showing all his gleaming white teeth.
“Darling, can I have a word?” Julia asked. She turned to Katherine and Paul. “We’ll be right back.”
Julia took Gabriel’s hand and led him to a quiet corner of the room.
“I want to have lunch with him.”
“Over my dead body.” Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest.
“He’s an old friend.”
“An old friend who kissed you.”
“That was after you left me. As you may recall, I turned him down.” She crossed her arms, mirroring his posture.
Gabriel scowled. “He wants you.”
“Paul is not someone who would make a pass at a married woman. It’s just lunch. So I’m asking you, please, don’t make a big deal out of this.”
“It is a big deal.”
“I haven’t seen him in a year. I’d like to talk to him and see how he’s doing. Maybe he’s back together with Allison.”
“He’s still in love with you.”
“No, he isn’t.”
Gabriel crowded her, dropping his voice.
“You forget that women who are beautiful, intelligent, and kind are in short supply. A man would do anything to have a woman like you. Including stealing you from your husband.”
Julia squared her shoulders.
“You forget that when a woman finds a good man, a man who loves her and makes her happy, she doesn’t fuck around.”
Gabriel flinched.
He couldn’t help it—his eyes found Christa’s and he watched as she taunted him, looking between himself and Julia smugly.
Gabriel turned back to his wife and uncrossed his arms.
“I’m not happy about this.”
Julia reached up to kiss his cheek. “I can live with that. Thank you.”
Within minutes, Gabriel found himself in the unhappy position of having to watch his wife sit next to the Angelfucker, while he sat on her other side. She and her friend exchanged a few playful words before the session began, and Gabriel resented each and every one of them.
This conference is like a tour through the various levels of Hell, he thought. The only things missing are a respectable Virgil and hordes of people screaming.
It was one thing to suffer the slings and arrows of Miss Peterson. It was quite another to find his wife in the arms of another man. And in the arms of the Angelfucker, of all people.
Gabriel started reciting the prayer of St. Francis in Italian in an effort to calm down.
He knew that he should tell Julia about his confrontation with Christa. But he also knew that it would upset her, potentially ruining her opportunity to appear poised and self-confident in front of the conference attendees. So he kept the distasteful details to himself.
Besides, he had Mr. Norris to worry about.
Paul had been a good and loyal friend to Julia, especially when she’d needed him. But he’d made a play for her, something Gabriel understood but would never forgive.