Katherine stood in the closet in her undergarments looking through the dresses she owned, wondering what she should wear to visit her grandmother for her birthday. It being the tail-end of winter didn't leave her very many options. She owned quite a few sundresses for those beautiful days of summer, but not much she could go out in while it was sleeting in below freezing temperatures.
In the end, she decided to wear the same black pencil skirt she wore to her father's court hearing and the only turtleneck sweater she owned — a soft cream colored one that hugged her body in all the right places. She picked out a pearl necklace and matching earrings before she put on black stockings that clipped to a garter belt and knee-high black leather boots.
When she came out of the bedroom, she was stopped in her tracks when she heard Harrison's voice coming from his office. Hadn't she just said goodbye to him as he left for work not even a handful of hours ago?
Her feet clipped and clopped in her boots as she walked toward his office, wondering why he was home so early. Maybe she could convince him to visit her grandmother with her if he wasn't too busy.
Katherine stepped into the doorway and found Harrison sitting at his desk with the phone up to his ear, tapping a pen against the top of the desk as he attentively listened to whoever was on the other end of the phone call.
"Brilliant. Just what I like to hear. Make double copies of it and have it on my desk by the morning," Harrison spoke into the receiver before he curtly ended the call, dropping the phone into its base on the desk.
His eyes went to the screen of his computer, using his mouse to click through whatever he was working on, oblivious to her standing there.
"Ahem," Katherine cleared her throat, making her presence known. Harrison's vision immediately shot in her direction.
"Katherine," he acknowledged just before a smile turned up his lips, "Was wondering where you were, mon ange."
"And you thought you'd find me in your office?" She teased as she walked deeper into the room.
"I had to quickly make a phone call. Was coming to find you next, but it looks like you're on your way out," he explained as he looked down to see her coat draped over her forearms.
"I am. I'm going to visit my grandmother. It's her birthday," Katherine explained with a soft smile.
"Oh. That's lovely, mon ange. You didn't mention it," he pointed out as he stood up and walked around the desk to meet her.
Harrison looked dapper as hell in a designer Valentino charcoal colored suit that was finely tailored to his specifications. His hair was perfectly styled in its usual wavy elegance, and he had a smile on his face that showcased the sweet, yet sexy dimples in his cheeks.
He was, by far, the most attractive person Katherine had ever been with. She questioned everyday how she was able to attract a man of his caliber. A man who could have any woman he wanted, and he chose her. She was a very lucky lady.
"I was going to call you on the way. It was kind of a last minute thing. Last minute, meaning my phone reminded me this morning that it was her birthday and the least I could do was visit her."
"Regardless of whether it was planned or not, I'm sure your grandmother will enjoy your company, angel," Harrison replied, leaning in to leave a kiss on her forehead, "You look beautiful."
"Thank you," she said with a giggle as she looked down at her conservative outfit before smiling back up at him, "I didn't want to go into a retirement home wearing anything too revealing."
"Spot on," he chuckled, his chestnut eyes sparkling as they crinkled at the edges from his smile.
"How come you're home so early?" She asked curiously.
"Dunno. Felt like it," he said with a passive shrug of his shoulders and it left her mind reeling, sending him an odd expression. He rarely left work early.
"Who are you and what have you done with the Harrison Styles I know?" She quipped before letting out a guffaw. Harrison chuckled under his breath, shaking his head.
"Was gonna see what your plans for lunch were, mon ange. But I can see you're busy," he told her.
"That's very sweet, Mr. Styles," she acknowledged, beaming a smile at him before she leaned in, kissing his lips, "Rain check?"
"Of course, darling. I should have called."
"It's okay. You can come with me if you'd like," she offered with a sweet smile as she took a step back.
"To visit your gran?"
"Mm-hmm. If that is something you can fit into your busy schedule."
"You know," he said as he stepped up to her, hovering his lips near hers before leaving a kiss there, "I'd love to meet your gran."
"You would?" She asked, pushing back to look at him as a surprised expression took over all of her features. Harrison let out a laugh as he watched her.
"You're serious?"
"Quite."
"I-I... yeah, yeah. Of course. Yes, you can come meet her."
"Cat got your tongue, angel?" Harrison teased as a sideways smirk turned up his lips.
"I'm just surprised. Deeply surprised."
"Why is that so surprising?"
"I dunno. I just... I don't know..."
Harrison laughed again, "My gran — the one I made Shepherd's pie with — died when I was ten. And my other gran, I was never close with, so it would be quite nice to meet yours, angel."
"Okay. Okay, yeah," she agreed as a wide, happy smile beamed across her face.
"That pleases you."
"It definitely pleases me," she replied, letting out a little giggle.
"Charmed, darling. I'm quite charmed," he said, leaning in to kiss her again.
"Oh, she's gonna love you," Katherine giggled against his lips, knowing her grandmother was going to swoon over his British accent.
"Is that sarcasm or reality?"
"Oh, it's very much reality. She's going to eat you up," Katherine giggled.
"Well, then. Let's do this, belle fille."
"I just need to grab my purse," she told him as she walked out of the office toward the kitchen.
"Is your gran allowed alcohol at the retirement home?" He asked as he trailed behind her.
"As far as I know, yes. She has her own apartment in the building."
"Brilliant," Harrison said as he made a beeline for the wine room that was located on the other side of the kitchen's pantry.
"You're going to bring her wine?" She asked as she followed him.
"It is her birthday," he said with emphatic enthusiasm in his tone.
"Oh, yes. She is going to fall completely in love with you," Katherine giggled as she stopped in the doorway of the small room to watch him.
"Red or white?" He asked curiously as he scanned the wall of wine.
"She likes reds, mainly."
Harrison nodded before he reached up, plucking a bottle off a shelf.
"Pinot Noir," he said as he read the label.
"Can I see the note card?" Katherine asked him and he immediately obliged.
When she first moved into the flat as Harrison's housekeeper, she noticed little note cards next to each and every bottle in that room with their own individual specs written on them in perfect penmanship. She always wondered who it was who had the patience to do something so elaborate and tedious.
"Who took the time to research every bottle in here and write out all these note cards?" She asked as she looked down at the card to read the title of the wine — Casas Del Bosque Reserva.
"Miss Novikov," Harrison said simply.
"Who is Miss Novikov?" Katherine asked as her vision quickly snapped to his. She hadn't heard that name before and immediately wondered what other women had been in and out of this penthouse before her.
"My previous housekeeper."
"I'm your previous housekeeper," she quipped with a teasing smile.
"You know what I mean," he told her evenly, the side of his lips barely turning up into the tiniest of smirks.
"What was her name?" Katherine asked curiously. She had only ever heard him talk about his previous housekeeper once before, on the day he took her out to lunch after her father's hearing all those months ago.
"I believe it was Helena," he replied as he opened a hidden sliding door in the wall to retrieve a small wooden wine box that the Pinot Noir would fit perfectly in.
"You believe?" She questioned with a cock of her eyebrow. The woman worked for him for three years and he believed her name was Helena?
"It was Helena."
"How old was she?"
"Why?" He asked, sending her a questioning look.
"Curious."
"In her late twenties," he relayed as he finished putting the bottle of wine in the box.
"Hmm."
"What?" He asked, regarding her carefully.
"Blonde or brunette?"
"Mon ange," Harrison said with a facetious smirk turning up his lips, "Are you jealous?"
"No," she lied.
Harrison's smirk turned into a satisfied smile, causing her to roll her eyes because she knew that he knew that she was full of shit.
"Like I've told you before, she was nowhere near as alluring as you," Harrison reiterated, "But if you must know, she was brunette."
"Hmm," Katherine hummed, biting back a smile.
"Does that please you?"
"What? That she was brunette?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Yes, angel."
"Maybe," she said with a miniscule shrug of her shoulders, "I like to think maybe blonde is your type."
"Katherine," he said, his eyes darkening with lust as he looked at her, "My only 'type' is you."
She wasn't able to hold back her smile, but she tried to hide it as she looked down at the note card in her hand.
"She must have had a lot of time on her hands. I feel like I need to step up my game around here," Katherine told him, quickly changing the subject before it led to them heading back to the bedroom for a quickie.
"Well, she wasn't getting fucked in every corridor of this flat. Give yourself a break, angel. I've taken up a lot of your time," Harrison replied with a complacent smirk, causing the quickening of her arousal to hasten inside of her.
"Very true, Mr. Styles. Very true," she giggled, feeling an instant flushing over her whole body as she thought about how their sexual relationship had started — fucking on the dining room table.
Katherine quickly cleared her throat, trying to center herself, as her eyes finally flitted over the information on the card.
Name: CASAS DEL BOSQUE RESERVA
Grape Variety: 100% PINOT NOIR
Year: 2017
Region: VALLE DE CASABLANCA, CHILE
Price Est: $850.00
"Harrison. You are not about to give my grandmother an eight-hundred dollar bottle of wine," Katherine protested immediately, looking up at him with her mouth agape.
"Why not?" He asked, knitting his brows together in confusion.
"She drinks boxed wine, Harrison. She's gonna— this is too much," she said, flapping the note card in her hand.
"This is boxed wine. See," he quipped, showing her the wine in the expensive wine-box he put it in.
"Harrison," she sighed, unable to keep from smiling at his cheesy little joke.
"It's fine, mon ange. She'll love it," he assured her, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead as she let out a deflated huff.
"Well, that's going to really outshine the card I got her," Katherine commented as the two of them walked out, making sure the door was closed tightly to the temperature controlled room.
"It's from both of us, angel," he told her insistently.
"Yeah. I don't think she's going to believe an eight-hundred dollar bottle of wine is from me."
"We're a packaged deal. If it's from me, it's from you, mon ange. Isn't that part of being in a relationship?"
"Look at you. Mr. I've-never-been-in-a-relationship-before Styles," she snickered.
"My therapist earns every dollar I pay her," Harrison quipped, causing her to guffaw animatedly.
"I'd like to shake her hand," Katherine commented sincerely, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck before kissing his lips.
"I doubt she would be opposed to you coming to a session or two," he teased.
"As well as my therapist, I'm sure."
"Katherine..."
"Yes, my love."
"I hope you know that 99% of the things I've learned about being in a relationship have been taught by you," Harrison told her sincerely.
"That cannot be true," she giggled, smiling widely at him.
"It is most definitely true, my beautiful seraphic angel. You have been instrumental in my education."
"Harrison," she cooed, feeling her cheeks flush with his admission.
"You have, angel. Believe me," he told her as he kissed her again.
"I mean, I'm no expert," she began to say, suddenly feeling singularly responsible for the overall well-being of their relationship and it was a bit terrifying, "I don't have it all figured out either, Harrison. I hope you know that."
"I know that," he told her with a nod.
"I-I just..."
"I've flustered you."
"I— well..."
"Katherine. Calm down. I didn't mean anything negative by it," he explained.
"I just... I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I'm doing everything wrong and I don't want you to— I don't want to ruin— This is all very new for you. I guess... yeah, I guess, I get it. You learn from us. From being with me," she stammered her entire thought process out loud in an anxious mess, causing Harrison to breathe out a laugh as he smiled at her.
"You're not doing anything wrong, Katherine. I sincerely mean that," he told her, his smile never fading from his face, "And I do learn from us. I swear, I learn something new everyday from being with you."
She breathed out a laugh, "What have you learned today? Not to fluster the lunatic?"
Harrison laughed out loud before pulling Katherine close to him.
"You're not a lunatic," he breathed against her lips before kissing them, "And you're quite charming when you're flustered."
"I think you'll change your tune once you meet my grandmother. I come from a whole family of lunatics."