Sonata (Harry Styles FanFiction)

43. Another Time

"I would be careful, Mister, you have just picked a fight that you cannot win. Are you sure you'd like to continue down this path?"

"Oh, very much so." His full lips quirked upward, curling into the most deliciously devious smirk that I'd ever seen apart from in the mirror. Oh, he was good, I'd concede to that, but that just meant I had to be better.

With the elegance of engrained civility, he took my hand, raising me easily to my feet before tucking my hand under his arm and ushering me through the restaurant. Stella was cheering, my heart thundering, pumping adrenaline throughout my entire body.

"I'll take that liquid compensation, now," I muttered, struggling to pull myself together.

"As you wish."

Darien Grace

"So, you demanded that I come in on the one night I'd explicitly requested off every year— non-negotiably— because...?" I asked, swirling the Courvoisier L'Essence de Courvoisier around in my glass. The motion allowed the heat from my palm to warm the bright amber liquid.

I'd declined Monsieur Malik's offer of dinner in favor of drinks. I wasn't hungry at all and I wanted to be fucking smashed before I even showed up to the party... well, I wasn't particularly sure if I wanted to go now, but if I did make an appearance I was going to make sure I was highly intoxicated. Plus, I had to deal with this mythical being. I was going to need a very, very strong numbing agent if I was going to keep from jumping his bones.

I still had my little bit of 'Otherwise' to deal with. Just because I'd ignored him all week and there was a ridiculous amount of sexual tension giving me the worlds biggest lady boner for another man, it didn't mean I was ready to give it— and the Darling Professor— up. Sexual attraction was one thing, Otherwise was in a league of it's own. But still... I couldn't help the overwhelming desire to go a few rounds with Monsieur Malik.

"I wanted to see you again." He shrugged, easy confidence rolling off of him in palpable waves.

"And you couldn't wait another day?" I laughed, completely flabbergasted at his 'the world revolves entirely around my life' attitude.

"I'm only here for the night. I have need to be in France tomorrow."

"What could possibly be happening in France that could pull you away from the magic of the city?" I couldn't help the question, my curiosity had been peaked. His expression immediately tightened— he was guarded.

Uh oh. Danger! Danger! Stella was yelling for me to back the fuck off and get back on the sex fast-track.

Calm it down, Bitch, I'm working on it. Inwardly, I rolled my eyes at her. God, she was a nagger.

"Just a few pressing personal matters." He shrugged the question away as if it wasn't a big deal, but the tension in his entire body screamed otherwise. I could tell there was something he wasn't telling me— whatever was in France was important. That much was obvious. I had to literally force myself to let it go. Badgering him with ridiculous questions wouldn't help either of us.

Back to the basics, then, Stella commanded. I mentally flipped her off. She was the reason I was there instead of where I should have been— at the fucking party. She needed to calm her shit.

"So you thought that you'd pull a few strings and make me work on my birthday just to accommodate your oh-so busy schedule?" I quirked an eyebrow up at him, trying to salvage his good mood. I nearly choked on my sip of the ridiculously extensive brandy when he suddenly rested one large palm innocently on the bared skin of my knee— the slit to my dress had fallen open, exposing my crossed legs.