Hard to Hate You // Michael Langdon

Part XVII - Poor Decisions

I sigh as I run my hand through my freshly washed hair.  This is much better.  Now that my face is clean, I can see that the only remaining bruising is only my left cheekbone, but even that is minor and barely noticeable.  It'll be easy to cover up with makeup.

I look down at my dress on the floor and sigh.  That thing is absolutely disgusting; there's no way I'm putting it back on.  I'll just slip out of Michael's room and hope that nobody sees me since the only thing covering me is a towel.

I slip out of the bathroom but stop upon seeing Michael entering the room with one of my dresses in hand.  "Where the hell did you get that?" I question.

He smirks as he turns toward me.  "From your dresser."

"Why the hell were you in my room?" I narrow my eyes at him.

"I figured you wouldn't want to put that dress back on," he shrugs.  "What, are you scared of what I might find in there?" he asks mockingly.

I roll my eyes.  "Just give me the dress."  I walk over to take it from his hands, but he quickly holds it above his head.

I cross my arms, unamused.  "Michael, give it to me."

He smirks, completely amused by the situation.  "You're being quite rude considering that I was kind enough to get your dress for you."

I quickly jump up and snatch the dress; since I'm only an inch shorter than Michael, it's not much of a reach.  I pull the dress into me, but Michael refuses to let go, causing us to be pulled together. 

"Michael, I swear to god, I will-"

"God?" he mocks.  "You see, I don't take God as a serious threat."

"Why are you being such an asshole?" I question.  "You're much more insufferable than usual."

"Offending me isn't going to get you anywhere."

"And being childish isn't going to get you anywhere," I counter as I turn and attempt to pull the dress with me; however, he refuses to budge.  

I quickly stop as his hand grabs my towel.  "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I seethe as I turn back to him.

He smirks.  "Getting a rise out of you."

I inch towards him, an idea forming in my mind.  I stop when our faces are inches apart, and his smug look falls from his face as he feels my hand hovering over his pants.  Almost immediately, he releases my dress in shock.

As soon as my dress is out of his grasp, I back away before he can grab it again.  The shocked look on his face is priceless, but he quickly composes himself.  "Well played."

I smirk.  "Thank you."

He continues to stare at me as I back into the bathroom.  The mixture of shock and desire on his face is something that I wouldn't trade the world for; it sure as hell makes me satisfied to know that I was the cause of it.

......

"Valentina!" Coco yells from down the hallway.  As I turn to face her, she crushes me with a hug.  "God, are you okay?" she asks as she pulls away to look me up and down.

"Are you okay?" I ask, noticing the sheer amount of makeup covering her face; she must be trying to cover up the bruises that Mead left her with.

"Mead only took a few swings at me; she was down there with you for at least 30 minutes.  I was sure that you were dead."  She quickly hugs me again.  "God, I never would've forgiven myself if she killed you.  I shouldn't have gone running my mouth like that."