Lust, Lies, and Forbidden Ties ✵ h.s.

✵ eleven ✵

She was already asking way more questions than I had anticipated. It left me somewhat anxious now, though I knew she was simply excited because I never went out with anyone in the year and a half she had known me. So, this was clearly a big step for me and she was obviously more thrilled than I could have imagined.

"He is nice. I think he is older than me by only a year or so. I didn't ask him his age, though."

She clapped her hands together, grinning at me before she began to tell me about places around town that she enjoyed eating. It was kind of her, but I was ninety percent sure that all of them were probably way over my price range. She was the one making the big bucks, after all, and while I would have loved to eat at a five star restaurant, I knew it simply was not in the price range.

It was maybe another ten minutes before we reached our destination, the two of us getting out of the car after we both had thanked the driver. Mrs. Woods and I headed up to the restaurant, the two of us walking up to the hostess table. It was clear the place was very busy, but we didn't have to wait for a table, the hostess bringing us to a table all the way in the back. While I didn't necessarily mind waiting for a table, it was nice to sometimes have this kind of power, per say. Or, to be associated with people who had this kind of pull.

"So," she began once we had a seat and the hostess had walked away. "You never told me about the other night. I got a call from Mr. Styles saying he was going to, what was it? Pay the difference of your hours that you missed."

"Oh, that," I smiled awkwardly, not realizing I was going to be grilled. "It was nothing. I told him not to."

"But then why did Mr. Styles call me?" she asked, clearly interested in the situation that wasn't even a situation in my eyes. "He doesn't usually do that. Did you see him?"

"I did," I nodded, shrugging. "It was honestly nothing."

If nothing meant that he carried me home, and helped me change, and stayed in my bed until I fell asleep, then it was definitely nothing. I hadn't seen Harry since the other night, and while I wasn't necessarily complaining, I also wanted to know whether or not he was going to be rude when I saw him again or if he was going to be a decent human. However, we had briefly spoken about it, and I was pretty sure that he was not going to be that great when we saw one another again. After all, there was no reason for us to be friendly to one another. He was a model and I was simply an assistant.

"You know, you can tell me the truth," she told me. "I wouldn't tell a soul. My lips are sealed."

Mrs. Woods went out of the way to zip her lips and throw the key away. It was amusing to watch, especially since the last time I had seen anyone do that I had probably been in high school, if not earlier. Of course, I also was amused simply because she was making such a big effort for a story that didn't even really exist. Harry had simply wanted to make sure that even though I was wasted, I would have made it home safely. He had no other intentions, and nothing else had even happened. So, Mrs. Woods had nothing to zip her lips for, realistically.

"I know that you would never tell, but I also know that nothing happened between us. I swear to you."

She shrugged, and I could tell that she didn't believe me. As I had said before, though, I didn't think the minor details were worth telling her. Plus, just the other day she had hinted at her and Harry having some sort of a past, but she hadn't elaborated on what kind of last that was. I didn't really think that was very fair, but I simply brushed the thought off, ordering a water when the waitress came over while Mrs. Woods asked for a white wine.

We went through lunch discussing business, and I was thankful for the change in subject. Not that I had cared that we were talking about Harry, but I definitely was having a more enjoyable time when we weren't. After lunch, we headed out. Since there was a lot of traffic, and the building was only about four blocks away, we decided to walk back to work instead of taking a car. It was probably a better idea anyway, and I knew it was because it would have taken twice as long for the car to get here and to take us back as it would for us to simply travel there by foot.